CHAPTER 5.
"That kid is sure as hell full of surprises."
Fraser nodded at Ray's words. "I admit I was rather taken aback myself," he replied.
"I just don't get it," said Ray, scratching his head. "I mean, for someone who doesn't want to be a cop he's pretty good at the Hill Street Blues routine. Do you think it's all for his Dad's benefit?"
"It's pointless to speculate at this juncture," replied Fraser as he stood at the sink rinsing out a cloth.
"Thanks for cleaning up in my car," said Ray. "Guess the mayonnaise did the trick."
"It was no trouble…although it wasn't mayonnaise, for future reference," replied Fraser. "Besides," he added, glancing across at his bed. "As much as I'd like to talk to Ryan some more, I believe it's best that we allow him to sleep for now."
"Yeah," agreed Ray. "He was pretty wasted last night. Must feel like a bag of warmed up manure with spikes in it this morning. I'm telling you, Benny, it ain't fun."
Fraser shrugged at Ray's colourful metaphor. He had never been drunk himself, so he could not disagree with the description.
"I've only been that bad a couple times," continued Ray, looking down at the floor. He paused and sighed sadly before adding, "Night Ange left and…and the day after…after Irene…" He sniffed and looked up as Fraser turned round to face him.
"I'm sorry, Ray," he said, sincerely.
Ray nodded and the two friends were silent for a moment as they thought about what had happened to Irene Zuko. Eventually Ray shrugged off the maudlin moment. "Dumbest thing is it doesn't help," he said. "The grog, I mean. For a few hours you forget, I guess, but then you remember all over again only this time you're fighting to hold onto your breakfast at the same time."
Just then Diefenbaker, who had been lazing in front of the window enjoying the early morning sun, jumped up and ran across to the bed. Fraser followed him to find that Ryan was awake again.
"How do you feel now?" asked Fraser as Ryan slowly sat himself up.
"Better, I guess," replied Ryan with a shrug.
"I'm glad to hear it," said Fraser.
"Um, look, I don't remember much about last night," began Ryan sheepishly as Ray walked over to join them. "But, er, I guess I owe you guys. And, um, I'm sorry, OK?"
Ray nodded. "What about puking in my car?" he asked with a glare.
"I did that?" Ryan queried, looking to Fraser for confirmation.
"I'm afraid so," replied Fraser and Ryan looked embarrassed.
"Guess I have a lot to make up for," he said, quietly. "So, what're we doing? Any good leads to follow up today?"
Fraser and Ray looked at each other, slightly puzzled.
"We, er, we weren't sure if you were gonna be riding with us today," Ray explained, perching on the edge of Fraser's father's trunk. "Not after what you said earlier."
"Oh, that," Ryan answered, reaching out for his water. He took a few sips before carrying on. "Look, truth is I don't know what I want to do."
Fraser sat down on the foot of the bed and looked at the young man with concern. "Ryan, in just a few short weeks you are due to enter the Police Academy. If you are unsure about your career choice now might be a good time to speak up."
"Choice?" retorted Ryan. "When did I ever get a choice? This is my life, it always has been. I've never known anything different. I was always gonna be a cop, for as long as I can remember. Except no one ever bothered to ask me if it was what I wanted. I didn't even realise until a couple years ago that maybe it wasn't what I wanted anyway."
"Have you talked to your father about this?" asked Fraser.
"Yeah, sure and he's totally cool about it," Ryan replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "No of course I haven't told him. He'd freak out."
"Does he freak out a lot?" asked Ray. "I mean, does he, er, take stuff out on you?"
"If you're asking if he hits me again, then no," replied Ryan. "You said that before, what is it with you?"
"Hey, just looking out for you, that's all," shrugged Ray.
"Well my Dad is not like that," Ryan tried to explain. "He's a good man, he deserves all the success he's had, he really does, it's just…" He trailed off and sipped at his water again.
"I imagine being the Superintendent is not easy," said Fraser empathetically. "I certainly wouldn't want to take on that kind of role, not for all the tea in China."
"Thought you liked tea," said Ray quickly, with a wink.
"Some days he's like a different person," began Ryan, his voice much quieter now. "He feels responsible for everything, I guess. So when things go wrong he finds it tough to cope with the pressure."
"And how do the rest of your family cope?" asked Fraser.
"By telling me I wouldn't understand 'coz I'm just a kid," replied Ryan. "They're all big shot cops and I'm just a jerk."
"Is that what they say?" asked Ray glancing at Fraser. If that was the kind of attitude he had to face at home no wonder Ryan was like he is, Ray thought to himself.
"They don't have to say it," shrugged Ryan. "But it's true. I'm never gonna make the big time like them, so I guess I'll just get through the Academy and spend the rest of my life as a traffic cop."
