Chapter Three
By Katriel
Disclaimer: See Chapter One.
Thanks for y'alls kind reviews...I hope you're having as much fun reading this as I am
writing it. : )
Gage was released from the hospital the following day, with strict instructions to take it
easy. The doctor, who had dealt with hard-headed Francis Gage before, made sure that
Sydney knew to keep Gage off his feet for the most part. "If you need to, just whack him
over the head, Sydney." Dr. Covington teased.
Gage disobeyed the doctor's orders as best he could, but still recovered very rapidly. He
whined about being off duty and fussed over Sydney until she was seriously tempted to
take Dr. Covington's advice.
Meanwhile, the time drew closer for Alex's scheduled cesarean. Her doctor had decided
that, because of the difficult time she'd had with Angela, it was too risky for Alex to
deliver her second baby naturally. Alex had initially balked at the idea of a second C-
section, but after being told of the high risk involved with attempting a VBAC in her
situation, she changed her mind.
October 10, the date of Alex's C-section, was a beautiful day—bright sunshine met
Alex's eyes as she blinked and looked at the clock. It was nearly 7:30 AM, so Alex
laboriously pulled herself out of bed and got dressed. Her stomach was in knots as she
remembered her first C-section, but she told herself that it would be all right this time—
not like the confusing, painful swirl of events surrounding Angela's birth.
Alex and Walker were both mostly silent on the ride to the hospital. They'd left Angela
with Sydney and Gage for the day, and as they'd hugged and kissed their beautiful child
goodbye, they had both remembered how close they'd come to losing her.
As the Ranger and his very pregnant wife parked the truck and walked toward the
hospital doors, they were completely unaware of the dark, tormented eyes that followed
their every move. "Yes, Aiosha," the man muttered. "Get rid of the child who is living off
your body like a parasite, and then we will be free to be together."
Alex was very nervous, and she gripped Walker's hand throughout the surgery, but her
anxiety was forgotten when the shrill, tremulous cry of a newborn split the air. "You have
a daughter, Mrs. Walker," Dr. Emily Rosenthal announced cheerfully.
"Where is she? I want to see her!" Alex was frustrated, but she calmed down after the
nurse washed and wrapped the newborn and brought her over to her mother.
"Oh, Walker." Alex whispered, enraptured, completely unaware of the surgeon stitching
her up. "Look at her...isn't she perfect?" The newest addition to the Walker family had
very dark blue eyes and a thick swatch of reddish brown hair. She had stopped crying and
seemed content to gaze wide-eyed at her enthralled parents.
"Yeah." Walker's voice was soft as he gently touched the tiny hand of his daughter.
"She's amazing." He smiled at Alex. "So, have you decided on a name yet?" He
questioned, knowing they'd only managed to narrow their list down to three or four
names.
"Autumn," Alex responded immediately. "She's definitely an Autumn Hope."
Walker smiled and, after gazing at the baby for a moment, nodded in agreement. "I think
you're right, Alex. Angela Faith and Autumn Hope." He leaned over to plant a gentle kiss
on his wife's cheek. "We have a beautiful family, Alex."
Suddenly choked up, Alex could only nod her agreement as she nursed baby Autumn for
the first time.
~~~~~
Angela was instantly full of questions about the new arrival, but to the relief of her
parents, she didn't seem jealous. She was very protective of her little sister and helped out
as much as she could.
Autumn's eyes soon changed from blue to dark gray, and her hair turned lighter,
unmistakably matching the shade of Walker's reddish hair. She was a pretty baby, quiet
and undemanding. Unlike Angela, she was usually very easy to get to sleep.
As for Gage and Sydney, Gage was almost fully recovered and ready to go back to duty,
and Sydney's first sonogram showed a healthy baby turned in exactly the wrong direction
for the gender to be ascertained. Sydney just laughed and said that her baby must be
stubborn, just like his daddy. Gage raised his eyebrows at that, but wisely refrained from
making a reply.
All was going well; Alex enjoyed the time she got to spend with her two daughters. She
chatted with Sydney and Trivette's wife Erica, mostly about babies—Trivette and Erica
were planning to start a family sometime soon, so Erica wanted to know all about
pregnancy and, as she put it, "all that baby stuff".
Alex had no clue—not even a subtle hint or a feeling that something was wrong—
to warn her that she was being stalked. That was why, when the storm burst suddenly and
violently upon her horizon, she was shocked—and defenseless.
