Sorry for not posting for so long, thanks to everyone who reviewed, please continue to do so!
Present Day
Senator Patterson had been very careful to keep his son's return to Boston a secret. All of the renovation work on the guest house had been completed by an out of state contractor and his team. He had chosen a nurse from the state penitentiary rather than a hospital to diminish the possibility of anyone finding out. He knew he this time he would succeed in breaking Gabe's spirit and he finally would bend to his will. His plan was perfect because he had thought of everything. With only one small exception, he had forgotten that his son had always captured people's hearts without even trying. Several of his servants had been working for him for many years and Gabe had a special place in there hearts. Most of them were too afraid of their employer to stand up to him but that didn't keep one of them from making a very important phone call.
++++++
It was late at night and Judson had been trying for hours to get to sleep. After returning from his trip he was exhausted, yet sleep just would not come to him. Again and again he thought about the look on Mac's face when he had told her he wasn't going to tell her any details about Gabe's real family. He knew he had made the right decision but that still didn't give him the peace he needed to have a restful night. Once again he turned, hoping the change of position would make him more comfortable, very well knowing that it wasn't his body that made him edgy.
The abrupt opening of the door was almost a welcome interruption to his restless night. Already awake it took him but an instant to jump out of the bed ready to face who ever was intruding. The sudden brightness of the lights made him squint for a second.
"Judson, I just got some incredible news!"
Regaining his sight he saw an almost breathless Mac standing in front of him.
"I couldn't sleep, so I went for a drive!" she explained, "Then I remembered I hadn't checked our messages in several days, so I did! The last one was from a Jonas Donovan, he left his cell number, said he had some info on Gabe!"
Her last sentence made Judson listen up, "What's his number, let's call him now!"
Mac smiled triumphantly at him, "Already did, he is the Patterson family butler. He told me Gabe has been back in town for two weeks and his father keeps him like a prisoner!"
Judson could see the excitement in her face and understood how she felt. This was the best news he had heard in a long time.
"Do you think he will help us get Gabe?"
"I know he will!" Mac smiled, "He told me so!"
"Can we trust him?"
"I think we can, the way he talks, he has been around Gabe since he's been a little boy! He sounds like he really cares for our boy and would do just about anything for him! I set a meeting up with him, so he can give us some details on how and where Gabe is being held!"
"Great, finally we are getting somewhere!" Judson let out a sigh of relief. A big grin started to form on his face, "So now that we are both awake and certainly won't be able to sleep, how about celebrating the good news with a drink?"
Mac smiled, "You must have read my mind, I just thought the same thing!"
They spend the rest of the night talking. Although they hadn't gotten Gabe back yet, both of them felt very upbeat. Now that they knew where he was being held, nothing was going to get in their way. They were going to get their team member back where he belonged – in their company.
++++++
Jonas Donovan knew his employer too well to not be careful in doing anything against his will. He had chosen neutral ground for the meeting with the Adventure Inc. team. He had known that at this time of day the Boston Zoo would be filled with visitors of all ages. Nobody would pay any attention to them. Still he had decided to watch the area around the baboon cage very closely before he left his hiding place and walked towards the couple that appeared to be very engrossed with the monkeys.
"Mackenzie Previn and Judson Cross I presume?"
Slightly startled by the sudden appearance of a distinguished looking man in his early sixties, both of them turned toward him. Judson recovered first from his surprise.
"You must be Mr. Donovan!" he stated.
"Indeed, but please call me Jonas! Hardly anyone calls me Mr. Donovan!" he smiled.
"Jonas it is then! You told Mac that Gabe was back in town! Isn't it kind of a betrayal against the Senator to tell us about this?" Judson asked, trying to make sure that the man in front of him could be trusted.
"I guess it is, but Mister Gabriel is part of the family and I serve him just as much as I do his father. Also, I can not watch him being destroyed!"
He paused for a moment, apparently trying to get control over his emotions, before he continued to tell what had happened since Gabe's return.
After he finished he took another break, waiting for a response from the two people beside him. Observing the way Mac was clinching her teeth together and holding on to Judson's arm he could clearly tell the anger his report had aroused in the young woman. Judson's face also displayed anger but there was something else there, something the older man could only interpret as repulsion.
"I wanted to talk to Mr. Gabriel before I came to you", he added, "but I didn't have the opportunity. And I really didn't want to wait any longer, his emotional state is very unstable and I am very much afraid for him."
After listening to the last words Judson didn't have to think for a second about his response, "I want to get him out of there tonight! Do you think you can help us?"
A smile came across the butler's face, "I expected no less! I brought the plans for the property and I marked the Mr. Gabe's room. I also brought a key for the back gate and the side door of the guest room. And I wrote down the schedule for the guards that patrol the property."
"Jonas, you are a jewel!" Mac couldn't help but hug the older man and press a big kiss on his cheek.
