Escape Foiled, Just Stiff & Butterflies

Remote Mountain Cabin

Spike stepped out of the bathroom and instantly knew something was wrong. How could he not? The door was wide open and the snow was blowing in. But more importantly Sam was not where he left him.

"Shit!" Spike exploded.

Spike raced to the door hoping Sam did not get far. He didn't think Sam would given his state. But Sam surprised him a lot. Sam did things others thought were impossible.

"Thank God!" Spike cried.

Six paces out the door he saw Sam crawling. He hadn't made it far. Sam was mumbling something. Getting closer Spike heard "… escaped. I did it. I finally got out of there. No more needles. Come find me Matt. I'm free, I'm out of this place. Come for me Matt."

"Oh crap!" Spike breathed.

Spike realized Sam thought he was there; earlier made sense now. Sam thought he was escaping from his torturers. Spike knew he had to go careful but also he had to get Sam back inside. He saw Sam fall flat on his stomach in the snow.

Sigh.

A sad smile settled on Spike's face as he crouched down warily next to Sam not wanting a repeat of earlier. He rubbed his neck slightly. The best thing would be if Sam passed out. That way Sam would not struggle against him when he took him back inside. Please let him pass out Spike begged in his head.

"I've got you Sam. I'll watch over you buddy" Spike said out loud though. He saw the confusion in Sam's eyes turn to relief and trust as he reached out carefully to lightly touch Sam's face.

Relief spread through Spike as Sam's eyes rolled back in his head and he was out. Spike repositioned himself to get ahold of Sam's shoulders as the snow continued to fall heavily and quickly covered Sam's boxers only clad body.

Spike gently rolled Sam over on his back and lifted him under his arms. He quickly dragged Sam back inside the cabin. Spike maneuvered Sam onto the couch this time. He needed to get Sam warm and check for frostbite. Sam still had a raging fever but Spike put a dry blanket over Sam's shivering wet body.

Then he went to the door to close it, shivering violently himself having gone outside without a jacket, gloves, hat or face mask.

"Hot Damn!" Spike exclaimed.

Spike saw a sno-cat approaching the cabin. Scott made it. Against all odds Scott made it and sent help. He closed the door then turned. Spike needed to get Sam ready to leave. He was glad he had the foresight to pack everything earlier and was all set to go when help arrived.

He grabbed the clothes he had set aside for Sam and hurried over to the couch. He whisked off the soaked boxers then dressed Sam in a warm pair of sweat pants and Sam's SRU sweat shirt. He was just putting on Sam's wool socks when the cabin door opened.

"Thank god you are back!" Spike shouted looking up at Scott with a huge grin.

Sno-Cat Arriving at Cabin

Ron grinned at Scott as he slowed sno-cat approaching the cabin "We made damned good time. Think I got her up to twenty-five miles per hour."

Scott was distracted thinking he just saw the door of the cabin close. He absently answered "I just hope Sam is hanging in there. It took me too long to get help."

"If Sam's anything like what you described and like you he'll be tough enough to hang on. My god I still can't believe you made it fifteen miles on skis in this storm. Been on this mountain since I was fourteen and in the past eleven years I haven't seen a storm this bad."

"Thank god Landry patched you up and his snowmobile was working. That thing is unreliable at best. Tried several times but I can't talk them into getting a new one."

Ron stopped the sno-cat as close to the cabin as he could. He left it running so it would stay warm inside. He unlatched his seatbelt and said "Hang tight a moment. I'll come around and help you down. That leg of yours ain't gonna hold you up to well."

Scott unlatched his belt too then as he pulled on his gloves he said "Thanks Ron. Appreciate all the help. Remember what I told you about Spike. Don't be surprised if he bowls you over."

Ron laughed as he pulled on his gloves then pulled his full face mask down and opened the door. He was looking forward to meeting Spike and Sam for that matter. The hour drive here had been interesting. Scott had told him all about Sam and Spike to pass the time.

Going around to the other side Ron helped Scott down and out of the sno-cat and to the cabin door.

Leaning on the cane and with Ron's help Scott made his way to the door. He noticed recent marks in the snow. It looked like someone was dragged into the cabin. What the hell?

Remote Mountain Cabin – Main Room

Scott opened the cabin door. He stepped in first and lifted his face mask as Ron came in behind him and closed the door.

