Three Hours Later

The room was actually not as cool when Angela walked in to see her father after spending a day with her mother and her surrogate aunts. According to her mother, dad had his breathing tube removed and was now on an oxygen mask. Unfortunately he still won't be able to talk for quite some time all thanks to the wires in his mouth.

She turned to her father's bed to see him laying propped up by pillows with his knees bent. He had one arm crossed over his stomach, the other was above his head. This was the first time she has seen him in a position other than just laying on his back. A huge smile spread across Angela's face as she ran to her father's bedside

Her father turned his head, gave her a smile then a slight wave. "Dad!" Angela glanced at her mom to see her encouraging her to get on the bed. "So, glad to see you awake!"

Angela jumped up on the bed then snuggled into the side of her father's chest. He brought his arm down and though he was still weak he attempted to give her a hug. She looked up into his eyes to see them glistening as his other hand rubbed her arm.

"I love you, dad." She gave him a hug then kissed him on the forehead. Her eyes drifted to the thick bandage around his neck. "Does it hurt?" He shook his head no. "That's good."

"Walker, you need to put the mask back on." Said her mother as she went to rub dad's shoulder. "Here, Angela. You can help him out."

Angela took the oxygen mask from mom then gently put it over dad's face till it was situated over his mouth and nose. He still had the tube inside his nose which gave him food. When will that be removed? Hopefully he'll be able to eat normally now since he is getting healthier. Soon, her father will be able to come home to them.

She gently laid her head on his chest and felt his heart beating. This comforted Angela enough to let her eyes close. Thank you God for saving my dad. Thought Angela as she slowly drifted to sleep.

His daughter's deep breathing told Walker she had fallen asleep. How was she taking all of this? He slowly rubbed his hand on her back, thankful that he was alive to see her grow up. But why did he make it out and not the other officers? Why was he shot in the chest and not in the head like Minton? What was the purpose behind that?

A hand running through his hair made him look up to see his wife smiling down at him. He slowly reached for her hand then gave it a squeeze. Whatever made the gang leader decide to not fatally shoot him that night was a miracle. But it would be something that will forever eat at Walker's conscience.

"Are you okay, Walker?" She leaned down and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "Kelly will be here in about ten minutes. Are you ready?"

Walker rolled his eyes up at his wife then down at his sleeping daughter. He slowly gave her a nod knowing the pain was all part of the healing process. Though his mind was now mostly coherent, his body was still trying to recover from being in a coma. Which meant stiff muscles and aching joints that never seemed to go away. It was hard for him to even move his arms, which he found we're stiffer than his legs. But he did notice he got really comfortable if he shifted his right arm above his head.

"Here, let me wake up Angela." Alex went and nudged their daughter to get her awake. "Don't fight Kelly too much." She gave Walker a wink as she ushered their daughter out of the room.

After his wife and daughter left the room in walked Kelly with a nurse in tow. "Walker, how are you doing today?" Walker gave the man a thumb's up. "Good, we're going to start light physical therapy." He went to the side of the bed then held out his hand. "Okay, touch my hand."

When Alex arrived back into Walker's room after making sure Angela was safe with Sydney she saw Kelly had already started the physical therapy. She watched as Walker lifted his arms up to touch Kelly's hands. She held back the tears as she watched her husband follow the therapist orders to the letter.

Cowboy boots from behind caused her to turn to see Gage and Trivette walking into the room. She gave them both a smile before she turned back to see Walker slowly sitting up with Kelly's help.

Trivette gave her a friendly hug. "How's he doing?"

She nodded. "Really good. It's great to see him up and moving again."

Walker turned to them and Alex could see his cheeks flush in embarrassment. Who would have thought just two weeks ago Walker was fighting for his life. Even this morning he could barely keep alert and yet here he was working on hand drills. Hopefully in the days to come he will be able to move much easier.

Doctor Nguyen stepped up to them with a smile. "He's stubborn, that's going to work for him in the long run. But, it could cause problems. Just make sure he doesn't push himself."

Gage gave a slight chuckle. "Try to tell Walker that, doc."

Both turned to the bed when they heard another laugh. Alex's hand went to her mouth when she realized it came from Walker. Her husband gave her a grin then started to work on his leg drills. Her husband will make a full, physical recovery. How will he do mentally? Ever since Walker became more coherent he would always ignore the topic about that night.

Kelly lifted Walker's right leg and started push against it. "Push against it, Walker." Alex could see the pain in her husband's face as he fell to his back. "Come on, I know you can do it." Walker let out a grunt and pushed out his leg. "There you go." Kelly patted his foot. "Once more, and we'll move to the left."

"He's going to pull through this just fine."

Alex nodded at Jimmy's statement. "I'm just worried about his mental state." Her friend pulled her into a friendly hug. "That's the big challenge that awaits him."

