Saturday morning Cabe and Ralph had just left Kovelsky's after having breakfast on their way to the hospital. "How do you really think Dad is doing Grandpa?" Ralph looked up at him as he drove.
Cabe smiled, "Well his Dr is certainly positive and his hands looked really good. I'm just glad the swelling around his nose has gone down, even though a busted nose isn't that big of a deal it looked so painful."
"I like that his immune system has responded so well to the stimulants and antibiotics, it was really scary thinking he could end up with multiple organ damage, possibly failure." Ralph admitted.
Cabe glanced over, "How do you know about that?"
"I read the Dr's notes. You guys were being so closed lipped about everything and I needed to know." Ralph told him.
"Boy if it wasn't impossible I'd swear you were Walter's biological child," Cabe told him as he started laughing.
Ralph frowned, "I am as far as I am concerned. He's been there since day one for me; and Mom of course."
Cabe smiled, "He sure has son."
After Cabe parked he pulled out his phone and called Paige. "Morning Cabe," Paige answered her phone.
"Morning kid, just wanted to call and let you know Ralph and I just got to the hospital." Cabe told her.
Paige looked at Walter a little puzzled, "O-kay, come on up."
Cabe laughed, "I didn't think Ralph would enjoy seeing you guys in bed together like the nurse the other day."
Paige laughed, "Oh, smart thinking. But we've been up for a couple of hours, just got done giving him his bath."
"Okay kid, we'll see you in a few then," Cabe told her as he hung up.
Ralph ran into Walter's room, "Hi Mom, Dad," he said and hugged his Mom and then Walter.
"Good morning Ralph," they both told him.
"I've got to go to the Garage to take care of a few things; did you want to keep Walter," Paige paused and looked at Walter, "I mean, would you like to keep your Dad company Ralph?" Paige asked.
Ralph smiled at her words, "I would, but I kind of like to go see Ferret Bueller too, I haven't seen him in almost a month now, if you don't mind Dad?" Ralph asked.
Walter smiled, "Just bring me back some fermented fish."
They all laughed.
Ralph looked up to the front seat of Cabe's SUV, "Mom?"
Paige turned in her seat and looked back, "Yea baby?"
"While I do want to see Ferret Bueller, that isn't the real reason I wanted to come with you." Ralph told her.
Paige looked puzzled, "I don't understand baby, why didn't you just tell us the truth?"
"Remember when we were staying at Grandpa's? You promised me we could call Drew last weekend, I know that got interrupted by Dad's hospitalization. But I wanted to be sure we did it today." Ralph explained.
Paige nodded, "I do remember. Are you sure that's what you want to do? We won't be able to go back once we ask. Drew will be hurt once we ask."
"Do you think he will hurt as much as you or I hurt when he left us? How much it hurt you when we had to leave our home and most of our things because we couldn't afford the rent or a place to store them? Or as much as it hurt you when all his friends kept coming over to hit on you but none of them bothered to even help us out? Or how much it hurts that in all those years he's never once sent me a birthday card or a Christmas gift? Or how much it hurts every time he tries to weasel out of visitation with me or doesn't have time to speak with me when it's supposed to be our scheduled time to talk on the phone?" Ralph asked her.
Paige sat looking back at him with tears in her eyes, "I keep forgetting just how much you remember from that time in our lives. I am so sorry about that Ralphy."
"I'm not, I'm grateful for Drew because I am alive because of the two of you. But I don't believe that gratitude should bind me to someone who really doesn't want to be a part of my life. And Dad's wanted nothing more than to be part of my life from the very first day he met us and I'd rather be bound to him if he wants me that way too." Ralph smiled.
Cabe cleared his throat as he choked down the tears of sorrow and joy at the honest conversation next to him. "Walter will be only too happy for that to be official, but official or not, I know he truly considers you his son."
Ralph and Paige both smiled at Cabe.
"Hey Ralph, umm, don't you think you are a little big to be sitting on your Mother's lap?" Drew said as he answered their video chat.
Ralph made a face as he looked up at his Mom, "Look Drew, Ralph has something very serious to discuss with you." Paige told him already annoyed.
"Yea, well now isn't the best time and if you are calling about coming to Maine next weekend for two weeks I've got to cancel we got too much going on here." Drew told them.
"See? What did I tell you? It's always about him and what's going on in his life. I could be in the hospital dying and he'd have some excuse why he couldn't come." Ralph said as he stood up. "Drew, just do me one favor for once in your life." Ralph told Drew as he turned and left to go see Ferret Bueller.
