Thunderbirds and the Tracy Boys remain the creation of Sylvia and Gerry Anderson

Fellowriverrat: My continuing thanks for your knowledgeable expertise and technical advice but more so for the many laughs along the way.

Author's Note: My advice to any of you out there who may require nursing in the future, get this girl! She will have you in stitches! On second thoughts that might not be a good idea if you have stitches.

Knottaclue: I wouldn't be surprised either if he got a bit down in the dumps but you have no idea what he's prepared to do!

Claudette: You're all getting very clever, thinking just like Jenna but then, maybe, it's because you're all getting to know her so well. I had this written before your review.

My thanks to all of you who have reviewed this story so positively, unfortunately head injury can be quite serious and debilitating so in a way this story is dedicated to all those brave young people whose lives have been affected and Jenna is proud to be a part of all those wonderful dedicated nursing staff who are involved in rehabilitation.

Chapter 17

She lay, watching him sleep for a while but, truth was, she wasn't going to get much sleep herself. Thoughts and questions tumbled around inside her head as she tried to make sense of what she'd just heard or what she thought she had heard. "You're just tired, Jenna," she told herself. "You're imagining it." A few moments later, "No, Scott definitely mentioned Thunderbird One," she thought with the conviction of someone who knows they are right. "Scott's a pilot, maybe all pilots fantasize about flying Thunderbird One," she continued to think as though looking for a way to explain what she had heard.

After all, Thunderbird One was unique; the most highly developed and technically advanced craft of it's kind. Her speed was unparalleled; she outclassed anything that ever flew. What pilot in his right mind wouldn't fantasize about flying her?

Questions continued to trouble her, though. "If that's all it was and he was just dreaming, he certainly wouldn't dream of crashing her," she thought. "No, he would be doing barrel rolls, dives, pushing her to her max," she laughed to herself. No, it definitely sounded like the kind of dream that was born of experience and if that were the case then Jenna was going to have to admit that Scott Tracy must, indeed, be the pilot of Thunderbird One. "But if Scott is the pilot then he works for International Rescue," was her next logical thought "and does his family know?" Slowly but surely other things started slipping into place as realisation began to dawn, the fact that International Rescue had brought her and Mike to the island when they don't carry out private mercy missions for important people. "But they would do if it was one of their own, wouldn't they?" she realised. Add to that the fact they had been picked up at Tracy Aerospace and that must mean she was here at the secret base of International Rescue and the rest of the family were involved with Jeff Tracy being the Commander-In-Chief. She thought now of how Jeff had seemed uneasy when she had asked him if Scott had a lot of responsibility and that he hadn't given her any information.

Another thought struck her. "If Scott is her pilot then who flew them here?" she queried with herself. "It had to be one of his brothers but which one? He had his voice heavily disguised." Jenna knew she would look at these guys a little bit differently in the morning, although she knew it would not make any difference to how she felt about Scott Tracy; she had become besotted with him a long time ago. A sudden thought made her laugh; she had just chewed out the Commander-In-Chief of International Rescue, though she knew even if she had known she would have still done the very same thing.

Knowing the dangerous nature of International Rescue's work she now began to wonder if his injury were not caused by some alleged climbing accident as she had been led to believe but because of some rescue he had been involved in. It was now becoming clear to her the full extent of what this would really mean to him and her heart ached for him all the more.

"Oh Scott, "Jenna sighed, whispering softly as she watched him sleep "I didn't realise. I promise you, you're secret is safe with me." She knew she would never do anything to hurt him or betray him and his family but she also knew that she couldn't tell anyone that she knew, not even Jeff or his brothers. She had heard something she was not intended to hear. She wrestled with another problem. Should she mention to Scott that she had heard him? But she thought better of it, thinking it might upset him if he thought he was giving away family secrets in his sleep. It bothered her though, that his troubled dreams might have a detrimental effect on his health if he believed in his mind that he could no longer fly his precious Thunderbird. Knowing his love of flying she wondered if, perhaps, his dream of crashing was his minds way of telling him his career was over and was coming crashing down around him, though she didn't doubt the reality of his actually having crashed.

Jenna eventually fell into sleep and awoke a few hours later to begin a new day. Scott was still asleep when his father paid his usual pre-breakfast visit.

"How is he, Jenna?" Jeff asked, concern evident on his face.

"Well, he's still sleeping. He had a bit of a restless night," Jenna offered as Jeff picked up his son's chart and began reading the data. "But that's only to be expected," she added as she could see Jeff was wondering what she meant by a restless night. He spent a short time sitting with him and eventually left.

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee, his coffee, stirred his senses and Scott opened his eyes to observe her standing at the coffee maker. As his eyes took in her form a taunting voice invaded his thoughts. "Forget her, Scott Tracy. You really think she's gonna look at you now, a guy with a useless arm. You honestly think she would want you, a girl like that? Look at you." "No, leave me alone," he argued with himself "just leave me the hell alone." "Yeah, alone is what you're gonna be, buddy, so get used to it," the voice continued to taunt him.

