Disclaimer: Don't own 'em.

Yep, I'm still alive folks. I am incredibly sorry for the long delay and lack of posting. Life has just gotten in the way. From working two jobs to my twenty-first birthday. Life has been crazy.

You Have A Right to Know

The flow of steady hot water was a welcome relief to his tired, stiff body. It had been a very long night for each of them, and the morning was continuing to drag. Perhaps it was because this moment in time seemed so different than any other. For the Tracy Family, it was overflowing with uncertainty and unspoken fears.

Had it only been a few hours since being forced to leave Alan's side? Yes, Gordon's only baby brother was in the caring hands of their father and the staff of Mass General Hospital. Gordon had faith in the medical staff – and even more in Jeff Tracy - but he hated being away from Alan.

Within the Tracy family, it wasn't a secret how close the two youngest Tracys were. All of the boys were close in one way or another. However, it always seemed that Scott and Virgil would always pair off, and Gordon and Alan would do the same. John would often fill in for each brother when needed, all while being Jeff's chief confidant. Fermat often joked that the brothers had a psychic link between one another. At moments like this, Gordon realized their teen genius might be right.

Without Alan, the second youngest Tracy felt lost. Gordon was his own spirit, but he was at his best when he had his little brother at his side. The same could be said for Alan. Maybe that was why he was having such a hard time with everything. Gordon knew that nothing could happen to Alan without him knowing it deep down, but somehow, he still couldn't shake the feeling of dread that was still lingering eerily in his soul.

Turning off the water, Gordon sighed. Maybe it was just the mood he was in and not an impending sign.

Drying himself off, he gingerly pulled a simple t-shirt over his head. Grabbing his jeans next, the redhead resigned to the fact that you couldn't always get what you wished.

Stepping out of the steamy room, Gordon jumped. He was stunned to see Scott leaning against the wall, his arms folded across his chest. "God, Scott! Are you trying to give a guy a heart attack?!"

Scott smirked. "No, but I do plan on giving him something else."

Gordon raised an eyebrow in curiosity. In answer, Scott tossed him a bag. Opening the bag, a grin spread across Gordon's face as he realized his brother had picked up his prescription.

"I knew you'd be needing those," Scott said. "Judging by your stature, I'd say I was right to assume."

Gordon smiled but immediately tried to stand a little straighter. "Thanks, Scott. You didn't have to do that. We could've gotten them on the way back to the hospital," he said as he took a seat at the breakfast nook. He laid the mild pain killer and muscle relaxant on the counter before him.

Scott walked up behind his little brother and massaged his shoulders. "I know you, Gordo. You won't say anything about your pain. So, I took matters into my own hands."

Gordon chuckled. "Should've known - you're such a worrywart."

Scott rolled his eyes and came to stand in front of the redhead. He leaned into the counter. "How is the back?" he asked.

Gordon refused to meet his older brother's eyes. "It's good."

Scott chuckled. "You can be such a bad liar at times, bro." Grabbing a plastic cup, he filled it with water. "Here, take those," he said, motioning at the pills.

"Thanks," the redhead said and gathered the pills he needed in his hand. Putting them in his mouth, he drank the water. Sitting the cup back down on the counter, Gordon noticed Scott seemed lost in his own little world.

"So, how long have you been up?" Gordon asked, quickly trying to divert the conversation.

"Awhile," was the only response Scott gave.

"Couldn't sleep?" Gordon smirked. He straightened his back as the tension was returning. At least the shower helped for a little while, he thought smugly.

"Guess not," Scott said. He focused his attention back on his little brother. "How long have you been up?"

"Awhile," Gordon replied. Standing up from the chair, he walked toward the tall window that overlooked the Charles River.

Scott followed his brother. "Gordon, how long?"

"An hour or two," the redhead said quietly.

"Gordon, that means you only got three hours of sleep at best!" Scott frowned, concern only growing inside of him.

"Maybe," was the only response Gordon muttered. Something outside seemed so interesting all of a sudden.

Leaning against the wall in front of his brother, Scott watched his sibling intently. "Gordon, you need to rest. You're not going to do anyone any good by making things worse for yourself."

Gordon shot his brother an incredulous look. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he asked as anger fueled his words. "Do you think I chose to get hurt just for the fun of it?"

