As he worked at freeing himself, a verbal firestorm had broken out at A.J.'s.

"Laurie, you are not going to take the ransom to Branson, I'll drive your jeep then surprise him when he comes to pick up the money and the car." Ron Johnson told her. Already Laurie was shaking her head adamantly.

"No, Ron. It has to be me. One of you guys can ride with me, but he's too smart. He will kill Rick, and I don't want to take the chance. I'll be okay if you or Rob just cover me."

Oscar turned away from the phone at this, then joined the chief of police and Rob Gomez as they faced Laurie over the kitchen table.

"Ron is right about this, honey. Branson won't let you or Rick live. I won't let you go to him." He held up his hand as she started to protest. "Laurie, listen to me. You may go as far as the bank, just in case he's watching, then Rob will take your place and I'll back him up."

"But he'll be monitoring me on Rick's transmitter, he'll know….." Laurie wasn't going to let them protect her at the expense of her husband.

"Mom, you've got to listen to Uncle Oscar, I'll be there too."

Laurie turned first, then saw the calm face of her son, Robbie. He came into the kitchen, holding a sleeping Melly.

"Honey, when did you get here?" she breathed, then carefully embraced him so as not to disturb her niece.

"A little while ago, Aunt Linda will want to go with Rob when Uncle A.J. is found, so Ramona came to stay with the kids. Don't worry…" he managed a smile as Oscar looked concerned. "Both of us had the inoculations for Chicken Pox when we went to college. Angelina's not happy about Grandma taking care of the kids, but…." He shrugged.

"Thank you, darling. But …" Laurie bit her lip at the realization that she might be endangering Rick as well as herself if she went to meet Branson.

"Laurie." Oscar turned her to face him, then he saw her take a deep breath.

"You're right, Dad. I might make things worse, but what if…." She choked, then buried her face in her hands.

"No, it'll be all right, honey." The older man gathered Laurie in his arms, then comforted her. "We'll bring him home safely, I promise, baby."

She raised her head, then took the handkerchief Rob handed her and blew her nose. "Thank you, Dad, guys." Laurie gave them a watery smile.

Her son handed Melly off to Rob, then gave his mother a hug. "That's my mom."

As soon as Laurie called the bank, and verified they would open to accommodate her "withdrawal", they got ready to go. Robbie went on ahead to find a place to wait where he could pick up his mother on the outskirts of Phoenix, after she changed places with Rob, while Ron and Oscar would trail them in an unmarked minivan.

As Linda and Ramona came to see Laurie and the others off, the phone rang, and Linda sprang to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Linny, it's A.J. I'm all right."

"A.J.!" she cried, then managed to stifle her tears long enough to ask "Where are you, honey?"

"I'm in the emergency room of the hospital in Chandler, can you reach Ron or Robbie to pick me up?" his tired voice said, then Ron took the phone from Linda's shaking hand.

"A.J.., I'm going to send Robbie to you, he'll be there in just a few minutes. How bad was Rick hurt when you left him?" He asked, then A.J. told him, "He's got a broken left leg and a concussion, I think. I was afraid it was worse, but Branson drugged us after he pulled us out of the truck, that's why we were out so long."

"Thank God the crash wasn't worse, we won't let him get away with this, A.J.. We'll see you in a little while." The police chief said, then hung up to contact Robbie.

A few minutes later, Laurie and Rob Gamez took off for the bank, trailed a moment later by Ron and Oscar, who was going to drop Linda at the hospital. As they reached the bank where Laurie and Rick had their accounts, a man came out of the bank, then signaled her to pull into the drive thru.

"Mrs. Simon, I'm very glad to see you." The white haired man began, noticeably trembling.

"What is it, Mr. Reynolds?" Laurie was nervous, then the bank president handed her a note.

"Take the money and drive away immediately, no tail, no hidden help, or I will go after Mr. Reynolds family. I'm in front of their house now." The words on the plain piece of parchment made her go cold.

"Please, go now, Mrs. Simon." He begged, handing her a shabby brown satchel.

"I will, don't worry, Mr. Reynolds." Laurie tried to smile, then took the case and put it away.

As she drove away from the bank, she put the satchel next to the transmitter on the seat, then put the new watch that Oscar had given her on her arm. Switching it on, she hoped it couldn't be detected.

"Laurie?" Bill Branson's voice sounded tinny, and she hurriedly answered. "Yes, Chief, I'm here, is Rick all right?"

"He was just a few minutes ago. Now you're going to do exactly as I tell you, understand." The cold voice unnerved her, but Laurie gathered her wits about her so she could try to stall long enough for Rob to sneak out from under the seat.

"I will, what do you want me to do now?" Laurie said, then the former policeman directed her to follow Highway 70 out of Phoenix, then go twenty miles until she passed mile marker 5, then pull onto the shoulder of the road.

"I will be waiting, then I'll take you to your husband." Branson's voice softened for a moment.

"Please, may I talk to Rick?" Laurie begged, then her shoulders sagged as the fugitive spoke.

"No, you'll keep silent and if I see any police, or your uncle or Ron, I'll shoot to kill"

"I understand," she gulped, then heard nothing. As she drove, Laurie caught a glimpse of Rob in the wheel well.

