Chain of Event
By Troubletwinintx
Disclaimer: Just having fun with my favorite television show. I'm not making any profit off this story so don't sue me. I want to thank my beta readers for all the inputs and suggestions on my first Scorpion fanfiction.
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Healthy 26 year olds do not have strokes!
Come on Sylvester; aren't you even a bit skeptical what this quack is saying? Stroke, seriously?
Happy? Paige?
The solution was bluntly obvious to Walter, why couldn't they see it? His friends only had to look at the lab report. The inconsistencies were written right there in his chart.
Walter turned his focus on Toby. Toby would figure it out Walter was sure of it; if only he could get his attention.
Walter O'Brien struggled to signal to his friend by any means possible.
Shaking his head; nothing.
Lifting his hand; again, nothing.
Wiggling a toe; yet again, absolutely nothing.
Rising panic surged over Walter as his unresponsive body refused to respond to even the simplest command.
It was an emotion that Walter had truly not experienced since he was a young boy. The same feeling of hopelessness that had crept into his thoughts back then was starting to consume him now.
For hours, Walter fought the feeling by focusing his hyperactive thoughts towards figuring out why this was happing to him. Who was Dr. Peters? What did he want?
It was the sound of Cabe's deep voice that finally snapped him back to private hospital room reality.
Walter shifted his line of sight towards the voice. He concentrated his focus solely on the older gentleman. Come on Cabe…look at me! Damn it!
Time slowly ticked away minute by minute as Walter miserably watched his friends depart from his hospital room to return home for the night. Only Cabe Gallo remained behind. Not that Dr. Peters, or whatever his real name was, didn't try to insist that Cabe leave so that Walter could get his rest. Cabe wasn't having any part of it. He was staying. That was that.
Psychologically, Walter was aware that it was only a matter of time until this maniac would make his move. He was a fraud and his goal…well, Walter wasn't sure what this creep's elaborate plans were for him. It wouldn't be anything good, that's for sure. If the amount of drugs coursing through his body was any indication of how far this man was willing to go, then Walter was in far more danger than he could ever imagine. And now Cabe might be in danger too.
And there wasn't anything he could do.
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Unaware that he must have drifted off to sleep, Walter was woken with a start by the faint buzz of a cell phone ringing. He listened to the sound of Cabe's shoes pacing across the floor as he whispered words into the mouthpiece of his cell phone as not to wake Walter. Only when Walter heard the urgency of the words I'll be there in a few minutes, did his eye lids fluttered open. Cabe snapped the phone shut and turned around.
It was only then that he noticed that Walter was awake and approached the bedside.
Carefully sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, Cabe's baritone voice spoke compassionately. "Sorry about that son, didn't mean to wake you." Cabe waited for the response that he hoped would come. When nothing presented itself, he continued to speak. "Look, I've got to check on something. You know it's important or I wouldn't be leaving. I promise it will only take me a couple of hours top." Avoiding the IV port, Cabe squeezed Walters arm. "Try not to get yourself into any trouble, you hear me?" he said, without the normally hard edge to his voice.
He stood up and slowly he headed for the door. Pulling on the door handle, he glanced back over towards Walter.
"Get some rest, kid".
Cabe walked out of the room, but not before muttering "we need you" as the door softly shut behind him. Cabe Gallo stood opposite side of the door for a second to collect himself. Seeing his friend Walter O'Brien in that state was hard. It was damn hard.
As Walter had predicted, it didn't take long for Dr. Peters to enter his room. Dr. Peters was slow in his approach to Walter's bed.
"Aye Mr. O'Brien, so glad to see you're awake." He said; his tawny features contorted with hatred.
The doctor took a syringe filled with a yellowish substance out of his jacket, picked up Walter's I.V. port and began injecting the medication as he spoke. "Oh don't look so worried Walter, it's not going to really kill you. It's only going to slow down your heart rate so that everyone thinks you're dead." Dr. Peters reveled in the self-delivered news, as he glanced over to the heart monitor. Walter's heart rate was beginning to slow down. Turning around, Dr. Peters bent down closer to Walter's ear. He whispered, "By the time I finished with you, you'll wish you never killed my son."
Walter's mind raced for only a second. Killed his son? Who was he talking about? He felt himself slowly slipping away. The urge to sleep was too overpowering and he gave in to it immediately. He never heard the alarms of his machine blasting or the Code Blue announced over the loud speaker that soon followed afterwards. It only took 20 minutes of unsuccessful CPR and other lifesaving means in the attempt to resuscitate Walter O'Brien before Dr. Peters gladly called the time of death. 2:45 am. July 13, 2014.
The two nurses who had remained in the room after the code found it extremely unusual when two men with badges indicating they were from the morgue suddenly showed up to remove Walter's body. Normally, it would take several repeated phone calls to the morgue staff before an orderly would finally show up to escort the body down to the morgue. But what the nurses really found to be even odder was the fact that Dr. Peters insisted that he too be allowed to prepare the body for transport.
For a minute or two, the nurses seemed confused and not sure what to do. Neither one spoke up. It had been a long shift. They knew the 3-11 shift change was approaching fast and they still needed to write up last minute details on the patients' chart before they could leave. Not wanting to make trouble for themselves by upsetting the physician; they left the room, while the men remained to take care of the body.
For the second time, Dr. Peters - no - Marcus Raj reached into his pocket to take out a syringe. He injected the needle of medication directly into Walter's heart. Within seconds, Walter's heart began to beat in a normal rhythm.
He pulled the sheet over Walter's face as the remaining occupants exited the room.
"You know where to take him?" Marcus ask brusquely.
"We have our instructions, sir." The larger built man of the two thugs said.
Marcus gritted his teeth. "You have received half of your money this morning. The other half will be waiting for you when you arrive at your destination."
"Got it." The younger of the two men replied, greed lacing his voice..
"And boys?" Marcus's evil eye shot them a warning glare. "You know who I am. Don't screw this up."
"No sir." Both men said simultaneously, knowing full well what would happen to them if they failed.
Once the men were past the nursing station, they entered the elevator. It was only then that they removed the sheet from Walter's face.
His face was extremely pale.
"Jeez, I'd hate to be this guy," Tommy said, as his he glared down at Walter. "I wonder what he did?" he muttered, only somewhat actually curious.
"It's not any of our business." Louis retorted flatly, uncaringly as he flexed his fingers. He pointed a large callused finger at his partner. "And you would do good to remember that."
As soon as the automatic elevator doors opened; the men took off towards the ambulance bay where an ambulance was waiting for them.
Like clockwork they loaded Walter into the ambulance and quickly drove away to their destination.
Mr. Raj stood in the hall. He smiled arrogantly as he watched his plan go off without a hitch. The staff would naturally assume he would call the next of kin right away. Imagine everyone's horror when they discover that all Walter's family and friends were clueless about his death. Marcus Raj smiled ruthlessly as he pictured Agent Gallo's distraught expression. Walter was like a son to the man. The man would undoubtedly feel guilty about leaving Walter all along in the hospital, to die all by his lonesome. How would the man ever survive? Marcus smile widened. His plan to make sure that Agent Gallo would not return early tonight was brilliant. As for the rest of the team, he couldn't care less. It was Walter and Agent Gallo he wanted to see suffer. If it wasn't for them, his son Javier would still be alive.
