It didn't take long after hearing that Captain James had been shot for the Walker family to be on their way to the hospital. As they drove in, Liam in the front passenger seat and Maddie in the backseat with Stella and August, Maddie stared out the window into the night. The only thing they knew so far about how the Captain was doing was from Trey and that had only been that he'd been shot and they'd not long arrived at Emergency.

Cordell was on the phone to Headquarters getting the information about the shooting as they drove into Austin and after finding a parking spot, they all headed into the hospital. Bonham and Abeline were already waiting for them just inside the entrance and Cordell got back on the phone to Trey to find out where he was.

Trey was pacing up and down the corridor of one of the waiting rooms as the Walker family came around the corner, Cordell being the first to meet him. 'Trey. Hey. Is he-is he-'

'Hey. No, no, no.' Trey replied to Cordell motioning to a closed door. 'I haven't heard anything just yet. I know they just rushed him into surgery but that's- that's about it.'

'His son-his son called Stella.'

'Yeah, yeah I know. I-I got his family info from Connie and I reached out.'

'Are you okay?' Bonham questioned, dried blood covering the front of his shirt.

'Yeah… Yeah, no, no, no. I'm fine. I'm good. I-I didn't get hit.' He said then turned back to Cordell. 'But this whole thing just happened so fast.'

'W-what the hell happened?' Was Cordell's next question.

'Trooper Jackson here.' The policewoman standing just off to the side interrupted. 'I responded to the scene and was set to watch over Trey Barnett before the incident.'

Cordell nodded, having already gotten that information from Headquarters. 'Yeah. HQ updated me. We have any news?'

'From what little your Captain gave us and Mr. Barnett's account, we're not currently able to discern motive and target.' She reported. 'Didn't get an ID and no one saw the license plates.'

As he was about to reply, a door opened behind them and a woman doctor came out to speak with them. 'Doc.'

'Is he okay?' Stella asked, that question being on everyone's mind.

'The family asked that I update you all. Thankfully the bullets bypassed any major organs and arteries. He'll be out for a few more hours, but I'm positive about his prognosis. As soon as he's in a room I'll have someone come get you.'

'Thank you.' Bonham remarked as the doctor left the room.

'Yeah, thanks.' Cordell added, the rest of the family going to sit in one of the many chairs in the waiting room.

'Hey, Walker.'

Maddie glanced over at Cordell and Trey as she took a seat, Trey holding up something to her father. After a moment she realized it was Larry's badge. The Captain star.

'Thought you might want this.'

It took a couple seconds to register what that meant, Maddie realizing that her father was going to have to take Larry's place as the Captain of the Rangers for the foreseeable future. Her father was going to be the one in charge… The look of apprehension on his face didn't escape her notice and she could see him hesitating.

A lot of responsibility that had just been placed onto his shoulders with that badge.

Cordell looked at the badge for a moment before taking it and nodded his appreciation, not trusting himself to speak. Trey clapped him on the shoulder as he walked past and he took a moment to compose himself before he turned back to his family.

Maddie placed her hand in his when he took a seat beside her then rested her head against his shoulder. Minutes ticked by, the hour getting late and it was close to midnight when Cordell suggested that his parents take the kids home and get some sleep. They agreed, the kids each giving him a hug before they left and Liam went along with them.

As they drove home, Maddie stared out the window once more deep in her own thoughts. Though her father had assured them all that he was okay, she hadn't brought it. When it came to hiding emotions and feelings that was something the two of them had in common.

Looking up at the crescent moon above she said a prayer that the Captain would be alright and that her father would be able to handle the burden of his responsibility.

It was early when Maddie stepped out from her room, cat in her arms as she headed into the kitchen. Abeline was preparing toast from the bread she had baked yesterday, her grandmother glancing up as she walked in.

'You don't look like you got much sleep.' She remarked upon seeing the dark circles beneath the girl's eyes.

'No, no I didn't.' Maddie replied softly, rubbing her cheek against her cat's head. 'Have-have you heard anything from Dad yet?'

'Not yet honey. He'll ring when there's news.' She motioned for the girl to take a seat. 'I've got to go into town for some shopping and things later this morning, what have you got planned for today?'

'Just working with Bel and Dakota. I was going to do some schoolwork but I honestly don't think I could concentrate on that right now. Is it okay if I have the day off?'

Abeline nodded. 'The way you've been studying lately you need the time off.'

