CHAPTER FOUR
His friend's scent was fresh and clean. Diefenbaker knew he could reach Fraser in a matter of an hour or so but he also knew that his counterpart wouldn't be able to keep up the face he'd set. Grudgingly, he slowed down to a speed the much more awkward human could manage.
For Ray's part, he thought his heart would burst, he was breathing harder than he could ever remember breathing and yet he didn't feel like he was getting any air. The damn wolf had finally stopped running and was doing donuts in the middle of an ice field.
Thinking of donuts reminded the Chicago PD detective just how long it had been since he'd eaten anything. He didn't have much time to dwell on it though. Dief was off and running again.
The wolf stopped part way up the ridge wall and began pawing at something. It took Ray a few moments to realize that Dief had found a cave but there was something hanging across the entrance. Pulling his gun out, he pushed the obstruction aside, practically tripping over Dief when the wolf jumped inside.
"Stop right there!" a woman shouted as Ray got beyond the patrician. He found himself facing the barrel of a .38 calibre Smith and Wesson service revolver. The person holding the gun was a young woman with long brown hair and brown eyes, propped between her legs was Fraser. Ray's friend was asleep or unconscious, his head resting on the woman's right shoulder, his eyes closed.
Benton was wrapped up in a sleeping bag, leaning against the woman. She had one arm wrapped protectively around him. In the other she pointed the gun at Ray's head. He knew the report itself would be enough to throw her aim off even if she had the safety off, which he doubted, so he wasn't worried about his own safety. Apparently she was more worried about Fraser's than her own and that impressed him. Slowly, Ray slipped his hand into his coat pocket. He was hoping she didn't pull the trigger before he could get his bad and ID out.
"What do you want?" the woman demanded. The gun was amazingly steady.
"I'm Detective Ray Vecchio of the Chicago PD. I'm a friend of Fraser's" Ray said. He'd gotten his wallet out of his pocket, opened it to his badge and flashed it at her. "How is he?"
"He's had better days," the woman replied. Diefenbaker was whining inconsolably. He knew instinctively that his person wasn't in any danger. All he wanted was to check for himself.
"Could you put the gun away before you hurt someone?" Ray asked.
"How do I know I can trust you? Fraser was left out there to die. I'm not going to let that happen," Sandra challenged, the gun still aimed at his chest.
"Look, I can tell you I'm a good guy until I'm blue in the face. What matters is that Fraser's hurt and needs to see a doctor. How long has he been asleep?" Ray asked.
The woman stared at Ray for a few long moments, shrugged, and put the gun down beside her. "He's not sleeping. He's been unconscious since I found him this afternoon," she stated.
Dief finally figured that it was safe so he bound forward and licked his friend's face.
"The wolf's his. Can I look at him?" Ray asked, moving forward with a great deal more caution that his counterpart.
"Sure," the woman said, carefully extracting herself, leaving Fraser lying on his side.
He didn't really know what he was looking or but Ray examined his friend anyway, pausing when he found the arm she'd splinted. The bruises on Fraser's face were what shocked him the most. The swelling around Fraser's jaw had moved up to include his eye, sealing it shut.
"Who are you?" Ray asked once his exam was complete.
"My name's Chris."
"Okay, Chris. Is he going to be okay?"
"I don't know." Chris had situated herself on the other side of the fire. Close to the door in case she had to make a quick getaway.
"This," Ray pointed at the splint. "would indicate some medical knowledge."
"Yeah, on animals. Your friend should probably be in a hospital but I have no idea who to trust. The person who did this to him is still out there."
"A little paranoid?" Ray asked. He understood how she felt but couldn't resist the remark.
"A lot. Are you hungry I was just going to make some soup and try to get him to eat it when you showed up."
"I'm starving."
OOOOO
Fifteen minutes later, Chris had melted enough snow to make the soup and then boiled it in a large tin she'd packed in the knapsack.
"How did you think to pack all this stuff? Were you planning on spending a few days out here?" Ray asked. He and Diefenbaker had settled in, much to Chris's apparent discomfort.
