Thank you so much for the reviews, they are incredibly appreciated. Sometimes it feels hard to stand along side the amazing fics on here but hearing such kind words keeps a smile on my face and make me feel a little bit better about it! This was meant to be a six chapter fic!
Recap…
John and Gordon, our International Rescue home boys, receive a call out to a burning office block with a threatening gas leak. The rescue services don't have the man power or time to tackle the blaze, the gas terminals, and to save the life of a trapped victim so require some help rescuing the casualty. If the boys can handle that then they can concentrate on the flames. As irony would have it John and Gordon discover that the victim is in fact Alan, trapped by a man on the point of madness with injuries making it difficult to escape.
Jeff, Virgil and Scott are at that moment sat inside a police station awaiting news, half the force seems to have vanished to secure the perimeter of a fire downtown leaving a skeleton crew to find their lost blonde. With no news on Taio and progress slow the silence in the station doesn't bode well for their own rescue efforts.
All that I keep thinking through this whole night, is it could take my whole damn life to make this right.
The splintered mast I'm holding on won't save me long, 'cause I know damn well that what I did was wrong.
Make This Go On Forever - Snow Patrol
(The BBC Frankenstein's Wedding version of this by Andrew Gower is breathtaking)
Jeff had received a surprising phone call which had left him somewhat at a loss for what action, if any, he should pursue. He had felt a sense of responsibility yet was unsure as to what he should be doing or whether he should in fact be doing anything at all. He had enough to be worrying about yet it wasn't something he could push to the sidelines to deal with later, something inside of him made the issue important and begged for it to be heard. It felt important.
To Scott's unfaltering disbelief Jeff had finally gone with his gut instinct and picked up his cell once more in order to gain more information on the matter, sitting around hoping Alan would turn up hadn't done them any good and was probably helping send all of them to early graves. Maybe he just needed the distraction, maybe he had felt that pang of fatherly love for someone other than his boys. After all, it wasn't everyday someone flung themselves in front of a car in order to save one of his boys lives. It felt important because it was important.
It was something that should have never happened and yet it had, he was embarrassed that he'd been so quick to write the poor girl's life from his mind, so used to rescue missions where the victims became statistics (because it was so much easier to deal with that way), that he had moved on from the bloodied car park and the images of flashing lights and police tape. Once the emergency vehicles had driven away he had one worry and one worry only, Alan's safety. Tess Zucco had been out of sight and until now, out of mind.
Looking back at the last few hours he realized that the moment the paramedics had loaded Tess into the back of the ambulance with poker player faces and a nod to Jeff, he'd turned away and so easily presumed her dead. With the injuries she's sustained and the blood she'd lost she had seemed little more than a quickly fading organ donor.
The phone call he'd received had come from the hospital, apparently Tess Zucco was awake and asking for them.
The mild shock of the news had taken a while to sink in, it didn't stack up yet working with International Rescue he knew that the impossible often did happen, limits were there to be exceeded and exceptions were always being made. Maybe it was the shock of realizing that the news may have affected Taio Zucco's next course of action, it might have meant the release of Alan. One could always hope.
Jeff waited to be put through to the high dependency ward he'd spoken to minutes prior, he needed to know whether they'd contacted her father and whether she herself had a way of contacting the man. His first thoughts were to how this could help Alan, but the closely followed second thought was that of getting to the hospital himself and being there for the girl that had almost lost her own life in saving Virgil's. He had a chance to say thank you.
The cops were happy to have Jeff and his sons out from under their feet at the station but not too pleased to hear of where they were heading, Scott hadn't been the only one trying to convince his father that right now Tess was stable and didn't need her father's most hated opposition turning up with grapes and well wishes. Grapes and well wishes didn't stop a mad man from trying to destroy your family nor did they protect you from bullets.
Jeff, equally as stubborn as Scott, had ignored the warnings and "friendly advice" he'd been given and had driven himself, a rather quiet Virgil and a muttering Scott to the hospital. If Taio did turn up then he wanted to be there to confront the man and ask him what the hell he was doing, if he wasn't then he felt damn well sure that Tess would appreciate some level of support and not feel so isolated from what was going on around her.
