Chapter 7
To Save Our Own
"Syd have Alex
and Gordon left?" he asked slowing to listen to her.
"About fifteen
minutes ago they collected Danny and headed towards home. Gage what's
wrong?"
"Walker just
received a threat on Alex's life and can't raise her on her phone," Gage
quickly explained.
"Her phone is
here she forgot it and I just flipped it off when I found it."
"Thanks Honey
I'll call when I know something," Gage told her hanging up running to catch
up to his bosses. "Walker," Gage shouted, "Alex left her phone at our
place does Gordon have his?"
Once again Walker
was dialling his phone as Trivette hung up his explaining he had got through to
the officers following them that they were about half way there and not seen any
trouble yet.
"Gordon,"
Walker barked into the phone, "Everything all right?"
"We're all
fine. Any news?" Cahill answered.
"There's been
a threat on Alex's life. I'm going to send reinforcements out to the ranch
until I can think of a safer place for you to stay," Walker began to explain.
"It has been
clear sailing here…" Gordon's voice began to drift off as soon as the
words left his mouth drowned out by a loud roaring sound. Alex and her father a
like had leaned forward looking skyward through the windshield at a helicopter
that was suddenly almost on top of them. It by passed them and was hovering
almost atop the police car behind them. "What the…" Gordon uttered into
the phone which was still at his ear.
"What is it?"
Walker was shouting into the phone the sound of the helicopter coming through on
the open line. Before he could get an answer the sound of a loud explosion and
Alex's scream could be heard then the line went dead.
All three rangers
stared at each other for a moment the sound of the explosion so loud that
Trivette and Gage were able to hear it. Piling into Walker's truck they took
off in the direction of the ranch.
~~~~~
"What the…"
Gordon was saying as looked in the rear view mirror of the car at the scene
behind them. Alex had turned around in her seat too.
"What is it
Mom?" Danny was asking. Before she could even say that she didn't know some
sort of missile was fired from the helicopter blowing the police car and its
occupants into pieces.
Alex screamed out
in fright Gordon dropping the phone had stamped on the gas peddle as hard as he
could. "Hang on everyone," his frantic voice shouted. The car shot down the
road the helicopter quickly turning to give chase.
They rounded a
bend in the road and headed into a short tunnel that allowed three train tracks
to pass over head. As they disappeared inside Gordon stomped on the brake almost
bringing the car sideways in the road. "Get
out Alex," her father shouted, "Get Danny and get out."
"Daddy no,"
Alex cried out.
Her father cut
her short, "Alex get out now," he shouted at her again reaching across her
and opening her door. "Get out and take care of Danny."
Leaning across
the seat with tears in her eyes she kissed her father and got out of the car.
Opening the back door she grabbed her son out of the car Gordon once again
flooring it. Alex watched for a moment and turning with Danny's hand in hers
they ran back to the entrance of the tunnel. Suddenly there was a loud
explosion, Alex and Danny paused for a moment never looking back. With tears
streaming down both their faces they kept running out of the tunnel and to the
side of the road to take cover in the trees.
Sydney was the
first on the scene, Alex could see her speeding up to them and stepped into the
open to flag her down still holding tight to Danny's hand.
"Alex what
happened," Syd cried out jumping out of the car and going to her.
"They attacked
us," Alex sobbed letting Sydney
put her arms around her, "and Daddy is gone."
Walker was
speeding up to a screeching stop, out of the truck in seconds taking his wife
and son in his arms.
"Gage
Trivette," Sydney quietly called, "she said Gordon is gone."
Both Jimmy and
Gage ran to the other side of the tunnel to see Gordon's car in flames the
black smoke billowing skyward. Sydney was behind them as they raced to where
they could see a body laying on the road. All though not recognizable all three
rangers knew it was Gordon Cahill that lay there. Trivette leaned down to check
for a pulse that just wasn't there.
Slowly they
walked back through the tunnel to where Walker still stood with his wife and
son. Catching sight of them the senior ranger looked hopefully at his friends
watching his partner shake his head no.
"Trivette,"
Walker called out to his partner, "I want the media to report that ADA Alex
Cahill Walker along with her son and her father lost their lives today in this
attack. Gage get Sydney out of here I don't want anyone knowing she is a
Ranger when she reports at Stewart Accountants tomorrow."
