Is JC Okay?

Christa finished backing up Thunderbird Two into the hangar, lining up the pod precisely with the others. She had done it so often that it was almost second nature, but still, she took pride in doing it right. She always cringed when one of the other girls had to fly her baby; they never seemed to be as picky about parking her as Christa was.

She toggled the switch to lift the main chassis up and away from the pod, and turned towards the back of the control cabin. She knew what she would hear and see because it was this way every time one of them came back injured. There was a hiss of a port sliding open, then the passenger elevator slipped into place carrying Brains and... Daddy. He always came to the sickbay if one of them got hurt, and he was the one to carry or support them up to the sickroom.

"Welcome home, Christa," Jeff said, taking a moment to embrace his second oldest. Even as a woman, Christa still loved getting hugs from her father; at her petite size he could fully envelop her in his arms. He held her for a moment, kissed her on the forehead, then drew back and looked at her keenly.

"How's Jerrie?"

Christa led the way back to the sickbay. "I think she's got a dislocated shoulder, Dad, Brains. I bound it close to her chest and gave her a local anesthetic and a sedative. Figured she'd be easier to work on if she was already out."

Jeff stepped up to the bunk and gently stroked a lock of JC's short hair off of her forehead. "You had a good idea, there, Christa. Jerrie hates being fussed over." He turned to look at Brains, who was taking on the role of family medic. "Brains, let's get her up to the sick room and then you can assess the shoulder and do what needs doing."

"Y-Yes, sir," the scientist said. "Do you want, uh, a stretcher, Mr. Tracy?"

"That would be a good idea. Christa and I can transfer Jerrie to an antigravity stretcher. Why don't you go ahead and get the surgery area prepared? I know that Ruby and Val are busy with the sick room."

"Yes, M-Mr. Tracy." The engineer turned and left, using the passenger elevator.

Christa opened up an antigravity stretcher and positioned it between Jeff and JC's bunk. Jeff reached across with his strong arms and lifted JC gently, sliding her over to the stretcher. Then the two of them strapped her down for the ride back to the Villa. They guided the stretcher out to the command cockpit and waited for the return of the passenger elevator. Christa knew that her father would take JC up in the elevator by himself; there really was barely enough room for the stretcher, but he always managed to squeeze in with it.

"When you're showered and cleaned up, come to the lounge and we'll debrief," Jeff told her. "I'll get Jerrie's version from her when she wakes up." He paused. "Do you have any idea what happened there? Mae was rather upset, and therefore not exactly coherent."

"JC said that it was the guy with the yellow eyes," Christa told him. "He was waiting for her, or whoever we sent, I suppose."

Jeff nodded, then the passenger elevator arrived. They moved the stretcher onto it and Jeff crammed himself into a corner near JC's feet.

"See you in a little bit, Christa."

Christa waved as the elevator shot out of sight. Then she put her arms around herself and shivered. It had just occurred to her that she might have been the one under attack by their most hated enemy. And she was not quite sure she would have come out of it as well as JC had.

In the sickroom, Valentina helped her grandmother set up the diagnostic bed for JC's arrival. Brains entered the room and, without a word, passed through to the treatment room and surgery next door. Val noticed and stopped what she was doing to follow the family medic.

"Brains?"

"Y-Yes, Val?"

"Is JC going to be okay?" Val's voice quavered. Of all of her sisters, Val was closest to JC. They were born close together and had grown up together, getting into and out of scrapes all of their lives.

Brains turned, looking at the youngest Tracy keenly. "C-Christa thinks her, uh, shoulder is d-dislocated. It should b-be simple to pop back into its socket."

"No concussion or anything?" Val asked again, concern in her blue eyes.

"N-Not to my knowledge," Brains answered. "I'll t-tell you if there's anything more."

"Okay, Brains. Thanks."

Val turned away and rejoined her grandmother, sighing.

"Don't you worry about Jerrie," Ruby Mae said to her favorite granddaughter. "She's always been a scrappy one."

Tin-Tin entered the room, sweeping it with a glance. "Is everything ready?"

"Yes," Ruby said, adding one more plumping pat to the pillow. Tin-Tin nodded, and went to join Brains in the treatment room.

The door swished open again and Jeff came in, skillfully maneuvering the stretcher through the portal and into the treatment room. Val paled and tried to follow the stretcher into the treatment room, but the door slid shut in her face.

"Nana, her eyes were closed. Brains said she didn't have a concussion...."

"She didn't. She doesn't. Christa sedated her." Val turned to see Sally enter the room, freshly showered and dressed in shorts, her wet dark hair gleaming. The oldest Tracy daughter took one of the seats in the sick room and crossed her trim legs at the knee, studying her fingernails in a nervous gesture that Val knew and understood. In a few moments, they were joined by an equally squeaky clean Christa, whose long chestnut hair was wrapped up in a towel.

