Disclaimer: I don't own the characters on "Walker Texas Ranger.
The hospital:
Walker and Trivette were seated on the couch and Gage tried to make time pass by faster by pacing the corridor. Only it didn't. They hadn't really been waiting long at all but it felt like they had to him. In the car Sydney had become unconscious again on the way to the hospital so they hadn't been able to find out what it was she knew yet, or when it was happening.
This is the second time this week that I'm in the hospital, worried sick about her. At least Rebecca is safe with Alex.´
His thoughts were interrupted by a nurse who stepped out to tell him Sydney was awake and waiting to see them. Gage practically ran after her to the room. Walker and Trivette were already there, standing by the bed looking down at the patient they all knew so well. She greeted him with a warm smile.
Trivette noticed the concerned looks Gage was giving his partner and gave Walker a little push to the side that said they had better leave. He repeated it again when Walker didn't seem to get the message the first time.
"Oh, right. We'll leave you two alone for a few minutes. Uhm, Gage.........be sure to get the information we need too, ok?"
Gage heard them, but didn't answer. That was not his biggest concern right now. He took a seat by the bed as the other two Rangers left the room.
"How are you feeling?" he asked. Couldn't think of anything else to say at that moment. Strange. When I was unable to talk to her I had so much to say. But now, it's like my mind has been emptied.´
She didn't answer anyway. The smile had faded away and been replaced by a look of guilt and gratefulness. Gage took Sydney's hand and squeezed it to offer comfort for what ever she was feeling. She looked at him with tears in her eyes.
"You know, don't you? She told you." She said as a single tear escaped from her eye. Gage nodded. "I'm sorry you had to find out like this. Is she safe? My daughter I mean. Where is she?"
"She's at Ranger Headquarters with Alex and yeah, she's fine. Just fine." He took a deep breath "I know the whole story. Your sister told us."
"Gage, it's not that I'm not grateful but how did you find me exactly?" she asked. "It all happened so quickly and a lot is a total blur."
That was not a question he was ready to answer at that point. He was afraid that if he told her she might view him differently than before. He had not acted the way he was supposed to, and he knew it. But he would have to deal with that later, there were more important things to talk about now. He didn't mean the Lawrence-company and the drugs.
"I hope it's ok if we wait with that. There is something else I need to tell you first. Something I've been wanting to tell you for some time now. And when you disappeared I was afraid I would never get to tell you." He took both her hands and held them.
"Gage, before you do that, maybe I should tell you about......" she started
"No, forget about that........for now that is. This is much more important."
"Okay, go on. I'm listening." She encouraged him.
Oh, god. I can't do this. But if I don't I know I'll regret it.´ he thought.
Suddenly he heard a voice. "Tell her, Gage. You need to."
"Did you hear that?" he asked her. He couldn't see anyone else in the room except him and Sydney. But he was sure he hadn't imagined it.
"Hear what? I didn't hear anything." She said.
"Oh, forget it." What ever that voice comes from it hasn't been wrong about anything yet.´ he thought.
"Syd, I want you to know that the fact that you had a secret....well a big secret actually, but that doesn't matter."
Sydney watched his strange behaviour, astonished. The last time she had seen him before all this started had been in her apartment that same night. And she remembered that he had been acting strange even then. Now he was acting the same way.
"Well, it doesn't matter to me, I'm sure you had a very good reason for wanting to keep it to yourself. And........"
"Gage what is it you're trying to say?" she asked and took a sip of water from a mug on the table next to the bed.
"I love you."
Sydney almost choked on the water but managed to swallow it down with a large cough.
"What?"
Had she heard right? He loved her? She had not expected him to come out and say it to her face like this. She didn't think he loved her. How could he? She had kept something from everyone including him. Then again, he had just told her that he didn't care about that, and that he loved her.
"I said I LOVE YOU." He repeated and waited for an answer. Anything would do. But she just stared at him with those beautiful eyes of hers. At least she didn't look disappointed. "Would you please say something, you're making me very nervous here."
"I love you too, Gage." She said with a smile. They both knew that they were talking about more than friendship this time. This was more.
The door opened and Trivette entered. "Guys, I hate to break up the reunion but we really need to know what you know" he pointed at Sydney.
"Oh, right. I suppose Sylvia told you about the old lady who could testify about the abuse." Walker entered just in time to hear the last. Trivette nodded. "She is also a witness of drug smuggling. There is a large shipment of drugs coming in at three o'clock in two days."
"Where?" Walker asked.
"At Johnny's house. A man who calls himself Leonard Anderson is going to deliver it to Johnny and his company makes sure to sell it to someone else. In the end it ends up on the streets. But I take it we're not going to let that happen."
"No, we're not. We'll make sure it doesn't get out that Johnny Lawrence has been arrested and make this Anderson think that the deal is still on." Walker explained and the others agreed it was a good plan.
"What I'd like to know" Sydney said "Is when I can get out of here and see my daughter and my sister." She eyed her friends as if they had the power to decide if she had to stay or could leave right away. Gage tried to be helpful. He understood how much Sydney wanted to see them.
"Syd, I'm sure Sylvia won't mind bringing Rebecca here so you can see her."
She objected to that immediately. "No, absolutely not. I don't want the first time I speak to her to be at the hospital. I feel fine and I'm getting out of here now." She sat up and reached for the clothes she had been wearing earlier.
"Miss Cooke, you can't leave." The Rangers turned and there stood one of the nurses, arms crossed across her chest. "Maybe tomorrow but the doctor wants to keep you here during the night just in case. So you may as well lay back and relax."
Sydney sighed and leaned back again. This was going to be a very long night.
