Walker and Trivette lead the way in the RAM, out beyond the Dallas city limits. It was dark this far out, the only light coming from the dual lines of streetlights running on either side of the roadway.
With Higgins driving, the others pulled up behind them.

Walker killed his engine and climbed out of the truck, his shotgun clenched in his hand. Trivette exited the passenger side, also holding a shotgun.

Careful not to slam car doors, Magnum and his friends got out of their own car, weapons slung over their shoulders. They looked comfortable with the weapons, Walker realized. During his background checks, it had been revealed that all of them had time served in the military; three of them had done tours in Vietnam.

"We've got to walk the rest of the way to the ranch," Walker explained in a whisper. He understood nods from everyone, and together they started down the road, leaving the cars.

"Looks a lot like Robin's Nest," Magnum whispered to Higgins, who was crouched on the ground next to him.

"Yes, quite," Higgins replied.

The ranch had a wooden fence - the kind with posts and two timber beams strung between them - that surrounded the perimeter. Walker pointed out the electrified wires that ran parallel to the fence.

They were meant to catch intruders by surprise, based on the assumption that once over the fence the intruders would have lowered their guard, and therefore stumble right into the wires. Instead of a low brick wall around the house, however, there was a tall, seemingly solid looking hedge row.

"Does anybody in there have night vision equipment?" TC asked in a low voice.

"No," Trivette replied, voice equally soft.

Rick couldn't resist, and hissed, "How do you know?"

"Trust us," Walker said.

"Once over the fence, there's a lot of open ground," Trivette reminded everyone. "Cover it as quietly as possible, splitting up into our teams."

Magnum repeated part of their earlier planning session.

"The tall row of hedges that hides the house from view has two breaks in it, one opposite the front door and the other on the side of the house, where the driveway goes in."

"Magnum and I," Rick said, continuing the walkthrough they'd come up with at CD's, "Go in through the front with Higgins and TC."

"Trivette and I go in the side while you guys create the distraction, right to the basement."

"You think this'll work?" TC questioned. No one bothered to reply.

Walker was the first over the fence. It wasn't particularly high, so it didn't present a problem to anyone, and soon they were all keeping low, their backs against it, officially on Trenton's property.

"The Trenton Estate," Magnum offered. He thought again. "Trenton's Dive. Like Robin's Nest, but more sinister."

"Shh," TC scolded, though he was shaking his head.

"This next part's a bit tricky," Trivette whispered. "The wires nearly impossible to see in the dark like this ... but we're lucky, Walker's got it covered."

Walker inched forward, recalling from the reconnaissance report how many feet the wires were from the fence, and trying to judge distance as accurately as humanly possible.

From his pocket, he took out a tiny aerosol can of yellow spraypaint. It would -hopefully- cover the wires and make them visible, without causing a bit zap and giving away their position.

Everyone tensed as Walker compressed the top, ready to bolt if the fence shorted or sparked, but it worked as planned. Walker hopped over, followed by Trivette, and then Magnum, Rick, TC, and Higgins.
Once over the wires, they split up, trying to stealthily approach the house. The men patrolling the area fell silently, one by one, as the six intruders inched their way forward.

Walker and Trivette were first to reach the break in the bushes near the side door. A guy wearing sunglasses suddenly came through, surprising them both. They jumped back, but the man saw them. Before he could raise the alarm, however, Walker kicked him, hard in the stomach, and got him on the ground, arm squeezing around the guy's throat.

Walker crushed the man's throat harder, then twisted with all of his might. The man, who had been struggling, went limp and his head rolled to the side at a grotesque angle.

Trivette helped Walker drag the body through the rest of the way through the opening, then they slipped through, shotguns at the ready. They'd gotten this far without firing a shot - a shot that would definitely be heard anywhere in the house - and they didn't intend to screw up now.

Magnum glanced at Rick, who was approaching the front opening of the hedge row from the right, while he moved in from the left. He noticed Rick was sweating, and looked like he was ready to take off. But Magnum knew Rick wouldn't do that. In fact, Magnum had to admit that Rick was a pretty good guy to have around in a combat situation. He was loyal, and could be brave if one of his friends was endangered.

Magnum did a silent count, raising fingers as he did so, and when he reached three Magnum and Rick threw themselves through the opening and rolled, Rick to the right and Magnum to the left, then came up with their fingers on the triggers of their weapons.
They swept the grounds, but there seemed to be no one between the foliage and the house.

Magnum stuck his head back through the opening in the thick, needled branches.

"TC and Higgins are right behind us."

Rick nodded. "Good."

Magnum and Rick waited for TC and Higgins to come through the opening. "The glass doors are around back," Magnum thought aloud.

"Rick and I'll go back there - you guys break a couple windows in front, and cause a distraction."

