"All In A Days Work"
By Lorrie
Disclaimer: The following story is based on the characters of the TV Series "Walker, Texas Ranger". The characters belong to CBS Productions, Top Kick Productions, etc., but the story is mine. ALL DISCLAIMERS APPLY. (No copyright infringement is intended.)
"Cummings, I'm telling you it'll go much easier on you if you give the Rangers Quinn." Officer Delante said, doing his best to convince Mark Cummings to talk.
"I can't. Quinn will have me killed if I do."
"You're young, Cummings. It would be a shame to see you given a lengthy sentence for something you didn't do. If you give Quinn up, the Rangers in Dallas have already said that they'll ask for leniency."
"I didn't do anything!" Cummings yelled. "I was hiding behind some crates in the warehouse. Quinn killed that cop all on his own."
"That's a start, Cummings. That statement alone is enough for us to bring Quinn in, but we need to know where to find him and then we need to have you testify against him."
Mark Cummings sat there for a moment with his head in his hands. His life had gotten so mixed up since he came to Texas. He had run away from home two years ago and had traveled most of the country. He heard of a job opportunity in Dallas and had boarded a bus in Wisconsin. When he first met Gavin Quinn, he was impressed. Quinn was in his mid-thirties and seemed to have done very well for himself in the import business.
When Mark had asked Quinn what exactly he imported, he laughed and told him he would find out soon enough. Quinn first had Mark sweeping up in the warehouse and then gradually promoted him to unloading crates.
It was one night while Mark was working alone at the warehouse, unloading crates that he became curious enough to find out exactly what Quinn was importing. He grabbed a crowbar and pried the lid from one of the crates and shuddered when he found military weapons inside. He heard footsteps approaching and quickly closed the lid and re-clamped the closures down as quietly as he could and then hid behind some crates as Quinn and two of his goons forced another man into the center of the room.
"You betrayed me Max." Quinn said quietly.
"I don't know what you're talking about Mr. Quinn." Max replied.
"You're a cop!" Quinn slapped Max across the face as the two goons held him.
"A cop? How could you possibly think . . ?"
Quinn pulled a tape recorder from his pocket and played back a phone conversation between Max and his superiors. "Still going to deny it?"
Max's eyes grew large as Quinn pulled a gun from under his coat, pointed it at Max's chest and pulled the trigger.
"Dispose of the body." Quinn quietly ordered the two goons. He then placed the gun back under his coat and walked away.
Mark had called the cops and let them know that their undercover man had been killed and where. When the cops arrived at the warehouse, they confiscated the crates of weapons and started asking questions that Mark wasn't sure how to answer. He was immediately taken into custody and currently faced charges of weapons possession with intent to sell, among others.
He was really facing a dilemma, on the one hand, if he kept his mouth shut and didn't turn Quinn over, he would face the charges alone and take the fall for Quinn and probably end up serving a lengthy sentence in a maximum security prison. On the other hand, if he told the Texas Rangers where to find Quinn and testified against him, Quinn would have him killed. He found out early on that Gavin Quinn had connections; connections with people you didn't want to cross.
******
Gage slapped at the alarm clock from underneath the covers, finally finding his mark, causing the obnoxious noise to stop.
Sydney pulled herself close to him and nuzzled his neck with her cheek. "Good morning." She smiled.
Gage returned the smile without opening his eyes. "Good morning." He mumbled.
"We need to get up sleepy head." She traced her finger down his chest, causing his smile to broaden.
"We don't have to get up quite yet, do we?" He asked as he wrapped his arms around her and suddenly turned, pinning her to the bed.
She shook her head and pulled him down to her, kissing him passionately. "Do we have time for this?" She asked.
"We're making time for this." He replied as he brought her close to him.
A while later, Gage laid back on his side of the bed. "Now that's the best way I can think of to wake up in the morning."
"Me too." She smiled back at him as she wrapped the comforter around her and made her way to the shower. "What time do you have to be in court?"
"Walker and I are supposed to be there at 9:00." Gage yawned as he got out of bed. "What are you doing today?"
"Nothing special that I know of."
*****
Gage kissed Sydney before they got out of the car. "I'll see you tonight."
"OK. I love you."
"I love you too." He replied as they parted ways on the first floor of the courthouse.
Gage met Walker outside of the courtroom. "Hey Gage. Are you ready for this?"
"If it'll put Sanderson and the rest of these guys away, you bet."
Walker and Gage were testifying in the Jacob Sanderson case. Sanderson was facing charges for the murder of Daniel Miles, a well-known businessman who had alerted the Texas Rangers about a money laundering scam within his own company. Sanderson was later found to be the head of the scam and had allegedly killed Miles. Walker and Gage had worked the case almost a month ago, but due Jacob Sanderson's healthy problems, the trial had been continued until today.
They stepped into the courtroom and took their seats. The D.A.'s office and the defense attorney both had several witnesses to call. It was going to be a long day.
*****
"Good morning Sydney." Trivette said as Sydney entered the office.
"It is a good morning, isn't it?"
"Hey, I just got a call while ago from the Sheriff's office in Fort Worth, it seems that young Mark Cummings has decided to testify against Gavin Quinn."
"Well, it's about time we got a break in that case. Who's picking him up? I mean, Gage and I were both in on the bust, but Gage is in court."
"You and I are. Walker and Gage are going to be tied up in court most of the day, so I told the sheriff that we would come get him."
"Great! When do we leave?"
"As soon as the extradition papers come down."
An hour later, Trivette and Sydney were on their way to Fort Worth. Mark was in the holding cell pacing back and forth, not certain if he had done the right thing by agreeing to tell the Rangers where they could find Quinn. "He's going to kill me." He muttered under his breath. "I'm a dead man."
"Hi Rangers." The sheriff greeted Sydney and Trivette as they entered his office. "I suppose you're here for Cummings."
"That's right. Here's the paperwork." Trivette handed the paperwork to the sheriff. He quickly thumbed through it and motioned for one of the deputies to get Cummings.
"He's not really any trouble. The boy's scared and with reason. Gavin Quinn isn't someone to mess with. Of course, you already know that. Was the officer he killed one of yours or Dallas PD?"
"Dallas PD." Sydney answered quietly. She knew it could have just as easily been Gage. He was undercover with Max, but luckily he was out of town on an errand Quinn had sent him on that evening. He didn't find out about the bust until he came home late that night.
Cummings was brought upstairs in handcuffs. "Here he is Rangers." Cummings immediately recognized both Sydney from the bust at the warehouse. "Rangers, Quinn's going to kill me. He's going to kill us all."
"We'll protect you. It's not that far to Dallas and you'll be inside the car until we get there. Everything's going to be fine." Sydney assured him.
*****
"The prosecution calls Ranger Francis Gage to the stand." Alex stated. Gage got up and took the stand.
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" The bailiff asked as Gage's hand was placed on a Bible.
"I do."
"You may be seated."
Gage's testimony lasted about 20 minutes and then he was cross-examined by the defense attorney to no avail.
*****
Sydney stepped outside first and checked the perimeter. "It's clear." She called to Trivette. He stepped out with Cummings elbow in his hand.
"Watch your head." Trivette said as he helped Cummings into the backseat of the car, buckled him in and then got in on the passenger side.
"Ready?" Sydney asked as she started the car.
"Let's go."
*****
"Mr. Quinn, the lady Ranger is with them and they just left the sheriff's office." Came the transmission over the radio.
"Good. Take Cummings and the lady Ranger. I want to deal with both of them personally. Is anyone else with them?"
"There's another Ranger, but he wasn't at the warehouse."
"Leave him."
"Yes sir."
*****
A few miles outside of Dallas, Sydney noticed an SUV following them. "Trivette, we've picked up a tail."
Trivette looked into the side mirror and spotted the SUV. He picked up the radio and called in. "Ranger HQ, this is Ranger Trivette. Ranger Cooke and I are transporting a prisoner. We're currently eastbound on the LBJ and we've picked up a tail. It's a black or dark blue Chevy SUV. Texas plates, PLA-0297. We need backup."
"Roger that Ranger Trivette. Back up is on the way. That was Texas plates, PLA-0297."
"Roger."
He put down the radio and picked up his gun, just in case. The SUV pulled closer to them, dodging its way through traffic. Once it reached the car, it turned sharply into the driver's side, forcing Sydney off of the road and down an embankment.