Fraser swallowed hard and rubbed at his left eyebrow with his thumbnail. He felt desperately sorry for Ryan. It was becoming clear just why he acted the way he did. Fraser had grown up knowing his own father was one of the most well respected Mounties in Canada and as a child he had felt driven to achieve exactly what his father had. Not to prove himself to his father, that wasn't the reason, but it was partly to honour him and his achievements. Young Benton Fraser had always felt that if he could grow up to be even half the Mountie his father was he would have achieved something, but he was trying to live up to a legend. Perhaps if his father had been around more, had been more of a father to him, he would have felt differently?
Ryan had grown up surrounded by success and the drive to succeed. What his father and the rest of his family had seemingly failed to understand is that Ryan may not share the same goals.
"Would you like me to talk to your father for you?" asked Fraser. He wanted to help, but he wasn't sure what to do for the best.
"Geez, no!" exclaimed Ryan. "I don't need you to fight my battles for me, OK? Listen, it's no big deal. I know I can ace it through the Academy. Doesn't mean I'm gonna be a great cop, I know that, but at least it'll get my Dad off my case for a while."
"Then what?" asked Ray. "You're gonna get yourself killed if you go out on the streets with that attitude. From what we've seen you've come pretty close a few times already."
Ryan let out a slow breath. "Just drop it, will you? I told you, it's nothing I can't handle."
"Perhaps we can help?" Fraser offered. "Does it have something to do with why you keep disappearing?"
Ryan just shrugged.
"OK, kid, this is our last offer," said Ray, beginning to lose his temper. "You can do a Harry Houdini on us today if you want to. We won't say anything to your Dad and you can waste your life on something your heart isn't in if you want. That's your choice. Or you can tell us what the hell is really going on. You have five seconds to decide, because there are lowlifes out there just waiting for me to haul their asses off to jail and they won't wait all day. Five…four…"
"Ray…" said Fraser with a frown. The last thing Ryan needed right now was more pressure.
"Three…two…"
"OK, I'll tell you, but it's dumb," said Ryan, throwing his hands in the air in resignation. "I'll tell you and then we drop it, OK?"
"As you wish," agreed Fraser.
"I got a place…a storage unit. The roof leaks, but it's all I could find," he began. "It's a place for kids to come and hang out. I got a pool table, a TV and VCR, a rusty old hoop out back if they want to shoot some baskets. That's all, but it's safe, y'know? At least it's meant to be."
Fraser and Ray were both stunned. Each of Ryan's revelations were more surprising than the last. He was the last person they could imagine running a youth centre of any kind.
"You think I'm making this up," sighed Ryan when he saw their faces.
"No, not at all," replied Fraser. "We're just a little…surprised, that's all. I assume this is where you've been disappearing to over the last couple of days?"
"Yeah," agreed Ryan. "If I had half a brain I'd give up on the whole idea, but…y'see I do it for an old pal of mine. Carl. We used to hang out all the time at school and we'd go to this youth club. It was great, a hundred times better than the dump I run. Best times of my life…" he trailed off and blinked hard.
"What happened?" Fraser prompted gently. He could see Ryan had become emotional, but they needed to know the full story if they were going to help him. And despite Ryan's protestations, Fraser was going to try to help.
Ryan swallowed hard. "Carl…Carl was killed by some crack dealer dude," he explained, fighting to keep his emotions under control. "Turns out he thought Carl was someone else. If the cops had been doing their jobs properly he would have been in jail, but cops can't do everything. I thought they could, but they can't. I figured that out the hard way."
"I'm terribly sorry, Ryan," said Fraser sincerely. "Being a police officer is not easy. I wish we could help everyone who needs us."
"He tries," Ray added, nodding towards his Mountie friend. "Believe me, he tries."
"Yeah, well, after that I guess I got disillusioned," continued Ryan. "It's just not for me. I'm sure my folks and my brother and sister are great cops and you guys too, but…but I can't be like you. For years I thought I could, but I can't."
"It sounds like you have other skills to offer," Fraser pointed out. "Not everyone can win the trust of young people. What you're doing is admirable."
"Is it?" asked Ryan, dismissively. "My stupid hang-out is called Carl's Place. I wanted to remember him, to honour him. Except now all I'm doing is fighting a losing battle."
"Who's giving you trouble?" asked Ray. "The kids?"
"No, the kids are great," replied Ryan, smiling for the first time since he'd begun to tell his story. "But there's a gang…they found us and they won't leave us alone. They show up almost every night and trash the place. I tell the kids to run. I try to stop it happening, but…"
"But you can't fight them single-handed," Fraser finished his sentence for him.
