Rainbows, Rockets, and Did Someone Say Pie? Chapter 15: There's a Storm Coming, a Captain Scarlet + Thunderbirds Crossover fanfic

Author's note: This was meant to go in an entirely different direction, but then John walked in.

Don't Leave Me

Conrad had always thought it would be himself that would end up in the hospital so often, as in theory his was the job where people would actively be trying to kill him. But so far Scott had ended up in the hospital four times to Conrad's single stay since they had been married, and now Conrad was fighting his instinct to squeeze Scott's limp left hand as all of Scott's fingers on that hand were broken.

At moment, Scott was lucky to still have his right arm at all. The doctors were still on the edge on whether he would might have to lose his right leg.

Scott still hadn't woken up.

Conrad had barely slept.

He was still alert enough to recognize the footsteps that stopped just inside the door.

"I'm not going to forgive him, until Scott wakes up and makes me," he growled, "I'm not apologizing either. Virgil was an idiot; if he didn't like that being laid out to him then he can go..." Conrad trailed off, "Virgil's lucky I'm not the Admiral."

"I know," John sighed, but didn't mention his father had hidden the sole fire-axe they had found in the hospital, just in case, "and I'm not here to ask you to forgive Virgil. I just want to see Scott."

Conrad stilled, then jerked his head towards the other chair.

"I wasn't expecting Spectrum guards," John mentioned as he moved the chair to Conrad's side.

"Spectrum Security Officer Iolite decided since there's questions on how the collapse was triggered in the first place, it would be prudent to have security here at the hospital," Conrad murmured, his attention riveted to Scott's face. It looked like...no, he wasn't waking up, "Colonel Casey and Colonel White agreed. So did Kayo and Jeff."

"Ah," John wilted that neither of them had mentioned it to him, or the others.

"I asked them not to tell you," Conrad felt the wheels working in John's mind, "and I'm asking you now not to tell Virgil."

"That's A bit..."

"Bitchy? Nasty? Vindictive? Yes. I don't care."

John nodded. Virgil's actions were why Scott was here. John understood, even if he didn't agree with, Conrad's fury at Virgil.

"What was that moron thinking? Scott had a child in his arms. He wouldn't have done anything reckless."

"May I?" John gestured to Scott's hand, and for all his reluctance to let go Conrad relinquished it to John gently. John studied his big brother's hand, carefully immobilized and splinted. This hand, this arm had been holding the child, and so had been curled closer in to protect them when Thunderbird Two had almost smashed and dragged them against the canyon wall. The child had sustained almost no injuries due to her cocoon made of Scott Tracy.

"Oh Scott," John breathed softly, "please wake up."

This is tearing us apart, was what he didn't voice. Virgil was as close to being in catatonic denial as he ever would be. Alan had screamed at Virgil, and then at Gordon, who was just trying to make peace. Grandma was showing her true age, unable to accept that one grandchild had almost killed another, however unintentionally. Brains and the Mechanic were hiding in Brains' workshop co-opting EOS; John knew there would new safety gear in International Rescue's future.

Their Dad... Jeff Tracy looked like a grieving ghost.

Only Kayo and Penelope seemed mostly unaffected, but then Kayo had her hands filled with keeping them all safe (perhaps the Spectrum guards were a good idea, one less thing for Kayo to worry about.) And Penelope, gods bless her, was deflecting all media inquiries for the time being.

Untethered from Scott, Conrad get up and began to pace the private room. He had finished a mission and had intended to ask for a few days leave when Colonel White had called him into Cloudbase's command center's private sitting room. Well, he had his leave, almost unlimited leave, but he'd prefer even a canceled weekend pass if it meant waking from this nightmare.

Where were those dreadful noises coming from?

"Conrad, can I touch your arm?" John's voice, in professional mode, soothed from somewhere close to his side.

Those noises, sobs, had been coming from himself, and the realization swung Conrad over to equally horrible laughter.

"Sir?" Lt. Cerise was peeking around the door frame.

"I'm fine, Lieutenant," he choked out, blindly accepting John's hand.

"If you say so, sir," Cerise glanced at John, who nodded, "if you need anything, sir, we're right outside."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," John answered for Conrad, as he guided his brother-in-law back to his seat, and settled his hand on Scott's. John's own hands remained comfortingly on Conrad's shoulders.

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"'onrad?"

"Scottie?!"

"sta'"