Scott berated himself as he realized his poor choice of words. "Of course not, Gordon. I didn't mean it that way - I swear. I'm sorry, I meant that you need to take care of yourself. Your back won't heal on its own. I'm just worried about you, okay. I can't imagine how much pain you must be in."

Gordon's gaze softened and stared out the window once more. His body relaxed - all anger forgotten. "Believe me - this isn't a walk in the park."

"Is that why you can't sleep?" Scott asked softly. His eyes never left his little brother's face as he studied Gordon's expression.

Gordon groaned. Brothers could be so meddlesome at times - especially when one was called Scott. "That may have something to do with it," he said finally.

Scott continued to watch him. "How bad?"

Silence was his only answer.

"Gordon, how bad is it?"

Gordon let out an exasperated sigh. "Alright, fine. It's pretty bad, okay. Now stop looking at me like that," the water-loving Tracy huffed.

Scott smirked. Mission accomplished. Replacing the smirk with a frown, he put an arm around Gordon. "C'mon kiddo, I think it's time we put you back to bed. The drugs should kick in soon, and sleep will do you some good."

"Everything alright out here?" Virgil's voice echoed throughout the room.

"Just peachy," Gordon muttered.

Virgil eyed his brother precariously. Before he could say anything, Scott spoke. "I've got it all under control. I was just sending this one back to bed."

"I see," Virgil said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Good. I know you've been up a while."

Gordon raised an eyebrow. "Do you guys have a spy camera attached to me at all times or what?"

Scott and Virgil both laughed. "No, but that's a wonderful idea. Maybe you and Alan would stay out of trouble more often," Virgil said.

"Not likely," John said as he entered the living space. "Bubble-wrap would work much better."

John's remark received a chuckle from both Scott and Virgil. Gordon glared, however. The idea did not amuse him.

"A brother can only hope," Scott sighed. "Alright, Fish-face, off to bed with you."

"Why do I have to go to bed when the three of you are up? You need your sleep as well," Gordon protested, sounding childish.

"Ah, but we have been sleeping," Virgil said.

"Oh?" Gordon rebuked. "Then how did you know I was up for so long?"

Virgil's face fell. Damn. "Medical spidey-sense," he claimed.

"Riiight," Gordon said. "Then explain that one to me, Scotty. You're the one who went and got my prescription. Why do you get to stay up?"

Scott glowered at his second youngest brother - ignoring the frowning stares from John and Virgil. "I'm the oldest, so I can do whatever I want."

That comment received a snicker from each of his younger brothers. "We'll see about that," Virgil said.

John walked up to Gordon and placed his hands on the redhead's shoulders. He directed him towards his room. "Alright, Gordo. Enough of the diversions - off to bed. I don't want to see you for at least another two hours at the minimum."

"Aw, come on, Johnny. Not you too," Gordon whined in a fashion only a five-year-old shared. He hated being the youngest of the crowd when Alan was absent.

"Yes, me too. No arguments. I may not be mother-hen Scott over there, but I'm second in command when it comes to big brother duties, and I say it's off to bed with you. Getting off your feet will do your back some good," John grinned as he ignored the glare from his only older brother.

"Fine," Gordon sighed. "Maybe the meds will take some of the edge off after all. I'm not promising I'll get much rest, though."

"Just try," John urged as he patted him gently on the shoulder.

Gordon gave in with another sigh and made for his room.

"Hey, Gords?"

Gordon turned toward the voice. "Yeah?"

Virgil exhaled. There was something he needed to get off his chest. "I just wanted to say sorry about last night in Thunderbird 2. I didn't mean to make you feel guilty with Dad and Alan. I was just worried."

Gordon shook his head and smiled. "Don't worry about it, Virg. We were all pretty stressed at that point." He turned and entered his room, closing the door behind him.

Scott chuckled. "That was an understatement."

"Yeah," Virgil mumbled and took up the spot Gordon had vacated by the tall window.

John watched his little brother with curiosity. Virgil's mood had suddenly changed from light-hearted to incredibly somber. A haunted gaze passed across the middle Tracy's face – a look that didn't settle well with John at all.