TC didn't look happy about this, either, but nodded. "Then we get around to the glass doors, and right up the stairs."

"You got it," Magnum said, as he and Rick started around the house.

TC stared at the light spill out onto the dark lawn from the windows, then raises his eyebrows at Higgins.

TC and Higgins waited until Rick and Magnum were out of sight, then both opened up on the front of the house with their automatics, spraying bullets through the large front windows. They shattered, and within seconds there were yells from inside and return gunfire, even though those inside the building couldn't see their attackers.

TC and Higgins ran full speed around the nearest corner of the house, just as the front door flew open and a small army poured out onto the front steps.

Magnum heard the gunfire out front, and took the opportunity to yank open the screen on the glass patio doors.

"They left it open for us," He commented, as he pressed his back against the exterior wall.

Rick was behind Magnum, his heart pounding so hard he thought Thomas might hear it. He swallowed, then managed to squeak,

"Good."

Magnum looked back at him. "You okay?"

Rick frowned. "Yeah. Get in there."

Magnum shrugged, then entered, ducking behind the nearest piece of furniture in sight. Rick slipped in behind him. TC and Higgins suddenly appeared behind them, both panting and out of breath.

"Where is everybody?" TC whispered.

Without warning, five suited, sunglass-wearing men burst into the room, showering the couch with bullets. Magnum raised his weapon over the top of the couch and pulled the trigger, returning fire, as Higgins leaned out the side. TC took the other, and soon they had mowed down the opposition.

"Stay here, you guys," Magnum said, kneeling to reload his gun. "I need your help down here - forget the upstairs."

He got only agreement from his two companions.

"I'll go see what's keeping Walker and Trivette," Rick offered.
Magnum nodded. "Go."

With Higgins, TC, and Magnum covering him, Rick made a break across the living room, heading for the basement.

Walker kicked open the side door as he heard the front windows shatter. He and Trivette ran in, sweeping the room with their guns, before running down a hall and through a large kitchen. Walker again recalled the blueprints, and took a sharp left, and was faced with a door.

He pulled it open, and saw a dim stairwell leading down. The stairs ran parallel to the concrete basement wall on the right, and on the left were hidden from whatever was downstairs by a plasterboard wall. It was pitch black at the bottom.

"C'mon, Trivette," he said tensely. He was afraid of what they might find in the basement, and from the look Trivette gave, his partner felt the same way.

Walker charged down the stairs, and rolled forward, feeling himself hit hard concrete flooring. Trivette was right behind him, and Walker pressed him to the floor as three shots impacted the concrete wall behind them. He and Trivette crouched at the bottom.

"Leo, Trevor - is that you?" A voice came out of the darkness.

"Trenton," Trivette breathed voice barely audible.

Walker touched his partner's shoulder, a sign that he understood.
Walker felt his blood rushing through his veins, pounding in his ears, giving him a sort of animal high. He licked his lips in the darkness. He couldn't ask for a better way to take Trenton down.

"Leave Trenton to me," Walker whispered in Trivette's ear. "You look for CD. He's gotta be down here somewhere."

Trivette tapped him twice on the arm and moved out along the basement wall, silent as a cat.

Walker crouched in the blackness and tried to locate Trenton, hear his breathing, maybe smell him, trying to get his finely tuned senses to help him.

Walker moved forward, and suddenly stopped, hearing ragged breathing from just to his right. It wasn't Trenton, however it sounded more like... CD!

Walker scrambled toward the noise, hasty but trying to be quiet. He reached the source of the noise, and reached his hand out, feeling a shoe, then trousers, and heavy knotted rope binding CD's ankles together.

Walker moved his hand up the chair, finding another length of rope holding his friend's upper body in position, just as a light flipped on, catching Walker full in its beam.

Walker looked toward the light, but was blinded, and couldn't see who was behind it more clearly than a vague silhouette.

"Well if it ain't Walker, Texas Ranger," A voice mused from behind the light.

Walker raises his shotgun, aiming along the beam of the flashlight. "I don't think that's a good idea," Trenton said.

"I bet I could hit you before you hit me," Walker challenged disdainfully. He wanted to spit. Trenton was the lowest of the low, an animal.

"Not without running the risk of hitting your partner," Trenton said coolly.

Walker felt the hairs on the back of his neck rising. "My partner?" He asked, feigning innocence, keeping the shotgun trained on Trenton.

"He didn't come with me. I wanted to take you out alone."

An overhead light turned on, revealing Trivette, his own shotgun jammed under his chin, as Trenton held it in place with one hand and the flashlight with the other.

Walker was literally speechless. "I'm sorry, Walker, he-" Trivette began.

Trenton ground the shotgun into the flesh beneath Trivette's chin, silencing him.

