Parkland Hospital

It has been a little over two hours now and still no word on Walker or the other officers. Trivette found himself in the large waiting room where other Texas Rangers and Dallas Police Officers sat waiting for any news on their friends. Mixed in the crowd of uniforms was family of either the injured or the diseased. An older woman began to cry rather loudly which brought everybody's attention to her.

Officer Justin Smith sat down next to Trivette and shook his head. "That's Mrs. Gibson, Charlie's mother. She blames Walker for his death."

"What!" Trivette glanced over at the woman then back at Smith. "Why?"

"He made the decision for the higher ups to stay." Smith rubbed his face as he took a look around the large, packed room. "Why did the gang just want the senior officers? Hell, why was there a riot in the first place?" He took a deep breath. "So many questions."

"Supposedly it was a drug bust that had gone horribly wrong. But I hear that it's something much, much deeper than that." Trivette glanced at Mrs. Gibson once again to see her being comforted by several officers and an older man that might be her husband. "We will know what happened. After all we have several of the gang members in custody right now."

Mrs. Gibson sobbed loudly then pointed at Texas Ranger Tyler Fletcher. "It was one of your men that killed my baby!" Her husband tried to console her, but she just waved him off. "He wanted to be a Texas Ranger!" She cried even louder at this declaration. "I want to see him tried for what he has done! I want to see him suffer!"

Anger swelled inside of Trivette and before he could lash out at the woman he left the room to head to the family waiting room where Alex, Erica and Sydney were waiting for news on Walker's condition. How could that woman say something like that? Did she know that Walker was right now fighting for his life on an operating table? Did she not care that he will suffer daily for the decision he had made?

"Trivette!" Fletcher ran up to him with a scowl on his own face. "How could she say that about Walker?"

Trivette stopped in the hall to face his fellow Ranger. "She has all right to be upset right now, just wish she wouldn't target Walker." He put his hands on his hips as he shook his head. "What if Walker does get charged for what he did?"

Fletcher's shoulders sagged as the anger cleared from his face. "He just might, especially if the other families press charges." He breathed out heavily as he rubbed the nape of his neck. "My gosh, he could be going to jail for involuntary manslaughter."

"Let's not think about that right now." Trivette began to walk once again. "Right now, we need to be there for the Walker and Ziegler families." When he made his way to the family waiting room he could see through the glass door, Alex who sat leaning against Erica. "We worry about the charges if and when they come."

Alex shifted her weight slightly and saw Trivette with Fletcher behind him as they made their way into the smaller room. Here, family of Walker, Ziegler and Porter sat waiting for any news of their loved ones. Trivette smiled at the people in the room then sat down next to Alex.

"Syd, how's Gage handling all of this?"

She shook her head. "He's getting help from several other Rangers and the FBI, but they are already swamped with interrogations." She began to rub Alex's shoulders. "Word is going around that the riot happened as a statement to the DPS. A war is about to happen between several gang members and the mafia."

Alex wiped her face with the tissue she held in her hands. "They have one of the gang members in custody that was there when Walker was shot." She sniffled then turned to Trivette to see his face etched with anger. "Gage is trying to talk to him right now."

Just thinking about what had happened almost made Alex break down once again. She has tried to remain so strong, however right now she just let the tears come. Her husband was forced to make a difficult decision then he was beaten and shot. On top of that, he was the lone survivor which could effect him quite a bit mentally.

The door to the waiting room opened and as Alex turned that way Trivette quickly got up. "Mrs. Minton."

Alex slowly got up, unsure what the woman's intentions were for visiting them. Mrs. Minton took a look around then went up to Alex who slightly tensed up. Here was a woman whose husband was killed because of Walker's actions. Why was she here?

The woman before her took a deep breath then held her hands open as though to hug Alex. "I just want you to know that I don't blame Walker for my husband's death."

"Thank you." Alex hugged the woman as she began to cry once again. "You don't know how much that means to me to hear that."

"I know, if Jay had the decision to make, he would have done the same thing." The woman pulled back and gave Alex a weak smile. "My name is Debra, but you can call me Debbie."

Alex slowly nodded at the woman. "My name is Alex."

She rubbed Alex's shoulders. "Need some company?"

"Thank you, but you should go home and be with your family."

Debbie's eyes got rather misty as she bit her lower lip. "I have no family. We never even had a child together." The tears began to fall from her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Alex gave the woman a big hug. "You can sit with us." She motioned to a chair with her hand and as Debbie sat down Trivette handed her a box of tissues. "We'll get through this together." Alex squeezed Debbie's hand. "No matter what happens."

Two Hours Later: Ranger Headquarters

The interrogation room was small, but that was done on purpose. But that still didn't make the claustrophobic feel any more comforting. Gage paced the area by the door, his arms crossed at his chest as his mind reeled over what he could do to get the little punk before him to talk. He had tried everything and so far the young man refused to speak.

Gage took a deep breath then rolled his neck till it popped. "Okay, Young. I need for you to start talking." He leaned his hands against the table and peered into the man's brown eyes. "Now tell me, what happened in that warehouse?"

Young crossed his arms then leaned back in his chair. "And what do I get if I do?"

This infuriated Gage, but he kept his anger in check. "Not promising anything. If you say something and if it proves useful, then maybe we can work something out." He sat down in the chair then turned on the video camera. "Now, tell us what happened."

"Fine, I'll tell you." Young gave Gage a smirk as he rocked forward and rested his elbows on the table. "Me and my homies heard about a group of officers that hid in one of the warehouses. So, we decided we're going to check it out." He shifted in his seat. "Paco decided he would use those officers to send a message."

Gage gave the young man a nod. "And what message is that?"

