Chet caught a quick glimpse Johnny's head and arm pop above the turbulent water just ahead of him. Swimming harder, he reached Johnny just as the younger man disappeared back under. Snagging the back of Johnny's white undershirt, he managed to pull Johnny back up to the churning surface, ignoring Johnny's panicked attempts to push him away. Trying to be heard over the roaring sound of the water that surrounded them, he yelled, "It's okay Johnny, I've got you, man, I've got you! Just relax and let me do all the work of getting us back to the bank." He felt Johnny relax a little as he rolled Johnny onto his back before he wrapped his arm securely around Johnny's chest and began to swim diagonally across the strong current towards the calmer waters near the bank and safety.
E!E!E!E!E!
Keeping his eye on the two figures in the water and the man also following them on the opposite bank Cedric darted through the trees, with Jesse close on his heels, as he tried to keep up with them. Cedric saw their prey disappear beneath the water before briefly reappearing over a minute or two later, further downstream, as one of the men, who he had already decided could only be cops, they definitely weren't hikers, swam desperately towards the Injun, trying to save him. Cedric paused a minute and watched as Chet reached the drowning man just as Johnny disappeared beneath the churning water again, pulling him back above the surface before swimming with him towards the other bank.
With a short burst of speed, catching Jesse by surprise, Cedric suddenly took off running again, jumping nimbly over a fallen tree log, and moving deftly through the underbrush until dropping down onto his stomach and crawling to the very edge of the ferns and weeds that lined the swollen stream. Running to try and catch up with him before dropping to his to his own hands and knees and crawling on his stomach until he was lying shoulder to shoulder with his hunting companion just as Cedric lifted his rifle up to his eye and aimed across at two men in the water as they neared the other side of the swollen stream before lifting the gun a little higher, aiming it at the other cop as he ran across the rocky bank edge to meet them.
Quickly aiming his own rifle towards the three men, and adjusting his gun's sight, just as the other man on the other side of the flooded stream dropped both the backpacks he was carrying onto the stony bank and waded knee deep into the water to help the injured man out of the water, Jesse asked softly, glancing at his partner, "So do you want to take one of them out or do you want to take all of them out?"
Cedric smiled as he lined up the crosshairs of his rifle dead-center of Marco's head before moving the gun just a fraction to the left and slowly squeezing the trigger, deliberately missing the Marco's head by less than an inch. Lowering his gun so he could look over the barrel, he laughed as Marco jumped and yelled at the Chet to hurry up and get out of the stream as he waded in a little deeper grabbed the Johnny's arm, quickly yanking him up onto his feet before half dragging, half carrying him towards the bank as Chet followed. "Neither!" Cedric answered, chuckling as he lifted his rifle back up and peered through the sight again. "I just want them cops to know that they have joined the game and now also now our prey!" he chuckled, squeezing off several more shots that ricocheted off the water around the cops as they scrambled out of the stream.
Grinning as he looked through the sights of his own gun, Jesse squeezed off a volley of his own shots, giggling girlishly as the bullets ricocheted off the stones around Chet's, Johnny's, and Marco's feet as they reached the bank and headed towards the trees.
E!E!E!E!E!
Trying to struggle to his feet and lift Johnny onto his as they reached the much calmer, shallower water near the bank, Chet heard a gunshot from somewhere behind him a heartbeat before he heard Marco yell at them to get out of the water and head towards the trees. Several more shots rang out, striking the water around them, just missing them by mere inches. Exhausted, he managed to get fully to his feet as Marco rushed into the water and grabbed Johnny from his grip before following Marco back to the bank as fast as he could.
Reaching the bank, he reached down, trying to snag the two backpacks that Marco had dropped in his rush to help them get out of the stream. Several bullets hit the ground around him, causing sharp splinters of stone to flick up and cut his arms as he managed to snatch up one of the dropped backpacks. Stumbling as he tried to dodge barrage of bullets raining down around him and which were peppering and shredding the leaves and branches of the trees just a few yards ahead, he straightened back up and raced, slipping, and sliding, across the loose slippery surface of wet rocks and stones towards the safety of the trees where Marco and Johnny had just disappeared.
E!E!E!E!E!
Quickly crawling backwards, away from the bank before scrambling to his feet once he was far enough back, Cedric laughed as he turned and ran through the now darkening forest. Heading downstream, confident that Jesse was following, he called over his shoulder, trying to make himself heard over the fast-following stream and the heavy rain. "Come on, hurry up, with this rain and having to drag that wounded Injun along, there's no way they are going to make it out of here before it gets dark and after that swim the Injun and that cop took in the stream, hypothermia is sure to set in, especially with how cold it's gunna get tonight. They're going to have to make camp somewhere and sit it out and the only dry place they can do that is in that old hunter's hut about a mile downstream. And when they do, we're gunna be waiting for them."
E!E!E!E!E!
Holding Roy's hand, Joanne stared at his face as her tears streamed down her face. She had always known the risks of his job. She had been aware of the possibility that one day she might be sitting here, beside his bedside while he fought for life after being caught in a fire or trapped beneath a collapsed ceiling. It wasn't a subject that she ever liked to think about, it was something she liked to lie to herself and tell herself it would never happen to Roy. But never in her wildest imaginations had she ever thought she would be sitting here now, begging Roy to hold on because he was kidnapped by two madmen who had decided to hunt him down like an animal and then leave him to die, alone, on the side of a deserted road in a state forest.
