"I really cannot comprehend why the notion of flying is so difficult for the powers that be to fathom." Ezra muttered to himself. Actually, he was muttering it to Chris, but as the man in question was snoring softly in the passenger seat of the car, he got no response. Had Chris been awake, the answer would've been the same one he'd given when Ezra voiced his displeasure at the beginning of the trip.
"Budget – plain and simple. Trips under 500 miles are to be done by vehicle whenever possible, particularly when it comes down to four tickets versus one car rental."
"This is not a car, Mr. Larabee. It is a small boat on wheels. It is an abomination."
"It's a minivan Ezra. Get over it. Besides plenty of room for Buck to stretch his legs."
"Seats are comfy too Ezra." Vin added with a slightly evil grin. "Be real easy to take a nap, so we won't need to stop for a rest."
"The drive to Oklahoma is well over 500 miles."
"Yes, but the flight isn't." Chris answered.
"That is absurd."
"No, that is bureaucracy."
"Are you telling me we won't even be stopping for the night? This is a 10-hour drive and it is already well into the afternoon hours."
"Ezra, give it up." Buck growled. "This isn't up for debate. We have to be there for court in the morning, and the rules are the rules, so just give it a rest." He turned and marched out to get his overnight bag into the van.
"Don't mind him Ezra. He had to cancel a hot date for tonight. She didn't take it well."
"I, too, had plans Mr. Dunne. I imagine that we all did. However, I suppose I must concede that he has a point. Would you be so kind as to hand me my valise and suit bag?"
"A lot of luggage for an overnight trip."
"There are some necessities I will not abandon, and due to careful planning and preparation, they fit into this case. As for the suit, well I refused to appear in court inappropriately attired."
"Feels like more than just one suit in here."
"One should always be prepared for all contingencies."
That had been almost eight hours ago. Since then he, Chris, Buck and Vin had travelled about three quarters of the distance. Ezra had volunteered to take the last turn at the wheel, hoping fate might intervene and actually save him from having to drive.
Fate, as usual, was not kind. He been driving for about 30 minutes and regretting his choice. He was travelling unfamiliar country roads on a rainy night in a vehicle that handled nothing like the sports car he was used to, and he was hating every minute of it. The silence didn't help, but after 20 minutes of arguing about music selections Chris had declared the car was a quiet zone. Now, with everyone else sleeping, Ezra was finding it hard to stay focused and alert. Talking to himself was his final recourse, so he began reviewing his plan testimony for the next day.
He quickly decided that letting his mind wander was not a particularly good idea. The road was getting worse, with curves and bends coming far too quickly for his liking. The hills created the illusion of disappearing roads and looming disasters. High beams didn't help as the rain and fog swallowed the light. The whole experience was starting to play tricks on his eyes, as more than once shadows left him with the impression they were being followed. He was giving serious consideration to waking the others for moral support if nothing else, when he found himself blinded by the glare of oncoming headlights. Seconds later, as he struggled to refocus his sight, the van was slammed from behind by a second car.
"What the hell?" Buck called out from the centre row.
"Brace yourselves gentlemen. Someone wants us off this road." Ezra had barely finished speaking when they were hit again, this time on the rear passenger side. That same moment the oncoming car turned off the bright lights, leaving them in darkness, and Ezra struggling to adjust. Vin slid himself over, redoing the seatbelt in anticipation of another hit. Buck and Chris had pulled their weapons, but both attacking vehicles were now dark and all but invisible. Ezra was fighting with all he had to control the car, having only limited success. His normal eloquence went out the window when he turned the next curve.
"Shit! Hold on!"
He cranked the wheel frantically, and the car broadsided a tree. An instant later when they were hit from behind again, there was no way to keep it on the road any longer despite Ezra valiant struggle. The darkness engulfed them as they flew over the edge. The landing was a jarring force followed by a rapid roll down the slope before they came to a rest on the rocky edge of the river below. The vehicles above drove off, leaving a deathly stillness in their wake.
