Jeff Tracy stood outside apartment 19, adjusting his suit jacket once more. He looked at the watch on his wrist and realized that five minutes had passed since he'd gotten there. The last time he'd been this nervous was the day he had asked Lucy to marry him over thirty years ago.
He went to press the doorbell but saw it was tapped over with a frowning piece of paper. It made him chuckle slightly and he knocked on the door.
"Coming," was a soft yell from the other side and took a step back as the door unlocked and swung open. Lucy-Jane stood in front of him, dressed for a day not full of visitors and work, which made him feel bad for appearing like this. "Oh hello Mr. Tracy," she said, pulling her sweater tighter around her to distract from the pajama wear. "Is there anything I can do for you? Would you like to come in?" she asked, looking at him wearily
He was speechless for a moment. It was one thing to look at a picture and another to see her in person. His throat tightened momentarily and there was an annoying prickling sensation on the edges of his eyes. He cleared it, attempting to remain composed. "Sorry to barge in on you like this," he said taking a step forward into her home. He pulled his jacket off and hung it on the rack, taking a moment to look at the photos on the wall.
Lucy-Jane closed the door behind him and gave him a soft smile. "Not at all," she told him, leading the way further into her apartment. "I do believe I'm still a Tracy employee for another twelve hours after all," she said jokingly. It came out half-forced, like the rest of her composure with her guest. There was a silence where for once Jeff Tracy did not know how to respond. "Coffee? Tea? I was just boiling some myself," she said gesturing to the kitchen.
"Tea is good," Jeff said though he was really more of a coffee man. Tea was just wet leaves but he didn't want to impose anymore than he had to. She told him to take a seat at one of the stools on the counter, and he did. He took this chance to watch her move around the kitchen, gathering cups and tea bag options and infusers.
The silence became more comfortable as it went on longer. She poured him a cup and motioned for his options, not offering an opinion to flavor. He grabbed the first tea bag he reached and dipped in his mug. She grabbed the infuser and filled it with a leaf and dry berry mixture that actually smelled really good. He couldn't help but grin when he saw her put in three spoonfuls of sugar without even tasting it first.
"Not that I mind the company," Lucy-Jane started as she stirred her tea. There wasn't any tea-appropriate snack food in the house. But she didn't feel as bad as she probably should; after all he was the one who decided to drop by unannounced.
"But what am I doing here?" Jeff asked, figuring her question. "You were with Alan yesterday," he stated and she nodded. "Did he seem a little, off to you?"
"Well I don't know him," Lucy-Jane started "But there was something that didn't strike me as he was well. I know there's something wrong, he's been going to Boston General and word gets around."
"Right, well my son has aplastic anemia," Jeff said, struggling slightly. "A bone marrow disease. He's a patient of Dr. Speeges in oncology."
"I'm sorry Mr. Tracy," Lucy-Jane said sincerely. "But if you're here about yesterday, I didn't know Alan was sick. I wouldn't have let him help so much if I knew it was going to hurt him." She assumed that's what he was there for. She hadn't heard from Alan since she'd been taking to the hospital yesterday.
"No that's alright," Jeff said. "Alan enjoyed it actually. It distracts him from what's happening. He like helping people, not being helped," he assured her. "I'm actually here without him knowing. You see, one of the treatments for aplastic anemia is a bone marrow donation..." he trailed off, not sure how to ask. People usually didn't ask, they were alerted and offered to the opportunity to donate. They were given the option to turn down donating without having to see the face of a pleading father.
"Of course," Lucy-Jane said immediately. "I'm a match, aren't I?" she asked him reading his face. "That's why Alan was here, he was going to ask himself. If it didn't go through the system, then no one would have to know," she figured. That seemed like a logical reason to Jeff, since he hadn't thought of it himself so he nodded along. "Of course I'll help Alan, that's why I'm on the registry. I'm sure you'll want it as soon as possible," she said and turned around, looking for the calendar. She pulled it off the refrigerator and set it between them. "Alright, today is Thursday...we can schedule it for tomorrow and I'm off the weekend and Monday so that should be enough time for me to get back to work."
Jeff was impressed by her energy. It seemed like a lot of her energy had returned in just the last few minutes. He could see it, her passion to help others. He saw it often with his own sons when they were on the field as International Rescue. "Are you sure so soon after yesterday?" he asked, knowing something had gone down but not enough of the details. But he'd seen the white bandages around her right arm when she'd reached for the sugar in the higher shelves.
Lucy-Jane nodded. "Yes," she said. "Just like you said with Alan, I'd rather help other than be helped." She resisted her urge to grab onto her bandaged arm and pull them off. Doctor's orders they were supposed to stay on for the next couple of days or else she'd have to get stitches. "Besides, I'm sure you'd like to get back to your home, get back some sort of normality." She offered him a smile, a genuinely caring and knowing one that made Jeff smile back. He caught the time on the clock behind her and stood.
"Yes," he said to her. "Some normality would be nice. I'm sorry to ask and dash, but I have a meeting to get to."