"It's okay, Jimmy," Walker said, sighting down the shotgun.

"He's down here!" Trenton yelled suddenly, hoping to get some of his goons from upstairs.

Sure enough, Walker heard the door upstairs open. Trenton maneuvered around Walker, dragging Trivette along, so that he was backing away from Walker with his back to the stairwell.

He was at the bottom step when he was pistol-whipped from behind, struck hard in the back of the skull by the butt of an automatic weapon. Trenton's body dropped to the floor, the shotgun clattering on the cement. Trivette jumped away, scooping up the shotgun as he whirled to face the basement stairway.

Rick stepped out from around the plasterboard wall. Walker and Trivette both exhaled their mutually held breaths, relieved that it was one of the good guys.

"Nice shot, Rick," Trivette said.

Rick grinned at them, but the smile faded the moment he saw CD.
Walker, who had turned away as soon as he had recognized Rick, was frantically trying to undo the knots.

Trivette and Rick rushed over to help, and soon the ropes fell away, but CD was unconscious, one eye looking as if it were swollen shut. He had taken a monumental beating, bruises covering almost every inch of exposed skin.

Walker shook his shoulders, gently. "CD, wake up!"

CD straightened in the chair. "'s that you, Walker?" He asked, opening his one good eye.

Walker grinned reassuringly at him. "Sure is. Jimmy's here too."

CD caught sight of Trivette. "Thanks for coming, guys," He said slowly. He tried to get to his feet, and Walker immediately helped him, putting one of CD's arms around his neck.

"We've got CD, let's get outta here," Walker said, shuffling CD toward the staircase. Trivette took in CD's condition. He had been knocked around badly, but, thank God, he was mobile, and could walk. They'd check him out more fully when they got to the vehicles.

Walker glanced down at Trenton. Rick had given him a pretty good smack. The back of Trenton's head was bloody; he may have had a skull fracture. Walker found himself hoping Trenton was dead. If he wasn't, Walker would certainly be back to make a formal arrest - but at the moment, his primary concern was CD, warrant or no.

Rick went up the stairs first, with Trivette behind him, and Walker with CD bringing up the rear.

CD looked up the stairs at Rick. "Who's he?" He asked Walker. Walker grinned briefly.

"That's Rick Wright. Heather's friend."

Rick glanced back at them. "Nice to meet you," He said to CD, then got his gun ready and pushed open the basement door a crack.

The hall seemed empty, so he pushed the door wider, all the way open, and jumped out. Trivette entered the hall behind him, and waited for Walker and CD.

"I'm gonna go see if my friends need back-up," Rick announced. He turned a corner and disappeared, on his way to the living room.

Magnum, TC, and Higgins had left the cover of the couch, and each were guarding a door. Magnum had the glass doors, and saw Rick come into the room.

"Rick, over here," He said, quickly looking back to the glass doors.

"We got CD! Where's everybody else?"

"TC's out front, Higgins is at the side door."

Rick nodded. "Trivette is watching Walker and CD's backs... He's beaten up, real bad, and it's gonna be hard for him to get all the way to the cars."

Magnum thought a moment, in which time he saw the porch light reflect off of steel in the night. Magnum fired through the doors, catching a man with a rifle who was sneaking up, trying to catch him unawares.

"Check in with TC, and tell Higgins to get to the car and bring it back here," Magnum ordered.

Rick nodded. "Right."

Walker finally got CD up the stairs. He saw Rick pass through the hallway on his way to tell TC what was up, and gave him a thumbs up. Rick paused to give him an update.

"Higgins went to get our car, for CD."

Walker looked like he appreciated it. "Thanks. You guys are great."

Rick gave him a half-hearted smile and moved on to the front door.

"TC, Higgins went to get the car, to help CD."

TC waved his hand to show that he had heard. "Okay, I'll be watching for him. I'll give a shout when he gets back."

"Great, we'll be ready," Rick replied.

"Two more cars just drove up," TC said tonelessly. He flipped the safety off on his weapon and brought it up to eye level, popping off a few shots at the new arrivals.

"You might wanna get everybody into the front hall. Safety in numbers."

Rick agreed, then ran back through the house - past Walker, Trivette, and CD - and into the living room.

CD looked up as Rick rushed past. "That one's a little strange," He said innocently.

Walker and Trivette couldn't help but laugh. "You have no idea."

Trenton awoke in the dark, disoriented, his head pounding. He lay still for a moment, trying to recall just what had happened. Then he remembered, and realized that Walker had escaped with the old man.

Trenton pushed himself to his feet and stumbled up the stairs, trying hard to be quiet about it, fighting dizziness. He got to the top and slumped down on the steps, head spinning. As he sat, he heard voices, from beyond the basement door, which had been closed, apparently to allow easy movement in the hallway between the foyer and living room. Trenton sat very still, listening.

