My good friend Vic32 asked me to write a wingfic and although it's not a category I knew very much about at all, she gave me a few ideas and it set me thinking. This is very different to the usual fics I write, so I hope someone likes it. All reviews are appreciated. Thank you kindly!
HEALING
"Ray!" Fraser screamed his partner's name, but his voice couldn't be heard over the explosion of course and then as the building collapsed and Fraser could do nothing except watch, he felt the strangest sensation wash over him. His life was never going to be quite the same again, he knew that now. Had Ray left him? No, that wasn't it? Ray Kowalski wasn't dead? Wait, that was stupid, of course he was dead, no one could have survived that, surely?
As he scrabbled over the rubble his head was hurting so much and it wasn't just the minor injury that was causing the warm trickle of blood on his cheek that hurt, it was something else. A noise in his mind, a voice perhaps? He pulled at the bricks with his bare hands, desperately trying to find his friend. Then he saw the mangled form of a man's body. He was dead. He really was. Fraser lifted away more chunks of rubble and then smiled. It wasn't Ray, it was him, it was Desmond Taylor, the man who had caused so much suffering to those poor innocent children, the man who had brought them out all this way in the first place tonight. Fraser had never felt happy that anyone was dead before, Taylor had the honour of being the first person to evoke that response from the Mountie.
Then he heard it. A noise, quiet at first, but then again louder, like a groan. Ray? "Ray?" he called out. Then the response. Fraser drew a breath. Ray was alive! He really was! Impossible. No way, not even remotely possible. Fraser shifted his efforts, following the sound of the noise.
Ray could hear his buddy calling his name and he was suddenly paralysed by fear. Of course he wanted Fraser to help him, he was badly injured, he knew that, he had to be. The pain was almost bearable, but he did not know what was going to happen now. There was nothing he could do about it though. Not now. This was the day he'd been dreaming about, but he never thought it would be this way. This was not how he imagined it would happen. In fact, he really didn't know what was happening at all? It made no sense. All of this was wrong, or maybe just weird, he didn't know. All he knew was Fraser would want answers, but he couldn't give his friend those answers, not right now, right now his whole body hurt and he was struggling to focus. Then he blinked as the light his his eyes.
"Ray," Fraser was so relieved, "stay still, I'll get this off you." He frantically lifted the bricks and rubble from his friend. "Taylor's dead," he said, matter of factly, trying to keep Ray's mind concentrated. He was worried that if he slipped into unconsciousness, then...well, Fraser didn't want to think about that. "Don't try to move," he said, "tell me where it hurts?" Fraser began checking Ray's limbs for broken bones. He checked them twice, because the first time he couldn't seem to find any and surely that had to be wrong? He looked at Ray, but his partner was wearing a strange expression. "Ray?" he said.
Ray tried to smile. His body hurt, but his head hurt even more. Now what? What was he meant to tell his buddy now? "Um, Fraser," he began in a croaky voice, "I think I'm OK."
"But...but you can't be?" replied Fraser quietly. "I mean, I'm relieved that you are of course, but...but how? Can you get up?"
Ray sighed. "No," he said, "you're gonna have to shift more rubble first."
Fraser frowned. "You're clear," he replied, "is it your back?" He started to worry now. "You should stay there, wait for the paramedics. I know we're pretty remote out here, but you called for back up so they should be here soon."
Ray shook his head. "Can't do that," he said. "You're gonna have to get me outta here. Keep diggin' buddy." His partner's confused face hurt Ray like a kick in the head. "Just clear from around me," Ray tried to encourage him, "you'll see..."
Fraser complied as much as he could, but he still didn't understand. Then he lifted one particularly large chunk of concrete and then he understood. He looked at Ray, but said nothing. Ray stayed silent too. Fraser carefully continued clearing bricks until he knew he wasn't imagining things. Wings. Huge feathered wings. Mangled and twisted and filthy, but wings nonetheless. "Ah," said Fraser.
"Is that it?" whispered Ray. "Is that all you can say? Ah?" He wasn't sure what he expected Fraser to say, but it was more than 'Ah'.
"Ray, I think the discussion can wait until a more appropriate juncture, don't you?" Fraser was keeping his Mountie persona fully intact and Ray could completely understand why. "Now, do you think you can sit up?"
"Help me buddy," said Ray, holding out a shaky hand. Fraser took it firmly and helped Ray slowly move. Ray groaned in pain as he did so.