Immediately the five men in the SUV pulled Sydney and Cummings out of the wreckage and forced them into the SUV, leaving Trivette laying unconscious in the passenger seat.
*****
The trial was over a little after 12:00. Walker and Gage joined Alex for lunch and then returned to headquarters.
"Any idea where Sydney and Trivette might be?" Gage asked as he glanced towards his partner's desk.
"No, but it looks like I have a voice mail message." Walker picked up his phone and dialed his voice mail. "Gage, let's go!" Walker shouted after he hung up.
"What's going on?"
"Trivette's in the hospital."
"Where's Syd?"
Walker shook his head. "I don't know. We need to talk to Trivette and see what happened."
*****
Sydney opened her eyes and found herself handcuffed to a pipe in a dark, cold, damp room. She leaned her throbbing head towards her hands in an attempt to ease the pain.
She tried to remember where she was and what had happened. She and Trivette had picked up Mark Cummings in Fort Worth. They were heading back to Dallas when they spotted an SUV following them.
She recalled being forced off of the road and remembered muffled voices as she was pulled out of the wreck and put into the SUV. Cummings had been put in beside of her. Where was he now? She wondered as she called out: "Is anyone in here?"
*****
Quinn faced Cummings who had been brought in and forced into a chair.
"Mark, I can understand what a choice you've been faced with. I know that the Ranger's tenacity can be overwhelming. I need to know exactly what you saw at the warehouse that night."
Mark thought for a moment. Quinn couldn't have known that he witnessed the murder or he'd already be dead. "I didn't see anything Mr. Quinn. I was in the back with the radio on. I heard something loud, like . . ." he thought carefully before finishing. "Like a car backfiring. I turned the radio down and stood still for a minute. I thought I heard voices, so I made my way to the main section, but no one was there."
"Why did the Rangers raid the warehouse?" Quinn asked suspiciously.
Cummings shook his head. "I don't know, but they busted in when I got to the main room and they arrested me after they opened the crates. They kept asking me where they could find you, but I didn't tell them anything."
Quinn nodded, eyeing him as if he were trying to decide if he believed him or not.
"Two Rangers came to Fort Worth this morning to take me back to Dallas. They asked questions while we were riding, but I still didn't tell them anything."
Quinn nodded. "OK, Cummings. Tony will give you a lift to the other warehouse and you can get to work on the next shipment. I have several guards posted so don't worry about the law getting to you." Quinn turned his back towards Cummings, "Or you getting to the law." He said under his breath.
Cummings smiled as he shook Quinn's hand. "Thank you, Mr. Quinn. I won't let you down."
Tony escorted Cummings out as two other men entered. "Yes, Mr. Quinn."
"Keep an eye on him. His story makes sense, but if he didn't rat out the warehouse location, then our first hunch was right. Colby's a cop. I want you two and Tony to find him and bring him back here."
"What about the lady Ranger?"
"What about her?"
"Do you want us to finish her off?"
Quinn shook his head. "She's not going anywhere and the building is scheduled for demolition tomorrow morning." He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Problem solved."
"What about Cummings? Won't he talk?"
"Cummins was unconscious until we got here. He couldn't know that we took the lady Ranger." Once of the men spoke up.
Quinn replied. "Alright, now we need to locate Colby, or whatever his name is. He ran an errand for me the night before the raid. I haven't seen him since."
"He left the package where you asked him to and he should be at the other warehouse today."
"Good. We'll go pay him a visit."
*****
Walker and Gage met Trivette as he was coming out of the emergency room. "Trivette, are you alright? What happened?"
Trivette reached towards the cut on his head. "I'm fine. We picked up Cummings and were on our way back with him when we were run off of the road."
Gage stared at Trivette. "Where are Sydney and Cummings?"
Trivette shook his head. "I don't know. I'm sorry, man, but I don't know. When I came to, I was in the back of an ambulance and they said that no one else was in the car."
Gage's face drained of color. He thought back to the few moments they had shared just that morning. "Walker, Quinn's got her. I'm sure of it. We've got to get to the second warehouse."
Walker shook his head. "Gage, your cover's probably been blown. He's already killed one officer, let's not make it two."
"Or three if he's already killed Syd." Gage said what Walker and Trivette both were already thinking. "If I don't show at the warehouse, you can bet they'll come looking for me."
"I know. That's why we need to get you set up in a safe house."
"No way, Walker! I'm not running from this guy. He's got Sydney and I'm going to get her." Gage walked outside of the hospital, ahead of Walker and Trivette.
A car pulled up to the curb just as Gage stepped onto the sidewalk. Walker and Trivette opened the door of the hospital just as a man forced Gage into the backseat with a gun to his head.
"Come on!" Walker shouted to Trivette as they ran towards Walker's RAM and followed the speeding car.
Gage recognized his assailants immediately. "Tony, what's going on? Am I late for work or something?"
"Shut up, Ranger Gage! Quinn wants to see you." Tony replied, all the while keeping his gun trained on Gage.
"We've got company." The driver announced, seeing Walker RAM in his rearview mirror.
"Lose them." Came the response from the backseat.
The car led Walker and Trivette down the streets of Dallas at top speeds and then made a sharp right turn, virtually disappearing form Walker and Trivette's view. "Where'd they go?" Trivette asked.
Walker looked left and then right, bewildered by the sudden disappearance of the car. "I don't know."
*****
Gage was roughly forced into the warehouse and then pushed into a chair in front of Gavin Quinn. "You lied to me, Colby."
"I'm afraid I don't understand." Gage replied in an attempt to play dumb with Quinn.
Quinn nodded and one of the men standing next to him slugged his jaw.
"Let's try this again. Colby isn't your real name, is it? You're Texas Ranger, Francis Gage. Your pretty little partner, Sydney Cooke was among the Rangers who raided the warehouse last week, but of course, you wouldn't know anything about that now would you Ranger?"
Quinn motioned to the two men who promptly pulled Gage up from the chair and forced him to his knees and then secured his hands behind him. Gage thought this was going to be it. He was going to be killed execution style. Walker and Trivette were right. There wasn't anything he could do to save Sydney, he couldn't even save himself.
"What have you done with Sydney?" Gage asked as he was forced down.
"Look at me Ranger." Quinn demanded. Gage reluctantly looked up. "Your little partner is dead and you'll be joining her soon." Quinn kicked Gage hard in his left side, causing him to double over and gasp for air. He then grabbed a handful of Gage's hair and pulled his head up and slugged him in the jaw several times.
Gage collapsed in a heap, blood running from his lip and nose. "Now you'll join your partner."
"You know where to take him. Make sure he and the girl are both secured and make sure that you're not followed. The building's scheduled for demolition tomorrow morning at 7:00."
The two men half carried, half dragged Gage to the car and drove him to the building where Sydney had been taken.
Gage was still unconscious when he was thrown into the dark, cold, damp room. "Let's get out of here." One of the men said as the building cracked. "This place gives me the creeps."
"Quinn said to secure him." The other man replied.
"Where's he gonna go?" They closed the heavy, metal door and pulled the large bolt lock into place.
*****
Walker and Trivette parked a block away from Quinn's second warehouse. "We've got to get to Cummings if we're going to find Gage and Sydney." Walker said as they approached the building on foot.
They quietly entered the side door, where they encountered one guard. Walker grabbed the guard's extended arm and delivered a kick to his ribs, causing him to release the gun he had aimed at them. He then delivered an elbow to the guard's head, rendering him unconscious.
They then proceeded through the corridor until they came to the main warehouse. Trivette quickly spotted Cummings. "There he is." He whispered to Walker.
Walker nodded as they maneuvered around the warehouse until they were directly behind Cummings. Walker quickly reached out and grabbed him from behind, covering his mouth with his hand. "Don't struggle. We're Texas Rangers and we need some information from you." Walker whispered as he pulled Cummings along.
They reached the outside perimeter without encountering another guard. Trivette shoved Cummings into the RAM as Walker slipped behind the wheel.
One of the guards inside searched frantically for Cummings. "Has anyone seen Cummings?" He shouted.
*****
Gage was awakened by the pounding in his head and the bone chilling cold. He opened his eyes and looked around. He was sure that there was someone else in the room with him. He could feel them. "Whose there?" He called out into the darkness.
"Gage?" Sydney whispered.
"Syd? Syd where are you?" He cried.
