The next day brought more anxious waiting for Mac and Judson. Senator Patterson had given strict orders that no one except himself and a selected team of doctors and nurses were allowed in his son's room in the surgical intensive care unit. Not even Mary Sue had been able to get around these orders. It had taken her until early afternoon until she had finally been able to sneak into the nurse's station and take a peek at Gabe's chart. She had been caught by nurse Jones, who had quietly left the room again. Mary Sue understood that none of the staff could openly go around the Senator's instructions but was thankful for the closed eyes of the nurse, whom she had known for several years.

When she finally returned to her friends, she could read in their eyes how much strength the waiting had taken out of them. Without delay she started to report what she had found out.

"Gabe came out of surgery without major problems. The surgeon was able to save the kidney and fix all the damage. Right now they have him on IV antibiotics but they really don't expect any complications."

 She stopped there, knowing that the second part of the news wouldn't be as good as the first. For a moment she hoped against all hope that there wouldn't be any more questions. Her hope lasted but a second.

"What about his spinal injury?" Mac asked the questioned that she had dreaded to answer.

"Dr. Lowry was here this morning, he thinks it is still to early for a final diagnosis but right now it doesn't look very promising. The blast threw Gabe against the wall and it looks like several of his vertebrae are fractured. He wants to get him back into surgery this afternoon to repair the vertebrae's and stabilize the spine. As far as I can tell from his notes he thinks the chances that there was no injury to the spinal cord are close to nonexistent!"

Suddenly the air in the room felt too thick for breathing. Mac got up from her chair and almost ran to the window. It seemed like one move to open it and stick her head out. Her hands were braced against both sides of the frame as she gulped in the fresh air like a thirsty soul would a drink of water.

Judson on the other hand was still sitting in his chair. His face had gone pale, his eyes first showed an expression of disbelief, then of anger. It was him who finally broke the silence.

"So this is it, is it? This is the end of the line for Gabriel Patterson? Sorry young man, you are smart, you are bright, you had a great future ahead of you but it is all over now? Darn it, he doesn't deserve this!"

"Judson", the voice from behind startled him out of his anger. Instinctively knowing how much her friend needed her, Mac had returned from her spot at the window, "don't give up yet. Gabe needs us, how do you think he feels?"

"Yeah, don't give up hope yet, it is not over!" Mary Sue agreed, "I have seen people recover from injuries like this before! And, Gabe is lucky, the injury is very low on his spine, he should be able to live a productive life even if he doesn't regain functioning of his legs!"

"So you think he would be content leading a life in a wheelchair, giving up everything he has hoped for? Heck, right now we can't even see him!"

Mac understood how he felt, yet she also knew that she had to get through to him. "Okay, so you go, hide in your corner and let Gabe deal with this blow on his own! Why would he need you? You are just one, maybe the most important person in his life!"

Her last words had hit Judson like a slap in the face, he paled even more, if this was possible. He took a deep breath before he finally was able to respond. When he did his voice sounded steady again, the anger was gone, "You are right, we are not going to let him go through this by himself! We will find a way, we always have!"

+++++

For the last three hours Senator Patterson had been sitting on a slightly uncomfortable chair right at his son's bedside. Yet he hardly noticed the ache that started to creep up his lower back. His body was here, his eyes were watching the pale young man in the bed beside him but his mind had drifted off to another place. He was so far away that he didn't even notice the nurses that went in and out of the room, continually checking on Gabe's condition. Ever since they had brought him back from his second surgery, since Dr. Lowry had explained the details of the operation and the consequences of the injury, William Patterson seemed to be unable to face the present. Instead his mind had wandered back to the past, to the time when this young man that he called his son grew up.