By Katriel
Disclaimer: See Chapter One.
Thanks for y'alls kind reviews...I hope you're having as much fun reading this as I am
writing it. : )
Gage was released from the hospital the following day, with strict instructions to take it
easy. The doctor, who had dealt with hard-headed Francis Gage before, made sure that
Sydney knew to keep Gage off his feet for the most part. "If you need to, just whack him
over the head, Sydney." Dr. Covington teased.
Gage disobeyed the doctor's orders as best he could, but still recovered very rapidly. He
whined about being off duty and fussed over Sydney until she was seriously tempted to
take Dr. Covington's advice.
Meanwhile, the time drew closer for Alex's scheduled cesarean. Her doctor had decided
that, because of the difficult time she'd had with Angela, it was too risky for Alex to
deliver her second baby naturally. Alex had initially balked at the idea of a second C-
section, but after being told of the high risk involved with attempting a VBAC in her
situation, she changed her mind.
October 10, the date of Alex's C-section, was a beautiful day—bright sunshine met
Alex's eyes as she blinked and looked at the clock. It was nearly 7:30 AM, so Alex
laboriously pulled herself out of bed and got dressed. Her stomach was in knots as she
remembered her first C-section, but she told herself that it would be all right this time—
not like the confusing, painful swirl of events surrounding Angela's birth.
Alex and Walker were both mostly silent on the ride to the hospital. They'd left Angela
with Sydney and Gage for the day, and as they'd hugged and kissed their beautiful child
goodbye, they had both remembered how close they'd come to losing her.
As the Ranger and his very pregnant wife parked the truck and walked toward the
hospital doors, they were completely unaware of the dark, tormented eyes that followed
their every move. "Yes, Aiosha," the man muttered. "Get rid of the child who is living off
your body like a parasite, and then we will be free to be together."
Alex was very nervous, and she gripped Walker's hand throughout the surgery, but her
anxiety was forgotten when the shrill, tremulous cry of a newborn split the air. "You have
a daughter, Mrs. Walker," Dr. Emily Rosenthal announced cheerfully.
"Where is she? I want to see her!" Alex was frustrated, but she calmed down after the
nurse washed and wrapped the newborn and brought her over to her mother.
"Oh, Walker." Alex whispered, enraptured, completely unaware of the surgeon stitching
her up. "Look at her...isn't she perfect?" The newest addition to the Walker family had
very dark blue eyes and a thick swatch of reddish brown hair. She had stopped crying and
seemed content to gaze wide-eyed at her enthralled parents.
"Yeah." Walker's voice was soft as he gently touched the tiny hand of his daughter.
"She's amazing." He smiled at Alex. "So, have you decided on a name yet?" He
questioned, knowing they'd only managed to narrow their list down to three or four
names.
"Autumn," Alex responded immediately. "She's definitely an Autumn Hope."
Walker smiled and, after gazing at the baby for a moment, nodded in agreement. "I think
you're right, Alex. Angela Faith and Autumn Hope." He leaned over to plant a gentle kiss
on his wife's cheek. "We have a beautiful family, Alex."
Suddenly choked up, Alex could only nod her agreement as she nursed baby Autumn for
the first time.
~~~~~
Angela was instantly full of questions about the new arrival, but to the relief of her
parents, she didn't seem jealous. She was very protective of her little sister and helped out
as much as she could.
Autumn's eyes soon changed from blue to dark gray, and her hair turned lighter,
unmistakably matching the shade of Walker's reddish hair. She was a pretty baby, quiet
and undemanding. Unlike Angela, she was usually very easy to get to sleep.
As for Gage and Sydney, Gage was almost fully recovered and ready to go back to duty,
and Sydney's first sonogram showed a healthy baby turned in exactly the wrong direction
for the gender to be ascertained. Sydney just laughed and said that her baby must be
stubborn, just like his daddy. Gage raised his eyebrows at that, but wisely refrained from
making a reply.
All was going well; Alex enjoyed the time she got to spend with her two daughters. She
chatted with Sydney and Trivette's wife Erica, mostly about babies—Trivette and Erica
were planning to start a family sometime soon, so Erica wanted to know all about
pregnancy and, as she put it, "all that baby stuff".
Alex had no clue—not even a subtle hint or a feeling that something was wrong—
to warn her that she was being stalked. That was why, when the storm burst suddenly and
violently upon her horizon, she was shocked—and defenseless.