Thunderbirds and the Tracy boys are the creation of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson
Chapter 20
"Where did they go, Kyrano?" John replied, trying to keep calm.
"I think Tin-Tin said she would take Miss Jenna down to the south beach, Mr John," Kyrano answered in his ever gentle and polite manner.
"Oh great, just great," John thought to himself.
The south beach was the longest and most beautiful of the beaches on the island and the one on which Scott would take his early morning runs. From the far end, dominated by large rock formations against which the ocean would pound mercilessly, you could get the best view of the now extinct volcano peak rising above the tree-line. Looking back towards the villa, which was hidden by dense, lush foliage, the beach ended naturally at the rocky coastline that continued on out of sight. Looking out to sea the breakers continually crashed on the reef beyond, sending up white sprays of water that cascaded back to the ocean. Was it any wonder Scott Tracy loved to run here in the early morning as the sun was rising, casting it's golden glow over the water. He loved this place, it helped him to think, to unwind from the ever-relentless pressures of being in command in the field and that's probably why Tin-Tin took Jenna there to show her the calming beauty of the place.
"They'll most likely be at the far end by now," John remarked to Virgil. "OK thanks, Kyrano," John said, a little deflated "I'll contact her on her wrist-com."
"Oh I'm sorry, Mr John but Tin-Tin isn't wearing her wrist-com," Kyrano apologised.
"Why the h…," John was about to say when he realised he was talking to Tin-Tin's father. "Why isn't she wearing it?" John repeated becoming a little more annoyed, knowing that Scott needed to have Jenna back here real soon.
"It had a malfunction so she left it with Mr Brains to get it fixed," Kyrano explained, continuing to remain courteous even though he was aware Mr John was becoming anxious.
"All right, thanks Kyrano," was all John could say. Looking perplexed, first at Scott who was gritting his teeth against the pain and then at Virgil he anguished, "Well, now whada we do?"
"Get a hover bike and go get her, John," Virgil ordered, now assuming a commanding role. Guess when you're as close to your eldest brother as Scott and Virgil are it would be only natural that some of Scott's forthright authority should rub off on Virgil.
"You mean one of International Rescue's hover bikes," John asked, slightly unsure and thinking that Jenna was as yet unaware of who they were.
Virgil pulled a frown and shot him an exasperated look. "Well, do we have any other kind?" Virgil replied in an irritated tone.
"What about Dad, what would he say?" John answered, feeling torn between his father's strict rules and knowing his eldest brother desperately needed Jenna's expert help.
"Forget about Dad, it doesn't matter what he thinks right now," Virgil urged, knowing that each minute spent in arguing was another minute Scott was suffering. "Can't you see Scott's in pain, he needs Jen here, now and anyway I don't think even Dad would want him to be in pain like this, do you?" he added.
"No, of course not," John agreed.
"Well, get going then. And John," Virgil reminded him "hurry, please."
Scott groaned, "Yeah, please John, hurry."
"I'm right on it, Scott. I'll have her back here in no time," John assured him as he hurried off to Thunderbird Two's hangar to retrieve a hover bike from one of the pods.
Pain continued to sear through his head like someone was stabbing at him with a hot knife. In an effort to be distracted from the pain he asked Virgil to tell him something funny. Virgil was unsure and really didn't feel like being trivial and laughing when his brother was suffering so much, probably as a result of all that pent up emotion that he felt he had initiated.
"Please Virg, ….tell me," Scott insisted, desperate to be distracted just for a while.
Virgil pondered for a moment, then his eyes lit on Gordon and Alan who became a little nervous and worried, especially when their second eldest brother started to grin.
"Ah naw, Virg, don't tell him that, please," Gordon pleaded, "we'll never live it down."
By now Scott was intrigued. If it was something his two youngest brothers wanted to keep secret then it must be bad and funny. He winced, drawing in deep breaths and smiling weakly. "Go on."
Virgil related the story of how the two pranksters had tried to wangle a stay in the infirmary by pretending to be unwell so that they could get looked after by Jenna. He then told Scott about Jenna offering to bring over Nurse Ruth Hiller to help look after them and their enthusiastic reaction. With a great deal of relish, Virgil went on to tell him of Mike's description of her, "…….and if you'd seen their faces," Virgil could barely say with laughing "it was priceless."
"Serves you two little punks right," Scott retorted, sucking in sharp intakes of breath and grimacing. "That sure sounds like one scary lady," he added as he mused on the description.
"Tell us about it," Alan agreed. "Can you imagine if Mike had brought her instead of Jenna," he said, visibly shivering at the very thought.
No, that was something Scott did not want to think about. He gave a weak laugh but inwardly thanked Mike for not inflicting that kind of torture on him.
Virgil fidgeted, looking at the clock. "What was keeping John," he thought worriedly but then realised the time it would take to get to the far end of the beach and back. Scott continued shifting in the bed, every so often throwing his head back into the pillows to try and get relief. By now he was feeling hot and flushed, his internal temperature mechanism still unsettled.
"Can I get you anything, do anything, Scott?" Alan asked, wanting to be able to bring his brother some relief.
"You could get me a cold cloth for my head, please, Al," Scott conceded, willing to allow his brother to help him.
"Sure Scott," Alan responded, secretly pleased that his eldest brother was at long last admitting that he needed their help instead of toughing it out. Alan quickly went to the Prep Room and returned with a cold compress and basin of cool water with which to renew it, as he needed.
"Tell me something else, Virg," Scott asked, feeling ever more wearied by his pain. "What was the funniest thing we ever did as kids?" he wanted to be reminded.
