The Next Morning

A fog rested over Walker's mind making it hard for him to think clearly. Ever since he had accused Carter for being part of the fight ring the doctor has kept him heavily sedated. He could have sworn the young FBI agent had threatened his life, but according to his friends Carter was a respectable man. Was he loosing his mind?

Walker licked his lips then turned his head to see Alex sleeping on a cot underneath the window. Wonder when she fell asleep? He then moved his head so he can see Angela who had curled up in a chair to sleep. Wonder what his daughter thought about this whole situation?

He yanked at the restraints holding his arms to the bed embarrassed that his family had to see him like this. Why were the doctors treating him like he was a criminal? Being strapped down like this brought back many memories of being in captivity, some not very pleasant. With one last tug at the restraints he let out a low moan then allowed his body to relax.

Alex stirred from her sleep, rubbed her face on the pillow then turned her head towards Walker. He waved his hand back and forth before giving his wife a smile.

"Hang on, let me get those restraints off of you." Alex fumbled around with the right strap while shaking her head. "Sorry but the doctors had to restrain you while you slept. You were writhing around and whenever a nurse tried to calm you down…." She took a deep breath as she went to Walker's other side. "You would try to fight them."

Walker rubbed his wrists then picked up the tablet. "You know me, Alex. I don't act that way."

"I know you don't." Alex gave Walker a kiss before sitting down beside him. "But you've been missing for over six months. That could wear on people, even you."

He couldn't believe that his own wife, a woman he has known for over twenty years is accusing him of being mentally unstable. It all started after that FBI agent, Carter visited him last night. Did everybody he knew and trusted actually believed that man? Why didn't anybody believe him? Is it because he couldn't talk?

Walker shook his head. "I'm telling the truth, Carter is one of them." He tapped the tablet for emphasis. "Did you get a good look at the paper?"

Alex nodded. "I did. It was for a man named Raphael Winters, or you knew him as Miguel." She took a deep breath, glanced behind her at Angela then leaned in closer. "Walker, this is the ICU, there is a camera pointed right at the bed. The nurses saw nothing." Her voice shook and she quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

Walker shook his head as his mind began to race about what Alex had told him. Was he really loosing his mind? He could have sworn Carter had threatened his life, after all his leg still ached from when the man put pressure on the wound. Wonder if he could see the video himself?

The door opened and in walked a nurse with a tray in his hands. "Good morning, Walker. My name is Gary and I'm here to prep you for eye surgery."

Alex gave Walker's hand a rub before standing up. "Behave for Doctor Jewels." She gave him a kiss and ran her hand down his cheek. "I love you."

XXXX

In a conference room a few floors down Trivette sat across from Tommy Carter wondering if the man was indeed a traitor. For the last six months Trivette had let this man into his life even let him play baseball with his sons. If he truly was working with Humphrey he was doing an amazing job at acting. Trivette has known many snitches in his time and so far Carter hasn't shown any signs that he was one.

Carter took a sip of his coffee then leaned back in his chair. "Let me take a lie detector test."

Trivette nodded. "That's probably the best thing to do right now."

"Look, I'm not mad at your friend." Carter let out a heavy sigh as he began to play with a napkin. "When are we going to tell him and Mr. Abijah about the other fighters?"

"I know we can tell Abijah, but I'm not sure about Walker." Trivette took a sip of his latte, his mind going to his close friend. "The media is calling the raid the worse in American history."

Carter shook his head. "It's all because of Winters that Walker and Abijah are even alive." He rested his elbows on the table then put his face in his hands. "I should have done something."

"You did all you could do." The door to the room opened and in walked Alex. "Hey, Alex. How's Walker doing this morning?"

Alex gave Trivette a shrug as she sat down. "Not sure. He's having surgery on his eye right now." Her voice shook and she took a deep breath to control herself. "Jimmy, I thought I would be happy to have him home…."

"Don't worry, he'll get better especially when he's back in Texas." Though Trivette had a hard time believing his own words. "Where's Angela?"

"Sydney drove up last night with Gage." She held her hand up when Trivette started to argue. "Walker hasn't seen him yet, but he needs to."

Trivette nibbled on his bottom lip as his mind began to process what could happen if his two friends were to meet. Maybe they can have Gage see Walker after his eye surgery. By then Walker will be slightly doped up and unable to fight. It hurt him to think of Walker as a somebody who wasn't mentally stable, it just couldn't be possible. For as long as Trivette has known him Walker was always the cool one under pressure. Why was this time so different?

