Thanksgiving Day

Living like he was currently frustrated Marcellinio to no end and he could feel the anger rising inside of him. He threw a handful of sunflower seeds into his mouth and instantly began to work on cracking the shells. More than anything he wanted a smoke, but that would just make his situation much worse. Smoking always made him crankier, especially when he ran out of the little sticks.

He rubbed his face then peered out his motel window to see an undercover police car parked across the street. Thanks to his men in the DPS he knew exactly where to look for the detectives that were following him. His terms of bail said he couldn't leave Dallas which made communicating to his men in Fort Worth and Arlington rather difficult to do.

His cell phone rang and he quickly picked it up to see it was Clyde Brookdale. "Yes, what do you want? You know it's dangerous calling me…."

"I took the needed precautions." Brookdale sighed heavily. "Do you want me to finish my job?"

"I'm not sure. Remember, you failed me last time." Marcellinio sat down on a cheap dining chair. "What makes you think I will trust you this time?"

"Because I have something to prove and nothing to loose."

Marcellinio spit the shells into a Styrofoam cup then ran his hands through his short hair. "Let's wait this out. You and I just got out of prison." He stood back up and went to the desk with two folders on top of it. "Let's give the Walker family a false sense of security. And when their barrier is down, we strike."

"But that could be several days even months."

"Patience." Marcellinio flipped open one of the folders. "Walker will not be going anywhere and neither will Williamson."

Brookdale huffed. "How do you know that?"

"I just know. Don't call me, I'll call you."

Marcellinio flipped his phone closed then stared at the picture before him. It was one of Walker before Brookdale attacked him then he took a look at the other folder to see Williamson staring back at him. Who would have thought those two were twins? He always knew Williamson looked like Walker, but his long lost sibling? That never crossed Marcellinio's mind and if it did, he would have never trusted Williamson like he did.

He spat out the rest of the shells, picked up a classic novel and sat down on the bed. There was plenty of time to wait, he just had to remain calm. Hopefully he will be able to put his plan into action. He had plenty of time in prison to think things through and he soon realized what needed to be done to get to Walker.

"I'll get you back, Walker and Williamson." He nodded his head. "Just not yet."

Walker Ranch

It had gotten much colder, but Walker didn't mind one bit especially since he was now back at home with his family. He took a deep breath then sipped at his water thankful the cast was taken off of his left hand. Even though he now wore thick braces on both wrists it was much better than the thick, plaster casts. He can finally grip items, like a glass with only one hand. Unfortunately next month that will all change. He was currently scheduled next month to have another surgery on his left hand to repair some fractures that didn't heal correctly.

Heavy boots echoed on the porch telling Walker Jarod had come outside. This will be the first Thanksgiving he will spend with a brother and it hasn't quite hit him yet. Wonder what Jarod was feeling right now? Did the holiday mean a lot to him even though he spent his life living with people who he called family?

Jarod sat down next to Walker and took a deep breath. "Christopher and Helen are in town." He shook his head. "I told them to not come down, but they insisted." He turned his head to look at Walker. "They really want to meet you."

"Even how I am right now?" Walker's left hand went to rub the fuzz on his scalp. "I look terrible."

"Don't worry, they are very caring people." He sighed heavily and stood back up. "Is it okay for me to call them? They won't come till later tonight."

Walker slowly nodded. "Might as well." He stood and shook his head. "Just don't call them mom or dad in front of me." He barely made it to the front door when Jarod grabbed hold of his right arm. "Please, not right now. Let's just enjoy the day while we can."

"Cordell, don't be mad."

"I'm not. Just drop it, okay?" Walker went back into the house to smell turkey and other seasonings wafting from the kitchen. He gradually made his way through the house till he found himself next to Alex in the kitchen. "The turkey smells really good, Alex."

Alex turned and gave Walker a kiss on the cheek. "Glad to have you home with us for Thanksgiving." She put the lid on the corn then faced him. "John will be coming in later. Unfortunately he had to pick up a shift today." She let out a heavy sigh. "Corbett told me that his adoptive parents are coming to visit. How do you feel about that?"

Walker quickly shook his head as anger swelled inside his heart. "Let's just drop it, okay?" His voice came out a bit sharper than he attended it to. "I just don't want to talk about it right now."

He went back into the living room, sat down on the couch then picked up a ball of clay. His new physical therapist, Kingston has told him to squeeze clay to strengthen his fingers. Unfortunately, just squeezing mud got boring rather quickly so Walker started to play with it. He would make small figures then just continue to repeat the process by using the same ball of clay.

"Hey dad." Michael sat down next to Walker with a deep sigh. "How are the hands?"

Walker shrugged. "Doing okay, fingers on my left hand are a bit stiff."

Michael lifted up one of the figures made by Walker just last night. "Did you make this?"

"Yeah, forgot about it. You can just throw it away."

"Why? This is actually kind of cute." Michael lifted up the small cartoon like wolf head to get a better look at it. "You made this just by using your hands?"

Walker nodded. "Yeah, I got bored pretty quickly with just squeezing the clay."

"I didn't know you can make models." Michael put the wolf back down on the table. "Have you made anything else?"

"Yeah, all the time since I've started to do this ridiculous therapy." He put down the horse head he had just made and was about to smash it when Michael stopped him. "What?"

