RATED PG
Ray paced through the small command center, stalking from one end of the room to the other and back again. He stopped to glare at the blackness outside the window; then turned to glare at the Mounties in the room, but none of them were meeting his eyes anymore.
He turned back to the window and punched the wall. He hated the Northwest Territories! He and Benny had nothing but bad luck whenever they came here.
They had come up again just over a week ago, with the goal of finally fixing up the cabin; and at first things had gone very well. The weather had cooperated, they had gotten a lot of work done on the cabin, and they had been having a great time together, just the two of them- three, counting Dief.
But this morning- yesterday morning actually, as it was now nearly 3:00 a.m.- a jeep had pulled up to the cabin, and a Constable with the RCMP had gotten out, looking for Benny. Looking for Benny’s help.
A couple of tourists had gone missing. Americans, who had read all about the beauty and wonder of the Territories and had decided to get back in touch with nature by exploring Canada’s wilds by themselves.
They had gotten so back to nature that they had gotten lost, failing to return when scheduled; and a search party had been formed to look for them. Naturally, since Benny was a native of these parts and knew the place like the back of his hand, the RCMP wanted him to join the search. And naturally, they didn’t hesitate to ask for his help, even though they had been treating him like shit for the past three years.
And naturally, Benny had said yes without even a thought. He could never say no to the RCMP, and he certainly couldn’t turn his back on people who needed his help.
So Ray and Benny had ridden to the command post, where Benny had gotten a briefing, filled a backpack with supplies, and headed out to search for the missing hikers.
Ray had wanted very much to go with Benny, but he had been fed some bullshit from the RCMP officers about how he wasn’t officially allowed to search, liabilities and dangers and blah, blah, blah.
He had argued fiercely with them until Benny had pulled him aside. “Ray, this is going to be a very difficult and arduous trip.”
“And you don’t think I could handle it?” Ray had shot back.
Benny had paused, obviously searching for the right words to calm Ray down, or at least not set him off further. “You’re not used to the conditions, Ray; and it’s an emergency situation. I’m going to need to be going full speed, and I won’t have time to-” He broke off abruptly.
“Won’t have time to baby-sit me?” Ray had asked quietly.
“Won’t have time or energy to worry about you,” Benny said gently.
“All right,” Ray had given in. “All right. But I hate this, Benny! I hate the idea of you being out there all alone.”
“I’ll have my two-way radio with me. And Diefenbaker, of course.”
Ray had summoned up a tiny smile at that. “You just be careful, Benny, you hear me?”
“I will Ray. I promise.” After a quick look around, Benny had given Ray a kiss, then slipped into his backpack and left with Dief.
After Benny had gone, Ray hung around the command center, being bored and nervous and edgy, and generally making himself a huge pain in the ass to the RCMP personnel.
Finally, just as night began to fall, Diefenbaker had come running back to the command center. But Dief had been alone, and very agitated.
He ran into the building and ignoring all the official RCMP members, he had run directly to Ray, barking at him, pawing him, and whining frantically.
Ray had felt the blood chill in his veins, and his heart had started pounding. “Dief, what... is he...”
Dief looked frantic, and his barking had an urgency to it, but he didn’t look sad or mournful at all. Whatever had happened to Benny, he was still alive. Or he had been when Diefenbaker had left him.
Ray quickly pushed that thought far away. No way was Benny dead. He wouldn’t do that to Ray. He just wouldn’t.
The senior officer, Sgt. Anderson, came over. “What’s going on?”
“Something’s happened to Fraser. He’s hurt or something.”
Another frantic whine from Dief.
“Is he hurt, boy? Benny’s hurt?”
Diefenbaker barked, pawed at Ray again, and ran to the door. At the door he stopped and turned back, waiting for the men to follow him.
Sgt. Anderson had turned to the young Mountie at the desk. “Summon Constable Fraser on his two-way radio,” he ordered.
After a few minutes, the Constable had turned to face them. “He’s not answering, Sir,” he reported.
The report had really been unnecessary, as both Ray and the Sergeant had been able to hear the one-sided conversation. And Benny had stopped making his regular calls in over an hour ago.
Ray didn’t want to think about why Benny might be unable to report in. “We have to go look for him, Sir,” he had said.
“I’m afraid we can’t now,” had been Anderson’s reply.
“What?!” Ray had been incredulous. “We can’t leave him out there, alone and hurt!”
“Detective,” Anderson had started to answer, but he had been interrupted by a voice coming over the radio.
For a moment, Ray’s heart had leapt, but it was only one of the other searchers, reporting that the missing couple had been found, alive and well, and they were returning to the command post.
In that moment, Ray had hated those two people that he had never even met. It was their fault that Benny was now in the situation he was. “Sir, we have to go find him, now,” he had repeated.
“Detective, there is nothing I want to do more right now then go out and find Constable Fraser and bring him to safety. I hate leaving one of my men out there.
“But it will be full dark very shortly, long before we could find him. It would be putting the other searcher’s lives at risk, and the chances of finding Constable Fraser under those conditions would be extremely low, at best. We’ll make the preparations tonight and start the search at first light tomorrow morning.”
First light? Benny might not have that long. “I’ll go by myself, then.” Ray had started for the door, but was stopped by Sgt. Anderson grabbing his arm.
“I can’t let you do that, Detective.”
“You can’t stop me,” Ray had snapped.
“Detective, don’t make me arrest you!”
Ray had pulled his arm free, glaring at the other man.
