Gabe was sitting in his room, starring out the window. Even though his mind was far away, his arms continued to pump the dumbbells he held in his hands. Nothing was going to keep him here any longer than he had too. The reason why his mind wasn't on the task at hand was because he was thinking about his friends. Again and again he wondered why they hadn't found him yet. He would have called them a long time ago but the policy of the Center didn't allow patients to have access to the phones. It was meant to help them adjust to life here and concentrate on getting better. Visits were only allowed from family members and close friends.

He was thinking about the plan he had hatched last night while laying awake. By now he was able to transfer from his bed into the wheel chair without assist. This coming night, after the 1 o'clock rounds, he would sneak out to the nurse's station and use the phone. He knew that at that time the nurses where taking a 30 minute break in the lounge downstairs. This should give him enough time to get a call to his friends out.

Gabe smiled; the only thing that had kept him going during the last two weeks was the thought of being back with his friends, his real family. He had thrown himself into the physical and occupational therapy to the point of total exhaustion. And he could feel the results, his upper body had gotten a lot stronger and he was able to control his lifeless legs so he could transfer without problems, no longer he dependent on others.

The noise of the door opening tore him out of his thoughts. Slowly he turned his wheel chair around to see who had entered. Seeing Senator Patterson standing in the middle of the room, the smile froze on his face.

"Hi Gabriel, I heard you are doing much better!"

"No thanks to you!" Gabe's answer had a sarcastic flavor to it.

"You should be thankful for bringing you here; I just wanted the very best for you!"

"Really, and I thought all you wanted to do was separate me from my friends and make sure I would never find out the truth!"

"Gabriel", the Senator gave him a look that any stranger would have interpreted as one of disappointment, "I love you, you are my son, I would never do anything to hurt you!"

There was anger flaring from Gabe's eyes when he answered this time. "All you've ever done is hurt me; you never did anything that wasn't in the end to your advantage. But it doesn't matter anymore because I am not your son; I no longer have to honor you or even listen to you!"

There was a short pause before Senator Patterson quietly continued, "Gabriel, I know that you have been told lies and I hope I can prove to you that they are really only lies. You are my son just like Thaddeus and Isaiah. I might have been sometimes hard on you but I always loved you!"

The gentleness in his voice and the almost loving look in his eyes made Gabe uncertain, yet only for a moment, "You always were a great actor, I guess that's what makes you such a good politician. But you can't fool me any longer, I am not buying it!"

Again he received a look that spoke of emotional pain, "I am sorry that you doubt me son! I came here to take you home. I had the guest house renovated so it would fit your needs. You will have your own nurse who will help you with everything until you are ready to do things for yourself!"

Gabe was ready to refuse but stopped himself at the last moment. Maybe this was actually to his benefit. He would be back in Boston, close to his friends.

Trying to hide his anxiety he answered, "You sure have it all planned out haven't you? Keep me under lock and guard so you can control me!"

"Son, I understand, you are sick, you had a terrible blow that changed your whole life. Please give me a chance and let me help you, at least for a while!"

Pretending to still be reluctant Gabe let his head hang down, "Well, I guess, once again you win! But only for a little while, I will not stay forever!"

Slowly he turned his wheel chair back towards the window, making sure the Senator wouldn't see the grin that he no longer could suppress. There was a little change in his plans now. The phone call to his friends would just have to wait until he got back to Boston. It would make things a whole lot simpler. Just for once he would be the winner.

++++++

Mac had noticed that Judson had been kind of absent minded for the past several days. Feeling sort of depressed herself; she didn't give too much about his moods. She still hadn't been able to locate Gabe and it really bugged her. It was worse than looking for an artifact that had been lost for several centuries. Not even Mary Sue had been able to cheer the both of them up, so she just quietly continued her search, hoping that sooner or later she would turn something up.

When she came into the kitchen this morning she was surprised that Judson had already finished his breakfast and was picking up a duffel bag from the chair beside him.

"Judson, where are you going?"

For a moment he looked like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, then he finally answered, "I got a flight to catch?"

"A flight to where?" she continued to question.

"Can't really talk about it right now, I have another lead on Gabe's family!" he answered already starting to leave.

"Does Mac know?" Mary Sue wasn't about to let him go this easy.

"Nope but I know you are going to tell her. I will be back in a few days, hopefully with some more answers!"

He opened the door and left, ignoring her calling after him.

Mary Sue went to the coffee maker and poured herself a cup. She felt slightly frustrated. Not only hadn't things gone well lately, now she also had to explain to Mac that Judson had gone off without her. Hearing a noise from behind her, she turned back, finding herself standing in front of a yawning Mac.

 "What's all this noise about? It's only 7 o'clock! Is Judson getting breakfast?"

Swallowing hard, Mary Sue knew she had to tell the truth, "He has a flight to catch, don't ask me to where, it has something to do with a lead on Gabe's family!"

"Darn, he just left without telling me?" She slammed her fist on the table, not even trying to hide her anger.

"I'm sure he has his reasons, maybe he is just not sure with his lead will turn into something and he doesn't want you to be disappointed!"

Mac wasn't easily pacified but due to lack of another explanation and because there was nothing she could do about it, she decided to swallow her misgivings for now.