"Do they...do they hurt Ray?" Fraser asked quietly.
"Yeah," winced Ray. "This, um, this has never happened before." Fraser didn't understand. Ray tried to explain, but he was having difficulty. "What I mean is...usually when I'm like this, I don't get hurt, y'know?"
"But I've seen you get hurt before?" Fraser was totally bemused.
"Yeah, yeah, I know, but not when I'm like this, right?" replied Ray.
"I've never seen you...like this," replied Fraser.
Oh this was exactly what Ray didn't want to happen. Fraser was hurt, hurt that Ray had never told him about this, but how could he? How could he casually bring it up in conversation over a pizza? 'By the way Fraser, I'm some kind of freaky angel or something and don't ask me to explain how or why because I can't, because I don't understand one freakin' thing about it, but I just am.' Yeah, that wouldn't have made Fraser run all the way back to the Yukon Territories would it? "Fraser..." Ray began.
"Later," Fraser interrupted him, "we can talk later. Right now we have to get you out of here. Now, forgive me for sounding ignorant, but is it alright if I..." he paused, this was going to sound weird, "is it OK for me to touch them? I mean, I know absolutely nothing about your...situation, however I believe that you have sustained some serious injuries."
"Yeah," replied Ray, "please, I'm, er, I'm kinda in the dark about this too. I mean, usually they just kinda appear, but it's like they're not really here. OK, that sounded stupid."
Fraser gingerly reached out and ran a single finger over the damaged section of one of Ray's wings. Ray winced again and yelped as he did so. "Sorry," mumbled Fraser. He was getting slightly braver now after that first touch and now he began carefully checking over both the wings, trying desperately to think of what he could do to help. "Can you move them at all?" he asked.
"I'll try," replied Ray and he took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as one of his wings shuddered and folded closer to his body. The only one twitched slightly, but nothing more." Ray sighed. "What am I gonna do buddy?" he said, looking at Fraser with fear in his eyes.
"Ray, you're going to be alright," Fraser tried to reassure him. "I think that one of your wings is far more seriously damaged than the other. If it was a broken limb I would suggest that it needed to be reset before we try to move you any more, but in this case I really don't know?"
"Hey, you and me both, remember!" smiled Ray weakly. "Go for it. Do whatever, um, you think is best, all I know is I can't move it and it's freakin' me out that it's even here like this. Y'know, kinda solid and real I mean. This really is not how it usually happens. Just get it over with, I have to get outta here."
"Alright," agreed Fraser and he gingerly began to manipulate the broken sections. Ray gritted his teeth as the pain shot through his body. "Almost done," said Fraser as he finally managed to get the wing folded against Ray's body the same as the other one. "Now, I think I should strap them down." He unbuckled his Sam Browne and slipped it off over his head, then he wrapped it around Ray's body, holding the wings in place firmly, but gently. "How does that feel?" he asked.
"OK," replied Ray, "actually it feels pretty good, not a, er, stabbin' pain any more, kinda like a, um, like an ache now. Thanks buddy."
"Good," smiled Fraser, "now we need to get you to safety. We cannot risk anyone seeing you like this." Ray nodded and Fraser gently helped him to his feet and they climbed over the remains of the collapsed barn and out to the car. "I suggest you make yourself comfortable in the back seat," said Fraser, "I'll drive. No arguments."
Ray laughed and grimaced at the same time as he tried to arrange himself in the car in a way that caused the least amount of discomfort. "OK, no arguin' buddy," he said, "but where are we goin'?"
"We're going north Ray," replied Fraser, finding a blanket and draping it over Ray, "we'll go to my father's cabin. It's remote, you'll be safe there, no one will bother us while you recuperate."
"OK," Ray closed his eyes as exhaustion took over and Fraser drove non stop for hours. Every couple of hours he stopped and woke Ray to make him drink water. His head was spinning, but he forced himself to concentrate on keeping Ray safe and well. The rest would have to wait. To be fair to Ray, he seemed almost as confused about his current predicament as Fraser himself was.
Soon they crossed the border into Canada and Fraser drove to a small town about fifty miles away from the crossing. The sun was up now and Ray stirred and blinked deeply as the light shocked his eyes. "Where are we?" he asked Fraser in a croaky voice as his buddy pulled the car off the road and down a bumpy track.