"Over here." She replied hoarsely. "I'm handcuffed to a pipe." Gage held his arms in front of him and began to walk, blindly, towards her voice.
He soon felt her body in front of him. "Syd? Are you alright?"
"No. Thirsty." She cried.
"Shh. Save your tears, OK? You're probably already dehydrated."
He felt along the pipe that Sydney had been handcuffed to. "Let's see if we can free your arms." He pulled on the pipe with all of his strength until he heard it begin to give. "Hang on honey, just a little bit more." With another forceful pull, the pipe broke free. Gage helped Sydney walk to the end of it and she slid her arms off of the end.
"Oh God, Gage, my shoulders." Gage began to lightly massage her shoulders, which were stiff from being held in one position for so long.
*****
Walker drove towards Ranger headquarters once he was satisfied that they weren't being followed. When they were inside, Cummings was escorted to an interrogation room. "Alright Cummings, I need to know where Quinn might be holding Rangers Gage and Cooke." Walker demanded.
"I don't know."
"Look, we know that you aren't in on the buying or the transporting of the weapons, but you can still be placed at the scene of a crime and you didn't do anything about it. That makes you an accessory. Help us find those two Rangers before its too late and things will go much better for you."
Trivette looked at Cummings. He looked scared. "Cummings, what else does Quinn own here in Dallas?"
"Besides the warehouse?" Cummings thought for a minute. "He has an old apartment building, but it's supposed to be torn down soon."
"That has to be it. Where the apartment building?" Walker asked.
Cummings gave them the address. Walker and Trivette had an officer take Cummings into holding while they made their way to the apartment building.
"What time is it?" Walker asked as they drove towards the address.
"Almost 6:30." Trivette replied as the sun began to rise.
When they arrived at the building, the demolition crew was on site and had set up a barricade around the building.
Walker started towards the entrance, but was stopped by the head of the demolition crew. "You can't go in there."
"I'm a Texas Ranger and I have reason to believe that two other Rangers are being held inside."
The man's face turned pale. "Ranger, the demolition is set for 7:00 a.m. I can hold off most of the charges because they're on remote control, but there are at least five charges that have been set on a timer. I can't stop those!"
"How much time do we have?"
"Less than 15 minutes."
Walker and Trivette ran towards the building. "Where do you want to start?" Trivette asked as they entered.
"The lower floors and the basement. He'd want their bodies destroyed or lost in the rubble." Walker replied flatly as they headed down the basement steps.
"Gage! Sydney!" They called as they searched.
Sydney lay still in Gage's arms, both were asleep. Gage began to stir as he thought he heard Walker's voice. "Walker." He said quietly.
"Gage! Sydney!" Walker shouted again.
Gage carefully laid Sydney down and made his way to the metal door. "Walker! Trivette! We're in here!" He banged on the door, creating as much noise as he could. "Help!"
"I don't know where else to look down here." Trivette said as he met Walker in the middle of the hallway.
"Shh. Listen." They both heard a clanking noise coming from the end of the basement and ran towards it.
"Help me move this bolt lock." Both men pulled open the heavy door and found Gage and Sydney just inside.
Gage stood up, holding his left side. "Syd's unconscious." Trivette bent down and gently picker her up.
"We've got to get out of here now. This place is set for demolition in about two minutes."
Gage looked at Walker worriedly. "Can't they hold off?"
"Some of the charges are set on timers." Walker quickly explained.
As they stared up the stairs, Gage leaned a little on Walker. "You OK?" Walker asked.
"I think I have a few broken ribs."
"You guys coming?" Trivette stopped briefly on the steps and turned.
"Keep going! Get her out of here!" Gage instructed.
All four made it to the entrance way when they heard the first charge go off. "Run!" Walker commanded.
Trivetted cradled Sydney and ran as quickly as he could. Walker grabbed Gage's arm and forced him to the ground as the second and third charges fired. "Everybody down!" Walker shouted.
*****
Quinn angrily hung up the phone. "What is it boss?" Tony asked.
"That was Mike, the head of the demolition crew, he said that two Rangers just pulled two people out of the apartment building before the demolition. I thought I told you to secure them!" Quinn yelled.
"But someone pulled them out." Tony pointed out.
"Where is Cummings?" Quinn asked.
Tony hung his head. "He's missing."
Quinn shook his fist at Tony. "If you can't handle your people any better than this, maybe I should get rid of you! Get out there and find those two Rangers and take care of them!"
*****
Walker and Trivette were both in the waiting room when Gage emerged from being treated, two bandages on his face were covering stitches and his unbuttoned shirt revealed the tight wrapping around his ribs. "Where's Syd?" He winced as he approached them.
"They're admitting her now. She should be in a room in a little while." Walker replied.
"Here Gage, why don't you have a seat?" Trivette suggested as he noticed how pale Gage looked. Gage gratefully accepted.
A little while later, Sydney's doctor approached the three. "Rangers. Ranger Cooke is in 412. She's a little dehydrated and she has a slight concussion. We'll probably keep her a couple of days." The doctor stared at Gage for a moment. "She's asking for you Ranger Gage. Do you feel up to visiting her?"
Gage smiled. "I'm not leaving until I do see her."
Walker and Trivette went with Gage to room 412. "You go ahead. We'll wait here."
"Thanks guys."
Gage entered Sydney's room. She smiled when he opened the door, but her smile quickly changed to a look of concern when she saw the bandages. "What happened to you?"
"Gavin Quinn."
"Are you OK?" She asked as he sat beside of her bed.
Gage smiled. "I was about to ask you that. I'll be fine."
"Me too."
Gage put his arms around her and pulled her close. "When Walker and I got out of court yesterday and found out that you and Trivette had been in a wreck. I was so scared and then when we talked with Trivette and he had no idea where you and Cummings were, I felt so empty."
Gage pulled out of Sydney's arms and stared at her for a moment. She brushed a tear from his cheek. "Syd, I don't ever want to feel that way again. I love you so much."
"I love you too." She replied quietly as she closed her eyes.
Gage smiled at her. "I guess I'd better let you get some sleep."
"Um." She responded.
*****
Gage stepped back into the hallway. "How is she?" Walker asked.
"She's sleeping now." Gage replied. "So what now? We're going after Quinn, right?"
"Correction. Trivette and I are going after Quinn. You're going home to rest." Walker patted Gage's shoulder.
"Walker! I want to be in on this!"
"You've already got two broken ribs. You need to rest. Trivette and I will take care of Quinn."
Walker and Trivette dropped Gage off at his apartment and drove towards Ranger headquarters to decide how they should go after Gavin Quinn.
*****
Gage put his key into the lock. When he opened the door, he saw Tony's reflection in the mirror on the wall. He reached for his weapon, but was hit from behind before he could draw it. He staggered a little and raised up just as Tony lifted his leg and kicked him in the ribs.
The other man lifted him to his feet and held his arms down while Tony slugged him repeatedly. Gage used the man behind him for leverage and kicked both legs out at Tony, propelling him backwards, landing him into a glass top table.
The man who was holding him, held on even tighter now that Tony was unconscious. Gage dropped his chin and then with one powerful blow, rammed his head backwards into the man's face, causing him to drop silently to the ground.
Gage reached into his pocket for his cell phone and found that it had been broken during the fight. Each movement caused excruciating pain, but he forced himself to walk across the room to the phone and called Walker.
*****
Walker and Trivette were almost at Ranger headquarters when Walker's phone rang. "Walker." He answered.
"Walker, it's Gage." Gage whispered.
"Gage, what's wrong?"
"Tony and another guy were in my apartment when I got here. I've got things here under control, but you need to get to Syd. Quinn probably sent someone after her too."
"OK Gage, sit tight. I'll call it in and I'll send the paramedics too." Walker responded.
"I'll be alright Walker, just get to Sydney." Gage held his ribs and eased down to the floor, his back against the wall and winced as he tried to breath in shallow breaths.
Walker whipped the RAM around as he explained the situation to Trivette. Trivette called ahead to the hospital to have the guard outside Sydney's door be extra alert. Once that call was taken care of, he called the Dallas PD and had squads dispatched to Gage's apartment.
*****
Two men entered St. Matthew's hospital with a bouquet of flowers and asked for Sydney Cooke's room at the lobby desk. "Ms. Cooke is in room 412. The elevators are to your right."
"Thank you."
The men rode the elevator to the 4th floor and stopped by a supply closet on the way to room 412. "Here, put these on." One of them instructed the other as he handed him a pair of scrubs. "They probably have a guard on her door."
