The following story is based on the characters of the TV Series "Walker, Texas Ranger". The characters belong to CBS Productions, Top Kick Productions, etc., but the story is mine. ALL DISCLAIMERS APPLY. (No copyright infringement is intended.)
"Trying To Remember" Part 2
By: Lorrie
Gage stepped outside. He starred at the outside of the house, the yard, the picket fence, nothing looked familiar. "This isn't right? It doesn't fit," he thought as he sat on the porch swing. "Why can't I remember the outside of the house and the yard?"
Sydney opened the door. "Cole, lunch is ready."
"Why don't we eat out here? Maybe a little picnic in the backyard?"
"OK. I'll get a spread." Sydney came out a moment later with a large picnic blanket.
"Lauren, can I ask you something?"
"Sure honey, you can ask me anything."
"Something's not adding up here."
"What do you mean?"
"Are we happily married? I mean obviously we haven't been married very long, but something just doesn't feel right. It's almost like a hidden tension between us."
"We've been very happy together. I wish I could just tell you everything I know about you, but your doctor said that would be the worst thing we could do."
"Why?"
"You need to remember in the order that your mind wants to remember, not the way someone else would like to tell you."
"I guess that makes sense." Thunder rumbled in the distance. "Looks like we're going to get a storm."
"We'd better get this stuff inside."
They began to take the food inside when suddenly the sky opened up and rain poured down, soaking them both. Sydney's summer dress was clinging to every curve of her body. Gage, overcome with desire, put his arms around her and kissed her hard and passionately. Soon they were on the ground where moments ago they had enjoyed their picnic.
"Gage." Sydney whispered. He stopped.
"Who's Gage?" Gage demanded as he sat up. Sydney bit her bottom lip. Gage got up and stormed inside. Sydney followed.
"Cole, wait! Cole, you don't understand, let me explain."
Gage stood in the doorway. "I'm listening."
Sydney opened her mouth and then thought about what she was about to do. "Come here." Gage didn't move. "Please."
He followed her into the bedroom; she pushed him in front of the full-length mirror. "Take off your shirt."
"What?"
"Take off your shirt." Gage took his shirt off. "Now, look in the mirror and tell me what you see."
Gage looked in the mirror, he starred at the scars on his chest, and he traced the length of them with his fingers as memories flashed through his mind.
"What do you see? What are you remembering?"
"A bear! The woods. Those two Rangers from the hospital, they called me Gage." Gage looked at Sydney. "I'm Gage?" He paused. "But that's my last name. I don't like my first name very much, so I don't use it often. It's, it's . . . Francis." Gage said slowly and excitedly. He was beginning to remember.
Sydney nodded. "You got it."
"And your name's not Lauren. It's Sydney and I call you Syd. We're not exactly married either, are we?"
Sydney shook her head. "No, not exactly, but that's enough remembering for now."
"Too bad."
"Too bad about what?"
"That we're not really married." Sydney smiled.
"I'm sorry Syd. Was that out there part of the act too?" Gage referred to their little escapade in the rain.
Sydney shook her head. "No. I'm not that good of an actress."
Gage kissed her again and gently pushed her towards the bed.
**********
Tucker met up with his partner Miles on the south side of Dallas. "Hey Tucker." Miles said. "There's a piece in the paper on your run in with those two Rangers."
"Oh yeah? What is it, that Ranger boy's obituary?"
"It says that Ranger ain't dead. He's lost his memory though."
"Um. Maybe I better take care of him before his memory comes back."
**********
Sydney awoke to find herself alone in bed, where hours earlier she and Gage had made love. She got up and put on her robe. "Gage?" She called out. "Where are you?"
"I'm in here." Came a voice from the living room.
Sydney found Gage sitting on the couch, he looked as if he'd been crying. "Hey are you OK?"
"What do you know about my childhood?"
Sydney sat down and put her arms around Gage. "You've told me some things. Why? What do you remember?"
"I know I have a sister, Julie. I remember being sad a lot and being hurt, beaten. Our parents must have been abusive."
Sydney closed her eyes and swallowed. "Gage, your parents weren't abusive. I can tell you that much." She had tears in her eyes.
"You can't stop there Syd, what else do you know?" Gage pleaded.
"Gage, I'm afraid to tell you what I know. Your doctor said you need to remember at your own pace. Besides, you've never told me everything that happened to you after . . ." Sydney caught herself.