One Month Later

The ranch house was quiet since Angela was now back at school and Alex went back to work. Walker slowly made his way through the house, using the walls as support. It has been a couple of months since the riot that nearly took his life and he was slowly getting his strength back. He just wished the doctors didn't put him in a drug induced coma, it made his recovery time longer than it should be.

He finally got to the kitchen where he had to lean against the counter to catch his breath. It frustrated him to no end that his lungs weren't healed yet. However one look in a mirror reminded him of how close he had come to loosing his life. A pink circular scar on his neck was a tell tale sign of when he couldn't even breath on his own. Then there was the thick scar which traced his chest. He still couldn't believe he was down to only one kidney.

Just thinking about it brought his right hand to his side then it moved up his chest. It's crazy how close he had gotten to dying. And why didn't he die? He had been in the warehouse, critically wounded and bleeding to death from two gunshots to the chest for an hour. Why was he alive? How did he make it out when three officers were killed?

"Walker!" Kelly's voice echoed throughout the empty house. "You better not be walking around or I will sedate you!"

Walker rolled his eyes at his therapist's voice. "I'm in the kitchen."

"Please tell me you got there by using the walker…" His voice faded as he stepped into the kitchen. "Walker, how many times have I told you, that you can't keep…."

"Pushing myself. I know, I know." Walker turned to face Kelly. "I can't keep sitting down and do nothing." He shook his head. "I need to get moving around more."

"Need I remind you that your right lung collapsed and you had gone into cardio arrest while in surgery." Kelly stepped up to Walker, worry written on his face. "I know you feel up to it, but you got to remember, your lung is going to be very weak."

Walker sighed heavily then lightly coughed. "I'm going to be fine. It's not the first time that I had a lung collapse on me."

Kelly shook his head. "And how long was your recovery rate then?" He put his hands on his hips. "And were you on a trachea tube?"

"I was up and moving within a month. Back to work in two. And no, I didn't have a tube in my throat." Walker pushed off the counter and started to make his way to the living room. "If the doctor didn't put me into a coma I would be moving around a lot better…"

"You were fighting the medication." Kelly patted Walker's shoulder. "I have to admit, you are moving pretty good." He tried to help, but was quickly shooed away. "Most people your age don't make it this far, let alone heal this quickly. Don't push it, Walker. Mentally, you may be sharp as ever, but your body is still sixty-eight."

"Now, we're playing the age game?" Walker slowly sat down on the sofa. "My age is just a number, nothing more than that."

Kelly shook his head. "They told me you would be the toughest patient I would come across." He then nodded and patted Walker's shoulder. "Well, if you are ready, let's go."

Walker got to his feet once again then followed his therapist to the spare bedroom. Here, he was told to wait while Kelly left the house to get something from his car. For the last month he had been doing mild exercises using the Total Gym. It was hard work, but the machine was easy on his joints. Wonder what Kelly had up his sleeve now?

"Okay, Walker. We're going to start strength training." Kelly walked in with a medicine ball under his arm. "But first, we are going to have a walk around your property."

XXXX

As Gage pulled up to the ranch house he noticed Kelly's car parked next to Walker's pickup. He parked behind the latter vehicle then turned to Montgomery to see the agent grabbing his briefcase. Both knew that even though Walker gave his testimony a few weeks ago, there was still several details that needed to be ironed out. Walker was due in court in just a week for a trail that could take months to deliberate.

"You think he will talk more today?" Montgomery got out of the car and waited for Gage to do the same. "Maybe what he has told us, is all he knows."

"I know my friend too well, he's hiding something from us." Gage stepped up to the front door and peered in to see no movement inside. "Strange, wonder where they went to?" He took out his cell phone and dialed Kelly's cell number.

Kelly answered on the third ring. "We're walking the property. Be back in about twenty minutes."

Gage was a bit surprised at the news. "Okay, we'll be waiting inside the house. Me and Jim have a few questions to ask Walker."

"Right, I'll let him know. And just a heads up, he's stubborn today."

Gage laughed as he flipped his phone closed. "Walker's being his usual self." He shook his head. "Lets get inside."

Once inside the ranch house, Gage got himself a drink from the kitchen then sat down on the couch. He glanced around the room to see nothing out of the ordinary except for a folded up walker leaning against a wall. It always amazed him to see Walker up and walking with relative ease after being in a coma for a week.

However as Gage got comfortable his cell phone began to ring. He cursed knowing the ring tone was one he used only for the Company. As he checked the number he found it was one of his Rangers, Jerry Thompson.

He quickly flipped the phone open. "Thompson, what's up?"

"We just got a mob hit. Petalli and two of his goons was found inside his house killed, execution style. Place was raided, everything of value is gone. But what might interest you is a symbol spray painted on several of the walls."

Gage quickly got to his feet. "What symbol are you talking about?"

"Something we don't have in our databases." Thompson talked to somebody near him then came back to the phone. "It's been so quiet and now I see why. Local gangs have been planning this kill for awhile. Sorry, Captain, but we need you here."

