~ Walter and Happy are still missing and Sylvester and Ralph wait anxiously back at the garage for news. Meanwhile, Cabe is starting to reflect on everything that's happened. ~

Here's another chapter for you. Thank you to everyone reading this story, I'm heading towards the conclusion now. I hope you enjoy this update, any reviews will be very welcome, as always!

CHAPTER 16.

"Oh, Cabe, I was so worried!"

Allie couldn't have been more relieved to see Cabe sitting in a chair in the hospital room. He was sporting a black eye and his arm was in a sling, but at least he was alive.

"What are you doing here?" asked Cabe. "I'm fine, just waiting for the nurse to come back with the paperwork and I then was gonna head back to the garage."

"Sylvester called me," replied Allie. "Rosa and I were up on the third floor visiting her Mom, so when he told me you and Katherine were in the ER I came straight down. I left Rosa with one of the nurses. Where is Katherine, anyway?"

"The doctors are still with her," explained Cabe. "She kinda passed out in the ambulance on the way here so they're running all kinds of tests."

"Oh, no," replied Allie, sitting herself down next to Cabe. "She hasn't recovered from her other injuries, yet. What were you two thinking, taking on seven people on your own without backup?"

Cabe sighed. "So Sly told you all the gory details, did he?"

"Only because I forced it out of him," admitted Allie. "It wasn't hard. He's really worried about you and now Walter and Happy are missing. When is this all going to be over? The social workers will never let us take on another foster child if your job puts your life in danger! We managed to convince them you did barely any field work any more, but if they find out about this..."

"Hey, hey, slow down," urged Cabe. He reached out with his uninjured hand and grabbed hers tightly. "I'm OK, it was just a little… altercation. The Homeland situation is over. Everyone involved has been arrested and once Cooper is fully recovered she'll be back in charge of the place and I think she's gonna be making a few changes. I've already thought about this, I'm gonna ask for an extended leave of absence."

"You are?" Allie was stunned. "How long for? I mean, does this mean you're retiring from Homeland?"

"I didn't say retiring, did I?" Cabe answered. "I figured three months'll be long enough to figure out what I want to do next."

The truth was he knew it was probably time for him to take his retirement, but he wasn't quite ready to formalise it. Not yet. Allie was right, he didn't want to be out there putting himself at risk any more, especially if it affected their chances of continuing as foster parents. They loved having Rosa around and although it was going to break his heart when she left, he knew he'd be ready to take on another child who needed them. This was his life now. This was more important than running after bad guys and taking down terrorists.

"What about Scorpion?" asked Allie. She had so many questions, Cabe's announcement had come out of the blue.

"Oh, I figure I'll still be hanging around the garage," replied Cabe with a smile. "Those kids need my guidance and expertise. I'll talk to Walter, see if he wants me to be more of a consultant than an action man."

Allie smiled and nodded, then her smile faded a little. "I just hope Walter's OK," she said. "And Happy. The baby's due any day, she needs to be at home with Toby, not out there running around in the woods."

"There's no sign of them at all up at the cabin?"

"No," Allie shook her head. "Paige and Toby have started searching for them. Your FBI pals left them to it, they said they had to process the arrests of those Homeland guys. I should call Sylvester, see if there's any news yet."

Cabe nodded. "My comm's dead," he admitted. "Fell out after the fight, er, the altercation and then I dropped it again getting into the ambulance. I can't get anything from the darned thing now."

"Sly? It's me, Allie," she began as the call connected. "I'm at the hospital with Cabe... Yes, yes, he's fine, Katherine's not so good, though… I know, I know… Have you heard anything from Walter and Happy yet? Oh… oh… OK, I see… well, please call as soon as you know anything. I'll be taking Cabe home soon… no...right… OK. Bye."

Cabe frowned at her as she clicked off her phone. "We're not going home, I need to be at the garage until I know Walt and Happy are OK."

"You need to rest," replied Allie, seriously.

"I can rest at the garage while we're waiting for news!"

Allie suddenly threw her arms around him. He winced as she knocked against his swollen elbow and squeezed his bruised sides, but she didn't notice and he was glad. Right now he needed her to hold him and he could tolerate the pain if it meant they could share this moment.

"I love you, Cabe," said Allie, her voice muffled as she pressed her face into his chest.