"After what?"
"I can't say." Sydney shook her head. "I'm sorry."
Gage took a deep breath and put his arm around Sydney. "It's OK." He half smiled. "I understand."
**********
"Tucker, I think I overhear something about that Ranger fellow you hurt." Miles said as Tucker came back in.
"What?"
"He and that pretty Ranger lady are living together. I think she's taking care of him until his memory comes back."
"Do you know where?"
"Not exactly, but I think somewhere near Deer Run."
"Let's take a drive over to Deer Run and see if we can find them."
**********
Gage and Sydney went back to bed. At 3:00 a.m., Gage woke up in a cold sweat and sat straight up in bed, shaking and rocking back and forth.
"Gage? What is it?"
"My parents are dead, aren't they?"
"Yes."
"Julie and I grew up in a group foster home." Sydney nodded.
"I need some air." Gage got up. Sydney followed him out onto the front porch. He sat down quietly in the porch swing and Sydney sat down beside of him.
"My foster parents, if you could call them that, were very abusive. Julie and I got beaten, al lot. Luke was a very angry man and a drunk. He laid around the house and expected us kids to do everything and when we didn't, he'd beat up on us."
Gage continued. "You know, it's funny. I looked at my chest in the mirror yesterday saw the scars from the bear attack at Lake Ebby and I thought, man, that must have been the most physically painful event in my life. But now, I remember very clearly the most painful. Luke was angry about something I either had or hadn't done and he threw me down the basement stairs."
Sydney had a horrified look on her face. "He threw you down the stairs? How old were you?"
"We hadn't been there too long, so I was about nine, I guess. I broke three ribs, punctured my left lung, broke my right arm and had a concussion along with the other bruises on my back and head. I spent three weeks in the hospital."
Sydney pulled Gage's head over onto her shoulder. "That's something about your childhood that you've never told me before."
"I just don't like to think about it Syd. It's part of my life I just want to forget."
"I think I understand what your doctor was talking about now."
"Yeah, me too. Hey, It's cold out here, let's go back to bed." They walked inside and jumped into bed and snuggled to get warm.
**********
Tucker sat in his car across the street from the safehouse. "Gotcha!" He smiled as he headed back to Mile's house.
**********
Miles and Tucker returned to the safehouse about an hour later and jimmied the back door. They entered and quietly made their way to the bedroom.
"Gage, Gage wake up. I hear something." Gage listened carefully and then quietly got up and grabbed Sydney's gun. He stepped out into the hallway and was greeted with a hard kick from Tucker.
Gage recovered quickly and threw a few jabs and a couple of kicks to Tucker. Tucker, being a rather large man, wasn't too dazed by the hits he was taking from Gage. "I came to finish you off, boy."
Sydney had her hands full scuffling with Miles. It was obvious that she was in better shape than he and she quickly subdued him and pulled out her handcuffs.
Gage finally got the best of Tucker and finished him off with a hard kick to his chest, then cuffed him. He then looked up and smiled at Sydney. "I remember everything now."
"You do?"
"You're my partner, we're Texas Rangers. I remember Walker and Alex and Trivette and Erica, everything."
Sydney smiled. "We'd better call Walker and Trivette and let them know we have Tucker and Miles."
**********
"It's good to have you back Gage." Walker said as Gage sat behind his desk, somewhere behind the mountain of paperwork.
"It's good to be back. What is all of this?" Gage asked.
"What's the matter Gage, don't you remember what paperwork looks like?"
"Ha, Ha, very funny Trivette."
"Sydney, can I see you in here for a minute?' Walker asked. Sydney entered his office.
"So how is he? Really?"
"He's good. I think he's recovered most all of his memory, both good and bad."
"The bad is what had me worried. I know he didn't have the most pleasant childhood."
"We've talked about that too."
"Can I ask you something personal?"
Sydney looked a little uncomfortable. "I guess."
"Are you and Gage involved?"
"Walker, he's my partner."
"I know. Let me rephrase; How involved are you?"
Sydney didn't even try to hide it. "I don't know yet."
Walker nodded. "Good luck. The two of you are soul mates, you belong together, you know."
"Thanks Walker."
"Syd, you want to grab some lunch?" Gage asked.
"Sure, Sydney grabbed her keys." Gage put his arm around Sydney as they left.
"I wonder what exactly happened at that safehouse?' Trivette asked.