Once the scrubs were on, one of the two requested Sydney's chart at the nurse's station. "Why do you need it?" One of the nurses asked.
"There's a possibility that she needs surgery on her cheek bone." The man that had the chart quickly noticed Sydney's doctor's name. "Dr. Cushions asked that we check in on her."
The nurse nodded towards the guard standing outside of the room and he let the two men enter.
Walker and Trivette ran towards the elevator and watched nervously as the floor numbers slowly flashed. Once on the 4th floor, they made a mad dash to room 412. They slowed as they saw that the guard was still in place. "Ranger Walker. Ranger Trivette." The guard acknowledged as they came closer.
"Todd, has anyone been near this room in the past hour?" Walker asked.
"No one except the two doctors who are in with her now."
Walker and Trivette looked at each other briefly and quickly opened the door. One of the men was holding Sydney down on the bed while the other placed a pillow over her face. She fought with everything in her to breath, but there was no air. Her struggling stopped as Walker and Trivette entered.
Walker grabbed the man who was holding the pillow over Sydney's face. He pulled him backwards and shoved his head into the wall. At the same time, Trivette maneuvered around the bed and tackled the man who was restraining her.
The guard entered with his weapon drawn upon hearing the commotion coming from the room. The situation was quickly under control and the guard handcuffed the two men and escorted them to the security guards who were approaching from the end of the hall.
Walker felt Sydney's neck for a pulse, there was a faint one, but her face still had a blue hue. The nurses and doctors came in as soon as security gave them the go ahead and quickly had her breathing normally again.
Walker and Trivette stepped outside into the hallway to give the medical personnel room to work. Walker leaned against the wall as he looked at Trivette. "That was too close."
"I know what you mean. Do you want to call Gage or should I?"
"I will. They may have brought him in downstairs."
Walker tried Gage's cell phone and got the message that it was out of service, he then tried his home number and couldn't get an answer.
"Let me call dispatch and see if they brought him in." Trivette suggested as he saw the frustration on Walker's face.
Trivette hung up and turned to Walker, he should be in the Emergency room downstairs. Dispatch said that the medic unit relayed that he had several additional cuts and contusions and he was having trouble breathing, probably broken ribs.
They hung around upstairs until Sydney's doctor emerged from her room and told them that she was sleeping comfortably and she would be fine. "Let's go find Gage." Trivette said as he slapped Walker on the back.
*****
Downstairs in the emergency room, the residents were having a difficult time keeping Gage still. "I'm fine! I need to check on Sydney!" He screamed. Finally one of the residents brought in a set of restraints and together the group was able to strap Gage to the examination table.
Gage turned his head to one side, frustrated and angry that he hadn't seen this attack coming. Angry with himself for not being calmer and allowing the doctors to examine him without making such a scene, without having to be restrained.
"We're Texas Rangers Walker and Trivette. We would like to see Ranger Francis Gage, he was brought in a little while ago."
The nurse rolled her eyes. "Oh yes! Everyone in here knows your Ranger. Would you want to take him home now?"
They both stared at her with uncertainty. "Come with me." She directed.
She pulled the curtain back and revealed a very agitated Gage, laying flat on the examination table, still in restraints.
"What have you done now, Gage?" Trivette asked.
"Oh, very funny. Get me out of these things please." He pulled at the restraints on his wrists and then stared at Walker for a minutes. "Is Sydney alright?"
"She's fine. She's resting."
"What aren't you telling me?"
"Maybe we should tell him while he's still in restraints, then he won't be able to strangle us for not getting here sooner." Trivette tried to lighten the mood.
Walker started to explain to Gage what had happened upstairs, but was interrupted when a nurse walked in. "We've re-bandaged his ribs and Dr. Allen wants to see him again in a week." She then turned her attention towards Gage. "Here, this is a prescription for pain medication. Your ribs are going to hurt like hell tomorrow, not to mention the new cuts on your face." She started undoing the restraints. "Now, do us a favor, get dressed and try to stay out of the ER for awhile, understand?"
"Thanks. I will." Gage grumbled, as he got dressed. "I want to see Syd before we leave."
"We thought you might." Trivette entered the examination room with a wheelchair.
"Oh Walker, I don't really need that." Gage complained.
"It's the only way you're getting upstairs to see Sydney." Trivette replied.
Gage reluctantly got into the wheelchair and allowed Trivette to push him to the elevator and then to room 412 once they were on the 4th floor. "Can I see her alone, please?"
Walker nodded.
Gage wheeled the wheelchair towards Sydney's bed and took her small hand in his again. "Hey sweetheart." He said quietly. "Everything's going to be fine now. Walker and Trivette are going after Quinn in a little while and then it'll all be over."
Sydney shifted slightly beneath the covers, tightened her hand around Gage's and opened her eyes. "Gage?"
"Hey beautiful."
"What happened to you, again?"
"I'll tell you about it later. Right now you should rest. The doctor said you can come home tomorrow." She smiled and drifted off to sleep again with Gage holding her hand.
Walker stepped inside Sydney's room and found Gage holding her hand and tears streaming down his face. He jumped when Walker came in. "Uh Walker." He wiped the tears from his face as he placed Sydney's hand back under the cover.
Walker put his hand on Gage's shoulder. "It's alright Gage. She's going to be fine."
"I know. I just feel like I came too close to losing her this time."
Walker nodded. "Are you ready to go?" Gage nodded in reply. "I'm taking you back to the ranch with me."
Gage started to protest, but realized that he was just too tired to argue.
*****
Walker took Gage to the Ranch and after he ate some of Alex's homemade soup, he went to sleep in the guest bedroom.
"How's Sydney?" Alex asked after Walker had told her the story of the day's events.
"She'll be fine. They plan to release her tomorrow and Gage just needs some rest."
Alex smiled. "Where are you off to now?" She asked as Walker grabbed his hat.
"Trivette and I are going to finish this up tonight. If we don't we're going to lose Quinn and he's going to pay for what he did to Trivette, Sydney and Gage."
"You be careful."
*****
Trivette had retried the information on the Texas license plate of the car that had ran he and Sydney off of the road. "It's registered to Gavin Quinn."
"What address is listed?" Walker asked.
"122 Rosemont. That's residential. Could he be so careless as to have used his own personal car to kidnap Cummings and Sydney?"
"Let's find out." They drove to 122 Rosemont and were greeted with a spray of gunfire upon entering the open gate.
Walker made his way inside the front door and after subduing the three guards in the entranceway, motioned for Trivette to come inside. They found Quinn in one of the back bedrooms, packing his suitcase hurriedly.
"Going somewhere Quinn?" Walker asked as he slammed the suitcase shut.
Quinn stood in the middle of the room and pulled a gun from his coat pocket. Walker issued a spinning kick and slammed him against the bureau, rendering him unconscious.
The policemen who now surrounded the house quickly apprehended the remaining gunmen. Walker took Quinn into custody himself and after giving their statements, they headed home.
*****
Gage slowly walked towards Sydney's room with a single red rose in his hand. "Hey shorty." He said as he finally made it to the door.
"Hey you." She greeted him as she met him at the door.
"Here, this is for you." He smiled.
"Gage. Thank you, it's beautiful!" She exclaimed as she took the rose.
"Not as beautiful as you." He said quietly.
Sydney looked down, slightly blushing. "How are the ribs?" She pointed at his left side, which he was still holding with his right hand.
"They hurt."
"When can you go back to work?"
"The doctor said a couple of weeks."
"Yeah? That's the same amount of time my doctor gave me. Do you think they co-conspired?"
Gage smiled. "Do you think Walker's really going to give both of us two weeks off?"
"Yes, Walker is going to give both of you two weeks off." Walker mocked as he came into the room.
"Hi Walker." Sydney greeted as Walker kissed her cheek.
"How are you feeling?"
"Much better."
"Good. I'll drive you back to your apartment whenever you two are ready to leave."
Sydney looked at Gage. "Walker wouldn't let me drive."
"Good choice." She nodded towards Walker.
"Hey, come on. I'm not a bad driver. I'm not the one who wrecked."
"I was forced off of the road."
"Yeah, but . . . "
Walker stepped out into the hallway and quietly closed the door to Sydney's room.
"Are they OK?" Trivette asked.
"Oh, yeah, they're arguing, they're fine." He laughed.