Cabe patted her back with free hand. "I love you too, darlin'," he replied. "I'm sorry I got hurt. Believe me, it wasn't my first choice. I'd have preferred it if this had all ended with those bozos surrendering peacefully."

Allie released him from her grasp. "I know," she said. "I worry about you so much."

"Right now I'm worried about Walter and Happy," replied Cabe. "I can't rest until I know they're safe."

Allie sighed. "OK, we'll go to the garage," she said. "But as soon as Toby's back I'm going to make him sedate you."

Cabe chuckled. "I'd like to see him try," he said with a grin, but his train of though was interrupted by a nurse opening the door.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting, Mr Gallo," she said. "I just need you to sign these forms and then you're free to go."

She handed him a clipboard with the paperwork and he scribbled a slightly messy version of his signature in the three boxes she'd marked with an X. "All done," he said and passed it back to her.

"Here's a prescription for some pain meds," continued the nurse, holding out the slip of paper. "Take them as directed and check in with your doctor in a week."

Allie took the prescription and put it in her bag. "I'll take that, or he'll lose it," she said, with a smile and the nurse gave her a knowing look.

"Is there any news about the woman I was brought in with?" asked Cabe.

"We're keeping her in overnight," replied the nurse. "We need to run a few more tests."

"Can we see her?" asked Allie.

"Not yet," the nurse explained. "But you should be able to visit later this evening. I'll let her know you were asking after her."

As the nurse left the room, Allie helped Cabe to his feet. He was feeling a little shaky, but all that mattered now was finding Walter and Happy.

"C'mon," he said. "Let's go pick up Rosa and get back to the garage before Sly wears a hole in the floor from pacing up and down."

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Maybe they left a clue?"

Toby tilted his head to one side and looked at Paige. "You mean, like a bent twig?" he replied facetiously. "Or perhaps a trail of breadcrumbs?"

Paige stopped rummaging around the kitchen of the cabin and glared at him. "I'm out of ideas, Toby," she said. "They're not here and they can't seem to hear us over the comms any more. You're the genius, you figure out where they are."

"Well I'm pretty sure they're not hiding in that drawer with the knives and forks," he responded.

Paige slammed the drawer shut and threw her arms in the air. "OK, OK," she said. "I'm sorry, I'm still freaked out about seeing all that blood on the floor."

"My eardrums haven't recovered from you screaming yet," Toby chuckled. Although he had to admit finding a blood-soaked blanket discarded behind the sofa in the cabin had scared him too, until he'd remembered it had only been a couple of hours since Cabe's old friend's granddaughter had delivered her baby in that very room with Walter and Happy's help.

"I couldn't help it," retorted Paige. "And I might just scream again if we don't find them soon." Her voice cracked and she looked away from Toby. There was no reason to believe Walter and Happy had come to any harm, but she couldn't relax until she knew Walter was safe.

"Listen," began Toby, gently. "We'll find them, OK?" He tried to sound reassuring, but inside he was desperately trying not to think about his very pregnant wife being lost somewhere in the woods. "Let's try to think like Walter and Happy," he continued. "They saw those meatheads from the Phoenix Echo base arriving so they knew they needed to get out of sight. Ralph was right about using an FM radio signal to disrupt their comms."

Paige smiled proudly and glanced at the old portable radio they'd found blasting out white noise at full blast in the bedroom. "Ralph is pretty good at thinking like Walter," she said. "Which isn't always a good thing, but in this case it is."

"Ralphy Boy," said Toby, addressing the young genius over the comms. "Any ideas? We've searched everywhere, they're not here. My guess is they figured the safest thing to do was to leave the immediate vicinity."

"Does it look like anything's missing from the cabin?" asked Ralph. "Walter wouldn't have just walked into the woods without something they could use to send a signal."

"This cabin's a mess," replied Paige. "I've no idea what was here to start with, how will we know if something's missing?"

"Look for gaps on shelves, or in closets," suggested Ralph. "Areas where there's no dust."

Toby nodded. "Smart idea. We'll take another look around," he said. "One Ninety Seven would have taken the radio, but they needed to leave it here. They both have their cellphones, but there's no signal and the batteries are probably dead by now anyway. So what else could they have grabbed in a hurry?

"Maybe they were hoping to find something in the woods to make a signal?" suggested Sylvester from the garage.

"Maybe, but I don't think they'd risk making a fire," replied Paige. "Everyone would've seen it."