"Probably the stuff memories are made of." Walker smiled. "Let's go get some lunch." Walker said.
"Sure, if you're buying?"
THE END
"Trying To Remember" Part 2
By: Lorrie
Gage stepped outside. He starred at the outside of the house, the yard, the picket fence, nothing looked familiar. "This isn't right? It doesn't fit," he thought as he sat on the porch swing. "Why can't I remember the outside of the house and the yard?"
Sydney opened the door. "Cole, lunch is ready."
"Why don't we eat out here? Maybe a little picnic in the backyard?"
"OK. I'll get a spread." Sydney came out a moment later with a large picnic blanket.
"Lauren, can I ask you something?"
"Sure honey, you can ask me anything."
"Something's not adding up here."
"What do you mean?"
"Are we happily married? I mean obviously we haven't been married very long, but something just doesn't feel right. It's almost like a hidden tension between us."
"We've been very happy together. I wish I could just tell you everything I know about you, but your doctor said that would be the worst thing we could do."
"Why?"
"You need to remember in the order that your mind wants to remember, not the way someone else would like to tell you."
"I guess that makes sense." Thunder rumbled in the distance. "Looks like we're going to get a storm."
"We'd better get this stuff inside."
They began to take the food inside when suddenly the sky opened up and rain poured down, soaking them both. Sydney's summer dress was clinging to every curve of her body. Gage, overcome with desire, put his arms around her and kissed her hard and passionately. Soon they were on the ground where moments ago they had enjoyed their picnic.
"Gage." Sydney whispered. He stopped.
"Who's Gage?" Gage demanded as he sat up. Sydney bit her bottom lip. Gage got up and stormed inside. Sydney followed.
"Cole, wait! Cole, you don't understand, let me explain."
Gage stood in the doorway. "I'm listening."
Sydney opened her mouth and then thought about what she was about to do. "Come here." Gage didn't move. "Please."
He followed her into the bedroom; she pushed him in front of the full-length mirror. "Take off your shirt."
"What?"
"Take off your shirt." Gage took his shirt off. "Now, look in the mirror and tell me what you see."
Gage looked in the mirror, he starred at the scars on his chest, and he traced the length of them with his fingers as memories flashed through his mind.
"What do you see? What are you remembering?"
"A bear! The woods. Those two Rangers from the hospital, they called me Gage." Gage looked at Sydney. "I'm Gage?" He paused. "But that's my last name. I don't like my first name very much, so I don't use it often. It's, it's . . . Francis." Gage said slowly and excitedly. He was beginning to remember.
Sydney nodded. "You got it."
"And your name's not Lauren. It's Sydney and I call you Syd. We're not exactly married either, are we?"
Sydney shook her head. "No, not exactly, but that's enough remembering for now."
"Too bad."
"Too bad about what?"
"That we're not really married." Sydney smiled.
"I'm sorry Syd. Was that out there part of the act too?" Gage referred to their little escapade in the rain.
Sydney shook her head. "No. I'm not that good of an actress."
Gage kissed her again and gently pushed her towards the bed.
**********
Tucker met up with his partner Miles on the south side of Dallas. "Hey Tucker." Miles said. "There's a piece in the paper on your run in with those two Rangers."
"Oh yeah? What is it, that Ranger boy's obituary?"
"It says that Ranger ain't dead. He's lost his memory though."
"Um. Maybe I better take care of him before his memory comes back."
**********
Sydney awoke to find herself alone in bed, where hours earlier she and Gage had made love. She got up and put on her robe. "Gage?" She called out. "Where are you?"
"I'm in here." Came a voice from the living room.
Sydney found Gage sitting on the couch, he looked as if he'd been crying. "Hey are you OK?"
"What do you know about my childhood?"
Sydney sat down and put her arms around Gage. "You've told me some things. Why? What do you remember?"
"I know I have a sister, Julie. I remember being sad a lot and being hurt, beaten. Our parents must have been abusive."
Sydney closed her eyes and swallowed. "Gage, your parents weren't abusive. I can tell you that much." She had tears in her eyes.
"You can't stop there Syd, what else do you know?" Gage pleaded.
"Gage, I'm afraid to tell you what I know. Your doctor said you need to remember at your own pace. Besides, you've never told me everything that happened to you after . . ." Sydney caught herself.
"After what?"
"I can't say." Sydney shook her head. "I'm sorry."
