Disclaimer: . . . is this REALLY necessary!
Authors note: Hey! I'm glad to see some of my older fans coming back! Welcome back, sorry I kept you waiting for so long . . . I had a lot going on in my life, which wasn't too pleasant, but, hey! That's the past and this is the present and we are looking at the future . . . about fifty-nine years into the future lol.
Thanks for backing me up mcj on the Virgil smoking thing, from what I've re-watched so far (I'm up to Ep. 7 Thirty Minutes After Noon) and they all do except Alan, even Gordon was smoking a cigar at Lady Penelope's.
Barbfromutah I'm glad you think that I'm capturing the conflict well. I'm still a teenager but when I was fourteen I was abandoned by my Mum, so I know what it feels like to be left by someone you trust and love . . . but whatever you do, don't feel sorry for me, please! My Dad's the best! Lol
And, once again, thanks Threshold Addict, your comments mean a lot to me!
Anyways . . . let's get on with the show . . .
Somewhere In Between
By Bubblegum Thai
Chapter Ten: An unlikely disagreement.
"Hey, how're you feeling?"
Suzan slowly sat up, swotting Virgil's hands away as he reached down to help her up. After a long struggle, she finally got there, letting out a quiet sigh,
"Fine, I guess." She replied, looking the olive-eyed man square in the face, "What happened? Where's Dad? He's ok, isn't he!"
Virgil grinned,
"Relax kiddo. Father's doing great. He's still in hospital." He reassured, "As for what happened, you passed out in Thunderbird 2 on the way home. You're lucky Gordon was there to catch you! That's one nasty bump on the head you've got yourself there, not to mention a broken ankle."
"Grrrrrrrreat . . ." Suzan drawled, rolling her eyes, "Can I get up?"
"'Fraid not, Scott's in charge and he wants you to stay in bed."
"Can I not at least go to my own room?"
Virgil laughed, throwing his head back slightly as he did so,
"I think it's best that you just stay in the medi-bay. Just for a little while . . . so Scott and Grandma can keep an eye on you . . . stop being so desperate to get up and out of here, take it easy for a while. The world's not going to change whilst you're in bed."
"I'm not a baby, y'know!"
"No, but everyone's worried about you squirt. So just do as you're told for once and I'm sure Scott'll let you get up for dinner."
"What time is it?"
"About one. Scott was up all night with you and I took over at dawn."
Suzan smiled weakly,
"Thanks, Virg'."
"Not a problem."
All of a sudden, she whipped the blanket and sheet off of herself and turned so that she stepped out of the bed,
"Back in a sec'!" She called over her shoulder,
"Where're you going!" Virgil exclaimed, jumping to his feet,
"To the bathroom . . ." She huffed,
"Do you need any help?" He asked, genuinely concerned,
". . . in the bathroom! What exactly do you presume I'd need help with!"
"Well, I don't know!" He grumbled, "I'm just trying to take care of you!"
"I'm fine, really." She giggled, shaking her head.
- - -
When she returned, she discovered that Virgil had lit a cigarette, though he wasn't alone. His body was angled towards the doorway where a new figure stood, leaning against the frame,
"John!" Suzan gasped, hopping across the room and up into his arms where he lifted her up against him, "John! I missed you!"
"Hey kiddo!" John beamed, blowing her hair out of her face, "I've missed you too!"
Virgil took a drag of his cigarette and stood,
"Well, looks like my shift's over." He joked, "I'll see you both at dinner, alright?"
"Right!"
- - -
As Virgil wandered back into the living room, which he'd expected to be abandoned, he took another drag of his cigarette,
"I don't suppose you've got one I could pinch?" Scott asked hopefully from the desk,
"I thought you went to bed?" Virgil asked as he walked over, popping open his silver-plated cigarette holder and extending it to Scott who took one and gave him a nod,
"Thanks."
"Well?"
"Well what?"
"I thought you went to bed . . . you've been up for hours, Scott. You're exhausted!"
"I can't rest . . . not with Dad in the hospital and Suzan concussed and battered in the other room! Someone's got to stay in charge and keep an eye on things. I just can't sleep when something, somewhere isn't going on!"
Virgil smirked, tossing his older brother a box of matches,
"Here . . . you really need to calm down Scott. We can survive for a couple of hours whilst you sleep. Like I told Suz', the world's not going to change whilst you're in bed."
"I know . . . but I just feel extra on alert with Dad in the hospital. Why'd he have to stay so long, anyway?"
"Because he broke both his legs and they're worried about the condition of his spine." Virgil said calmly. He rolled his eyes inwardly. When Scott was tired and stressed and nothing was directly riding on him, he became unreasonable and just plain daft sometimes. If he were on a mission . . . something he could focus on, he was precision sharp, regardless of what was going on in his head. But when it was sitting around at home doing nothing but staring at a wall and watching over his brothers and sister, he went a little dippy in his old age, "Seriously. Get a couple of hours. John and I are here . . . Gordon is . . . around . . ."
Scott sighed,
"I suppose I should . . . you're not going to let me off the hook, huh?"
"Nope."
"Wait a minute . . . did you say you were talking to Suz'?"
"Yeah . . ."
"So, she's awake!"
"Yes."
