DAYS
Chapter 4
Gage walked into the apartment building. He went to the front desk and asked for the key to his and Sydney's apartment, but the man said she no longer lived there. Confused, he asked him where his wife was, and the man's eyes widened.
"You're Ranger Gage?" he asked.
"Yeah, I am."
"Everyone thinks you're…dead—that Walker fella, too. I'm afraid your wife left quite some time ago—a month at the least—I heard she moved in with a friend, a lady DA in the same condition as her." Gage wondered for a moment what the man meant by "condition," but figured it was because she thought he was dead. He knew she must be living with Alex. Gage thanked the man for his help and ran back out to find Walker, who'd gone to get them some food.
"Where's Syd?" he asked, handing him a burger.
"A guy in there said she moved in with Alex." Walker nodded and they jumped into the rental car, heading for the ranch.
********
Alex and Sydney were lying on lounge chairs in the backyard, relaxing while Trivette worked in the barn. He and CD had decided that the nearly-seven-months-pregnant women could no longer do the heavy work required of them in the barn, so Trivette came over every three days to do it for them. Alex reached for the pitcher of lemonade on the table between them, refilling her glass. She leaned back, sipping the sweet liquid slowly, and smiled. It tasted good. She set the glass down and dropped her head back, basking in the warmth of the sun.
********
Walker made the last turn before the ranch, and then the car slid silently into the driveway between the Ram and Alex's Sebring, and the two men jumped out. As they started up the front steps, taking them by twos, they heard voices coming from the backyard. They stopped and turned to go around the back of the house. Walker caught sight of their wives, reclining on a pair of lounge chairs.
Sydney sat up slightly, propping herself up on her elbows, and called, "Hey, Jimmy, you want some lemonade?"
"Yeah, sure, I'll be right out!" came the reply. Seconds later, the young Ranger came out of the barn, his bare chest glistening with sweat. As he walked towards his friends, he saw the two Rangers. He froze, and his eyes grew round as he realized who they were. Alex and Sydney turned around, peering over the backs of their chairs to see what was wrong with Trivette. They saw their husbands, and both were shocked, so much so that Sydney fell out of her chair. Gage immediately moved to help her, and she took his hand, carefully pulling herself to her feet. The couples stared into each other's eyes, not believing that they were really together again after so long. Both women were wearing bathing suit covers that hid their growing bellies from their husbands. Alex and Sydney glanced at each other, then took their husbands' hands and guided them to rest on their round stomachs. Both babies, sensing this, gave several hard kicks.
With tears in her eyes, Alex said, "Gentlemen, meet Christine Frances or Christopher Francis Gage and Angela Alexandra or Cordell John Walker." They all had tears streaming down their faces as the two couples embraced for the first time in months.
********