"A friend of mine flies light aircraft up to the Yukon," explained Fraser, "He is a good man, I trust him, he will not ask any questions. You can stay wrapped in the blanket and I'll tell him you're ill. It's not entirely untrue."
Ray hated flying in small planes, it made him nervous, but he was semi-conscious for most of the journey so he didn't really mind. After they landed, Fraser thanked his friend Jake and hired a jeep to get them to the cabin. Usually he travelled by dog sled when he was at home, but with Ray's condition becoming increasingly unstable he thought the jeep would be best.
It was dark when they arrived at the cabin. Fraser half carried Ray inside and lay him on the old tatty sofa. He immediately set about lighting a fire. Ray could see the flames flickering even through his closed eyelids. As soon as the fire was lit, Fraser turned his attentions to Ray. He carefully unwrapped his friend from the blanket that had kept him warm and inconspicuous for the journey and began to examine the damage. He hadn't really been able to take it all in when they were sitting in the wreck of the collapsed barn. Now he could really see that the broken wings were in a bad way. "Ray," he said softly, "tell me what to do? How can I help you?"
"Dunno buddy," replied Ray, his voice barely audible, "wish I did. Like I said this is, er, kinda new to me."
Fraser sighed. "Let me get you something for the pain." He could see that Ray was fighting to stay conscious now, the agony had got steadily worse over each passing hour of the journey, but he'd had no choice. Ray couldn't risk being discovered, the ensuing questions would be impossible to answer. Fraser quickly poured a glass of bottled water for Ray and handed it to him. Then he produced a smaller glass bottle containing a thick gloopy substance.
"Don't tell me," Ray managed half a grin, "Inuit painkiller."
Fraser nodded. "It's very effective and entirely natural of course. I'm afraid I don't have anything else and the aspirin you took in the car have had very little effect anyway. I just hope this is more effective." Ray nodded silently and Fraser administered two spoonfuls of the medicine. Ray just about managed not to gag at the taste and quickly washed it down with water. "Now," continued Fraser, "I'm going to roll you onto your front so I can tend to...to your injuries."
Ray let his partner help him turn over. Every movement was agony, but Fraser managed to manoeuvre him into the most comfortable position he'd been in for hours. Also, the pain relief was starting to work which really helped. Fraser fetched a bowl of warm water, some towels and the first aid kit. He'd once found an injured eagle in the woods and he'd nursed it back to health over several days, so he was going to apply the same techniques as he'd used on the bird in this instance because he had no clue of what else to do. He tore off the remains of Ray's t-shirt and recoiled slightly at the sight of the wings attached to Ray's back. He wasn't sure exactly what he expected it to look like and he wasn't sure how much being crushed under all that rubble at affected them, but the whole area was sore and swollen. Ray heard his buddy's sharp intake of breath. "Is it bad?" he asked nervously.
"I don't know," replied Fraser, as he began to bathe the broken skin with wet towels, "that is, I'm really not sure how the...um, the..."
"It's OK buddy," replied Ray, "Neither am I. Like I said, I've never had them actually there, physically I mean, like a real part of me. That feels good by the way, the, um, the wet towels. Thanks."
"I'm just glad I can do something for you," Fraser replied. "You have been incredibly lucky, you don't appear to have sustained any serious injuries to any other parts of your body. Considering what happened, that is truly remarkable." He hesitated for a moment, but then continued. "Ray, can I ask...um, you keep saying how this is different to your usual experiences with, um, with your wings. I'm not sure I understand. Well, in actual fact I know I don't understand."
"It started when I was in the bank," Ray began, "when I was a kid, with Stella." Fraser sighed. It seemed that everything that caused Ray any difficulty in his life always started with Stella? "When I thought she was gonna get shot, I, er, I suddenly had this overwhelmin' urge to protect her."
"And that's when you urinated in your clothing," Fraser added, he'd heard this story before, at least he'd heard a version of it. Ray had never mentioned wings before?
"Yeah," agreed Ray, "it was the stupidest thing, but I just had to do somethin'. Thing is, that urge I got, y'know, to protect Stella, it wasn't just a, er, noble thing, not heroic or nothin' like that. It was more than that, it was like I had this feelin' I was meant to protect her. Then I felt all weird, like I was, er, glowin'."
"You felt like you were glowing?" Fraser was very puzzled. He'd took out some bandages from the first aid kit. "How do mean exactly? Bathed in light do you mean?"
"Er, yeah," replied Ray, "that's it. I knew I had to protect her, but I didn't know how, then I could feel these."
