Watch Your Back (The Return of Latimier) - by Lorrie Ellis
Email: lorrieann@hotmail.com Disclaimer: The following story is based on the characters of the TV Series "Walker, Texas Ranger". The characters belong to CBS Productions, Top Kick Productions, Washo Brother's Entertainment, etc, but the story is ours. ALL DISCLAIMERS APPLY. (No copyright infringement is intended.)
Trivette stopped in front of the desk in the main lobby of the hospital, Sydney not far behind him. "We're looking for a patient."
"Name?"
"Francis Gage, he's a Texas Ranger."
"One moment." The receptionist scanned over her computer screen. "Yes, he's in room 215."
"Thank you." Trivette replied, turning to find Sydney standing by the elevator, waiting for him.
"Did she say how he was?" Sydney asked, adjusting her clothes as the elevator stopped on the second floor.
Trivette snickered. "No, she didn't say how he was. She's not a nurse and probably has no clue how he is or for that matter who he is."
"You didn't ask, did you?" Sydney sneered as they got off of the elevator and found themselves face to face with Walker.
"It's about time you two showed up." Walker said sternly.
The color immediately drained from Sydney's face. "Why? He's OK isn't he?"
Walker put his hand on Sydney's shoulder. "He's fine. They're giving him a final breathing treatment right now and when they're done, the doctor plans to release him."
Sydney's mouth curved up into a smile. "He's really OK?" She asked again.
"Sydney, he's fine. He took in a little too much smoke." Walker explained to Trivette and Sydney the events that had led to Gage being treated at Mercy Hospital.
Trivette shook his head. "Have you heard from the Fire Marshal yet?"
"He called a little while ago, but we already knew that it was bomb. As a matter of fact," He looked at Sydney. "Sydney, why don't you go keep Gage company while Trivette and I go and talk to my little friend Kaleb Morton. He told Gage that he was hiding in the closet because he was afraid of a strange man in the house."
"OK." Sydney replied. "215, right?"
"Right. It's just down the hall, on your left." Walker replied and then looked at Trivette as Sydney headed off towards Gage's room. "They need some time together." He paused. "Did Sydney talk to you about the phone call?"
Trivette nodded. "Yeah. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous driving down here. Do you think he had something to do with the bombing?"
Walker nodded. "I'd bet on it. It came to soon after his call to Sydney."
*******
Sydney lightly knocked on Gage's door, gently pushing it open at the same time. She found Gage propped up in bed, his eyes closed. She noted the slight burns on his arms and face, evidence of some sort of medicine over them.
"Hey, I'm not asleep." He said softly. "Come on over here." He motioned for her to come nearer.
She slowly stepped forward. "Walker said he wanted me to keep an eye on you until the doctor is ready to release you."
Once she was beside the bed, Gage reached for her hand. "How are you holding up?"
"Me? I'm fine. You're the one laying here flat on your back in a hospital bed again." She replied, her voice full of emotion.
Gage continued to stare at her. "Has he called again?"
Sydney shook her head. "No, not yet, but I'm sure he will."
"Any idea when I'm getting out of here?"
Sydney nodded. "Soon. The doctor should be working on your release papers now."
"Good. I want to get back to headquarters and see if we can figure out where Latimier is before makes his next move."
Niether Gage nor Sydney had heard the doctor step in. "Now none of that Ranger Gage. If I release you, I expect you to go straight home and take it easy for at least the remainder of the day."
"He will. I'll see to it." Sydney replied, not giving Gage time to speak.
"Good." The doctor replied, handing the release papers to Sydney. "Just take these by the front desk."
"Let's go find Walker and Trivette." Sydney said as she helped Gage to his feet.
*******
Walker pulled a chair to the bedside. "Kaleb." He stroked the little boys head. "Kaleb, it's Ranger Walker. Can you hear me?"
Kaleb's eyes opened. "Ranger Walker?" He said quietly and then coughed.
"Shh. It's OK Kaleb." Walker said motioning to Trivette to get the nurse.
"Do you remember telling Ranger Gage why you hid in the closet?" Walker asked.
Kaleb nodded. "The man. There was a strange man in the house."
"Kaleb, can you tell me what this man looked like?"
The little boy began to cough again, just as the nurse came into the room. "Rangers, you'll have to wait out in the hall."
Walker and Trivette were met by Gage and Sydney just outside of Kaleb's room. "How is he?" Gage asked.
"He's still coughing. How about you?"
"Fine. The doctor just released me."
"Good. Sydney, get him home and no stops in between. Call me when you get into Dallas."
