DISCLAIMER: Hello everyone. I know that it's been a long time since I posted anything but I'm so happy that you're all still here. Life has a way of getting in the way at times and I'm now in a good place in my life, so I can now get back to writing the story that I love. I hope that you enjoy this chapter. There are a lot of things that are going to be happening to our beloved characters in the near future. So stay tuned and read on. I in no way own or claim to own the Thunderbirds, but I do wish that I did. With the way things are in the world right now I think we need them.

CHAPTER 23

"Scotty's fine," Doc answered reassuringly. "There was a man caught running from Scott's room, he appeared to be quite distressed and was screaming his head off when the security tackled him. He is now sleeping off a sedative in the psych-ward." Seeing Jeff open his mouth, Doc knew the question that was about to be asked and answered before it could be. "I've already checked and Scotty was not hurt and is still resting peacefully. We have no idea what scared the man so badly, but he was screaming about a little girl and some guardian that was going to kill him. I seriously think that this guy has some sort of mental break happening. Then again, with everything that we've had happen here recently, I'm not so sure, but I promise you that Scott is fine and was not hurt in any way."

John didn't wait to see what else Doc had to say. He just shoved past everyone and ran immediately into Scott's room and over to the bed. Once there, he lifted his brother's bandaged hand to his chest and gripped it gently as he reached his other hand over to stroke along his big brother's face.

"Scotty, can you hear me? Wake up for me, big brother. I need to see you open your eyes so that I know that you're really okay. Please, open your eyes, Scotty, please," John begged as he felt his panic still below the surface, slithering through his veins.

It took a few more times of John saying Scott's name before the cobalt blue eyes opened and looked over at him. The question in Scott's eyes helped to ease the adrenaline still flowing through him. Sighing in relief, John smiled at Scott's questioning gaze and was whispering soothingly to him as the door opened and his father, Doc and brothers walked into the room.

"Is he awake?" Jeff asked as he and the others entered the room and made their way to the bed.

"Yeah, he just opened his eyes," John replied.

Jeff walked over and stood at the bedside opposite of John and reached over to lightly stroke Scott's face. Scott's eyes widened with wariness and Jeff was happy to see there was no fear in them this time. "Hey there, Scotty," Jeff smiled down at his son.

As Jeff stroked his hand down Scott's face, a sudden gasp from John had him looking up sharply.

John was so tense and still, that at first, Jeff wondered if he had hurt himself. Virgil stepped around the bed and placed a hand on John's shoulder when there wasn't an immediate response. "Johnny, what's wrong?" Virgil asked.

John didn't answer at first, but continued to look down at where he was holding Scott's hand at his chest. Then he looked up with tears filling is blue eyes and whispered, "He's gripping my shirt. He's actually gripping my shirt."

Everyone's eyes immediately went to where John's hand was connected to Scott's. There they saw John's shirt bunched in the tight grip of Scotty's bandaged hand. It was the first evidence that Scott had movement below his neck.

Doc immediately went to Scott's side taking his pen from his jacket pocket and raking it lightly down Scott's arm looking for a sign that he felt the touch.

There was no response, but Scott's eyes shifted to look up at John. Eyes that suddenly flickered with fear and pain. Then, John felt the reason behind it as a tremor ran through the bandaged hand he was holding.

The sudden seizure jerked Scott's body so violently, he arched up from the bed and the halo supporting his neck and head dug into the pillows behind him. The respirator down Scott's throat made a shrill noise as Scott's breathing changed and his teeth clamped down hard on the tubing. The hand that had been clenching John's shirt jerked so hard with the violence of the seizure that John found himself pulled down almost on top of Scotty.

Several nurses ran into the room as the monitors at the nurses' station alerted them there was a problem. Doc and John tried to free John's shirt from Scott's grip. The nurses tried to keep Scotty's jerking body on the bed.

The seizure lasted longer than Doc would have liked. The violence of the seizure was also very concerning for Doc. Scotty was still too weak to handle another one like this and Doc was concerned that there was something causing it that he just couldn't see.

Once the seizure had fully stopped, Doc and two of the nurses that had rushed in to help got to work on making certain that Scott's vitals were stabilizing. Doc, also, checked on the tubing for the respirator. It was still making the high shrill alarm sound and Doc needed to make certain that the tubing was still functional.

Looking at it, he realized that Scott had clamped down on it so hard that it wasn't working as properly as it should, so he sent Nurse Jenkins to get another to replace it. Doc hated to put Scott through another intubation, but Scott's lungs were still too weak to support his breathing without its help.

While Doc kept an eye on Scott's breathing, Jeff and the boys stood close enough to make certain that they weren't needed. John actually hadn't moved from his position beside Scott and was holding Scott's face with both his hands as another nurse was checking to make certain that during his seizure Scott's neck injury hadn't been damaged any further.

The cause of the seizure would have to wait until everyone calmed down and Scott was more stabilized. Doc and the nurses continued to check Scott's vitals and everyone was made to leave the room when Nurse Jenkins returned with the new tubing for the respirator.