"Any news?" she asked, breathless. Val could have sworn she'd run all the way from her quarters.

"No, but they've only been in there a few minutes...." An insistent beeping interrupted Val's explanation. She turned on her telecomm to see the pale and worried face of Mae.

"Another country heard from," Christa muttered. Val shot her an irritated look.

"Well, well, the gang's all here," Sally said with a small, wry smile.

"Is JC okay?" Mae asked, sounding as if she were on the verge of tears.

"We don't know yet, Mae darling." Grandma Ruby had taken hold of Val's arm so she could calm and comfort her namesake. "They've only been in the treatment room for a few minutes. As soon as we know something... wait, they're coming out right now."

Brains led the processional from the treatment room. Ruby stood aside as the scientist set the auto-nurse for JC's particular vital signs. Tin-Tin and Jeff came out with the stretcher and lined it up next to the bed. At Brains's nod, they carefully transferred the patient from the floating gurney to the more comfortable mattress. JC was beginning to stir as Ruby moved in to pull the sheet and blanket up, covering JC to the shoulders.

"Mmmmm." JC's amber eyes opened and she blinked, squinting. Her eyes roamed around a bit until they lighted on Jeff's now smiling face.

"Hello there, Jerrie," he said softly.

"Uhh, hi, Daddy. Please tell Christa never to do that to me again."

"Sorry, Ducks," Jeff said, using his old pet name for his aquatic daughter. "I agree with her this time. You were a whole lot easier to handle unconscious."

JC's face took on a sleepily disgusted grimace. "Might've known you'd take her side."

Jeff laughed, and the tension that had been dissipating now disappeared entirely. The girls began to smile again. "Brains, why don't you explain what your examination turned up. Tell everyone at once so you won't have to repeat yourself."

The engineer-cum-doctor shifted from foot to foot, then spoke. "J-Jerrie's shoulder is merely, uh, bruised. The force of the b-blow must have stunned a nerve in her upper, uh, arm, causing a temporary numbness and loss of motor function. I, uh, expect a full recovery in a few d-days."

"No dislocation then," Christa asked.

"N-No, none."

"Did you hear all that, Mae dear?" Ruby had taken Val's arm again. "Now, Jerrie is going to be all right. So you can calm down now."

"I want to talk to JC, Nana," Mae insisted. Ruby unfastened Val's wrist telecomm and took it to JC, holding it so that both girls could see each other easily.

"Hey, JC."

"Hey, Mae. Thanks for hearing me shout and telling Sally. I don't know what would have happened if you didn't."

"You're welcome, JC. What are sisters for, anyway?" Mae frowned slightly. "You know something? You already told me that--and you still look sleepy."

"I am still groggy. Christa pulled a fast one and sedated me."

"You told me that, too. I think it was a good idea."

"Not you, too! Is everyone conspiring against me?" JC asked facetiously. She yawned and blinked again.

"You sleep it off and we can talk later. I'll be home soon, you know." Val groaned and JC shot her an amused look.

"Yeah, Mae. I know. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, signing off now. Bye-bye!" The watch face went blank, and Ruby handed it back to Val.

Jeff looked around. "Mae has the right idea. Let's let Jerrie sleep off the rest of the sedative." He turned his attention to his fourth child. "I'll be in later with a tray and we can debrief then." Jeff leaned over and kissed JC on the forehead, which made her give her father a slightly embarrassed look that said, "Daaaaad!" as plain as words could.

"That's our JC. Just hates to be fussed over," Christa said as she came up and gave her sister's hand a little squeeze before turning to leave. Sally clasped hands with JC.

"See you later, gator."

"Yeah, later."

Jeff followed his two oldest from the room, a hand on Sally's shoulder. Tin- Tin gave JC a high-wattage smile, then a wave and left as well. Brains checked the auto-nurse readouts and nodded to JC before going back into the treatment room to clean up.

"I'm glad to see you're okay, Jayce. I'd hate to go back up to the tin can with you in the hospital or something," Val said, sighing.

"Hey, I'm glad I'm home and not in any... stinking... hospital," JC replied, ever mindful of her prim grandmother standing nearby. That same grandmother fussed with the covers some more, then kissed JC on the cheek.

"You get your rest, Jerrie dear. I'll be back later to check on you." She began to herd Val out of the room. "Now, come along, Valentina. We have to start packing up the provisions for you to take with you up to the space station." Val looked back at JC and rolled her eyes, and JC returned the gesture with a grin.

Brains came out of the treatment room and approached Jerrie's bed. "I-I want you here for at least twelve hours of, uh, observation. U-Understood?"

"Yes. I understand."

"G-Good." The scientist turned and left the room, turning out the lights on the way.

JC turned onto her side, away from her bruised shoulder. The maneuver was painless; Brains had shot her full of analgesic again. She snuggled down into the clean-smelling pillow and fell asleep to the rhythm of her own heartbeat.