"Hey Ralph, you don't talk to your Dad like that. Hey, come back here." Drew called after him.
"No, he won't come back and I won't make him either. Drew, you have been nothing but a big baby these past almost twelve years and nothing but a big disappointment to Ralph since you "came back"," Paige made quotation marks with her fingers, "into his life. I can't believe I even tried to defend you to him last week." Paige told him hotly.
"Do you know how many times in the last three years you have postponed visitations and phone calls with Ralph? Or how many of those postponements never got rescheduled? Not to mention every time, every time it's us paying for the few trips for Ralph to come see you or to call you. You never call us and you never offer to reimburse us and we won't even get on the subject of child support, past or present." Paige continued.
"Hey, I offered to bring you guys out here to live on my dime, you're the one that wanted to stay there." Drew shot back.
"Right, as unreliable as you have been in our lives do you really think I would have trusted you to provide for us? Do you know what Ralph told us on our way to the Garage today?" Paige asked.
Drew shook his head. Paige proceeded to tell him everything Ralph said unprompted in front of Cabe.
"Look, I don't have to put up with this." Drew said.
"You're right, you don't. That's why you'll be receiving a registered letter in a few days as soon as I get the forms Ralph wants me to get. Don't worry, I'll make sure it's all filled out so all you have to do is sign and notarize them." Paige told him.
"What forms?" Drew asked.
"Ralph wants you to sign over your parental rights. So if the man he wants to be his father says yes he can legally adopt him." Paige told him.
"Hell no, Ralph is my kid, not someone else's." Drew shouted.
"Don't make me laugh Drew. The only time Ralph is "yours"," she made quotation marks with her fingers, "is when you don't have anything better going on and Ralph is sick of it. If I don't have the signed papers back in two weeks after you receive them I'm going to file a petition with the courts myself. I'm tired of you hurting my son."
"Look, I'm sorry, can't we talk about this?" Drew whined.
"We tried to talk and you did what you always do, blame it on something else. We'll I'm sick of it and Ralph is finally sick of it." Paige told him.
Cabe walked up behind Paige, "Hey Drew, agent Gallo, Homeland. Just as a friendly piece of advice, I'd seriously consider giving Ralph the one thing he has actually asked you for. You never know when you might be in need in the future and that one act of kindness could end up helping you. You get my drift?"
"Are you threatening me?" Drew asked.
Cabe laughed, "Nope, just pointing out a possibility."
"Good bye Drew," Paige told him.
"Wait," Drew got out before Paige hit disconnect and turned off her laptop.
Drew slammed his hand on the table, "How could they even think I would agree to that? I'll have to hire a great attorney; no doubt she'll have the best shark in California."
"Hey Drew, what's with all the racket in here?" Drew looked to see the buxom redhead he'd been living with the last few months coming out of the bathroom.
"Oh my damn ex and kid, want me to sign away my parental rights so some jerk can adopt him." Drew told her as he sat there brooding.
"So? Do it, it's not like you spend much time with him, you said so yourself. You've talked to him once since we've been living together. You always complain they demand too much from you. Cut your losses let them go. We got our futures to worry with." She told him as she stepped up behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him.
Drew smiled, "Yea, your right. If they don't want me, to hell with them I just need to send her a text."
Paige was riding quietly in the SUV; she'd been pretty upset since their call with Drew. She looked down as her phone vibrated and she pulled it out and saw she had a message from Drew, "Include a letter releasing me from all child support past and present and I'll sign your damn forms."
Paige smiled as she sent back, "Deal." 'Cheap bastard,' she thought.
Cabe looked at her with a smile, "Walter missing you already?"
Paige shook her head, "Drew has agreed to sign the forms so Walter can adopt Ralph."
Ralph looked up, "Really?" He asked excitedly.
Paige nodded, "Really."
Cabe got a quick glance at her message and his face darkened but he didn't say anything.
Walter had made friends with one of the maintenance men that came in to adjust things and he'd inquired about any junk equipment the hospital was getting rid of and he brought it up to him and Walter spent the time that Paige was gone cannibalizing the pieces. While his hands were well on their way to healing he had to take his time as to not irritate his wounds. He had a number of the components extracted when he smelled the fermented fish and he smiled and moved the items to the nightstand beside his bed.
"Hey Dad," Ralph exclaimed as he ran into the room and gave him a hug. He looked at the gear, "What are you doing?" Ralph looked at him puzzled.