It was no secret that Jeff never liked hospitals, other than the employees who were paid to be there he'd be surprised if anyone did. Hospitals meant illness, disease and death, and although they seemed to be being cleaned around the clock there forever hung a foreboding smell of what he could only attribute to germs and filth waiting to pass on their sickness. The smell didn't help the feeling of unease either, an odd mixture of hospital food and cleaning products mixed together in the air to form a stale thickness that wouldn't budge from your lungs.
Walking through the corridors towards the high dependency ward was a quiet affair, Jeff stuck in his own thoughts of how often he'd been in with the boys in the past years as not just Tracys but as International Rescue operatives, the returning visits were never pleasant.
Scott was brooding with worry for Alan, his cell in a clenched hand which he kept bringing up to his face to check that he hadn't missed any calls or messages and that his battery wasn't about to give up.
Virgil had let his mind wander back at the Tracy Towers underground car park where things had really started to go wrong, the sense of relief of hearing that Tess was alive had been overpowering and he wasn't quite sure he believed it to be true. All the medical training had not prepared him for the things life constantly threw at them, he could read all the medical journals and text books in the world yet he could still be surprised and scared senseless by what he saw. Involvement sometimes wasn't optional.
The hospital was downtown and didn't have nearly as much money going into it as the higher end hospitals they were used to being on the receiving end of medical care at, before they'd even found the ward they were all fairly certain that Taio had no knowledge of his daughters injuries and/or whereabouts else they'd doubt she'd be there. A few of the aging lights lining the corridors flickered intermittently as they passed beneath them and trolleys of abandoned food trays and gurneys stood at the end of wards, stacked up expectantly as they waited to be collected.
It was a relief to finally find the ward and sign in at the nurses station, a clipboard passed between them as names were jotted and signed against. They quickly washed their hands with the antibacterial hand wash by the wide double hinged doors before making their way through the rows of beds, many empty and a couple curtained to prevent curious eyes. The age range in the large open room varied from young adults up to frail grandparents with skin like porcelain that seemed almost transparent.
Jeff swept his gaze from bed to bed with the curiosity that of driving past a car wreck, it felt rude and insincere to look yet he couldn't force his eyes away. The machines and Get Well cards arranged around the patients captured their morbid curiosity and a deep sense of sympathy. A part of Jeff felt relieved that it wasn't Alan laying there staring out at them, he still grasped at the hope that Alan was fine and things would resolve themselves without any more drama than that of which had already played out. Alan would be fine, they'd be jetting back to the island soon enough and all this would all be behind them as an unmentioned memory. He wanted to touch wood, just incase.
Virgil's intake of breath made Jeff look up to where the nurse had stopped, smiling back at them she nodded to Tess's bedside and quietly left them to it. They'd all presumed Tess to be dead, after the trauma her body had endured it seemed almost cruel not to be yet she defied all expectations and sat half propped up looking bleary eyed up at them. Frowning for a moment before something between a smirk and a smile hinted on her lips.
There were wires, so many wires going to and from her skin. She was hooked onto IV lines and her heart monitor displayed steady stats which beeped intermittently, it's steady motion showing just how alive she was. Pale skin peered out between bandages and gaze, blood still smeared her face in places where it had yet to be wiped away. Her stomach was covered thinly in a sheet that failed to hide the wires and blood stained material stemming from where her ribs had broken through her skin. Her short painful breaths showed just how far out of the woods she had to come.
Looking to Virgil, Jeff could see how pale his son had gone, almost matching Tess's ivory skin as she tried to nod a greeting up at them. A breathing tube attached to her nose hissed softly as she breathed in the oxygen, the tubes looping behind each ear and brushing against her skin.
Scott looked equally as shocked, for the first time he seemed to take in the extent of what she'd done for them - at least that was what Jeff hoped. His eldest son stepped round the bed and went to take a hand only to pause and look to her as though asking permission. She nodded and he took it gently, squeezing to show the thanks he couldn't voice aloud.
"We're so glad you're alright." Jeff sighed, realizing the stupidity in his words as she seemed anything but yet relief shading the ridiculous notion.
"Alan?" She breathed, ignoring his well wishes as her eyes shut for a moment as the pain fluctuated, she didn't need reminding of how alive she was, by the looks of things she could feel it more than ever.