Everyone left without causing much of a fight. Everyone, that is except John. John just moved slightly towards the door, but stood against the wall and refused to move. Jeff looked over at him and was going to make him leave, but he saw the determined look in his eyes and realized that John would not budge. Jeff just gave a slight nod and then left the room following his other sons into the hallway.

Doc quickly removed the tubing and replaced it with the new one. Through the entire procedure, Scotty never opened his eyes or moved. His stillness worried John and he felt his panic rising. "Oh God, please let him be okay. Please let him wake up and be okay," John prayed to himself as he watched Doc and the nurses work over Scott.

Outside the room, Jeff and the boys were doing the same. Each of them sending up their own prayer for Scott to be okay. The seizure had really scared them and Virgil, especially, knew how dangerous it was to Scott's recovery. The seizures were usually a strong sign of some sort of brain signal disruption, and seizures could cause that damage already there to become more extensive. The more seizures that Scott had the grimmer his prognosis became.

Virgil knew the damage to Scott was already more than he could possibly overcome. Hope was slowly fading for them all that Scott would come out of this the same brother they knew and loved. Virgil wasn't the only one that was feeling this way. Each of them outside Scott's room were thinking the same thing. Questioning the choices they all had made so far concerning Scott.

Was there anything left of the Scotty they knew? Anything left of the strong brother who had been there for them through every aspect of their lives? Should they just give in and stop hoping for the best?

Back in the room, John continued to stand out of the way as Doc and the nurses examined Scott and made certain that he was breathing okay. There was a grim look on Doc's face as he checked Scott's pupils, but he didn't say a word as he put the penlight back in his pocket. After a few more minutes of checking Scott's vitals, Doc turned around and faced John.

"Will he wake up, Doc?" John asked, his voice trembling.

"I'm not sure, John," Doc replied with a sigh. "His pupils are sluggish but they are reacting to the light which is a good sign." That being said, Doc feared that the swelling in Scott's brain had become worse and was causing the seizures, but that was only a guess until they were able to get his friend Dr Stormwolf here in the morning. She'd be the one to know for sure what was causing them and how to treat them.

John pushed away from the wall and walked slowly back over to his brothers bedside. Reaching out he placed a gentle hand on his brothers head and ran his fingers through the hair at his brothers temple. "I feel so damn helpless," John sighed. "I wish that I knew what to do. I want my brother awake and whole."

"I know you do, John," Doc said as he placed a comforting hand on John's shoulder. "We're going to do all that we can, but you know I can't promise anything. Scotty's been through a lot and I'm not sure how much swelling or type of damage we are dealing with. Until he is stable, we can't do the tests to determine that. The only thing I will promise you and your brothers and father is that I will do my very best to make Scotty as healthy as possible and as whole as I can. That's all I can do. I'm sorry it's not more, because you know how much I love you boys, and it's breaking my heart to see Scotty like this."

Doc stepped away from John and walked to the door and shook his head and whispered, "I'm so damn sorry." Then, opening the door, he slowly walked out.

John didn't look up but continued to watch Scott. All he wanted was for Scott to wake and for things to be normal again. He knew it was a pipe dream but still, it was what he wanted more than anything. All of them to be back on the island and for Scotty to be healed and whole so they could all run along the beach or swim in the pool. Hell, maybe they could even prank Brains and their father.

"It's okay, Scotty," John whispered as he pulled up a chair, sat down and took his brother's bandaged hand. "Just rest now and get stronger. We'll wait as long as it takes. You just concentrate on getting better so you can come back to us and we can go home." John brought his brother's hand to his face and laid his cheek against it as he spoke. Then he closed his eyes and started praying silently to himself.

Outside the room, Doc took a deep breath as Jeff and his other boys turned towards him. "He's still unconscious," Doc said before any of them could ask the question. "I'm not sure what brought on the seizure and I can't do any tests until tomorrow morning. I have a specialist in TBI's coming tomorrow who is a good friend of mine. Her name is Angelica Stormwolf. She's done amazing work with some of our servicemen and women who have suffered from traumatic brain injuries and I think that she can at least give us a place to start in finding out what type of TBI we're dealing with and how to treat Scotty going forward. There are just too many unknowns with a brain injury. I know I've sprung this one you, Jeff, but at this point I'd feel more comfortable if Dr. Stormwolf took a look at him before we make any decisions. I really feel Dr. Stormwolf would be our best chance."

"I don't care how many specialists you bring in, Doc," Jeff said. "I want to have security beefed up on this floor. I do not want anyone else getting past the guards and possibly hurting my son or revealing his identity. I swear by all that is holy, I will bring in the National Guard to do it if I have too."

"I understand that Jeff," Doc said. "We're still trying to figure out how those two men were able to drug the guards and get past them into Scotty's room. I know how important it is to keep your identities out of the public knowledge. The problem is that the whole world knows you are here and one of the Thunderbirds has been seriously injured. There are a lot of witnesses to what happened and no matter how much you want to stay hidden from prying eyes, it's going to be very difficult to do."