'Well, after my last report card…' She sighed heavily, Bubbles purring loudly as she nudged her cheek with her cold nose. 'I don't want to have grades like that again. I keep trying my best but… I just-I don't think I'm ever going to catch up. I'm years behind where I should be and…' She sighed again, abandoning that train of thought as her cat jumped down from her arms. 'I better get this girl fed and start on chores.'

'Don't you want breakfast?' She questioned as the teen stood, heading over to the fridge to get out her cat's tinned food.

Maddie shook her head, closing the fridge door again. 'I'm not hungry. I'll grab something later.'

With Bubbles fed she headed outside, passing Bonham and Liam on her way out the back door. Though Spring was just around the corner the air still had a cold nip to it and she pulled her coat collar up around her neck as she walked over to Dakota's yard.

Dakota came over to greet her and as per their morning ritual, Maddie gave her a sugar cube and horse cookie before starting chores. When her water buckets had been refilled and the shelter and yard mucked out she haltered the mare and began working with her. Though Dakota was doing well, it was Maddie whose mind was elsewhere and after beginning to feel frustrated with the mare when Dakota wouldn't do as she wanted, she knew she needed to stop and do something else with her instead.

As she groomed the mare down instead of trying to work on their liberty, Maddie felt herself slowly begin to calm down and relax again. Her night hadn't been one of the best and she felt bone weary tired, not to mention a slight nagging headache behind her eyes and her stomach not feeling great. She'd been able to grab a couple hours sleep at best, the rest of her night having been occupied with thoughts of worry and concern.

Though she knew that her father's job came with its dangers, the real possibility that one day he mightn't come home had come to the forefront of her mind with the Captain being shot. She'd given it thought a while back but had for the most part managed to push it from her thoughts but yesterday, those worries and fears had been driven home.

What if one day he didn't come home?

Her vision clouded as her eyes blurred with tears and she threw the brush back into the grooming kit, placing an arm around her mare's neck. Dakota drew her head around as Maddie sobbed softly, the mare nuzzling her gently as she cried. After a moment she gathered her emotions under control once more, swallowing the lump down in her throat as she ran a hand down the mare's forehead. 'I-I'm o-okay girl.' She assured her but tried to convince herself of that at the same time. 'I-I'm okay.'

She stood there for a long moment to compose herself, just stroking the mare's neck as she calmed herself down. There was no point in trying to teach Dakota anything new when she wasn't in the best frame of mind in the first place and so after she had finished grooming her over she turned her loose and replenished her hay net before leaving for Bel's pasture.

Bel was out grazing near the fence line bordering the main paddock, Skylar grazing alongside her and Maddie left her to eat while she took care of the water and mucking out. With a glance down at her watch she decided there was time for her to take a short ride and after gathering a bridle from the tack shed she headed out across the pasture.

The mare came trotting over to meet her when she saw her, Maddie bridling her before giving her the horse cookies she'd brought with her. Placing the reins over her neck she sprung onto her back in one smooth motion and with a touch of her heel, Bel walked on.

They rode on quietly through the pasture and out onto the track leading to the back pastures. When she needed to think there was one place she would go and that was the hill on the Davidson/Walker boundary overlooking Walker ranch. Bel knew that was where they were headed and after Maddie felt the mare was warmed up enough, asked her to canter.

The well worn track flashed beneath them as they headed up the hill and then she slowed her again to a trot to turn off the beaten path. After a short ride through some forest they finally arrived at the Overlook and after bringing the mare to a stop she slid off and ground tied her so Bel could graze.

It was so peaceful and quiet as Maddie sat cross-legged in the grass, listening to the calling of the birds as she looked at the valley below. Time slipped by as she took a moment to relax and sort through her thoughts, only interrupted by the vibration of her smart watch. A message had come through from Abeline to let her know that Cordell had messaged. Captain James was awake and doing better and that news greatly relieved her. She'd also let her know that she would be leaving for town soon and after replying to her, Maddie caught Bel and headed back to the ranch.

As she rode back into the ranch yard, Bonham came over to see her. 'I can take care of Bel for you.' He offered as she dismounted. 'You head on up the house and get ready to go, Abby'll be heading out in about ten.'

'Alright.' Maddie smiled, giving Bel a hug and a pat before handing the reins to her grandfather. 'Thank you. Make sure she gets her hay net filled-'

'I know what to feed her.' He interrupted with a chuckle as Bel nudged him to ask for attention. 'Come on girl.' He said to the mare and she went along quietly with him towards the pasture. 'I'll give her a brush down too.'

