Walter stood staring at the door as it closed behind Centipede Partners as they walked into the office he had just left. The receptionist who sat at her desk a short distance away saw the look of utter disbelief and pain on his face. She frowned as she saw the woman he walked out of the office with moved quickly towards the older gentleman who had accompanied them. She saw distress and a grimace of pain as his right hand came up to grab at the left side of his chest.

"Walter!" Florence called out as she reached out for Cabe.

Walter slowly looked over his shoulder and his eyes went wide as he saw Cabe dropping down towards his knees even as Florence's hands grabbed hold of his upper arms. Walter's body twisted and turned as his weight shifted from his right leg now behind him to his left leg and then his right leg moved out in front of him as his left leg was forced straight shifting the weight to his right as his left leg stepped out. "CABE!" Walter yelled at the top of his lungs.

Florence was slowly helping Cabe to sit on the floor now with one arm under his right arm while her other hand reached around and yanked at the Windsor knot on his tie and pulled it loose and began manipulating the button keeping his collar fastened.

As expertly as he did it you'd have thought Walter was a season baseball player as his leg tucked down and he came down on his hip and slid the remaining distance across the floor and came to a stop next to Cabe. "What are you feeling?" Walter stared at his face, his coloring was darker than normal and the veins of his neck and face seemed to be a bit distended. Walter looked over his shoulder towards the receptionist. "Call 911, hurry."

Cabe's breathing was in short gasps even as his face strained at the pain.

"Cabe, are you on any medicines for heart issues?" Florence asked as she eased his back against the couch behind him.

Cabe nodded as his right hand pressed into his chest a couple of times. Walter frowned but reached into his jacket and felt a small lump in his shirt pocket. His fingers dipped into it even as the office door opened.

Paige had heard Walter's voice and she finally couldn't deal with not knowing what was going on. Her eyes went wide as she saw Florence and Walter on the floor around Cabe. "Cabe!" Paige yelled and ran out of the room.

Walter brought out a small tin of nitro glycerin tablets. He quickly opened it and pulled a small pill out. "Open you mouth and lift your tongue Cabe." Walter said bordering on panic. Cabe slowly got his mouth open and lifted his tongue as Walter dropped the pill under his tongue. Cabe nodded as he closed his mouth while covering the pill with his tongue.

Paige was halfway across the floor when Toby came out of the office followed by Happy and Sylvester.

"Cabe, you don't worry. We got you and the ambulance will be here shortly." Florence told him as she knelt beside him and rubbed her hand up and down his right arm.

Cabe tried to smile and nod even as his eyes looked into Walter's. "You know what you mean to me right?" Cabe asked quietly and brokenly.

Paige fell to her knees on the other side of Cabe.

Walter nodded even as tears filled up his eyes. "I love you Cabe. Please don't leave me. You're all I have left."

A tear ran over Cabe's eyelid and down his cheek. "I might not have a choice." Cabe continued to speak in gaps dictated by the pain he still felt.

Paige's left hand grabbed his left as her right hand slid up and down his arm. "You don't talk like that Cabe. You're going to be fine. We're going to see you through this and then back to work."

Cabe half laughed before he grimaced in pain again.

"No, Paige is right Cabe, you are going to be okay. You will see. This is just a minor set back." Florence told him.

Walter had been looking at the tin reading the directions. "Is the tablet helping at all?" Walter's voice seemed weak and distant. As he looked up into Cabe's weathered face.

Cabe shook his head.

"Let me know when it is gone we can try another one according to the directions." Walter told him.

Cabe tried to smile but then grimaced again.

"Hang in there Cabe. It won't be much longer." Florence told him.

Paige nodded even as a tear ran down her face while she stroked his arm and still holding his hand. "We're all right here with you Cabe."

Cabe gave the same short laugh before he grimaced.

Happy looked at Toby. "Isn't there anything you can do for him?"

Before Toby to speak Cabe's eyes looked up at Happy. "I'd rather die."

All of Centipede Partners gave a collective gasp at his words.