"No, I was only coming out here for a few hours to draw a picture or two. I'd never imagined staying out here. I have a tendency to be overly cautious. Here're some sandwiches to go with your soup." She propped Fraser's head up on the pack so she could feed the young Mountie without choking him.
"You're the one they were looking for." The realization had finally sunk into Ray's head. He was thoroughly enjoying his chicken noodle soup and egg salad sandwiches.
"Probably." Around the third spoonful, Fraser sputtered as it went down the wrong tube. Then his eyes fluttered open to stare, questioningly, at Chris.
"How do you feel? Are you all right?" Chris asked, surprised to see him awake.
"Where am I?" Fraser asked, still looking very confused. He hadn't noticed Dief or Ray yet.
"I found you out in a field. I brought you here to keep you safe and warm," Chris explained. Setting the soup aside, she did a more thorough check now that he was awake.
"Thank you." There was a paused while Fraser checked his surroundings. His eyes came to rest on Ray and the white wolf. "Hello, Ray."
"Hi, Benny. How are you?" Ray didn't want to push his friend.
"What happened to me?" Fraser asked.
"You don't remember?" Ray answered his question with another question.
"Not really. I remember being sick and then a woman disappeared so I went to look for her. Everything after that is blank." Fraser forced his body into a sitting position and accepted the tin of soup Chris handed him.
"What were you sick with?" Chris asked.
"A cold," was the quiet response.
"Were you on antibiotics?" Fraser nodded yet. "Did you finish them?"
"No," Fraser replied after thinking for a minute.
"That's it. We're taking you to the settlement in the morning, after we all get some sleep," Chris stated.
"What about the guy who wants Benny dead?" Ray wanted to know. He wasn't looking forward to a night on the stone floor with no blankets but it was better than exposing Fraser to any further danger. Especially when they had no idea what direction it was coming from.
"We can keep him safe. I'm not willing to take the chance he'll come down with pneumonia," Chris stated. "I'm in way over my head here, detective."
A brief look at Chris's face proved to Ray that she truly believed what she said. "All right, in the morning."
"I suggest we all get some sleep," Chris said, taking the tin and spoon away from Benton since he'd finished eating. Making sure he was comfortable lying on his side, Diefenbaker curled up against his chest and stomach, an arm wrapped around his wolf, Chris laid down on the floor between the fire and the door. Her life thus far had taught her not to trust men, any man, and while she felt she could trust these people, she wasn't ready to. Yet.
In minutes, Chris was asleep. Ray took considerably longer to succumb, he wasn't real comfortable. Every place he laid down, a piece of floor seemed to be sticking into his back.
For his part, Fraser had all ready slept more in the last week than he normally would in three. He wasn't tired. Rather than disturb the others, he lay where he was and tried to remember what happened. All the while his eyes rested on Chris, across the fire.
OOOOO
Chris was the first to feel it, a cold breeze invading their shelter. As quickly as it started, it stopped. Instantly alarmed, she rolled over to face the door, jumping to her feet, prepared to defend herself and the others.
Relief flooded over her when she saw who had entered. "Simon! What are you doing here?" she asked, resisting the urge to hug the Inuit hunter.
"Your father was worried," Simon stated, simply.
By this time, Ray and Fraser had woken up and were looking at the intruder somewhat suspiciously. Even though Chris seemed to know him, Ray wasn't about to take any chances.
"I'm so glad to see you! Did you come by skidoo?" The Inuit man nodded his head, yes. "We need help getting Constable Fraser back to the settlement. He's been pretty badly banged up. Ray and I can walk if necessary."
Simon shook his head no. "Corporeal Fletcher is outside. He has a sled."
It only took Chris a couple of minutes to collect her things, including the patrician, which happened to be her winter coat. What took the longest was getting Fraser up, out to the sled and wrapped up in the sleeping bag again. That done, the two skidoos headed out. Ray and Chris kept a close eye on Fraser and the other RCMP officer, just in case.