"We're pretty remote up here," added Toby. "And as much as I love my beautiful wife, her skills lie with machines, not nature."

"And Walter's not exactly comfortable in this environment," noted Paige as she followed Toby outside. "Maybe they went back to the car? Perhaps Happy was planning to try to get it started?"

"Too obvious," replied Toby. "The car's abandoned on the road in so everyone would've seen it when they drove up. It would've been the first place those Homeland agents looked… wait a minute, what's this?"

"What did you find?" asked Sylvester, anxiously.

"I think it's a trail of breadcrumbs," replied Toby. "Or rather, a trail of nuts and bolts."

"Nuts and bolts?" repeated Ralph, not sure if he'd heard correctly.

"Yep," Toby confirmed. "You know Happy always has some in her pocket, always ready to ruin a romantic moment. Just imagine the scene, you wrap your arms around the woman you love ready for romance, but instead of smooshing your lips against hers you smash your gooty against a pocketful of sharp metal work."

"Toby, focus!" yelled Paige. "There's a line of nuts and bolts out here leading away from the cabin," she explained for Sylvester and Ralph's benefit. "I think we're supposed to follow them. So, Toby, are you ready to apologise now for mocking my suggestion about leaving us a clue?"

"Hmmm, not quite ready yet," replied Toby, but Paige had already set off, following the trail. Toby was about to follow her when he spotted something. "Paige, wait!" he called out. "Look at this."

Paige ran back to join Toby. He was standing by a small tool shed that was missing its door and half of its roof. Inside, hanging on rusty nails, were a couple of even rustier shovels and a rake. They were covered in cobwebs, but there was one empty nail.

"Oh!" exclaimed Paige. "Ralph, I think we may have found something here, just like you said."

"Technically, Paige," said Toby, in his most pedantic voice. "What we've actually found is that something isn't here."

Paige stood with her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Not now, Toby," she snapped.

"Sorry, couldn't help it," said Toby. "So, it looks like they grabbed something out of this shed. Maybe they dug a hole and buried themselves?" he suggested, raising his eyebrows.

Paige shook her head in despair. "I'm not wasting any more time listening to your dumb ideas, Toby. We need to follow this trail and see where it leads."

Toby nodded. "Let's make like Scooby Doo and follow this clue!"

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Sly, you OK? Sly?"

Sylvester was tapping so furiously at his keyboard that he didn't hear Ralph calling him.

"Sylvester!" This time Ralph raised his voice.

"What? Oh, sorry." Sylvester stopped typing and sat back in his chair. "I'm just searching for comm signals."

"I already have the alert set up," replied Ralph. "If the comms start transmitting, we'll find them, but we already talked about this, remember? The comms are probably dead by now."

Sylvester sighed. "As long as it's only the comms that are dead," he said. Then he immediately looked horrified. "Oh, Ralph, I'm sorry. I… I… I didn't mean that. I'm sure Walter's fine… and Happy too."

"It's OK," replied Ralph. "We have no reason to suspect anything bad's happened. I'm not worried." Then he looked away. "Not… not really."

Sylvester got up from his chair and crossed to Walter's desk where Ralph had been working. "Ignore me," he implored. "I'm just a little anxious right now. You know I'm not good in these situations. I'll be glad when Toby and your mom locate Walter and Happy – which they will very soon, I'm sure - and once we know Cooper's OK too."

Ralph nodded and forced a smile onto his lips. "Me too," he said.

Without warning Sylvester flung his arms around the teenage genius, taking Ralph by surprise. Five years ago he wouldn't have been able to cope with such an open, physical display of affection like this, but he'd grown to understand that this is how people with very high EQs behaved. And he was OK with it. In fact, he was more than OK with it and he clung to Sylvester for a moment, finding the raw emotion strangely calming. He hoped Sylvester felt calmer too.

Sylvester released him and grinned. "We need a distraction," he said. "I could order food? Or we could watch a movie? How about we do both?"

"Not 'Super Fun Guy 3 – Back to Square Fun' again, please!" begged Ralph.

Sylvester looked shocked. "But that's a great movie!" he exclaimed.

Ralph laughed. "It's a terrible movie, Sly!" he insisted. "But terrible in a good way, I guess. OK, put it on. I can't sit around here worrying about everything any longer."

Sly's brow furrowed in concern. "Worrying about everything?" he repeated. "I thought we were just worried about Walter and Happy right now. What else is bothering you?"