From the very beginning it had seemed that Gabe had managed to find a special place in his heart. Although he very much looked like his two older sons, his personality was very different. Isaiah was so much like the Senator, sometimes it almost seemed scary, even to him. Thaddeus also had inherited a lot of the Patterson traits but at times was a little rebellious. Yet in the end, he always had followed his father's advice. And than there was Constance, or Connie as they all called their sister. Very much like her mother in looks, she had also inherited her father's strong will. Knowing that she never would make a good lawyer, she had very early on convinced her parents that a doctor in the family would benefit the family name.

 Gabe on the other hand had never taken the easy path. He had always done the things he liked and not what his father had tried to dictate. Yet he had also always understood how to not alienate his parents. His natural charm, the way his eyes started twinkling with passion when he got involved into something he believed in just made it impossible to not open ones heart to this child.

Senator Patterson found himself smiling when he thought of the many incidences  when Gabe had gotten away with 'murder'. He had always hidden his true emotions behind his usual hard façade, knowing that he could not let anyone see this other side of him and also not willing to give up control over the people that surrounded him.

Fact was that he definitely didn't approve of Gabe quitting law school and joining Adventure Inc. He didn't approve of people like Mackenzie Previn and Judson Cross, matter of fact, he hated them because of what they presented. They were the kind of people he couldn't control. But because of Gabe he was willing to tolerate them. This was the only reason why he hadn't destroyed them.

This mind returning into the present, he stood up and stroked his son's quiet face. "No matter what, you are my son and I love you!" he said in a way that left no doubt that he meant what he had just put into words. After hearing this any bystander would have been even more surprised about how he continued, "But I can't allow you to expose secrets that are not supposed to be ever known. Not even you have that right!"

He turned around, his features now unreadable again and walked out of the room. He knew what had to be done and he would make sure no one would ruin his plans.

+++++

September 16th, 1978

Susan Flaherty was sitting at her desk in the classroom she taught in. She had just dismissed the children after a particularly difficult day. It had seemed that they had constantly giggled and she had not been able to settle them down. Usually this didn't seem to be a problem but today had been different. They had been way too excited. She smiled, knowing very well what the reason had been. She had made the mistake to tell them this morning that they were going to visit the petting zoo tomorrow. This prospect had been too much for the seven mildly retarded 8 year olds to handle quietly. She understood this very well and regretted not waiting till the end of the day. So she had been lenient with them. Still she had to at least try to continue teaching. Now she felt exhausted. Trying to concentrate on grading the papers proved almost impossible. So she finally stood up and walked across the room to the outside door that led into the play yard.

Stepping out into the fresh air, she took a deep breath. Fall was clearly coming, not just the leaves that started to turn pointed this out. The air was starting to get some of the distinctive smell of fall. Still just faint, she knew that within the next month it would become stronger. She always had enjoyed this time of year and now was almost excited to be able to spend it in Boston. It was supposed to be particularly beautiful in autumn.

Slowly she walked around the yard, picking up some stray toys that had been forgotten and putting them into the box on the side of the building that was housing them when they weren't being used. Bending down was starting to become a little bit of a chore. At 7 month pregnant her belly slowly started to become a hindrance. At times even her back ached and her legs felt sore when she was standing to long. Otherwise she had been really feeling well and actually enjoyed her condition. The kicks she received made her feel close to the little creature growing in her. Her longing to hold the little ballplayer grew with every day and at times she felt like she just couldn't wait any longer. Sometimes she even caught herself wishing the baby would come early but she also knew that this would not be a good thing, so she told herself daily that she just needed to be patient.

Her monthly check up the day before had once again been uneventful. She had expected no less. There had been only one surprise, the doctor that she had seen the last few months had been replaced by someone else. She had been a little disappointed, she had come to like and trust Dr. Miller, although he had been still very young, he had an aura of maturity surround him. The new doctor, a middle aged man by the name of Newman seemed to be knowledgeable but there was just something strange about him. Something that made her feel uneasy. The nurse had assured her that he had a good reputation he actually owned a large clinic on the other side of town. He had volunteered to take over for the next few months after Dr. Miller had left. The younger doctor had always wanted to practice on the mission field and suddenly an opportunity had opened up. The condition had been that he would leave within two weeks. The nurse told her it had been just too good to decline.

