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It wasn't like Grandma and Kayo had been trying to stop the boy from walking.
It's just this was a milestone they really wanted Scott to see.
He'd already missed so much, Aiden crawling, his first words. Little things that happened all went Scott was out saving people. Grandma and Kayo didn't want him to miss this too.
They knew it would happen any day now.
Aiden had been pulling himself up on furniture for weeks, he would wobble and fall right back down. Each time he landed on his diaper with a oof, he'd look momentarily stunned before trying again. They agreed he was nothing if not determined to walk.
The first time it nearly happened, it was around Alan and Gordon.
They were sprawled on the couch, half watching a movie and half bickering about something when they noticed the boy.
“Uh, is he?” Alan stated.
“Trying to walk,” Gordon finished, leaning forward.
Aiden had his tiny hands gripping the edge of the coffee table, his chubby legs trembling as he pulled himself up.
Grandma, who was nearby knitting, froze. She made a noise, loud enough the brothers looked over. Gordon glanced back, Aiden fell back onto his bottom, good news was he was laughing.
“Why'd you stop him?” Alan asked, frowning.
Her answer was simple, “ Scott should be here when it happens.”
—
The next time it was Virgil and John. Virgil was on comm with John looking at some engineering prints for Thunderbird 5. Aiden playing nearby. John glanced over and noticed the boy trying to stand, he was wobbly but was doing it.
“Virg,” John said, voice low.
Virgil looked up, and they watched to see what he would do. Then they heard Grandma's voice calling to Kayo who had just walked up the stairs. She wasn't watching and she tripped on the corner of the rug.
The noise startled Aiden, he fell down with a plop.
“You okay?” John asked his sister quickly.
Kayo nodded, rubbing her hands “yeah, I'm fine.”
But in her head, she was silently thanking the universe or maybe it was her timing that had stopped the boy.
—
The last time it happened, Scott was just landing. Everyone was in the lounge, and Aiden pulled himself up. Grandma and Kayo were ready to move, but the wall started to turn, Scott walking through he stopped as Aiden took one step then two, three.
Right to Scott.
Scott dropped to a crouch, his blue eyes watching in joy.
“Hey Guppy,” he whispered. “Come here, you got it buddy.”
Aiden's face lit up at his father's comment. He took the last few steps falling into his father’s waiting arms.
Scott caught him, laughing, spinning him around once before hugging him tight.
“You walked,” he said, “you walked to me.”
Aiden giggled and clapped his hands.
He turned to his family, he asked “were those his first steps?”
Everyone nodded. Scott just looked down at his son. “Good job Guppy,” he whispered. “You did it.”
—
Later that night, when everyone was asleep Grandma and Kayo sat in the kitchen sharing a pot of tea.
“Stopping him all those times,” Kayo said softly, “you think it was the right thing?”
Grandma smiled over her mug. “He got to see it, did he not?”
Kayo nodded and took a sip. She glanced down the hall and she could see the faint light still glowing from Scott’s room.
She pictured him holding Aiden's hands then letting go watching him go.
Yea maybe it had been the right thing after all.