Spike looked up at him with a huge grin and loudly exclaimed with relief flooding every syllable "Thank god you are back!"

Limping heavily to the couch worry etched Scott's face "How is Sam?"

Spike sat back on his heels "Worse. Hallucinating. Sam crawled out of the cabin while I was in the bathroom. If I had taken longer he could have frozen to …" Spike rubbed his face trying to dispel the negative thoughts. He did not want to say the last word 'death'.

Scott lowered himself to the couch near Sam's head with a hiss of pain. His leg was full on throbbing now. The aspirin he took for the pain at the lodge did as much good for his pain as using a bottle cap to scoop water out of a sinking boat.

Spike looked at Scott when he heard the hiss of pain "Are you okay?"

Scott nodded "Yeah. Don't worry about me. Just stiff from skiing."

Ron came further into the room and held out his hand to Spike "I remember you from the slopes. I'm Ron Jenkins."

Spike shook the offered hand "The ski patrol guy from when Sam hit his head on the tree?"

"That's me" Ron smiled. He then looked at Sam on the couch. He looked bad. Ron turned back to Spike "You and me need to get Sam into the sno-cat. Scott isn't going to be able to help. He can barely walk."

Spike turned to Scott noting the cane for the first time "Why?"

Ron answered "He impaled his thigh with his ski pole after skiing for five hours in this god forsaken storm to the general store. He's lucky to be alive. If it weren't for Landry and Maisie he would have been dead. "

Spike glared at Scott "Just stiff my ass. Laura's gonna kill me or Sam."

Scott half-laughed "You'll have to stand in line. She's gonna kill me first."

Then using a diversion technique that seemed to be a Braddock staple Scott said "I see you packed up. Good thinking. Let's get Sam and the things loaded and get going. We should be able to get Sam to a hospital in about an hour." Then he pushed himself up using the cane. He tried but was unable to stifle a hiss of pain.

"Sit your butt down. Ron and I will load up everything and then help you out" Spike commanded.

Scott didn't want to comply but did. His leg was unable to bear much of his weight anymore and throbbed like hell. He looked down at Sam who was out cold and said "We make quite a pair don't we doppelganger."

Sno-cat Enroute to Hospital

Scott sat in the back seat of the sno-cat with Sam's head in his lap. Spike and Ron had helped him to the sno-cat and got him situated with is bad thigh next to the door so Sam's head could lay on his uninjured one.

They got Sam in without any issue. Ron had carried Sam in a fireman hold. He was much stronger than he looked at first. Spike had tucked a blanket around Sam and handed him the damp rag to cool Sam's face. Then Spike and Ron loaded their belongings on the back platform and secured them.

Spike and Ron were now speaking in soft tones in the front seat as he rested his head against the window and looked at the whiteout conditions outside. Going out in this storm had been foolhardy but it was the only hope Sam had of surviving. He would do anything for his younger cousin.

He could feel the heat radiating off Sam and it worried him so much. Spike had expounded on why Sam crawled out of the cabin when he had asked. Scott felt so bad that Spike had to endure that all alone and that Sam was stuck in that hell hole mentally again.

A shiver ran through Scott and it wasn't because he was cold. It was warm and toasty in the sno-cat cab. No it was because they were so close to losing Sam yet again. Too many times Scott thought. And this time all because of a damned cut on his leg.

Scott turned to look down at Sam and was surprised to see his eyes open. Sam's eyes were glassy and fevered and had a faraway look to them. He looked so young and vulnerable. It reminded him of when Sam was little and was so sick with Q fever.

Softly Scott said "Hey doppelganger. You are going to be okay. We're taking you to the hospital now."

Sam gazed up at Scott. His favorite cousin. Scott was always nice to him and always looked out for him. In a quiet small voice Sam said "I'm sorry to ruin the camping trip. Do you think Jeff is still mad at me?"

Scott was puzzled and looked up at Spike who had turned around at Sam's voice. Spike asked "Hallucinating?"

It dawned on Scott that he and Sam had been near the same wave length. He took the rag off Sam's forehead and shook it a few times to cool it before placing it back on his head and saying "No Jeff isn't mad at you anymore."