Scott shook his head and began to explain what had happened, there wasn't much to tell after the hit and run but he explained what they were doing or at least what they were trying to do. He tried to keep a smile on his face but a frown sent shadows over his eyes as he spoke of the worry and how they had no idea what they should be doing.
Virgil hadn't spoken, locked in a memory he had so many mixed emotions that he was finding hard to express. He felt almost angry at himself for becoming so involved and reacting in such a way, he'd dealt with so many rescues before yet he supposed he'd never had to follow up on the casualties. They were there for the rescues, the job the medical teams did were something entirely different.
He picked up the chart on the end of the best, focusing his mind on medical jargon and terms as he stacked up the damage in his mind. She was so lucky to be alive yet although she obviously wasn't going to admit it but it might not be for long. She was in a queue awaiting surgery, if it didn't happen soon her internal injuries would finish her off. Unfortunately her treatment was dependant on the schedule of the surgeons themselves and who and what came in. From what Virgil could ascertain there must have been someone higher on the list who'd gotten there before her, her body was awaiting to hear whether it would get that chance to live beyond the night.
He sighed, placing the chart back down and standing on her other side opposite Scott, knuckles turning white as he clutched the bed frame. His father's cell rang out against the whispers of the quiet ward and he quickly made an apology and rushed out to take the call, no doubt the nurses would scald him for it. Left alone with Tess and Scott, Virgil tried to steady shook nerves and took a deep breath of what he hoped was calm.
"I'm so sorry. If I wasn't stood there it…"
"Stop." She chuckled dryly waving away his interruption of Scott explaining things, eyeing her chart at the end of the bed before meeting Virgil's gaze once more. "No use crying over it now, it happened and that's all there is." She looked off to where Jeff had exited through the ward, hopeful eyes looking between the two as she hadn't caught the end of Scott's story. "Did you ever catch up with my dad?"
Scott shook his head, growling under his breath as he crossed his arms over himself. "No luck there I'm afraid, we kind of hoped you'd know where he was or where he'd take Alan..." He paused, worrying his lower lip for a moment. "How… I mean, er…" He uncrossed his arms and awkwardly ran a hand through his hair, looking away and back again. "Is Alan going to be ok? He's not going to… do anything too… er… He'll be ok. Right?"
She tore her steady worried gaze from Virgil's and fixed Scott with a firm look, eyes tired and begging for sleep yet the spark still dancing in them. "I have no idea." She looked ashamed, embarrassed, maybe even lost. "The nurses have my things, what little I had on me anyway. It's probably got a lovely blood stained tinge to it but if you get them to release my cell to you maybe you can trace the numbers my dad used to call me on before?" She slowly and somewhat painfully lifted an arm towards a button hanging down by the bed, indicating they should call a nurse over with a nod of the head.
"Did the hospital try to call him in?" Virgil asked, leaning over to push the button and waving a hand to one of the nurses at the end of the room who looked up and began to head over.
"Yeah, try would be the right word for it," she admitted solemnly, "if he doesn't want to be found he's not an easy man to get a hold of, right now he's probably basking in making your dad, and you, wait."
"Hmm." Despite the lack of contact Scott felt a small spark of hope in being able to trace the phone numbers, it was a lead and something to go on whereas before there had been only silence and waiting. He prayed that they could alert Zucco to his daughter's condition, surely when it came to family the man had to show some kind of emotion, she was his own flesh and blood, surely that would mean something? The thought alone made him hesitate, he frowned. "If he thinks you're dead… would he react differently?" He wasn't sure if he'd used the right words but the sad look that flashed across her eyes was one of understanding.
"I know I keep saying it but I really don't know the guy, he's paid for other people to bring me up throughout my life and has gone above and beyond to make sure he doesn't have to spend time with me. I don't know what way you want to look at that, it could be because he actually does care and is still afraid of me being in the country my mother died." She huffed, clearly not believing or agreeing with the idea of it, her accent had grown stronger through perhaps anger or through tiredness. "Or he could not want me in his life because he doesn't want to deal with a kid he didn't want or is a reminder of his dead wife, he might just have paid someone to take that responsibility and reminder away."
