Hi all, just a few notes before I begin the story. Alan is 19 in this story, and you can decide if this is TV or MOVIE but I have to tell you now that I have never seen the TV series before but from what I have read I like the sound of them more so most likely Fermat won't appear or Tin-Tin's mum, but this story will mainly be a family story anyway. Another thing before I leave you to it, I don't know what the Tracy's Grandmother is like or her name so if anyone can tell me about her it would be a great help. Well, on with the story.
I don't own the Thunderbirds
Chapter 1: Symptoms
"Boys, debrief!"
Jeff Tracy, father of five yelled at four of his sons, the fifth was already there his face appearing on a screen.
One by one, from eldest to youngest the boys filed in after one of their more successful rescues. First there was Scott, Virgil, Gordon then finally, Alan. John who was the second eldest could be seen on the screen as he was miles away from earth.
Jeff frowned as he laid eyes on his youngest son. There was a white bandage that covered most of his left arm, but it was not the bandage itself that concerned him, it was the giant blood red stain that covered it.
"Alan, what happened to your arm?" he asked.
The said son looked down at his arm and gowned. Damn it!He thought, not again.
"Virgil? A little help here, please? It's bleeding again."
"What! I just rebadged it, what did you do?" said Virgil as he came over to look at the offending arm
"Nothing! It just won't stop bleeding." Virgil sighed as he looked over the long but very minor cut. The only reason it was bandaged in the first place was because that it keeps on bleeding.
"What happened?" Asked their father again.
"Nothing," said Scott, "It's just a small cut Dad"
Jeff, still frowning a little, listened in as his sons began the debrief, soon forgetting all about his youngest son's cut.
BEEP BEEP BEEP!
Alan looked at his digital clock for a moment before shutting it off. All he wanted to do now was to go back to sleep. He had a very bad night, feeling hot then cold then waking up in a sweat, but he knew that his father would have none of that.
I must have the fluhe thought, before he heaved himself out of bed. He went to his own little private bathroom and prepared to have a cold shower to not only wake him up, but to cool him down, he was feeling hot again.
At breakfast, Alan looked down at his bacon and eggs with distaste. He wasn't feeling hungry and his cold shower had done nothing for how hot he felt.
"Dad, can I go? I don't feel hungry."
Jeff looked up from his newspaper to look at his son. He noticed the hardly touched food and the fact that his youngest didn't look that well.
"Are you feeling alright Alan?"
"Yeah Dad, I'm fine. I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night. I think I'm coming down with the flu." The eldest of the Tracy's, their Grandmother, walked around the table and placed the back of her hand against Alan's forehead.
"Why, you're burning up!" she exclaimed, "its straight back to bed with you. I'll bring you something soon to help with that fever. Now go! Get some rest."
"Yes Grandma." Replied Alan as he got up and left the table, heading back to his room.
"Will he be alright mother?" asked Jeff.
"Yes yes, he should be fine. It's only a slight fever after all." She replied, clearing away Alan's unfinished food.
Satisfied, the rest of the family happily finished their own breakfast.
"Alan, I'll like to talk to you in my office. Now." Alan got up from the deck chair that he had been reclining in, wincing in pain as he got up, but quickly hiding it. His joints were very sore these days and he tried his hardest to keep it away from the others, to him he considered it a weakness.
But apparently he didn't hide it quick enough as Jeff's eyebrows twitched in concern. Jeff couldn't vouch for his other sons, but he had noticed Alan's carful movements as if he was afraid of moving too quickly and he also saw the pain in the young astronaut's face when he did.
It was the reason he wanted to talk to his son now, alone in his office. Alan was always more open about things without his brothers around.
As he entered his father's office, Alan, as quick as he could, flopped down in one of the rooms comfortable chairs, grateful for the relief it gave his joints.
Jeff sat opposite his son hearing the soft sigh of relief.
"Is everything alright Alan?" he began, "are you in any sort of pain?"
Alan's head shot up and looked Jeff in the eyes before looking away.
"No, I'm fine Dad." Jeff let out a frustrated sigh.
"Don't lie to me Alan! I'm not blind."
He knowshe thought, how does he do that?!
"Alan, tell me what's wrong." Said person was quiet for awhile, looking at his hands before lifting his head and answering
"My joints are a little stiff, is all," Alan said, adding, "They get better in the afternoon." That was a lie and Alan made sure he wasn't looking his father in the eyes as he said it.
"I think we should take you to see a doctor—"Jeff began to say before being cut off.
"What! I don't need to see a doctor! I said I'm fine Dad." Alan got up from he's chair, making sure that no sign of pain appeared on his face. Jeff noted that he got up carefully, not suddenly like his mood would suggest he would do.