"I know Doc," Jeff said with a sigh. "I'm not blaming you or anyone for what happened. We just have too many enemies that would love to get their hands on one of us and with Scott in such a vulnerable condition he is fair game. I want you to do everything you can to get him stable enough to move because I want to move him to our base. He will be safe there and if I have to fly everyone of you and the specialists there, I will do so."

" Dr Stormwolf will be here in the morning," Doc said as he led Jeff back into the room where John was still sitting and holding Scott's bandaged hand. "I'll be making my rounds if you need me and I'll be back to check on him in a little while. Hopefully, he will rest but if there are any changes or further seizures call me immediately." As Doc saw Jeff's nod, he turned and walked from the room."

Jeff had only half been listening to Doc as he walked over to the bed where John and Scott were. Once there, he placed a hand on John's shoulder and then reached over to gently brush his fingers through Scott's hair. None of them said a word because there was nothing more to say except to pray that this new specialist Doc had coming would find a way to keep Scott alive and help him to recover.

Jeff did leave the room for a few moments to go and make a quick phone call to Brains. He had him send over the information on Dr Stormwolf and once the files uploaded into his link, Jeff began to read. What he read made him extremely interested in meeting the doctor. She was very well liked in her field and she held the respect of many of her colleagues as well as the United States Military. She had served active duty in the Army for 4 years and was currently working with them as a consultant for those military personnel that were injured with the worst cases of TBIs. The information he saw on her treatment and research with TBI's for the servicemen and women was very promising and he hoped that it would benefit his son. All they could do now was wait and see. Heading back into the room, Jeff walked back in and found all of his boys asleep except for Virgil. Smiling at his son, he walked over and brushed a hand along through his hair and whispered, "Get some sleep, Son, I'll take over from here."

"Are you sure, Dad?" Vigil asked.

"Yes, Son," Jeff replied. "You get some sleep. We need you to be well rested tomorrow because we will need you once the specialist gets here." Grinning Jeff continued, "We might need you to interpret for us mere mortals."

Laughing softly, Virgil nodded and then walked over to the bed where Alan was sleeping and crawled in next to his brother and closed his eyes and prayed for sleep. It took a while but eventually Virgil felt himself drifting as he relaxed into a restless sleep.

Jeff moved into the chair next to Scott's bed. He pulled it close so that he could rest his elbows on the bed as he gently picked up Scott's hand and held it in his own. He couldn't help but notice how identical his son's hands where to his own. His Scott. His stubborn, strong-willed, intelligent, beautiful boy.

His firstborn who was his pride and joy from the moment that took his first breath. Scott had a way of making you believe that everything was going to be okay and there was nothing that couldn't be overcome. Then there was that annoying ability that he got from his mother, where with just a smile he could make all the anger you felt towards him melt away.

Damn, Jeff could remember being so angry with him when he'd run off with that beagle dog of his. Scott had just grinned up at him and said he and Champ went on a "hunting trip" to track down some animal they had seen in the woods. Jeff could remember he'd been so scared when dark had come and Scott hadn't come in from playing outside and the other boys had no idea where he'd gone. He'd grabbed his flashlight and ran from the house, determined to find Scott. It was hours before he finally had given up and made his way back to the house only to see Scott and Champ emerge from the tree line on the other side of the yard. Both were muddy as hell but Jeff was so glad to see his son that he forgot that he had been scared out of his wits and angry. He smiled as he remembered that Scott and Champ both had come running up towards him and as Jeff scooped Scotty up into his arms, mud and all, Scott had proceeded to tell him the adventurous tale they'd had that day.

Chuckling softly to himself, Jeff looked over at his Scotty's sleeping form. "You and that dog got into more trouble than you and your brothers combined," he whispered. "Damn, I miss that Champ. He was a great dog and he protected you like he was your mother. Maybe when you get better we can get us another dog? I'd like to see you smile again, Son, Like you did when you and Champ were together. I miss seeing you that relaxed and happy. I miss seeing all my boys that happy," Jeff said as he reached over and gently adjusted the blankets covering Scott.

"We have a big day tomorrow ,Son," he whispered. "There's a new doc coming in to see you tomorrow and they say that she's the best in her field. You don't worry though, I'm making certain of your safety this time. I've already had her checked out. You just rest. I'm just going to sit here and watch you and your brothers sleep for a while and then get some rest myself."

Raising up, Jeff leaned over and kissed the top of Scott's head and then sat back in the chair. It didn't take long till his eyes began to close and he fell into a deep sleep.

A few hours later, Doc and Nurse Jenkins came in to check on Scott's vitals. He was surprised when not one of the sleeping occupants in the room awoke when he walked in. "It's good they are all sleeping," he thought to himself. They needed it.

After seeing that Scott's vitals were still stable, Doc adjusted the blanket that had fallen off of Alan who was sleeping on the other bed while Nurse Jenkins changed the IV bag on Scott. After they were finished they both smiled in relief as they quietly left the room.