Two Hours Later

He has grown accustomed to his mind being in a fog and as he started to wake up, his head seemed to be clearer than normal. He felt somebody shaking his right hand which always irritated him. Unfortunately he couldn't ignore it till he opened his eyes. Very slowly he got his eyelids to open and when he did, the hand holding his squeezed it gently.

"Hey, Walker. Doctor Nguyen is here with your physical therapist, Kelly."

Walker rolled his head towards his wife's voice to see a doctor standing next to her. He has seen this man a few times before, he usually brought the drugs that made him sleepy. Walker shook his head "no" which got another gentle squeeze to his hand.

"Walker, it's okay." His wife's voice reassured him enough to slightly relax him. Her hand gently ran through his hair making him close his eyes. "Cordell, you need to stay awake." The use of his first name, showed his wife's concern for him. He squeezed her hand while he pried his eyes open once more. "There you go, cowboy."

Doctor Nguyen appeared above him. "Walker, you will be in some pain." The man patted his shoulder. "For the last few weeks Kelly has been here to keep your muscles from atrophying and your body from getting bed sores." The doctor moved to the side so Kelly can get to Walker's bed. "Just try to relax."

Hands took hold of Walker's right arm sending flashes of that day through his mind. In Walker's head he could see Lieutenant Minton right before the man shot him. He could see the eyes that pleaded for saving. Why didn't he stop the gang? Why did he allow them to kill Minton? What about the other officers that remained? Were they killed too? Walker's brain began to shut down as the memories of that night came flooding back to him.

Alex watched on as her husband began to fight the therapist with strength she didn't even know he had yet. Walker let out a low grunt as Kelly fought with his right arm. Nguyen quickly went to her husband's side and started to get a sedative ready.

"No, wait." Alex held out her hand to stop the doctor. "Let me try." She gently took hold of Walker's right hand which he tried to pull away from her. "Honey, they're just trying to help you." She took a look into his blue eyes and saw fear. "Cordell, it's Alex. We're not going to harm you." Her husband looked at her, his eyes instantly softening. "Okay, they're moving you again. Just take it easy."

The therapist gently took hold of Walker's right arm once more and was able to start massaging the muscles. She could see this caused her husband some discomfort from the grimace on his face. Kelly then began to bend Walker's arm, getting him to flinch.

"Don't worry, your muscles will stretch out." Kelly bent Walker's arm, his eyes keeping watch on his vitals. "Just relax and it'll go by much smoother."

Walker slowly nodded his head then closed his eyes to sleep. As her husband's mind relaxed she could tell Kelly had an easier time with the massage therapy. It pained her to see Walker this way, but she knew it was part of the healing process.

Forty minutes later Kelly patted Walker's shoulder, gave Alex a comforting smile then left the room. Once the therapist did leave she sat next to her husband once again. She gently ran her hand up and down his arm then leaned over to kiss his forehead. Walker's skin was cold to the touch making her get up to tuck the blankets tighter to his body.

"Hey, Alex. Okay if I come in?"

She turned to give her close friend a smile. "Of course it is, Gage."

Gage took off his cowboy hat then ran his fingers through his short hair. "How's Walker?"

"Doing really good." She took hold of Walker's hand and gave it a gentle shake. This time, he instantly opened his eyes to look at her. "You have a visitor." Walker's head shifted then he nodded.

"Hey boss." Gage stepped up to Walker's bedside and took hold of the older man's hand. "Glad to see you awake."

Walker's head gradually lifted off the pillow as he tried to pull his hand away from Gage. Confused, Gage let go not wanting to hurt his friend. What did Walker want? He watched his friend slightly lift his arm up as though to motion to something.

Alex ran her hand through Walker's hair. "What do you want, Walker?" He pointed at Gage as he gave a nod of his head. "Yes, Gage is here." He quickly shook his head no then ever so slowly raised his arm to his chest. "Walker, what are you trying to say?"

It finally clicked inside Gage's mind what his friend was trying to tell them. He tapped the badge on his chest which got a thumbs up from Walker. Then, his friend gave them a very weak smile, which was more of a grin. He could hear Alex let out a few sniffles as her hand rubbed his arm.

"It's just temporary Walker till you come back." He's friend moved his hand to cover Gage's. "I'm glad you approve." Walker gave him a nod and another thumb's up. "Thank you, I won't let you down, boss."

After his visit with Walker, Gage had a greater sense of purpose knowing his friend approved of him being Captain. As he walked down the hallway his mind began to go through all the evidence he and the agents have found so far. There had to be something he was missing. But what was it?

He pushed the button on the elevator and as he waited for it he heard footsteps approaching from behind. He knew instantly they belonged to his wife and as he turned he gave her a huge smile. It amazed him she was able to catch up being six months pregnant. But Sydney did many things that would surprise most people.

She smiled up at him. "I see a change in you, Gage." She gave him a strong hug. "So, what are your plans now?"

Gage pulled back, his hands on his wife's shoulders. "I will take up on Curtis' offer." He shook his head. "If Walker does decide to retire early because of this I will take over as Captain." His right hand went to her growing stomach. "With little Miles on the way, I will need more steady hours." He gave her a wink. "I won't be like Walker, coming home at odd hours of the night."