Swallowing hard, she squeezed his hand as she looked around in fear at all the medical equipment that Roy was now connected to after his return from the theatre. Several IV bags hung above his bed, some running down the piggyback in the back of his hand and some disappeared beneath a small white dressing that covered the side of his neck, a urine catheter tube emerged from beneath the sheet and disappeared down the other side of the bed where it was connected to a bag hanging there. Turning her head slightly, she stared almost hypnotically at the bellows in the ventilator, breathing for Roy, gently rose and fell, the soft regular whooshing sound it made mixing with the soft beeps of the heart monitor that sat on the table next to the bed. Looking back at Roy, she couldn't stop the soft whimper that escaped, she didn't want to lose him, not now, not ever, and she didn't want to even think about the possibility that she might lose Johnny as well. No, God couldn't be that cruel, the guys would find him and bring Johnny home safe and well.
She jumped as she felt a soft, gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Joanne?"
Joanne quickly wiped her tears from her tear-stained face and turned, looking over her shoulder, her heart sinking as she saw the priest standing behind her. She nodded woodenly as her grip on Roy's hand tightened and she felt the blood drain from her face as the priest, dressed in his black clerical robes, smiled gently down at her and softly introduced himself, "I'm Father Loggerhan from Saint Mary's church. The doctors have told me about your husband's condition and asked me to attend to administer 'The Last Rites' to your husband."
When Joanne didn't answer, he quietly placed the black Gladstone bag he was carrying onto the rolling table at the end of the bed before he looked around, realizing that they frightened young woman sitting in front of him appeared to be all alone. He hesitated a moment before he asked softly, "Would you like me to call someone to be with you while I administer the last rites?"
Biting her bottom lip to stop herself from crying again, Joanne silently shook her head before she turned back towards Roy, concentrating on memorizing every line, every wrinkle on his face as the priest paused a minute, watching her. Swallowing a heart-breaking sob, her grip on Roy's hand tightened even tighter as she heard the priest greet her quietly with the words she dreaded to hear, the words she knew started the Last Rites ceremony, "The grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you."
"And also, with you." She managed to whisper the correct response through a tightening throat as another sob threatened to choke her as she continued to stare at Roy's face, not willing to look up at the priest.
Silently opening his bag, Father Loggerhan cast another quick glance towards the distraught young woman sitting at the side of the bed, aware that she was not ready to hear her husband receive the last rites yet. The lack of eye contact and the way she clutched her husband's hand told him the kindest thing he could do was perform the ceremony and then comfort her afterwards. To draw it out with attempting to offer comfort while she was not yet ready to receive it, would only cause her more pain.
He sighed silently to himself, his heart aching for the Joanne as he returned his attention back to his bag and began to take out the oil and the other things, he needed to administer Roy the Last Rites. After carefully placing the candles and the holy water onto the table next to the oil, he carefully reached back into his bag and lifted out his crucifix and bible and gently placed them into position before moving the table closer to the bed so it was in easy reach while he performed the ceremony and so if Roy had been conscious, it would be in his line of sight. Satisfied that he had everything set up so he could begin the solemn ceremony of anointing the sick, he lit the candles and picked up his white vestment, gently kissing it before he carefully placed it over his shoulders. Picking up the bible, he began the ceremony by reading from a passage from the bible to give not only Roy, but Joanne as well, some comfort and reassure them of the Lord's love before he placed the bible back down and led Joanne in a prayer.
He heard her whimper as the prayer finished and he placed his hand on Roy's head to invoke the Holy Spirit to join them before he turned and dipped the tips of his fingers onto the small bowl of holy oil as Joanne forced herself to release Roy's hand for the ceremony. Turning back, he heard Joanne begin to sob as he anointed Roy's forehead and prayed, "Through this holy anointing, may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit." He heard Joanne whisper softly, "Amen." as he paused before he anointed Roy's palms and finished the prayer, "May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up."
Joanne was unable to stop the strangled sob as she whispered again, "Amen." She closed her eyes, wishing that she had called someone to be with her as she heard Father Loggerhan ask her to join him in the Lord's prayer.
She resisted the urge to yell at the priest to stop, to tell him the doctors had made some dreadful mistake about Roy's condition, that he wasn't dying, Roy wouldn't do something like that to her, as she mumbled the prayer she had been taught as a young child. Murmuring 'Amen,' when the prayer finished, she forced herself to listen as Father Loggerhan began the last prayer of the ceremony, "Lord Jesus Christ, you chose to share our human nature, to redeem all people, and to heal the sick. Look with compassion upon your servant Roy, whom we have anointed in your name with this holy water for the healing of his body and spirit. Support him with your power, comfort him with your protection, and give him the strength to fight against evil. Since you have given him a share of your passion, help him find hope in suffering, for you are Lord, for ever and ever."
"Amen." Joanne said a little louder, praying that God would give Roy the strength to recover as she heard Father Loggerhan bless Roy with the words, "May the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit come upon you and remain with you for ever."
"Amen." Joanne breathed, reaching for Roy's hand again as she looked up at Father Loggerhan. Taking a deep breath, she wiped away her tears, "Thank you Father, but Roy's not dying." Looking back down at Roy, she whispered, "He wouldn't do that to me. I won't let him!" Looking back up at the priest, her grip on Roy's hand tightened as a look of determination settled on her face and she took a deep breath, knowing her next words could probably cross the line of blasphemy, but beyond caring at the moment, "And please don't tell me it's God's will if he dies, that he is needed elsewhere…" Her voice dropped as the tears began to trickle down her face again as she looked back down at Roy and admitted brokenly, "Because I'm not ready to let him go. I need him here." Looking down at her still flat stomach, she whispered, "Please Lord, if not for me than for Chris and our baby. They need him."
Standing in the doorway, Dixie held her breath and wiped the tears that trickled down her face, not wanting or willing to intrude on such an intimate and solemn moment.