"Rob", she whispered, then she saw him signal her to continue before he slipped into the back seat.

Just as she was starting to climb into the foothills, Rob held up a piece of paper, it said "Pull over just after the Old Road turnoff."

She nodded, then abruptly felt Rick's presence. "Rick?" she "called".

"Laurie, sweetheart, where are you?" Tears came to her eyes at the sound of his thoughts.

"I'm coming, darling." She replied, then a wave of emotion hit her.

"Laurie, no, it's a trap, no!"

"Sweetheart, don't come!" Rick "yelled" to his wife, then he heard her "reply". "Darling, I'm all right, Rob's with me, Branson won't get a chance to hurt me. Wait a minute, someone's beeping."

Rick tensed, then resumed trying to wriggle free of the bindings on his wrists.

Suddenly Rick "heard" his wife. "Rick, Branson told me I have to stop where I am, he's.. Oh, someone's coming….."

A moment later, Rick heard fear in Laurie's thoughts. Abruptly pain shot through his head, and he knew she had been struck.

"Laurie, are you all right!" Rick frantically sent his thoughts toward her, then got a "glimpse" of her situation. He could only surmise it was because he was close…..

"Face down on the seat, Mrs. Simon." The woman had salt and pepper hair and she was holding a gun on his wife.

Fran Branson…………….. the woman he had almost lost his life saving some years ago.

Suddenly he saw Branson's light, headed toward the road.

"Laurie, are you all right, where are you?" Rick breathed a sigh of relief as she "replied" "I'm okay, Rob got Mrs. Branson before she could tie me up. Ron's with me, he's holding her and we're driving to where she was supposed to meet her husband. We'll wait for Branson there."

"Got to get loose, there!" Rick grunted, worried that something would go wrong. He managed to free his wrists, then untied himself from the log. Just then heard Branson yell. "Stop right there, Fran."

"He's coming your way now, Laurie. I'm safe, tell Rob to take him down." Rick assured her, then almost immediately he heard two shots.

"Branson, stop, there's no where to go!" Rob's voice nearby, then Rick saw Branson's figure outlined in the glare of several car lights. Fran Branson's scream echoed behind him, "Don't leave me, you idiot, after all I did for you!"

As the fugitive ran toward him, Rick looked around frantically, then picked up a piece of wood.

"Don't move, Simon, you're my ticket out of here." Branson was running toward him.

As he got close, Rick came out of his crouch, then struck the former chief with the wood. Taken by surprise, Branson fell forward, his gun skittering across the rocky ground. Biting back a cry of pain,

Rick lunged to his right, then grabbed up the weapon. Handicapped by his immobile leg, Rick nonetheless managed to get upright before Branson could raise up.

"Don't move, you bastard." He spat, then suddenly heard his son's voice.

"Pop! You okay?"

"Robbie! Yeah, I'm all right, where did you come from?" At that another flashlight pierced the semi-darkness. "Rick!."

"Over here, Ron!" Rick replied, relieved.

Within minutes a subdued Branson was hauled up to the road, then Robbie got an arm around Rick. "Just hang on to me, Pop. Let's get up to the highway."

"Always those vitamins would come in handy, son." Rick tried to joke, then choked up as Robbie answered shakily, "Now I'm glad you and Mom made me take them."

As Robbie. half-carried, half-walked Rick up to the shoulder of the highway, Rick had a frantic thought.

"Son, is your Uncle all right? Branson didn't come back after he dropped him!"

"He's okay, Pop. As a matter of fact, he doesn't have Chicken Pox, he had an allergic reaction to something he ate! Dr. Allen says he'll be okay, just a concussion."

Just then a familiar jeep pulled up to them, then Laurie jumped out and was hugging first Rick, then her son.

"Rick, darling, what did he do to you?" She gasped, seeing blood on his face.

"I'm okay, sweetheart. Let me see, where did that woman hit you?"

Rick ran his fingers gently over her face, then saw a trickle of blood on her cheek.

"Oh, Laurie…." He took a handkerchief from his son and dabbed her face. Laurie buried her head against his shoulder. "Thank you love, for coming back to us. I was so afraid of what the two of them were willing to do. They're so full of hate, Rick."

"If Ron has anything to do with it, Mom, neither Branson will be bothering us again." Robbie hugged his mother, then Rick grinned, "You can kiss me, and make it better." A smile appeared on her face, then Robbie snickered as he turned and saw them kissing.

"Mom, you're all the medicine he needs, and vice versa!"

Just then the paramedics finally pulled up and Rudy Wells jumped agilely out of the ambulance and made his way to them.

Within moments Rick was strapped into a litter and lifted into the rescue vehicle. Laurie tried in vain to convince Robbie to get in next to him.

"Oh, no you don't, Mom. I'll give Rob a ride back, you go with Pop." Laurie hugged her tall boy, then Rudy gave Laurie a hand up and traded seats with her so she could sit next to her relieved husband.

"I wish I could give you something for the pain, " Rudy tried to ease his patient's discomfort, then saw the pain lines disappear around Rick's eyes as Laurie put her arm around his shoulders.

"All I need is my nurse, Rudy. She'll take care of me, won't you, sweetheart?" Rick teased, then drew her face to his as she whispered. "As long as you want, my love. Nurse Laurie will make you all better."