Randy stood over the bed. His cold eyes seemed to pierce through Gabriel as he looked up at the man. If it was not for the gag in his mouth, Gabriel would have been begging the man to leave him alone. Unlike Charlie, the man had no qualms about doing harm. That was clear in Randy's eyes.
"I have never been able to sit and watch the life go out of someone's eyes, Constable," Randy told him.
Gabriel felt a chill go up his spine as he began to struggle against the ropes that held him. There was no give but Gabriel continued to struggle any way. He felt as if his life depended on it, even as Randy laughed. The man was enjoying his fear but even that knowledge did not stop Gabriel's struggles. He had to live. He needed to hang on for Billy - for Lillian.
Still laughing, Randy reached down for the rope tied to the bed post behind him. With a quick tug, Gabriel felt the rope around his neck tighten, cutting off his air. His struggles increased as Gabriel tried desperately to free his hands so he could loosen the rope around his neck.
"This was not part of the plan."
Gabriel looked toward Walter's voice. The boy was on his knees, his hands bound in front of him. Gabriel got the impression Walter would help him if he could.
"I am done with the plan," Randy replied, taking his gun from his holster, he shot Walter.
Gabriel tried to shout a protest but even without the gag, the rope around his neck would have prevented that. Randy then came over to the bed. He stood over Gabriel, his steely eyes watching Gabriel's panicked eyes.
"I am going to enjoy this, Constable," Randy told him.
Gabriel knew the man was telling the truth. Probably one of the few truthful things the man had ever said.
Gabriel's eyes sprung open. His hands went immediately to his neck, to loosen the rope. The rope that was no longer there. Despite that, his heart was pounding and his breaths came in gasps.
"You are safe, Gabriel," a familiar voice told him.
When a hand came to rest on his shoulder, Gabriel jumped and tried to pull away. As he was lying on his back, he couldn't though, however the hand pulled back.
"It was just a dream, Gabriel," the voice said calmly. "You are safe. Take a deep breath in and let it out slowly," it instructed.
Gabriel's first instinct was to not listen. He couldn't breathe because of the rope around his neck. However, his hand found nothing there and Gabriel found himself listening to the calm voice that was still instructing him on how to breathe.
Finally giving in, Gabriel took a breath, more of a gasp really, and let it out slowly. At first he could not take a deep breath but he followed the voice's instructions to breathe out slowly. Eventually, he started feeling calmer. The breaths came easier and he was able to take in a deep breath.
For the first time since waking up, Gabriel took in his surroundings. He was still in the cabin the men had held him in. The cabin that had become his prison. He was not even totally sure how long he had been out here. He did remember giving up hope that someone would find him even as he had struggled to hold onto consciousness.
However, the cabin was warm now. Gabriel found that he was no longer tied up, though he felt exhausted, stiff and he hurt all over. The headache had faded to a dull ache but it was still there. Though the window was dark, a flickering light cast a glow over the cabin and the man sitting in the chair next to the bed.
"That is good. Slow easy breaths, " the man said. "How are you feeling?"
"Carson?" Gabriel asked, trying to figure out when and how the doctor from Hope Valley had come to be here.
Memories started coming back to him. He remembered coming to and finding Carson there. He remembered lashing out at the doctor and then Nathan coming in and reassuring him. Reaching up, his hand felt for the front pocket of the shirt he wore. As he found the small, hard object there, Gabriel felt relief. It hadn't been a dream. Lillian had actually sent her necklace out to him, a reminder of the love they shared.
"Drink some water," Carson requested, instead of repeating the question that Gabriel still had not answered. The doctor leaned over, slipping a hand behind Gabriel's shoulders as he held the canteen for him.
Gabriel didn't protest. Though he might be sick of hearing that particular, command he knew Carson, and Nathan, was doing it for his own good.
"How long have I been out here?" Gabriel asked, as Carson withdrew his arm.
"This would be the third night for you," Carson replied. "You went missing sometime Friday evening and we are going into Monday."
Gabriel nodded. Looking at the flickering light from the fire as it danced on the ceiling, Gabriel took that information and tried to place his own memories into a vague time line.
"How are you feeling, Gabriel?" Carson finally asked again.
Gabriel turned his head toward the doctor, probably one of the few movements he could make that did not cause discomfort.
"I am exhausted. I hurt almost everywhere. I feel stiff, and I want to move but any little movement causes discomfort."
