DISCLAIMER: I don't own characters of ER or Due South.. Although a Paul Gross/Erik Palladino sandwich would be SOOO nice..
*****
"I don't think this is a very good idea Ray.." Benton Fraser murmured worriedly as his partner, Stanley Raymond Kowalksi bound his legs together and attached the bungee cord. "Isn't there a chance that the cord could break?" He peered over the side at the sheer drop and shuddered. "I mean.. That is a ways down." His lanky light brown hair fell in his blue eyes and the shadow cast by the sun beating down on the two men obscured the man's chiseled good looks.
Ray shrugged, getting to his feet and wiping his hands on his pants. "I dunno.. I guess there's a slim chance, but there's always a slim chance, Fraser.. I mean there's also a slim chance that this bridge could suddenly collapse and kill us both." The man grinned, his slate blue eyes twinkling, his coke bottle glasses shoved deep into his back pocket. He didn't need them.. He didn't need them... Except for reading, and shooting and general day to day living.. He rubbed his stubbled jaw and self-consciously wiped the end of his nose. "I don't think it'll happen."
The colour dropped from the Mountie's already pallid complexion that was beaded with sweat. "Uhh..." Fraser looked over the side of the bridge again. "I don't know about this."
Ray sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "Look... You said you wanted to do something fun for your birthday."
"I meant like cake and ice cream at the precinct, with Lieutenant and Dief and...." Fraser smiled goofily and rubbed the back of his neck with a shaking hand. "Francesca.."
"Oh yeah..... Sounds like TONNES of fun!!!" Ray said sarcastically as he dug for the camcorder in the knapsack they'd brought up with them. Slowly his brows raised and he looked up at his friend. "Fran? Oh man... Frase' you animal!"
Dief rolled his eyes and grunted in disapproval and Fraser Sr sighed heavily. "Son, women are nothing but trouble. Did I ever tell you about the time that your mother and I-"
"Dad.. Not now..." Fraser grumbled.
"Ahh got!" Ray smiled turning on the video camera. "Did you say something?"
"Uh.." Fraser looked over at his father who was stooped at his feet and inspecting the job Ray had done fastening the cord. "Nope.."
"Son, I don't think this man is a licensed Bungee jump specialist.. This looks pretty fishy to me.." Fraser Sr. muttered worriedly. He was dressed, as usual, in his plaid quilted jacket, his jack boots laced tight. He may have been a retired officer.. He may have been a DEAD retired officer.. But that was no reason to look shabby. At least he hadn't appeared in the fur hat with ear flaps and the Hudson's Bay coat. It was a damn sight too hot for something like that. He was a ghost, that was true enough, but he wasn't about to be a sweaty smelly ghost, that was just unseemly.
"Yeah.. Whatever.. Hey.. I was going to ask you.. Why are you wearing that? I mean.. It's our day off.. There's no need for you to be wearing that.. Wouldn't jeans and a t-shirt been okay?" Ray chuckled looking at the man's red serge, Stetson and regulation boots.
"I suppose so Ray.. But if I'm splattered all over that ground down there.. Wouldn't it be best if I was dressed for the funeral already? I mean.. It would save time." Fraser sighed.
"FRASER! You're not going to die! It'll be fun.. I'm gonna go get a better shot." Ray grabbed the camera and disappeared across the bridge.
"Hey! Ray! Where are you going!?" Fraser said worriedly.
"To get a better shot.. It'll look great on the ground. It's okay.. Tank's there with ya.. He'll take good care of you.. I just want to get this shot.." The officer grinned and ran down the hill side and vanished from view.
"He's right.. You'll be fine with me." Tank grinned toothlessly, stooping
and inspecting the padding and cinched it tight. "You're good to go buddy..
Come on.. Take the leap."
***
Ray stood on the raised platform that he'd erected underneath the bridge, camcorder aimed skywards at the little dot. A little dot that grew larger and larger as it plummeted towards the lens. "Aww this is great! You'll love this, Frase'!!! This so so gr-SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The man stumbled backward and fell flat in his ass with the broken camera. Fraser shot back up and bounced as the bungee cord slacked and then pulled him back to the bridge. Tiny droplets of the man's blood fell to the ground and Ray whimpered, looking at his obliterated camera. "Frase!? You okay!?"
"I-INK-I-OKE-OSE!!!!!!" Constable Benton Fraser yelled as he sprung backwards and was pulled up to the bridge by Ray's faithful partner in crime, Tank.
Ray sighed. "WHAT!?"
*******
"My nothe is b'oken.. I b'oke my nothe on your-th sth-tupid video ca-ma-mera." Fraser mumbled miserably as he lay back on the gurney, his head tilted back and a wad of Kleenex over his swollen nose. "I tol' you thisth wath a bad idea!"
A doctor entered the room and stood in the doorway, looking at the two
men. One was wearing a leather jacket and cradling a broken camcorder and
the other dressed in something that looked like an extra from a musical
version Dudley Do-Right, was moaning and holding a giant bunch of tissues
over his nose.
Dr.Dave Malucci smiled nervously. It wasn't Halloween.. It wasn't supposed to be weird patient day. He tugged at the seam of his dark blue hospital scrubs and carefully stared at the men, the gaze of his dark brown eyes penetrating and unyielding. A hand brushed through his suicide blonde dye job and rested at his side as his tongue darted from his mouth and moistened his full lips. His tanned complexion seemed odd against the start contrast of bottle blonde, Fraser Sr. furrowed his brow in thought.
"Son.. This man looks a bit young.. Are you going to make sure he's not a trainee?? I don't want your nose set wrong. There was a man I used to know years ago.. He was a looker.. Then a moose trampled the campgrounds and kicked the poor man in the face. Poor Wiggins never DID look the same after that.. And he always sorta walked with a tilt.. It was interesting actually. If somebody walked behind him for a bit, you started to lean that way too... We had a lot of tilted people in that town after that.." Fraser Sr. sighed and pulled a small length of wood from his pocket and began carving it as he sat in the chair across from the exam table.
Malucci looked at the chart.. "So... You think you broke your nose? How did you do that?!" He pulled up the chair, Fraser Sr. had been sitting in moments ago and slowly examined Fraser's face and nose. "Yeah.. I'll order a couple x-rays." Dave muttered, as he pressed gently and probed the bruised flesh.
Fraser winced. "Uh huh.. Yeah.. I wath bungee jumping.. My frien' had a camera.. I.."
Malucci bit his lip to keep from snickering. The man had plowed head on into a video camera.. That must have HURT... "Uh huh.. Okay.. Well.. We'll see when we get the x-rays back."
*****