Angrily, he headed down the hall to the stairway. As he headed to the physician's parking lot, he thought about the chain of events that should happen in the morning.
Someone, probably Agent Gallo, should make his way towards the morgue to identify the body. Of course, he'll discover that he had just missed Walter's body being transferred to the Restland Funeral Home. He could hear Agent Gallo now. He would rant on and on about what authority did they move Walter's body anywhere. Imagine his shock when he reads that Walter had signed "A Living Will" document regarding his care on the very day he was admitted three days ago with what looked like a bad case of the flu. Marcus Raj snickered. Flu. A genetically altered flu virus that he himself had made sure Walter ingested.
Marcus reached his vehicle. He opened the door and slid in. He continued to think about what would happen later this morning. Agent Gallo and the rest of his team would head towards the funeral home. Once again they would arrive too late. A body identified as Walter O'Brien, would have already arrived this morning around 5:30 am with instructions to be cremated by 7:00 am. After all, an extra $10,000 had already been given to the mortician by another goon with instructions not to answer to any of Agent Gallo, or the teams' protest. With everyone thinking that Walter was truly dead, he could take his time commencing his revenge.
Or at least for a little while.
Mr. Raj put the gear shift of the green jeep into reverse and tore out of the parking lot. He wasn't stupid. He knew it would only be a matter of time before everyone would start asking questions. Agent Gallo would drill the hospital staff. What happened to Walter that earlier morning? What was Walter's cause of death? And where in the hell was Dr. Peters, someone would ask? It would be like he just disappeared. By the time anyone discovered the body of the real Dr. Peters, Marcus would be long gone and so would Walter. It would take time to ID him. If Marcus was lucky, he might have 72 hours alone with his son's killer.
And that's all the time he needed.
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RN Tina Young couldn't stop thinking about the young man that had died earlier. Something hadn't seemed right. She knew all the right protocol had been followed during the Code but something about the way Dr. Peters responded afterwards made her feel uneasy. Most doctors became emotionally upset when they lose a patient. They cry, scream or get angry.
Dr. Peters didn't seem to show any signs of anger, remorse or anything else for that matter that she could detect. Tina's face darkened at the memory. And who was this doctor anyway? she wondered. She had certainly never seen him before. Oh course, she was fairly new to the Step-Down ICU floor. No one else seemed to question him being there, so surely he belonged there.
She felt sad for the man's sister. Megan was her name she remembered. Nice girl. She was dealing with M.S. What she must be going through right now. Tina wondered. Sometimes she was so glad she was an only child.
Tina stopped her vehicle at the red light and waited for it to turn green. At 3:00 am there were only a few cars on the road. Most of them were probably employees just like her: either getting off or going to work at the hospital. She was grateful to her co-worker, Kelli, for volunteering to stay to finish up her paperwork or else she'd still be at the hospital.
Suddenly, an ambulance rushed passed her. She barely caught a glimpse of the driver's face, but she was positive that he was one of the men that worked at the morgue. But why on earth would he be driving an ambulance? Again, the feeling that something was wrong rose inside of her. Without hesitation, she turned right and followed ambulance.
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Paige Dineen woke up earlier than usual. She stumbled her way to the kitchen and immediately started the coffee pot. One of many cups she expected to drink today. Her friend Walter had been the last thing she thought about when she had finally fell asleep last night. Now he was the first thing she thought about when she woke up this morning.
Paige absently reached up. She took down a clean coffee cup out of the cabinet and placed it on the countertop. The fresh aroma of coffee filled the air as the machine gurgled on the kitchen counter. Her body seemed to be on automatic mode as she headed towards the refrigerator. She reached in, pulling out a small carton of half and half. Next, she grabbed a spoon out of the drawer, all the while in deep thought about her friend.
There was something about Walter O'Brien that made her want to prove herself, not only to him but the world. She knew that she wanted to be much more than just an ex-waitress, a single mother, a high school dropout, or a want-to-be singer.
Maybe it was the fact that she was in presence of such great genius. But then again, she didn't feel that same way with the others members of the group. In fact it was the exact opposite. Sylvester brought out her maternal instinct. He made her want to cuddle and baby him. His innocence was so sweet. So delightful. It was almost like being around a child that never grew up. Paige thought of Peter Pan.
She giggled.
Paige poured herself a steaming cup of coffee and absently began to stir it. As she blew on the hot brew, she unconsciously bit on her lower lip as her thoughts focus on Happy. Happy isn't known for having a warm or friendly disposition. Well frankly, Happy Quinn just made her nervous. It was like being around a stick of dynamite, never really knowing exactly when it was about to explode. Paige mentally shook herself. She reminded herself to never ever piss off Happy.
And of course there's Toby. Out of everyone else in the group, Toby Curtis seemed to have the same characteristics that she had. A deep desire to prove oneself, never feeling good enough in the company of others, always having to pick oneself up from the constant failures in everything they try to accomplish. Last but not least, trying to prove to Walter O'Brien that they were worthy of his friendship.
It was Walter who needed them now. His sudden onset of the flu took everyone by surprise. Within two days, his symptoms went from a simple cough and fatigue to a raging fever of 104 or higher, accompanied with shortness of breath and confusion. It was Cabe Gallo who had begun giving the group, and her, instructions like they were the members of the army that night Walter went to the hospital.
Paige remembered it vividly. Cabe had given them all orders, and then he was on the phone with the hospital. Happy was ordered to call 911. Toby and Sylvester were order to help Walter into the shower to help cool down his fever. She was ordered to pack Walter an overnight bag. Like one of their well-organized mission, Walter went from his home to the hospital in less than fifteen minutes.
What she recalled most about that night was Walter's agonizing rants. None of it made sense. It was obvious to everyone that Walter was caught up in some horrifying situation created by his feverish mind that about nearly tore out the heart of everyone in the room that heard it.
Tears stung Paige's eyes as she placed the cup back down on the counter. As bad as she thought those rants were, it was nothing compared to the silent, vegetable state that Walter was in now. Paige felt sick to her stomach. She had to swallow the bile that threatened to spill out.
The doctor had said that Walter suffered a major stoke and the likelihood of him ever recovering was minimal at best. They should prepare for the worse. They had added on that 9 out 10 people don't survive 48 hours after this type of traumatic event.
She quickly glanced over at the clock on the microwave. With teary eyes she read the time…5:00 am. An overwhelming urge to get to the hospital over took her. She ran to the bedroom to get dressed. Exactly at 5:10 am she was headed out the door of her apartment. The coffee in her cup on the counter was left untouched.