"The wings?" clarified Fraser.
"Yeah," agreed Ray. "I could feel them, but, er, not like they were actually there, more like in my head or somethin', but at the same time they gave me strength. Suddenly I was invincible, I was brave, I wasn't this stupid kid with glasses any more, I was powerful and I was the only one who could save her. I'm not sure about the peein' in my pants though, that was kinda dumb, but, er, I was kinda overwhelmed by everythin'."
"I see," replied Fraser. He didn't exactly see, but he was trying to understand. "And this has happened again. The invincible part I mean?" He began to wrap Ray tightly in the bandages.
"Happens every now and again," confirmed Ray, "Sometimes there's a situation, y'know, where someone's in real danger and, er, I'm convinced they're there and they give me this power, this, um, this overwhelming sense of strength and that's when I do dumb things."
"You mean reckless things that ultimately end up saving people?" Fraser asked.
Ray smiled. That sounded much better than the way he'd phrased it himself. "I guess," he agreed, "I feel like I have these great stupid things protecting me and, er, whoever else it is who needs my help. Like you, or whoever."
Fraser stopped what he was doing. "Did you feel the presence of your wings and the related strength when you stepped in front of Greta Garbo's bullet on the day we met?" he asked quietly.
"Yep," replied Ray, "and when I took that motorbike and saved you and Quinn from that creep Kelly."
"I see," replied Fraser. This was fascinating, but also a lot to take in.
"I always thought I was plain crazy," Ray continued, "y'know, seriously damaged. I thought maybe I was one of those mega, er, mega maniac?"
Fraser smiled to himself. "I think you mean a megalomaniac," he suggested, "where one has delusional fantasies of power and omnipotence."
"Sounds about right, don't ya think?" asked Ray, although it was more of a statement than a question.
Fraser shook his head. "Ray, someone with that particular psychological condition generally has much higher self esteem than you tend to display. I think the two different personality types would cancel each other out."
Ray turned his head slightly to look at his partner. "Ya think I got low self esteem?" he asked.
"Yes Ray," replied Fraser, somewhat surprised that Ray seemed unaware of this, "quite without just cause I might add, although that of course does not render your feelings unimportant."
"Oh," Ray went quiet. He felt a little uncomfortable now. Fraser was so good at getting inside his head, but he was never usually this direct. It was probably the weird situation making him freak, Ray concluded, although it wasn't often that Fraser freaked. "So," he wanted to shift the conversation away from his state of mind and back to the current glaring issue. "Today is the first day I ever had actual physical, solid wings joined onto my real body. Which is really freaking me out buddy."
Fraser thought for a moment as he finished up the bandaging. "You were in a serious accident today. I have no idea how you survived at all." Fraser stopped and thought some more.
"Do ya..." Ray was scared to ask this question, "do ya think I'm dead now Fraser?" he asked. "Is that why it's all become so, er, so real now? I mean is this what happens when ya, y'know, die?"
"Oh no Ray," replied Fraser with a smile, "I can assure you that you are very much alive. However, perhaps that is exactly the reason that this has happened?" he suggested.
"What d'ya mean buddy?" asked Ray.
"I'm suggesting Ray that perhaps today it was you yourself who needed protection," Fraser explained. He hesitated before continuing, quieter now. "Ray, do you know in advance who you are meant to be protecting?"
Ray laughed. "Geez, no Fraser!" he replied, "it's not like that at all, I don't get a message, or like a sign or nothin' like that. Sometimes I don't even know what I'm supposed to be doin' at all? It's all just feelings and, er, instinct, or somethin' like that."
Fraser smiled. "Your instincts have always been very intuitive Ray," he said. It had taken him a while to understand that, but these days he knew it to be true.
"So if these stupid wings formed all solid like this today to protect me, then I guess they did their job coz I'm not dead," Ray surmised. "So, er, if I'm not dead, are they gonna go now? I mean, how long have I got to stay like this?" Fraser didn't have an answer for his friend. Ray slowly turned over slightly so he could look his buddy straight in the eye and Fraser could see that he was scared now. "Fraser," Ray continued quietly, "ya do think they're gonna go away don't ya? I'm not gonna be like this forever? I...I can't...I..."
"Ray," Fraser smiled and spoke softly, "I'm sorry, I wish I could give you the reassurances you desire, but I am as much in the dark about your predicament as you are."