"Okay, maybe you are right!" she said, putting a smile on her face, "Let's have some breakfast, I am starving!" She turned to the table trying to hide her true emotions from her new friend.

She could tell that she hadn't been very successful when Mary Sue put a cup of coffee in front of her and said, "This has been very difficult for both of you! Judson probably just needs some time by himself to come to terms with everything that has happened lately!"

"He should have talked to me!" she protested.

"Men sometimes have a tough time talking about there feelings! Give him some time; he will come to you eventually!" she stopped and then added with a smile, "He knows how you feel about him!"

Mac looked at her with surprise and confusion but Mary Sue just continued to smile, "Mac, I have seen you two look at each other, you might try to hide it, maybe even from each other, but it is very evident to anyone who knows you!"

Not getting a response, she said, "My lips are sealed, nobody will hear it from me!"

Mac remained quiet; she recognized she would have to be more careful in hiding her feelings. Now she was angry with herself for being so translucent. At least Mary Sue understood.

++++++

November 6th, 1978

Susan Flaherty looked at the tiny little outfit she was just about to put in the suit case lying on her bed. It was white and had pastel green and purple stripes. She had chosen it on purpose so in case the baby would be a little girl after all, it wouldn't make any difference. Lovingly she folded it and placed carefully on top of the other items. Then she took a last inventory to make sure she had packed everything before she closed the suit case. Although she still had a week, she wanted to be sure everything was ready to go, just in case.

 She was kind of anxious about the appointment she had at the clinic the next day. What would the doctor tell her this time? That there was still no change; or maybe that she could expect to hold her long awaited child in her arms any time now? She wanted to be patient but everyday that went by it seemed to get more difficult. At night she found herself dreaming about the delivery and every time she held her baby it looked different. Sometimes it had the dark hair and eyes of her husband; sometimes it would have her fair hair and blue eyes. But no matter how it looked, it always would smile at her. Just last night she had the same dream again, only this time she could clearly tell it was a little boy that looked like the spitting image of her husband. He looked at her, then reached out with his hand and touched her. At the same time he said, "I love you mommy!" That was when she woke up. She smiled, taking it as a premonition of the future. Now she was even more sure that she her little angel would be a boy.

Now her mind wandered back to her home town and her parents. After she first had moved to Boston she had sent them weekly post cards, assuring them that she was okay and just needed some space. A few months ago she had started to call them. At first only very infrequent but lately she had talked to them weekly. There was so much they had to talk about! And how exited they were about the prospect of their first grandchild. Her mother had wanted to come to help her with arrangements for the arrival but Susan had finally convinced her to wait until after the baby arrived. She was planning on going back home and spending the first few weeks after the delivery with them. After that she would return to Boston and her job at the school. This was her life now and she wanted to raise her child right here where she had found happiness and security.

It seemed almost unbelievable that just a few months ago she had been ready to throw her life away, deeming it senseless. Now she had a new life with friends that she could count on, a job that she loved and a child that she would give all the love she was capable of.

++++++

James Patterson was nervous and this was an emotion was not experiencing very often. Matter of fact, he could count the occasions of this happening on one hand. And all of them had something to do with his family. This time was no different. His daughter in law had given birth to a little girl several days ago. The delivery had gone without complications and mother and baby were healthy. He should have been happy, yet what bothered him that he still not had the second baby that he had promised to his son.

Right now he was facing Thomas Jameson with only mildly suppressed anger. He had expressed his misgivings very clearly to the sleazy lawyer whose face showed the discomfort he experienced because of it very clearly.

"Mr. Patterson, I assure you everything is under control. Dr. Newman assured me you would have another grandchild latest by tomorrow night!"

"You better be right Jameson, if not, you will suffer the consequences. No one breaks promise to me and gets away with it!" his voice was cold as ice and made the other man shiver against his will.

++++++

Present Day

Upon his return to Boston, Gabe found that it would be much more difficult for him to escape than he had thought. First he was pleasantly surprised, finding the guest house completely renovated and adapted to his needs. Even some of the furniture and personal things from his old room had found their way over here. Knowing that somehow the Senator had convinced his wife not to return home after her son's "accident", he knew the only person that could have done this was Jonas, the family butler.

This was where the pleasant surprises ended and the unpleasant ones started. Almost immediately he discovered that the phone line led only to the main building. There was no line to the outside. The other one was the nurse that had been hired for him. At first glance he was sure she made 'Nurse Ratchet' look like a sweet angel. Matter of fact, for a moment he wasn't sure she was even a woman. At 6'2" and at least 250 lbs, she looked more like 'Andre the Giant' in a nursing uniform. And there was nothing pleasant about her face either, her expression almost made him shiver! Meeting her eyes he was sure she would follow the Senator's wishes in every detail and her introduction amplified that intuition even more.

"Mr. Patterson, I am Anna Peet, your nurse!" she thundered in a voice that would have scared any child away, "Until recently I have been working at the state penitentiary but I'm sure we will get along just fine!"

Gabe's spirit sank as he realized he should have stuck to his original plan. Now it would be almost impossible for him to escape or even contact Mac and Judson. The Senator had found the perfect prison for him