Sam asked "Are you sure? I messed everything up. I didn't mean too. I was trying my best. It's just that Dad doesn't have time to teach me those things. I'm sorry I took Uncle Mark away from Jeff. I'm sorry you had to come find me when I got lost. I'm sorry I tipped over the canoe. I don't want you to be mad at me."

Scott brushed through Sam's hair like he did when he was little. If Sam had to be hallucinating he would take this one over and above any other one. Scott smiled "We are not mad. We had lots of fun too. Remember the bottle rockets?"

Sam nodded and a small lopsided smile displayed on his face "Yeah, it's a good thing we didn't use dye again. Specially when one of them sprayed Adam. He would have been mad at me if he was all red."

Laughing lightly Scott said "Man that was funny. He sputtered around like a mad goose. I almost wish we had used the red dye. Turning Adam red would have been fun. Maybe we should do some more bottle rockets when you get better."

The smile slipped away and Sam's eyes clouded and looked lost and sad "You think my dad will stay with me? I don't want him to go. I miss him. He always has to go away."

Scott remembered the pleading look Sam had in the hospital. Sam had been so small and the bed engulfed him. Scott remembered Uncle Will crawling into the bed and cradling Sam in his arms telling him he would not leave him. Uncle Will had been true to his word. How he swung the time off Scott would never know but he stayed for weeks while Sam was so sick.

In a reassuring tone Scott said "Yeah he will stay with you. He promised and Braddock's never go back on their promises. Don't worry. He wants to teach you chess and he's gonna build you a tree house so he has to stay."

Sam blinked several times then said "Tree house? Cool. No girls allowed. No tea parties in the tree house. Boys only."

Scott nodded "Yeah boys only."

Sam's eyes slipped closed again and remained closed. Scott notice that his breathing was regular and he assumed Sam drifted off to sleep.

Spike looked at Scott and said quietly "Sounded like that was a real memory."

"Yeah it was real. Sam was six and got very sick on a camping trip with Uncle Mark, Adam, Jeff and me. His dad was there too for the last week of it. Was one of the best trips we ever had until that last day when Sam got so sick. Had a raging fever then too." Scott looked back down at Sam "Uncle Will did build him a tree house during the weeks it took Sam to recover. Had a sign boys only on it. Had some great times in that tree house. Until Sara died that is."

Scott got silent and a little melancholy for the happier days of Sam's childhood. Sam had been robbed of the childhood he should have had the day Sara was hit and killed by that damned car.

He pulled himself out of it by asking "How much further?"

Ron answered "About fifteen or twenty minutes."

Spike sat back and thought about what he heard. Sam had sounded almost like a little boy. Sometimes he wondered how Sam grew into the man he was with a childhood like he had. Spike could not imagine not having a good childhood. His had been wonderful. His parents supportive, loving and caring. Encouraging him in everything he did.

Well until he joined SRU. That's when his problems with his pa started. When he was a regular cop things were better, not so tense. His pa had still nagged him about putting his technical skills to better use but it was nothing like it was today.

Actually it started to get worse when he spent six months with the bomb squad before trying out for SRU. But once he got into SRU his pa started in telling him that he needed to do something better with his life.

Spike sighed. Fathers. Sons loved them even when their fathers didn't see eye to eye with their decisions.

He was pulled out of his thoughts as Sam started mumbling. He turned in his seat to see. Sam was swatting in the air and looked to be trying to catch something and Scott was trying to capture his hands. Sam kept eluding him.

Spike asked "What is he saying?"

Scott couldn't help but laugh "He's trying to catch butterflies. He's mumbling something about Sara crying and wanting a butterfly and he is gonna get one for her if it's the last thing he does. He wants her to quit crying. Sam never could stand to see Sara cry. He was a great big brother to her. They were so close and he would do anything for her. Even took the blame when she broke things."

Catching one hand then the other Scott held Sam's hands to his chest "You caught one. Sara loves it. She stopped crying. You hear her laughing now. Sara's laughing because you got the butterfly. So hold still now Sam."

Sam's body relaxed as a cocky smile played on his lips as he mumbled "Told you I'd get you one Sara. Didn't believe me. But I did."

Spike and Ron both chuckled.

Ron said "Boy oh boy. His hallucinations can be hilarious."

Spike rubbed his neck and added only to himself "or hellacious."

Ron said "I see the hospital."

Scott and Spike both said "Thank god."