"Magnum, two more car fulls of bad guys just drove up! TC wants everybody in the front foyer."

Magnum jumped at the sound of Rick's shout. He did a last once-over of the dark yard, then turned and saw Rick, panting, in the doorway of the living room.

'Last stand,' Magnum thought.

"I'm coming," Magnum said, moving away from the door.

Rick waited for him, and together they joined TC in the front foyer.
Walker and Trivette, supporting CD, entered the hall. CD pushed them away, insisting that he could stand on his own two feet, but leaned heavily against the wall.

"We gotta get out of this house," TC said, voice tense. He was glaring out the front door, shooting anything that moved - anything that didn't look like Higgins driving their getaway car, that is.

Everyone thought this a fine idea. Rick and Magnum took up positions on either side of TC, so that the three formed a sort of defensive line.

Trenton once again rose, standing unsteadily, and turned the doorknob, letting the door drift open gradually. He maneuvered himself through the thin opening and glanced to his right, seeing Walker and his friends leaving the house.

Trenton grinned. They must have a car, and if they had one it was on the road, and between the house and road was an acre of flat land. He went left, to a staircase leading up, and crept up them, to his bedroom, where he pulled his special something out from under the bed and went to the window, kneeling in front of it. He turned the object in his hand, smashed out the screen of the open window, then righted it in his hands.

Trenton brought to his eye a high-class sniper rifle, fully loaded, with a starlight scope, and surveyed the grounds in front of him, waiting for his prey to scramble into view.

The three Vietnam vets were out the door first, Rick covering the left, Magnum the right, and TC the front, as Walker and Trivette flanked CD, who was the only one without a weapon and moving the most slowly.

"Somebody get behind us!" It was more a request than a demand, and

Rick quickly fell back, to act as a rear guard.

"I think we're okay until we get through the hedgerow." TC, once again, provided his opinion.

His opinion turned out to be fact. Once through the break in the thick bushes, everyone began sprinting, covering CD - who was injured - as well as they could.

They ran headlong across the open terrain, sometimes dropping and rolling, avoiding the bullets continually fired their way from the house, and soon they were out of view, the darkness closing in around them, protecting them, as they reached the land out past the circle of visibility cast by the house lights.

Once Magnum deemed they were sufficiently out of danger, Magnum called everyone to halt.

They lay on the grass, listening to enemy fire whistle by overhead, but the shots became less and less frequent. Magnum had no doubt that Trenton's men would start combing the area very soon, and they had to be long gone.

Magnum ordered everyone up. Perhaps it was his commanding presence, or his height, but he had become the unofficial leader of this mission.

Trenton saw the old man rise, and sighted the crosshairs right over the man's spine. If the guy lived, he'd be paralyzed in his lower extremities for life...

As CD rose, Magnum saw what looked to be a red laser dot travel across the ground. It alighted the small of CD's back, and Magnum's eyes widened as comprehension suddenly dawned.

Trenton steadied his aim one last time, and professionally, deadly, squeezed the trigger.

"CD, get do -!" Magnum began to shout.

Magnum made a leap, trying to tackle CD, but Rick, who was nearer, launched to his feet and, turning toward CD and therefore the house, shoved him down.

Walker was instantly next to CD, checking him for injuries, but CD pushed himself up on an elbow and shook his head. He was fine.

"There's no place to hide from a sniper here," Trivette yelled, very nearly on the verge of loosing it. He had never, in his life, been trained for something like this.

"Get moving," Magnum shouted back. Walker and Trivette began to hustle CD away, towards the road, where they now saw headlights hurtling toward them in the dark.

TC took off after them, with the assumption that Rick and Magnum were right behind him. Magnum realized that CD was fine, then turned to Rick, to see if he too was okay, and his heart nearly stopped.

Rick was spread-eagle on the ground, face-up, his shirt quickly growing an even darker color in the light of the overhead moon.
Magnum dropped to his knees next to his friend.

"Rick? Rick!" 'Oh, God,' Magnum thought, pulling Rick's shirt back to get a look at the damage.

The entry wound was to the left of Rick's navel, the blood oozing faster than Magnum thought possible. He grabbed Rick's shoulder and turned him marginally. There was no exit wound.

Magnum was so numb he didn't even yell for TC. Instead, he pressed a palm down over the bullet hole. Rick stiffened, his back arching in pain.

Magnum's heart was thumping in overdrive as he took Rick's pulse. It was weak and thready, but there.

"Hang on, Rick," He implored. Rick's eyes flickered open, and he moaned.