Sydney nodded. "You've got it."
Gage's mouth opened to speak. "Before you say anything, understand that I want you and Sydney somewhere where you'll both be safe. Trivette and I are going to try to get a description from Kaleb of the man who may have planted the bomb and then we'll be on our way."
"I'll get Gage's paperwork taken care of and then we're out of here." Sydney said, taking Gage by the arm.
"We'll walk down with you. I want to set up a police escort."
"Walker, we'll be fine. We don't need an escort, it's not that far to Dallas."
Walker stared at Sydney. "And we have no idea where Travis Latimier is or where he'll strike next. You'll take the police escort and that's final."
Sydney and Gage stared at each other and then back at Walker. "Thanks Walker." Gage said quietly. "It's nice to know you care."
"Just get out of here." Walker pulled out his cell phone and set up the escort for the two younger Rangers.
**********
The ride home was virtually uneventful. Gage dozed off and on until Sydney pulled into the parking lot of his apartment complex. "We're here."
"Um?" He asked sleepily. Looking around, his eyes came to rest on a bright red Mustang. "That's Julie's car! What is she doing here?"
"Your sister?" Sydney asked, getting out and trying to catch up with her partner.
Both Rangers pulled their guns and cautiously approached Gage's apartment. Gage unlocked the door while Sydney covered him and then the two went inside.
"Francis!" Julie shouted. "You're OK! You're both OK!" Tears streamed down her face as she hugged her younger brother.
Gage held her close, placing his gun back into its holster.
"I'll check the rest of the apartment." Sydney said, leaving the two siblings alone.
"Jules, what are you doing here?"
She pulled away from him slightly. "I got a phone call this morning saying that you had been hurt in an explosion and that someone would meet me at your place and take me to you."
Gage's eyes grew wide. "Jules, was it a man or a woman?"
"A man. Deep voice. Francis, what's going on?"
"Syd!" Gage ran through the apartment. "Syd! Get her out of here!" Sydney joined Gage and Julie.
"What's wrong?"
"Julie got a call asking her to meet someone at my place so they could take her to me." Gage pushed Sydney and Julie ahead of him, out the door. Before he could step outside, he was hit from behind.
The man who had knocked Gage out, stepped over his motionless body and forced Sydney and Julie down the stairs at gunpoint, into the arms of two large men who had stepped out of the shadow and were waiting for them on the landing below Gage's apartment.
"Gage!" Sydney screamed watching one of the men place a rag over Julie's nose and mouth, rendering her unconscious. Seconds later, the same was done to her.
******
Hours had passed since Julie and Sydney had been taken. Walker was very worried by the time he and Trivette pulled up to Gage's apartment. "Sydney's still not answering." He said, throwing the phone down into the seat of the truck.
"Her car's still here." Trivette noticed as they got out.
Upstairs, they found Gage's door slightly ajar. "Something's definitely not right." Walker said as he pulled his gun.
"Texas Rangers! We're coming in!" He shouted, kicking the door open and finding Gage still lying in the middle of the floor, near the door.
Trivette quickly holstered his gun and checked Gage's neck for a pulse. "He's alive." He tried to wake the young Ranger by gently patting his face. "Gage! Gage, wake up."
Walker continued to search the apartment, but found nothing. He joined Trivette and a very groggy Gage back at the entrance of the apartment. "What happened?" He asked Gage, helping him to his feet.
Gage shook his head, reaching for the large lump at the back. "I'm not sure. Julie was here when Sydney and I came in. I noticed her car out front. She said a man had called her and told her that I had been in an accident and that she was to meet someone here, at my place, and they would take her to me." He winced again as his hand hit the lump.
"After we run you by the hospital, we'll get right on this." Walker said.
Gage shook his head again. "I'm not going to the hospital, Walker. They have my sister and my girlfr . . . my partner and we're not even sure who "they" are."
"I feel sure Latimier has something to do with it, just the same as he had something to do with the bombing of the Michaels home."
"The Michaels?" Gage questioned.
"Kaleb's foster parents." Walker replied. "We spoke with the Police Chief before we left and they were able to lift a few prints from the porch. They matched them with a 'Thomas Clegg' he's well known in that area for making bombs.
"And he has connections with Latimier?" Gage asked.
Walker nodded. "They were cellmates at Huntsville a few years ago." He stared at Gage for a moment. "I'm not going to convince you to go get checked out, am I?"
Gage shook his head again. "I can't."
"Come on then, let's get to the office and see if we can figure out where they may have taken Sydney and your sister."
