This installment takes place during the heartbreaking events of the episode "Special Witness." Also, previous guest character Laurie Maston from the episode "Stolen Lullaby" makes a return appearance five years after Alex, Walker, and Trivette helped her get her little girl back.

"Along the Road" PART ONE

The steady beeping of the hospital machines that helped keep Trent Malloy alive was not what Molly Mason had expected to be what lulled her into an exhaustive sleepiness that night. As she stood over his bedside, a tear threatened the edges of her eyelashes. She stood alone in silence almost not even aware of the movement or any activity outside of the room where Trent lay fighting for his life. A tear finally let go after she had fought it back, those wet drops blinding her vision for a brief moment before blinking them away. Molly blinked a few times and banished one of the drops from her face with a swift brush of her finger, somehow being ashamed that Trent would see her in such a state. Yet what was she kidding herself? He probably didn't even know she was there. In fact, there was a chance they would never communicate again.

Molly closed her eyes tightly and willed away the overflowing urge to cry yet again as all these thoughts came rushing to her mind with one swift blow. Yet her emotions were jarred yet again as a knock on the room's doorframe caused her eyes to flash open, the shock of the sound bringing her back to reality.

"May I come in?"

Molly offered Katheryn a smile. "Of course." Her smiled was gone as soon as she turned back to look at Trent's pale face and weak body.

"How's he doing?" Katheryn stopped on the other side of the hospital bed and looked at Trent for the first time since yesterday.

"Alright, I suppose." Molly sniffed and wiped at another tear. She chuckled, "I'm being ridiculous."

"No, you're not." Katheryn was quick to respond. She had noticed the pain in her friend's eyes many times since Trent had been so brutally attacked. "Sometimes," she hesitated, "something bad happening to someone we care about can show us what's really is in our hearts."

"That's the truth." Molly fought away another wave of tears as she swallowed the growing lump in her throat. "Still," she wiped away the tears once and for all. "I wouldn't want him seeing me sad and upset. He'd probably be saying, 'Molly, I'll be just fine'."

"That may be true," Katheryn raised her eyebrows. "But he'd be just as glad to know how much you care for him."

Molly raised her eyes to Katheryn, a new bout of fevered emotion nearly overwhelming her as a tear glistened at the corner of her eye. "You're right. But…what if he never wakes up?"

Silence gripped the atmosphere with such a strong chokehold of death as the two women held each other's gaze.

"He'll wake up." Katheryn reassured her best friend yet still doubted her own words. Those same words she had repeated to herself hundreds of times since they found out the extent of Trent's condition after an attempt upon his life was made by the ruthless killer Donovan Riggs.

(flashback to beginning of "Special Witness")

Trent thanked C.D. for the food and crossed the restaurant to where the others were enjoying themselves at a center table. "Alex, you've got nothing to worry about. Foley may have scared the other witnesses into changing their stories, but I don't scare that easy."

"I know that, Trent. But I really want to win this one."

"When is the trial?" Walker took another sip of his coffee.

"Ten days. I wish it were tomorrow."

"Yeah, me too. She's got me so prepared," Trent chuckled, "I'm testifying in my sleep."

Trivette appeared with a drink in hand, setting it down on the table as he shot a grin to Carlos next to him. "Hey! You ready for the big day?"

Sarcasm seeped from Carlos' voice as he remembered the conversation he had with the Rangers a few days ago. He was to go undercover to catch some bad guys, he was told. It would be fun and exciting, he had been told. "Yeah. You know, I can't believe I let you guys talk me into this."

"Talk you into what?" Trent grinned, shifting his gaze from Walker to Carlos then back to Walker.

"Nothing. Never mind. Not a word."

(end flashback)

Katheryn caught herself smiling as the beeping of the monitors brought her back from her deep reverie. Or was it a voice? She turned to see Mrs. Malloy and Tommy standing next to her. "Mrs. Malloy. Tommy."

Katie reached for an embrace, gently looking over Katheryn's shoulder at her son who fought for his life. She eased away from the hug with a tear in her eye. "Is he holding his own?"

Katheryn nodded. "He's still fighting. I can tell."

(flashback to "Special Witness")

"Hey, buddy. I don't know if you can hear me or not, so I'm just gonna talk." Carlos smiled as he looked over Trent in the hospital bed.