THE END
By Lorrie
Disclaimer: The following story is based on the characters of the TV Series "Walker, Texas Ranger". The characters belong to CBS Productions, Top Kick Productions, etc., but the story is mine. ALL DISCLAIMERS APPLY. (No copyright infringement is intended.)
"Cummings, I'm telling you it'll go much easier on you if you give the Rangers Quinn." Officer Delante said, doing his best to convince Mark Cummings to talk.
"I can't. Quinn will have me killed if I do."
"You're young, Cummings. It would be a shame to see you given a lengthy sentence for something you didn't do. If you give Quinn up, the Rangers in Dallas have already said that they'll ask for leniency."
"I didn't do anything!" Cummings yelled. "I was hiding behind some crates in the warehouse. Quinn killed that cop all on his own."
"That's a start, Cummings. That statement alone is enough for us to bring Quinn in, but we need to know where to find him and then we need to have you testify against him."
Mark Cummings sat there for a moment with his head in his hands. His life had gotten so mixed up since he came to Texas. He had run away from home two years ago and had traveled most of the country. He heard of a job opportunity in Dallas and had boarded a bus in Wisconsin. When he first met Gavin Quinn, he was impressed. Quinn was in his mid-thirties and seemed to have done very well for himself in the import business.
When Mark had asked Quinn what exactly he imported, he laughed and told him he would find out soon enough. Quinn first had Mark sweeping up in the warehouse and then gradually promoted him to unloading crates.
It was one night while Mark was working alone at the warehouse, unloading crates that he became curious enough to find out exactly what Quinn was importing. He grabbed a crowbar and pried the lid from one of the crates and shuddered when he found military weapons inside. He heard footsteps approaching and quickly closed the lid and re-clamped the closures down as quietly as he could and then hid behind some crates as Quinn and two of his goons forced another man into the center of the room.
"You betrayed me Max." Quinn said quietly.
"I don't know what you're talking about Mr. Quinn." Max replied.
"You're a cop!" Quinn slapped Max across the face as the two goons held him.
"A cop? How could you possibly think . . ?"
Quinn pulled a tape recorder from his pocket and played back a phone conversation between Max and his superiors. "Still going to deny it?"
Max's eyes grew large as Quinn pulled a gun from under his coat, pointed it at Max's chest and pulled the trigger.
"Dispose of the body." Quinn quietly ordered the two goons. He then placed the gun back under his coat and walked away.
Mark had called the cops and let them know that their undercover man had been killed and where. When the cops arrived at the warehouse, they confiscated the crates of weapons and started asking questions that Mark wasn't sure how to answer. He was immediately taken into custody and currently faced charges of weapons possession with intent to sell, among others.
He was really facing a dilemma, on the one hand, if he kept his mouth shut and didn't turn Quinn over, he would face the charges alone and take the fall for Quinn and probably end up serving a lengthy sentence in a maximum security prison. On the other hand, if he told the Texas Rangers where to find Quinn and testified against him, Quinn would have him killed. He found out early on that Gavin Quinn had connections; connections with people you didn't want to cross.
******
Gage slapped at the alarm clock from underneath the covers, finally finding his mark, causing the obnoxious noise to stop.
Sydney pulled herself close to him and nuzzled his neck with her cheek. "Good morning." She smiled.
Gage returned the smile without opening his eyes. "Good morning." He mumbled.
"We need to get up sleepy head." She traced her finger down his chest, causing his smile to broaden.
"We don't have to get up quite yet, do we?" He asked as he wrapped his arms around her and suddenly turned, pinning her to the bed.
She shook her head and pulled him down to her, kissing him passionately. "Do we have time for this?" She asked.
"We're making time for this." He replied as he brought her close to him.
A while later, Gage laid back on his side of the bed. "Now that's the best way I can think of to wake up in the morning."
"Me too." She smiled back at him as she wrapped the comforter around her and made her way to the shower. "What time do you have to be in court?"
"Walker and I are supposed to be there at 9:00." Gage yawned as he got out of bed. "What are you doing today?"
"Nothing special that I know of."
*****
Gage kissed Sydney before they got out of the car. "I'll see you tonight."
"OK. I love you."
"I love you too." He replied as they parted ways on the first floor of the courthouse.
Gage met Walker outside of the courtroom. "Hey Gage. Are you ready for this?"
"If it'll put Sanderson and the rest of these guys away, you bet."
Walker and Gage were testifying in the Jacob Sanderson case. Sanderson was facing charges for the murder of Daniel Miles, a well-known businessman who had alerted the Texas Rangers about a money laundering scam within his own company. Sanderson was later found to be the head of the scam and had allegedly killed Miles. Walker and Gage had worked the case almost a month ago, but due Jacob Sanderson's healthy problems, the trial had been continued until today.
They stepped into the courtroom and took their seats. The D.A.'s office and the defense attorney both had several witnesses to call. It was going to be a long day.
*****
"Good morning Sydney." Trivette said as Sydney entered the office.
"It is a good morning, isn't it?"
"Hey, I just got a call while ago from the Sheriff's office in Fort Worth, it seems that young Mark Cummings has decided to testify against Gavin Quinn."
"Well, it's about time we got a break in that case. Who's picking him up? I mean, Gage and I were both in on the bust, but Gage is in court."
"You and I are. Walker and Gage are going to be tied up in court most of the day, so I told the sheriff that we would come get him."
"Great! When do we leave?"
"As soon as the extradition papers come down."
An hour later, Trivette and Sydney were on their way to Fort Worth. Mark was in the holding cell pacing back and forth, not certain if he had done the right thing by agreeing to tell the Rangers where they could find Quinn. "He's going to kill me." He muttered under his breath. "I'm a dead man."
"Hi Rangers." The sheriff greeted Sydney and Trivette as they entered his office. "I suppose you're here for Cummings."
"That's right. Here's the paperwork." Trivette handed the paperwork to the sheriff. He quickly thumbed through it and motioned for one of the deputies to get Cummings.
"He's not really any trouble. The boy's scared and with reason. Gavin Quinn isn't someone to mess with. Of course, you already know that. Was the officer he killed one of yours or Dallas PD?"
"Dallas PD." Sydney answered quietly. She knew it could have just as easily been Gage. He was undercover with Max, but luckily he was out of town on an errand Quinn had sent him on that evening. He didn't find out about the bust until he came home late that night.
Cummings was brought upstairs in handcuffs. "Here he is Rangers." Cummings immediately recognized both Sydney from the bust at the warehouse. "Rangers, Quinn's going to kill me. He's going to kill us all."
"We'll protect you. It's not that far to Dallas and you'll be inside the car until we get there. Everything's going to be fine." Sydney assured him.
*****
"The prosecution calls Ranger Francis Gage to the stand." Alex stated. Gage got up and took the stand.
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" The bailiff asked as Gage's hand was placed on a Bible.
"I do."
"You may be seated."
Gage's testimony lasted about 20 minutes and then he was cross-examined by the defense attorney to no avail.
*****
Sydney stepped outside first and checked the perimeter. "It's clear." She called to Trivette. He stepped out with Cummings elbow in his hand.
"Watch your head." Trivette said as he helped Cummings into the backseat of the car, buckled him in and then got in on the passenger side.
"Ready?" Sydney asked as she started the car.
"Let's go."
*****
"Mr. Quinn, the lady Ranger is with them and they just left the sheriff's office." Came the transmission over the radio.
"Good. Take Cummings and the lady Ranger. I want to deal with both of them personally. Is anyone else with them?"
"There's another Ranger, but he wasn't at the warehouse."
"Leave him."
"Yes sir."
*****
A few miles outside of Dallas, Sydney noticed an SUV following them. "Trivette, we've picked up a tail."
Trivette looked into the side mirror and spotted the SUV. He picked up the radio and called in. "Ranger HQ, this is Ranger Trivette. Ranger Cooke and I are transporting a prisoner. We're currently eastbound on the LBJ and we've picked up a tail. It's a black or dark blue Chevy SUV. Texas plates, PLA-0297. We need backup."
"Roger that Ranger Trivette. Back up is on the way. That was Texas plates, PLA-0297."
"Roger."
He put down the radio and picked up his gun, just in case. The SUV pulled closer to them, dodging its way through traffic. Once it reached the car, it turned sharply into the driver's side, forcing Sydney off of the road and down an embankment.