Magnum swallowed hard, his eyes moist. "Can you walk?" He asked, but he already knew the answer. Rick just stared at him, whimpering a little in pain, as Magnum gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"It's okay, Rick. You're gonna be fine," Magnum said, and kept repeating it, as he gathered Rick in his arms and lifted him up.

Rick writhed in agony, his face turned away from Magnum, his chest heaving. Suddenly, the ground near Magnum's feet erupted in a shower of stone chips and dirt.

Magnum stumbled, and he and Rick hit the ground. Magnum saw Rick gasp, curling on his side, but didn't have time to do anything about it at the moment.

Magnum grabbed up his automatic, twisting back to look at the house, and saw a silhouette of a man in one of the top story windows. He fired a burst at the window, and his expression was one of almost enjoyment as he saw at least one or two of his shots had hit home.

The sniper was hit in what Magnum guessed was the shoulder and upper chest, spun around, and fell back from the window, presumably onto the floor.

Magnum didn't want to waste any more time. Rick didn't look like he was gonna hold out much longer, and the bleeding was already heavier.

"TC!" Magnum found his voice. TC, who had already come back to look for them, appeared out of the darkness in front of them.

"Rick's hit," Magnum's voice trembled.

"C'mon, man, let's get him to the car," TC said grimly. Magnum nodded, then leaned down and spoke quietly to Rick.

"This is gonna hurt a little... I promise, we're going to get you help very soon." He held his hand on the wound as TC lifted, and together they carried Rick to the wires and fence.

Magnum and TC got to the road just as Walker plowed up in the RAM. He jumped out, slamming the door.

"Trivette, Higgins, and CD are on their way to the hospital to get CD checked out," He said to TC and Magnum. "Get him in the back, we'll get him to the emergency room."

"Higgins got these out of the trunk before they left," Walker continued, handing over two large bath towels. TC grabbed them while Magnum went around to the back, lifting Rick into the truck bed. He climbed in alongside his friend, and TC soon followed.

"Nearest hospital, fast as you can," Magnum said, as Walker scrambled into the drivers seat again. Walker roared off down the road.

In the back, Magnum tucked one of the towels around Rick, to help keep him warm and stave off shock, while TC folded the other and pressed it to the bullet wound.

"Hang on, Orville," TC said, sitting back, holding the towel in place. It was already half soaked. Magnum and TC exchanged worried glances.

The car jolted over a pothole, jarring not only Magnum and TC, but Rick, who was biting his lip so hard it drew blood.

---

Heather was sitting on an uncomfortable couch in one of the hospital floor's waiting rooms, in tears as they waited for word on Rick. CD, bruised and bandaged, was sitting back with his eyes closed.

Alex had dropped her off, but Heather had politely declined her offer to stay, so Alex had gone home to get a few decent hours of sleep before having to report to work in the morning.

There was no doubt Heather was glad to have him back - she gave him a hug so tight she almost cracked his already abused ribs - but the joy they should have felt was dampened by the fact that Rick was in critical condition, laying on a surgery table somewhere behind one of the doors down the hallway.

Higgins sat with an unreadable expression, staring at the floor, while Magnum was deep in thought, reviewing the last few hours.
TC was pacing. Walker and Trivette were downstairs, getting everybody coffee.

They were the only ones who would leave. It wasn't that they didn't like Rick - in fact, both owed a lot to Rick, considering what might have happened if he hadn't come down the stairs at that moment - but they weren't as close as Magnum or TC. CD wasn't terribly close to Rick, either, but he was to Heather, and CD could see the pain Heather was in.

"Thomas Magnum?"

Magnum's head snapped up. A doctor in bloody surgical scrubs was peeling off his latex gloves, his paper facemask hanging around his neck, medical cap still in place.

Magnum's heart rate sped up again. What if Rick had lost too much blood? What if the bullet had hit a vital organ or they couldn't repair the internal damage? What if...

"How's Rick?" TC asked. Heather approached them, and Magnum put an arm around her shoulders.

"Still in surgery, but they'll wrap it up very soon."

"It took three hours," Magnum said softly, voice and expression worried and pained.

"Whoever did this to him must have been using prefragmented bullets," The doctor said. His voice was very clinical, almost detached.

"The one shot that hit him flew apart when it pierced his abdomen, causing three tracks of damage, leaving a lot of holes where their shouldn't be..."

Magnum grimaced, his eyes closing involuntarily.

"Poor Rick," Heather said, sighing in commiseration.
Magnum tightened his grip on her for an instant. Heather felt his body tense up.

"Anything else you can tell us?" The question came from Higgins, who had come up behind them and was listening.

"Not right now. We'll have to see in a few hours, when the anesthetic wears off. He lost a lot of blood."

"Enough to cause brain damage?" TC sounded as scared as Magnum felt.

