Chapter 4: Calling For Help
"Dave?" Carter called. He couldn't believe he had lost him. Just when they were understanding each other better, he had lost him. He heard a scream.
"Dave, that better not be you!" he screamed out to the wilderness around him. He ran all over the forest, not caring where he was going.
"I swear if I lose you I will go INSANE!" Carter screamed again into the woods. The word 'insane' echoed but it didn't reach the ears of Dave Malucci, who was unconscious from blood loss. He frantically raced through the trees throwing branches and bushes aside calling out Dave's name.
"Dave? If this is one of your jokes because if it is you are going to be dead meat!" but no one answered him. Carter stopped and began to think.
"Wait a minute... That's probably what this is... He was so mad at me earlier I wouldn't be surprised if this was all just a silly joke. OK Dave, come out now, you scared me! Ha ha, nice one, come on out!" Carter called. When no one responded, he stomped his foot in a mixture of anger, frustration, and worry.
"Come on, Dave this isn't funny any more! You have the map! Damn it Dave! You know you scared me now so you can come out!" He continued his pursuit in the frighteningly intimidating woods.
Carter searched all day for his missing companion and only stopped at twilight to rest. He looked up at the pink sky getting ever darker and was only barely visible through the trees. He took some water from a fresh water stream he had come across and boiled it. As it cooled off, Carter noticed something in the stream. As he took it out of the water he realized it was part of the shirt Dave had been wearing.
"Dave?" he called again for the millionth time. He quickly poured the water in his water bottle and continued his hunt, calling Dave's name all the while.
"I keep calling but I keep getting voice mail. You're right, now I really am getting worried... And feeling a little guilty," Abby admitted to Benton. Benton sighed and shook his head.
"Well, you're right, Carter's smart and Dave is... stubborn. That can sometimes be a good quality in situations like these; it means he won't give up easily."
"He's not that stubborn Peter!" Abby shouted.
"Calm down, Abby, they can get through this..."
"But you're the one who said they could be in trouble, remember?"
"But *you're* the one who reminded me that they are two fully grown men capable of taking care of themselves. At least one of them is..."
"Come on! I know Dave can be a jerk sometimes but he's not that incompetent! How do you think he became a doctor?"
"You're right, Abby, I'm sorry. There's just something I still don't trust about him. But you're right. He can keep a level head in a crisis most of the time. I'm sure they'll be just fine."
"Where the Hell are you?" Carter screamed into the woods, "Now I'm glad I didn't see the Blair Witch Project with him..." soon, he came to a tall cliff. He saw that first, then he saw the rock fall, and then he saw...
"Blood? I sure hope it's animal Malucci, for both our sakes..." he whispered. He ran to the fallen rocks. What he saw was enough to make him lose his sanity.
"Holy crap!" he screamed at the sight before him. There, he saw Dave Malucci, under a tumble of rocks, but only from his waist up was visible. It was obvious the rocks had crushed his legs. Carter tried hard to push the rocks away, but they were to heavy. When he finally gave up, he silently watched his friend bleed to death. Then, a thought came to him.
"His phone!" Carter exclaimed. He found that Dave's phone was clipped to his belt and had nearly gotten crushed by the large boulders, but luckily, wasn't. He was about to dial 911 when he saw that Dave had four messages. He glanced at Dave, then back at the phone then at Dave again. He decided to listen to the messages.
"Hey Dave, it's Abby. Just wanted to see how you guys were doing. I was afraid you'd get lost trying to reach the cabin on foot, so I just decided to check. If you need help, just call," he listened to the next message.
"It's just Abby again. Benton's making me call you one more time just to make sure you're OK. I really don't think you're at the cabin yet, so I thought that maybe he had a point. Please call back, or Benton'll get worried."
"Dave? Abby again. Sorry to bother you, but you haven't called back yet and it's beginning to worry me a little. I told you to call back. Are you in trouble? Please, call!" Carter could hear the slightest touch of urgency to her voice.
"Dave, please call back! We're all pretty worried now, yes we are, and if this is your idea of a joke, let me tell you, it's not funny! Please call back! You're really scaring us now!" her voice had changed from slightly urgent, to almost absolutely frantic. Carter could see she felt something was wrong. He paused for a minute, thinking whom to call first.
Abby heard her phone ring and she realized she had had her fingers in her mouth. She took them out and looked at the bitten nails slightly surprised.
"Stupid habit!" she mumbled. She fumbled for her phone.
"Abby Lockhart. Dave, is it you? Carter? One of you?" Abby's voice was worried and she jumped to her feet.
"Uh, unfortunately no," Abby frowned and sat back down in her chair again.
"Hello, Peter," she sighed.