Immediately the five men in the SUV pulled Sydney and Cummings out of the wreckage and forced them into the SUV, leaving Trivette laying unconscious in the passenger seat.
*****
The trial was over a little after 12:00. Walker and Gage joined Alex for lunch and then returned to headquarters.
"Any idea where Sydney and Trivette might be?" Gage asked as he glanced towards his partner's desk.
"No, but it looks like I have a voice mail message." Walker picked up his phone and dialed his voice mail. "Gage, let's go!" Walker shouted after he hung up.
"What's going on?"
"Trivette's in the hospital."
"Where's Syd?"
Walker shook his head. "I don't know. We need to talk to Trivette and see what happened."
*****
Sydney opened her eyes and found herself handcuffed to a pipe in a dark, cold, damp room. She leaned her throbbing head towards her hands in an attempt to ease the pain.
She tried to remember where she was and what had happened. She and Trivette had picked up Mark Cummings in Fort Worth. They were heading back to Dallas when they spotted an SUV following them.
She recalled being forced off of the road and remembered muffled voices as she was pulled out of the wreck and put into the SUV. Cummings had been put in beside of her. Where was he now? She wondered as she called out: "Is anyone in here?"
*****
Quinn faced Cummings who had been brought in and forced into a chair.
"Mark, I can understand what a choice you've been faced with. I know that the Ranger's tenacity can be overwhelming. I need to know exactly what you saw at the warehouse that night."
Mark thought for a moment. Quinn couldn't have known that he witnessed the murder or he'd already be dead. "I didn't see anything Mr. Quinn. I was in the back with the radio on. I heard something loud, like . . ." he thought carefully before finishing. "Like a car backfiring. I turned the radio down and stood still for a minute. I thought I heard voices, so I made my way to the main section, but no one was there."
"Why did the Rangers raid the warehouse?" Quinn asked suspiciously.
Cummings shook his head. "I don't know, but they busted in when I got to the main room and they arrested me after they opened the crates. They kept asking me where they could find you, but I didn't tell them anything."
Quinn nodded, eyeing him as if he were trying to decide if he believed him or not.
"Two Rangers came to Fort Worth this morning to take me back to Dallas. They asked questions while we were riding, but I still didn't tell them anything."
Quinn nodded. "OK, Cummings. Tony will give you a lift to the other warehouse and you can get to work on the next shipment. I have several guards posted so don't worry about the law getting to you." Quinn turned his back towards Cummings, "Or you getting to the law." He said under his breath.
Cummings smiled as he shook Quinn's hand. "Thank you, Mr. Quinn. I won't let you down."
Tony escorted Cummings out as two other men entered. "Yes, Mr. Quinn."
"Keep an eye on him. His story makes sense, but if he didn't rat out the warehouse location, then our first hunch was right. Colby's a cop. I want you two and Tony to find him and bring him back here."
"What about the lady Ranger?"
"What about her?"
"Do you want us to finish her off?"
Quinn shook his head. "She's not going anywhere and the building is scheduled for demolition tomorrow morning." He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Problem solved."
"What about Cummings? Won't he talk?"
"Cummins was unconscious until we got here. He couldn't know that we took the lady Ranger." Once of the men spoke up.
Quinn replied. "Alright, now we need to locate Colby, or whatever his name is. He ran an errand for me the night before the raid. I haven't seen him since."
"He left the package where you asked him to and he should be at the other warehouse today."
"Good. We'll go pay him a visit."
*****
Walker and Gage met Trivette as he was coming out of the emergency room. "Trivette, are you alright? What happened?"
Trivette reached towards the cut on his head. "I'm fine. We picked up Cummings and were on our way back with him when we were run off of the road."
Gage stared at Trivette. "Where are Sydney and Cummings?"
Trivette shook his head. "I don't know. I'm sorry, man, but I don't know. When I came to, I was in the back of an ambulance and they said that no one else was in the car."
Gage's face drained of color. He thought back to the few moments they had shared just that morning. "Walker, Quinn's got her. I'm sure of it. We've got to get to the second warehouse."
Walker shook his head. "Gage, your cover's probably been blown. He's already killed one officer, let's not make it two."
"Or three if he's already killed Syd." Gage said what Walker and Trivette both were already thinking. "If I don't show at the warehouse, you can bet they'll come looking for me."
"I know. That's why we need to get you set up in a safe house."
"No way, Walker! I'm not running from this guy. He's got Sydney and I'm going to get her." Gage walked outside of the hospital, ahead of Walker and Trivette.
A car pulled up to the curb just as Gage stepped onto the sidewalk. Walker and Trivette opened the door of the hospital just as a man forced Gage into the backseat with a gun to his head.
"Come on!" Walker shouted to Trivette as they ran towards Walker's RAM and followed the speeding car.
Gage recognized his assailants immediately. "Tony, what's going on? Am I late for work or something?"
"Shut up, Ranger Gage! Quinn wants to see you." Tony replied, all the while keeping his gun trained on Gage.
"We've got company." The driver announced, seeing Walker RAM in his rearview mirror.
"Lose them." Came the response from the backseat.
The car led Walker and Trivette down the streets of Dallas at top speeds and then made a sharp right turn, virtually disappearing form Walker and Trivette's view. "Where'd they go?" Trivette asked.
Walker looked left and then right, bewildered by the sudden disappearance of the car. "I don't know."
*****
Gage was roughly forced into the warehouse and then pushed into a chair in front of Gavin Quinn. "You lied to me, Colby."
"I'm afraid I don't understand." Gage replied in an attempt to play dumb with Quinn.
Quinn nodded and one of the men standing next to him slugged his jaw.
"Let's try this again. Colby isn't your real name, is it? You're Texas Ranger, Francis Gage. Your pretty little partner, Sydney Cooke was among the Rangers who raided the warehouse last week, but of course, you wouldn't know anything about that now would you Ranger?"
Quinn motioned to the two men who promptly pulled Gage up from the chair and forced him to his knees and then secured his hands behind him. Gage thought this was going to be it. He was going to be killed execution style. Walker and Trivette were right. There wasn't anything he could do to save Sydney, he couldn't even save himself.
"What have you done with Sydney?" Gage asked as he was forced down.
"Look at me Ranger." Quinn demanded. Gage reluctantly looked up. "Your little partner is dead and you'll be joining her soon." Quinn kicked Gage hard in his left side, causing him to double over and gasp for air. He then grabbed a handful of Gage's hair and pulled his head up and slugged him in the jaw several times.
Gage collapsed in a heap, blood running from his lip and nose. "Now you'll join your partner."
"You know where to take him. Make sure he and the girl are both secured and make sure that you're not followed. The building's scheduled for demolition tomorrow morning at 7:00."
The two men half carried, half dragged Gage to the car and drove him to the building where Sydney had been taken.
Gage was still unconscious when he was thrown into the dark, cold, damp room. "Let's get out of here." One of the men said as the building cracked. "This place gives me the creeps."
"Quinn said to secure him." The other man replied.
"Where's he gonna go?" They closed the heavy, metal door and pulled the large bolt lock into place.
*****
Walker and Trivette parked a block away from Quinn's second warehouse. "We've got to get to Cummings if we're going to find Gage and Sydney." Walker said as they approached the building on foot.
They quietly entered the side door, where they encountered one guard. Walker grabbed the guard's extended arm and delivered a kick to his ribs, causing him to release the gun he had aimed at them. He then delivered an elbow to the guard's head, rendering him unconscious.
They then proceeded through the corridor until they came to the main warehouse. Trivette quickly spotted Cummings. "There he is." He whispered to Walker.
Walker nodded as they maneuvered around the warehouse until they were directly behind Cummings. Walker quickly reached out and grabbed him from behind, covering his mouth with his hand. "Don't struggle. We're Texas Rangers and we need some information from you." Walker whispered as he pulled Cummings along.
They reached the outside perimeter without encountering another guard. Trivette shoved Cummings into the RAM as Walker slipped behind the wheel.
One of the guards inside searched frantically for Cummings. "Has anyone seen Cummings?" He shouted.
*****
Gage was awakened by the pounding in his head and the bone chilling cold. He opened his eyes and looked around. He was sure that there was someone else in the room with him. He could feel them. "Whose there?" He called out into the darkness.
"Gage?" Sydney whispered.
"Syd? Syd where are you?" He cried.
"Over here." She replied hoarsely. "I'm handcuffed to a pipe." Gage held his arms in front of him and began to walk, blindly, towards her voice.