"We aren't sure - we think we caught it in time. But he was unconscious when he was brought in."

The doctor didn't say anything more, saw that he didn't need to. These people didn't need to hear any more bad news. He turned and went down the hall, disappearing into the doctor's lounge.

Almost a half hour later, a nurse approached Magnum and his friends, to give them an update on Rick. Walker and Trivette had long since gotten back from their coffee run, and the six men were sitting sipping their Styrofoam cups while Heather nursed a Diet Coke straight from the can. Magnum and TC were first to move in on her.

She held up a hand in a no-nonsense manner. "Mr. Wright is out of surgery, and is being moved to the ICU. It'll be hours until he's awake, however. The anesthesia won't be wearing off for awhile, to give his body a chance to catch up on some much-needed rest. My suggestion is to go home, and if it makes you feel better, leave one or two people here."

The nurse excused herself, mentioning to Magnum that there would be someone on duty at the nurses' station in case they had any questions.

"It is getting late," Trivette said. "Should Walker and I take CD and Heather home?"

"I'm not leaving," Heather said vehemently.

"But Heather, don't you think you -" CD began.

Heather shook her head. "I'm not tired. I'm just... worried." She looked at Magnum, hoping to find an ally.

Magnum took in the dark circles under Heather's eyes, and how tired she looked in the harsh neon lights of the hospital.

"Rick wouldn't want you falling asleep on your feet," Magnum said gently. "As soon as Rick wakes up, you'll be the first to know," He promised. Heather looked doubtful.

"You want to go back to the hotel with me, Heather?" Higgins asked, surprising everyone. Out of all of her "family", it was Higgins who was perhaps the most distant. Heather looked genuinely pleased, but felt her duty was elsewhere.

"Rick would want me here."

"Rick wants what's best for you," TC said. "Like the rest of us. You look like you could use sleep... You heard the doctor, he won't be conscious for a few hours anyway. A nap an hour or two long, and you'll be back here before Rick wakes up."

Heather mulled it over. She was tired, and Rick wouldn't approve of her "making herself sick".

"Ah, let her stay," Walker suddenly said. "I couldn't leave if CD or Trivette were in a bed somewhere... We all know how she feels, right guys?"

Heather smiled at Walker. 'Thanks,' she mouthed.

Magnum nodded. "Okay, I give up. I can't leave either. I'm going to go ask one of the nurses if we can see Rick."

TC accompanied him, and within minutes they were back.

"One or two people at a time," TC said.

Walker and Trivette took this cue and Walker said courteously,

"Trivette and I'll go coordinate with the backup we called. I haven't gotten their report yet, but they were moving in on the house last time I checked in. They should be finished with the clean-up real soon... You guys really did a number on Trenton's men. CD, you need a ride home?"

CD looked at Heather. "You want me to stick around?"

"You need your sleep, too," Heather told him, attempting to smile.

"Besides, I lived with these guys for years. I think I'm in good hands."

"Okay... call if you need anything. Anything at all."

Heather gave her uncle another brief hug, then he, Walker, and Trivette left the waiting area, boarding an elevator car that had just arrived.

TC and Magnum were first to step into the small Intensive Care Unit room. It was packed with machinery, heart monitors beeping, a respirator, and other units of equipment neither man could identify. The room was furnished with only a single chair and bed, but it still felt claustrophobic.

It was a very medical, unpleasant room, Magnum realized, moving his eyes slowly to the bed.

Rick was hooked up to a respirator, chest rising and falling evenly but mechanically. TC was already at the bedside, staring down at Rick, looking deeply troubled, and for obvious reasons.

"Jesus," Magnum said quietly, more to himself than TC.

If TC heard, he didn't reply. Magnum decided to give TC some privacy.

"I'll go check on Heather again," Magnum said. He spoke just louder than a whisper, afraid - even though Rick was drugged - of disturbing him.

TC nodded, not taking his eyes off Rick, as Magnum left the room.
Magnum walked down the hall to the somewhat smaller waiting area - consisting of three walls, a coffee machine, and couch - and raised his eyebrows in surprise as he saw Heather, sitting next to Higgins on the couch, sleeping with her head on his shoulder.
He lowered himself slowly to the couch, so as not to bounce it and wake her.

"Poor thing's exhausted," Higgins whispered. He had a magazine out again, something about politics.

Magnum rubbed his eyes. "She's not the only one." He yawned a little. "Should have sent her with Walker."

"You're right, of course... but she was so worried. How does he look?"

Magnum didn't see what could be gained by lying, and was very frank. "Horrible. I've never seen anybody so pale. And all those tubes, and IV's..." He trailed off.

Higgins was toying with the corner of his magazine page."I'm sure he'll make a full recovery. He's in relatively good shape. You all are."