'Thanks Gramps.' She shouted back over her shoulder, making her way up to the house. After changing and making herself look presentable she grabbed her handbag and headed out the front where Abeline was already waiting for her in the truck. 'Sorry I took so long,' She apologized as she climbed in and closed the door behind her. 'couldn't find the jeans I wanted to wear. Finally found them though, someone put them in Stella's basket.'

'That probably would have been August.' Abeline said as they started down the drive. 'Any place in particular you want to go to in town?'

'Is Dad still at the hospital?' Maddie questioned.

'I think so.'

'Could you take me around there then? I want to see him and visit the Captain if that's okay.'

'Alright, we can do that. I'll drop you off first then go shopping. Just message Cordell first to ask him though.'

Maddie nodded and sent him a message and after waiting a moment he replied that it'd be okay for her to drop by. When they arrived at the hospital Abeline dropped her off at the front door and she made her way up to where Cordell was waiting for her. 'Hey Dad.'

'Maddie girl.' He smiled as he returned the hug she gave him. 'You look tired honey.'

'Mmmhmm. I could say the same thing about you.' She replied, looking up at him. 'Long night?'

'That-that and a very uncomfortable chair.' Cordell said as the two of them started up to the Captain's room, his arm around his daughter's shoulders.

'Didn't think I'd be back here so soon,' She remarked as they went down another corridor. 'It's only been a couple weeks since we were here to see Mawline.'

'Yeah-yeah I wasn't expecting to be here so soon either.'

A few Rangers and a couple troopers were standing guard in the hallway up from the Captains room, Cordell stopping to speak with them for a few minutes before they went in. 'Kelly, DJ,' He started as they entered the room. 'I'd like you both to meet my daughter Maddie.'

'Hello Maddie.' Kelly smiled warmly as she offered a hug to her. 'Your Dad's told us a lot about you.'

'Hi.' She replied shyly as she stepped back to the safety of Cordell's side, looking up at him. 'Dad, I hope you ain't been singing my praises too much.'

He chuckled as he placed his arm around her shoulder. 'Maybe-maybe just a little.'

'More like a lot.' Larry spoke up.

'He mentioned you train mustangs.' DJ commented. 'You're competing in the Mustang Makeover?'

'Mmhmm.' Maddie nodded. 'I got my mustang for the competition a couple weeks ago.'

'Wow, that's so cool.'

'Hey-' Larry looked over at his son. 'Don't you go getting any ideas.'

DJ chuckled. It was well known he wasn't exactly the world's best horse rider. 'Yes sir.'

Maddie turned to the Captain. 'How are you doing sir?'

'Been better but getting there. I appreciate you dropping by.'

She smiled. 'Of course sir. You're part of Dad's family so that means you're part of mine too.'

They spoke amongst themselves for a short time then Kelly and DJ headed out to go find something to eat, Maddie staying to visit for a little while before leaving so her Dad and the Captain could discuss Ranger business. Larry seemed to be doing okay for which she was grateful and while her Dad seemed to be doing alright she could tell that he was feeling a bit out of his league stepping in as Captain. Hopefully though it wouldn't be for long.

As the afternoon turned into evening, the entire Walker family, James's ex-wife and son and Trey had all gathered together in the hospital waiting room to wait for news on how the Captain was doing. It had only been an hour ago that Cordell had called Abeline to let her know what had happened; that the Captain's condition had deteriorated and the entire family had gone in to support Kelly and DJ.

Maddie bit her cuticles furiously, an action she did when stressed and worried. Beside her, the family spoke in hushed tones but she paid no heed to their conversation, too deep in her own thoughts. They didn't know yet what had happened to the Captain and were still waiting for someone to come tell them how he was. He had seemed fine earlier when she had seen him… She glanced over at the other people in the room; they appeared just as worried as she was.

She knew firsthand how quickly someone's condition could deteriorate.

Sitting here, waiting in the waiting room, memories from another time came to plague her thoughts.

The rapid downward spiral of her mothers health and passing.

It would be five years this coming April that she had lost her mother, five long years… She missed her everyday and though she was slowly healing and moving on from the loss, life would never be the same without her. Though she had a new family and new life, her mom had been her entire world and it was during times like these that her thoughts wandered back to those last weeks she'd been able to spend with her before she'd been taken from her forever.