"Abby where are you? We've been looking for you all over! Carter called."
"He did?" Abby asked, standing up again, "Doc Magoos!"
"What?"
"That's where I am!" Abby said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. She quickly threw on her coat and was out the door, still on the phone with Benton.
"Oh, sorry."
"What'd Carter say?" she asked on her way back to the hospital.
"He asked if you were there and when we said we couldn't find you, he said he had to call someone else. He sounded very demanding... But that's not the only reason I called."
"Really? Why else did you call?" Abby was now sprinting into the ER.
"Well, your breaks been over for half an hour! You're supposed to be back here!"
"Wait... Why'd you call?"
"I just told you-"
"No, I mean, why didn't Kerry call?"
"When I heard about Carter, I wanted to tell you," Peter replied. Abby looked across the hall and rolled her eyes. She hung up when Benton saw her at the other end.
"Abby!" he cried. She ran over to him.
"Are you sure Carter didn't say anything else?" Abby asked.
"Well, you'll have to talk to-"
"Weaver!" Abby said, stopping the woman as she passed.
"Hm?" Kerry asked, looking up at Abby.
"What did Carter say?"
"Only to call him on Dave's cell phone in a few minutes. He had to make another call."
"Right..." she waited for a few seconds, "Has it been a few minutes yet?" she asked.
"Yeah, I think he called around ten minutes ago," Kerry answered but the minute Abby heard the word 'yeah' she whipped out her cell phone and called Dave's. It rang once.
"Hello, Abby?" a voice came.
"Carter! Oh thank God are you all right?" Abby asked. Peter was watching Abby expectantly while Weaver looked curiously at her.
"What's wrong with Carter and Dave?" she asked Peter.
"Not sure yet," Peter answered.
"Are you alone, Abby?" Carter asked.
"Um, no, why?"
"Who's with you?"
"Dr. Benton and Dr. Weaver... Is that a problem?"
"... I don't want to worry them. You seemed to know this was going to happen and I could tell you were worried," as Carter spoke, Abby signaled to Kerry and Peter it was time to leave. Kerry shot one last suspicious look at Abby and went on her way. But Peter wouldn't leave.
"No, I want to know what's going on!"
"Dr. Benton, please!" Abby begged. Benton sighed, shook his head and left.
"Yeah, Carter?" Abby asked.
"There's been an accident."
Please review! More's coming soon! Sorry it took so long!
"Dave?" Carter called. He couldn't believe he had lost him. Just when they were understanding each other better, he had lost him. He heard a scream.
"Dave, that better not be you!" he screamed out to the wilderness around him. He ran all over the forest, not caring where he was going.
"I swear if I lose you I will go INSANE!" Carter screamed again into the woods. The word 'insane' echoed but it didn't reach the ears of Dave Malucci, who was unconscious from blood loss. He frantically raced through the trees throwing branches and bushes aside calling out Dave's name.
"Dave? If this is one of your jokes because if it is you are going to be dead meat!" but no one answered him. Carter stopped and began to think.
"Wait a minute... That's probably what this is... He was so mad at me earlier I wouldn't be surprised if this was all just a silly joke. OK Dave, come out now, you scared me! Ha ha, nice one, come on out!" Carter called. When no one responded, he stomped his foot in a mixture of anger, frustration, and worry.
"Come on, Dave this isn't funny any more! You have the map! Damn it Dave! You know you scared me now so you can come out!" He continued his pursuit in the frighteningly intimidating woods.
Carter searched all day for his missing companion and only stopped at twilight to rest. He looked up at the pink sky getting ever darker and was only barely visible through the trees. He took some water from a fresh water stream he had come across and boiled it. As it cooled off, Carter noticed something in the stream. As he took it out of the water he realized it was part of the shirt Dave had been wearing.
"Dave?" he called again for the millionth time. He quickly poured the water in his water bottle and continued his hunt, calling Dave's name all the while.
"I keep calling but I keep getting voice mail. You're right, now I really am getting worried... And feeling a little guilty," Abby admitted to Benton. Benton sighed and shook his head.
"Well, you're right, Carter's smart and Dave is... stubborn. That can sometimes be a good quality in situations like these; it means he won't give up easily."
"He's not that stubborn Peter!" Abby shouted.
"Calm down, Abby, they can get through this..."
"But you're the one who said they could be in trouble, remember?"
"But *you're* the one who reminded me that they are two fully grown men capable of taking care of themselves. At least one of them is..."
"Come on! I know Dave can be a jerk sometimes but he's not that incompetent! How do you think he became a doctor?"
"You're right, Abby, I'm sorry. There's just something I still don't trust about him. But you're right. He can keep a level head in a crisis most of the time. I'm sure they'll be just fine."