Paige exited the hospital elevator. She proceeded down the hall towards Walter's room. As she passed the nurses' station, a single nurse sat behind the counter, obviously consumed in whatever it was she was reading on the computer screen. Paige didn't bother to announce herself. She continued walking. When she reached the door to Room 205, she softly pulled it open.
The sight of the empty bed had Paige frozen in place. In an instant she knew why. There could only be a single reason Walter wouldn't be there. He had died. She knew it to be true without ever being told. Suddenly she was finding it hard to breathe. For a second or two the room tilted. As she backed out of the room, she held on to the railing down the hallway as she walked slowly towards the nursing station as her mind tried to reason with her. Maybe Walter had gone for some test – yeah right it was 5:30 in the morning. Maybe Walter had to change room and Cabe didn't have a chance to call you and let you know. Not likely. Maybe….
Paige stumbled to the nursing station where she practically collapsed in front of the counter. Startled, the red-headed nurse jumped out of her chair. She came around the counter to stand beside Paige.
"Dear, are you alright?" she sought out in concern.
"He's not there." Paige responded as her head shook back and forth.
"Who's not there?" the nurse spoke lightly as not to upset the woman any further.
"Walter." Paige returned back. "Walter O'Brien. Room 205."
"Let me get you into this chair while I go check on your ….Walter." The nurse pulled the chair away from the wall. She placed it behind Paige.
Two strong hands pulled Paige down into it.
A cup of water was pushed into Paige's hand. She unconsciously began to drink it. The nurse pulled up the information on the patient from the hospital database from her computer. She quickly made a phone call. Within minutes, two people stood in front Paige. She was looking down at the floor at the time of their arrived. The first thing she noticed was their shoes- a woman's pair of white closed toe shoes and a pair of black man's dress shoes. As her eyes moved up, she recognized the hospital scrubs of a hospital employee – the nurse she assumed – and black pants, black shirt. A white collar. A priest.
And she wanted to die. Right there and then. The condolences meant nothing to her as they tried to smooth her pain away. She cried harder than she ever thought possible. Her body shook as she grieved over the loss of her friend. They somehow managed to move her into a private room. Paige continued to grieve.
It seemed as if hours had passed when Paige was once again coaxed by the priest if he may get in touch of a family member on her behalf, before the words finally registered. Happy, Toby, Sylvester and Megan still didn't know the horrible news. God, how was she going to break this horrible news to them? What was it that the nurse had said? Paige thinks it might have been... that he stopped breathing around 2:45 am? Paige began to cry again.
Walter was dead. Her friend was gone.
She hadn't been able to say goodbye.
As more time passed, Paige tried to pull herself together. Her thoughts went to Cabe. Did Cabe already know the news about Walter? Was he grieving as much as she was? Maybe he hadn't had the chance to tell them yet? Was he with Walter now? She picked up her phone. She dialed his number.
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Cabe Gallo scribbled down the last of his notes on a pocket size writing pad as the last traces of uncontrolled burning fire from the mayor's house were extinguished by the firefighters. He had spent hours interviewing witnesses along with curious bystanders that littered the lawn as the fire raged out of control. Everyone had a different story. A witness stated she saw a black man in a red truck; another witness informed him that it was definitely two white men in a blue 4-door Sedan and the stories went on and on and Agent Gallo was about ready to explode from frustration.
Cabe had known Mayor Nelson from years ago as district attorney long before his political nomination. Cabe wasn't all that alarmed when he received the phone call early this morning directly from Mayor Nelson with a request that Gallo to oversee the investigation.
It was just bad timing that's all.
Cabe had wanted to stay at the hospital with Walter. Cabe knew he didn't dare flatly refuse the Mayor. But this investigation was taking much more time than he had anticipated.
Cabe heard high-pitched ring tone of his phone. He narrowed his dark eyes and clenched his jaw when he read the Caller ID. It was early for Paige to be calling him.
He tried not to think the worse as he answered it. "Gallo"
"Where are you?" Paige questioned; her voice barely audible.
"Paige, what's wrong? Cabe demanded. Inwardly, he prayed, "Please don't let this be about Walter."
Paige could hardly breathe. She couldn't get the words out, no matter how hard she tried. She felt herself begin to become hysterical all over again. She was truly grateful when Father Donahue took the phone from her hand.
"This is Father Donahue, whom am I speaking to?"
Cabe was sickened. He managed to answer the priest question. "I'm Agent Cabe Gallo." Cabe replied. His fingers gripped the phone so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "Tell me what's happened."
"Agent Gallo, I'm afraid that I had the unfortunate task of informing Miss Dineen of the passing of her friend Walter O'Brien. I'm with her now at the hospital. She is visibly upset as you may imagine." The priest reached down. He patted Paige on the shoulder before he continued. "Were you also a friend of Walter?"
Flashbacks of Walter from the time he met him as a young boy flashed before Cabe eyes. His knees felt weak; they began to buckle from underneath him. Cabe reached over to lean against the hood of his vehicle; the phone temporary forgotten in his hand.
"Hello, Agent Gallo? Are you still there?"
"I'll be right there." Cabe managed to say.
He pocketed the device into his jacket, before racing towards his car and driving off. Many years of training from the police force, agency and the military service had taught him to keep his emotions in check as he drove quietly to the hospital. Whether it was that training or merely the shock of the news, Agent Gallo showed no other outward signs of duress. What he needed most was answers. What he wanted was to see Walter.
He let his friend down. The time for grieving would have to come later.
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Walter O'Brien became aware of two things simultaneously. One - he was positive that he was no longer in the hospital. Two - a dull, achy sensation was beginning to develop in all his limbs, which could only mean one thing. The susamethonium chloride was wearing off.
Keeping his breathing in a sleep-like rhythm, Walter listened carefully as he performed a mental risk assessment of his surroundings.
He was in a moving vehicle.
He was lying down on a bed; therefore he had to be in an Ambulance or a van.
Definitely an ambulance.
Someone sat near him.
Someone else was driving.
Two perps. Possible three if someone was sitting in the passenger seat.
Instinct told him to remain still. The last conversation with Dr. Peters still lingered in his memory.
Underneath the sheet, Walter cautiously tested each one of his limbs to assess whether or not they were working properly. He was very pleased to discover both feet and hands had movement.
He also discovered that he was not bound to the bed. In their haste to get Walter into the ambulance, the men had forgotten to strap him in.
A big miscalculation on someone's part. Walter thought to himself.
Walter needed an exit plan. But in order for him to escape, he had to possess some kind of a weapon.
Walter carefully slid one eye open just enough to inventory the rig but not enough to alert his captors. A large triangular steel basin sat on a shelf within arm's reach. Walter didn't believe in luck, so he mentally calculated the distance and time he needed to pull off his escape.
As soon as the ambulance came to a complete stop, he seized his opportunity. Walter reached over. He grabbed the basin and swung it towards an unsuspecting kidnapper's temple, connecting it exactly where he had planned.