"Nothing," lied Ralph.

Sylvester slipped the comms earpiece from his ear and raised his eyebrows.

Ralph sighed and did the same.

"Now you can tell me what's bothering you," noted Sylvester. He walked over to the sofa and waited for Ralph to follow. "C'mon Ralph, what's up?"

Ralph shrugged and wandered slowly across the garage to join him. "I don't know, really," he replied. "I mean, it's just when all this is over – and I'm sure they're OK, Walter and Happy, I mean – but when they get back, Walter and my mom… y'know… they're trying to have a baby and… and… I guess don't know how I feel about it."

"Well, I'm an only child," began Sylvester as Ralph slumped down next to him onto the sofa. "I can't imagine what it would've been like to have a brother or sister at home, but then my childhood was… well, it was tough."

"I guess that's just it," replied Ralph. "My life isn't tough, it's great. It's more than great! I have Walter and you guys in my life now and you all understand me. I get to go to college and I get to be a part of Scorpion and help people. It's not that I don't want a baby brother or sister, it's just that I don't think I need one. So why do Mom and Walter think they need a baby?"

Sylvester patted Ralph's arm in a supportive gesture. "I think it's normal to feel a little jealous…"

"I'm not jealous," Ralph interrupted him. "I just can't figure out the logic behind their decision. I don't know how I'm supposed to feel because it doesn't make sense to me."

Sylvester let out a slow breath and noted just how much Ralph sounded like Walter. He suddenly wished he paid more attention to Toby when he was giving out advice. The last thing he wanted to do was make Ralph feel any worse.

"Um, um, well, I…" he stammered.

Ralph grinned at him. "It's OK," he said. "You really don't have to try to make me feel better, or anything. I'm a genius, I can figure this out for myself."

Sylvester rolled his eyes. "Two minutes ago you pointed out how much we geniuses understand each other," he reminded Ralph. "So I know you can't figure it out for yourself."

Ralph shrugged.

"Look," continued Sylvester. "I know how it feels to be worried about things changing around here. I like to feel secure, comfortable, y'know? It keeps my anxiety levels manageable, but I know we can't all stay in the same place forever and sometimes you have to embrace change. Sometimes you have to take a leap."

"Like you did with Megan?"

Sylvester pressed his lips together and wondered how a teenage genius with a low EQ could possibly be so perceptive at times. Five years ago he could barely speak to any girl, let alone one he had feelings for, but within a few short months he was married to Walter's sister. Of course the tragic circumstances had accelerated the development of their relationship, but Sylvester couldn't have known how things would play out when he'd written his name in that Valentine's card. Something as simple as sending a card – something that millions of people do every February – had been such a huge step for him to take.

"I risked a lot to be with her," he said. "And despite everything, it was worth it. If it hadn't been for Megan, I wouldn't be with Kimberley now."

Ralph narrowed his eyes. "You miss her," he said.

"Of course I miss her," replied Sylvester. "But I'm needed here and her mom needs her there so this is how it has to be for now."

"Does it?"

"Hey," said Sylvester. "I thought we were talking about you?"

Ralph nodded. "We are," he agreed. "And I'm definitely not the best person to give you advice on relationships, but…"

"But then drop it," insisted Sylvester, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "Let's get back to you. We were talking about coping with change. What I was going to say before was, if it hadn't been for Scorpion I don't know how I would've gotten through all the bad stuff."

"But that's just it," said Ralph. "I already have everything I've ever wanted – and more – with Scorpion. I have my family. Mom and Walter seem to have finally figured out how to be together, but having a baby could screw it all up. As much as being a big brother could be really cool, how can they even think about risking what we already have?"

"Toby and Happy having kids hasn't screwed anything up," Sylvester pointed out. "I'd say they're even stronger together than they were."

Ralph shook his head. "Toby and Happy aren't my mom and dad," he replied. "Their marriage was rock solid before they even thought about adopting Caitlin and Stella."

"Mom and Dad?" repeated Sylvester as a smile spread across his lips.

"Huh?"

"You said Mom and Dad," Sylvester explained. "I mean, I know you've always wanted Walter to be your dad, but I don't think you've ever actually called him that. Not to me, anyway."

"I guess not," replied Ralph. "But in my head that's how I see him; it's how I've seen him for a long time."

"And you don't want to share him?"