As she kept biting her thumb cuticle she looked over towards DJ who was sitting close to his mother. For his sake, and Kelly's, she prayed that the Captain would pull through. She knew too well the pain of losing someone. The valley of grief and agony those left behind had to pass through.

What made it worse too was that so far, the person responsible for the Captain's current condition still hadn't been caught. From what she'd been able to hear of Cordell's hushed conversation with one of the Rangers assigned to watch over the Captain they hadn't come up with any leads to follow or any clues that could lead to the arrest of the person responsible for the shooting.

After what seemed like an eternity, her ponderings were finally interrupted by the arrival of the doctor as she finally came to address them.

'We're dealing with a secondary infection that has escalated to a point called sepsis.' She informed them. 'That is what we're treating now.'

'But he's gonna be okay?' Kelly said as both a statement and a question.

Maddie felt her heart skip a beat. It hadn't been just the cancer that had taken her mom from her; ultimately it had been the complication of sepsis occurring from her third surgery. Not that… She begged in her mind. He's just got to be okay.

'It is too soon to know for sure.' The doctor replied as gently as possible. 'We're treating him with the best drugs we have. It's important he avoids any unnecessary stress. The next twelve hours will be crucial.'

'Thank you Doctor.' Trey said to her as she left. 'Appreciate that.'

Silence fell upon those gathered in the room.

'I just don't understand.' DJ finally exclaimed.

'What the hell is sepsis?' August questioned, not having heard of it before.

'All right, uh…' Trey thought for a moment of how to explain what sepsis was in terms they'd be able to understand. 'Your immune system is like a home security network. Usually when you've got an intruder, boom; an alarm goes off and security takes care of it for you. But sometimes, like in sepsis, instead of taking it out…'

Maddie knew full well what it could do.

'Security burns the whole damn house down.'

'Yeah, uh, but-' Cordell stood. 'that doesn't mean, that doesn't mean that anything about James. He's gonna be alright. James isn't done. He ain't done. Not by a thousand miles. DJ.' He looked over at Larry's son, DJ turning to him after a moment. 'Your daddy, he's gonna get through this. There's no other outcome that makes any sense. Meantime, we all just need to be there for each other. And I will do whatever it takes to make sure whoever is responsible for this is brought to justice. You have my word.'

Cordell went to leave, Liam rising to go speak with him before he went. 'Hey. I want to help.'

'I know you do.' He placed a hand on his younger brother's shoulder. 'I appreciate that, but you're not an A.D.A anymore. And that's fine 'cause you can still help, all right? The best way you can help is to be there for them. Make sure they know they're not alone.

'Okay. But… but what about you?'

'I'm all right. I got work to do.'

Maddie overheard the exchange, looking down the hallway after him as Liam returned to them. Glancing back at the family she knew they wouldn't notice if she slipped away for a moment and so she did so quietly, hurrying after him. 'Dad-' Cordell stopped, turning back to her at the call and waited for her to reach him. 'Dad… You okay?'

He managed a smile, placing a hand on her cheek. 'I-I'm doing okay sweetheart.'

'You know… I can tell you're not Dad.' She said after a moment. Though she herself was dealing with her own demons she knew that what her father was having to go through was way worse. If she could help him, just a little bit by her words, then she could feel like she had actually done something. Something useful. Something to help. 'And that's okay too,' She continued gently. 'you're only human like the rest of us. You don't have to have all the answers all the time.'

Cordell swallowed back the lump in his throat as he looked down at his daughter. 'I uh… I wish I had your faith in me, in myself… Their faith-' He motioned back up the corridor to where his family sat with Kelly and DJ. 'In me…'

'You've always told me to believe in myself. To believe I can do whatever I want. That I can achieve the impossible.' She said as she looked up at him. 'You have to believe in yourself too, you can do this Dad. I know you can.'

'Oh baby girl…' He wrapped his arms around her, Maddie hugging him back tightly. 'You… You don't know… how much I needed to be reminded of that.'

She smiled, still looking up at him as they held each other 'I know. You've always been here for me when I need it and it goes both ways. Don't shut us out, let us help as much as we can. We will get through this together.'

Cordell's hand went to her cheek again, caressing her gently. 'Thank you.'

Maddie smiled sadly. 'Be careful out there Dad. I love you.'

He smiled back at her, kissing her forehead. 'I-I love you more honey.'

'Now go catch a bad guy.'

