This story is based on the characters of the TV series Walker, Texas Rangers. They belong to CBS Productions, Kick Top Productions, etc. I have no claim to them. But the story is mine. All disclaimers apply. No copyright infringement is intended.
Okay guys, so I kept you out of the loop on Gage in the last chapter, so here we go. . .
Headquarters (Hah…you still gotta wait)
"So where is he?"
"Jose said that he's supposed to meet Tommy and finish this deal that Gage and Sydney broke up last week at this river. . . here. It's worth a look isn't it?"
"You bet it is, and you aren't going without us." Sydney stepped out from behind the open door with Julie right behind.
"Don't you think it would be better if. . . "
"Walker, give it up," it was Trivette speaking, "Do you honestly think you're going to win with these two? Look at them."
"Thank you Trivette. Walker?"
"All right, you can come. If…when we find him, he's going to want to know that you're all right, so you may as well be there. But you will stay in. . . oh never mind, it's no use, and I don't want to write you up for disobeying an order. We'll get a chopper in the morning and get down there to see what's going on."
"Tomorrow? What if he's hurt? Why can't we go now?" Julie was so close to getting her kid brother back, and now Walker was going to wait another six hours at least.
"Julie, Walker and Trivette can't get a chopper until tomorrow morning, and it would take us longer to get there by car than it would to go home, get a good night's sleep, and fly out tomorrow morning. I want to find him too, but we're going to be trekking tomorrow to find him, and we need rest to do that."
Sydney was supporting almost all of Julie's weight as she had nearly collapsed from having to wait even longer. Walker and Trivette both stepped forward and helped them into chairs. Walker smiled, knowing that Sydney was out of her 'oh my God, my husband's missing' and back into 'Texas Ranger' mode.
"All right, Trivette, we'll meet you here at six tomorrow morning. Be ready for. . . anything I guess. We may be hiking, rafting, who knows at this point. I'm going to get them home. I'll leave my truck here for the night. Neither of them is up for driving again."
"All right, I'll see you three tomorrow."
Walker Ranch
"So you know where he is?" Alex asked as Walker finally joined her in bed.
"We don't know for sure, but it's the biggest lead we've had so far."
"Walker, Sydney was supposed to pick up Taylor tomorrow, remember? If she's with you, what's going to happen to him? Her mother is going to Chicago, and can't take him."
"I think we all forgot about that. Feel like taking a trip to Austin?"
"I think I can manage that. Let Sydney know in the morning, and have her call her mother, okay?"
"I think I can manage that. I love you."
"I love you too, Cowboy. Now, you're going to be out in the woods with two women for, probably, the next couple of days. How about you prove to me that. . ."
At that instant, Angela did something that she'd been doing since the day they'd brought her home; she stole the attention away from her parents' intimate moment.
"Mommy, Daddy!"
"Right on cue, of course. Coming Angela!"
Running into her room, they found Angela sitting straight up in bed, clutching the teddy bear that Gage had given her for her birthday, crying.
"What's the matter, honey?" The two concerned parents sat on either side of Angela and hugged her.
"I had a bad dream about Uncle Gage. Is he all right?"
"He's fine, sweetie. Daddy and Sydney, and Julie are going to see him tomorrow. Why?"
"I had a dream that he was all wet, and he was wearing a light blue shirt, but it was all red in the front. It looked scary."
Alex looked up at Walker and then the ceiling and muttered something about being Cherokee, and her father's daughter.
"I'm sure he's all right, sweetie."
"Can I sleep with you tonight, daddy?"
"Well. . . I have to get up really early to go see Gage, but I guess that would be okay." He picked her up and brought her back to their room. She was, of course, asleep by the time he got there.
The River
Tommy and Mike had made it about half way to the calm in the river before darkness descended upon them and they made camp for the night. Mike was upset at this move, but the loud cries of wildlife in the woods around them changed his mind rather quickly. He wanted his son back, safe in his arms, but he did not want to tangle with a mountain lion or whatever else, to do it. All he could do was pray that his son was all right, and not too cold or hurt.
Ranger helo-pad
"Sydney, Alex said that she would go and pick up Taylor for you as long as you called your mother to let her know she was coming."
"Oh my God, Walker, I forgot all about him coming home today, let me call her right now." Slightly embarrassed, Sydney called her mother to let her know why she wasn't picking up Taylor. Her mother was, of course, sympathetic and understanding, and welcomed the chance to see Alex again.
The three concerned rangers kept silent on their ride to the river where, hopefully, this nightmare would end. There was one who was thinking of his wife and child, and how much they needed him to return quickly. There was another who was thinking of the women he loved at home, and of the life they had only begun to share. Sydney was thinking of young Taylor, already a spitting image of his father, and of how much he needed to be raised by both of his parents. All three were, of course, thinking of and praying for their missing friend, partner, and husband.