Gage took a deep breath and put his arm around Sydney. "It's OK." He half smiled. "I understand."
**********
"Tucker, I think I overhear something about that Ranger fellow you hurt." Miles said as Tucker came back in.
"What?"
"He and that pretty Ranger lady are living together. I think she's taking care of him until his memory comes back."
"Do you know where?"
"Not exactly, but I think somewhere near Deer Run."
"Let's take a drive over to Deer Run and see if we can find them."
**********
Gage and Sydney went back to bed. At 3:00 a.m., Gage woke up in a cold sweat and sat straight up in bed, shaking and rocking back and forth.
"Gage? What is it?"
"My parents are dead, aren't they?"
"Yes."
"Julie and I grew up in a group foster home." Sydney nodded.
"I need some air." Gage got up. Sydney followed him out onto the front porch. He sat down quietly in the porch swing and Sydney sat down beside of him.
"My foster parents, if you could call them that, were very abusive. Julie and I got beaten, al lot. Luke was a very angry man and a drunk. He laid around the house and expected us kids to do everything and when we didn't, he'd beat up on us."
Gage continued. "You know, it's funny. I looked at my chest in the mirror yesterday saw the scars from the bear attack at Lake Ebby and I thought, man, that must have been the most physically painful event in my life. But now, I remember very clearly the most painful. Luke was angry about something I either had or hadn't done and he threw me down the basement stairs."
Sydney had a horrified look on her face. "He threw you down the stairs? How old were you?"
"We hadn't been there too long, so I was about nine, I guess. I broke three ribs, punctured my left lung, broke my right arm and had a concussion along with the other bruises on my back and head. I spent three weeks in the hospital."
Sydney pulled Gage's head over onto her shoulder. "That's something about your childhood that you've never told me before."
"I just don't like to think about it Syd. It's part of my life I just want to forget."
"I think I understand what your doctor was talking about now."
"Yeah, me too. Hey, It's cold out here, let's go back to bed." They walked inside and jumped into bed and snuggled to get warm.
**********
Tucker sat in his car across the street from the safehouse. "Gotcha!" He smiled as he headed back to Mile's house.
**********
Miles and Tucker returned to the safehouse about an hour later and jimmied the back door. They entered and quietly made their way to the bedroom.
"Gage, Gage wake up. I hear something." Gage listened carefully and then quietly got up and grabbed Sydney's gun. He stepped out into the hallway and was greeted with a hard kick from Tucker.
Gage recovered quickly and threw a few jabs and a couple of kicks to Tucker. Tucker, being a rather large man, wasn't too dazed by the hits he was taking from Gage. "I came to finish you off, boy."
Sydney had her hands full scuffling with Miles. It was obvious that she was in better shape than he and she quickly subdued him and pulled out her handcuffs.
Gage finally got the best of Tucker and finished him off with a hard kick to his chest, then cuffed him. He then looked up and smiled at Sydney. "I remember everything now."
"You do?"
"You're my partner, we're Texas Rangers. I remember Walker and Alex and Trivette and Erica, everything."
Sydney smiled. "We'd better call Walker and Trivette and let them know we have Tucker and Miles."
**********
"It's good to have you back Gage." Walker said as Gage sat behind his desk, somewhere behind the mountain of paperwork.
"It's good to be back. What is all of this?" Gage asked.
"What's the matter Gage, don't you remember what paperwork looks like?"
"Ha, Ha, very funny Trivette."
"Sydney, can I see you in here for a minute?' Walker asked. Sydney entered his office.
"So how is he? Really?"
"He's good. I think he's recovered most all of his memory, both good and bad."
"The bad is what had me worried. I know he didn't have the most pleasant childhood."
"We've talked about that too."
"Can I ask you something personal?"
Sydney looked a little uncomfortable. "I guess."
"Are you and Gage involved?"
"Walker, he's my partner."
"I know. Let me rephrase; How involved are you?"
Sydney didn't even try to hide it. "I don't know yet."
Walker nodded. "Good luck. The two of you are soul mates, you belong together, you know."
"Thanks Walker."
"Syd, you want to grab some lunch?" Gage asked.
"Sure, Sydney grabbed her keys." Gage put his arm around Sydney as they left.
"I wonder what exactly happened at that safehouse?' Trivette asked.
"Probably the stuff memories are made of." Walker smiled. "Let's go get some lunch." Walker said.
"Sure, if you're buying?"
THE END