7-7-7-7-7-7-7
Vin knew the minute he opened his eyes that something wasn't right. It took a little more time for him to register that the something in question was the angle he was seeing everything at – sideways. Making the move to straighten up was definitely an error in judgment as pain shot through him. The leg was the worst, but his chest and head were not much better. The next thought that struck him was that the car was too damn quiet.
"Buck? Chris? Ezra? Anybody awake?"
The relief at hearing Buck's voice was greater than he could have envisioned.
"Nice to have someone to talk to again. Probably too late to say this, but try not to move. I got out, but everything shifted. Doubt that did any of you any good. I'm trying to stabilize things."
"The others? Chris? Ezra?"
"Chris took a good hit to the head and from what I can see, I'm guessing his wrist is busted up. He's been drifting in and out, getting a little more responsive each time. Sit tight, this might move the van a bit."
Vin could hear something scraped the side, but felt no movement. "Okay, that seems to be better."
"Buck, what about Ezra?" There was silence for a minute. "Buck?" Vin had a tinge of panic to his voice.
"I don't know Vin. He's not moving and hasn't answered. Door's wedged against the rocks and he's half underwater. I need Chris to wake up so I can find out more."
"Find out about what?" Chris mumbled. "What the hell happened?"
"We were forced off the road Chris. How do you feel?"
"Peachy. How the hell do you think I feel?" He cursed again would he try to reach the seat belt. "Damn hand is broken."
"Most likely your wrist. You've been moving your fingers. Hold still another minute and I'll try to get your door open. Everything's really messed up."
Chris turned his head quickly as the memory of what happened came back. The action sent his vision spinning.
"Shit. Vin? Ezra?"
"I'm okay Chris. We don't know about Ezra yet. Can you see him?"
"No without night vision goggles. Don't you have a flashlight Buck?"
"No, can't get into the kit in the back without risking shifting the van too much. I've been working off the light from my phone. Damn thing is no good for anything else out here."
Chris reached for his own cell and slowly pulled it out, using the faint glow to get a better look around him. Ezra was deathly pale, making the blood on his face stand out in stark contrast. Chris reached out tentatively, deeply afraid of what he was going to feel as he sought a pulse. The small weak groan was music to his ears.
"Stay still Ezra. You're hurt pretty bad from the look of things. Just don't move." He wasn't sure why he'd bothered to add that. Ezra's state could barely be described as conscious and he sat perfectly still. He was slumped against the straining seatbelt. It was only on seeing that that Chris realized the airbags hadn't deployed. Whether it had been bad luck or sabotage he didn't know, but he knew it was a big part of the reason they were in so much trouble now.
His attention came back to the moment when he realized Vin was talking to him. "Sorry Vin, what?"
"I was asking if we can get him out of here. I don't like the speed of this river."
"Does it look bad?"
"I've got no clue what it looks like, but it sounds fast, and with the rain as hard as it is I'm betting it's rising."
"I can't see enough to be sure, but I'd say moving him isn't really our best plan right now."
Buck was beside him. "Okay, I think we can get you and Vin out of there now without everything shifting."
"Move Vin. I'm staying in here with Ez."
"Chris, in the first place, you're hurt. We need to check you out. In the second place, and this might actually make a difference to you, I need to be able to get a better look at Ezra. If we need to move him, it's best we know how to do it fast."
He couldn't dispute the logic and didn't really have the energy to argue. He bit back against the pain that radiated through him as Buck pried him free. "Sorry cowboy, no way to do this without it hurting."
"Don't call me cowboy," he growled back through gritted teeth. Buck was glad Chris couldn't see his smile. "And stop grinning." Damn the man anyway.
"Okay Vin, you're next."
"Likely have cracked rib and my leg is busted up. I may be calling you a few names myself."
"Not like I haven't heard them before."