Tommy faltered for only a second. Then he reached his hands up, grabbing Walter's shirt. Walter had predicted the man's move. With all the strength he could muster, Walter sucker punched Tommy underneath his chin with his left hand. Tommy's body pitched sideways, giving Walter sparse seconds to slide off the gurney and pull down the handle on the back door of the ambulance.
The door flew open and Walter experienced a brief moment of disorientation. His body pitched before he could stop it. He fell. The bones in his nose broke when landed face first on the hard concrete street below. Blood gushed out of each nostril.
Walter had little time to process it before he was rolling onto his side. He pushed himself up; staggering to his feet. Within seconds of his escape, Walter heard the driver's side door open. Calculating his best chances of getting away, Walter stumbled towards the passenger door then turned right. He stumbled between other vehicles that had also stopped for the same light.
Inside the rig, Tommy made a quick recovery from his assault from Walter. He started to exit the back of the ambulance to follow Walter but soon stopped. Several cars were now idling on the road waiting for the light to turn green. Many drivers had already stepping out of their vehicles to get a better view about what was going on with the man that fallen out of the ambulance. Tommy immediately hollered out to Louis to get back into the ambulance and drive as he slammed the door shut. With any luck they could catch Walter around the corner.
Several cars back, R.N. Tina Young had witness the whole horrible incident. Like the other people around her, she too had stepped out of her car. She ran towards Walter. She screamed out his name several times before Walter made eye contact with her. Not recognizing the woman, he started to stumble away from her but something in the way she kept pleading with him finally convenience him to stop.
She raced forward to catch up with him. She ushered him towards her car, and once they were both inside, she pushed her food on the gas petal. Her high performance red sports car accelerated with ease as she navigated it in the opposite direction from where the ambulance had gone.
Walter wearily gave her a sideways glance. Confused, he asked her, "Who are you?"
"My name is Tina. I'm an R.N. at the hospital you were in." She calmly replied back; her vision never leaving the road. After a second, she added "I would encourage you to take off your gown and use it to stop your nose from bleeding."
Walter glanced down. It was only then did he notice the amount of blood that had accumulated on the front of his gown. Without speaking, he untied it from the back. He lifted it over his head and applied pressure on the bridge of his nose.
As Tina drove, she started summarizing the details of the last couple of hours - or as much as she knew firsthand. She stopped talking for a second. She took in a deep breath before adding, "Walter, I think it would best if I take you back to the hospital."
During the whole car ride, Walter found it intensely difficult to concentrate on her words. Occasionally, he managed to nod once or twice at whatever Tina was saying, though the rapid spinning sensation in his head had prevented him from asking any questions. Walter knew, without a doubt, that he was going to pass out at any second. The adrenaline rush that he had experience earlier had all but vanished.
Walter leaned his head on the passenger side window, the coolness of the glass giving him temporary relief. Within seconds, he closed his eyes. A vague awareness that he needed to call someone reached his thoughts. One word slipped out from his lips before he was out cold.
Gallo.
"Walter, who's Gallo? Is he the older gentleman that visited you in your room?" Tina confused voice pressed for an answer. When she didn't receive a response, she glanced over to the passenger seat. She removed one hand from the steering wheel. She shook Walter.
SHIT. Tina frantically reached her arm around Walter to take hold of the seatbelt. She successfully fastened it. The last thing she needed him to do was to injure himself further.
Walter definitely needed a hospital. With an air of determination, Tina turned the car back towards where she had been leaving. Suddenly it occurred to her that taking Walter O'Brien to the hospital she worked at, and that Walter had been stolen from, may not be such a good idea. What if Dr. Peters was waiting for Walter? Or worse yet, those two goons from the ambulance were there? Ultimately, she could be placing Walter's life back in danger. She needed to take him to another hospital. Medical City Hospital was a mere fifteen minutes away.
She knew a nurse there that she had worked with before. Tina called the nurse, Wendy, and explained the situation, leaving out certain details. The nurse agreed to meet her at the E.R., along with the Security team. The staff would admit Walter under a false name. Tina, along with her friend Wendy, would be the only two people that would know Walter's true identity. Satisfied, Tina hung up the phone with her friend.
Several hours later, with Walter O'Brien settled in the ER, Tina Young wished him a speedy recovery and bid him farewell. As Tina walked out of the hospital, she felt relief, knowing that Walter was now in a safe place. He wouldn't be discovered by anyone, unless Walter wanted them to find him.
As Tina got to her car, she glanced back once more at the ER entrance. Everything looked normal as far as she could tell. She started her car. She pulled out of the parking space. Turning out of the parking garage, she headed east bound for home.
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By the time Agent Gallo reached the hospital, the news of Walter's passing had reached the other members of the team. Three of the four members were huddled together in a special room dedicated for grieving family members. The only people missing were Walter's sister Megan and Toby.
Happy was the first one to speak.
"Where were you?" her testy words spat out as she separated herself from the others as she spoke. Her small frame was a mere inch away from Agent Gallo. "You were supposed to be looking after Walter. Now he's dead."
Cabe looked at Sylvester first. He averted his eye, but Cabe could tell that Sylvester wanted to know the answer to the question as much as Happy did.
Guilt burned hot inside as Cabe looked straight into her eyes. His throat was too tight to reply. Besides, what could he say? She was right. He had failed the most important person in his life. So he just stood there and he said nothing.
It was Paige who finally spoke up next.
"Don't say that Happy" she pleaded helplessly as she willed her voice to be calm. "You don't know that. You know Cabe better than that. We all know Cabe." She tried to put her arms around Happy.
Happy shrugged them off.
Paige purposely looked directly at Cabe. "He loved Walter just like the rest of us. Walter wouldn't want us to turn on each other like this."
Happy was becoming more riled up by the second as she turned her head towards Paige, her nostrils flaring; her hands balled up in tight fist. She wanted to tell her to shut up, what did Paige know anyway? Six months on the team didn't give her rights to speak up about anything. Much less how Walter feels or didn't feel.
Whatever Happy was going to say, she never got the chance. Visibly upset, Toby and Megan busted through the door.
Toby felt the tension in the room the moment he entered.
He wasted no time speaking. "Something is not right here. Walter's body has been moved, or at least that's what somebody wants us to think" he announced handing Cabe a copy of the fake Living Will.
As Cabe started to read it, Toby inquired "Notice anything strange about it?" Both girls peeked over Cabe's shoulder. Sylvester stood up too. He nervously moved to stand beside Megan.
It took only a minute. Cabe looked up at Toby. He looked back down at the document. As long as he had known Walter O'Brien, Walter had always signed his signature backwards. O'Brien, Walter….O'Brien, W….once he even signed it OBW but never once did he sign it Walter O'Brien as the average person would. It had been the subject of many discussions between the two of them.
"I'll be damned." Cabe said, wide-eyed as he looked up again from the paper.
"What is it? What do you see?" Paige pleaded, not comprehending the situation. Her patience was clearly thin.
Cabe didn't answer her. Instead he moved closer to Toby. He continued to talk. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?" his harsh voice inquired.