Young sighed heavily then bit his lower lip and his eyes began to waver. "I really don't know." Gage rolled his eyes which got Young to raise his left hand in protest, his other was handcuffed to the table. "Paco just told us that he wanted to get a message across. He had taken a Texas Ranger's gun and he wanted to use it."

It took all Gage had in him not to leave the room right then and there. Instead he rubbed his face then leaned his arms against the table top. The dreaded time has come, way too soon then he had anticipated. He took a few deep breaths then leaned back in the chair, his hands flat against the table.

"Young, what did you do once you reached the warehouse?"

The young man glanced at the table then began to pick at the cuffs on his right wrist. "Will I be protected?" He glanced up at Gage, his eyes full of fear. "I need to know for certain, before I talk anymore."

Gage gave him a nod. "If you give us a reliable account and be our key eye witness, then yes."

Young shifted around in his seat for quite some time before he spoke. "All right." He stared at the two-way mirror behind Gage. "I want protective custody and I want to be put into the witness protection program." He leaned across the table to get a good look at Gage. "I can tell you many things about what is going on, but I know they will kill me for being a rat."

The door opened and in walked Fred Harvester, the head FBI agent for the case. "It's a deal." He started a voice recorder then leaned against the wall. "Did Walker have a choice? Could he have done something to prevent what had happened?"

"No, I don't think so." Young shook his head. "Paco, or Raphael Martinez, was dead set on killing that night." He sighed heavily then rubbed his face. "Another group already had a Texas Ranger and a SWAT officer hostage. There was another officer, but Paco shot him, execution style." He shook his head again. "He would have killed anyway, no matter what Walker did. I'm glad that Walker gave up like that, might have saved lives that night."

Harvester slowly nodded his head. "Why are you switching sides like this? What's in it for you?"

Young sighed heavily. "Look, I'm only sixteen and I made a big mistake. I realized if I didn't talk, I may spend the rest of my life in prison."

"You made a good choice." Gage nodded at Harvester. "Okay, let's start from the beginning."

A Few Hours Later: Parkland Hospital

The hospital was rather quiet in the early mornings, which Gage liked. He didn't have to worry about running into people he knew as he made his way to Zeigler's room. Two hours ago his friend came out of surgery which repaired a punctured lung and lacerated liver. Now, Zeigler was finally waking up and asking for Gage. Wonder what he had to say?

As he rounded the corner he instantly spotted Zeigler's oldest son, Bryant talking to a nurse just outside a curtained off room. The nurse gave a quick nod then left rather quickly. Bryant turned to the Ranger and gave him a warm smile.

"Dad's been asking for you." He gave Gage a handshake then pointed to a large curtained room behind him. "Doctor's say he's going to be just fine." He pulled the curtain back to show Gage a thin man laying in a bed hooked up to several machines. "Dad, Captain Gage is here." Bryant went over to Zeigler's bedside and took hold of his father's hand. "Just remember, only talk when you need to."

Gage stepped to Zeigler's other side and looked down at the man's bruised face. "Hey, buddy." He took hold of his friend's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Glad to see that you'll pull through this just fine."

Zeigler's left eye gradually opened, his right was swollen shut. "How's Walker?"

"He's still in surgery, but doctor's say he'll pull through."

"Good." Zeigler's eye slowly began to close. "I'm sorry…"

Gage shook his head. "For what? You've done nothing wrong."

"I got everybody killed." His voice faded as he fought the drugs that was making him drowsy. "Please, forgive me."

The man before him fell asleep once more, his last words echoing around in Gage's mind. If Zeigler felt this way, wonder how Walker will feel. How will Gage possibly tell Walker that all of the men taken hostage in the warehouse were brutally murdered? How will his friend take this news? After all Walker was the lone survivor and Gage knew his friend will never forgive himself for what had happened to those officers. As terrible as that may seem, Gage knew it to be true. He along with everybody else will have to be by Walker's side to help him make it through the emotional and physical roller coaster that is destined to come.

Bryant gently patted Gage's shoulder. "There's a man in the hall asking for you."

Gage turned to see Senior Captain Bill Curtis and Assistant Chief, Miles Brookdale waiting for him in the hall. He swallowed hard, wiped his suddenly clammy hands onto his pants then went out to meet the men.

Curtis stuck out his hand for a shake. "Captain Gage."

"Senior Captain Curtis, Assistant Chief Brookdale." Gage shook the man's hands then shook his head. "Sorry about the SWAT officers."

Curtis shook his head. "None of this is your fault. We are here to talk to you about what is going to happen now that Walker will be temporarily out of commission." He sighed heavily then pulled a badge out of his suit coat pocket. "I really hate doing this, but business is business." He handed the item to Gage. "Right now, you are Headquarters Captain until further notice."

Gage glanced down at the badge in his hands then shook his head. "I can't, that's Walker's position." He tried to hand the badge back, but was denied by a wave of Brookdale's hand. "I was just sworn in for Field Captain not too long ago, surly there is somebody else that is better suited for the job."

Brookdale patted Gage's shoulder. "You will do good." He checked his watch. "We're going to stay and talk with Zeigler's son for a bit and then hopefully we'll get to see Walker."

"Right." Gage nodded his head as he took another look at the badge in his hands. "Alex is here right now. I'm going to see how she's doing."

Curtis patted Gage on the shoulder. "Tell her will see her right after we visit with Zeigler."

"Sure."

Gage watched the two older men walk into his friend's room then put the badge in his pant's pocket. He didn't want the responsibility, but knew he was the most experienced Ranger in Company B. Wonder what everybody would think about him taking over for Walker? Hopefully he didn't screw it up like he did with the riot. He took a deep breath then made his way down the hall, thankful that it was empty. No way did he want to explain what had just happened to other Texas Rangers.