A few minutes and some very innovative cursing later both injured men were settled on the ground, under as much shelter from the rain as could be found. Buck started for the van again but turned back at Chris's newest round of cursing.
"What's the matter? You okay?"
"No, I'm an idiot. We need to put up a signal of some kind up on the road in case anyone goes by."
"Already did that. Don't hold out much hope. The road doesn't look well-traveled, and on a night like this I doubt many people are out for a pleasure drive."
Vin looked up. "Not the main road then?"
"Barely looks like a secondary one. I'd bet my next paycheck on the fact that the signs were messed with. Ezra was probably following some kind of detour set up for us."
Chris wasn't happy with the situation, or the current delay. "Let's worry about the details later. First priority is to get Ezra checked out." Buck made his way back to the van and used what light he could to evaluate the situation. His lack of commentary was all the information the others needed.
"He's that bad?"
"It's not good Chris. His pulse is weak, barely reacts when I touch him. Head wound bleeding bad and the water around his legs looks pretty red too. I'm going to see if I can figure out why." A moment later he brought his head out of the freezing water. He said nothing. They could hear him fumbling, and then another soft splash told them he'd gone underwater again. It felt like an eternity until he resurfaced.
"Part of the door panel peeled back and sliced his leg open deep. I used my belt to put a tourniquet on it, but he's lost a lot of blood. Not to mention the fact that it's likely infected by now too."
"Can we get him clear?"
"Not sure we should. There's more metal around him and God knows what we might slice open, or off. Something's wedged into his side as well, but I think the pressure is holding off the bleeding."
"At least the bleeding we can see. Internal could be a different story," Vin lamented.
Buck had returned to the others. "I'll put what you need close by. Then I'm heading up the road for help."
"No, you aren't." Chris's voice indicated it was an order, not a suggestion. "We have no idea where we are and it's pitch black out there. Getting lost won't help matters."
"He's gonna bleed out if we don't do something."
"Which way are you gonna go up there? How can you know what you'll run into?"
"Doesn't matter. I won't just sit here and watch him die."
"None of us want to do that. Look, let's see if we can get him to wake up. For all we know we passed help a few miles back, or he knows how much further to the next town. At least we'd have a starting point. Help me up."
"Stay put Chris. I'll ask him."
"He'll respond to my voice faster. Trust me on that."
Chris grimaced as he stood, but said nothing. He made his way back to the van and leaned in as far as he could without moving it further. Knowing the nature of Ezra's injuries now made stability that much more critical.
"Standish! Wake up! Open your eyes dammit!" He was rewarded with a soft moan, but no further activity. "Come on Standish. I'm not screwing around here."
"There is no need to shout Mr. Larabee. You are close enough to be heard without bellowing."
All three men let out sighs of relief. "Ezra, did we pass anything – house, gas station, anything, recently?"
"Pass anything? Why would we…? Where are we?"
"There was an accident Ezra. Buck needs to go get help. Do you know how far we are from a town?" Thirty seconds passed with no response. "Standish?"
"Patience. I am trying to recall the last few minutes. It was dark – extremely dark. I don't know. Weren't there other cars? Maybe they could help?"
"Doubt it. They're the ones who forced us off the road. What town are we coming up on Ezra?"
"Don't know. There was a detour. Maybe 10 minutes ago?" He coughed, gasping sharply at the pain.
"Easy Ezra, take it easy. Don't try to move. Do you remember anything else? Ezra, stay awake. Buck needs to know where to go for help. We gotta get an ambulance here for you."
"Ambulance?" Ezra opened his eyes. "Are you hurt? Vin? Where is Vin?" Ezra started to show the intention of trying to sit up and Chris used his good hand to stop the move.
"Vin's over by the tree Ezra. Yeah, he needs some help. What can you tell Buck?"
