Immediately both Alan and Gordon sat up straighter and looked impassively up at their father. Scott and Virgil stood straighter and looked as if they were waiting for instructions.
"At ease all of you. So we've had another incident where your identity had been revealed Sprout" He announced
Alan looked down in shame and began to feel terrible about the situation all over again.
"Hey it wasn't his fault and aren't we missing someone for this conversation?" Gordon announced before bringing up John on his communicator.

When John appeared he surveyed the people in the room and his eyes zeroed in on Alan looking dejected on the bed.
"What did you say to him" he asked angrily.
"Space case!" Scott warned.
"No I'm not having it. He'll answer my question or I'm going to start filing papers that he doesn't want to be filed" John threatened
"Don't threaten him" virgil pleaded.
"Im not gonna let him do this to him. Look at him, he's destroyed. You don't think he feels bad enough that it's happened again. He couldn't help it, he didn't ask for this to happen" John announced.
"So you better start realising this or so help me god when I get back on earth and I find you you will regret it" John threatened all of them.

They all stared at the holographic image of John. All looking shocked except Alan. Alan looked at the image and then sighed. He didn't want to be involved in this arguement so he resorted to snuggling back into Gordon's side again. Gordon began to stroke his hair and stared at his father impassively. He couldn't believe what he had just said.
The nurse surveyed the people on the room and quietly edged back towards her chair against the wall. As soon as she was seated the silence was broken.
"I just want to go home" Alan mumbled into Gordon's side. He didn't look up at anyone and didn't move an inch.
"We will sprout. As soon as we can we'll go home okay" Gordon announced quietly and kissed Alan's hair.
"Your to stay in that hospital till you've been given the okay by the doctors and myself Alan" John said while looking at Alan.

Alan sighs but nods his head in confirmation that he heard what was said and agrees. However before John could carry on with the topic their father interrupted.
"That should be my call" he announced to the room
"Well it woukd of been if you hadn't charged on into the room and accused him of perposly outing his ID. He had no control over the situation and if he hadn't you might be dealing with a case of a lost or dead son" John growled
Everyone in the room except Alan gasped at what he had just said but he carried on without a pause.
"- So when you can act your age and act like a father you can make the decisions again. However until I see that, you have no input. Alan idolises you and all you do is rip him down and destroy his happiness" John announced before glaring at his father.

Jeff looks at John in shock. John was normally so polite and calm. Yet here was John ripping him to shreds without a second thought.
"He has a point. We all know that your trying to protect him as he's the youngest but there's also the fact that you can go too far sometimes. You smother him and you make him so uncomfortable about anything he does. He constantly looks for others approval before doing anything as you've taken away his independence" Scott announced while looking at Alan who was staring at his hands.

However as soon as Scott had finished talking Alan looked up at him in suprise and confusion. He hadn't realised Scott had seen this or understood what was going on. He had thought no one was watching him. He smiled up at Scott and Scott walked over to the side of his bed and crouched down in order to be at his level. Alan immediatley launched himself at Scott and Scott caught him easily. After years of looking after the young boy he didn't have to even think about it anymore it all came naturally to him.
Jeff watched the two boys and realised what he had missed out on. He had been so focused on building up International Rescue and keeping Alan out of harms ways that he had failed to realise that they were falling apart. Alan didn't go to his father when he had a problem, he went to his big brothers. Even as a 15 year old boy, Alan relied heavily on his brothers and this was all Jeff's fault.