He soon felt her body in front of him. "Syd? Are you alright?"
"No. Thirsty." She cried.
"Shh. Save your tears, OK? You're probably already dehydrated."
He felt along the pipe that Sydney had been handcuffed to. "Let's see if we can free your arms." He pulled on the pipe with all of his strength until he heard it begin to give. "Hang on honey, just a little bit more." With another forceful pull, the pipe broke free. Gage helped Sydney walk to the end of it and she slid her arms off of the end.
"Oh God, Gage, my shoulders." Gage began to lightly massage her shoulders, which were stiff from being held in one position for so long.
*****
Walker drove towards Ranger headquarters once he was satisfied that they weren't being followed. When they were inside, Cummings was escorted to an interrogation room. "Alright Cummings, I need to know where Quinn might be holding Rangers Gage and Cooke." Walker demanded.
"I don't know."
"Look, we know that you aren't in on the buying or the transporting of the weapons, but you can still be placed at the scene of a crime and you didn't do anything about it. That makes you an accessory. Help us find those two Rangers before its too late and things will go much better for you."
Trivette looked at Cummings. He looked scared. "Cummings, what else does Quinn own here in Dallas?"
"Besides the warehouse?" Cummings thought for a minute. "He has an old apartment building, but it's supposed to be torn down soon."
"That has to be it. Where the apartment building?" Walker asked.
Cummings gave them the address. Walker and Trivette had an officer take Cummings into holding while they made their way to the apartment building.
"What time is it?" Walker asked as they drove towards the address.
"Almost 6:30." Trivette replied as the sun began to rise.
When they arrived at the building, the demolition crew was on site and had set up a barricade around the building.
Walker started towards the entrance, but was stopped by the head of the demolition crew. "You can't go in there."
"I'm a Texas Ranger and I have reason to believe that two other Rangers are being held inside."
The man's face turned pale. "Ranger, the demolition is set for 7:00 a.m. I can hold off most of the charges because they're on remote control, but there are at least five charges that have been set on a timer. I can't stop those!"
"How much time do we have?"
"Less than 15 minutes."
Walker and Trivette ran towards the building. "Where do you want to start?" Trivette asked as they entered.
"The lower floors and the basement. He'd want their bodies destroyed or lost in the rubble." Walker replied flatly as they headed down the basement steps.
"Gage! Sydney!" They called as they searched.
Sydney lay still in Gage's arms, both were asleep. Gage began to stir as he thought he heard Walker's voice. "Walker." He said quietly.
"Gage! Sydney!" Walker shouted again.
Gage carefully laid Sydney down and made his way to the metal door. "Walker! Trivette! We're in here!" He banged on the door, creating as much noise as he could. "Help!"
"I don't know where else to look down here." Trivette said as he met Walker in the middle of the hallway.
"Shh. Listen." They both heard a clanking noise coming from the end of the basement and ran towards it.
"Help me move this bolt lock." Both men pulled open the heavy door and found Gage and Sydney just inside.
Gage stood up, holding his left side. "Syd's unconscious." Trivette bent down and gently picker her up.
"We've got to get out of here now. This place is set for demolition in about two minutes."
Gage looked at Walker worriedly. "Can't they hold off?"
"Some of the charges are set on timers." Walker quickly explained.
As they stared up the stairs, Gage leaned a little on Walker. "You OK?" Walker asked.
"I think I have a few broken ribs."
"You guys coming?" Trivette stopped briefly on the steps and turned.
"Keep going! Get her out of here!" Gage instructed.
All four made it to the entrance way when they heard the first charge go off. "Run!" Walker commanded.
Trivetted cradled Sydney and ran as quickly as he could. Walker grabbed Gage's arm and forced him to the ground as the second and third charges fired. "Everybody down!" Walker shouted.
*****
Quinn angrily hung up the phone. "What is it boss?" Tony asked.
"That was Mike, the head of the demolition crew, he said that two Rangers just pulled two people out of the apartment building before the demolition. I thought I told you to secure them!" Quinn yelled.
"But someone pulled them out." Tony pointed out.
"Where is Cummings?" Quinn asked.
Tony hung his head. "He's missing."
Quinn shook his fist at Tony. "If you can't handle your people any better than this, maybe I should get rid of you! Get out there and find those two Rangers and take care of them!"
*****
Walker and Trivette were both in the waiting room when Gage emerged from being treated, two bandages on his face were covering stitches and his unbuttoned shirt revealed the tight wrapping around his ribs. "Where's Syd?" He winced as he approached them.
"They're admitting her now. She should be in a room in a little while." Walker replied.
"Here Gage, why don't you have a seat?" Trivette suggested as he noticed how pale Gage looked. Gage gratefully accepted.
A little while later, Sydney's doctor approached the three. "Rangers. Ranger Cooke is in 412. She's a little dehydrated and she has a slight concussion. We'll probably keep her a couple of days." The doctor stared at Gage for a moment. "She's asking for you Ranger Gage. Do you feel up to visiting her?"
Gage smiled. "I'm not leaving until I do see her."
Walker and Trivette went with Gage to room 412. "You go ahead. We'll wait here."
"Thanks guys."
Gage entered Sydney's room. She smiled when he opened the door, but her smile quickly changed to a look of concern when she saw the bandages. "What happened to you?"
"Gavin Quinn."
"Are you OK?" She asked as he sat beside of her bed.
Gage smiled. "I was about to ask you that. I'll be fine."
"Me too."
Gage put his arms around her and pulled her close. "When Walker and I got out of court yesterday and found out that you and Trivette had been in a wreck. I was so scared and then when we talked with Trivette and he had no idea where you and Cummings were, I felt so empty."
Gage pulled out of Sydney's arms and stared at her for a moment. She brushed a tear from his cheek. "Syd, I don't ever want to feel that way again. I love you so much."
"I love you too." She replied quietly as she closed her eyes.
Gage smiled at her. "I guess I'd better let you get some sleep."
"Um." She responded.
*****
Gage stepped back into the hallway. "How is she?" Walker asked.
"She's sleeping now." Gage replied. "So what now? We're going after Quinn, right?"
"Correction. Trivette and I are going after Quinn. You're going home to rest." Walker patted Gage's shoulder.
"Walker! I want to be in on this!"
"You've already got two broken ribs. You need to rest. Trivette and I will take care of Quinn."
Walker and Trivette dropped Gage off at his apartment and drove towards Ranger headquarters to decide how they should go after Gavin Quinn.
*****
Gage put his key into the lock. When he opened the door, he saw Tony's reflection in the mirror on the wall. He reached for his weapon, but was hit from behind before he could draw it. He staggered a little and raised up just as Tony lifted his leg and kicked him in the ribs.
The other man lifted him to his feet and held his arms down while Tony slugged him repeatedly. Gage used the man behind him for leverage and kicked both legs out at Tony, propelling him backwards, landing him into a glass top table.
The man who was holding him, held on even tighter now that Tony was unconscious. Gage dropped his chin and then with one powerful blow, rammed his head backwards into the man's face, causing him to drop silently to the ground.
Gage reached into his pocket for his cell phone and found that it had been broken during the fight. Each movement caused excruciating pain, but he forced himself to walk across the room to the phone and called Walker.
*****
Walker and Trivette were almost at Ranger headquarters when Walker's phone rang. "Walker." He answered.
"Walker, it's Gage." Gage whispered.
"Gage, what's wrong?"
"Tony and another guy were in my apartment when I got here. I've got things here under control, but you need to get to Syd. Quinn probably sent someone after her too."
"OK Gage, sit tight. I'll call it in and I'll send the paramedics too." Walker responded.
"I'll be alright Walker, just get to Sydney." Gage held his ribs and eased down to the floor, his back against the wall and winced as he tried to breath in shallow breaths.
Walker whipped the RAM around as he explained the situation to Trivette. Trivette called ahead to the hospital to have the guard outside Sydney's door be extra alert. Once that call was taken care of, he called the Dallas PD and had squads dispatched to Gage's apartment.
*****
Two men entered St. Matthew's hospital with a bouquet of flowers and asked for Sydney Cooke's room at the lobby desk. "Ms. Cooke is in room 412. The elevators are to your right."
"Thank you."
The men rode the elevator to the 4th floor and stopped by a supply closet on the way to room 412. "Here, put these on." One of them instructed the other as he handed him a pair of scrubs. "They probably have a guard on her door."