"Doc says it's still kinda touch and go. Said they've done just about all they can, and now it's up to you. So…you—you fight, buddy. Don't give up." Carlos hesitated, feeling a growing lump in his throat as he fought back his emotions. "You hear me? Don't you dare give up."

(end flashback)

Katheryn could sense Tommy's deep-seated agitation as his aggravated sighs reached her ears, bringing her out of yet another reverie. She turned around to see his lips clasped narrowly together, his eyes aflame, and his arms crossed tightly across his chest as he rocked just barely on his heels back and forth as if it would help calm the anger that rose within him. Kath could tell he was by no means happy with the one who had nearly killed his brother. And she couldn't blame him any. Yet she knew such a fire would not be good if it planted any wild ideas in the young man's mind.

Upon locking eyes with a very concerned Katie Malloy, Katheryn turned back to Tommy and sighed. "Tommy! Walker, Trivette, and Carlos are doing everything within their power to find the guy that did this. Give them a chance. Don't let your anger make your decisions for you."

Tommy scoffed, unfolded his arms, and pointed his right index finger in her face. "That's easy for you to say. What am I supposed to do?! Sit around here and watch my brother die?!"

"Son," Mrs. Malloy softly set her hand on Tommy's shoulder as she sensed the eyes of onlookers drifting their way from the outside.

Katheryn backed off and let the hospital commotion fill in the quiet gap between them for a few seconds. "No, Tommy. I don't expect that at all. Because Trent's not going to die. What's more, I have the feeling that if Trent could talk to us right now, he'd want us to be doing what we normally do. He'd want us picking up and doing what he can't do right now."

"Like what?" Tommy turned away, afraid he'd scoff or say something further that he'd regret.

"Well, for starters, he was planning on teaching a women's self-defense class at the H.O.P.E. center starting this week. There are several women who are depending upon him for those lessons. They could save their lives someday. Don't we owe it to Trent to see that we continue that for him?"

Tommy continued to look away, his lips fastened together tightly as he breathed hard. He nodded, cocking his head to the side gently before turning to look at Trent. His thoughts of anger seemed to merge into the energy he knew he needed to make the right choice. "Yeah. Yeah, we do."

##

Morning sunlight gently trickled in, bathing the H.O.P.E. center in its wholesome rays as the slow hours barely ticked by. Little activity could be sensed with entire building. The fourth track of Susan Ashton's latest album release gently set the soundtrack for Katheryn as she busied her preoccupied thoughts with preparations for the self-defense class. There was equipment to prepare, names of attendees to learn, and a bit of dusting to make the room as presentable as Kath wanted it. Her perfectionist side seem to kick in at such times where others would be depending upon her.

As soon as Katheryn finished putting the classroom in order as quickly as she could the sound of the center's phone in Josie's office nearby intensely rang, mingling oddly with the upbeat rhythms of her music. She let out a raspy sigh as she leaned over the CD player and turned it off before quickening her step towards the office and the beckoning phone call.

"This is the Help Our People Excel center. Katheryn speaking."

"How are you holding up?"

Carlos' voice cast a smile across her face as she relaxed at the sound of his voice. "Carlos." She inhaled freely, stepping across the distance to the window to watch a few children at play in the back yard. "I'm doing okay. I'm going to try my best to teach the first women's self-defense class at the H.O.P.E. center today."

Katheryn cast a glance toward the ticking wall clock and took a deep breath, her thoughts drifting to about four subjects at once. "Tommy will be helping me after school gets out. The class will be at three o'clock. Anyways, how's the investigation coming?"

"Slow. But we're making progress. In fact, Walker's said for me to stay with Sally and Donna for a few days until we catch the guy."

Katheryn wrinkled her forehead. "Are they in danger?"

"No. Walker doesn't think so. But it won't hurt to be cautious. This guy isn't one to mess with it seems."

"Okay," Katheryn breathed as she turned away from the window, feeling the tension in the phone cord wearing thin. "Will I see you soon?" She stopped at Josie's desk and propped herself on its edge to relieve the cord and play with it between her fingers.

"Hopefully. I'll be stopping by the hospital the first chance I can get. Perhaps we'll happen to meet there."

