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.
Author's Note: Sorry this chapter took so long. I went home for Thanksgiving week to find that the mother board on my parents' computer was fried, so I had to fix it and deal with no internet for over a week. Here it is. . .
Ranger Chopper, on Route to St. Matthew's
The three Rangers again sat in silence, though thoughts of Gage and other loved ones had turned to unspoken fears for his life. Sydney was only too glad that Julie had been called to Austin on business late last night, and the "workaholic" that Gage called her had surfaced. Sydney promised she'd call with any news, but she knew that her husband wouldn't want his big sister, whom he'd always protect, to see him like that. Tears that had been falling since they'd found him intensified and Trivette protectively put his arm around her shoulders to show his support.
"He's gonna be okay, Sydney, you know that as well as I do," the tone of his voice confirmed that he feared for the young Ranger as well.
"I. . . I know he is. . . he has to be."
"He'll be fine, Ranger Cooke, I know he will." Sydney looked up at Billy as he signed his statement again. He seemed overly confident that Gage would make it. Having nothing else, she held firmly to this boy's faith in her husband's health.
"Thank you Billy. . . thank you."
"Rangers, we'll be landing at St. Matthew's momentarily. The Medi-Vac radioed to say that Ranger Gage was taken directly to surgery when he got there, so you can go right to that floor. . . they're waiting for you."
Something about the way the pilot had said that had chilled Sydney to the bone, but she kept a brave face on for Billy. She saw the boy shiver, and remembered that he too had been in the water as long as Gage had. She reached behind her for another blanket and wrapped him in it as the chopper came to an abrupt jolt on the landing pad. Emergency attendings rushed out and rushed the young hero down to check him out. . . much to his own silent protests.
One of the doctors knew sign language and calmed Billy down, telling him that as soon as they knew he was all right, the doctor would personally make sure that Billy got up to the Rangers.
Surgery Waiting Area, St. Matthews
"What is taking so long?" Sydney asked for the tenth time as she again paced the length of the room. "He's gotta be okay, he just has to."
"And he will, sweetie. . . he will." Sydney's mother said as she turned the corner and embraced her daughter. "Alex called me when she heard. She's got Taylor at the ranch like planned, and she's going to bring him by to see you tomorrow. He really missed you two."
"Thanks again, Mom."
Hours Later
"What could be taking this long? He's. . . " Sydney's voice cracked as the ER attending turned the corner with Billy and his mother. Both were half-smiling. It had been a rough week on the two of them, and being reunited after so long was only bittersweet when the details of Billy's rescue were compared. Ranger Gage had possibly given his life in the safe return of the boy.
"Billy," Sydney signed, "are you okay?"
His mother answered so that all could know, "Besides being cold and sore, he's all right. That river only bumped him a little, nothing worse."
"And we all know it could have been." Trivette remarked. "The river they were in, Walker, was the same one Alex took you to that time for some R & R, remember?"
"Boy, do I ever." The conversation would have progressed had Gage's doctor not come around the hall.
"Are you all here with Francis Gage?" He asked; though when the rangers looked up, saw to be a moot question. This was the same surgeon who'd worked on Gage after the bear attacks, and many other times.
"Yes, how is he?"
"Only as well as can be expected, I'm afraid. Besides the gunshot to the chest, Ranger Gage has multiple breaks and contusions, several internal injuries, and a skull fracture. To make matters worse, he came in severely hypothermic, and that has made it hard for us to keep him in surgery. We've lost him twice already, and we're still making repairs. I wish I had better news for you. . . Rangers, it doesn't look promising. If I didn't know who I was working on, I'd think I was looking at a miracle that he's made it this far. My suggestions to you now would be to pray."
As the doctor had commented about 'worse matters' Sydney's knees had given and Walker eased her into the nearest chair. Billy left with his mother to find the hospital chapel, as Trivette and Mrs. Cooke had moved to Sydney to comfort her. Walker stood and asked Sydney if she knew Julie's cell number so he could call her. She weakly nodded yes, and recited it for him. He went off to use the hospital's phone to let her know what was going on.
Operating Room 3
"It's no use, Doc, he's too far gone. We should call it."
"No, not this guy, give him what he needs, time, he'll pull through this."
"Whatever you say, but his body temps still only 91, and we can't continue until he stabilizes."
"So you do whatever you can to get his temp up. He only needs 3 degrees to stabilize, and he's holding his own right now. I won't lose this one. . . not today."