"I'm saying exactly that." Toby responded confidently.
Happy wanted clarification. "Are you saying Walter may not be dead?"
Toby promptly nodded. "That's not all. I pulled Walter's chart, which by the way was a lot easier than it should have been." He glanced around the room at each member of the team. "There was anomaly in the lab results. Several tests came back with traces of susamethonium chloride. It's a drug used during surgeries."
Sylvester head jerked. "But Walter didn't have any surgery." .
"My point exactly." Toby responded. They both fell silent for a bit.
"What's susamethonium chloride?" Paige inquired, hardly able to breathe as she absentmindedly twisted a Kleenex in her hands.
"It's a drug used to induce muscle relaxation and short-term paralysis" Happy answered.
Toby gave her a look of pure astonishment.
Happy returned it with critical stare. "What? I read."
"So why was Walter given this drug?" Megan pressed, speaking up for the first time since the group began to talk.
Sylvester squeezed her hand.
Cabe's face hardened. "Because someone wanted us to believe he was paralyzed from a stroke."
"Why would someone do that?" Paige asked confused and worried. "And if Walter's not dead, where is he?"
"I don't know, but I know someone who does. Let's go talk to our good doctor and find out." Cabe said angrily as he stared to move towards the door.
Toby's hand struck out. He stopped Cabe from leaving. "We have two problems. The first is that the hospital mortician said that Walter's body was transferred to Restland Funeral Home earlier this morning. And the second is no one seems to know where Dr. Peters is."
Cabe folded his arms. His face contorted with concentration as he stood still for a minute.
"Okay, Happy, you and Toby go to Restland. Let me know what you find out there. Sylvester, you and Paige, I want you two to stay here at the hospital. Find out anything and everything you can on this Dr. Peters."
Cabe put his hand on Sylvester's shoulder. "Start with the surveillance cameras. Work your way backwards. "
Cabe's sharp eyes looked over at Paige. He offered a sympathetic smile. "Paige, talk to the nurses and the other hospital staff. Find out everything you can since the moment Walter was admitted. The smallest detail could be very important." Cabe then addressed Megan. "Megan I want you to come with me"
Each member of the group nodded their head in acknowledged of their assignments. Cabe had a reason for why he told Megan to come with him. If Happy and Toby did in fact discover that Walter's body was truly at the Funeral Home, he didn't want her to be there unprepared for such an outcome.
Cabe didn't miss a beat as he got on the phone. He started talking as he walked down the hallway. When Cabe hung up the phone, Megan questioned him. "Exactly, where are we going?"
"We just got a warrant to search Dr. Peter's home. Maybe if we can find out who he is, then we can figure out what it is he wants with your brother."
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Like Nurse Young, Marcus Raj had been following the ambulance from a safe distance away. He watched his plan fall apart and was ravished in pure rage. He saw Walter O'Brien get into the red sports car and he followed it.
It was time for another plan.
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Walter woke to a pounding headache and nausea. Something foreign was on his face. His hand automatically sought out the source. A crisscross bandage was taped across his nose and cheeks. No doubt to stabilize his broken nose, Walter thought.
The surrounding sounds alerted him that he was back in the hospital, an emergency room if he logically guessed correctly. Walter opened his eyes. He looked around. Sure enough, he found himself exactly where he had predicted. The next thing he noticed was that there was no phone.
Sitting up in bed slowly, he swung his legs off the side and let them dangle down for a minute. As he sat there, he turned, catching sight of his image in the small mirror on the wall. He was somewhat taken back when he barely recognized himself. One eye was nearly swollen shut. The other was not far behind, and both areas were colored in different degrees of black and blue colors.
The fact was he looked like he had been in a fight and lost.
Walter's feet slid to the floor. He stood in the doorway of his E.R room. There seemed to be some commotion down the hall. Walter observed several hospital security guards and hospital staff attending to the situation. Walter wondered if one of those Security Officers was the person that was supposed to be watching him. There wasn't much he could do, except walk the short distance to the nurse's station.
Two women sat behind the counter.
"I need to use a phone." Walter announced.
"What you need to do young man is get back into your room." The older nurse replied, not at all happy that one of her patients was wandering the halls.
Walter ground his teeth, he had little patience. He turned his attention to the other nurse. Walter addressed her. "Where is the nearest phone?"
"The pay phones are down the hall, that way sir" she pointed behind him, but quickly withdrew her hand back when the other nurse glared at her. She swiftly added, "But like Nurse Harris said, you really should return to your room, Mr. Jones"
Jones. That's right. Nurse Young had told him that for his safety he would be admitted under a fabricated name. What was that ridiculous name she had come up with? Oh, yeah. Tom Jones, like the singer. Walter rolled his eyes. He slightly shook his head as the memory assaulted his foggy brain.
Walter thanked the nurse. He headed towards the direction she had pointed out to him. Double doors stood in his way. Walter punched the round silver button on the wall. The automatic doors swung wide opened.
As Walter walked through them, he found himself in the E.R. waiting room where a great deal of people shifted in their chairs waiting to be seen. He glanced over to the right side of the room. He saw a sign that read "Vending Machines, Restrooms and Pay Phones". He headed towards that direction.
Whether or not it was the sight of the bandages on his face, or the fact that he was dressed in pajama bottoms along with a hospital gown with no shoes, Walter did not notice the stares he was receiving.
Two people were using the phones. Walter waited impatiently for his turn.
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Agent Gallo successfully pulled his vehicle up to curb of the house that belonged to Dr. Peters. He turned to Megan. "Give me a minute to make sure it's safe. Once I'm inside and find it all clear, I'll signal for you to come in."
Megan nodded her head obediently.
As he stepped out of the vehicle, Cabe bent down. He peeked back at Megan. "Are you able to drive short distance?"
It had been a long time since Megan drove. She was pretty sure she could still manage it if she had to. "I think so." She replied.
"Good. Just in case if anyone shows up I want you to be able to leave at a moment's notice. Slide over to the driver's seat and start the car. Let them get close enough to the front door. Then I want you to honk the horn to warn me. If the person starts towards you, I want you to drive away and turn left. Wait for me two streets over. You got it?" he asked her, a hard determined expression on his face.
"Yes sir." Megan said nervously. She repeated part of his instructions aloud, "left and two streets over." She wondered how on earth her brother Walter could handle this kind of pressure on a daily basis.
Agent Gallo shut the driver's door. He proceeded swiftly up the driveway. He pulled out his government issued Smith and Wesson black .45 as a precaution. He expertly advanced towards a window and cautiously peeked inside. There were no signs of anyone being home. He moved forward, stepping silently towards the door. He tried the door handle and turned it. It was unlocked, so he pushed it open.
The foul odor of dead composing body assaulted his senses immediately. Cabe's forearm instantly came up. He covered his nose with the sleeve of his black jacket. He cautiously entered the house. Within minutes he found a body of a man. Cabe knew without a doubt that the person lying on the floor was not the same man at the hospital that had introduced himself as Dr. Peters. He pulled out his cell phone. He made the necessary calls before heading back to the vehicle to inform Megan.
