"What are we going to do Walter?" Happy said as they were on their way back to the garage.
"Unknown at this point. Clearly Collins has something else in mind, or he wouldn't have given us all that information. I don't think we'll be able to find him until he decides to make another move."
"Like Chess." Sylvester said over the coms.
"Yes, exactly like chess."
"Do you think it will be soon?" David asked.
"Maybe. Maybe not. This took a lot of planning on his part, so I think we can assume that he won't be up to anything in the near future."
"That seems likely" Toby said "but it is Collins so we can't be too sure what his next move is. He's a loose cannon."
The team sat in silence. What have I done? Thought Walter.
When they arrived at the garage they found Sylvester busy typing on his computer with Paige sitting next to Alex as he drew. David walked over and hugged his son.
"Hey buddy. I've missed you." Alex clapped his hands together. "I'm really proud of you. You're a hero because you drew those people." Alex smiled, then continued to draw. Paige got up and stood next to David.
"Thank you for taking care of him today Paige."
"It's no problem. We had a nice time."
"It gives me hope to see him connect like that."
"I'm guessing his Mom isn't in the picture." She said sympathetically.
"No she isn't. It's hard being a single Dad."
"I can understand that."
"His Mom and I were married for a few years before we had Alex, and things were really great. When he got diagnosed with severe autism, she couldn't handle the pressure of taking care of him. I tried staying home with him while she worked so she could still pursue her career but it didn't work. She left abruptly when he was 3 and has never been back since."
All of a sudden the door to the garage opened and Ralph came in.
"Hi Ralph! Did you thank Mrs. Hudson for giving you a ride?" Paige asked.
"No."
"Well go outside and tell her thank you." Ralph turned around and went out the door, only to return a couple moments later.
"Is this your son?" David asked.
"Ralph this is David. He helped us with the case today."
"Hi."
"It's nice to meet you." David smiled. Ralph went over to greet the other members of scorpion.
"His Dad left too." Paige said turning back towards David "He came back last year, but…it wasn't a good situation. He tried to claim scorpion was a bad influence and Ralph's life was in danger. The court almost sided with Drew, because the work we do here is pretty intense, as you saw today."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's been an adjustment for Ralph. He doesn't react well to change."
"Neither does Alex."
"I've been wondering what- Ralph what are you doing?" Paige looked over at Ralph who had sat next to Alex. He took one of the pencils and drew some shapes on the page. Alex looked at Ralph, then back at the shapes. He clapped his hands, obviously delighted, and then drew a picture of a hummingbird. Ralph smiled.
"We're playing a game." Ralph said.
Walter had been feeling really uncomfortable with the conversation between Paige and David, but now he wanted to see what was happening.
"Ralph's using shapes to communicate a formula" Walter said in genuine amazement. Those shapes represent how fast a hummingbird's wings beat per minute. Ralph picked up the pencil and drew a different series of shapes with lines. Alex studied it a moment, and then smiled when he understood. He drew a large wind turbine.
"I've never seen anything like this." David said.
"Ralph doesn't connect very well to other kids" Paige said. "They must….understand each other." Team Scorpion watched in amazement as Ralph and Alex communicated in their strange way. Finally David broke the silence. "Paige, would you and Ralph like to have dinner with Alex and I? We don't get out much, but we'd love to cook for you." Walter felt his heart stop. Paige looked at Ralph, then back at David.
"Hey Ralph? Would you like to go to Alex's for dinner?"
"Okay." Ralph said continuing to draw formulas.
"I—we'd love to."
"Is it okay if you drive? I was going to get a cab back to my house but…"
"Of course! We'd be delighted." Paige turned toward the rest of Scorpion "See you guys on Monday?"
"I'll let you know if we hear anything about Collins" Cabe said. "But otherwise yes." Walter watched Paige go, his stomach sinking. She turned and gave him a wave.
"I'm thinking I want a beer. You all want to join me?" Toby asked. Happy and Sylvester said yes, but Walter was in no mood to celebrate.
"No thanks. I'm rather tired." After everyone had left the garage Walter noticed a paper sticking out where Alex was sitting. He walked over to the couch and unfolded the paper. What he saw took his breath away.
It was a drawing of Paige, but not an exact picture. She was set against a black background, with her hair reflecting multiple colors. In her eyes he saw all the love and kindness she was capable of and her smile radiated joy. He thought back to earlier in the day when Paige was looking at Alex' notebook and remembered her facial expression.
This must have been what she was looking at he thought. As Walter looked at the picture he felt his emotions stirring within the deepest part of him. All at once he understood what art truly was. Art wasn't just a picture of something; it represented how the artist felt about something. This was how Alex saw Paige after she had come and sat by him, and interestingly enough, Alex saw a lot of the same things Walter saw in her.
Did he leave this for me on purpose? Walter wondered as he walked upstairs.