"Understand, see you in about fifteen minutes." Gage flipped his phone closed. "That was Thompson. They have something for us to see." As he headed for the front door he heard somebody walking in through the kitchen. His shoulders slumped knowing he will have to cut his visit with Walker short once again. "Hey, Walker."

Walker stepped into the living room with a big smile on his face. "Gage, glad to see you here." He was obviously winded, but put up a strong front. "Montgomery, nice to meet you once again."

Montgomery went and shook Walker's hand. "Nice to see you up and moving."

"Sorry Walker, but we have to leave." Gage went up and gave his friend a hug. "We'll come back afterward."

After his friend left Walker allowed his shoulders to slump forward as he collapsed on the sofa. Though he had only walked for twenty minutes it felt like an hour. He grabbed his right side as a stitch made him grimace. Why was he having problems breathing? He took a deep breath then coughed as the air caught in his throat.

Kelly shook his head. "You'll do better, give it time. Though I am worried you may be coming down with pneumonia." He sighed heavily as he went to get his bag which sat on the hallway table. "I want to listen to your lungs to see if I need to get you in for x-rays."

Walker shook his head. "I don't have pneumonia and if I do it's all because of that tube they had down my throat."

"And you have to remember that your lung was damaged. It's very weak and prone to infections." He took out his stethoscope then motioned for Walker to sit on the coffee table. "Take off your shirt. This will only be a few minutes."

"This is ridiculous." Walker pulled off his t-shirt then allowed Kelly to place the pad on his chest. He took a few deep breaths, nearly coughing on each one. "How does my lungs sound?"

"Not good." Kelly went to Walker's back. "I hear some rattling. Take a deep breath and hold it." When Walker did as he was told he had problems holding it in. "Okay, I'm going to put you in for x-rays." He shook his head. "If we catch it early enough, it won't get too bad."

Walker shook his head. "Do whatever you have to do." He put his shirt back on. "I just want to get healthier."

Kelly nodded. "And this will help you out." He smiled and patted Walker's shoulder. "Okay, let's finish your physical therapy. Remember to take it easy."

Dallas, Texas

The whole street leading up to the scene had been blocked off which meant Gage had to park nearly two blocks away. As he walked towards the scene, he passed many news vans which he didn't like to see. It meant he will have to make a press conference which he absolutely dreaded on doing. As he made his way down the sidewalk he was greeted by several police officers who were all trying to talk to him at once. Is this how it was to be Captain? Is everybody going to look to him for answers to problems he didn't even know yet? How did Walker deal with this?

He held up his hand to silence the questions as he walked under police tape which traced around two houses. After a short walk up a driveway he was greeted by Ranger Jerry Thompson who quickly shook Gage's hand. Then, without words he led Gage to the house and through the front door.

The smell hit Gage instantly and he had to clear his throat as he followed Thompson through the first floor. All over him was signs of searching and theft, which definitely wasn't a sign of a mob hit. His attention went to the dining room wall where he could see brightly written graffiti sprawled on it. He tilted his head at the strange symbol before him. It appeared to be a star, with letters in each point. What the hell did it mean?

"The bodies are in the kitchen." Thompson gingerly went around a chair which had a broken back. "I warn you two it's gruesome."

Gage pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket then held it to his nose to help stifle some of the stench. There, in front of him leaning against a counter was Petalli or what was left of him. Gage swallowed hard then took a look at the other two bodies that were near by to see no heads left on the shoulders. He nearly vomited and had to quickly leave the house to get some fresh air.

Montgomery shook his head as he handed Gage a bottle of water. "What do you think that symbol means?"

"I don't know. Five points, could mean five gangs." Gage took a long drink then wiped his mouth. "Were they killed with shotguns?"

Thompson stepped up with a nod of his head. "All except for Petalli."

"Get plenty of pictures of all the graffiti left in the house. Whoever did this left a message for us." His cell phone began to ring. "Hang on." He unclipped it from his belt then flipped it open. "Yeah, Gage."

"Yeah, this is Manny. Listen, we just learned that there is a hit on Walker's head." There was a long pause. "It's huge, Captain Gage. We're talking at least six gangs after him. We're sending somebody over to his house right now."

Gage rubbed his face as he started to pace. "Walker's not going to like that." He exhaled deeply then shook his head. "This is getting big." He stopped in his tracks. "Wait, why is everybody after Walker?"

"Not sure, you need to ask him that. Just thought I'll let you know."

"Thanks, Manny." Gage flipped his phone closed. "That was Manny. Apparently six gangs are after Walker." He shook his head then tapped his phone against his lips. "What do you think that means? From what we saw in the video Walker didn't see anything except for the murder of Minton."

Montgomery cringed. "He did see all of the faces that were in that room. He can finger them in court."

Gage nodded in agreement. "That is true." He checked his watch. "Now, more than ever we need to talk to Walker." He turned to Thompson. "Get a digital image of one of the symbols and print it off. Maybe Walker can figure it out."