Cordell chuckled as he finally let her go, placing his hat on his head once more and he tipped it at her. 'Yes ma'am.'

Maddie watched him walk away until he went around the corner, a soft sigh escaping her lips when he'd disappeared. She was worried about him. He was shouldering a lot of responsibility and the Captain's turn had only added an extra burden on him. She just wished there was something she could do. Anything…

She lingered alone in the hallway for a moment then slipped back into the waiting room and took her seat again. The rest of the family hadn't noticed her absence and she withdrew into the background, biting away at her fingers once more.

The girl jumped a little when a hand was placed on her shoulder and she looked up to see that Geri had come to join them. 'Hello.'

'Hey Maddie.' Geri smiled at her. 'What are you doing tucked all the way over here in the dark corner?'

She shrugged as the woman took a seat in the empty chair beside her. 'Just needed to be on my own for a little bit I guess.'

'I spoke to your Dad on my way up, he had a feeling you'd be off sitting by yourself.'

Maddie smiled a little. 'Dad knows me well.'

'You alright?'

'I'm fine.'

Geri looked at her.

She sighed. 'Okay. I'm probably not as 'fine' as I tell everyone. It's… This… Its just brought up some memories I'd rather have left buried. And well… I'm worried about Dad too. I mean, I've tried not to think about how dangerous Dad's job can be but this,' She glanced over at the family where Abeline had her arm around Kelly. 'it's kinda driven that point home. I mean, if the Captain can be shot…' Her voice trailed off as she turned back to Geri. 'And now Dad's taken over his job and he's out trying to find who shot him; I-I'm just worried that one day, maybe Dad won't come home.'

'That's a valid fear.' Geri replied softly after a moment.

'I try not to think about it, you know.' Maddie continued, biting at her fingers again. 'But I can't help it. I mean, I've already lost both my birth parents. I watched my father die. I just… This-' She motioned over to the group. 'Having a family, a real family for the first time in my life is almost like it's too good to be true and one day I'll just wake up to find that it was a dream and I'll be alone. I don't want anything else bad to happen, I mean, Mawline could have died when she got bitten by that snake, Dad could be killed tomorrow on the job… I'm scared of being alone again.'

'Maddie-' She placed a hand on the girl's arm. 'I can assure you, come hell or high water, that you'll never be alone again. That family loves and cares for you more than you could ever know and I know you worry for your Dad, I do too, but he knows what his job is and he knows how to do it. We don't know what tomorrow might hold, that's why we need to hold those we love close to our hearts and show them that love everyday.'

Maddie surveyed Geri's expression carefully, cocking her head to the side a little as she thought over what she said. 'You like my Dad, don't you?'

'I-uh… We-we've been friends for a long time.' Her cheeks were tinged slightly red as she replied. 'And I do worry for him when he's out on the job so yes, I do care about him.'

'I just wish I could do something to help him…' She spoke after a pause, glancing towards the group for a moment as Liam left then turned back to Geri. 'I think having to fill the Captain's boots is proving to be a lot harder than he wants to admit.'

'You are helping by being here for him.'

'I know… I just wish I could do more though.'

'Cordell mentioned you always try to fix what's broken.'

'Guess that's just me.' She replied with a soft sigh. 'Mama was like that too. Always trying to help. Sad thing was though when she was the one needing help, no one was there for her.' She paused, looking down at her hands and she began to bite her nails again. 'All through her treatments, her 'friends' abandoned her. I was the only one there for her, I tried my best. Mama only saw the good in people, she refused to believe that her friends were anything but that.' She swallowed the lump back in her throat. 'Mama had cancer but uh… it was sepsis that killed her. She died alone, I wasn't even allowed to be with her.'

'Maddie…' Geri didn't know what to say. 'I-I'm so sorry.'

Maddie smiled sadly. 'I've made my peace with it but this- well, it brought those memories back. I just pray the Captain will make it through.'

The Captain did pull through, much to everyone's relief. Though he was still in hospital for a couple more days, he was well on the road to recovery thanks to the vigilance of the doctors and modern medicine. The man responsible for his shooting had been found and in an unfortunate turn of events when he'd gone to Larry to confront him, had lost his own life. Though Cordell hadn't told the family what had happened Maddie had found out from the news about the situation. Even though Larry was doing better and Cordell had been able to give command of the Rangers back to him, it was visible to everyone that over the past few days he hadn't been himself.

Neither had Maddie and it wasn't just from the headaches that kept creeping up on her.