Ray smiled back. "Yeah, I know," he said, "so, er, I guess we're stayin' here until...well, until we have a better plan?"
"Indeed," replied Fraser. "I will drive into town in the morning and fetch further supplies. I am concerned about your physical wellbeing of course, but I'm afraid all I can do is monitor the situation. I'm sorry I can't be more positive." Fraser hung his head as a feeling of despair washed over him.
"Hey," Ray grinned at his partner, "don't pile all of this on yourself buddy. We're stumblin' our way through this together. We're a duet."
Fraser managed half a smile. "That hasn't changed then?" he queried.
"No you freak!" exclaimed Ray, "why would this...I mean these...affect our partnership...our friendship? You're stuck with me buddy. Stupid broken wings or not." Ray's face fell suddenly. "You are OK with this, aren't you?"
"Of course I am Ray," Fraser replied, "I can't pretend it won't take some getting used to, whether your wings are permanent or not, but you also have to adjust one way or the other."
"Greatness," Ray grinned again.
Fraser stoked the fire and Ray was soon asleep. Fraser decided to sleep on the floor close to Ray, just in case he was needed, rather than sleep in the bedroom. Ray stirred a few times throughout the night, but in general he slept well, under the circumstances.
The next morning, Fraser took the jeep and bought them food, water and other supplies. He had no idea how long they were going to be there so he bought as much as he could fit into the jeep. He was concerned about leaving Ray alone, but he had to remain out of sight and anyway Ray was in no fit state to leave the cabin. Fraser completed the errands in record time and headed straight back to his father's cabin to find Ray sitting up, sipping some water. "Are you alright?" he asked, somewhat concerned. "How do you feel?"
"OK," replied Ray, "much better than yesterday, for sure."
"Good," replied Fraser and he began to show Ray everything that he had brought back with him. Ray smiled. If it wasn't for the stupid wings, he figured this could be a pretty great time. Just hanging out with his buddy up here in the middle of nowhere, no crimes to solve, no hassles from superior officers, no painful reminders of the past...
Fraser bathed and dressed Ray's wings again. "I was thinkin' Fraser," Ray began, "maybe when these are healed, maybe they'll go then? Maybe, um, they're stuck here coz they're broken?"
Fraser thought about that for a second. "You could be right," he replied with a nod, "we really can't speculate at this juncture," he continued, "I suggest we take one day at a time."
That's exactly what they did. Ray began to feel better almost by the hour and he and Fraser spent their time over the next few days cooking, talking, playing poker and generally relaxing. Fraser tried to teach Ray how to carve simple objects from wood, but Ray didn't exactly get the hang of it straight away, although he didn't do too badly under the circumstances.
His wings started to heal. Every day Ray felt less and less pain. Fraser was pleased with the progress, he hated seeing his friend suffering. They started going for short walks in the snow, Ray was getting restless being cooped up all day and he needed some fresh air. One day as they were heading back to the cabin, Ray stopped dead in his tracks. "Are you alright?" Fraser was very concerned.
"Yeah," said Ray as a smile spread across his face. "I feel somethin', at least, I think I do?"
"What do you mean exactly?" asked Fraser.
"I, er, I dunno exactly," Ray answered, "let's get back inside, I, er, I want ya to take off these bandages."
They went back inside the cabin and Fraser put extra logs on the fire. It was freezing and he didn't want Ray to be cold, he was afraid of pushing Ray's recovery back. Ray peeled off all his layers of clothing and sat straddling a chair as Fraser unwrapped his dressings. "There," he said when they were all removed, "how does that feel?"
Ray took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Then Fraser watched in amazement as slowly, his huge wings began to unfurl. Not all the way and Ray still had more movement in one than the other, but it certainly was progress. "Wow," smiled Ray, "that felt good. Real good."
Fraser nodded. "I have to say Ray that from where I was standing it looked pretty good too." Ray nodded and suddenly he felt a sense of hope. If their theory was right, maybe this was the first step towards getting his life back. That thought took him by surprise. He'd never been so keen to get his own life back before? If anything, he was usually desperate to get away from his life. He'd been having such a great time here with Fraser, but they'd both been ignoring the bigger issue. The wings and all they represented. They'd both been doing their best to block them out of the equation because otherwise things were good.