Ezra seemed to become more focused. "There was a building. A gas station maybe? Just west of the detour. A couple of minutes back. Don't know much further ahead to the town. How bad is Vin hurt?" Formalities disappeared as Ezra's concern had pushed his own pain and circumstance out of his mind.
"Sit still Ezra. It's not bad. His leg is twisted up so he can't walk. I got a busted-up hand and we all got a mess of bruises. We can't get you out of the car right now, you're pinned in. You stay still, and I'll be back."
"Vin?" Ezra was clearly still confused, and his voice sounded weak.
"He's fine Ezra. Vin, shout over to Ezra."
"I'm okay Pard. You stay put. I'll come and visit when there's a bit more light and I can see what I'm doing." Ezra sighed with relief and leaned his head back onto the seat. Chris gently patted his arm, then backed out.
"That damn near drained him." Buck look worried. "I don't think I should wait. Don't think he can spare the time."
Chris looked at his watch. "Give it another two hours. It's already three, and it should start getting light soon. You should get a bit of rest. Guessing your more banged up than you're sharing."
"Like you said, bruises. Promise you Chris, I'm okay. Or I will be when we get him clear."
He finally conceded nothing would be gained by getting lost or hurt, and settled to try to prepare for what was to come. The next couple of hours were restless to say the least. Every moan or cough had one of them going to the van to check on Ezra. At one point, Buck all but carried Vin over to reassure Ezra that he was all right.
"You shouldn't've told him I was hurt Chris. Just got him upset for nothing."
"He wasn't focusing. Didn't react when I said he needed an ambulance, but when it was for you he was sharp as a tack."
"Idiot."
"Yeah – but he's our idiot."
Two hours to the minute, Buck was on his feet and gathering supplies. "I'm leaving you a phone, but taking the others. Don't know which one has any chance of getting me a signal but one of them might."
"Mine won't. It's the oldest one and the batteries are probably pretty weak too. I'll keep it, you take Ezra's and Chris's. Buck, help me over there before you go."
"You shouldn't be moving so much Vin."
"Leg feels better. I want to talk to him. Try to keep him settled."
They managed to get Vin reasonably comfortable with only a moderate amount of swearing.
"OK Ezra, I'm gonna go get you some help. Be back here before you know it. You gotta promise me you're gonna stick around."
Ezra looked up at Buck with unfocused eyes. "You are leaving?"
"I'll be back." Buck struggled to keep his voice level. "You promise me you'll be here when I get back. Ezra, I mean it. Promise me."
"Of course. Where would I go?" Buck reached out and gently patted him on the shoulder, certain Ezra was unaware of the action.
Chris kept his distance to ensure as little crowding as possible. He spoke briefly to Buck then watched his friend hike up the hill again. It would be hours before anyone was looking for them, and given the phony detour, it could be days before they were found. He had no doubt that Buck was Ezra's only hope.
It was getting lighter, but the rain continued. Vin kept an anxious eye on the river, noting the water level rising. After a point, he finally dragged himself close enough to the van and used it to lean on as he reached in. The nature of his concern immediately shifted.
"Dammit Chris, he's ice cold." Chris was over to the spot faster that his injuries should have allowed. "His temperature is way too low." Ezra's lips were tinged blue and his face was white. The shivering was the only sign of life he was showing.
"Ezra – Pard? Can you hear me?" Chris handed what he could find to Vin to try to drape around Ezra. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing – they hoped. "We need to find a way to warm him up Chris. He goes into hypothermic shock and it will be too late."
"So, we have to get him out of there. Great. He bleeds to death or freezes. Hell of a set of options. Don't suppose there's a way to drain the water out?"
"Car's filling up, and the river is getting higher. You can add drowning as an option if we can't figure something out."
Chris rubbed his good hand over his face several times, trying to come up with good solutions. None was forthcoming, so he resorted to questionable ones.
"Okay. I'll need you to splint my hand tighter. I'll go under and see if we can free him up."
"Are you nuts Chris? You can't do that one handed."