"Holdover from our military days, I guess," Magnum said. He didn't sound at all as convinced as Higgins.

Heather stirred. "I thought you were visiting Rick," She said to Magnum as she sat up straighter, running a hand through her hair to clear it from her eyes. She blinked, still not fully awake.

"TC's in there with him now," Magnum explained. "I wanted to give them some privacy."

"He'll be fine," Heather said. It was what Magnum most needed to hear, of course, and she had picked up on that from the moment he had entered the hospital.

TC came out of the room a few minutes later. He took a seat next to Heather, while Magnum stood and went down the hall into the room.
Magnum approached the bed tenatively, seating himself in the chair TC had left inches from the rail of the hospital bed.

"Hey, Rick." He felt he had to say something - he just wasn't sure what. "Higgins has this whole theory about the unconscious being able to hear others... I don't know... It's a comforting thought, that you can hear us, but..." Magnum sighed.

Magnum sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the steady beeping of the heart and respiratory monitors, counting each heartbeat. He reached out and brushed Rick's arm with his fingertips, as one might a newborn, afraid it might break if jostled too much.

He sat with his elbows on his knees, chin resting on his hands, and began to talk quietly to Rick, letting the hours slip away, oblivious to anything except what was in the room at that moment. He told Rick about anything that entered his head, life experiences from early childhood to Vietnam, and even about things he, TC, and Rick had done. This eventually flowed into things the three of them had never done, never had the chance to do, and a plea for Rick to stay with them.

Magnum was awakened by sounds of people moving about in the room. He opened his eyes, and though the room was windowless, he could tell it was early morning. A nurse was checking Rick's blood pressure and heart rate, and so forth. She looked up at Magnum as he shifted in the chair where he had drifted off during the night and smiled. Magnum returned the smile, but his eyes had already moved to the bed.

"He should be waking up soon," The nurse explained, making some notations on the chart at the foot of the bed.

Magnum nodded. He got to his feet and stretched a little, trying to work the stiffness out of his muscles. He turned to the nurse.

"There were three people out in the waiting area last night," He said.

"A tall, muscular black guy, teenage girl, rather petite, this high," Magnum held his hand up to about his shoulder level, "And a... white male, gentleman, British accent. They still here?"

"I just got on duty, and haven't seen them. You might try asking someone at the desk on this floor."

Magnum nodded his thanks and left the room, glanced quickly into the waiting room to see that it was empty, and headed for the nurses' station.

There, he found a message left with one of the nurses, from Higgins. He and TC had taken Heather back to the hotel and they were all going to sleep for a few hours, and one of them would be there in the morning.

Magnum finished the message, thanked the lady at the desk, and went back to the room. To his surprise, Rick was stirring, eyes opening at the sound of Magnum entering.

Magnum leaned into Rick's field of vision. "Hey, Rick. Let me call the nurse. She'll want to know you're awake."

Magnum hit a button above the bed, and in less than a minute the same nurse - Nurse Jennifer, by her name tag - entered again.
She had a syringe and small cup of ice in her hands. The ice she set on the small table, then poised the needle in her hand.

She looked at Rick, first clinically, as a scientist might a lab rat, then her features softened visibly. It was very professional to have these thoughts, but he was cute, even laid out flat on his back.

"Are you in any pain, Mr. Wright?" She asked. He nodded slowly, with effort, mouth still to dry to speak, so she injected another does of painkillers into the IV tubes.

She addressed Magnum. "The prognosis is good. He should make a nearly complete recovery. Your friend's a lucky man." She eyed Magnum, noticing his clothes, which looked like they'd been through a war. And they had, sort of.

"If he's thirsty, give him some ice chips."

"Thanks," Magnum said sincerely. He took his seat again, just as he saw a familiar face in the doorway. The nurse maneuvered around Walker, who was stepping in just as she stepped out. Trivette followed.

Rick gave them a very weak smile. Walker was grinning.

"CD's fine, Rick. We got him back - hardly a scratch, really. Also," He indicated Magnum with a slight nod, "Trenton's dead. Ballistics matched the slugs in Trenton to those in the guns you guys were using. He was sprawled on the floor in one of the upper story bedrooms, lung-shot. Basically, he drowned in his own blood."

Magnum felt Rick staring at him. "I guess he was the one who..."

"No guessing required," Trivette said. "We found the rifle he used laying next to the body."

"You guys really dented their operations. We aren't sure if they're ever gonna be able to get up and running again, at least in Dallas." Walker's tone was decidedly happy.

There was a few seconds of silence, then Magnum said, "Good."
Walker and Trivette said their good-byes, and promised to catch them again before their flight home, which had been postponed until such a time when Rick was able to travel.

