Chapter 01 - The boys

Benton Fraser was 12 years old and lived with his paternal grandparents. His grandfather had just retired from the RCMP and his grandmother ran the library in the small town in the north of Canada. Two years had passed since Ben first came to live with them after his mother had passed away, sometimes it still hurt to think if her they had been close as Ben's father was stationed in the Northwest territories and only came home for a couple of weeks every three months or so. He loved his grandparents but they were quite old. Almost every day after school he helped his grandmother in the library and often you could see him sitting down reading a book. Ben had always been a quick learner and was a straight A student. A couple of nights in the week he went to the junior club of the RCMP he had gotten bored with the scouts already when he was nine, at the RCMP he got to learn much more. His grandmother wasn't too pleased with it her husband had all his life been an officer and so had both her sons. The youngest Ben's uncle Thomas had tragically fallen down a steep mountain and gotten killed. And her oldest Ben's father Robert had chosen to be stationed in the rough part of the country.

The spring was here and Ben was looking forward to the weekend. The first camp of the year was coming up. He loved being outside and couldn'txfa wait until he'd turn 16 so he could join the RCMP academy instead of a normal collage. It was only Tuesday but after school Ben went outside to chop some extra firewood so his grandfather didn't have to in the weekend. After that he tended to his hiking boots so they wouldn't leak and started to check his camping gear. This first camp they would stay in tents but the big camp in the summer they'd build their own shelters as the hiked along the nature. This year would be the first year Ben would be on the two weeks long camp.

Later in the summer...

Ben was out in the woods he had walked along a familiar trail and passed one of his favorite sites a spectacular waterfall. It was a bit chilly this day so he hadn't taken a swim like he usually did. On his way back he heard someone scream and rushed towards the person. He saw a boy in his own age laying under a tree that he'd probably fallen out of. They boy had on a pair of cut off jeans and a t-shirt with the Chicago PD's emblem printed on it and on his feet were a new pair of Nike's. The boy looked a bit Italian to Ben. "Hi there, what happened?" Ben asked.

Ray Vecchio just three week's shy of his 12th birthday looked up "Oh nothing" he said and wouldn't admit to the Canadian that he had fallen out of the three.

"That doesn't look like nothing to me" Ben said and pointed to the boy's leg that was bruised and probably sprained or even broken. He knelt down and put his small backpack on the ground "Let me take a look" he said and put his hands on the boy's leg.

"Ouch" Ray said and pulled the leg away "It's nothing. I was just resting before I was going back" he tried to get up but the pain in the leg was 'killing' him.

"It looks sprained or even broken to me. Please let me help you" Ben said and looked around for something to splain the leg with. He had some torn up rags in the backpack to tie them up with.

"Do you know what you're doing" Ray asked as he saw Ben rumbling around for suitable sticks.

"Yes I do" he stood up straight in his back "I'm Benton Fraser of the local junior club of the RCMP with the first degree of medical care" that meant that he had been taught the basics in splaining and dressing wounds.

"OK then Benton Fraser of the local junior club of RCMP" Ray said with a slight mocking voice "Tell me what you plan on doing"

"I plan to splain your leg with some sticks and rags I've got in my backpack and then help you into town and to Dr. Baker's office" Ben answered and kneeled down by the boy's leg again. He took out some rolled up rags "What's your name" Ben asked.

"Ray, RayVecchio" he answered.

"Ray, I won't lie to you it will hurt but you will be able to get up afterwards and leaning on me get into town" Ben handed one of his rolls of rags to Ray "You can bite on this" he saw the hesitation and stubbornness in the boy's eyes but got to work.

In secret Ray was impressed by the Canadian he had after Ben put the first stick by his leg put the rolled up rags in his mouth; never had he felt this kind of pain. A short while later with Ben's help he got up but couldn't lean on the leg

"I'd say it's broken" Ben said and handed the boy his backpack "Put this on you're back and then I can carry you back to town" this part of the trail would normally take about 12 minutes for Ben but it would probably be the double now.

When they came into town Ben put Ray on a bench and hailed a familiar car. It was Mrs Anderson his next door neighbor and she helped the boys to Dr. Baker's office. Ben had asked Ray about his parents and left the information to the nurse while Dr. Baker looked at Ray. The doctor came out of the office and asked if Ben wanted to keep Ray company while he called the parents at the motel.

"Of course Dr. Baker" Ben said "But may I borrow the phone and call grandmother so she don't worry" he knew that Mrs. Anderson probably would have gone straight to the library to tell that she'd driven the two boys to the doctor's office.

"Of course Ben, you can use the phone in my office and line two" he nodded towards the door which Ray was behind "And by the way Ben, you did a great job as usual" it was Dr. Baker who did the medical lessons at the junior club.

Rays parents arrived just before the doctor was to put a cast on Ray's leg. Ben had stayed with him all the time. Ray's father was a policeman at the Chicago police and in Italian he started to speak to Ray. Ben didn't understand much but the little he did he understood that he was angry with Ray for climbing that tree. Ray's mother didn't say much but Ben saw the worried look.

Ben walked over to the parents and extended his hand "I'm Benton Fraser, I am the one who helped Ray" he said.

Ray's mother hugged and kissed Ben "Thank you so much Ben" she said and told her that they were staying in town for another week and he was very welcome to come over and keep Ray company.

Ben left the doctor's office and went back home where his grandmother by now had finished dinner. Ben was famished as he hadn't eaten since he ate the sandwich on his walk and carrying Ray back to town had taken some more energy out of him.

During the following week Ben went over to the motel a few times and the last evening the Vecchio's was in town Ben had been asked by his grandparents to invite the all for dinner since they had treated them to a fair share of meals. Besides Ray and his parents it was Ray's two sisters; Sophia age 16 and not happy at all of being dragged to Canada for a family vacation and Francesca the annoying younger one aged eight. Annoying was Ray's choice of words. Ben didn't have any siblings so the two sisters wasn't bothering him very much. Before the Vecchio's left Ben and Ray exchanged addresses so they could write to each other.

Disclaimer/Copyright 2013 and forward: I don't own the characters from Due South, but I've written the story and therefore feel I own that. I also want to say I don't know about how the Academy for RMCP or something alike works so I've made it up a nice way to fit my story.