A/N - thanks to you all for reviewing. I've been quiet this week - been busy with Season 5. Managed to get my hands on it so I'm one happy bunny.

Chapter 4

The next morning, Walt was showing signs of improvement. Cady had spent the night and nurses had been keeping a close eye on him. By mid-morning the Doc Weston came around and informed Cady that he and the surgeon were happy with her dad's progress and would be holding all sedation and letting him wake up today. They also removed him from the ventilator as his breathing and SATs were close to normal.

When Cady heard this, she was thrilled. She called Vic, Ruby and Ferg each in turn to tell them the good news. Ferg called by soon after, thoughtfully bringing breakfast for Cady. They sat outside in the waiting area and ate breakfast together from a take-out bag. They talked, Ferg being his usual sensitive self and being a good friend to Cady. Cady was very appreciative of his thoughtfulness, but was still anxious to get back to her dad.

Ferg returned to the room with her and visited with Walt before leaving to go to the office. Ruby was next to arrive. She insisted that Cady go home just to freshen up and get a change of clothes. Cady was reluctant to leave, but it was hard to say no to Ruby. Ruby promised to call if Walt showed any signs of waking. So Cady left. Ruby sat with Walt and talked to him, reminisced about her friend, Martha, and the good times they shared and how much she missed her. Then when she ran out of topics to talk about she read the magazine that she had brought with her.

Vic called to check on Walt while Ruby was there before she went to Henry's room to have an official talk with him. It was there he told her the entire story of Gab's rape and his attempts at helping her. He also explained how he had been injured. He held nothing back, including saving Walt from Walker Browning and his goons. Vic listened on, knowing that while it cleared up a lot of what Walt had been investigating, there was little she could do as it all occurred on the Reservation.

She did have to decide whether to call in Mathias to arrest Henry. However, it could wait. Henry was not going anywhere and Walker Browning was missing. She knew he had not shot Walt, but he was still a fugitive. However, again there was a jurisdictional contradiction. Walt had shot him on the Rez, but she wasn't sure if he had actually arrested him. He knows he has no jurisdiction there so she doubted he had officially arrested him. She needed Walt to wake up. She really had to talk to him.

Cady returned a few hours later. She found it difficult to sleep, but had rested for a couple of hours and showered so felt much better. When she got there, Ruby was talking to the nurse outside the door to her father's room.

"Is he ok?" Cady asked, thinking the worst.

The nurse smiled.

"He's starting to wake up. You should sit with him. He'll most like be confused and groggy from the medication so be patient with him," she told her.

Cady thanked her and she and Ruby returned to the room. Walt looked better although still pale. A nasal canula ensured he received an oxygen rich mixture and a bag of saline replaced some of the lost fluids he had suffered.

Cady noticed the flutter of her dad's eyelids. His head lolled a little to the side and the expression on his face changed from peaceful to discomfort.

She spoke softly to him.

"Dad, it's me. It's Cady," she said, taking hold of his hand.

Hearing her voice gave him that last ounce of strength he required and he pried his eyes open. It took a few moments to focus and then he tried to give her a reassuring smile.

Ruby looked on, relieved to see her old friend fighting back to them.

It took Walt a few moments to realise where he was. Definitely a hospital, he thought to himself. Must be bad, they look worried, he noticed. He tried to recall what had happened. It was all a bit of a blur.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice weak, his speech a little slurred.

"You were shot, Dad. Can you remember anything?" Cady asked.

Walt shook his head slowly.

"Was I working?" he asked, assuming it was on the job.

"No, Dad, I don't think so. You were at home. Someone broke in," Cady told him hoping to spark a memory.

Walt closed his eyes to try and remember. Disjointed flashes of memory came back to him. He remembered playing the piano. He remembered the sensuous kiss he and Donna had shared. Then he remembered a flash of excruciating pain and hearing her screams. And then….nothing.

When he opened his eyes again it was confusing. He didn't realise it was almost an hour later. Ruby had left and Vic was sitting where she had been. He woke with a start, his breathing noticeably quicker.

"Where is she?" he asked, as he tried to sit up in the bed, hurting himself in the process.

"Dad, what are you doing? You need to lie down," Cady told him, worried he would open his wound.

"Donna. Where is she?" he asked, this time looking straight at Vic for the answer.

He saw how Vic's eyes flicked towards Cady before she even considered her answer. In that moment, he knew.

"She's dead, isn't she?" he said, his heart suddenly feeling like it was in a vice.

"I'm sorry, Walt," Vic said, trying to break it to him gently. "There was a wreck, Walt, and Donna was seriously injured. I'm sorry to tell you that she died of her injuries last night."

Walt listened to the words and tried to digest the news, again his breathing became panting as he tried to swallow down his rising nausea. His daughter saw his difficulty and reached for a kidney dish that was on a table close by. She had sensed what was coming. She managed to get it under his chin before he lurched forward and vomited. The physical act of throwing up caused his stitches to pull and his tender chest and shoulder area radiated pain and he cried out.

Vic pressed the call button and after only seconds had passed, the nurse arrived and took over.

"You're okay, Sheriff," she told him, guiding him back and laying him on the pillows. "Just breathe through it. You're okay," she told him calmly. She grabbed some paper towels and cleaned his face. "I'll get you something for the nausea," she told him. "How's your pain?"

"No, I don't need anything. I have to see her," Walt said, making moves to get out of the bed.

"You've just had major surgery, Sheriff. You're going nowhere," she told him in no ordinary fashion, placing a commanding hand on his uninjured shoulder and guiding him back down. He hadn't the strength to resist.