For a moment no one spoke, Scott and Virgil were both reminded strongly of Alan and how his feelings of being abandoned had made themselves known over the past year. They knew Alan didn't like being sent away to school and that he desperately wanted to become a Thunderbird and not be the one Tracy left behind, but they had felt he understood their reasoning. He was going along the same route all of them had taken, his schooling and education had to come before joining International Rescue. It had been a given that they'd never voiced, the painful memory of the day realization had dawned after a particularly angry outburst from the youngest Tracy had been dropped like ice cold water over them. Alan had felt left behind in more ways that one, he'd felt like money had been used to hide him away and he knew that his father saw him as a reminder in looks and personality to that of his deceased wife.
Now they saw it from a different view and understood more than ever the pain which Alan must have felt and to an extent must still feel, it added another layer of desperation to getting him back and making him realize how much they needed him. They never wanted to send him away to school but in a way he'd probably never understand they'd done so because they loved him. The island couldn't give him so many things he needed.
Tess's voice broke their reverie. "Can you get my cell from my things?" She asked the nurse who stood expectantly by the bed, a brow raised as she paused to comment. "I'm not going to use it. They're just going to take it with them if that's alright?"
The nurses stern face fell and she smiled softly, her short auburn bounced as she nodded. "Sure thing honey, that's not a problem. How are you for pain meds?"
A flicker of annoyance crossed Tess's face as she waved the question away with her hand. "Fine." It was an obviously lie. She looked down at the bed sheets over her stomach and the area over her legs which looked potted to prevent further damage. "How long till I can go through?" Her voice wavered, it was clear that she wasn't coping as well as she tried to act but she bit her lip and forced a smile to her face and the familiar air of stubbornness she shared with Alan reappeared. "I hate laying in bed all day."
Jeff had received the news he'd both dreaded and hoped - he'd prayed so desperately that they'd find Alan as soon as possible yet had dreaded that his son would be hurt, and at the hands of Taio no doubt, it made him feel physically sick.
Brain's had patched through to him from Five whilst talking to Gordon and John who were no longer on the island but with Alan acting as International Rescue in the burning office complex that all the cops had rushed off to earlier. It was so bitterly ironic how things had played out that Jeff's stomach churned and not just with butterflies but what seemed like whole bats and birds. A foreboding feeling of not knowing where Taio was or what he'd do next didn't sit well and he couldn't help but think that things could get a lot worse before they got better.
He needed to find the man and make sure he knew that his daughter was alive, maybe that would stop him in the path of self destruction he currently trod, like a whirlpool it was pulling in casualties fast and without knowing what was going on inside there was no end in sight.
Thankfully John had given the fire chief the heads up on who they were rescuing and the man had enough sense to alert the police department on site, they in turn had contacted Jeff so he had a reason to be there, it would have been hard to explain how he knew his son was in the building before the police did.
From the hospital it was a twenty minute trip through the traffic to where he would be unable to keep in touch with the rescuers, right then he was a civilian and not a member of International Rescue, he had to sit back and wait like everyone else. Sit back and watch a burning building which now contained three of his sons.
The nurse had asked Scott and Virgil to leave. Tess needed as much rest as she could get before surgery, the paleness of her skin and the blue tinge on her lips did nothing to encourage them when she spoke of how she'd be up and about in no time. Right then she wasn't going anywhere and needed time to recover, worrying her with the news of Alan wouldn't have helped… at least Jeff didn't think so, his mind was juggling so many things that he kept second guessing himself.
With what he hoped was a reassuring smile, a thousand thanks for her actions and well wishes, plus the promise of returning after her surgery, they made a hasty retreat from the hospital. Jeff filled in Scott and Virgil as they made their way out to their waiting car, relaying the conversation he'd had with Brains whilst trying to keep their hopes and positive thoughts up for Alan's sake. Dwelling on what could happen wouldn't help.