He took a deep breath then nodded his head. "Once Walker is out of surgery have Gage see him. Hopefully he will lighten Walker's mood."

XXXX

The waiting room was quiet all thanks to several police officers keeping the unwanted away. Gage took a deep breath as his mind went to Walker who was currently in surgery to repair damage done to his eye. Wonder if his friend will be able to see out of it? Why did Walker have to go through so much and Gage walked away with only a tattoo?

He took a deep breath, raked his fingers down his face then stood up from his chair. Without saying anything to his wife he left the room to head towards Z's. As he walked down the long hallway he couldn't help but to look around for any agents that may stop him. Ever since his arrival here in Montana last night he's been kept away from the hospital.

Gage eventually made it to Z's room which had a guard stationed outside. After showing his ID the man gave Gage a visitor pass and told him to clip it on.

"You're only allowed thirty minutes." The guard opened the door and ushered Gage inside. "Need anything, I'm here."

Once the door was shut behind him Gage turned his attention to the bed and a smile spread across his face. Zadok sat on the bed, reading a book and eating a bowl of fruit. His head turned to the door, a grin forming when he saw Gage.

"Pull up a chair and have a seat!" Zadok put his book down and swung his legs over the side to get a better look at Gage. "It is so good to see a friendly face again."

Gage sat down with a sigh. "How've they been treating you?"

Zadok shrugged. "Okay, I guess. How have you been, Gage?"

"Been better." His eyes fell upon the tattoo on the man's right arm before he looked back at Zadok's face. "Did you see my friend Walker while you were there?"

"That I have." Zadok quickly got up and went for a bag resting on another chair. "In fact they gave me some of his things." He pulled out a few t-shirts and handed them to Gage. "Walker is a great man, Gage. You are fortunate to be very good friends with him."

Gage took a look at the t-shirts in his hands before placing them on the bed. "How did you get his shirts?"

"They asked for us to pack up our things before the raid happened. Guess our bags were pretty close to each others." He sat back down and popped a strawberry in his mouth. "We lived in the same cabin, but not the same room. I saw your friend daily during the breaks we were allowed to have."

"How was life in the other camp?"

Zadok shook his head as he finished his fruit bowl. "It was not all that bad. They took care of the men who lived there, including Walker and I. In fact when Walker got injured they made sure he had the proper medical treatment." He took a deep breath as he began to play with a strawberry leaf. "I injured him rather badly at the other camp. He may not see again out of that eye."

It was Gage's turn to shake his head. "Z, knowing Walker he will never hold a grudge over that." He listened to his own words wishing he could belief them himself. "Did he ever try to talk to you or anybody else?"

"No, I'm afraid not." Zadok bit his lower lip as he looked at the door. "What did the FBI do to you when you were brought home?"

"I was forced to live at a ranch for a few weeks while agents viewed testimonies of all the fighters." Gage rested his elbows on his knees, his attention focused on a discolored tile on the floor. "Z, there's something you need to know…." The door burst open and two agents came into the room. "It's not been thirty minutes!" Shouted Gage as he stood up.

The shortest of the agents shook his head as he went up to Gage. "I'm sorry, sir. But till we clear Mr. Abijah here, you are no longer able to talk to him."

"Why! He needs to know!" Gage spun around to face Zadok. "Z, whatever you do, don't remove the tattoo…."

"That's enough, Mr. Gage." The other agent took hold of Gage's arm and led him towards the door. "If you don't leave willingly we will revoke all your rights to see Mr. Walker."

Gage pulled his arm away from the agent, furious at how he was being treated. He stormed out the door and towards the waiting room where he sat down with a loud huff. Sydney, knowing he needed some space didn't move from her seat a few away from his. What was going on with this case? Why couldn't he talk freely with his friend? What was the government hiding?

Carter sat down next to Gage and shook his head. "Listen, this case is a very sensitive one. We really don't know who to trust anymore." He took a deep breath and attempted to hand Gage a cup of coffee. "We also have to evaluate his mental state to see if he may be working with the men who took him."

"This is bull and you know it." Gage took the coffee but didn't drink it. "What happened to your nose?"

"I fell." Carter sipped at his own coffee as he let out a low grumble. "Just leave it at that."

Gage held up a hand in mock surrender. "I got it." He took a drink of his own coffee then leaned back into his chair. "When can I see Walker?"

"In about an hour." Carter patted Gage's shoulder. "I'll let you know, don't worry."