"So what now?" she asked.
"I doubt we'll find any answers here." Cabe glanced at the house as he spoke and then down at his watch. Forty five minutes had passed since everyone had split up at the hospital. Neither of the team had reported in yet. He had just made up his mind that they would accomplish more if they headed back to the hospital when his phone suddenly rang. The display identified the caller as Unknown.
Slightly annoyed, Cabe spoke abruptly into the mouth piece. "Agent Gallo"
"Cabe it's me." Walter O'Brien spoke at the exact time the overhead pager in the ER went off in the background.
Cabe went very still. "Walter?"
He glanced over at Megan. Her facial expression was pure relief. He bellowed into the phone. "Thank God son. Are you alright? Where in the hell are you?"
"ER waiting room." Walter looked quizzically at the sign on the wall. He read it out to Cabe. "Medical City Hospital." Walter coughed for a second or two. He lowered his voice, making sure that others around him couldn't hear him. "That's not important right now" he stated. "Dr. Peters tried to kill me because he said I killed his son. Cabe I don't know what he's talking about."
"We're not sure what's going on either, but we'll figure that out later. We need to get you safe. Are you in any danger right now?" Cabe asked as he started his vehicle. He began driving towards the hospital.
"I don't think so." Walter replied reassuringly. He glanced up just in time to see two security guards heading his way. Not too pleased to see them, Walter informed Cabe on his situation. "It looks like I'm about to be escorted back to my room by security. By the way, I'm registered as Tom Jones.
"Why?"
Walter stood there for a minute and closed his eyes before answering the question evasively. "I'll explain it to you when you get here."
"Hang tight, we're twenty minutes out."
Sensing Megan's anxiety beside him, Cabe added into the phone. "Walter, say something to your sister. She needs to hear your voice. When you're finished, give Security the phone."
Cabe handed his cell phone to Megan.
"Walter?"
"Megan?" He was about to asked why she was with Agent Gallo when it suddenly occurred to him what she must have been going through the last few hours and how she was led to believe he was dead. The need to apologize to her became overwhelming.
"I'm so sorry. I know this kind of stress can't be good for you. How are you holding up?" He asked sympathetically.
"I'm fine Walter, now." Megan confessed courageously. Her voice cracked as she spoke. "Walter, we thought you were dead."
Walter O'Brien became angry. It was one thing for someone to take their revenge out on him, but his sister didn't deserve any of this. It was unusual for him to experience such emotions that he wasn't aware that he was temporary lost in his own deep thought. He had not replied.
Suddenly Megan felt her heart start to beat faster when her words had fallen on deaf ears. "Walter?"
Hearing his name, Walter returned his full attention back to Megan. "It's all right Megan. I promise I'll find a way to make this up to you." He stated optimistically.
One of the Security Officers interrupted Walter. "Sir, we need you to come back to your room."
Megan overheard the two officers and yelled out "I love you" as Walter handed the receiver of the payphone over to the security officer.
As his sister called out to him, Walter turned to the security officer and told him that his superior wanted to talk to them. Walter didn't have to hear what Agent Gallo was saying. The look on the man's face told him everything he needed to know.
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"He's lying." Happy said sourly. In her right hand, Happy gripped a high power autopsy electrical saw mere inches away from the mortician's forearm.
"Just say the word" she asked Toby; her brown angry eyes never leaving her target.
Toby was too focused on the man's posture to respond. Dr. Morton sat on the edge of his chair, his palms were sweating. Toby knew this, because he could see the doctor constantly trying to wipe his hands off on his pants. Toby also noticed the way Dr. Morton's eyes blinked rapidly. It was obvious that the man was nervous. Ten years of experience as a behaviorist and a gambler had equipped Toby with the necessary skills to read facial expressions and nonverbal body movements. His senses screamed that Dr. Morton was definitely hiding something.
Toby pushed himself explosively to his feet. He slammed his hands down on the table in front of Dr. Morton. "What are you not telling us?" he demanded.
Dr. Morton's face turned ashen. This was way too much for him. First the crazy bloke this morning threatening him if he didn't break protocol by incinerating a body that he knew may get him in trouble, and now these two lunatics show up.
"Okay, okay. Just call her off" he begged.
Toby fixed his glaze on Happy. She pulled the drill away but only a few inches. Toby waited impatiently for Dr. Morgan to acknowledge the truth.
After several seconds of silence, Dr. Morgan began to speak. "I want to make it clear that I didn't do it for the money." He looked back and forth between the two before continuing. "He gave me no choice. He threatened to kill me. What else was I supposed to do?" he pleaded desperately hoping they would understand. Dr. Morgan recalled every detail of the events that happened earlier that day. By the time he finished, sweat poured down his face.
Toby pulled out a picture of Walter from his wallet. "Is this the body that was brought in here this morning?"
Dr. Morgan stared at the picture. He saw the similarities: hair color, eye color…maybe even the same height. But it was definitely not the same man. He shook his head.
Dr. Morton looked up and stared Toby directly into his eyes. "No, this isn't him."
Direct eye contact. Good sign. Toby thought to himself.
Toby also analyzed the tone of Dr. Morgan's voice. The creases in Toby's forehead deepened then relaxed. He was confident that the man was telling him the truth.
It was Happy who needed reassurance. "Are you sure?"
Again Dr. Morgan stared at the picture for a minute. He inhaled and released it slowly. "I'm sure. This is not the man who was brought here this morning." He folded his arms over his chest. "I'm 100% positive."
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Paige was mentally exhausted. She unconsciously rubbed her temples as she tried to relieve the tension from her developing headache. After talking to every nurse, doctor and hospital staff member that was available during Walter's stay at the hospital, there seemed to be no one that could provide her with any sustainable information.
At this rate, Paige feared she would never get to the truth.
The sound of her phone ringing echoed in her purse. Sylvester had found something. She hurriedly made her way to him.
Sylvester worked silently as he watched the events recorded on the security tapes unfold. One by one, his mathematical mind mentally created a timeline to be used by the other members of the Scorpion team. The pen in his left hand scribbled furiously as he jotted down notes on a notepad.
Sylvester's heart raced wildly as he was engrossed on the all the hospital personnel that rushed in and out of Walter's room during the code.
In a matter of minutes, Sylvester's mood changed dramatically. His eyes narrowed, his fist began to clench at his side and his lips tightened in anger as he observed the next eleven and half minutes of the tape. He was emotionally wrecked by the time he watched Dr. Peters inserted a needle into his friend's chest in the hallway.
Despite his emotional state, Sylvester continued searching.
Sylvester went back and forth piecing together segments of tape from every hospital camera available. The last one burned into his memory as he observed Walter's face as the two orderlies wheeled Walter out of the hospital via the ambulance bay and then driving off in an ambulance.
Sylvester waited for Paige to arrive. Together they reviewed the tape.