"Well you can't manoeuvre on a bad leg."
"It's in better shape than your hand."
"Not by much."
"Perhaps I can be of some assistance?"
"Stay out of this Standish. Ezra – you're awake?"
"Difficult to sleep with all this fighting." His voice shook with exhaustion, and the chattering of his teeth didn't help matters. "And given it is my circumstance you are discussing, I should have a say in the matter."
"Not if you're planning to tell us to leave things as they are."
"On the contrary, I would like to little more than the opportunity to escape this prison. But based on what I can still feel of my lower extremities, I doubt that is a viable option."
"What do you mean what you can still feel?" Just what we need, Chris thought, another wrinkle.
"My left leg is quite numb, which I grant you is preferable to the pain it was causing earlier."
Vin and Chris looked at each other without speaking. If the leg had gone numb, the reasons were just one more cause for concern. Silence told Ezra the same thing
"I take it I can assume that is not good news."
"Ezra, we've got to get you out of the water and figure out what's going on. Your leg was cut bad, and there's piece of metal sticking into your side as well."
"Yes, I have been aware of that for some time."
"Really? You might've said something." Chris's reaction was as much frustration with the situation as it was anger at the pigheaded victim.
"What would be gained? I don't see a surgical team handy, so mentioning the problem without offering a solution would be poor form."
"I swear to God Ezra, I think you were put on this earth for the sole purpose of torturing me."
"Then you shall likely be relieved of that burden shortly."
"Shut up. You ain't going anywhere – you hear me?"
"I believe we both know that isn't true."
"You quitting Ezra? Thought we talked about that."
"Not quitting – surrendering. It is a fine distinction, but a valid one." They could both hear the weakening of his voice and his slowing speech.
"We don't have time for this Chris." Vin took a deep breath and manoeuvred under the still rising waters. Chris held the fading light from the cell phone as close as he dared, not wanting to submerge it. A moment later Vin surfaced gulping in the air.
"Okay Ezra. The leg is cut but not badly pinned. I can loosen it, and when I do you're going to move, which I can promise will hurt like hell. The doorframe is digging into you. I can't tell how deep but it's gonna cut you when you move. We're going to get you out, but it won't be pretty."
"I have no doubt you will do your best, and I assure you whatever the outcome I deeply appreciate the effort."
"Save it Ezra. You're going to need your strength. Chris, what have we got that's still dry?"
"Rug in the back is mostly dry except for one edge. One blanket too."
"Lay them out so we don't have to put him on the ground. When we get him settled, you'll have to scrounge around for any dry wood you can find."
"It's been raining for hours."
"Look for overhangs, piles. Maybe we'll get lucky and find some kind of nest we can raid. Body heat isn't gonna to be enough Chris. We're both soaked too. Not as cold as he is, but not warm enough to be much help. It'll do until we can get a fire going. I hope."
Vin spoke to Ezra while Chris got things ready, even though he was fairly certain their injured friend heard little of the conversation. It was only a few minutes before Chris announced everything was ready.
"You're gonna have to use that bad hand Chris. There's just not enough room to do anything else."
"Don't worry about it. I've survived worse." They looked at each other, knowing they were about to do something that was just as likely to kill Ezra as to help him, and knowing they had no choice. Vin dove under again, and seconds later Chris heard a scream from Ezra that chilled him deeper than any river water could. Ezra's body went rigid with pain before he collapsed into a boneless slump, head dropping into the waters. Chris grabbed at him, trying to find a way to apply pressure with his good hand while tugging him free with the other. Despite the effort to use his arm more than the wrist he could feel the stabbing sensations travelling through him. With Ezra's scream still ringing in his ears, he bit back his own reaction. His discomfort couldn't compare to what they had just done to the man.
Vin surfaced with his arm around Ezra's legs and they moved as quickly as they could to get clear of the waters. No words were exchanged as they moved to wrap the wounds and quietly pray that he keep breathing.