"That's not it," Ralph tried to explain. "I guess I'm not doing very well here. Talking about feelings is so difficult sometimes."

Sylvester felt a pang of sympathy. He wished he could understand what his young friend was going through, but the truth was he'd always wanted a brother or sister when he was Ralphs' age. He'd always felt so alone. He didn't feel alone anymore, now, though. Ralph was right about one thing, Scorpion was the family he always wanted.

"Come on," he said, clapping Ralph affectionately on the shoulder. "We should check in with Toby and your Mom."

Ralph nodded. "Thanks," he said as the two of them got to their feet.

"For what?" asked Sylvester, genuinely puzzled.

"For making me realise something... I need to talk to Walter about this."

Sylvester chuckled as they walked back their desks. "Gee, that was a backhanded compliment," he noted.

"I didn't mean it like that," replied Ralph, with a grin. He picked up the comm device from his desk and slipped it back into his ear. "It's just that me and Walter…"

"I know, it's OK," Sylvester interrupted him. "And you've made me realise I need to talk to Kimberley. I miss her and I should be there for her. I wasn't sure if I could do anything to help while her mom was in the hospital – and you know how I feel about hospitals – but I need to take one of those leaps I mentioned… because I can't risk us drifting apart. I need to be with her."

Ralph nodded and Sylvester picked up his earpiece as Ralph spoke. "Mom? Toby? You guys OK? Have you found them yet?"

"Not yet," came Paige's reply. "But it can't be much longer. I mean, how many nuts and bolts can Happy have had in her pockets?"

"You'd be surprised," said Toby.

"Don't worry," Paige tried to reassure her son. "We'll let you know as soon as we find them."

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Ten minutes later the trail ran out. Paige stopped dead in her tracks and looked around. All she could see were trees.

"Where the hell are they?" she exclaimed.

Toby stood beside her and surveyed the area, wondering what he was missing. "Camouflaged?" he suggested.

It was meant to be a joke, but there was a tiny part of him that wondered if Happy and Walter had somehow managed to disguise themselves as trees and were standing three feet away laughing at them. He randomly selected a tree and ran his hand up and down the trunk, just to be sure. Then he noticed a few branches on another tree had been freshly cut.

"Paige, look at this," he said. "These were cut with a pocket knife. Happy's pocket knife. Here's another one… and another one… wait, what's this?"

Paige ran over to join him and the two of them pulled back the pile of branches and vines Toby had found. "What is this?" she asked. "Some kind of cave? I don't remember seeing anything… oh my god, Walter!"

Toby pulled out his phone and shone the light into the darkness. Through the leaves they could just about make out Walter and Happy and Toby breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Happy!" he exclaimed.

But there was no response.

"Walter!" Paige yelled as she and Toby scrambled over the brambles and small rocks on their knees until they reached the slumped figures of Walter and Happy. Paige shook Walter by the shoulder and his head rolled over to the other side, but he didn't open his eyes.

Paige's heart was thumping in her chest. This couldn't be happening, not now, not after everything they'd been through. She needed Walter. She couldn't imagine her life without him. He had to be OK, he had to be. She barely acknowledged Toby checking Walter's pulse and shining a light into Happy's eyes.

Tears formed in her eyes. "Walter…" she whispered. "I love you."

"Reciprocated."

"Walter!" Paige could barely believe it as Walter smiled at her and pushed himself to a sitting position. "You're OK!"

She pulled him into a tight hug and, glancing sideways, saw Happy was in Toby's arms too.

"What took you guys so long?" asked Happy, rubbing her eyes. "Guess we must've fallen asleep."

"Asleep!" exclaimed Paige. "I thought you were dead!"

"Didn't you see the map?" asked Walter.

"Map?" repeated Toby. "Did you hit your head, One Ninety Seven?"

Happy and Walter looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

Paige and Toby looked at each other and shrugged.

Happy cupped the side of Toby's face in her hand. "I can't believe you didn't see the map, Numb-nuts!" she said and then she kissed him passionately, taking Toby by surprise.

"What map?" asked Paige, her joy at realising Walter was fine had been replaced by total confusion. "We followed the trail you left, there was no map?"

Walter took his lead from Happy and he pulled Paige in close for a kiss. "We'll tell you all about it on the way home," he said, when they eventually broke apart. "Oh, by the way, I think my ankle is broken."

To be continued...