"There!" Sylvester shouted as he pointed to the screen, shifting his weight from foot to foot.
Sylvester could tell by Paige's expression that she didn't see it. So he rewinds the tape, this time he played it back at a much slower rate.
Paige stared at the image in front of her.
"What am I looking at?" she asked slightly confused. But before he could reply, two things became very clear to her.
She gasped.
If Walter was dead, then why wasn't his body not covered up like it should have been and more importantly, the unmistakable rapid movement of Walter's eyes underneath his lids was visible on the screen?"
Paige turned to Sylvester.
"He's still alive?" Paige asked in hope.
Sylvester nodded, not trusting his voice. He glanced back at the monitor one last time for assurance.
Wide-eyed with excitement, Paige burst into happy tears as she threw her arms around Sylvester and hugged him tightly. After second or two, she reached up and gave him a kiss on his cheek.
Sylvester cheeks turned slightly pink from embarrassment and a smile broke out on his face. To hide his blushing, he fumbled for his cell phone in his pocket.
He turned it on and immediately dialed Agent Gallo's number.
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Walter was not a patient man by any account. He needed to know what was going on and he needed to know now. Twenty minutes had come and gone. Still there was no sign of Cabe or his sister Megan. Something had to be wrong. Despite his repeated request to use a phone, the Security Officers refused to let him out of his room. They had their orders. Walter O'Brien was not to have any outside contact with anyone until Agent Gallo got there. And if Walter dare tried to leave his room, they had Cabe's blessings to handcuff him to the bed if necessary.
Well if Walter O'Brien couldn't leave, than the next best thing was to bring people to him. So Walter doubled over. He yelled out as if in pain, and fell to his knees. The two security officers ran in simultaneously. Clark, according to the man's badge reached Walter first. He summoned the other officer to get help.
Hospital personnel hurriedly ran into the room to attend to Walter. The two officers had no choice but to wait outside. A short time later, Walter was back in his bed resting comfortable, an order for an abdominal CT scan was added to his chart.
Within the hour Walter was making his way to Radiology. He had two things going for him. One, the elevator was full enough that only one officer was allowed on. The other officer had to go down two flights of stair to the basement. And two, he had a couple of chances to make it off the elevator before it reached the basement floor.
He only needed one.
As soon as the elevator opened up on the ground floor, a passenger towards the back moved to leave the elevator. This made the Officer step out to let the man off. Several other passengers readjusted their standing positions in the elevator. As he stepped in, Office Clark took the only space available which was no longer next to Walter's stretcher bed. As the elevator door began to close, Walter jumped off, bumping the orderly into Officer Clark. He plunged forward, into the hallway, just as the elevator door closed.
Within moments, the second elevator opened up. Walter hopped in. It rose up to the first floor. Walter stepped out; along with other passengers. He hurriedly walked the main lobby floor towards the front exits. At the last second, he changed his mind about leaving. A sign on the wall pointed the way to "Engineering" and the "Medical Staff Offices." The need to get answers drew Walter in that direction.
It wasn't long before Walter found a door that was unlocked. Within seconds, he booted up the computer. Walter reached out to Happy and Sylvester by sending them an encrypted message through the computer.
Once again he found himself in a waiting game. But then again Walter was never the type to wait. Once again, he began typing away on the computer. .
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"Try it again." Sylvester begged.
"It won't do any good. He's not picking up." Paige retorted back. The palm of her hands began to sweat with every passing minute. She was just as frustrated as Sylvester was. She had been trying to reach Agent Gallo for the last ten minutes only to be connected straight to his voice mail. She had already left five messages.
Sylvester hit the steering wheel with his left hand. "Damn it."
The remark was so unlike him.
Paige understood his feeling because she shared it too. She squeezed Sylvester arm.
Sylvester tossed Paige a look a sorrowful and apologetic.
The moment was interrupted when Paige's phone rang. She visually jumped.
It was Toby.
After swapping greetings, Paige put Toby on speakerphone and he tried to relate his news to them. It was difficult with Happy's increasingly loud ranting in the background though.
"Happy," Toby said, his voice telling her to chill.
When Paige relayed to Toby how they could not reach Cabe or Megan, Toby uttered back that they were also having the same problem. Toby briefly related what he and Happy had learned from the mortician.
Toby knew what they needed was to regroup. They all verbally agreed to meet back at the office.
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By the time Paige and Sylvester arrived, Happy was already on her laptop computer typing frantically away. Toby was pacing back and forth talking non-stop to someone on the phone.
"What's going on?" Paige inquired as she promptly laid down her purse.
"I found something strange on my computer. It's some sort of encrypted message." Happy glanced over in Toby's direction. "He's talking to the locals."
Instantly, Sylvester rounded the table and stood behind Happy. His full attention simultaneously moved to and fro from the key strokes as she was rapidly typing on the computer key pad to the data on the computer screen. Promptly Sylvester detected a sequence of six numbers. He rushed over to his blackboard to write them down.
23 1 12 20 5 18.
WALTER.
Sylvester blinked as through trying to clear his vision. "It's a message from Walter." He exclaimed in excitement.
"I'm already on it!" Happy retorted.
While the two were working on decoding Walter's message, Toby hung up the phone and updated the team on what he learned.
"Guys I have some bad news. Local P.D. found Cabe's car at the Intersection of Main and Marsh. Looks like someone side struck it. No sign of Cabe or Megan."
Dismayed, Paige asked. "You think maybe they were taken to a hospital?"
"Already checked" Toby remarked reluctantly. "No one with their physical description has shown up."
Paige was just about to ask what the hell was going on when the answer to her question walked through the door.
With a gun in his hand, Marcus Raj pointed it at the unexpected group.
Happy hit a final key on her keyboard. Then she moved the laptop screen slightly towards the right before addressing her attention to the intruder.
Startled, Toby cried out "whoa" as he turned around to see what it was that everyone else had seen. The man they knew as Dr. Peters was standing in the middle of HQ holding a gun.
Protectively, Toby stepped in front of Happy.
"I have a message I want you to deliver to Walter O'Brien" Marcus said as he smiled a sharp, dangerous smile.
"But we don't know where he is!" Paige cried out fiercely.
"Then you better find him quick. I would start with Medical City Hospital if I were you." Marcus caustically retorted. "He has one hour to turn himself over to me before I kill his sister and Agent Gallo."
Pissed off, Happy balled her hand into a fist as she stood up from her chair. "Why are you doing this?"
"It's none of your business." He said sarcastically as he waved the gun in her direction, measuring her.
"One hour. That's all." Marcus slowly back away towards the door. "2340 Masters Road. If I see one cop, they're dead."
"Lock the door" Walter's weak voice ordered Happy from the speakers on the computer screen. Happy rushed forward to lock the door. The other members of the Scorpion team promptly dashed around the desk to get a better view of the computer screen.
Toby was the first to speak. His eyes gazed at the bandages on Walter's face and then teased his friend "That's new"
Paige roughly smacked him on the arm, receiving a squawked "what?" from Toby.