"Sounds like a plan." Katheryn ended with a smile. "Be careful."

"I will."

Katheryn could almost see Carlos' smile in her mind's eye as she said goodbye and reluctantly ended the conversation with a quick exhale before returning to the phone to its home on the desk and pushed up and off of the surface to cast one last smile-filled glance to the children outside before looking at her bare feet. She could swear something was tickling her. A piece of wayward twisty-tie or something for sure. Yet to her utter shock, it was not a twisty-tie.

Letting out a blood-curdling shriek, Katheryn kicked and nearly threw herself backwards onto the floor but caught herself on Josie's desk instead. She stayed there in place, stunned, her heart beating ferociously in her chest as she took heavy, steady breaths one after the other.

"What is it?!" Alex appeared around the corner upon hearing the outburst and rushed to Kath's aid. "What's the matter?!"

Kath's voice reached a new high as she whispered, "Centipede." She then stretched a finger to point at the escaping menace on the floor.

Alex shrieked a bit too as she dodged the culprit's path and reached for the nearest object and giving a couple good swats. It didn't help.

"Here!" Katheryn reached for an empty plastic cup nearby and nearly tossed it to Alex.

Alex caught the object, scooped up the critter, secured a piece of paper on top of the opening and scurried away to find the nearest toilet with a cringe gracing her usually pleasant features.

Katheryn took a moment to gather her composure before heading back to what would be the self-defense classroom. Hearing the echo of the toilet flushing as she made her way across the hall, she smiled a bit. Good riddance to that...that...creature! She began to feel confident that she could handle a high-speed chase and rapid gunfire far easier than an ominous creature with hundreds of tentacles crawling on her bare skin.

Miss Cahill returned to find Katheryn in the classroom several moments later. Their eyes met briefly before they both let out a bit of a chuckle that slowly rippled into echoing, hearty laughter. Both women could feel their cheeks tensing as the heat from the laughter intensified on their faces. It was finally a pleasant sensation to feel after what they had all gone through that week so far.

"Hello?"

Alex and Katheryn spun around to where the voice had come from. They quickly straightened up and tried to pretend that nothing had happened.

Katheryn cleared her throat nervously and smiled. "Hi! What can we do for you?"

The young woman's face lit up a bit with a grin as she recognized Miss Cahill but tried to still explain her reason for being there. "I was looking for Miss Alex Cahill. The kind lady outside told me to come in here."

A brightening smile fell over Alex's complexion as she hurried forward and took the young woman's hand in hers. "Laurie? Laurie Maston? Is that you?" She chuckled a bit as she noticed how pleasantly the childlike features of the young girl had matured in the five years since they had last seen each other.

"Yes, Miss Cahill. It's me." Laurie grinned and accepted Alex's embrace as she offered it.

"Katheryn," Alex waved Kath over with a smile. "I'd like you to meet Laurie Maston."

The two identically aged young women exchanged handshakes and smiles.

"Walker and I helped Laurie get her baby girl back five years ago she was stolen from her by an illegal adoption agency."

Katheryn frowned. "Oh, my. That sounds horrible."

"Oh, I was heartbroken to be sure. But you folks were so kind to me." Laurie glanced over the room. "This is a nice place you have here, Miss Cahill."

Alex chuckled. "Indeed it is. We've helped so many people through the H.O.P.E. center."

Laurie nodded and sighed. "Speaking of, I should probably get right down to business. Not long after you guys helped me five years ago, I got accepted to a college in another state and moved away from Dallas. After graduating, I decided to move back and try to build a life for me and my little girl. We've been back here for about six months. I began hearing so many wonderful things about the H.O.P.E. center and the job placement programs. And…I was wondering if you could help me find a good job. I—I just don't have enough money to pay a babysitter so that I can go to interviews and such." Laurie's speech trailed off as she lowered her head for fear she had said too much.

Alex took a step forward and stopped Laurie's worry-filled words with a gentle touch of her hand on the young woman's shoulder, causing the girl to lift her eyes back to those filled with only love. "You needn't ask anymore." She smiled and reached down to softly squeezed Laurie's hand, glancing at Katheryn and then back to Laurie. "We would be more than happy to help you. Come on. We'll get started right now."