Carson nodded. "It is from being tied up for so long. Muscles were over worked just from being forced to stay in one position for so long as well as with your struggles. There are things we can do to relieve discomfort but for the most part the muscles just need to recover on their own. Movement is good but takes things slowly and do not over exert yourself. How is the headache?"
"It is barely noticeable," Gabriel told him.
"Good," Carson replied. "If you are feeling up to it, I can do some therapy with your limbs. It will involve me moving them and doing some stretches. It will relieve some of the stiffness. I will be honest. They probably will cause discomfort."
"Go ahead," Gabriel told him.
Carson stood up and moved the chair back. He then pulled the blankets back. Placing a hand near the back of Gabriel's right knee and one in front of the ankle, the doctor slid the heel back toward the body slowly, the foot moving along the mattress.
"If something does not feel right or there is too much discomfort, let me know," Carson said, glancing back at Gabriel.
As the doctor was looking back at him, Gabriel simply nodded. Right then, while the movement was causing discomfort it wasn't any worse than what he had been experiencing. It was just a different type of discomfort.
Gabriel closed his eyes and tried to relax, letting the doctor do his therapy. He heard stirring elsewhere in the room and assumed it was Nathan. Gabriel found himself wondering what time it was. Carson had mentioned they were going into Monday but he had not given the exact time. How long had he been asleep? What time had he been found? How was Billy doing? The boy had just been settling well into life into Brookfield and now there was this disruption. Billy must have been scared perhaps even guilty thinking this was somehow all his fault. Though he knew he'd had no control over it, Gabriel started feeling guilty about putting Billy through that. He had promised to make the boy feel safe and this must have frightened him more. No, he might not have asked for this to happen but it was his fault. It had happen because of his job and Gabriel knew he could control that. And Lillian? This must have made her realize how easily her fears could come true. She had sent the necklace out to him, was given back the ring the next step?
Gabriel felt his chest tighten and his breaths started coming quicker. An arm slipped under his shoulders cradling his neck.
"Easy, Gabe," came Nathan's soft, calm tenor voice, cutting through the panic. "You are safe."
Gabriel felt a hand take his left hand. He fried to focus on the weight of that hand against his. It was something solid. Something to help anchor himself too. Just like his friend's voice as Nathan continued to talk to him.
"You are not alone. I am right here. You are safe."
Gabriel's mind clung to those three words even as Nathan continued to speak. He was safe. He was no longer alone in the cabin unable to free himself. The men who had held him were probably miles away by now.
These guys might be miles away but what about the next time. This group was not the only group of criminals out there. The jails and the Wanted posters were testament to that. What he had endured at the hands of Jack Trenton was a testament to that.
"That's just the start of what I'm going to do to you. I guarantee that even if you manage to get free of the bindings after I leave, you will be in so much pain you won't be able to attempt to follow me."
Gabriel still remembered those words, uttered by Jack after the man had pistol whipped him. The man had followed through on that threat. Gabriel had not remembered ever being in as much pain as he did the days following his ordeal with Trenton. He had even fainted when Chuck had been untying him.
"You might wish you were dead though."
When the head injury had caused the nausea, those words had rang true. He might feel really miserable now, but this was nothing compared to that pain. The mental anguish of knowing what this ordeal had put Billy and Lillian through were worse than the physical pain. But what would have happened if Billy had not been staying with the Mendelson's? What might Charlie and his gang done to Billy? Would they have taken him too? It was bad enough that he'd had to endure being held captive for two days. If Billy had been subjected to that as well, Gabriel knew he would not have been able to forgive himself.
"I cannot do this any more. I am done."
"That is not a decision you can make right now," Nathan told him, making Gabriel realize he had spoken the thought out loud.
Gabriel opened his eyes, blinking a few times to clear the slight moisture that had built up in them. His friend was kneeling next to the bed. Nathan still cradled his head in his one arm as he looked down at him. Gabriel let his head lean against Nathan's arm.
"What if Billy had gotten caught up in this?"
"That did not happen," Nathan told him. "Billy is safe in Brookfield. Chances are they would not have ever involved him or Lillian."
"How can you even suggest that?" Gabriel asked, wanting to be angry at the suggestion but not having the energy to be. "Criminals who want to hurt someone do not just leave the Mountie's family out of it out of the kindness of their heart."
"From what O'Reilly has told me, this gang might actually do just that. Two of the other law officers who were kidnaped by this group had family and the group ambushed the Mountie away from the town."