"Walter, are you alright?" Paige asked, her voice filled with concern.
"I'm fine. We're all fine." Walter mechanically replied, his eyes unblinking.
He felt sluggish. His stomach churned. He hadn't eaten all day, and his head throbbed. He swallowed twice before explaining everything to them. His account began with Cabe, who had told him earlier that he and Megan were twenty minutes away from the hospital but never showed up. Next, he laid out how he hacked into the traffic cameras until he found Cabe's vehicle. He followed it up to the moment it was hit by the other vehicle.
Walter was scarcely able to keep his emotions from erupting as he continued to explain the details afterward. Toby noticed the signs of stress on Walter's face and voice. Walter's pupils looked larger than normal.
Toby's shoulders tensed as he felt a faint stirring of alarm.
"You okay buddy?" Toby worriedly asked him.
Was he? Sometimes Walter wondered about it himself.
Walter's only answer was a slight nod of his head. He continued on. He briskly explained the events that took place after Cabe's vehicle was hit. How Dr. Peter and two other men forced Agent Gallo and his sister out of the damaged car by gunpoint. Luckily, Walter was able to follow them with the help of the traffic cameras. The moment they arrived at the building on Masters Road, Walter's subconscious recollected a memory from the past. It was painfully obvious to him what this was about.
Five years earlier, he had done a freelance job where he had helped track down a soldier who had post-traumatic stress syndrome after arriving back from Iraq. Weeks after Javier Raj arrived back in the States; he went on a killing spree. With Walters help tracking him down, the U.S Military and Home Land Security team attempted to apprehend him peacefully was unsuccessful. Javier gave the officers no choice but to shoot him. It was in that exact building that Javier had died. He now knew that Dr. Peters was actually Javier's father Marcus Raj.
The group cast each other a quick glance before returning their attention back to Walter.
"I made a few calls including SWAT. And as they say 'the rest is history'. Thankfully, Megan and Cabe were rescued without incident and the two goons are now in custody."
Walter irritably scowled. "Unfortunately, Marcus Raj had already vacated the building. He was on his way to you."
"Where is he now?" Sylvester questioned, fear still coloring his voice, as he stared over at the front door expecting Marcus Raj to rush in at any second.
"He's in custody too." Agent Gallo replied. His large body frame abruptly appeared on the computer screen next to Walter.
Cabe stared down at Walter. Both of his hands were holding on to the edge of the desk in a death grip. Walter's eyes never left the screen.
Cabe glanced over at the computer screen. He spoke to the Scorpion members of the team and he didn't look very happy. "How about we save the rest of the questions until we get Walter back where he belongs."
It wasn't a request.
Cabe put a gentle hand on Walter's shoulder. It was only then that Walter acknowledged his presence.
"Megan?" Walter knew she was safe, he had been told that earlier by SWAT and then again by Cabe himself. He just needed to hear it again. He could feel the sensation of his chest tightening. His ear drums picked up the rushing sound of blood in his veins as his heart pounded in his chest.
"She's back at the clinic, waiting for you."
Walter didn't respond. He didn't move. He felt strange, detached.
Toby's smoothing voice came out over the speaker. "Walter, buddy. You think maybe you could slow down your breathing a little for me?"
It was now obvious to Toby that Walter was in trouble. Either he was about to have a panic attack or he his body was going into shock from being in a high stress situation for so long.
Toby leaned forward. The sound of his voice spoke encouragingly. "That's it, long deep breaths. Cabe, you think you can check his pulse for me?"
Cabe genuinely tried. "Hell it's beating too fast. I can't even keep up with it to count it"
"Walter, how about you put your head…. Toby never got a chance to finish. Walter's unfocused eyes rolled back. His body collapsed as unconsciousness claimed him. Cabe caught him in his arms. He kicked the chair out of the way as he gently placed Walter on the floor. He rushed out into the hallway. He shouted out for help.
Grabbing his keys, Toby's high-pitched voice ordered his friends "let's go".
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Two days later.
"Toby, do you have no shame?" Happy humorously asked as she plopped down in the seat opposite of him as she watched her friend snatch Walter's sandwich off his hospital lunch tray.
"What? He wasn't going to eat it. Just ask him!" Toby replied and then chomped his teeth down into the ham and cheese sandwich.
"You're such an animal." Happy said as she retaliated by freely helped herself to Walter's pudding.
Walter naturally smiled as he listened to his friends banter back and forth. Megan sat next to him. With the sting of almost losing her brother still fresh on her mind, Megan continued to hold on to his hand for comfort. Walter didn't mind the physical touch so much especially after everything he had put her through. Every once in a while he gave her hand a slight squeeze of reassurance.
She returned it with a half-smile.
Paige and Ralph had left his hospital room about an hour ago to head to the grocery store. She wanted to do something nice for Walter, so she insisted on going to the food market so she could stock up his refrigerator and pantry with healthy food for his return home tomorrow. Walter finally gave in to her, knowing full well it was a useless battle to argue with her in the first place. She wouldn't taking no for an answer and they both knew it. He gladly handed over his keys to her.
Sylvester had walked down to the cafeteria to get coffee for Megan and himself, a soda for Toby and a tea for Happy. On his way back, he ran into Agent Gallo in the hallway.
"Need some help?" Cabe asked taking two of the drinks out of Sylvester hand before he had a chance to reply.
Sylvester had also visited the Gift Shop earlier, picking up two Get Well balloons with a teddy bear attached. He shifted it over to his now empty hand.
They walked silently down the hall.
Sylvester finally summed up the courage to ask the question that had been on his mind for some time.
"It was you." He stated not looking at Agent Gallo. "The kill shot. It was you, wasn't it?"
Cabe didn't reply and Sylvester thought he wasn't going to answer. They continued walking down the hall in silence. When they finally reached Walter's hospital room door, Cabe turned back to Sylvester. He slowly took a step closer and stared at him directly in the eyes.
"Sometimes son, it's better to leave things in the past where they belong."
Sylvester visibly swallowed. His expression acknowledged his understanding. Besides, he had his answer. He expected nothing less from Agent Gallo.
Cabe opened the door. He held it open for Sylvester as they both strolled in.
Walter eyed the balloons and then the Teddy Bear. "Sylvester, you really shouldn't have."
"Actually I didn't." Sylvester swiftly admitted, handing the gift over to Megan.
Laughter busted out in the room.
Walter glanced over at Agent Gallo.
Cabe's eyes narrowed. The smile on his face disappearing, his mouth compressed to a thin white line.
An Omerta – code of silent passed between them.
There was more to this story and Walter knew he would never be able to share it with the other members of the Scorpion team. Only he, Cabe and a few others knew the whole truth of what had happen that day.
As to the rest of the world, all they needed to know was that a soldier and a hero had lost his life that day, a father had tragically lost a son.
Walter broke his glaze away from Cabe and returned it to Megan. Her smile reminded him that for now everything was finally back to normal.
For now, normal was just fine with him.