Moving closer to his brothers, John noticed a similar look crossed Scott's features as well. Taking a seat on the nearby couch, the astronaut fiddled with his fingers as he cautiously chose his next words. "Can I ask you guys something?"

"Sure," Scott answered.

John watched his brothers. "What was it like inside the dormitory?"

Virgil almost physically flinched at the question. His gaze never left the window. "I don't think you want to know."

"I do. I see the way you two look at each other when the subject is brought up. I'm no stranger to disaster zones - even if I do spend most of my time up on Five," John sighed. He knew the small details of his youngest brother's injuries, but deep down, he wanted to understand what Alan had gone through. No, it may not give him the answers he sought, but it would help him understand what forced Alan to play the hero.

Scott stared at Virgil as the two brothers met each other's gaze. Both knew their blonde brother wouldn't let the situation rest until one of them gave a good enough answer. Allowing a deep sigh to escape, Scott joined John on the couch. "Are you sure you want to know? I'll be frank, John. It'll give you nightmares for years to come."

John swallowed, knowing this conversation was going to be rough on all of them, but he needed to know. "I'm sure," he replied.

Scott took a deep breath as he forced himself to go back to the exact location that had landed them where they were now. So many images flashed in his mind. He had seen a lot during his years in the Air Force, but seeing his kid brother's school in shambles put this situation on an entirely different level.

"Well, there's no easy way to really explain what it looked like, or even smelled like," Scott started. "It was a war zone. Debris was scattered everywhere as if a bomb had gone off. You could feel the heat of the flames that licked at the walls from above. The worst of it was the smoke. You could barely see a few feet in front of you. It took us several tries before the kids answered our calls."

John watched his older brother as the brunette seemed lost in the scene he was describing.

"Do you remember the rescue we had in Australia a few years back?" Scott asked.

John searched his memory of rescues he had been earthbound for. "Was that the one where the distillery caught on fire?"

"Yes. Do you remember how much fire and debris there was?" Scott asked again.

Ah. John could see where this was going. "Vaguely. I take it that was similar to this situation?"

Scott chuckled eerily. "Yeah, something similar. Maybe not as much fire but still the same visual. Take that scene and put it in closer quarters. That was sort of what it was like for us."

John was slowly beginning to understand. "I see," he said quietly as his mind began to visualize the scene described to him.

"Once we found Alan and his schoolmates, time was limited as I'm sure you can imagine. You'd be proud of the little squirt. He had everything all organized - well as organized as it could be in there. Allie even had one of the students help," Scott smirked at the thought.

"Does it really come to much of a surprise? The kid has been following our every move since the organization started," Virgil spoke, breaking his silence.

"No, not really," John chuckled. "The kid is smart, and he absorbs things very fast."

"I'll say," Scott said. "He's only been in training a few years now but as much as I hate to admit this - and I'll hurt either one of you if you tell him this - the kid handles himself almost like a pro. Almost." As much as he rode the kid about his actions on the field, Scott knew Alan understood what it took to be an operative of International Rescue. The kid infuriated him sometimes, but that only reminded Scott how young Alan was still. Hell, he could still remember Gordon's first year. Sometimes his two youngest brothers were too similar.

"Was Alan conscious when you guys arrived?" John asked.

Scott's mood became somber once more. "No, he wasn't. One of the students showed us where he was. Alan looked horrible. He - well, let's just say the kid was nearly covered up to his chest in debris."

Scott's gaze ventured toward the window as he noticed Virgil stared out the glass once more. "Alan's hair was smeared in blood from the cut near his temple. That only added to how pale his skin looked under the fire's light. When I reached him first, his breathing wasn't good, but it picked back up a little once we got the oxygen mask on him."

"That only lasted for a few minutes," Virgil interjected. "It was hard keeping him attentive. Especially when Allie was only worried about his schoolmates, he kept telling me that he was fine."

"Of course he did," John smirked. Alan hated admitting pain but hated admitting to weakness even more.

Virgil smiled marginally at the thought but quickly let it disappear from his face. "We all knew the kid was far from fine. While Scott was getting the other kids set for transport, I tried to check over all his injuries, but Alan wasn't much of a help. My questions only confused him."

Something bothered John as he listened to his younger brother. Deep down, he had a feeling things were about to get worse. The second oldest never heard Virgil sound so different. It almost scared him.