The River
Billy was battered and bruised when he finally pulled himself and Gage out of the river. Collapsing near the water's edge, he turned to the ranger and pulled him a little further up on the bank. Gage's shirt was torn and blood stained and more blood was pouring out of the hole in his chest. Billy, unsure of what he could really do to help, pulled off his shirt and pushed hard against the damage that his father's friend had done. Gage had hit his head somewhere on the trip downstream, and blood was slowly seeping from a gash on the back of his head.
"I wish I knew how to help you, ranger," Billy thought as he lay his exhausted head down near Gage's head. He was shocked not to feel anything coming out of the man's mouth. Fearing that his friend was dead, Billy got up, knelt next to the body, and prayed. When that didn't seem to produce any sudden miracles, the boy finally broke down over all the events that he had been a part of in the past few days.
Overcome with grief and pain, Billy pounded on Gage's chest in anger. Finally exhausted, he lay his head down on Gage's chest and cried. His friend was gone. It was all his father's fault, he concluded. Again, he sat up and pounded on Gage, thinking that he was a ranger, he was supposed to be invincible.
For the first time in his life, Billy was truly angry. Still pounding on Gage's chest, he thought, "You're the ranger, the hero. You were supposed to rescue me, not the other way around! Please, God, bring him back for me and Sydney."
As his head dropped again, he felt Gage turn over and spit up the water that had invaded his lungs. Gage's hand reached for his chest, and he moaned as he tried to sit up and found he was too weak and dizzy.
He tapped Billy's shoulder, and smiled slightly to let the boy know he was okay, and signed to him to help him the rest of the way out of the water and over to the trees. It had been only minutes from the time he'd sunk back down that he heard rustling in the bushes behind him. Afraid of who, or what, was out in the woods, he motioned for Billy to be silent.
Meanwhile. . .
"Walker, we're never going to find Gage out here. It's hopeless." Sydney cried out as they had been searching nonstop since the morning.
"Have faith, Sydney, we'll find him, and he'll be okay."
The River
Regardless of Gage's precautions, Tommy and Mike made their way out of the brush and trained guns on him.
"Well, well, well. Lookie what we have here. Look's like it's harder to kill a Texas Ranger than we thought. I guess we'll have to remedy that situation, now won't we?"
"Tommy, at least let him take Billy out of here first. Please?"
"Yeah, Tommy, I don't want him to see this. Gimme a minute would you?"
"Yeah, Mike, whatever, just make it quick."
Young Billy stepped in front of Gage as if to protect him. Gage, looking down and then back at the boy, tapped him and pleaded with him to go with his father. Finally, Mike grabbed the boy and lifted him out of the way.
Tommy looked down the barrel of his gun at the already injured ranger, and thought he'd make him suffer for the trouble he'd caused. Tucking his gun in his pants, he placed several very accurate kicks to Gage's ribs. As the helpless ranger curled on the ground, Tommy moved on and took his anger out on Gage's head, and finally, stomped down on his prey's wrist. He stepped back and laughed.
"Not so much of a pretty boy now, are you ranger? Looks like your luck has finally run out." He pulled out his gun again, and was set to finish the deed when he was knocked to the ground. Bewildered, he looked up into the very angry eyes of Walker. Just out of his line of vision, Tommy saw Sydney run to her husband's aide, and saw Trivette holding a very defeated Mike. Billy was already at Gage's side.
After Walker subdued Tommy, Sydney shoved her senior out of the way and continued to beat Tommy as only a woman could. As she had him in a chokehold, Walker stepped in. He could do nothing to let her go, and it was only as Gage called out weakly to her that she let go and allowed Walker to take over again.
"Hey, tough guy, I missed you." She said with tears in her eyes, surveying the damage that her husband had been put through.
"Hey, Shorty," he smiled back, and then, as another pain wracked his chest, he looked up into her eyes, "Syd, Sydney, I love you. Tell Taylor that I'm sorry. . . ahh."
"You tell him yourself when you see him." She couldn't lose him now, not after they'd come this far to find him.
"I wanted to be a. . . good father to him. . . and to be there for him. . . but I guess my fears are coming true." With that, Gage's eyes rolled back into his head, and the blackness overtook him again. Sydney was sobbing as Trivette came over to be with her. Walker joined them and was the first to think to feel for a pulse.
"We've got to get him to that clearing where the chopper is waiting. He still has a pulse, but maybe not for long. . . Let's go. . . Gage, you'd better hold on buddy. . . you'd better."
So…whaddya think should happen next???? And yes I do know what I plan on doing, but I wanna know your opinions.