Walter shook his head. "If he can help you I'd rather you live."

Cabe's eyes looked over at Walter even as his right hand let go of his chest as he forced it over and he patted Walter's cheek for a moment and then his hand slipped to his shoulder and he grabbed Walter's neck firmly. "You listen and listen well. I don't want that person touching me. I don't care if I am awake or unconscious. You're my proxy if I can't make decisions, and you better damn well obey my wishes or my foot and your ass is going on a date. Do you understand?"

Walter slowly nodded. "But, why would you choose me, about Allie?"

Cabe pulled his arm back over and grabbed at his chest again as the pain continued.

Happy hit Toby's arm before whispering. "So is there anything you can do?"

Toby shook his head. "If he doesn't want my help then I can't do anything. But right now everything is being done that can be done. Besides I'd be a source of irritation and that wouldn't be good for him or his heart." Toby whispered to her.

Florence, Paige and Walter stayed right with Cabe. Each of them was trying to talk with reassurance and positivity in their voices. Walter took a few moments to remove Cabe's tie all together and unbuttoned his dress shirt. Paige pulled down on the sleeve of his jacket after moving the lapel over his left shoulder. Florence did the same to his right and Walter took the jacket from them. He sat staring at the jacket and Cabe as he sat there still gripping his chest. Slowly he folded the jacket and sat it on his leg.

Cabe looked at Walter and Paige sitting there so close to each other and he knew he had to do something. He had to make them open their eyes. He reached down and grabbed Paige's hand that was holding his and pulled it over and sat it on top of Walter's. He pressed her fingers down and tried pushing them under his hand to hold. "You both need to stop this and make it right between you."

Walter stared at their hands together. The warmth of her hand against his, the mild rush of energy he always felt when they had touched had coursed up and through him. He swallowed hard before he looked Cabe in the eyes. "Do you want me to keep your valuables?"

Cabe slowly nodded. "You should, just in case."

Walter slowly nodded as Paige and Florence helped to remove his few jewelry pieces. Walter reached in and got his wallet out of his pocket as well. His hands shook as he pulled the wallet over and it fell and hit his leg and opened and they all saw the first picture was of a young Walter in Ireland standing with a big smile on his face with Cabe. They all heard Walter sob as he saw the picture and the memory came back to him. It was one of the few happy memories he had as Cabe became a part of his life in a positive role. How many times the only thing he looked forwards to on a personal level was when Cabe had told him he was coming for a visit.

Cabe reached over and patted his hand even as there was a ding down the way as an elevator stopped on that floor. The elevator doors opened and they heard a kind of shuttering of noise with a metallic component. As Toby, Happy and Sylvester looked up they saw the EMTs coming with a gurney. The paramedic and his partner were efficient and got Cabe transferred to the gurney with a little help from Walter and Paige.

They quickly cut down his t-shirt and pulled it open before attaching the leads for the EKG machine. The paramedic asked Cabe the standard questions and those around him asking if he lost consciousness or anything. "Okay Mr. Gallo, do you have a preference on where we take you?"

Cabe nodded as he breathed in the oxygen rich air through the mask they placed on him. He pointed to Walter and at first Walter frowned and then nodded as he opened Cabe's wallet and found a small card for some place he'd never heard of. He looked at Cabe puzzled. "I've never heard of this. Wouldn't you rather go to Cedars?"

Cabe shook his head. "Homeland's requirement."

Walter held the card out to the paramedic who read it and nodded before he filled out the paperwork.

As they strapped Cabe in and pulled the rails up Cabe reached out and took Walter's hand. "I love you kid. I'm so glad I got to meet and know you."

Walter's eyes filled with tears and they streamed down his face as he stared into the eyes of the man who'd been more of a Father to him than his real Father.

Cabe's hand pulled free as they began moving him towards the elevators. Walter's feet refused to move. Centipede Partners all moved along behind them with Florence as Walter stood there staring at his hand. He was completely lost in the moment. The facade he'd built to mask himself with had been heavily cracked by the people he'd once considered his family and now, slowly, piece by piece it crumbled and fell away. First it was the tears falling from his eyes and then the remaining chunks gave way and fell even as his knees gave out and Walter collapsed to the floor as he began crying, nearly wailing uncontrollably.