"You know what happened while we loaded the students and what followed as Alan talked to Dad," Scott said.

John shuddered at the memory. Alan's desperate gasps for air still echoed in his head and would haunt his dreams for years. "Yeah."

Scott swallowed as he prepared to speak but stopped as Virgil spoke. "It doesn't get much better from here," Virgil said. The chestnut-haired Tracy exhaled as he gathered himself for the next part of their tale.

"As you can imagine, we both rushed as fast as we could to reach Alan. By the time we got to him, he was barely making any audible sounds," Virgil spoke slowly. The slow wheezes still replayed in his head as he remembered the scene. Looking down at his hands, the medic fiddled with them nervously. "There was so much blood that had pooled beneath him."

John winced at the emotion in his younger sibling's voice. Boy did he feel like an ass right about now. "You guys can stop. I think I got the picture pretty well. I'm sorry for putting you through this."

Scott smiled as he met John's soft gaze. "It's okay. You deserve to know. Besides, we did leave you guys hanging once we left the school. I can only imagine what all of you were thinking."

"Pretty much anything. My mind was racing through every scenario possible, while still trying to control the radio waves and make sure Dad was alright," John said as he remembered how much fear filled Jeff's voice.

Scott winced at the thought of their father. "Sorry."

"Don't be. I'm used to reeling Dad in. You guys had your hands full. You kept Allie alive, that's what matters," John said.

Tears threatened to escape Virgil's eyes at John's words. "That's just it Johnny, we almost didn't," he said as he finally faced his two older brothers. "I almost didn't." Taking a deep breath, Virgil continued. "Alan flat-lined on us almost as soon as we got into the infirmary."

John closed his eyes as the mental image of his baby brother in such a state filled his head. Opening his azure eyes, he looked at his older brother. Scott remained silent as pain crossed his features. That look upon Scott's face nearly killed John right there.

"After numerous tries, we finally got him back, but we were far from being out of the woods," Virgil picked back up again. "God, he looked so pitiful, John. I knew I had to act fast if we were going to keep him stable. With Scott's help, I inserted the chest tube. Thankfully that helped bring his levels up. I wish it had done more. Next, I attended to his back," Virgil stopped as he fought his emotions.

"By this time, Dad had informed us that you had contacted the hospital. While Virg attended to Alan, I prepared the students," Scott filled in. He too was finding it hard to control his emotions. Those fleeting moments aboard Thunderbird 2 could've changed their lives forever. A thought that the field commander didn't even want to think about.

Virgil stared at his hands once more. Even though his hands were clean and free from his gloves, the field medic could still see the blood that stained them — the blood of his baby brother.

"Leaving Alan had to be one of the hardest things to do. I don't think I could've done it," John said as his mind wandered from his thoughts.

"More than you can imagine. Seeing how well that hospital is treating Allie makes me feel better about it, but it went against everything inside me," Scott said.

"You okay, Virg?" John asked as his brother took a seat next to him.

"Honestly, no," the middle Tracy replied quietly. "I don't think I will be for a long time, but I'll work it out. Don't worry."

John put an arm around his little brother. "I think it will take all of us a long time," he said, squeezing Virgil's shoulder. He smiled as Virgil leaned into him.

Scott smiled at his two younger brothers, thankful for the family he had. "All we can do is lean on each other and pray the kid comes out of this okay."

~TB~

Behind the small door of the hotel bedroom, tears streamed down the second youngest Tracy's face as he listened to his older brothers. His heart ached at the hell each of his brothers had gone through. Without even realizing it, they had nearly lost Alan. The thought stole the air from Gordon's lungs.

He felt sick inside as he realized what Alan had gone through inside the dormitory and out. The absence of his only little brother made the water-loving Tracy feel empty. He needed his partner in crime back. Nothing would seem right until Alan was back with them, and all of this was nothing but a distant dream.

TBC….

Well, now we have a better look at what each of the brothers are facing inside. Inner emotional turmoil can be the worst at times. Poor guys. Things will start to pick up in the next chapter. I will hope to answer your reviews from the last chapter soon. Please leave me one for this one! Any friendly comments would be much appreciated! More soon and hopefully a lot sooner :)