To be continued
The hospital:
Walker and Trivette were seated on the couch and Gage tried to make time pass by faster by pacing the corridor. Only it didn't. They hadn't really been waiting long at all but it felt like they had to him. In the car Sydney had become unconscious again on the way to the hospital so they hadn't been able to find out what it was she knew yet, or when it was happening.
This is the second time this week that I'm in the hospital, worried sick about her. At least Rebecca is safe with Alex.´
His thoughts were interrupted by a nurse who stepped out to tell him Sydney was awake and waiting to see them. Gage practically ran after her to the room. Walker and Trivette were already there, standing by the bed looking down at the patient they all knew so well. She greeted him with a warm smile.
Trivette noticed the concerned looks Gage was giving his partner and gave Walker a little push to the side that said they had better leave. He repeated it again when Walker didn't seem to get the message the first time.
"Oh, right. We'll leave you two alone for a few minutes. Uhm, Gage.........be sure to get the information we need too, ok?"
Gage heard them, but didn't answer. That was not his biggest concern right now. He took a seat by the bed as the other two Rangers left the room.
"How are you feeling?" he asked. Couldn't think of anything else to say at that moment. Strange. When I was unable to talk to her I had so much to say. But now, it's like my mind has been emptied.´
She didn't answer anyway. The smile had faded away and been replaced by a look of guilt and gratefulness. Gage took Sydney's hand and squeezed it to offer comfort for what ever she was feeling. She looked at him with tears in her eyes.
"You know, don't you? She told you." She said as a single tear escaped from her eye. Gage nodded. "I'm sorry you had to find out like this. Is she safe? My daughter I mean. Where is she?"
"She's at Ranger Headquarters with Alex and yeah, she's fine. Just fine." He took a deep breath "I know the whole story. Your sister told us."
"Gage, it's not that I'm not grateful but how did you find me exactly?" she asked. "It all happened so quickly and a lot is a total blur."
That was not a question he was ready to answer at that point. He was afraid that if he told her she might view him differently than before. He had not acted the way he was supposed to, and he knew it. But he would have to deal with that later, there were more important things to talk about now. He didn't mean the Lawrence-company and the drugs.
"I hope it's ok if we wait with that. There is something else I need to tell you first. Something I've been wanting to tell you for some time now. And when you disappeared I was afraid I would never get to tell you." He took both her hands and held them.
"Gage, before you do that, maybe I should tell you about......" she started
"No, forget about that........for now that is. This is much more important."
"Okay, go on. I'm listening." She encouraged him.
Oh, god. I can't do this. But if I don't I know I'll regret it.´ he thought.
Suddenly he heard a voice. "Tell her, Gage. You need to."
"Did you hear that?" he asked her. He couldn't see anyone else in the room except him and Sydney. But he was sure he hadn't imagined it.
"Hear what? I didn't hear anything." She said.
"Oh, forget it." What ever that voice comes from it hasn't been wrong about anything yet.´ he thought.
"Syd, I want you to know that the fact that you had a secret....well a big secret actually, but that doesn't matter."
Sydney watched his strange behaviour, astonished. The last time she had seen him before all this started had been in her apartment that same night. And she remembered that he had been acting strange even then. Now he was acting the same way.
"Well, it doesn't matter to me, I'm sure you had a very good reason for wanting to keep it to yourself. And........"
"Gage what is it you're trying to say?" she asked and took a sip of water from a mug on the table next to the bed.
"I love you."
Sydney almost choked on the water but managed to swallow it down with a large cough.
"What?"
Had she heard right? He loved her? She had not expected him to come out and say it to her face like this. She didn't think he loved her. How could he? She had kept something from everyone including him. Then again, he had just told her that he didn't care about that, and that he loved her.
"I said I LOVE YOU." He repeated and waited for an answer. Anything would do. But she just stared at him with those beautiful eyes of hers. At least she didn't look disappointed. "Would you please say something, you're making me very nervous here."
"I love you too, Gage." She said with a smile. They both knew that they were talking about more than friendship this time. This was more.
The door opened and Trivette entered. "Guys, I hate to break up the reunion but we really need to know what you know" he pointed at Sydney.
"Oh, right. I suppose Sylvia told you about the old lady who could testify about the abuse." Walker entered just in time to hear the last. Trivette nodded. "She is also a witness of drug smuggling. There is a large shipment of drugs coming in at three o'clock in two days."
"Where?" Walker asked.
"At Johnny's house. A man who calls himself Leonard Anderson is going to deliver it to Johnny and his company makes sure to sell it to someone else. In the end it ends up on the streets. But I take it we're not going to let that happen."
"No, we're not. We'll make sure it doesn't get out that Johnny Lawrence has been arrested and make this Anderson think that the deal is still on." Walker explained and the others agreed it was a good plan.
"What I'd like to know" Sydney said "Is when I can get out of here and see my daughter and my sister." She eyed her friends as if they had the power to decide if she had to stay or could leave right away. Gage tried to be helpful. He understood how much Sydney wanted to see them.
"Syd, I'm sure Sylvia won't mind bringing Rebecca here so you can see her."
She objected to that immediately. "No, absolutely not. I don't want the first time I speak to her to be at the hospital. I feel fine and I'm getting out of here now." She sat up and reached for the clothes she had been wearing earlier.
"Miss Cooke, you can't leave." The Rangers turned and there stood one of the nurses, arms crossed across her chest. "Maybe tomorrow but the doctor wants to keep you here during the night just in case. So you may as well lay back and relax."
Sydney sighed and leaned back again. This was going to be a very long night.
To be continued