Every day, Ray regained more and more movement in his wings. He tried to stretch them a little more every day and Fraser drew up a series of exercises that he thought would help, almost like physiotherapy. Ray couldn't help but smile at Fraser's handwritten timetable, he knew that his buddy was trying to help the best way he knew how. He followed the exercise plan to the letter and his strength grew and grew as each day passed.
Fraser taught him tracking skills, basic ones anyway and Ray found he was pretty good at that. Fraser pointed out that it was simply detective work and Ray was excellent at that of course, it was just a case of applying his skills in a slightly different way.
One morning, Ray woke up with the strangest feeling. He was very quiet for most of the morning and Fraser thought it best to let Ray come to terms with whatever it was that had affected him, assuming that Ray would tell him when he was ready. They ate lunch in virtual silence. "Would you like to go for a walk today?" Fraser asked, trying to make conversation.
"Um, not today," replied Ray quietly. They finished their meal and then Ray stood up and starting stripping off his clothes. Sweaters and thermals were quickly discarded on the floor. Fraser sat in silence, waiting for an explanation. "Outside," said Ray.
"Ray, it's eighteen degrees below zero out there," Fraser pointed out, "you cannot go outside in a state of semi undress?"
"I'll be quick, I promise," replied Ray. "C'mon, I need to do this now."
Fraser knew there was no point arguing with his friend so he followed him out of the cabin, grabbing a blanket on the way. Ray stood perfectly still, his eyes closed, concentrating on something although Fraser wasn't quite sure what it was. Ray didn't really know what he was doing either, but he was going on his instincts again. Eventually, he took a deep breath and began to unfurl his wings. This time, they both moved simultaneously, in prefect symmetry, slowly but majestically until they were both fully extended for the first time since they'd arrived. Fraser was completely taken aback. He had no idea what Ray would look like in this state. Ray's eye's were still closed. "Ray?" began Fraser, standing up with the blanket ready to throw it round his partners shoulders, but Ray shook his head.
"I'm OK buddy," he whispered, "I'm greatness. I feel...um, I feel..." Then Fraser had to take a step backwards as Ray was suddenly bathed in a bright light, a beautiful golden glow. Almost as soon as it had appeared, the light faded and Ray fell to the floor on his knees.
"Ray!" exclaimed Fraser, rushing towards his partner with the blanket, but he realised what had happened. "They've gone," he whispered, wrapping the blanket around Ray and helping him to his feet.
Ray looked at him, exhausted but smiling. "I know buddy, I know."
xXx
"Ray, Ray, Ray, RAY!" Fraser's voice drifted into Ray's mind, but he didn't seem to have the strength to respond.
The he heard another voice, this time unfamiliar. "That's it Constable, keep calling his name, we definitely have strong brain activity now. He can hear you."
"Ray," Fraser's voice again, this time full of hope. "Ray can you hear me? Squeeze my hand again Ray, I know you did it just now, I know you can hear me Ray."
Ray blinked deeply and slowly opened his eyes. "Fraser?" he could hardly speak.
Fraser was there, staring at him with the weirdest look on his face. Ray had never seen his partner looking so awful. His eyes were sullen and bloodshot and his skin was dull, but he was smiling the broadest smile that Ray had ever seen on his face. "Sshhh," Fraser said, "don't try to talk too much."
Ray's head hurt. A lot. He couldn't make any sense of any of this? The last thing he remembered was being outside Fraser's Dad's cabin and his wings had finally healed. Then there was this bright light and that was all he remembered? Now he was...oh, he realised where he was now. He was in a hospital bed and he was attached to all manner of machines and equipment and there were nurses looking at printouts and then there was Fraser. His buddy was holding his hand, things must have been serious. Now he was scared. He'd assumed once the wings went back to wherever it was they went while they weren't needed that he'd go back to normal. Maybe he'd been wrong about that? Maybe there was another problem, maybe they didn't really go after all? "Fraser," he whispered, "what happened to my wings?" He was becoming quite agitated now.
"Sshhh," Fraser tried to calm him, "everything is alright. Your arms are both broken, one is worse than the other." He let out a tiny laugh. "You said wings, don't worry, coming out of a coma can be very disorientating. Are your arms causing you pain? I'll call the nurse. I should probably let you rest now anyway."
Ray's head was in total confusion now. "Coma?" he croaked.
"Yes Ray, you've been unconscious since the accident," Fraser tried to explain, "almost forty six hours."
"Is that all?" whispered Ray.