"Why didn't you say!" He fumed, jumping up and marching off,
"Great . . . so now he's found another way to procrastinate further . . . fantastic . . ." Virgil muttered, following his brother towards the medi-bay.
- - -
". . . was like . . . amazing! It was the greatest feeling! Such a rush!" Suzan exclaimed, grinning and throwing her arms up into the air above her head with a giggle.
John grinned,
"Well, I'm glad that you had so much fun on a mission . . ."
"It wasn't the mission I enjoyed . . . it was the freedom and the responsibility. The fact that Dad actually let me off of my leash for awhile and get out there and do what you guys do!"
"Well, that's good."
"Not that it'll ever happen again in a million years." She sulked, dropping her head,
"I'm sure he will." The blonde reassured, lounging back in his seat, "You know Dad . . . he's always saying things like that, he'll come around. You've just got to show him that you're responsible."
"What're you doing out of bed!" Scott demanded as he walked in, scowling at his sister who was sitting a top of the bed in her pink silk brocade pyjamas, facing John.
Suzan rolled her eyes, pushing a mound of hair off of her pale face, scowling at him with sapphire eyes,
"Hello Scott." She drawled, each word dripping with disdain,
"Get back in bed, Suzan." He huffed, "You should be resting."
"Says the man with the dark circles beneath his eyes."
"If you want to be treated like an adult, you really should start acting like one." Muttered the oldest as he stared at her with a look of authority as Virgil slipped in. The Thunderbird 2 pilot glanced over at John with a wary look,
"I am!"
"No, you're acting like a baby! Why don't you just do as you're told for once? You wouldn't get yourself into such stupid situations if you listened to Father and I!"
"Oh yes, because you're full of such great advice!"
"Ugh! Teenagers! You think you know everything, don't you!"
"No! I never said that!"
"Alan was exactly the same, y'know!"
"Scott . . ." John began. As the second eldest, he felt that it was his duty to jump in and stop this argument. Usually it were Scott who would jump in and break up a disagreement between his siblings. But John could tell he was tired and obviously wound up tightly. Suzan was very similar in the way that she had a short fuse when it came to Scott,
"You're such a hypocrite, y'know that, right? You are not DAD! You will never be Dad, you're nothing like him! You haven't got a hope in hell of ever coming close to him . . . but there is a similarity! You BOTH think that you know what's best for me! Not one of you has ever asked my opinion! What I want to do . . . where I want to be! Don't you think I'm sick of being by myself!"
"Suzan . . ." Virgil soothed, "Come on, calm down . . ."
"You're such a brat!" Scott shot back,
"What has gotten into the pair of you?" Virgil asked suddenly, "You two never used to argue, now all of a sudden it's like you're at each others throats!"
"Mmm . . . Father mentioned that before . . . he said that since Suzan's been back, you two have been going at it like you hate each other." John agreed,
"He's so annoying!" Suzan fumed, "Thinking he can tell me what to do!"
"I'm your brother! I'm in charge whilst Dad's gone! I CAN tell you what to do and I'm telling you to get back in bed!"
Suzan huffed staring at him coldly, refusing to move,
"Just do it, Suzan." Virgil sighed, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. He looked up and jumped, she'd turned those cold eyes on him, staring at him with hurt and disbelief,
"Fine." She muttered, climbing back into bed, crossing her arms across her chest stubbornly, staring back at the three of them, "Now what?"
"Go to sleep." Scott muttered, "For the love of God, do something that'll keep you quiet!"
"Why don't you go away?" She asked, tilting her head to one side,
"Why don't you go back to school or something? Then at least we won't have to listen to you sitting around here moaning."
"Scott!" John and Virgil exclaimed in horror. This was very unlike Scott, he never spoke harshly to any of them, especially not Suzan. That was Gordon and Alan's job to wind her up. Suzan simply stared at him in disbelief. She blinked, her eyes glazed over with tears,
"Ok . . . I will . . ." She whispered,
"Good." Scott huffed, before storming out of the room and right into his Grandmother who stood, with her arms crossed over her chest, tapping her foot, "Oh . . . h-hey Grandma!" Scott beamed,
"Scott Tracy!" She snapped, "How could you?"
"She was being a brat."
The elderly woman huffed and marched past him into the medi-bay before shutting the door in his face. Scott sighed as he heard his little sister burst into tears. He placed his hand on the door handle hesitantly before opening the door. He smiled weakly,
"I'm sorry, kiddo." He said guiltily. She looked up, a tear rolling down her cheek. She sniffled slightly,
"Me too." She agreed. He smirked, walking over and leaning down for a hug,
"I'm just tired and angry at myself for not being able to help you and Father before you were hurt."
"Don't be." She soothed, placing a hand on his cheek, "You did the best you could and we're fine so it all ended well."
Scott nodded in agreement,
"Right."
"And you don't have to worry, I've decided to go to school in Japan. I was accepted, so I'm going." She said with a smile, "No more little sisters hanging around moaning." She teased.
- - - To be continued . . .
Sorry for such a slow, crappy chapter . . . I just want to ask everyone that reads this, PLEASE PLEASE review! I've had over 600 hits with this, yet only 30 reviews . . . I just want to say PLEASE review, I can't get better or write what you like if you DON'T TELL ME! Lol
Thanks everyone who is reviewing! Reviewers are MUCH LOVED!