Walter smiled, "I'm building an electromagnetic pulse device."
Ralph smiled, "Cool, can I help?"
Walter laughed, "If you'd like to. My hands could use a serious break."
"You should have told me, I could have stayed and helped. I could have seen Ferret Bueller tomorrow." Ralph told him.
Walter reached out and touched his cheek, "You're my boy."
Ralph smiled, "You're my Dad."
Paige and Cabe stood at the door and just listened with tears in their eyes.
"How's my man?" Paige finally asked as she stepped on into the room.
"Better now that you guys are back, everything good at the Garage?" Walter smiled as she kissed him.
"Yep, got your car sold to a scrapper and with his check and the insurance check we got $12,000 to get you another car unless you want to take out a loan?" Paige sat down next to him in his bed and Walter wrapped his arms around her.
"I missed you," he whispered into her ear and kissed her just below and behind her ear.
Paige shivered and smiled, "I missed you too."
Paige sat with Walter and fed him his fermented fish, Walter had tried to convince her she didn't need to but she was more than willing to put up with the smell just to spend more time snuggled up with him. Ralph sat at the end of Walter's bed stripping component after component out of the equipment as Walter and Paige watched. "I got to say, if I understood what you were doing maybe this would be more exciting." Paige told them with a laugh.
"We're making an electromagnetic pulse device," Ralph told her excitedly.
Paige frowned and looked back at Walter, "I thought you already demonstrated the vulnerability of the ankle monitors?"
"I did, this is for something else. Something needed if what I believe Collins did is true." Walter told her hugging her tightly against him.
Paige half turned and lay her head against his shoulder, "What do you think he did to Toby?"
Walter stared at her for a moment and then laughed. "I should have known you'd realize the truth. Remember that device that I told you about, the brain interface, I think Collins might have put it in Toby. If he did, this device would disable it and might allow a surgeon to remove it."
Paige grew a bit distant.
"Paige?" Walter asked.
"Do you think that is what made him do what he did to us?" Paige asked quietly.
"On its own, maybe, but it would depend on when it was implanted. I don't recall Toby having any head wounds before that day." Walter told her.
"Am I wrong for feeling like I don't give a crap if he has this thing in his head?" Paige asked.
Walter smiled, "No, not at all. But if its there, it could potentially make him a threat for the rest of our lives. I'd rather destroy it so we can quit worrying about him."
"Well, I guess this is a good time to tell you that when Dr Anning hypnotized me, we found out that Toby had hypnotized Happy and Sylvester at the same time too." Paige told him as she clung to his arms around her. "Did I disappoint you by not telling you earlier?"
Walter leaned forward and kissed her neck again, "Nope, you're working through a lot of things my love. You have my support no matter what."
Paige turned her head and kissed Walter and whispered softly, "When Cabe picks Ralph up tonight and after your night meds, I'm going to reward you for that."
Ralph had his head turned while they talked and he heard his Mom's whisper and he smiled. Even if Drew didn't sign the paperwork he knew Walter truly loved him and considered him his son just as he considered Walter his Dad and if worse came to worse, once he turned 18, Walter could adopt him without Drew's permission, if he wanted. Surely he would, right? He thought. But he really hoped it wouldn't come to that. He didn't hate Drew but he was sick of being treated the way Drew always treated him.
Cabe and Allie spent the afternoon and evening at her place enjoying their time together without Ralph or anyone else around. Just as they prepared to leave to pick up Ralph Cabe's phone rang, Cabe groaned as he looked at the screen, "Who is it dear?" Allie asked.
"Sylvester," Cabe said with disgust. "Gallo," Cabe said answering his phone.
"Hey Cabe, I know I am not on your friendly list right now but I was wondering, do you, do you think Walter and Paige would let me stop by to talk with them? Not about the case or anything like that. I-I was really shocked the other day when Walter said what he did to the judge. I-It kind of woke me up in a way." Sylvester tried to explain.
"I don't know Sylvester; I guess I can ask them when we stop by in a little bit." Cabe told him.
Sylvester caught his choice to call him Sylvester instead of Sly, he hadn't called him Sylvester in over two years and a tear ran down his cheek, "I'd really appreciate it Cabe, thank you."
As Cabe hung up, "What did he want dear?"
"He wants to talk with Walter and Paige, not as Toby's attorney but as himself. Said that what Walter told him the other day shocked him." Cabe told her.