Scott fixed his gaze on some point beyond the window as Jenna approached his bed to do her morning checks. She talked to him as she always did but he made no response even though he heard every word she said. "I think we can leave this dressing off now," she said brightly as she examined the now healed wound on his forehead hoping that it would help make him feel a little better but he made no acknowledgement. He couldn't bear to look at her, to see a look of pity in her eyes. She could see he was slipping into that black hole of depression.

After breakfast the boys came down hoping that he might want to see them but Jenna had to turn them away as she wanted to get started on his morning wash and then some gentle exercises. "Come back this afternoon and we'll see," she said apologetically. They left, disappointed but agreeable. As she watched them walk back down the corridor she wondered, "OK, guys, which one of you was it?"

Scott continued to remain unresponsive for the rest of the day, the only time he expressed any emotion was when he endured his 'sweet agony' at her hands. Even there the voice taunted him. "Don't kid yourself, Scott. You're just a job to her, nothing more. Just a piece of meat. You don't think you're anything special to her, do you?"

"Scott, you're brothers will want to see you today," Jenna said gently, hoping he would make that decision for himself but instead he blinked twice.

He couldn't bare the thought of his brothers trying to jolly him along, not right now, not today, maybe tomorrow he thought. For some reason he just couldn't bare to look at them doing things with their two arms while his hung useless at his side. He had tried to make it move, wanted to do things even the simple task of pulling the sheet up around himself and he couldn't even do that, he had to rely on Jenna to do everything for him as his other arm was quite sore with the drips that he needed. He wasn't used to being looked after like this, if anything, he was always the one who was doing the looking after and this was killing him. His tortured mind was so, that, while part of him needed her, wanted her even another part of him despised her for all the things she was having to do for him and he hated himself for thinking that way.

"All right," she sighed. "I'll give you today but I'm not going to let you go any longer like this, Scott," Jenna thought to herself. She had no wish to treat him like a child and tell him what was good for him, he was better than that but she had to find that fine balance between acknowledging his wishes and urging him to accept the support of his family. When they came back that afternoon she hoped they would understand. "I'm sorry, guys," Jenna started to say. "Look, it's early days yet. Just try and imagine how he must be feeling, so please, be patient with him. I promise you I won't let him go on like this," she added encouragingly.

"Just tell him.…hi and we….well you know. Thanks Jen," Virgil replied rather dejectedly along with similar greetings from John, Gordon and Alan.

"I think he knows that already," Jenna responded.

She watched him from her desk as she wrote up her notes but he never took his gaze from the window. Later that afternoon Jenna read to him, though not from the book she had started with. Somehow she didn't think it was quite appropriate to read to him about a pilot losing his legs and was desperate to fly so she had asked Tin-Tin to bring her something else he was interested in; she brought her a who-dun-it mystery. Scott could always tell who it was before a book or film were finished, Tin-Tin told her so perhaps it would help him with mental alertness as Jenna would frequently ask him if he knew who it was yet, though, he made no audible response.

That evening his father came to see him and Jenna watched to see if he would show him any acknowledgement. As soon as Scott heard his father come in he closed his eyes as if he were asleep. Jenna had seen this reaction before; when a patient doesn't wish to engage with anyone what better way to avoid them than to pretend they're asleep. After all, who's going to argue that they're not really tired!

Scott had heard his father come in but didn't want to listen to his platitudes that everything would be all right or his whispered assurances that they would find something for him to do. He didn't want to have a job made for him; he had a job that he wanted to do so it was easier to pretend to be asleep. As soon as his father left Scott opened his eyes and continued his vigil of staring at the view outside taking only a slow, brief glance towards Jenna who had been watching him, daring her to make some comment.

That night followed the same pattern as before, with Scott becoming agitated, only more so. His breathing and heart rate were becoming rapid and sweat glistened off his face as he called out. "Been….hit. Can't….can't…get….her..nose…up…Dad. I'm…I'm….going..down. Thunderbird...One...come..in…Dad."

This time Jenna elevated him to a sitting position in the hope that he would wake naturally and go back to sleep. "Scott, you're having a dream, it's just a bad dream," she said softly as she bathed him with cool cloths.

He woke suddenly. Sitting bolt upright and snapping his eyes open Scott found himself gazing into her eyes. "Jen," he breathed with puzzled confusion. With the suddenness of waking and sitting upright, he felt a wave of dizziness wash over him; the room began to spin crazily and Scott found himself falling forward unable to stop. As he fell unto her shoulder she caught him, immediately wrapping her arms around him and with one hand cradling his head she rocked him gently from side to side.

She could feel the heat radiate from his body as she held him against her, his warm breath blew softly on her neck. Gradually his heartbeat and breathing slowed to a steady rhythm as he felt her heartbeat against his chest. Feeling himself sway in a gentle rocking motion and breathing in her scent Scott regained consciousness to find he was laying on her shoulder. As he felt warmth on his back where her hand rested and her fingers entwining themselves through his hair it reminded him of being in that place of utter contentment that he had no wish to leave. Only this was more real, in this world he could feel her holding him and she felt good.He knew what he wanted to do.