That night, as Kelly had been in the room with her husband and they'd been with DJ when he'd needed some time away, he had asked Stella and August if they wished their Dad's had other jobs. Maddie had hung back from the conversation, pretending to be playing a game on her phone when all she was trying to do was distract herself from the realities and fears in her mind. Stella and August, they seemed to be dealing okay with things though she didn't know how they could be. Weren't they worried too that maybe their father wouldn't come home one day? They'd already lost their mom, weren't they afraid they could lose him too?

Apart from her conversation with Geri, Maddie kept her cards close to her chest. The rest of the family were dealing with enough already and they didn't need her to add an extra burden on them by her worries and fears. If there was anything that life had taught her in her short existence it was that she could for the most part bury the things that plagued her to deal with at another time. It was a bad habit she still hadn't learnt to deal with. The fact she would bottle everything up until she couldn't hold it back anymore.

And once again she had turned to her other dark habit once during the last few days. Her calves bore the evidence of trying to hold those emotions back. To keep herself together. Though she was healing from her past she still held secrets deep inside her. Secrets that were still too painful to think of let alone reveal.

'Woah Kota.' Maddie lent back in the saddle, using her weight aids to bring the mare to a stop in the center of the pasture. Dakota slowed from a canter down to a trot then walk and finally a halt and she rewarded her with a pat on the shoulder. 'Good girl. Well done.'

A week had passed since the Captain's shooting and with him being released from hospital a couple days prior, things around the house felt like they were returning to normal almost. It had been a close call for the Captain but by some divine intervention he would make a full recovery in time.

With things getting back to normal, Maddie had thrown herself into training her horses and completing as much schoolwork as possible. Dakota had progressed greatly over the past couple of days to the point where they were now; working through the obstacle course Bonham had created for her to train with. Though she preferred to work the horses bareback she'd opted to use a saddle for the first time doing the obstacles and a bridle also. After letting Dakota have a moment to rest she nudged her with her heels forward and set her at the next obstacle to go over; a small wooden bridge.

The hour was late, sunset not far away as Cordell came over to the fence to watch Maddie work. Dakota as usual was excelling, taking everything in her stride as his daughter gently guided her around the obstacle course. When they had finished, having gone through a gate that she had to open and close while mounted, she finally seemed to notice his presence. He waved at her and Maddie waved back before she dismounted and began leading the mustang over to him.

'Hey Dad.' She said softly as he gave her a hug over the fence. 'You're home early.'

'Thought I should spend some time with my favorite girls this afternoon.' He replied, Dakota nudging him to ask where her attention was. 'You looked good out there.'

'Yeah…' Maddie ran a hand down the mustang's neck. 'She's doing okay.'

'S-something the matter Maddie?' Cordell questioned after a slight debate in his mind, his hand on the mares' forehead. 'You-you haven't really been yourself the last few days.'

'I'm okay.'

'You sure?'

'I'm sure.' She plastered a fake smile onto her face. 'What did you have in mind for this evening?'

'I-I thought you, Stella and August might like to go out for dinner together with me. Just the four of us. Though it wouldn't appear they are home yet…' He remarked, glancing around. 'What do you think?'

'Might be nice. I better take this girl back to her yard in that case.'

'You want me to come give you a hand?'

Maddie shrugged as she went to open the gate. 'If you want to. I don't mind.'

Cordell stepped aside to let them through then fell in step beside her as she led the mare back over to her yard. He glanced down at his daughter, Maddie being unusually quiet and sober which wasn't like her at all. If he thought about it she'd been like that all week but with everything that had been going on with the Captain and such, he hadn't really had the chance to check in with her and make sure she was doing okay.

Tying Dakota up beneath the shelter, Maddie began to un-tack her. 'Can you start grooming her down?' She requested as she lifted off the heavy western saddle and carried it over to the fence to sit it down on.

'Alright, no problem at all.' He found the purple grooming bag and promptly withdrew a brush and curry comb. His daughter removed the saddle blanket and laid out to dry then removed the bridle and haltered her before picking up a brush to begin grooming the mares other side. 'Maddie…' She glanced over at him for a moment then resumed brushing down Dakota's neck. 'Talk to me honey. What-what's going on?'

'Nothing. Nothing is going on. I'm just tired and I have a headache.' She replied, using firmer strokes than usual to brush the mare. 'Just drop it Dad.'