To be continued . . . End Chapter 2
Email: lorrieann@hotmail.com Disclaimer: The following story is based on the characters of the TV Series "Walker, Texas Ranger". The characters belong to CBS Productions, Top Kick Productions, Washo Brother's Entertainment, etc, but the story is ours. ALL DISCLAIMERS APPLY. (No copyright infringement is intended.)
Trivette stopped in front of the desk in the main lobby of the hospital, Sydney not far behind him. "We're looking for a patient."
"Name?"
"Francis Gage, he's a Texas Ranger."
"One moment." The receptionist scanned over her computer screen. "Yes, he's in room 215."
"Thank you." Trivette replied, turning to find Sydney standing by the elevator, waiting for him.
"Did she say how he was?" Sydney asked, adjusting her clothes as the elevator stopped on the second floor.
Trivette snickered. "No, she didn't say how he was. She's not a nurse and probably has no clue how he is or for that matter who he is."
"You didn't ask, did you?" Sydney sneered as they got off of the elevator and found themselves face to face with Walker.
"It's about time you two showed up." Walker said sternly.
The color immediately drained from Sydney's face. "Why? He's OK isn't he?"
Walker put his hand on Sydney's shoulder. "He's fine. They're giving him a final breathing treatment right now and when they're done, the doctor plans to release him."
Sydney's mouth curved up into a smile. "He's really OK?" She asked again.
"Sydney, he's fine. He took in a little too much smoke." Walker explained to Trivette and Sydney the events that had led to Gage being treated at Mercy Hospital.
Trivette shook his head. "Have you heard from the Fire Marshal yet?"
"He called a little while ago, but we already knew that it was bomb. As a matter of fact," He looked at Sydney. "Sydney, why don't you go keep Gage company while Trivette and I go and talk to my little friend Kaleb Morton. He told Gage that he was hiding in the closet because he was afraid of a strange man in the house."
"OK." Sydney replied. "215, right?"
"Right. It's just down the hall, on your left." Walker replied and then looked at Trivette as Sydney headed off towards Gage's room. "They need some time together." He paused. "Did Sydney talk to you about the phone call?"
Trivette nodded. "Yeah. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous driving down here. Do you think he had something to do with the bombing?"
Walker nodded. "I'd bet on it. It came to soon after his call to Sydney."
*******
Sydney lightly knocked on Gage's door, gently pushing it open at the same time. She found Gage propped up in bed, his eyes closed. She noted the slight burns on his arms and face, evidence of some sort of medicine over them.
"Hey, I'm not asleep." He said softly. "Come on over here." He motioned for her to come nearer.
She slowly stepped forward. "Walker said he wanted me to keep an eye on you until the doctor is ready to release you."
Once she was beside the bed, Gage reached for her hand. "How are you holding up?"
"Me? I'm fine. You're the one laying here flat on your back in a hospital bed again." She replied, her voice full of emotion.
Gage continued to stare at her. "Has he called again?"
Sydney shook her head. "No, not yet, but I'm sure he will."
"Any idea when I'm getting out of here?"
Sydney nodded. "Soon. The doctor should be working on your release papers now."
"Good. I want to get back to headquarters and see if we can figure out where Latimier is before makes his next move."
Niether Gage nor Sydney had heard the doctor step in. "Now none of that Ranger Gage. If I release you, I expect you to go straight home and take it easy for at least the remainder of the day."
"He will. I'll see to it." Sydney replied, not giving Gage time to speak.
"Good." The doctor replied, handing the release papers to Sydney. "Just take these by the front desk."
"Let's go find Walker and Trivette." Sydney said as she helped Gage to his feet.
*******
Walker pulled a chair to the bedside. "Kaleb." He stroked the little boys head. "Kaleb, it's Ranger Walker. Can you hear me?"
Kaleb's eyes opened. "Ranger Walker?" He said quietly and then coughed.
"Shh. It's OK Kaleb." Walker said motioning to Trivette to get the nurse.
"Do you remember telling Ranger Gage why you hid in the closet?" Walker asked.
Kaleb nodded. "The man. There was a strange man in the house."
"Kaleb, can you tell me what this man looked like?"
The little boy began to cough again, just as the nurse came into the room. "Rangers, you'll have to wait out in the hall."
Walker and Trivette were met by Gage and Sydney just outside of Kaleb's room. "How is he?" Gage asked.
"He's still coughing. How about you?"
"Fine. The doctor just released me."
"Good. Sydney, get him home and no stops in between. Call me when you get into Dallas."