Magnum and Rick were left alone in the room.

"Feeling okay?" Magnum asked, shaking the ice chips in their container.

The pain medicine was starting to take effect. Rick mumbled something unclear, which Magnum didn't quite catch, but Rick didn't seem to be in any obvious discomfort.

"Thirsty?"

Rick shook his head, settling back against the pillows, eyes closing. Magnum sat quietly, watching him sleep, until he heard his name from the door.

"Hi, guys," Magnum said, standing. Heather, TC, and Higgins stood just outside the room, unsure whether to come in.

Magnum told them with a smile that it was alright. "They just gave him more painkillers, so he's out like a light."

Heather moved to the rail of the bed, hands resting on it. Magnum recounted what Walker and Trivette had just told him.
TC leaned against the wall, looking relieved. "Well, then, that's it. We can go home."

Heather looked at all of them. "I want to thank you guys again... I don't think things would have worked out so well..." Heather's voice caught a little as she took in Rick. "We might never have gotten CD back in one piece, or taken down Trenton's illegal stuff..."

"Don't mention it," A voice suddenly croaked from the bed. Heather and the rest jumped in surprise.

"Rick!" Heather exclaimed, grinning down at him.

"Hi, Heather," he managed, and also managed another smile.

"Everything will be okay now," Heather said, not just to Rick, but to everyone there. All of her "family", in one piece - more or less - and life would continue, as close to happily ever after as was possible in the real world.

It was almost two weeks later that Rick was finally released from the hospital and able to endure the long flight back to Hawaii.

CD, Alex, Trivette, Walker, and Heather all were present at the airport to see Magnum and company off.

"Take it easy when you get back, Rick," Heather said, giving him a gentle hug. "Don't get back in the swing of things too soon."
Rick smiled at her concern, although he knew this was good, sound advice.

The walk through the airport to the terminal had already depleted his energy level significantly, but he had refused Higgins ridiculous - though practical - offer of a wheelchair. He wasn't helpless, he had insisted, although he could tell that everyone was keeping a close eye on him.

Walker, Trivette, Alex, and CD exchanged handshakes with the departing party, while Heather gave everyone else hugs.

"Flight's boarding," TC mentioned. Magnum and Higgins reshouldered their duffels, then Magnum picked up Rick's as well. He didn't want Rick wearing himself out carrying his luggage - by the feel of the bag, Rick had brought a load of stuff.

Rick, who had been anxious to get out of Hawaii, was reluctant to leave Texas. "Okay," He said, unenthusiastically. He reached down for his duffel, and not finding it on the floor by his feet, looked around in confusion, finally spotting it hanging from Magnum's shoulder.

He shot Magnum a look, although he felt relieved. The bag must have weighed three tons. He had no idea how he managed to pack that much stuff.

Higgins and TC had started for the gate, joining the file of other passengers boarding the plane. Magnum took a few steps and paused, waiting for Rick to follow.

"By the way," Rick remembered. "My friend says you guys can keep the body armor and M-16s. Think of them as a gift. No questions asked." Rick raised his eyebrows meaningfully.

Walker shrugged. "Great."

Trivette grinned. "We won't ask where they came from."

"Take care of Heather for me, CD," Rick added.

"Will do," CD said, putting his arm around his niece's shoulders.
Rick waved good-bye to Heather and caught up with Magnum. They were the last two people boarding.

Walker couldn't resist and called out, just as Rick and Magnum were disappearing into the connecting hallway, "Rick, who is your 'friend' you keep mentioning?"

Rick gave him a smile, one last conspiratorial grin and wink to Heather - if Rick was her father figure, then Ice Pick was her grandfather - shook his head slightly, committing himself to silence. He vanished from the hallway, following his friends onto the plane.

Heather, CD, Walker, Alex, and Trivette stood at the windows and watched their plane take off.

"You know who his friend is, don't you?" Walker asked Heather. Heather laughed.

"Not a clue," She lied. Walker knew it, and he and Trivette chuckled.

"We'll get it oughtta you some day," Trivette said playfully, patting Heather on the back.

The five of them watched the plane disappear into the brilliant blue Texas sky.

Onboard the plane, Rick got more comfortable in his seat. The bullet wound in his abdomen was aching a little, from the rapid air pressure change, but it wasn't anything he couldn't deal with. He glanced to his right, and saw Thomas staring out the window.

TC was to his left, eyes closed, already snoozing. Higgins was reading yet another magazine.

Rick noticed that Magnum had turned his head and was watching him. Their eyes met, and both smiled briefly. Magnum turned back to his window view, watching the sun reflect off the wing of the plane.

Rick decided that TC had the right idea, and reclined his seat. He could relax now; their work in Texas was done...

It was time to go home.