With his two eldest sons in tow they reached the scene of the rescue as the storm above finally seemed to be moving off, the rumbles of thunder grew more distant and the lightning flashes less so. It was reassuring to see Thunderbird Two, she had landed in the only area other than the burning building that was cordoned off from the public, both standing tall and imposing against the dark night sky, the Thunderbird as a beacon of hope and the fire that of fear and unknowing. It was encouraging to see Two and to know that Alan knew his family were there for him, but not knowing what was going on inside the blaze at that moment was beyond infuriating. Until they were out and clear Brains was too busy guiding the rescue to be relaying the feed to Jeff, Scott and Virgil, he needed his mind on the job and switching between four feeds - Gordon and John's, the fire chiefs and Jeff - could effect the rescue.
Jeff had been able to get the car pretty close, a flash of his ID and the recognition of the cops had insured them safe passage through the growing onlookers and security guarding the perimeter. The couldn't get too close but from their line behind the fire crews they were able to watch the on going blaze and the torrent of water from the small army of fire trucks battling on.
Someone had called the media, it didn't bear much thought other than that of mild irritation to someone having tipped them off but years of ignoring their incessant comments and questions had made Jeff thick skinned. As they called over and flashed cameras in their direction he didn't pay much attention other to nod to a cop who strode over in the media's general direction to move them further back. No matter how grim a situation looked there was always someone there to make some money out of it, and right now this would be tomorrows headline news. Depending on how far the story could run would depend on the youngest Tracy son and whether he made it out of the building alive.
Alan kept blinking as pain seared in his eyes causing tears to run down his cheeks creating clean lines against dirty smoke stained skin, clouds of grey which seemed to get thicker by the second enveloped him and his two brothers as they moved on. He was trying to gulp deep breaths through the oxygen mask over his nose and mouth but the air tasted too dry and far too bitter, his lungs scraped against it and struggled to take in more than short staggered gasps. His chest felt as though a heavy weight was being forced against it, holding him down and pressing against his lungs as they restricted their movement.
He knew he'd broken ribs and he could feel the puncture wound where one had worked its way through tissue and skin, it felt oddly cold and wet against his chest and with each breath it seemed to move itself. Each step John and Gordon took - the stretcher held between them as they progressed through the building - Alan could feel his body scream out for the movement to stop.
They were worried enough though, he could see it in their eyes as they shot nervous fidgety glances down at him and sent what he supposed they considered reassuring smiles his way. The worry which shone through their eyes almost doubled the pain, he know it was ridiculous but he felt guilty for causing them such grief when he could have so easily still been on the island. If only he'd stopped pushing the subject of staying on the mainland and had just gone back home, if he'd respected their decision and not questioned how wise going back would have been… If he'd told Virgil how strongly he believed in his medical knowledge and that he didn't need any other doctor to tell him he was alright, if Virgil said he was doing fine then that was all that mattered.
Things came to his mind, worries he hadn't thought or felt before. He felt so selfish and immature, so horribly embarrassed that he'd let them down so vastly and entirely. He was forever begging his father to stop treating him like a kid, but now he felt he understood that he wasn't ready to make the decisions he'd been allowed make, he shouldn't have pushed the issue, he should have shut up and gone home.
A tear fell down his cheek that had nothing to do with the smoke stinging his eyes, he bit his bottom lip as it wavered uncertainly.
"You alright Sprout?" Gordon asked, looking down through the apparatus that covered his face and raising an eyebrow. "We haven't got anyone on the ground to operate Two yet so we've had to head further down the building to get to one of the furthest reaching ladders from the fire trucks."
Alan gave a small nod. "Where's the fire?" His voice croaked, lungs screaming as they protested against the sound.
John frowned down at him but didn't comment on his obvious breathing difficulties, they couldn't do anything about it until they were out. "It's spread through the lower stairwells so it's higher than we would have liked but we've got time, the smoke is going to get thicker as we get through to the window - you going to be ok with that?"
He nodded again, forcing air into his lungs as his heart fluttered. "Why can't Scott operate Two? You said they were on their way…" His heart skipped as he thought of Taio again, eyes widening with the thought of how much danger they could be in if they were on site.
"Relax Alan. Take deep breaths and shut up for a minute." Gordon rolled his eyes, the humor didn't touch his them though. He understood the worry in Alan's words. "They're with the police so perfectly safe, no sign on Taio anywhere so stop fretting. Unless Taio wants to take on half of the cities police force then nothing bad is going to happen to Dad, Scott or Virgil."