Sydney nodded. "You've got it."
Gage's mouth opened to speak. "Before you say anything, understand that I want you and Sydney somewhere where you'll both be safe. Trivette and I are going to try to get a description from Kaleb of the man who may have planted the bomb and then we'll be on our way."
"I'll get Gage's paperwork taken care of and then we're out of here." Sydney said, taking Gage by the arm.
"We'll walk down with you. I want to set up a police escort."
"Walker, we'll be fine. We don't need an escort, it's not that far to Dallas."
Walker stared at Sydney. "And we have no idea where Travis Latimier is or where he'll strike next. You'll take the police escort and that's final."
Sydney and Gage stared at each other and then back at Walker. "Thanks Walker." Gage said quietly. "It's nice to know you care."
"Just get out of here." Walker pulled out his cell phone and set up the escort for the two younger Rangers.
**********
The ride home was virtually uneventful. Gage dozed off and on until Sydney pulled into the parking lot of his apartment complex. "We're here."
"Um?" He asked sleepily. Looking around, his eyes came to rest on a bright red Mustang. "That's Julie's car! What is she doing here?"
"Your sister?" Sydney asked, getting out and trying to catch up with her partner.
Both Rangers pulled their guns and cautiously approached Gage's apartment. Gage unlocked the door while Sydney covered him and then the two went inside.
"Francis!" Julie shouted. "You're OK! You're both OK!" Tears streamed down her face as she hugged her younger brother.
Gage held her close, placing his gun back into its holster.
"I'll check the rest of the apartment." Sydney said, leaving the two siblings alone.
"Jules, what are you doing here?"
She pulled away from him slightly. "I got a phone call this morning saying that you had been hurt in an explosion and that someone would meet me at your place and take me to you."
Gage's eyes grew wide. "Jules, was it a man or a woman?"
"A man. Deep voice. Francis, what's going on?"
"Syd!" Gage ran through the apartment. "Syd! Get her out of here!" Sydney joined Gage and Julie.
"What's wrong?"
"Julie got a call asking her to meet someone at my place so they could take her to me." Gage pushed Sydney and Julie ahead of him, out the door. Before he could step outside, he was hit from behind.
The man who had knocked Gage out, stepped over his motionless body and forced Sydney and Julie down the stairs at gunpoint, into the arms of two large men who had stepped out of the shadow and were waiting for them on the landing below Gage's apartment.
"Gage!" Sydney screamed watching one of the men place a rag over Julie's nose and mouth, rendering her unconscious. Seconds later, the same was done to her.
******
Hours had passed since Julie and Sydney had been taken. Walker was very worried by the time he and Trivette pulled up to Gage's apartment. "Sydney's still not answering." He said, throwing the phone down into the seat of the truck.
"Her car's still here." Trivette noticed as they got out.
Upstairs, they found Gage's door slightly ajar. "Something's definitely not right." Walker said as he pulled his gun.
"Texas Rangers! We're coming in!" He shouted, kicking the door open and finding Gage still lying in the middle of the floor, near the door.
Trivette quickly holstered his gun and checked Gage's neck for a pulse. "He's alive." He tried to wake the young Ranger by gently patting his face. "Gage! Gage, wake up."
Walker continued to search the apartment, but found nothing. He joined Trivette and a very groggy Gage back at the entrance of the apartment. "What happened?" He asked Gage, helping him to his feet.
Gage shook his head, reaching for the large lump at the back. "I'm not sure. Julie was here when Sydney and I came in. I noticed her car out front. She said a man had called her and told her that I had been in an accident and that she was to meet someone here, at my place, and they would take her to me." He winced again as his hand hit the lump.
"After we run you by the hospital, we'll get right on this." Walker said.
Gage shook his head again. "I'm not going to the hospital, Walker. They have my sister and my girlfr . . . my partner and we're not even sure who "they" are."
"I feel sure Latimier has something to do with it, just the same as he had something to do with the bombing of the Michaels home."
"The Michaels?" Gage questioned.
"Kaleb's foster parents." Walker replied. "We spoke with the Police Chief before we left and they were able to lift a few prints from the porch. They matched them with a 'Thomas Clegg' he's well known in that area for making bombs.
"And he has connections with Latimier?" Gage asked.
Walker nodded. "They were cellmates at Huntsville a few years ago." He stared at Gage for a moment. "I'm not going to convince you to go get checked out, am I?"
Gage shook his head again. "I can't."
"Come on then, let's get to the office and see if we can figure out where they may have taken Sydney and your sister."
To be continued . . . End Chapter 2