Scott looked to where he knew John was and gave him what he hoped was an encouraging smile. This wasn't going to be an easy conversation for either of them to have, and part of him wished Grandma had whisked him away too. But John needed him and here he would stay.
John turned to look out the window, gathering his thoughts. His usually ordered mind was jumping all over the place and he needed to get what he wanted to say right so that he didn't do more damage than good with this conversation.
It unnerved him that he couldn't predict how this was going to end, and that nervousness made getting his thoughts together just that little bit harder. Scott was smiling at him, and without thinking about it John gave his brother's hand a squeeze, drawing strength from the response.
He swallowed and turned back to Ridley.
'Why didn't you leave Global One when you evac'd the others?'
There, he'd made a start. Ridley sighed and shucked her shoes off, pulling her legs up onto the chair and hugging her knees as she contemplated how to answer. Honestly of course, but she was aware that somehow Scott's being here like this was at least partly a result of her actions. It was too close together to be otherwise, and John's mention that this conversation involved Scott confirmed that in her mind.
'We were one seat short on the shuttles, John.'
'I remember you saying, and don't think I haven't already discussed that glaring safety oversight with the GDF, but you could have, I don't know, given me a bit more warning. Surely you knew it was a potential issue?'
'It was something I was aware of, but with settling into command in a new satellite station, and with all the teething problems we had it got pushed to the background. I meant to address it, it was on my list of issues to discuss…'
'Ridley…*sigh*…you never put safety second, no matter what happens. What if Five had been elsewhere?'
Ridley bit her lip. It was true, she had known there was a potential issue and she had let the knowledge that Thunderbird Five was almost always nearby put the potential problem to the back of her mind. That John would start with that issue spoke volumes, and in the dressing down she had received it had been mentioned that several members of International Rescue had torn into the GDF over safety protocols in her debrief.
'I'm sorry, John. I guess I just got caught up in everything. It won't happen again. Steps are already in place to ensure that.'
'Good.'
Scott listened, biting the inside of his cheek. This was not his conversation to weigh into, but even now how Ridley was speaking about safety rang alarm bells. She really had decided that if things went wrong John would be there to save her, and while that could be seen as an admirable trait for a couple who had talked things over she and John had not, and for a rescue organisation that was a burden they should never have (and were seeing happen increasingly more frequently). For it to be someone John was close to…he gave John's hand another squeeze as the silence continued.
'Ridley…I kind of feel that you used our friendship for your own advantage.'
'What do you mean?'
'You presumed that I would save your station, would help you save your station. You didn't ask, you didn't explain when I told you that the station needed to be evacuated that you knew you'd be stuck on board which could have saved us time. And when I said that we weren't a towing operation you told me you'd already calculated that Five could pull Global-1 out of the way. You didn't consult with me once. You just decided that that was what I was going to do. You gave me no choice in the matter.'
As he spoke John got more animated and angrier. Scott felt him pull away and he knew without needing to hear his brother's footsteps that John was now pacing. It wasn't a habit he did very often, but he was a Tracy, and pacing when angry and processing was definitely a family trait.
He couldn't hear Ridley at all – only her breathing told him she was still present – and Scott wished he could see. What he wouldn't give to see both their faces so that he could read them and know what to do and/or say to soothe them. And then Scott gave himself a metaphorical slap. It was that thinking that got him into this mess in the first place. John and Ridley would patch things up or they wouldn't and they wouldn't need his help.
Scott must have moved without realising it for a hand was laid gently on his forearm and it gave him a very slight squeeze. The sound and movement of the chair told him Ridley was getting up and the hand was withdrawn.
He listened to her pad over to where he assumed John was standing. There was the slight rustle of clothing and the very hushed tones of whispering. At least they were talking to each other, and with that thought he relaxed slightly back into the chair.
John had been pacing backwards and forwards as he spoke but he didn't fail to see Ridley reach over and give Scott's arm a squeeze, and he smiled inwardly. The fact that she was thinking of his brother when he was so p***ed at her gave him pause for thought. He stood with his back to them, contemplating what to do or say next.
Ridley watched John until he came to a standstill, arms hugging himself tightly and facing away from them. She stifled a sigh. This was nothing like she thought it would be when she decided to pop in and see John after a couple of days of silence from him. John's outburst was completely reasonable and suddenly she began to see exactly what fallout her actions had precipitated.
The sudden realisation that she could lose John over this hit her like a bucket of iced water. And almost immediately following that came the thought that she really didn't want that. If before her feelings about John had been an alluring puzzle that she'd been enjoying working through, Ridley was now faced with the certainty that she didn't want to lose John and that those feelings were more real and concrete than even she had even begun to perceive.
Giving Scott's arm a quick squeeze, Ridley stood up and padded over to John. She placed a tentative hand on his shoulder, ready to remove it if he indicated it was too much too soon. When he didn't move away from her touch she came closer and slid both hands around him, resting her cheek on his shoulder blade.
They stood like that for a fraction of a second before John began to unclench, one of his hands coming over to cover hers. She stood up on tiptoe and whispered in his ear.
'I – I am so sorry, John. I was wrong. I didn't think things through and I put you and your brothers at unnecessary risk.'
Her apology made John relax even further, but she knew it wasn't enough. She turned her head and faced Scott, even though she knew he couldn't see her.
'Scott, I want to apologise to you as Commander of iR, for putting you and your brothers and International Rescue in unnecessary danger. I know that is little recompense for what happened, but I want to assure you it will not happen again.'
Scott sat forward, looking to where Ridley's voice was. She'd made a formal apology and he answered her gravely.
'Thank you, Ms O'Bannon. I appreciate your apology and accept it.'
'Thank you, Scott.'
'Scott.'
'Yes, John?'
'Maybe we should talk about why we are here, about what happened in light of Ridley being here.'
'You don't have to, I did say that.'
'I think that it would be best if there are no secrets if Ridley and I are going to move forwards.'