"It was long enough," replied Fraser as a wave of exhaustion washed over him and he slowly licked his lower lip. Ray realised that Fraser had been sitting here the whole time. "Do you remember what happened?" Fraser asked.
"Um, the barn...the explosion..." Ray said, "is Taylor dead?"
"Yes he is," Fraser nodded. Ray was relieved, at least that part had been real.
"You pulled me out," Ray continued.
Fraser frowned. "I did," he confirmed, "but you were unconscious? How did you know? You have sustained a head injury, but apart from your arms the rest of you appears to have escaped relatively unscathed."
"Oh," said Ray, "I thought I remembered you...I guess not." Then he became aware of the dull ache in his chest every time he took a breath. "Hurts to breathe," he whispered.
"Ah," replied Fraser, "I don't believe that was a direct result of the accident, I think that was my fault." Ray looked puzzled. "Although it is said that if you don't crack a couple of ribs whilst performing CPR you're not doing it correctly."
Ray took a few seconds for that information to sink in. "You mean I was..." Fraser nodded. "...and you had to..." Fraser nodded again. Ray smiled weakly and blinked away tears. "Thanks buddy." It seemed so inadequate, but Ray couldn't think of what else to say.
Ray was completely overwhelmed by confusion now. He'd been in a coma, so the whole wings thing was a bizarre dream? It had seemed so real, it made no sense. He thought they'd been at Fraser's cabin in Canada for weeks? Much longer than forty six hours that's for sure.
Fraser became concerned at Ray's sudden change of expression. "Are you alright?" he asked his friend, "really Ray, you should rest now."
"So, er, both my wings are broken?" Ray tried to get his head around everything.
"Arms Ray," Fraser corrected him, "you said wings again. I'm going to get the doctor in here, you are becoming increasingly disorientated, but I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."
"I'm OK," Ray insisted. "So, we, um, we never went to that shack ya got up North, y'know, your Dad's cabin."
"No Ray," replied Fraser, his brow furrowed with concern, "Although I was thinking that we could go the cabin while you are recuperating. You're going to need round the clock assistance for a while. It's very peaceful there, you should be able to relax while you recover."
Ray nodded. He had a feeling he knew what it would be like and he was looking forward to it already. "You could teach me, er, trackin' and woodcarvin'..." Ray began.
"You know, your body has been through a huge trauma and you're beginning to ramble. I'm sure you'll be fine after some rest," said Fraser, getting up from the chair as the nurse walked back into the room.
"Fraser," Ray called out, "can I ask ya somethin'."
"Of course you can," replied Fraser.
"Do ya ever think you're invincible?" Ray asked.
Fraser laughed in disbelief. "No Ray, not in the least," he replied.
"What about when you're jumpin' outta windows or, er, throwin' yourself onto movin' vehicles?" Ray asked. Fraser shook his head. "OK then," Ray continued, "why d'ya do it?"
Fraser thought for a moment. "Either because it is the only way to apprehend a criminal and bring them to justice, or because it's the only way to save a life," he replied.
"Ya mean like, er, to protect someone," asked Ray. The memories of his recent dream, or whatever it was, were beginning to fade and he needed to get a few things sorted out in his mind. Trouble is his mind was a little foggy at the moment.
"Well, yes, but I certainly don't think I'm invincible, far from it," replied Fraser with a slight frown. "Usually I've calculated all the risks involved, or I'm taking a...well, an educated guess." Ray smiled slightly, noting how Fraser had deliberately avoided suggesting he ever went on his instincts. "I think you're rambling again Ray," Fraser said softly, "please try to relax, I'll be back to see you later."
"Fraser wait," Ray called out, " I got one more question for ya." Fraser looked at him with his eyebrows raised, half questioningly and half to reprimand him for continuing to ignore his advice about resting. Ray hesitated for a moment. "Do you believe in angels?"
Fraser was taken aback by the question. He had always had a spiritual side and he had a particular affinity with the beliefs of the Inuit people who had opened his eyes to so many unexplainable things. A few years ago his answer would have been a fairly resounding 'No', but these days, what with the regular appearances of his dead father, Fraser was willing to believe in anything. Ray on the other hand had never expressed an interest in anything of a spiritual nature. Perhaps he had experienced something while he was in a coma, Fraser thought. He'd heard similar stories before. He made a mental note to discuss it with his partner when Ray was feeling better. He scratched at his eyebrow with his left thumbnail and then smiled at Ray. "Yes," he replied.
THE END