"I just need to rest a bit; I'll be as good as new in a few days. Promise." And with that said, Alan turned on his heel to make his exist, but he didn't get that far. Alan had then decided that turning quickly was not a good idea as he felt a wave of dizziness overcome him.
Grabbing the back of the chair with one hand, he raised the other to his face. He squeezed his eyes shut and breathed deeply, riding out the dizzy spell. Jeff was immediately by his side checking his son over, trying to find out what was wrong.
"I'm fine Dad, just a little dizzy." Alan said, trying to reassure his father as much as getting him out of mother hen mode.
"That does it; I'm taking you to see a doctor." Alan's head shot up and he once again had to close his eyes.
"But—"
"No buts Alan. It wasn't a request, it was an order."
"Yes Sir." He replied, looking down at his shoes. There was no way he was getting out of this one.
"Well, I say we're done. Let me just take a blood sample and then you can go home." Said Dr. Kelly Johnson. She was quite young to be a doctor, certainly not out of her twenties. With her long brown hair and slim figure, Alan might have mistaken her for a swimsuit model.
The young astronaut held out his arm so Dr. Johnson could take the required blood sample, looking away as he did so. He hated needles.
"So, what do you think is wrong?" asked Jeff as the young doctor finished taking the amount of blood that she needed.
"I'm not quite sure what is wrong with your son at the moment, but as soon as the blood test results come back I'll know and I'll give you a call."
"Thank you Dr. Johnson. You have been a great help." Kelly smiled at Jeff while placing the used needle in the bin.
"Just doing my job Mr Tracy."
Two days had passed since Alan had been to the doctors and he was now waiting for the phone call that would tell him what was wrong with his body.
He wouldn't admit it but he was worried. What if it was something serious? What if he had a fatal illness and that he only had months to live, maybe he only had days!
This is stupid, he thought, I'm not dying and everything is going to be fine. I'm just overreacting.
But despite his own self reassuring Alan felt that the call that he was going to get will give him nothing but bad news.
Jeff was sitting in his office facing a mountain load of paper work.
God I hate this stuffhe thought to himself before sighing and reaching for the top sheet just as the phone rang, saved by the bell. But before he picked it up he realised who could be ringing. Maybe it's the results from Alan's blood test He then picked up the phone hurriedly, this was not a call that he wanted to miss.
"Hello, this is Jeff Tracy speaking"
"Hello Mr Tracy, this is Kelly Johnson, I was your son's doctor the other day?"
"Yes Yes, I remember, what were the results?" Jeff asked hurriedly.
"I'm sorry Mr Tracy," she replied and Jeff swore his heart stopped, but then she continued, "But may I speak to Alan?" Jeff blinked, he was not expecting that.
"Can't you tell me what's wrong with my son?"
"I'm sorry Mr Tracy, but I'm your son's doctor, not yours, and I do not want to breach the patient doctor confidentiality code, so may I please speak to your son?" once again Jeff blinked, not many people told him 'no'. He was quite impressed with this young girl; she was differently not intimidated by him.
"I'll get him for you now."
"Thank you."
Jeff left the office, phone in hand to search out his youngest son. Alan was not that hard to find, as around this time of day all of his sons could be found by the pool, cooling off in its water.
As he reached the pool he could see Scott attempting to dunk Gordon in the water while the soon to be victim tried to get away, which was not too hard for Gordon as he was the son that was born for the water. But he had one disadvantage, while Gordon had water; Scott had Virgil who was currently sneaking up behind the water boy.
Before the unsuspecting Gordon got pushed under the water Jeff decided to but in.
"Alan." The young man looked up from where he was sitting beside the pool with his legs dangling in the water to see his father holding out the phone to him, "It's the doctor. They have the results."
Everything went silent as the other sons stoped their rough housing to look at Alan as he slowly got up, reaching for the phone.
"Hello?"
"Alan, its Kelly your doctor?"
"Yes, hello Kelly. So, ready to give me the news. I'm dying, right?" Alan joked, but when Kelly didn't answer he felt a stab of fear.
"Kelly, what's wrong?"
"Alan, maybe I should tell you in person?"
"No, I want to know now. What's wrong with me?" he heard Kelly sigh before she replied.
"Alan...you have Leukaemia."
Alan was silent for a long time. He completely forgot about his family who were all now gathered around him looking at him with concern, he was in his own little world.
I have cancer
"Alan...? " Kelly asked, worried.
"Oh... crap."
So what do you think? Cuz I'll love to know! Please review and constructive criticism is always welcome with me so please feel free to amend my mistakes!