"Where the Hell are you?" Carter screamed into the woods, "Now I'm glad I didn't see the Blair Witch Project with him..." soon, he came to a tall cliff. He saw that first, then he saw the rock fall, and then he saw...
"Blood? I sure hope it's animal Malucci, for both our sakes..." he whispered. He ran to the fallen rocks. What he saw was enough to make him lose his sanity.
"Holy crap!" he screamed at the sight before him. There, he saw Dave Malucci, under a tumble of rocks, but only from his waist up was visible. It was obvious the rocks had crushed his legs. Carter tried hard to push the rocks away, but they were to heavy. When he finally gave up, he silently watched his friend bleed to death. Then, a thought came to him.
"His phone!" Carter exclaimed. He found that Dave's phone was clipped to his belt and had nearly gotten crushed by the large boulders, but luckily, wasn't. He was about to dial 911 when he saw that Dave had four messages. He glanced at Dave, then back at the phone then at Dave again. He decided to listen to the messages.
"Hey Dave, it's Abby. Just wanted to see how you guys were doing. I was afraid you'd get lost trying to reach the cabin on foot, so I just decided to check. If you need help, just call," he listened to the next message.
"It's just Abby again. Benton's making me call you one more time just to make sure you're OK. I really don't think you're at the cabin yet, so I thought that maybe he had a point. Please call back, or Benton'll get worried."
"Dave? Abby again. Sorry to bother you, but you haven't called back yet and it's beginning to worry me a little. I told you to call back. Are you in trouble? Please, call!" Carter could hear the slightest touch of urgency to her voice.
"Dave, please call back! We're all pretty worried now, yes we are, and if this is your idea of a joke, let me tell you, it's not funny! Please call back! You're really scaring us now!" her voice had changed from slightly urgent, to almost absolutely frantic. Carter could see she felt something was wrong. He paused for a minute, thinking whom to call first.
Abby heard her phone ring and she realized she had had her fingers in her mouth. She took them out and looked at the bitten nails slightly surprised.
"Stupid habit!" she mumbled. She fumbled for her phone.
"Abby Lockhart. Dave, is it you? Carter? One of you?" Abby's voice was worried and she jumped to her feet.
"Uh, unfortunately no," Abby frowned and sat back down in her chair again.
"Hello, Peter," she sighed.
"Abby where are you? We've been looking for you all over! Carter called."
"He did?" Abby asked, standing up again, "Doc Magoos!"
"What?"
"That's where I am!" Abby said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. She quickly threw on her coat and was out the door, still on the phone with Benton.
"Oh, sorry."
"What'd Carter say?" she asked on her way back to the hospital.
"He asked if you were there and when we said we couldn't find you, he said he had to call someone else. He sounded very demanding... But that's not the only reason I called."
"Really? Why else did you call?" Abby was now sprinting into the ER.
"Well, your breaks been over for half an hour! You're supposed to be back here!"
"Wait... Why'd you call?"
"I just told you-"
"No, I mean, why didn't Kerry call?"
"When I heard about Carter, I wanted to tell you," Peter replied. Abby looked across the hall and rolled her eyes. She hung up when Benton saw her at the other end.
"Abby!" he cried. She ran over to him.
"Are you sure Carter didn't say anything else?" Abby asked.
"Well, you'll have to talk to-"
"Weaver!" Abby said, stopping the woman as she passed.
"Hm?" Kerry asked, looking up at Abby.
"What did Carter say?"
"Only to call him on Dave's cell phone in a few minutes. He had to make another call."
"Right..." she waited for a few seconds, "Has it been a few minutes yet?" she asked.
"Yeah, I think he called around ten minutes ago," Kerry answered but the minute Abby heard the word 'yeah' she whipped out her cell phone and called Dave's. It rang once.
"Hello, Abby?" a voice came.
"Carter! Oh thank God are you all right?" Abby asked. Peter was watching Abby expectantly while Weaver looked curiously at her.
"What's wrong with Carter and Dave?" she asked Peter.
"Not sure yet," Peter answered.
"Are you alone, Abby?" Carter asked.
"Um, no, why?"
"Who's with you?"
"Dr. Benton and Dr. Weaver... Is that a problem?"
"... I don't want to worry them. You seemed to know this was going to happen and I could tell you were worried," as Carter spoke, Abby signaled to Kerry and Peter it was time to leave. Kerry shot one last suspicious look at Abby and went on her way. But Peter wouldn't leave.
"No, I want to know what's going on!"
"Dr. Benton, please!" Abby begged. Benton sighed, shook his head and left.
"Yeah, Carter?" Abby asked.
"There's been an accident."
Please review! More's coming soon! Sorry it took so long!