Michael shook his head. "Keep it. I want to show Alex."

Walker quickly smashed the clay horse head and put it back into the large ball of clay. "I don't want to show her. It's just therapy after all."

"Fine, fine." Michael patted Walker's good shoulder. "How about we watch some football? Cowboys are fighting the Redskins today. Should be a good game."

Later That Day

After dinner Walker went into the bathroom with Alex right behind him to put on a large piece of gauze over the surgery site. With the Williamsons coming over, Walker wanted to make sure he looked the best he could. He sat down on the small bench and allowed his wife to clean the area around the staples before she gently placed the gauze on the site.

"It's healing up real nicely, Cordell." She patted Walker's good shoulder. "How did you like dinner?"

"It was pretty good." Walker let out a heavy sigh. "I'm just glad to have my retainer back. I can now chew again." He let out a soft chuckle. "But next year, we need to have two turkeys. Gage and Corbett alone almost ate the whole bird by themselves."

Alex laughed. "Let's just hope Ray doesn't have that appetite." She took a look at her watch then started to gently massage Walker's aching shoulder. "The Williamsons will be here any minute. Are you ready for this?"

Walker bit his lower lip then nodded his head. "Yeah, I think so." He started to play with the Velcro strap on his left wrist support. "Just unsure…Corbett has warned me he calls them mom and dad."

"Just remember, for all of his life Corbett has known the Williamsons as his family." Alex gave him a kiss on the forehead and a knock at the front door made her glance towards the living room. "Well, they're here."

Walker took several deep breaths then made his way into the living room to see a small, pudgy man with dark gray hair giving Jarod a big hug. The man pulled back to turn and face Walker with a smile that seemed to reach from ear to ear.

"So, you're Cordell." He shook Walker's hand. "Nice to finally meet you."

"It's Walker and nice to meet you too." He turned to a woman with long, black and white hair. "Nice to meet you two."

"Pleasure is ours. I'm Christopher and this is Helen." Walker shook the latter's hand. "Jarod has told us a lot about you." He gave Jarod a sheepish smile. "I mean, Corbett."

Helen came up to Walker with a huge smile on her face. "You look so much like Elizabeth." Her eyes started to mist up and she quickly cleared her throat. "Well, I think it's time to embarrass Corbett." She lifted a large canvas bag and patted its side. "I brought many pictures."

"Awe…mom." Jarod's cheeks flushed a deep red. "Dad, why didn't you stop her?"

"You know your mother; once she has her mind set you can't stop her."

Walker began to grind his teeth as he fought hard to control his jealousy. Before the attack he would never let emotions like this one control him, he just never would have allowed it. But for some unknown reason, only explained by having a head injury his anger would flare up. He knew if he didn't leave soon he will say something he will regret.

"Hey Cordell, what's wrong?"

"Nothing Corbett, I gotta go." Walker slowly tried to make his way into the kitchen, but was stopped by his brother. "Please, just let me get away."

"No, let's go to the back porch."

Walker knew he was too weak to fight his brother so he allowed Jarod to pull him to the back door. Once outside the cool November air whipped around them causing both to shiver. Jarod closed the door then went straight to Walker.

Jarod rested both his hands on Walker's shoulders and looked him straight in the eye. "Don't let it control you. Take deep breaths and think things through."

"How am I suppose to feel?" Walker shrugged his brother's hands away. "Please, just let me have some time by myself…."

"No, not this time." Jarod's eyes turned real soft. "Now, take deep breaths." Walker did as he was told, but his anger was still seething. "That's it, Cord." He shook his head. "Don't ever be jealous of me, Cord. I should be jealous of you. You had time with mom and dad, I never did. Sure, I think of Christopher and Helen as my parents, but that's because they raised me since I was just a little kid."

Walker's breathing started to relax, but his teeth was still clinched tightly. "Please, just don't call them mom and dad in front of me…."

"Don't worry, I already told them that I might start calling them by their real names." Jarod smiled. "I know you will enjoy the Williamsons once you get to know them. Helen makes an incredible pecan pie." He patted Walker's good shoulder. "Come on, let's get back inside, I'm freezing."

"No." Walker shook his head. "Please, don't do this…."

"Do what, love you like a brother?" Frustration briefly flashed in Jarod's green eyes. "Do not let the anger control you. Get hold of it…."

"That's easy for you to say!" Walker's voice cracked as several emotions came to him at once. "You don't know what it's like to be this way!"

Jarod took a deep breath then rubbed his hands down his face. "I won't let you push me away, Cord. Do what you want, I'll still be right here."

Walker's anger began to subside and as it did his mind became much clearer. "Corbett, I'm sorry." He slumped down on the porch swing then buried his head in his hands. "I just need some time to think." Jarod sat next to him without saying a word. "So, is this what brothers are for?" Walker's voice was so low he didn't know if Jarod even heard him

"I think so, yeah." Jarod let out a heavy sigh. "Take your time, Cord. I know it's difficult for you, but just try to relax."

Walker's heart swelled with an unfamiliar feeling and he knew it had something to do with bonding with his brother. For the first time in months he felt at peace with somebody other than Alex. Here sat a man who actually cared and loved Walker as a brother should.

"Hey, Corbett. In the attic there should be some boxes labeled. 'pictures'." Walker gave his brother a smile. "Might as well embarrass myself too."