The longer Susan thought about it, the more she hoped Dr. Newman would not be there on her next visit. She couldn't put her finger on it but she just didn't trust him the same way she had trusted the other doctor. Slowly she shook her head as she wandered back into the classroom. There was just no reason for her feelings, probably just one of the mood swings that came with pregnancy.

+++++

Present Day

The evening of the next day brought a pleasant surprise for Mac and Judson. After spending all day desperately unsuccessfully trying to find a way to see the youngest member of their team, both of them were ready to give up, at least for today. It had seemed like everything had conspired against them. No matter how hard they tried to find a way to sneak into Gabe's room, there had always been someone around to stop the effort. Just when they were ready to leave Mary Sue returned. She had a smile on her face that spoke more than words.

Unable to contain herself, she burst out, "I got you 15 minutes with Gabe!"

Mac and Judson exchanged glances, it was almost unbelievable how many times in the last few days this amazing woman had managed to come to their rescue.

Seeing the look on their faces, she hurried to continue, "His condition has been upgraded to stable and he will be transferred to a regular unit tomorrow morning. That means that they will be checking on him a little less frequently tonight and the best time to not be caught would be around shift change at 11 PM. This is when the new shift will get report and so there won't be anyone checking on the less critical patients!"

"Mary Sue, you are a pearl!" Judson couldn't help but hug the smiling woman, giving her a big kiss on the cheek.

+++++

It was right at 11 when Mary Sue led the two of them down the hallway to Gabe's room. She had made sure that no one was around and promised to stand guard and warn them if anyone would be coming.

As they entered they found the room lit only by the light coming from the open bathroom door. Gabe's eyes were closed and he appeared to be sleeping. He was still connected to a monitor that recorded his vital signs and several I.V.'s, his skin pale and a dressing hiding a laceration on his forehead but after being separated from their friend since the explosion, it was a relieve to just stand there and watch him breath.

As much as she wanted to let him know that they were here, Mac was almost reluctant to disturb the peaceful sleep of her friend. Looking at Judson she could see that he felt the same way. Hesitating for another moment, she found herself suddenly starring into a pair of hazel eyes. Eyes, whose desperation seemed to deep and endless, that she felt herself pulled in and lost in them, swirling faster and faster into a deep abyss. It took Judson's hand touching her shoulder to bring her back into reality. 

"Gabe it is good to see you awake!" Judson tried to give his voice a cheerful note.

"I'm glad you are here, I missed you!" The way the last sentence came out, it very clearly communicated how much their friend needed them. After the initial desperation, there was now a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"We had to sneak in here and can't stay very long but we will be back as soon as possible!" Mac had finally found her voice again.

"It's over, you know!"

Seeing the confused look on Mac and Judson's face, Gabe continued, "I will never walk again! The Senator told me this afternoon! I guess, I could still be a lawyer, just as he always wanted. You know, just like Perry Mason!"

He had tried to sound funny but didn't quite manage both of them could hear his true emotions behind the joke.

"Don't worry about it right now, just get better!" Judson assured him, "By the time you get out of here, the 'Explorer' will be ready for you. You might have to teach Mac and me something about fixing engines but you are still our 'team genius'. We couldn't and wouldn't go anywhere without you, right Mac?"

The grin on Mac's face was genuine, "Yeah, you don't need your legs to be part of our team!"

There were tears in Gabe's eyes and it took him a moment before he was able to speak.

"Thanks guys, I don't know what to say!"

"Just go to sleep and get better! We still have a job to do, remember!" Mac pressed a kiss on his forehead and dragged Judson out of the room.

Being reminded of his missing identity, Gabe's eyes overclouded just for a moment, then determination returned to them. His friends were on his side, what could happen?

The parts are shorter now because I am going to update as I write!