"Of course, you're a busy man. You didn't get where you are by having tea with paramedics," she agreed, leading him to the door. "Alan has my number, and I'm sure you have Milo's in case you need anything else. I'll wait to hear from the hospital about the donation appointment."
"Thank you," Jeff said. He looked at her, knowing this was probably going to be the last time he would see her personally. Any doubt he'd had before hand were washed away by this visit. Sometimes the best thing was to do nothing, especially when it came to matters of the heart.
"Not a problem Mr. Tracy," Lucy-Jane replied as he stepped out into the hall and closed the door behind him.
They met in the staircase. "Mr. Tracy," Milo acknowledge. "You came to see Lucy-Jane." It was a statement, not a question.
Jeff Tracy nodded. "She agreed to donate bone marrow to my son," he said.
"As I told Alan yesterday she would," Milo replied. "I'm going to have to recuse myself from your son's case. Conflict of interest seeing as to how I'd have to retrieve the marrow from the donor and the donor is my girlfriend."
"I understand," Jeff said. He could tell the doctor didn't like him very much, which wasn't as unusual one might think.
"Did you tell her?" Milo asked.
Jeff shook his head, not sure what he was talking about. Milo pulled out a folder from his messenger bag and handed it to Jeff. The moment he opened it, Jeff understood. Birth certificates, blood samples, DNA certificates and death certificates littered the pockets. "You know, for how long?"
"Two days," Milo replied. "How long have you known?"
"I've only had things confirmed today."
"Twenty-five years and you're telling me you didn't know you had a daughter? That your youngest son was actually a twin?" Milo accused. Jeff understood where his anger was coming from.
"Two mothers died that night and one infant," Jeff told him. "We didn't know we were going to have twins, and as a doctor you know how that happens. It's rare, but it happens. I was led to believe that when my wife had died, so had the second child. That the one dead newborn was mine and the other mother's child had survived. I never imagined that it wasn't. They offered to do a paternity test and I turned it down. I was grieving over the loss of my wife, my soul mate and the mother to my now five children," Jeff told him hotly. "I kept the loss of their sister from my sons, they didn't know they were having one so why add to the grief of children?"
Milo's attitude faltered slightly because he understood where the man was coming from even if he did not agree. Especially since he did not like the consequences, of his Lucy-Jane having gone through the system when she had a family. It was like abandoning a child, which was worse than being an orphan. He would know.
"Are you waiting for me to say that I'm going to tell her? That I'm going to tell my sons that they have a sister, that Alan has a twin? Do you expect me to suddenly be alright with a woman who is almost the spitting image of my wife? Do you want me to drastically change all of our lives?" Jeff asked him. Milo then understood the gravity of all of this. And how this was possibly the biggest fear of his entire life coming true. He saw the life that the Tracys could offer her, the family they could offer her. So much more than he could ever offer her. It was ever system-kid's dream, to be found by a long lost family.
"Don't tell her," Milo said abruptly and selfishly. "Don't tell her. She won't understand that you didn't abandon her. That you aren't just conveniently using her for Alan's marrow donation."
This surprised Jeff, but he wasn't going to rebut the boy. He'd been content with just knowing, maybe checking in from afar. It was too late for him to be a father to her now, she was twenty-five and had a life of her own. And Milo seemed to be good at looking out for her, though he bet she was more than likely of taking care of herself. There was nothing he could really offer her now. "And if word gets out, she won't be able to do her job because of media. They'll get in the way of her working, and she'll be asked to step back," Jeff commented, having seen it with his own sons.
"Right," Milo said taking the folder back. "You never saw these, and once I burn them, neither did I," he said putting it back into his bag. "It was good to meet you Mr. Tracy," Milo said. "I hope everything goes well for your son."
"Thank you," Jeff said and the two parted ways, Milo going upstairs to his apartment and Jeff down.
"Oh Mr. Tracy," Milo said after a couple of steps. Jeff turned around and looked at him. "I'm assuming this all means I won't be receiving your fellowship award this year."
Jeff nodded. "I'm sorry, but we had an increase of applicants this year. And a lot of them, just as yours, were spectacular but we only have seven awards to grant. Please, try again next year," he said very formally. He did feel guilty that Milo's project was going to be affected by all of this; any other year or person and his proposal would have won.
"I thought so," Milo sighed and just turned and kept going up the stairs.
A/N: eeeeeh. Cards are out on the table. Therefore drama is soon to ensue in the story.
But as for the drama in my life, it continues strong! Let's all take this moment to be super grateful that I've already finished writing this and that it's already split up into chapters just waiting to be updated. Because my hard drive pooped out on me AND I LOST EVERYTHING! I HAVE LOST EVERYTHING! ALL THE TRACY INFO THAT I HAD, ALL THE STORIES OF KAT/BEN AND LJ/MILO AFTER THESES STORIES, ALL GONE! MY TIMELINES, MY EVERYTHING! THERE WERE CHILDREN, WITH NAMES AND FUTURES AND AHHH.
Anyway I'm mopping a lot so I decided to update here instead and vent.
Till next time!