"Just doing my job Miss Previn, Mr. Gabe was always the favorite of all the servants! He always stood up for us, this is the least I can do for him! And be assured, none of the other servants is going to interfere; I know they feel just like I do! But I better go; anyone seeing me with you could get in the way of your plans!"
He started to turn and was stopped by Judson who put his hand on his arm. Locking eyes with the other man he quietly said, "Thank you!"
Jonas just nodded, then left without saying another word.
++++++
After returning back to Mary Sue's house Mac and Judson spend the rest of the day going over the plans Jonas had given them. Finally they worked out a plan that they could agree on. Gabe's safety was their first concern and they did not want to do anything to endanger this mission. Too much depended on this going smoothly. Being discovered prematurely would mean that they blew the opportunity on getting Gabe back and both of them were convinced that this would be the only one they would get. Senator Patterson would ensure there weren't any second chances.
Mary Sue had quietly listened to their plotting. In the beginning she had insisted on being part of their plan but Judson had convinced her that it would be better for her to stay behind. He had explained that he didn't want her exposed if anyone would see them. As of right now Senator Patterson had no knowledge of her existence, this made her and her home a safe hiding place, something they really needed after they got Gabe out.
To make herself useful, she had started to prepare one of the rooms on the lower level of the house for Gabe's arrival. The room had served as her husband's office until a few years ago. At that time he had decided to spend more time with his wife. His first action had been to empty the room so he would not be tempted to bring too much paper work home. Mary Sue had always wanted to use the room for something else but somehow had never found the time to decorate it. Now it proved perfect. With Judson and Mac's help, she moved a bed and some of the other furnishings from the upstairs bedrooms into it. The room was perfect and would allow Gabe a lot of independence until they could get him back to a Neurosurgeon.
Satisfied with the accomplishment Mary Sue stepped back to get a good look at her friends. The emotions their faces displayed changed from excitement to tension and back but she could never read any doubt in them. It was clear that they both were determined to get the missing member of their team back and nothing could keep them from doing so.
++++++
Night had fallen upon the guest house at the Patterson Estate like a thick blanket, choking out any gleam of light. At least this was how it felt to Gabe. During the day he was at least able to sit in his wheel chair and wheel himself around in his prison. Until yesterday Jonas had taken him out into the garden behind the house and had sat there with him for a while. This had been highlights for him. He always had enjoyed being around the family butler who seemed to understand him so much better than his father ever did. Now he treasured the little talks with Jonas even more. As a matter of fact he could hardly wait for the time to come. It was the only thing that would tear him out of his depression and give him hope.
Today the hour had come and gone and finally his 'prison guard' Nurse Peet had told him it was Jonas' day off. For a moment Gabe had relaxed until he had heard the next sentence that came out of her mouth, 'Jonas would no longer be allowed to spend time with him'. It had seemed like the last spark of optimism left the young man at that moment. He had spent the rest of the afternoon staring out of the window, not actually seeing what was going on. Anybody who would have looked in his eyes at that moment could have seen that his spirit was broken. He felt like the last leave on a tree that the fall wind had finally torn of. Blown around without purpose or direction until finally landing somewhere – unseen, unknown and forgotten.
He had ignored the food Nurse Peet sat in front of him just continued to stare. When she had assisted him to bed he had endured it like he wasn't even there. For a moment she had looked at him and her face had shown something almost like pity, then she had turned around and left him to himself.
++++++
Gabe waited until he was sure the nurse had left house. He knew that she left every night for about an hour to spend some time in the gym at the main house. She was carrying a pager and all he had to do was push any button on the phone to get her to return. But this was furthest from his mind right now. Slowly he got out of the bed, using his hands to hold on until he sat on the floor. Sliding over to his dresser, he pulled himself up to a sitting position and opened the middle drawer. After searching for a moment in the darkness he had found what he had been looking for. Carefully he closed the drawer again and leaned against it. Holding the object in them, he pressed both hands against his chest. He could feel the erratic beat of his heart and for a split second total exhaustion overcame him. Letting his hands fall to his side his shoulders slumped harder against the hard wood of the dresser. Tears started to stream down his face and his sobs increased until they shook his whole upper body. When he finally regained some control the darkness within him was so completed that it didn't allow for even a glimmer of light to break through it. Slowly he lifted up his right hand and opened his fist. He used his other hand to open the small pocket knife he held.
Suddenly seeing the faces of his friends in his mind, he whispered, "I'm sorry guys, I can't hold on any longer, please forgive me!"
A small cry escaped his lips when the unexpected pain of sliding the knife across his left wrist hit him. The dim light of the moon allowed him to see the blood starting to flow from the wound. Taking the knife in the other hand he attempted to do the same to his right wrist but found this more difficult. That blood made the knife more slippery and it escaped his grip. Trying to reclaim it from the floor it slid underneath the dresser, now irretrievable to him.
Once again he let his body sink against the dresser. Now all he could hope for was that the one cut had been deep enough to kill him before Nurse Peet returned. Once again control was taken out of his hands.