Sydney playfully slapped his arm. "You better not. I don't want to raise this kid by myself."

He gave his wife a kiss on the forehead. "I will never let that happen."

Three Days Later

In the last few days there has been much improvement in Walker's condition that it even surprised Doctor Nguyen. It seemed that once he was pulled out from the coma, his brain was ready to get going once again. Unfortunately that caused many problems, since Walker's body wasn't quite ready to start moving just yet.

Today, Alex walked into her husband's room to see him laying in the bed with one arm up above his head. She could see his legs moving under the thin blanket which told her he was awake. As she approached Walker's side his head turned towards her and he gave a slight wave. It was so good to see him starting to act like his normal self.

"How you feeling today?" He gave her a thumbs up. "That's good to hear." She went to the side of his bed, gave him a kiss on the forehead then patted him on the shoulder. "Giving the doctor's any problems?" He gave her a slight grin. "As long as your obeying their orders." She sat down next to him. "Angela got her report card, all A's."

He gave her a nod then slowly brought his arm down to grab a notebook. After he wrote something down he showed it to Alex. When can I leave here?

"Not for another week." She took hold of his hand and gave it a squeeze. "Don't worry, you're doing really good." He wrote something else down then showed her. "If you feel like it today, I can tell Kelly you're ready for physical therapy." He gave her a nod. "Okay, I'll do that. I just hope you're not pushing yourself too hard."

A knock came at the door as Doctor Nguyen made his way to Walker's bedside. "Good news, Walker. Your last breathing test came out very well." A team of doctors came into the room signaling to Alex she will need to leave. "We'll be removing the tracheotomy tube, but he will need to be on oxygen for a few days."

Alex nodded. "Okay." She kissed Walker on the forehead. "I'll be back in an hour."

After she left Walker's room, Alex made her way down to the waiting room where she saw Erica and Debbie talking to each other. The former looked up and gave Alex a very warm smile. The two women along with Sydney have become very important in Alex's life. With her friends' undying support, she was able to pull through the days after the riot.

Erica got up and gave Alex a hug. "How's Walker?"

"Doing great. Getting the breathing tube removed as we speak." Alex pulled back to give Debbie a hug. "How are you two doing?"

"Great." Debbie smiled weakly at Alex. "Just going through it one day at a time."

Alex slowly nodded. "I hear that." She took a deep breath then checked her watch. "You two want to get something to eat?" Both women nodded their heads. "Very well. Let's go to C.D.'s. Erica, if you want to, you can call Jimmy to see if he wants to join us."

Erica began to laugh. "Let's make this a girls only lunch." This got Alex and Debbie to laugh. She then snapped her fingers. "Angela should be getting off of school soon. Why don't we pick her up. I think she will love it."

Alex hugged Erica. "Great idea. And afterward we can take her to see Walker."

XXXX

The deli was small, but they had good food which always brought Gage back for a quick lunch. Today he sat in a back booth with Montgomery in front of him, eating a BLT sandwich and drinking homemade lemonade. He wiped his mouth with a napkin then opened a thick folder which sat next to his plate.

"So, another Latino King was killed this morning. Classic mob hit." He shook his head as he flipped through the file before him. "What does this mean, Jim?"

Montgomery took out a small notebook then flipped through it. "I think Martinez has all the answers." He sighed heavily. "I just wish we could find that man."

"We will, he can't hide forever." Gage shook his head. "It'll just take some time."

"Time that we don't have." Montgomery took a sip of his water. "The families have gotten wind that Walker is now awake and mostly alert." He grimaced as he leaned back into the vinyl booth seat. "Mrs. Gibson wants to talk to him personally."

"That, we can't do." Gage's phone, which sat next to the folder began to vibrate against the tabletop. One glance at the number told him it was his wife. He quickly picked it up hoping she only had good news for him. "Syd, what's up?"

"Just letting you know I'll be gone for most of the day. Hanging out with the girls." Gage could tell she was smiling just by the tone of her voice. "Walker is getting his breathing tube removed as we speak. He'll be able to start light physical therapy either tonight or tomorrow."

Gage smiled at Montgomery. "That's so great to hear. When will he be out of surgery?"

"In about an hour. Me and Alex are going to be picking up Angela from school and we'll be seeing Walker once we get something to eat. If you see him before we do, let him know Alex will be there shortly."

"Will do. Love you." Gage flipped his phone closed. "Walker is getting his breathing tube removed right now." He let out a light chuckle. "I'm so glad to see him doing so well." Montgomery however didn't smile back. "What's the matter?"

"You know with Walker doing better, you will need to start asking him questions." Montgomery did give Gage a weak smile. "If you want, we can visit him after we get done here. Have you heard from Zeigler or Porter?"

"Talked to Zeigler just yesterday. He's doing fantastic and started working out again." He finished his sandwich and threw his napkin on the plate. "As for Porter, he doesn't answer phone calls anymore. His family is being harassed by reporters."

Montgomery shook his head. "Why Porter and not Zeigler or even Walker's family?

Gage gave the man a shrug. "No idea. Maybe because he's an officer." He slowly stood and threw some bills on the table. "Let's get going."