Disclaimer: The characters of, "Sons of Thunder" and "Walker Texas Ranger", are owned by Chuck Norris, Aaron Norris, CBS and whoever else was involved with the creation and production of these two shows. Any new characters and story lines that come into play are of my own creation. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a fanfiction intended for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of it.
guardianM3: I apologize, once again, for taking so long to update. My life is a mess right now, so I hadn't felt like writing. Well, anyway, here is the newest chapter. I hope you all will review. Also, if anyone would like to make a suggestion for a title for this chapter, it would be greatly appreciated.
Chapter 3: Exhaustion
Katie, Trent and Tandy refused to go home because they didn't want to leave Tyler alone in the hospital. They got as comfortable as they could in the chairs in the waiting room as they had decided to sleep there for the night. Tommy had returned, but he had refused to speak to Trent. Trent was too tired to get Tommy to speak to him and decided to wait to patch things up with his brother.
Butch had taken Kim back to her apartment since she had fallen asleep. Carlos and Kendra were just outside of the waiting room. They both had large cups of coffee in their hands, Carlos' had almost finished his coffee, but Kendra hadn't taken a sip from her cup.
Carlos knew that Kendra was disappointed in Hunter for not being there. He knew that she was also ticked off. He didn't know what he was going to say, but he had to try. Carlos was about to walk over to Kendra and talk to her, when Cassie came around the corner.
"Hey, I thought you went home to get some sleep?" Carlos said but he had a grin on his face, glad that Cassie was there with him.
"Hey. Did you really think that I could sleep? I decided that I should be here. Is there any news?" Cassie asked as she hugged Carlos.
Carlos shook his head. "The Malloys are all asleep or they appear to be." He couldn't help but feel wonderful when Cassie was in his arms. He could feel her heart beating and her silky red hair against his cheek.
Carlos pointed at Kendra, giving Cassie a concerned look. Cassie knew that Hunter hadn't arrived or had even called. She wondered why Kendra hadn't tried to call him or even track him down.
Cassie stepped back from Carlos and went over to Kendra. "Hey, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Cassie. Just fine," Kendra said as she studied the top of her coffee cup.
Kendra turned to look down the hallway. Cassie was about to ask Kendra what was wrong when she heard footsteps and watched as Hunter turned the corner and walked over to them.
Cassie almost gasped when she saw Hunter. His eyes were baggy and his clothes were wrinkled. He looked as though he hadn't shaved in several days. His golden hair lacked its usual luster.
"I need to talk with you, Kendra," Hunter said, his voice sounding scratchy and heavy.
Kendra shrugged her shoulders and walked down the hall. She turned a few times until she came to an empty waiting room. She didn't have to turn around to know that Hunter had followed her.
"I was working on a case and I turned off my cell. I'm sorry that I didn't get here till now."
"Whatever, Hunter," Kendra said as she turned and looked at him with disappointment in her tired blue eyes.
"Damn it, Kendra. I said I'm sorry," Hunter yelled as he kicked one of the chairs, ignoring the pain that shot up his foot.
"Look, Hunter. I don't ask you for much. You should have been here, not for me, but for Tyler and the Malloy family. I understand when you're working on an intense case and you put our relationship on hold, but not when it comes to a friend getting hurt."
The anger vanished from Hunter's face and it became exhaustion and guilt. His green eyes lost its shine and they looked hollow. His hair was unkempt and his clothes looked as though he had slept in them, except Kendra knew he hadn't been sleeping.
"I think we both need to take some time. We are too exhausted to talk about this right now. I'll talk to you later, Kendra." Hunter turned and walked out of the room.
Kendra wanted to go after him, but she couldn't make her legs move. She didn't know if it was because of her stubborn pride or if it was because she didn't know what to say.
Kendra sat down in the chair that Hunter had kicked. She leaned down and placed her face in her hands. She raised her head when she heard someone walk into the room.
It was Cassie. Kendra knew that Cassie had heard every word. Cassie could see the tears in her friend's eyes, but she knew that Kendra wouldn't let them fall.
Hunter felt guilty for yelling at Kendra. He knew she was right, but this case was important. He couldn't let Kendra know what he had been working on; she would be worried about him. Actually, she would ask to be involved. He knew he couldn't let that happen, because her life would be in danger.
As he drove home, his eyes checked the rearview mirror often. He felt as though someone was following him or watching him, but he didn't see anyone.
He parked his car and headed to his apartment. He looked over his shoulder when he reached the door, but there wasn't a shifty shadow disappearing around the corner. Hunter shook his head and entered his apartment, making sure he locked the door.
He dropped his keys off on the counter. He shook his head, chiding himself for being ridiculous. No one had been following him; he was just jumping at shadows or the lack of them. Hunter sighed and sat down at the table. He began to organize the papers and folders that had quickly become scattered across the table. His mind went back to Kendra
Hunter hopped into the shower and let the hot water wash over him. It wasn't the anger that had bothered Hunter; it was the disappointment lingering in those fiery blue eyes.
He got out of the shower, dried off and went to bed. As his eyes closed, he continued to see sad, tired blue eyes. He finally fell asleep, but even in his dreams; those eyes wouldn't let him get any real rest.
After a couple hours of fitful sleep, in an uncomfortable chair at the hospital Kendra decided that she had to make it up to Hunter. She had gone home to shower and change her clothes before she went to the grocery store. She knew that he had been working on a case and hadn't been sleeping very well or apparently at all. She decided that the first step was to make Hunter breakfast. Technically, it would be brunch since it was ten in the morning.
Kendra was about to unlock the door to Hunter's apartment, but the door was already unlocked. Kendra was surprised because she knew Hunter always locked his door. She shook her head and realized that he had probably forgotten because he was exhausted.
Being careful not to drop the two paper grocery bags that she held in her hands. She went in and dropped her load off on the kitchen counter. She didn't see Hunter in the kitchen or the living room, but she figured he was probably awake anyway.
"Hunter, it's me. I'm sorry about what I said last night, actually this morning, and I know how hard you have been working. And that you have been stressed. So, I want to make it up to you, ok? First, I'm going to make you some breakfast," Kendra said as she pulled a pan out of the cupboard and set it on the stove.
"Hunter, do you want pancakes or waffles?" She yelled out as she began to unpack the bags.
There was no response.
"Hunter, are you up yet?" Kendra yelled as she put a salad on a lower shelf in the refrigerator. She wanted to make sure that he would have something for lunch.
Kendra didn't hear the shower running so she decided to go search for him. She left the remainder of the groceries on the counter and headed down the hallway to Hunter's bedroom.
She knocked on the closed door and when she didn't get an answer, she wondered if he was sleeping. She didn't want to wake him, especially since he had been exhausted when he had come by the hospital earlier that morning.
Without realizing it, her hand reached out to the doorknob, turned it and she pushed open the door.
The smell of blood reached her nostrils first before she saw the horrific sight. She ran toward Hunter who was lying askew on the bed. The mattress was soaked with blood but Kendra kneeled onto it anyway as she checked for a pulse. She didn't find one.
"No. NOOO! HUNTER!" She screamed his name again before she performed CPR; trying to revive him. When her fingers went to his neck, she still couldn't feel a pulse. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed 911.
Kendra quickly told the operator in an almost robotic voice what was wrong and hung up before the person could say a word. Kendra ran to the bathroom and grabbed as many towels as she could. She pressed held them against Hunter's chest that was covered in blood.
Kendra remained there, focused on Hunter that she didn't even hear the sirens that were coming closer. All she could think about is what she had said to Hunter at the hospital.