Once the scrubs were on, one of the two requested Sydney's chart at the nurse's station. "Why do you need it?" One of the nurses asked.
"There's a possibility that she needs surgery on her cheek bone." The man that had the chart quickly noticed Sydney's doctor's name. "Dr. Cushions asked that we check in on her."
The nurse nodded towards the guard standing outside of the room and he let the two men enter.
Walker and Trivette ran towards the elevator and watched nervously as the floor numbers slowly flashed. Once on the 4th floor, they made a mad dash to room 412. They slowed as they saw that the guard was still in place. "Ranger Walker. Ranger Trivette." The guard acknowledged as they came closer.
"Todd, has anyone been near this room in the past hour?" Walker asked.
"No one except the two doctors who are in with her now."
Walker and Trivette looked at each other briefly and quickly opened the door. One of the men was holding Sydney down on the bed while the other placed a pillow over her face. She fought with everything in her to breath, but there was no air. Her struggling stopped as Walker and Trivette entered.
Walker grabbed the man who was holding the pillow over Sydney's face. He pulled him backwards and shoved his head into the wall. At the same time, Trivette maneuvered around the bed and tackled the man who was restraining her.
The guard entered with his weapon drawn upon hearing the commotion coming from the room. The situation was quickly under control and the guard handcuffed the two men and escorted them to the security guards who were approaching from the end of the hall.
Walker felt Sydney's neck for a pulse, there was a faint one, but her face still had a blue hue. The nurses and doctors came in as soon as security gave them the go ahead and quickly had her breathing normally again.
Walker and Trivette stepped outside into the hallway to give the medical personnel room to work. Walker leaned against the wall as he looked at Trivette. "That was too close."
"I know what you mean. Do you want to call Gage or should I?"
"I will. They may have brought him in downstairs."
Walker tried Gage's cell phone and got the message that it was out of service, he then tried his home number and couldn't get an answer.
"Let me call dispatch and see if they brought him in." Trivette suggested as he saw the frustration on Walker's face.
Trivette hung up and turned to Walker, he should be in the Emergency room downstairs. Dispatch said that the medic unit relayed that he had several additional cuts and contusions and he was having trouble breathing, probably broken ribs.
They hung around upstairs until Sydney's doctor emerged from her room and told them that she was sleeping comfortably and she would be fine. "Let's go find Gage." Trivette said as he slapped Walker on the back.
*****
Downstairs in the emergency room, the residents were having a difficult time keeping Gage still. "I'm fine! I need to check on Sydney!" He screamed. Finally one of the residents brought in a set of restraints and together the group was able to strap Gage to the examination table.
Gage turned his head to one side, frustrated and angry that he hadn't seen this attack coming. Angry with himself for not being calmer and allowing the doctors to examine him without making such a scene, without having to be restrained.
"We're Texas Rangers Walker and Trivette. We would like to see Ranger Francis Gage, he was brought in a little while ago."
The nurse rolled her eyes. "Oh yes! Everyone in here knows your Ranger. Would you want to take him home now?"
They both stared at her with uncertainty. "Come with me." She directed.
She pulled the curtain back and revealed a very agitated Gage, laying flat on the examination table, still in restraints.
"What have you done now, Gage?" Trivette asked.
"Oh, very funny. Get me out of these things please." He pulled at the restraints on his wrists and then stared at Walker for a minutes. "Is Sydney alright?"
"She's fine. She's resting."
"What aren't you telling me?"
"Maybe we should tell him while he's still in restraints, then he won't be able to strangle us for not getting here sooner." Trivette tried to lighten the mood.
Walker started to explain to Gage what had happened upstairs, but was interrupted when a nurse walked in. "We've re-bandaged his ribs and Dr. Allen wants to see him again in a week." She then turned her attention towards Gage. "Here, this is a prescription for pain medication. Your ribs are going to hurt like hell tomorrow, not to mention the new cuts on your face." She started undoing the restraints. "Now, do us a favor, get dressed and try to stay out of the ER for awhile, understand?"
"Thanks. I will." Gage grumbled, as he got dressed. "I want to see Syd before we leave."
"We thought you might." Trivette entered the examination room with a wheelchair.
"Oh Walker, I don't really need that." Gage complained.
"It's the only way you're getting upstairs to see Sydney." Trivette replied.
Gage reluctantly got into the wheelchair and allowed Trivette to push him to the elevator and then to room 412 once they were on the 4th floor. "Can I see her alone, please?"
Walker nodded.
Gage wheeled the wheelchair towards Sydney's bed and took her small hand in his again. "Hey sweetheart." He said quietly. "Everything's going to be fine now. Walker and Trivette are going after Quinn in a little while and then it'll all be over."
Sydney shifted slightly beneath the covers, tightened her hand around Gage's and opened her eyes. "Gage?"
"Hey beautiful."
"What happened to you, again?"
"I'll tell you about it later. Right now you should rest. The doctor said you can come home tomorrow." She smiled and drifted off to sleep again with Gage holding her hand.
Walker stepped inside Sydney's room and found Gage holding her hand and tears streaming down his face. He jumped when Walker came in. "Uh Walker." He wiped the tears from his face as he placed Sydney's hand back under the cover.
Walker put his hand on Gage's shoulder. "It's alright Gage. She's going to be fine."
"I know. I just feel like I came too close to losing her this time."
Walker nodded. "Are you ready to go?" Gage nodded in reply. "I'm taking you back to the ranch with me."
Gage started to protest, but realized that he was just too tired to argue.
*****
Walker took Gage to the Ranch and after he ate some of Alex's homemade soup, he went to sleep in the guest bedroom.
"How's Sydney?" Alex asked after Walker had told her the story of the day's events.
"She'll be fine. They plan to release her tomorrow and Gage just needs some rest."
Alex smiled. "Where are you off to now?" She asked as Walker grabbed his hat.
"Trivette and I are going to finish this up tonight. If we don't we're going to lose Quinn and he's going to pay for what he did to Trivette, Sydney and Gage."
"You be careful."
*****
Trivette had retried the information on the Texas license plate of the car that had ran he and Sydney off of the road. "It's registered to Gavin Quinn."
"What address is listed?" Walker asked.
"122 Rosemont. That's residential. Could he be so careless as to have used his own personal car to kidnap Cummings and Sydney?"
"Let's find out." They drove to 122 Rosemont and were greeted with a spray of gunfire upon entering the open gate.
Walker made his way inside the front door and after subduing the three guards in the entranceway, motioned for Trivette to come inside. They found Quinn in one of the back bedrooms, packing his suitcase hurriedly.
"Going somewhere Quinn?" Walker asked as he slammed the suitcase shut.
Quinn stood in the middle of the room and pulled a gun from his coat pocket. Walker issued a spinning kick and slammed him against the bureau, rendering him unconscious.
The policemen who now surrounded the house quickly apprehended the remaining gunmen. Walker took Quinn into custody himself and after giving their statements, they headed home.
*****
Gage slowly walked towards Sydney's room with a single red rose in his hand. "Hey shorty." He said as he finally made it to the door.
"Hey you." She greeted him as she met him at the door.
"Here, this is for you." He smiled.
"Gage. Thank you, it's beautiful!" She exclaimed as she took the rose.
"Not as beautiful as you." He said quietly.
Sydney looked down, slightly blushing. "How are the ribs?" She pointed at his left side, which he was still holding with his right hand.
"They hurt."
"When can you go back to work?"
"The doctor said a couple of weeks."
"Yeah? That's the same amount of time my doctor gave me. Do you think they co-conspired?"
Gage smiled. "Do you think Walker's really going to give both of us two weeks off?"
"Yes, Walker is going to give both of you two weeks off." Walker mocked as he came into the room.
"Hi Walker." Sydney greeted as Walker kissed her cheek.
"How are you feeling?"
"Much better."
"Good. I'll drive you back to your apartment whenever you two are ready to leave."
Sydney looked at Gage. "Walker wouldn't let me drive."
"Good choice." She nodded towards Walker.
"Hey, come on. I'm not a bad driver. I'm not the one who wrecked."
"I was forced off of the road."
"Yeah, but . . . "
Walker stepped out into the hallway and quietly closed the door to Sydney's room.
"Are they OK?" Trivette asked.
"Oh, yeah, they're arguing, they're fine." He laughed.
THE END