Meanwhile
"God, I know you can't hear me, but I was wondering, if it isn't too much trouble, if you could possibly. . . maybe. . . make Ranger Gage all right? Ranger Cooke needs him, and he has a little boy too, 'littler' than me, and he needs a good dad to grow up with. Like mine was when I was younger. Anyway, if it wouldn't take too much out of you, if you could at least give him a fighting chance, he'll do the rest; I know it." Billy finished signing his desperate prayer so that his mom would know how he felt too.
Operating Room 3
"See, I told you he'd do it. Body temp's 95 degrees, let's finish up, shall we. We've already lost him twice down here, I'm not looking for a third."
"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it. He was so far gone. Heart rate's steady, BP's coming up, body temp holding steady at 95, sats are good. Looks like his friends' prayers were heard."
"Yeah, now you. . . close that bleeder and get to work over here. I don't want to miss anything. . . not a thing, you understand me? It's more important with him than it ever has been. I'll go talk to the family."
"I thought his charts said there was no blood family here."
"No, he has a much more important family waiting on him out there. And his wife is here too."
Surgery Waiting Area
"Mrs. Gage? Are you alone here?"
"Uhh, yeah, for now. Walker went back to headquarters, something about a prison van being hit. Trivette and my mother went for coffee. Is something wrong?"
"Far from it, ma'am. I just completed surgery on your husband. He isn't out of the woods yet, but if all goes well, he's going to be just fine. It was pretty touch and go for awhile, but whatever prayers you and your friends offered up, He must have heard them. They're moving him to a room now; I'll let you know when you can see him."
"Thank you. . . thank you for everything." Sydney allowed the first half-smile to cross her lips since she had found that her husband was missing. Gage was coming back to her, finally.
Trivette and Mrs. Cooke came back to Sydney and their spirits were uplifted by the simple sight of Sydney's smile. They knew that the only thing that could make her smile was good news about Gage.
"He's gonna be okay, isn't he, Sydney?" Trivette asked, just to make sure.
"He's not out of the woods yet," Sydney quoted the surgeon, "but yes, he's gonna be okay."
"That's great Sydney, that's really good." All turned as Julie joined the relief session.
"Julie! We found him, and. . . and. . . " Relief after her husband's scare washed over her finally, and the two just hugged, words no longer needed.
"Mrs. Gage? Your husband's in his room, I can take you there now."
"Thank you. Coming Miss Gage?" Sydney asked her sister-in-law, a slight sense of humor also resurfacing.
"Wouldn't miss it. Not for anything."
ICU, Gage's Room
"My God, he's still so pale though."
"Well, the surgeon did just tell us that he had 5 broken ribs which punctured his lung. And I guess that thick skull of his wasn't quite as hard as we thought it was. I just wish that cast on his arm didn't look so foreboding. It's just so big."
"I guess they need it because of his elbow, but you're right, it looks enormous." The two women, who had done some serious begging and pleading to be allowed to stay in his room together, for as long as they needed.
Gage lay on the hard ICU bed, ventilator busy reinflating his lung, drainage tubes keeping his abdominal cavity clear, and IV's making sure he didn't dehydrate during his stay.
Ranger Headquarters
What Walker hadn't let Sydney know was that the prison van that had been hit was the same one that was transporting both Tommy and Mike to Huntsville. All of the other prisoners had been rounded up, the guards dead, but Tommy and Mike had either had help, or they'd been very successful at eluding capture.
Walker was hard at work trying to figure out where they could have gone, but odds were that the two convicts were halfway to Mexico by this time. He didn't hear the phone ring the first three times, and only heard it on the fourth when another Ranger who'd been walking by heard it.
"Walker."
"That's great, Trivette"
"Yes, I'll be down shortly."
After he'd hung up, he'd made a quick call to Alex to let her know the good news, and left to take her love to the Gages.
ICU, Gage's Room
Both Sydney and Julie had kept vigil at Gage's bedside, waiting, hoping, and praying that they'd see those blue eyes staring up at them soon. The doctor had said that he was still fighting, but this was one battle that both women hoped would be over with soon. Sydney knew that the longer Gage was out, the less of a chance there was that she'd get to fall into his deep blue eyes again.
"How is he, Sydney?" Walker asked as he stepped into the room.
"He isn't any worse, but he isn't awake yet either. He's got to wake up Walker, he just has to."
"I know. He will. Why don't you and Julie go and get some coffee and I'll stay here with him."
"I don't know, I mean, I want to be here in case he wakes up, and I know Julie does too."
"It's just downstairs, Sydney, and I know that neither of you have seen the outside of this place since he was brought in. Just go down for a few minutes, and then come back. You both need the break. He'll be right here for you when you get back."
"All right, but only for a few minutes." The two wandered down to the elevator and didn't hear the call for code blue as the doors closed.