He never felt more alone in the world than he did right then and that feeling just crushed him even more. He didn't even have his sister to fall back on anymore. Time had lost all of its hold on him. He could have been there for an hour or a day and he had no clue. But then he felt a hand touch his shoulder. Then arms reached around him and hugged him tightly. He could feel the hands moving up and down his back as he continued to cry. There was no doubt who it was holding him. She'd been there for him so many times. True she had walked out on him a couple of weeks ago but she was there now.

"Come on, get up now. I'll take you to where they are taking Cabe." Her words bordered between caring and harsh and he felt her arms slip away from him. He hadn't willed it at all but his weight shifted and his right foot came forward and came to rest on the ground. His weight shifted again and he rose up while pressing against the edge of the couch until he was standing more or less erect again. One of the hands that had been rubbing up and down his back took hold of his hand and he felt the pull and he took a step and then another and another.

The ride down the elevator had been difficult as people who'd wanted to get on in between stops paused and while some still got on others had been uncomfortable with his crying. But she didn't let anything sway her and she pulled him out as they reached the ground floor. He followed behind her as she continued to pull against his hand. Then they were standing next to her vehicle and she opened the door and between pushing and coaxing him Walter finally got in and she pulled the seat belt around and slipped it over him and clicked it into the buckle. She made sure it was snug across him and then she flipped the lock on the door and closed it.

She climbed in and turned the key and the engine roared to life. Walter had finally stopped crying out loud as they passed through the ticket booth of the parking garage and moved out onto the streets. Walter, who's almost omnipresent mindset, had no clue which way they turned let alone which compass direction they were traveling. His eyes were semi-unfocused and staring uncomprehendingly at the floor.

"You want to talk about it?" She asked finally.

Walter sniffled a bit before he asked for a tissue or something. She reached up and grabbed a couple of napkins stuck in the cubby hole of her console and handed them to him. Walter blew his nose several times. "What's to talk about?" He finally voiced brokenly.

"Whatever might be on your mind, I suppose." She told him.

Walter just shrugged. "I don't see why it matters."

"It matters because you're hurting." She told him getting a little miffed.

Walter let out a short laugh. "I was hurting two weeks ago but you still walked out without a second thought or even calling to check on me."

"Oh yea? I was hurting two weeks ago too. I don't recall you calling me." She told him getting pissed.

"I left you three messages after you walked out on me. You never returned them." Walter finally voiced after several long minutes.

She frowned. "I never got them."

Walter pulled out his phone and tossed it on the seat between them. "Check for yourself. I'm not lying."

She glared at him for a second. "I never said you were. I just said I never got them."

Walter shrugged. "Semantics."

"Would you like to walk?" She demanded.

Walter shrugged again. "Might as well, everything I say pisses you off anyway."

"I'm trying to be your friend Walt. Can you not see that?" She told him.

Walter nodded. "That was what I thought at first. But since you keep finding fault with me I guess I was wrong."

She shook her head. "I don't know what to do with you."

Walter shrugged again. "Pull over and let me out. That's what you wanted to do."

"No it isn't what I wanted to do. I'm just getting pissed because instead of trying to work with me you are giving me snark." She told him.

Walter reached over and picked up his phone. He hit the dial icon and scrolled back through his index of calls made. "April 18th, 8:30 pm call duration 48 seconds. April 20th, 6:03 pm call duration 56 seconds. April 22nd, 3:18 pm call duration 69 seconds." He read off the dates and time. He turned off his phone and shoved it into his pocket as he turned his head to look out his window.

She swallowed hard. Wondering what could have happened since she didn't get his messages.

Greetings! Hope everyone is well! Yeah, this has been a hard story. There will also be an alternative story that will be posted once this one is finished. The first four chapters here will be the same for the alternative so it will start with chapter 5 when I post it.

To the Adventure! -Tim