Gabriel recalled Walter's story about his mother. Their mother had been an innocent victim of an altercation she had nothing to do with. Perhaps Charlie had enough of a conscience to make sure innocent people did not get hurt.
"What about next time?" Gabriel asked. "Sinclair threatened Lillian because he saw us having coffee at the hotel. Jack-"
"Jack Trenton targeted the orphanage because it was an easy target," Nathan interrupted. "Quitting your job will not automatically make your family safe. I have had this argument with myself a dozen times, and with Elizabeth more than once."
"Look Gabe, I am not saying that resigning is not a valid option for you," Nathan said, his tone growing softer. "Between being shot, the injuries you sustained from Jack Trenton, and now this, no one would blame you for wanting to, Gabriel. Most probably would have taken the desk job after getting shot. However, that is not a decision you can make only hours after being rescued from the ordeal you just went through."
"I am tired of being a target," Gabriel said.
"I am sure you are," Nathan replied. "You have been through a lot and know that I will support you whatever choice you make but I cannot allow you to make that choice right now. Give yourself time to heal, physically and emotionally from this. Take some leave time, you know they will give it to you. Talk things over with Lillian. Maybe even bring Lillian and Billy to Hope Valley for a visit. Elizabeth would be happy to help Billy with schoolwork if he needs help. Make sure you are thinking clearly before you make a choice that will affect the rest of your life."
Gabriel closed his eyes again. Nathan probably had a good point. More than anything he felt defeated right now. Perhaps he was not in the right state of mind to be making choices.
Nathan felt Gabriel's body relax as sleep claimed his friend. Gabriel had not said that he would hold off on making a decision about resigning, but Nathan hoped that he had gotten through to him. Just to be sure, Nathan planed on talking to both Oakley and O'Reilly about not accepting the resignation if Gabriel put it in immediately. This was a choice he did not want to see Gabriel make quickly and then regret later.
Looking down at his friend though, Nathan could not help but wonder if perhaps resigning would be best for his friend. Gabriel had been through quite a bit. Even the strongest person could only take so much. The thought of quitting had crossed his own mind on more than one occasion, and he had not been through the physical and emotional pain that could be directly linked to the job, that Gabriel had been these last few years. Even his near miss while transporting O'Rourke to Buxton paled in comparison to what his friend had just gone through even without the first two incidents.
Still, Gabriel needed to give himself some time to recover from this before making that choice, whatever that choice may be.
Slipping his arm out from under Gabriel's shoulders, he let his friend rest against the pillow as he let go of the hand he held. Reaching for the blanket, Nathan pulled it up over his friend before looking back at Carson.
"Do you want to get some sleep?" Nathan asked the doctor.
"Only if you promise to wake me in a couple hours. If you plan on riding back to Hope Valley tomorrow afternoon, I would like you to get some more sleep tonight," Carson replied.
"I really do not know what I am going to do," Nathan replied as he got to his feet. He felt torn between staying with Gabriel and going back to his pregnant wife now that Gabriel had been found. He knew his friend was in good hands with Carson. Not to mention he knew Lillian would be fussing over Gabriel once they got him back to Brookfield.
Carson closed the distance between them, and reached out to rest a hand on Nathan's shoulder. "Physically, Gabriel is doing well. He's going to need a few days to recover but I believe he is out of danger. If he can tolerate the wagon ride, we can get him home tomorrow. I am sure I will have Lillian's help making sure he gets the proper rest he needs then."
"And emotionally?"
Carson nodded. "That might take a bit more time," he admitted. "However, knowing he is keeping you away from Elizabeth at this time is probably not going to help that."
Nathan nodded. Carson made a good point. "As long as we can move Gabriel back to Brookfield tomorrow, and you are sure he is out danger physically, I will head home after we get him settled at home. However, right now, I want to sit with him for a bit."
"All right," Carson said, patting Nathan's shoulder. "I will get a bit of sleep. Wake me up in a couple of hours or if you need me."
"I will."
"There is a new pot of coffee on the stove," Carson informed him before heading toward the fireplace and the makeshift bed of blankets Nathan had been using.
Nathan got a cup of coffee and then settled down in a chair at Gabriel's bedside. What he wanted most was for his friend to get some restful sleep, which had not been happening. However, should his demons wake Gabriel again, Nathan would be there to do what he could to reassure his friend.