Ryan shook his head sadly. "I wear Carl's old hockey mask," he explained. "I thought it would protect me…stupid, I know."
"It's not stupid at all," replied Fraser. "Protecting your head from injury is very sensible."
"But there are too many of them," sighed Ryan, wincing as he suddenly became acutely aware of his most recent injuries.
"Did you ever think about just walking away?" asked Ray.
"I can't, I gotta protect Carl's Place," replied Ryan. "It's the only place some of these kids have got. I can't let it go, not now. I've worked too hard."
Fraser couldn't help but admire his words. Their first impressions of Ryan had been very wrong. He certainly had some good intentions, even if his attitude didn't always match up.
"Why don't you just call the cops?" asked Ray.
"Because I don't want my Dad to know, that's why!" exclaimed Ryan. "Come on, you're supposed to be a great detective! He'll think I'm wasting my time with dropouts."
"But a significant portion of police time is put into community projects like yours," Fraser pointed out. "I don't know your father well, but I suspect he would approve of the work you've been doing."
"Nah," replied Ryan. "He'll say I should be concentrating on my career."
"Your career in the Chicago Police Department, you mean?" said Fraser.
"Yeah," replied Ryan. "Biggest joke in history. I'm not like him, I'm never gonna make Super. Geez I'll probably never make Detective."
"Then you should tell him how you feel and withdraw from the Academy," said Fraser. "You're still young enough that you could go to college and gain other qualifications which will lead you to a more rewarding career. Teacher, perhaps, or social worker. There are a number of options you could consider."
"Social worker? Are you kidding me?" Ryan suddenly threw back the blanket and got to his feet, the old attitude pushing away any signs of emotion. He was a little unsteady, but he fought the dizziness to remain upright. "Did you say something about a bathroom in this dump?" he asked Fraser. "I stink."
xXxXxXx
"Are you sure about this?" Ray threw his overcoat around his shoulders and walked towards Fraser's door.
Ryan had washed and dressed and seemed a little brighter, as if some of the weight he'd been carrying around on his shoulders had been lifted just by talking to someone about how he felt. Ray wasn't sure what else they could do to help. Ryan was insistent that none of it got back to his father. He wanted to carry on as if nothing had changed and was, apparently, ready for another day playing cops with Ray.
"I'm sure," Ryan assured him. "I've made my decision, Vecchio. I'm gonna be a cop. Maybe not a great one, but that's up to me. Now can we get outta this place?"
Fraser picked up his hat and placed it squarely on his head, then he looked down at Diefenbaker who was at his heels. "I don't know what's wrong with you this morning?" he said. Then he looked at Ray and lowered his voice. "He's complaining about his…" but Fraser did not get to finish his sentence.
Instead there was a sudden loud bang and a crash, followed by screaming, coming from the hall.
Fraser shot out of his apartment to see what had happened, closely followed by Ray, Dief and Ryan. The first thing they noticed was the smoke, then the flames dancing around the gears of the lift mechanism in the centre of the building. The screaming and shouting was coming from the floor below. Ray and Ryan covered their mouths with their hands as the acrid smoke began to choke them.
Fraser leaned over the bannister to see what was going on. "Ray, there's someone trapped in the elevator!" he yelled and started down the stairs. He was met half way down by a man in an obvious state of distress.
"Constable Fraser! Help!" exclaimed the man. "It's Mei Xing!"
"I'll call 911," Ray yelled, fumbling in his coat pocket for his phone.
"Mr Hu," said Fraser, grabbing his neighbour by his shoulders. "What happened?"
"We need to go to hospital," replied Mr Hu in a heavy Chinese accent. "To have baby, but now this fire…and the elevator…look! It will fall!"
Fraser ran the rest of the way down to the floor below where he could see that the lift containing a very pregnant Mei Xing Hu was swinging at a precarious angle.
"This building should be condemned!" hollered Ray from the floor above. "I can't even find a fire extinguisher!"
"At the end of the corridor," Fraser shouted back. "A spark must have ignited the dust and debris around the motor."
Ray found the fire extinguisher and pulled the pin, throwing all the electrical switches on the box in the corner as he ran past. His action plunged the hallway into semi darkness as the only light now came from the tiny windows on the stairwell and at each end of the hallway.
"What's happening down there, Benny?" Ray called out as he doused the flames in foam. He couldn't really see into the lift car which was stuck between the two floors.
"Mrs Hu is having a baby, Ray. We need to secure the elevator and get her out," replied Fraser, running back up the stairs. "The cables are damaged, I don't know how long they'll take the weight."