“I know this is very hard, but you have to think what will be best for your friend in the long run. What are you going to do, go out in the pitch dark, searching very uneven and dangerous terrain with which you are unfamiliar with a flashlight?
“What happens when you fall or break your leg, or your neck? How much good would you be to Constable Fraser then?”
Ray had taken a long, deep breath. He knew what the man was saying was logical, but it was always hard for Ray to be logical when it came to Benny. “He’s out there all alone,” he had whispered.
“I know,” Sgt. Anderson had replied. His anger was gone, and had been replaced with sympathy, which was somehow harder for Ray to take. “But Constable Fraser does have an emergency kit with him, and he has excellent survival skills.”
If he got the chance to use them. Ray had walked over to a chair and slumped into it, burying his face in his hands. Diefenbaker had run back over to him, whining. “I’m sorry, Dief,” Ray had said, his voice breaking.
Dief had given a short, angry bark, and run from the room; too fast for anyone to stop or follow him.
“Go be with Benny, Dief. Please take care of him,” Ray had whispered. And then he had started to pray.
Ray stopped his pacing to stare out the window again, but he could only see the reflection of his own anguished face.
He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the glass. The darkness here was very different from the darkness in Chicago. The darkness here seemed impenetrable, almost like a living thing.
And Benny was out there, probably cold, almost certainly injured, and most definitely all alone, in that darkness. Ray tried to pray again, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead he concentrated his energy on Benny, sending his thoughts and energy in Benny’s direction.
Even though it was Summer, and the nights were relatively short, it still seemed like days passed before the sky started lightening. Ray heard the Mounties talking, discussing their plans for the search for Benny, and he hurried over to them.
Sgt. Anderson met him halfway across the room, and Ray didn’t even hesitate. “I’m going with you,” he said in a tone of voice that clearly showed he was not going to listen to any objections.
“I knew you would be,” Anderson answered with a kind smile. “Here.” He held out a backpack to Ray. “I packed this for you. It contains food, water, and first aid supplies. You’ll also need this.” He handed Ray a two way radio.
Ray took the radio and slipped his arms through the straps of the backpack. “Thank you,” he said quietly.
After a short briefing session, the men were off. It helped their efforts immensely that they knew the general area Benny had been searching, so they headed in that direction.
They had been walking for about 10 minutes when Diefenbaker came running up to them, barking furiously.
“Dief!” Ray exclaimed. “Were you with Benny last night? Is he okay?”
Dief barked and whined and growled and turned around and headed back the way he had come.
Ray hurried after him as quickly as he could, hoping that Diefenbaker’s energy and eagerness were good signs. They had been walking about two hours when Diefenbaker led him up a short rise. Ray got to the top and came to an abrupt halt.
There, lying in a clearing below him, was Benny. He was lying with his head resting on his knapsack, using it as a pillow, and there was a small campfire next to him, although it appeared that the fire had gone out. There was also what appeared to be a crude splint on Benny’s right leg.
Ray threw himself down the hill at top speed, not worrying about the danger. Diefenbaker was already back at Benny’s side, nudging him and licking his face.
“Benny!” Ray yelled, as soon as he thought he was close enough for his lover to hear him.
There was no answer, and Ray kept running. “Benny!” He finally reached Benny and dropped on his knees next to him. As he knelt next to Benny, Ray could see that the entire right side of his face was bruised and swollen, and covered with dried blood. There was a wide array of cuts and bruises over most of the rest of his body, as well.
“Benny?” Ray said quietly. He reached out and felt Benny’s neck for a pulse, and said a quick prayer of thanks when he found one. He touched the less-battered side of Benny’s face very gently. “Benny?” He repeated.
Benny’s eyes flickered open, and he looked up at Ray. “Ray!” A weak smile lit up his face.
“Yeah, Benny, I’m right here. Everything’s gonna be okay now.” He felt Benny’s forehead and frowned. Benny felt very hot. “What happened?”
“I made a mistake,” Benny said, and his voice was weak and shaky. “A stupid, rookie mistake. I slipped and lost my footing on some-” he broke off with a small cry, wrapping an arm around his ribs.
“Ssssh, Benny, it’s okay,” Ray said. He looked around at the fire and the splint, and the crutch made out of two tree branches. “You did all this by yourself?”
Benny nodded. “I had to,” he said.
Ray could hear the rest of the search team approaching, and he heard Sgt. Anderson talking into his radio, ordering a rescue helicopter and giving their coordinates.
“Oh Benny,” Ray said, “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here to help you. I should have been with you.”
“You were with me, Ray,” Benny said. “You kept me company all night.”
Ray frowned at him, and reached out to feel his forehead again.
Benny smiled. “I’m not delirious. I was feeling so completely alone last night. No offense, Diefenbaker,” he added, looking over at his wolf.
Dief whined and Benny turned back to Ray. “I was alone, and in pain, and cold, and I’ll admit it, I was scared.”
“Benny,” Ray whispered, feeling a tightening in his throat.
Benny smiled. “But then I thought of you, and it helped. I thought of all the wonderful memories we have, and all the memories we’re going to make in the future, and I just thought about you. I could feel you here with me, and I clung to that.
“It was one of the darkest hours of my life, and you were there for me, helping me through it, as you’re always there for me.”
Ray could think of absolutely nothing to say to that, and wouldn’t have been able to speak past his emotions if he could, so he just reached out and took Benny’s hand, squeezing it gently.
Benny smiled at him and his eyes drifted closed.
Ray stayed there, kneeling next to his lover and holding his hand; listening to the sound of the approaching helicopter.
THE END
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