Chapter 7

Gage's eyes slowly opened and he rubbed his face wearily. He felt like he hadn't even slept, a sad smile crossed his face as he thought of how Sydney would kick his ass if she saw him carrying on like this.

A sudden sense of realization washed over him, and he stood up.

"Time to stop being a little bitch, Gage. Sitting around here, blubbering isn't going to help Sydney, but finding who DID this to her so he can't hurt anyone else IS. It's … it's what she would want." He said to himself.


"Gage …!" Trivette trailed off as he walked into Ranger headquarters, the aura of determination around him was palpable.

"Gage, what are you doing here." Walker said, wording his sentence more as a statement than a question as he stepped onto the young ranger's path.

"I am here to help find the asshole that did this to my partner." Gage said matter of factly. "Walker, please. If this were Alex, you would be on the front lines, you can't send me away, let me help Walker, I NEED to help." Gage pleaded.

Walker blew out a deep sigh, Gage was right; it would be unfair to send him away, because he knew he would be doing the exact same thing.

"Okay, okay, Gage. Come on, Trivette and I will get you caught up on the case." Walker said as he put his arm around Gage's shoulders.


"I don't like this, Walker. Everything has been too quiet." Trivette said as they had spent the day running down leads and had nothing to show for it.

"I know, they're like roaches that scatter when the light is turned on." Walker said.

A look of enlightenment suddenly crossed Gage's face as he hurriedly picked up the phone.

"Hey, it's Gage. You know that favor you owe me? It's time to pony up." He said as he hung up.


Every head in ranger headquarters turned to take in the sight before them, a woman strode in; she was wearing a hot red cocktail dress that flowed flirtatiously somewhere between her knees and her thighs and made her long legs seem to go on forever.

"Jinx!" Gage said as he rose to shake her hand.

"Ranger Gage! Lord I haven't seen you since collared me in that huge nightclub bust two years ago!" Jinx said as she gave Gage a warm hug.

"I wish I had time to catch up, Jinx, but something terrible has happened and I need that favor you owe me."

"Oh … Ranger Cooke … yeah, I heard about her, such a shame." She said as she clicked her tongue sadly.

"The guy who shot her runs a huge drug operation, but the son of a bitch bolts down the rabbit hole if he even gets so much as a hint of our scent.

"And you think that my scent won't be as spooky, is that what you're saying?" Jinx said as she flashed him a flirtatious smile.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Gage said with a charming grin.

"Consider it done, sugar. You know, that partner of yours better know how lucky she is." She said with a wink as she sashayed out of headquarters under the scrutiny of every male officer in the room.

Trivette let out a low wolf whistle. "If there ever was someone who made a man wish he wasn't married … "

Gage let out a laugh. "If you knew her like I did, she wouldn't be nearly as attractive, believe me. She'd chew you up and spit you out." He said as he grabbed his coat and hurried out.

"Wait … where are you going?" Trivette called after him.

"To see Syd!" Gage called over his shoulder.


"Ranger Gage, I don't want to get your hopes up, but today she did respond to stimulus." Doctor Gentry said.

"What does that mean?" Gage asked in earnest.

"It means … that there is a chance, a chance that she could regain consciousness." Gentry said.

Gage entered Sydney's room and sat in the chair next to her bed.

"We're really close to finding the guy who did this to you. I promise you, if it's the last thing I do, I am going to make that bastard pay." He said as he placed his hand over hers.

"There are so many things I wish I would have told you, but … no time like the present, right? So here it goes; I have always loved the sound of your voice, too, and every day when I wake up, I can't wait to get to work and see you. I love you, Syd. I have for a long time. I just never wanted to admit it to myself." He said as he gave her a tender kiss on the cheek.

Gage could have sworn he felt Sydney's hand squeeze his own and his heart leapt with cautious hope and joy.

"Syd? Can you hear me? Can you try and open your eyes for me?" He said as he took her hand in his and placed it against his cheek.

Sydney's eyes slowly fluttered open as the form of her partner slowly came into focus.

"Bout time you came clean." She said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Gage dropped her hand in shock.

"Syd?! Oh … thank god! Don't you ever do that to me again!" He said as he kissed her hand before jumping up to fetch the doctor.

"I have to say, Ranger Cooke, you are one lucky and tough woman." Doctor Gentry said as he took her vitals and checked her reflexes.

"When can I get out of here, Doc?" Sydney asked him.

"Provided you can get someone to stay with you, I don't see why you can't go home by this weekend." Doctor Gentry said.

"I'll stay with her." Gage said without hesitation as Walker, Alex and Trivette walked in and gave her a warm welcome with hugs and smiles.

"It's good to have you back, Syd." Walker said as he put a hand on her shoulder.

She smiled warmly at him. "It's good to be back."

A/N: I am sorry if this chapter isn't up to par, I really had trouble with it for some reason, also, I apologize for all the page breaks, it wouldn't have made sense if I hadn't inserted them. Also, as always please read and review!