Gage nodded his
head as Sydney went to Alex putting her arm around her in a hug once more. "My
heart is with you Alex, if there is anything that will lead to Angela I'll
find it," she promised her friend.
"Thanks Sydney
I know you will."
Gage put his arm
around his partner walking to her car he opened the door and she silently slid
into the seat. Going around to the other side he got in behind the wheel and
headed for home. Half way there Gage broke the silence that was hanging between
them. "Syd I… this assignment," he finally got out.
"Gage this
whole thing has me unnerved too. I'll be on my guard, but you know as well as
me that none of us are going to be safe until we stop Stewart," Syd reasoned
with her husband.
"Gage this
whole thing has me unnerved too. I'll be on my guard, but you know as well as
me that none of us are going to be safe until we stop Stewart," Syd reasoned
with her husband.
Bringing the car
to a stop in the driveway both partners sat quietly staring ahead until a car
pulled in behind them. "It's Fred Carter," Gage stated glancing in the
rear view mirror at the figure getting out of the car. Opening the car doors
both he and Syd emerged to greet Erica's father.
"Jimmy called
me and told me what happened," he began. "He asked me to come and get Erica
and the kids and take them home. He said one of the police cars would follow us
and stand guard until he got there."
"You guys go on
in the house," Gage told them, "and I'll go make sure things are arranged
with the officers." They had two
radio cars sitting in front of their house and Gage was sure they were going to
be the talk of the neighbourhood again. By the time he came inside Erica and the
kids were ready to go. Like he and Sydney Erica had been quite shaken by the
news about Gordon, she leaned heavily against her own father as she promised Syd
they would call the second they were in the door at home.
"Mom Dad did
you find Angela?"
Sydney and Gage
turned to find Chris standing there Piper by his side and Cat pushing her way
between them.
"Not quite
yet," Gage slowly started to tell them. "Why don't we all go and sit down
for a minute?"
"What's wrong
Dad?" Chris asked feeling his Dad's arm go around him as Syd picked up Cat
and placed her arm around Piper.
"We had a set
back today Danny, Aunt Alex and Grandpa Gordon had a misshape," Gage continued
to tell them. "Aunt Alex and Danny are going to be all right and Uncle Walker
is with them tonight."
"What about
Grandpa Gordon?" Chris questioned like his mother not missing anything.
Gage could feel
Sydney reach for his hand and gently squeeze it. They had never had the task of
dealing with the death of someone the children knew and loved. He cleared his
throat and began again. "Grandpa Gordon was hurt pretty bad in the accident.
He made it so Danny and Aunt Alex wouldn't get hurt or worse but he couldn't
save himself."
"So we'll
never get to see him again?" Piper asked sitting very wide eyed as Chris
stared straight ahead.
"I'm afraid
not Honey," Sydney told her the same time setting a squirming Cat on the floor
to play with some of the toys that were strewn there.
"Angela is
going to be so sad when she finds out," Piper spoke what was on her mind.
Chris stood up
and headed out of the room. "Chris," Gage called to him and he paused in the
doorway.
"I'm going to
my room Dad," he quietly replied and continued walking.
"Daddy look,"
Cat was standing in front of Gage now with her doll whose face she had coloured
blue with a marker.
"Cat honey why
don't you and Piper come with me and help with supper?" Syd was asking.
Cat immediately
dropped the doll and turned her attention to Syd chanting out, "Supper,
supper."
"Okay Mom,"
Piper agreed to not really sure how she felt about the news she had just heard.
Getting up Sydney
shot Gage a small smile and ushered the girls into the kitchen. Taking a deep
breath Gage got up and headed for Chris' room. He knocked lightly on the door
and let himself in. Chris had climbed to his bed on the top bunk sitting at the
end holding his ball and glove. He would have been slapping the ball in it if he
hadn't had a cast on one arm.
"Mind if I join
you?" Gage asked.
"Okay Dad,"
Chris acknowledged still not moving. Once Gage got up top he realized it was
probably not such a good idea because he had to crouch so his head wasn't
hitting the ceiling.
Reaching out he
let his hand rest on Chris' shoulder before he spoke. "Chris if you want to
talk about things you know that I'm willing to listen." Chris sat quiet so
Gage began again, "I know this has been a very bad week for all of us…"
"Dad why are
all these bad things happening?" Chris sobbed letting his father's arms go
around him and hold him close.
