Disclaimer: nothing's mine

I'm really really sorry it took me ages to finally come back and then with only such a short chapter, but real life put it ugly claws on me and took away all my time to write. So I decided to post this and don't let all my lovely readers wait any longer.

Here comes chapter 10 hope you'll fun reading it ....

Hearing the rumbling of a car engine coming from off in the distance; Luka and Carter decided to lay low. Not knowing who was in the truck; Luka and Carter wanted to hide out to avoid being seen. Though it wasn't very likely that the soldiers would come back since they had shattered everything that was at any use for them, they couldn't be sure of that.

The truck stopped abruptly; after that a muffled thud was heard as if something had been thrown to the ground. Soon after they heard the squealing of tires as the truck drove off into the darkness.

They waited silently for a couple of minutes before slowly making their way towards the entrance to the camp.

Though their visibility was low; they could make out a form lying motionless on the ground between some nearby bushes.

"What the hell? Luka come over here … hurry" Carter screamed.

Luka ran over to where Carter was crouched down. Lying before them was the body of a badly wounded and bloodied man.

"Oh my God", the words stuck in Carter's throat as the realization finally hit him

Moving in closer to get a better look; Luka too saw who the man was and immediately fell to his knees; searching for a pulse.

After a moment he exhaled the breath he didn't even know he was holding when he found a weak and thready pulse; but a pulse none the less.

"Come on Carter, help me." He yelled.

As Carter and Luka worked to check out the extent of his injuries; Ray could hear the soft murmur of voices as he drifted in and out of consciousness. Despite the throbbing pain; Ray slowly attempted to open his eyes. His vision was blurred and distorted; he felt as if he were floating outside of himself. Was he dead? Before Ray could think anything further everything went black as he passed out again.

"No! Ray …. Come on stay with us." Carter yelled as he started compressions on Ray's chest.

"You have to fight this Ray" he mumbled under his breath and felt utterly relieved when he got a pulse again.

He quickly checked him over "weak carotid pulse … shallow breathing … multiple rib fractures … perhaps internal injuries…" whilst Luka worked at the ropes which were still holding Ray's hands behind his head in an impossible angle.

Ray began to wake out of his drunken-like state and swore he heard a familiar voice talking to him. Was that Carter? It couldn't be; Carter was dead, shot by some soldiers Ray thought.

Ray shuttered with pain and exhaustion when he felt his hands being untied and falling limp to his side.

Ray fought hard to open his eyes but found he didn't have the strength to do so.

Just then Ray felt the moist trickle of water touched his lips and mustering up what meagre energy he had left; he opened his parch lips to accept it.

After taking several small sips of water Ray finally found the strength to open his eyes. A warm sense of relief washed over him as his eyes focused on a familiar face.

"Carter?" he whispered disbelieving. "Is that really you?"

"Shh, don't speak. Just try to relax. Luka will be back with a gurney any second" Carter answered with a somewhat reassuring voice.

0-0-0-0-

Obviously Ray had been beaten badly and from the look of his body-shape they hadn't really paid attention to those life-depending things like food and fluids.

Under Rays torn clothes Carter could make out a mass of blue and darken bruises and cuts and the broken ribs were visible under his skin.

How he had survived this so long, seemed like a wonder to Carter.

Ray had tried to stay awake and focused, but now that the greatest threat was over, he felt physically and emotionally drained and had slipped into sleep soon after they had brought him back to the hospital and hooked to an IV.

"We can't stay here, Luka … we need to go back to Kinshasa. It isn't safe here and we can't really do much for him. He needs to be treated in a real hospital, needs more than just some fluids and painkillers." John stated.

"I know, but with the state of the streets I'm afraid we might cause even more damage." Luka sighed.

"Give him a chance, Luka. That is what we came here for. If we stay here he'll certainly die sooner or later with all these injuries. We have nothing to lose by trying. You survived it all these years ago too, remember?"

"Still it is a two hours drive over narrowed streets in a burning heat. It could agonize him."

"It can't more than anything else that has happened" Ray's softly voice drifted over to them.

"You know that John's right, Luka. We can't stay here. And I want to go as far away as possible – staying here and knowing that they could come back takes me the air to breathe" he added.

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Reviews are always very much appreciated not matter if good or bad ...

We're on the way to a possible re-union of Ray and Neela, I'm pretty sure that is what you all wait for. So just bear with me a little longer.