Judging from the tone that she used it was a clear indicator that his gut feeling was on the right track. 'Maddie-'

'I'm just dealing with a few things, okay?' Maddie interrupted. 'Alright? I don't want to discuss this right now…' Dropping the brush back into the bag she started towards the feed and tack room and disappeared inside.

Cordell sighed heavily as he ran the brush along the mares back, looking towards the room she'd headed into. When he'd finished grooming Dakota he turned her loose then gathered up the tack and headed into the tack room.

As he walked into the room and returned the saddle to its stand he glanced over at Maddie. Judging from the way the teen was frantically wiping her cheeks it was safe to assume that she had been crying and once the tack was in place he went over to her. 'Maddie,' He knelt down in front of the hay bale she was seated on. 'honey. What's wrong?'

Maddie shook her head, turning away from him.

He lingered for a moment then gave her a hug, the teen nuzzling against his chest as she sniffled. 'Talk to me baby girl.'

'I… I'm just-I'm scared.' She finally admitted. One thing was for sure; Cordell could be damn persistent when he wanted to be… 'I'm scared one day you might walk out that door to head to work and never come home.' Pulling away from him she looked up at him, tears in her eyes. 'I don't want to lose you.'

So that's what was bothering her… 'You-you aren't gonna lose me Maddie.'

'You can't say that. You don't know what the future holds, what the next call might be. Look what happened to Captain James. Something like that could just as easily happen to you…' Her voice broke and she looked away from him to wrestle her emotions back under control.

'Would you want me to stop being a Ranger?'

At the question she turned back to him suddenly, surprise written in her expression. 'But Dad, that's your calling. That's your purpose. I can't ask you to stop being a Ranger just for me. That wouldn't be right.'

'Well-well what would you want me to do then?'

'I don't know…' She whispered sadly, swallowing the lump in her throat.

Cordell wiped the last of her tears off her cheeks then gently placed his hand under her chin to get her to look at him. 'Listen sweetheart. You-you and I both know that tomorrow isn't guaranteed for any of us. Anything could happen to any one of us. Mom-mom was bitten by that snake only a short while ago. And Emily…' He let his voice trail off, the teen nodding slowly as she understood what he was saying. 'But even-even if… something… were to happen to me baby girl-' Maddie swallowed again. 'You wouldn't be alone. You'll never be alone. Mama and Daddy, they'd take you in. You'd still have Uncle Liam, Stella, Augie, Geri. Life goes on sweetheart. You know that.'

She nodded, looking away from him once more. 'I do.'

'And I know losing your blood parents has-has been hard on you.' He continued after a pause. 'And it's not fair you lost 'em and I know the thought… of losing me, of losing any one of us scares you. That's why we can't take a single moment for granted.'

Maddie nodded again though remained silent for a long moment as she pondered over what he said, looking down at her hands. 'You know…' She paused before glancing up at him. 'Part of why I didn't want to let myself get close to you when you guys first took me in was this. Cause I was scared of getting close and my heart being broken again but you persisted… You slowly gained my trust and I let my heart open again. I try not to think of it that every morning you walk out that door to head to work could be the last time I get to see you. And with Captain James being shot… How real that possibility is got driven home.'

'I know.' He caressed her jaw in his hand, his thumb stroking her cheek gently as he kissed her forehead. 'I know honey… It did for me too.'

Hearing the quiver of emotion in his tone was almost enough to get her to start crying again and she wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight. 'I love you Dad.'

'I love you too baby girl.' Cordell kissed her head again then rested his chin atop her head, Maddie snuggled into his chest.

They lingered there for a moment just holding each other then Maddie pulled back, her emotions finally back under control. 'Well…' She finally breathed out with a slight chuckle. 'Now that that's said and done… What's for dinner?'

Cordell laughed softly. 'Why don't we go see where Stells and Augie want to go? I think I just heard them pull up outside.'

'Okay.' She smiled a little as they stood and she grabbed a good sized armful of hay before they walked out of the room. 'Dad, thank you-' She started as she filled Dakota's hay pillow and tossed it on the ground. 'I-I really did need to get that off my chest, as hard as it was to talk about it.'

He smiled back at her, his arm around her shoulders as they walked out of the yard. 'And if I have any say in it, you can be assured that I'm going to be around for a good long while yet just to embarrass you.'

'And I know you will too.' Maddie replied with an exaggerated eye roll. 'Why do Dads make it their number one priority just to be embarrassing?'