"Chris I
honestly don't have an answer for you," Gage told him leaning back on the
bed taking Chris with him. "I do know that things happen for a reason, we
don't always know that reason and some times we just have to accept that."
"It's not
fair Dad," Chris quietly cried clutching tightly to Gage with his good hand as
he lay in the crook of his arm his head resting on his Dad's chest.
"I know it
seems that way," Gage agreed gently kissing the top of his son's head.
"Things will get better though, they won't be the same but they will get
better. We are going to find Angela and bring her home…"
"But what if
something bad has all ready happened to her," Chris cried out.
"Shh Chris we
can't think that way we have to believe that we will find Angela and that we
will catch the people who did this," Gage soothed gently rubbing Chris' back
as he spoke.
Chris lay quietly
listening to his Dad's heart beat thinking about everything that had happened
trying to make sense of it in his own way. Finally his dark eyes closed and he
fell into slumber.
Gage quietly
sighed listening to his son's regular breathing knowing that he had fallen
asleep. He found his own thoughts drifting to all the events that had brought
them to this point. Chris moved restlessly in his sleep clutching tighter to
him, he found his own arms drawing him closer his own eyes closing.
That is where
Sydney found the two of them when she went to get them for supper. She pulled
the comforter from the bottom of the bed and covered them both deciding she
would feed the girls now and fix them something later.
An Undisclosed Safehouse
Walker emerged
from the bedroom of the safehouse he had arranged for Alex and Danny to stay
until they had Angela home and were all safe. His wife and son were finally
resting comfortably both of them had clung to him in tears the terror of what
had happened so very fresh in their minds.
"I'm going to
take off home if you don't need me for anything more tonight," Trivette was
saying to him.
"Sorry
Trivette," he replied absently.
"Walker are you
all right?" Trivette asked his partner. It was times like this that Trivette
really missed Big Dog. Besides Alex CD Parker was one of the few people that
knew just the right things to say to help his partner through times like this.
"When I get my
little girl back and know my family is safe is when I'll be all right," he
softly spoke his hand at the back of his neck rubbing it. "I keep remembering
what Gage told us this afternoon after he spoke to Tammy Eastman, that she is
right under our noses."
Trivette's
phone suddenly rang and he quickly pulled it to answer it, "Trivette." He
listened for only a moment before he began shouting, "Who is this? How did you
get this number?" The line went dead.
Lowering the
phone from his ear he stared blankly at his partner for a moment before
speaking. "It was a message for you. They said to give you their condolences
they would be in touch how to save your daughter."
"Daddy, Daddy,
Daddy," Danny was suddenly crying out for Walker.
"Trivette go
home and call me from there," he told his friend as he ran to comfort his son
and wife once more.
Alex was sitting
up holding Danny in her arms but there was no consoling the child until he was
in his father's arms. Once more he was holding his wife and son as they clung
to him taking refuge in his strength.
"Are you sure
they can't get us Dad?" Danny asked the tears flowing down his face once
again as they were his mother's.
"Quite sure
Danny I'm not going to let anything happen to you or Mom," Walker told his
trembling son.
"I wish Grandpa
and Angela were here," he softly cried as he remembered what had happened that
horrible afternoon.
Walker's eyes
went to his wife watching her wipe more tears from her face before hugging their
son to her. Walker's arm went around Alex too feeling her shake as she fought
off the sobs that threatened to rack her body once again.
Finally they were
able to feel Danny relax against them and slipping their arms from beneath them
got up from the bed where he slept. Quietly exiting the room Walker put his arms
around Alex holding her while all the pain and sorrow of the day's events that
she had been holding back were finally released.
"Of all the
people we have captured and prosecuted I have never hated anyone more then John
Stewart," Alex solemnly whispered out in anguish to her husband. Walker felt
his own heart heavy knowing how much his family was suffering, how dearly they
were paying for one family's twisted revenge.
The phone rang
Walker knew it would be Trivette picking it up he quietly said, "hello,"
into the receiver. They talked for a few minutes before Walker lay the phone
down again knowing how critical it was to keep communication to a minimal.
"Walker?"
Alex quietly asked.
He answered her
by gently kissing her brow and pulling her closer.
"You are going
to bring Angela home to us aren't you?" she asked her voice barely above a
whisper.
"Alex I'm
going to do every thing in my power to bring our daughter back to you," he
firmly told her as he vowed to himself, "Even if it takes my life."
TBC...