She could see he was upset and sensed there was something else going on.

"I have to see her, please. Let me see her," he pleaded.

"Who is he talking about?" the nurse asked feeling so confused. She saw the patient's daughter trying to hide her tears.

"His girlfriend. She died last night," Vic said without mincing her words. "She's not here, Walt. They air lifted her to a Trauma Center in Casper. I'm sorry, Walt. You can't see her. She's not here."

Walt pressed his head back into his pillows, willing it to not be true. Despite his physical pain, his emotional pain was far worse. Before he realised it, the nurse had injected a sedative into his drip and he relaxed and became drowsy.

He reached for his daughter's arm as he tried to fight the medication.

"Tell me it's not true…..Donna…..I'm sorry."

Cady tried to console him as large tears traced down her cheeks.

"Ssh, it's ok, Dad. You're going to be ok," she whispered as his heavy eyelids finally shut.

Once she knew her father was asleep, she broke down and sobbed her heart out. It was awful seeing him like this. She wanted more than anything to spare him from this pain, but there was little she could do but be there for him.

Vic put her arm around Cady and told her it would be alright. What else could she say?

"He's going to sleep for a while if you want to come back later," the nurse told them.

"I don't want to leave him," Cady told her.

"You need to rest, Cady. He's going to need you to be strong when he's recovering. I can stay with him for a few hours if you don't want him to be left alone," Vic offered.

Cady knew she was right. She was all he had in the world. He was going to need her.

"Ok, but I'll leave my cell on. You call if you need me," she said before thanking her.

Vic sat with Walt for several hours, only leaving to use the bathroom or grab food from the cafeteria and once to take a call about the search for Walker Browning. There had been a possible sighting She pulled the chair close to the bed and allowed her hand to rest on his muscular arm, hoping the physical contact would offer him some small comfort. Occasionally she would stroke his hair or his cheek, letting her guard down when she knew it was only the two of them.

By afternoon, Ferg had called wondering if Vic was coming to work. She explained that she was sitting with Walt while Cady got rest. Ferg offered to take over for a while but Vic insisted on staying. She was glad she did because when Walt woke he was obviously still distressed.

"It wasn't a dream?" he asked with disappointment, when he saw he was still in the same hospital room in the same hospital bed.

"No, Walt. I'm afraid not," Vic replied.

Walt turned away from her, trying to hide the welling tears in his eyes. She was dead. Donna was really dead.

"I'm sorry, Walt," Vic said softly. "I'm so sorry."

He turned and looked at Vic with big, sad, tear-filled eyes.

"It's my fault, Vic," he said, trying to keep it together. "I should have stopped him."

With that, his emotions spilled over. His tough guy exterior disintegrated and his shoulders shook as sobs racked his body. Vic had never seen this usually strong, macho cowboy so vulnerable before. She acted without thinking, and sat up on the left side of the bed beside him and extended her arm around his shoulders and mindful of his injury, gently pulled him to her.

"Ssshh."

"I should have saved her," he insisted.

"Walt, you were shot," Vic reminded him. "You almost died out there. No matter how much you punish yourself, there was nothing more you could have done. She died as a result of a car accident, Walt."

"She needed me," he told her. "He took her and I didn't stop him."

"Hardly, Walt. Even you can't shake off a bullet to the chest. We could have lost you too, Walt, and I don't know how I could have coped with that," Vic admitted, softly stroking his arm.

Walt went quiet, feeling the warmth of his deputy, accepting her consolation. Yet he couldn't help but feel like he was betraying Donna. He was starting to fall for Donna and now she was gone. How could this happen, just as he let himself love again. Maybe it was a sign? There was always only ever one woman for him and that was Martha. Maybe what happened was destiny telling him he had his chance for happily ever after?

Walt rested his head on Vic's shoulder. His heart ached from the loss he suffered. He still felt woozy from the surgery and the medication. He closed his eyes. He felt Vic's hand on his skin as she gently held his rough face. He heard her whisper "It's going to be okay" into his ear. He felt safe.

Vic stayed with him, allowing his to sleep on her shoulder for hours, until Cady returned.

Cady was surprised to see Vic on the bed and her Dad in a deep sleep with his head lying on her.

"He was upset," Vic explained, feeling like she had to justify herself. "He fell asleep eventually and I didn't want to wake him."

"it's okay, Vic. You don't need to apologise. Thanks for being here for him, but you do look pretty uncomfortable. Come on, let's get some pillows and settle him back down," Cady said, hoping to free Vic from her current predicament.

"I was hoping you'd say that. My back is killing me sitting like this," Vic admitted as she held Walt's head up so she could slide away from him.

"Do you think he's going to be alright?" Cady asked after they had settled him onto the pillows again.

"He's blaming himself for what happened to Donna, for not protecting her. It will take time. And I'll have to tell him about Henry as well," Vic told her.

"Maybe let Henry tell him?" Cady suggested and Vic agreed.

"What's going to happen with Henry?" Cady asked.

"Honestly, I don't know. We have no jurisdiction to charge him or even hold him. He didn't break any laws in this county. Hector acted only on the Rez. I've contacted the Tribal Police, but Mathias hasn't come by the hospital to talk to him yet. It was almost like he was reluctant to do anything," Vic told her. "Hell, I can never make that guy out."

"Is he okay, though. His wound?"

Cady hadn't seen him since the day he collapsed. She was still mad at him and couldn't quite bring herself to forgive him for going behind her father's back.

"I think so. I've heard they'll let him home tomorrow," Vic told her.

To be continued...