John stopped for a moment, the smoke had thickened and knelt with Gordon to lay the stretcher on the ground. "Scott can't exactly waltz up to Two, jump aboard and come save you. People might start asking questions." He turned the handheld thermal camera on and stared intently down at the screen. "Plus we've done such a fine job already."
"Wouldn't want him taking all the credit." Gordon added, kneeling down and checking Alan was secured safely to the board. He rested a hand on his youngest brothers head for a moment and looked down at him lovingly, ruffling his hair before heading off into the smoke whilst speaking into his radio.
Alan didn't have time to worry as to where he'd gone, a moment later the sound of shattering glass and a sudden breeze filled the air and the smoke seemed to clear slightly. It rose upwards and hugged the ceiling which became clear above, his vision expanded to show the corridor they'd come down and the window which lay a few meters ahead. He didn't think he'd ever be so happy to be outside, the fresh air (well, as fresh as inner city air could get) was so close his lungs seemed to scream for it.
"Almost there." John smiled, the happiest Alan had seen him since he'd come to his rescue.
Taio watched the scene unfolding at the burning building and grew angry, his grasp of control over everything seemed to be slipping more and more. This wasn't meant to happen, he'd set up the whole thing yet here he was watching his plans fall to pieces and the youngest son of Jeff Tracy being rescued. Everything was going wrong, he couldn't think straight anymore!
He didn't want to think about what had led him to where he stood, he didn't want to think about his family or the business empire he'd put every moment of his life into creating. All his mind could focus on was the failure to complete the simple task of killing Alan Tracy, if he did that one thing right then he urgently wanted to believe that somehow things would be ok. That one inch of control would set his mind straight, if he focused then he could do anything he set his mind to and that would be the only proof he needed of his strength and regained power.
He could feel the control he once held so easily ebbing away by the hour, as the dark clouds overhead cleared and the rain stopped it felt that even nature itself were against him. The sounds of people clapping and cheering as the rescuers left the building filled the night air with the smells of smoke and the crispness of cold water poured onto flames.
Jeff Tracy had the whole world on his side, even the forces of International Rescue in their mighty Thunderbirds could spare time for the man. In a world where you had to shout and scream to be heard Jeff only had to enter a room to receive recognition and fame. Lucille Tracy's death had probably helped, the publicity and public sympathy had been overwhelming and the grief the man had felt had been so very public. Throwing himself into work whilst the world questioned how he coped and then reverting back to a seemingly flawless family man… clever. Very clever.
Taio had given everything in his life to building up his business and reputation, including the life of a lost daughter. He'd lost her a long time before the morons sent to snatch Alan had struck her down, all she had known of the man had been what she'd read and the rumors that forever circled. It hadn't meant to be like that, he'd wanted what Jeff Tracy had achieved so easily, he'd tried and he'd been felled at every post. He'd resorted to hiring criminals and making darkened deals which asked no questions of either side, he'd played the game and he'd been good at it yet here he was, still looking up from the gutter at a man who stood above the rest. A man who was so pristine and forever played by the rules, he seemed almost God like in the world's eyes. It just wasn't right nor fair.
Stumbling away from the scene Taio headed away into the darkness of alleyways, things couldn't end there, that wasn't how Taio Zucco's life went! He didn't fail! If he needed to kill Alan Tracy by his own two hands to prove that then that would damn well be it, failure would not end him nor would Jeff Tracy's optimistic look on life. Death ended everything and if that's what it took to really bring Jeff down then he wouldn't stop at Alan, he'd bring the whole lot of them down.
Jeff had once quoted some rubbish to him about the pen being mightier than the sword. Huh. He'd damn well like to see that pen save him from a bullet to the head. Things had never been so personal.
Reviews will make me feel loved which in turn makes fingers type on keys, your reviews are always and forever appreciated.
Side note - Do Americans call mobiles a cell when speaking of their phone? I'm not sure if I put a few English phrases/sayings in here so apologies for any confusion… I'm pretty sure most people say "touch wood"?
The lateness of the chapter? Life. Lemons. Bad lemonade. Writers block. University.