Chris used his belt to tighten a compress in place over the deep gash in Ezra's side. The bleeding was less than he'd feared, but he admitted to himself he had no idea what internal damage might've been done. Vin was focused on the leg, loosening Buck's tourniquet to allow circulation again. He pressed the wound to try to stop further loss, praying some blood would be able to flow into the lower leg.
After several agonizingly long minutes, they had the situation settled to the best they could manage. Vin continued monitoring Ezra's heartbeat, and not liking what he felt. "He's definitely hypothermic Chris. Breathing is weak, heart is skipping all over the place."
Chris came from deeper in the bush, dragging branches. "Cut some cedar. Thought it could make a passable blanket."
"It'll help." He positioned himself beside Ezra. "Okay Pard, time to get up close and personal here. I ain't much warmer than you, but body heat might help some." He carefully wrapped his arms around Ezra and pulled him in as close as he could. The combination of injuries made it more than a little challenging.
"Wish I had my camera," Chris teased, trying to appear less terrified than he was. "You two would make a cute Christmas card."
"Jealous?" The joking was fooling neither man.
"I've got a few dry bits to start a fire. I guess we don't need to be worried about burning the area down."
He quietly set about the task, listening to Vin continue to murmur reassuring words to Ezra. There was no response beyond the occasional gasp or shiver as another pain spasm struck. Once the small fire was burning, they sat back, unable to do anything more than continue their efforts to warm him. Neither could ever recall a time he had felt more utterly useless.
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Chris looked at his watch and found all of five minutes had passed since the last glance. Buck had been gone about three hours now, which meant he should easily be at the gas station Ezra had mentioned. Assuming he'd remember things correctly – a big assumption given his condition.
Would it be open this early? Open it all? If it was abandoned, Buck was going to have a long search ahead. Of course, it was possible he'd been able to get a cell phone signal by now. It was also possible he was lying at the side of the road, collapsed from pushing himself too hard and worsening injuries he didn't realized he had.
"Smart Larabee – very comforting to create worst-case scenarios. Why not imagine a tornado while you're at it?"
"You say something Chris?"
"No Vin, just talking to myself."
"Where do you think Buck is?" He knew exactly what Chris had been thinking about.
"With any luck, on the phone calling in the National Guard to get us the hell out of here."
"Not the guard Chris, but search and rescue should be here any minute now."
"What the hell? How did you –" Chris looked up to see Buck in a controlled slide down the embankment.
"Dirt-bikers are wonderful people. Did you know that Chris? Really amazing, wonderful people. Ran into some about 40 minutes ago. Gave me a bike to get back here and a bunch of supplies. Most important, they had satellite phones with GPS and a whole bunch of crap I didn't understand. Called rescue and they have been tracking me and are homing in on the signal," he held up a small beacon "as we speak." He looked over at the others. "Hey Vin. You look cozy. How's our friend doing there?" He dropped the grin at the look on Vin's face, and rushed over opening a blanket as he moved.
"Hey Ezra. How are you feeling? Never mind. Stupid question."
"We had to get him out Buck. He was damn near frozen. And bleeding. He's weak. Too weak." Chris handed them a second blanket.
"Ezra – you keep fighting. You hear me?"
"Buck? You're back?"
"Told you I would be."
"I did it then. Followed your order. I held on till you got back." Ezra's voice was terrifyingly weak.
"That don't mean you can quit now Ezra." Buck fought the desire to yell at him. "Ezra? You hear me Ezra?"
"Told you I'd wait." Ezra closed his eyes and his head drooped to the side.
"His heart rate's all over Chris. We're losing him. Not now Ezra. Help is almost here." Vin could hear the distinctive sound of a helicopter approaching, along with the more distant wail of the sirens closing in, "Just a few more minutes and we can get you fixed up Ezra. Ezra? Dammit!"
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tbc