Virgil thought but before he had time to speak Gordon spoke up. "Oh I know," he grinned mischievously. "It's gotta be that time Dad took us to that big meeting of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when he was in NASA, remember?" he added, barely able to contain himself.
"Oh yeah," Alan agreed, "that was a real doozy. You remember, Scott?"
"I think I'd prefer not to," he replied, half laughing as the memory came flooding back.
Gordon went on to relate this story of how, as a high-ranking, well-respected NASA astronaut, their father, Jeff Tracy, had been granted special permission to allow his sons to attend this briefing. Their father had instilled in them that this was a special privilege and they were to be on their best behaviour. Of course they'd agreed, their faces all sweet and innocent.
"And just whose idea was it?" Virgil reminded him, trying to keep a serious face that was threatening to break into a grin.
Gordon looked at Alan who promptly held up his hands. "Oh no, I'm not taking the cop for that one," Alan protested but Gordon, who was grinning from ear to ear, continued to look at him accusingly. "Well, OK, some of it," Alan relented. "It was my idea but Gordon put it in," he continued, making sure he wasn't going to get all the blame.
"Well, you did lookout Virg," Gordon shot his brother a conspiratorial look to which Virgil reddened with guilt. "And John too," he added, not wanting to leave out his absent brother.
"Yeah, and don't forget your crucial role in all this Scott," Alan laughed, wanting to keep his brother's mind of his headache.
"No, just leave me out of this," Scott pretended to argue.
"Oh but Scott, you're role was vital," Gordon simpered. "If it hadn't been for you keeping Dad occupied," he went on.
Gordon went on to tell, in between bouts of laughter, how they had poured a liquid laxative into the coffee pot that had been brought in to the Joint Chiefs of Staff for when they took a coffee break.
Tears were rolling down Alan's face now as he tried to convey what happened next. "There…wasn't much….work done…..that afternoon, was….there?" he convulsed uncontrollably, almost rolling off the bed beside Scott's where he had perched.
"No," Gordon joined in, equally hysterical. "And did you see…their faces….when they had…to keep excusing…themselves," he said laughing, barely able to speak.
"Yeah, it mightn't have been so bad if Dad hadn't wanted coffee as well," Virgil reminded them, still trying to be serious but not succeeding.
"Oh yeah," Gordon remembered and they became serious for all but a few seconds before the vision took hold in their memories again and they exploded into uncontrollable laughter. Even Scott managed to laugh at the thought of his father fidgeting before finally having to leave the table.
"He never did find out, did he," Alan assumed, not saying to anyone in particular.
"No, he didn't" Scott answered; his laugh fading and with a faraway look in his face, which his brothers just surmised was tiredness. What Scott was actually remembering was the roasting his father had given him when they got home and his brothers had gone to their rooms. Although their father couldn't prove anything because Scott point blankly refused to give his brothers away, Jeff had his suspicions that his sons were somehow involved in some sort of prank and Scott bore his wrath with a heavy heart.
At long last Virgil heard hurried footsteps in the corridor outside. "It's OK Scott, she's here," Virgil sighed with relief. He turned to Scott just in time to see his head slump sideways towards his shoulder, having at last given in to the intense pain that coursed through his head.
"SCOTT", Virgil called out alarmed.
Outside in the corridor Jenna heard Virgil's alarmed cry; quickening her pace she entered the infirmary to find Scott in a state she had definitely not left him. She was tight-lipped as she entered, John having informed her on the way back that Scott had been 'a little bit upset'. "Can I not leave you guys alone for two minutes," Jenna fumed as she made her way to his bedside.
"We're sorry Jen," they all said together and then Virgil spoke out. "There were things he needed to get off his chest," he explained, not saying what they were. "And we just let him talk and then he took this bad headache," Virgil added, feeling guilty enough already.
"Hmm," Jenna mused. Seeing how badly they felt she couldn't bring herself to be angry anymore with them but why did she get this feeling that somehow they weren't telling her everything. Perhaps it was to do with the real cause of his accident.
"How long has he been like this?" Jenna asked as she sat down on his bed, stroking his forehead and calling his name.
"He blacked out just when you were coming down the corridor, Jen," Virgil offered. "He is going to be all right, isn't he," he wanted to know.
"Just sit with him 'til I go and get him something," Jenna replied rather tersely, not trusting herself to say anymore. Coming back with the appropriate medication she injected him straight away. "Scott, Scott," she called his name softly as she applied a menthol gel to her fingers. The strong, cool smell of menthol filled the room as she gently massaged it into his forehead and around his temples. Having now calmed herself Jenna turned to Virgil and the rest of his brothers. "Yeah Virgil, he's going to be all right," she smiled weakly, "but I expect he'll sleep the rest of the evening."
"Come on, guys," Virgil requested, "let Scott get some rest. We'll see you tomorrow Scott."
As the boys headed for the door, Jenna wondered again which one of them it was had flown them to the island. "Which one of you was it?" she thought, pulling her face into a puzzled frown and then an evil, mischievous grin spread across her face. "OK, so you like to play games. Well, I'm gonna have some fun with you guys tomorrow," she laughed to herself. "Bye boys, see you tomorrow," Jenna called after them in an almost sickly, sweet voice.
He heard her calling him from somewhere deep down in that darkness that he found himself. She beaconed him and he followed until at last he reached her outstretched hand. As he took it he felt himself being pulled back up into reality.
"Scott, Scott," Jenna called softly to him as she continued to stroke his forehead and then his face.
Slowly he opened his eyes to find he was gazing into her smiling yet concerned face.
"Hi," she said as he smiled weakly. Jenna could see now he had been through some great emotional anguish when she saw how reddened, bloodshot and swollen his eyes were and her heart ached for him.
"You know, don't you," he whispered.