Hurriedly he unbuckled his Sam Browne and threw it off his shoulder. Then he rolled up the outer lift door and stepped through. He clung to the other side of the metal framework and began to climb up towards the array of gears and pulleys, being careful to avoid putting any stress on the lift car itself where the terrified woman lay on the floor, moaning in pain.
"What the hell is he doing?" asked Ryan. He had been standing with his back against the wall watching the chaos unfold around him, but now he ran forward to watch in disbelief as Fraser climbed higher and higher.
"Hey, don't worry," responded Ray. "This isn't really happening. I figure this is your dream, though, 'cause my subconscious would've come up with something more believable."
"Mei Xing," Fraser called out. The strain showed in his voice as he hauled himself up towards his destination. "Please…please try to keep still, we need to stop the swinging motion."
Mei Xing tried to respond, but instead was overwhelmed by another agonising abdominal pain. She yelled out and clutched her arms around herself, but the sudden action only caused the lift to swing even more.
"Try to breathe through the contractions," Fraser called out to her. He was panting heavily now the vertical climb started to take its toll.
"She's trapped in an elevator and she's having contractions?" Ray repeated, hoping he'd misheard. "This kinda thing doesn't really happen, Benny! This is some kinda joke, right?"
"I'm not sure that Mrs Hu is laughing, Ray," replied Fraser.
Mei Xing desperately tried to reach out to her husband, but he was too far away. He spoke to her in Cantonese and she began to pant through her pain.
Ray watched as Fraser leapt across to the metal struts on the back wall. Anyone else would have fallen, but Fraser had the agility and climbing skills to make it appear as though he was perfectly secure. Ray knew he was risking his life, though. "Be careful, Benny!"
Fraser took his belt and wrapped it around one of the undamaged parts of the motor mechanism, then with the last of his strength he pulled one of the damaged cables completely free. He tied one end of the cable around his belt and then flung the other end so it looped itself around the top of the lift car. Mei Xing cried out again. "I'll be with you in just a moment," Fraser shouted encouragingly. "Just remember to breathe."
He had to pause momentarily to take his own advice as his lungs complained at the lack of oxygen. Then he repeated his words to the trapped woman in Cantonese. Although Mr and Mrs Hu spoke good English he realised that in her distress Mei Xing would find it easier to converse in her native language. He just wished he wasn't so rusty. Ordering dinner was one thing, but giving a woman in the latter stages of labour instructions during the impending rescue and quite possibly the delivery of her baby was going to be quite another.
Finally, Fraser pulled the belt tightly and buckled it securely. With a sharp tug to be sure his hastily created contraption would hold he leapt back across to the cage, climbed back down to the entrance and swung himself out onto the landing to join Ray and Ryan. "It won't hold for long," he said, keeping his voice low so as not to alarm Mr and Mrs Hu any further. "Ryan, in my closet is a first aid kit, blankets, pillows and some towels. We'll need all of them."
Ryan just stood there, staring at Fraser with wide eyes. Dief barked at him, but the young man still made no move. He was having trouble taking in the seriousness of the situation and he didn't know how to react. This was exactly the kind of situation that he knew he would never be able to cope with if he ever got his shield.
"Ryan, hurry!" urged Fraser. He spun round and leaned over the edge of the stairwell to check on Mrs Hu.
Ryan took a deep breath and finally realised how badly they needed his help and he turned and ran back towards Fraser's apartment.
"Are you gonna climb down to her?" Ray asked Fraser.
"I don't think my belt will support the extra weight," explained Fraser. "We can use blankets to form a cradle and hoist Mrs Hu up and out onto this floor. I'll need your help."
Ryan came running back, his arms laden with all the items Fraser had asked for. Quickly, Fraser set about his plan to get Mei Xing out of the lift. He tied the corners of two blanket together and lowered them down towards the lift, keeping a tight grip on the other end. "Can you stand? Can you reach it?" he called to her.
Mei Xing couldn't find the strength to reply, but slowly she pulled herself to a sitting position and reached out of the door.
"Careful, lady!" Ray shouted, worried that she was going to fall out of the lift, but she had a firm grasp of the side and was just about able to grab the side of the blanket.
"Good," said Fraser as she collapsed back onto the floor. "Now just wrap yourself in the blanket and try to relax," he said, repeating his instruction in Cantonese. "That's good, Mrs Hu. Just imagine it's a hammock," he added, but he couldn't remember the Cantonese word for 'hammock' so he just had to hope she had understood. "Ray, have you got that end?"
Ray nodded. "So now we just pull her up?" he asked, wrapping the corner around his wrist for extra security.
"Yes, slowly," Fraser replied with a nod. "Her centre of gravity is not established. She could tip out if we're not careful."
Fraser and Ray braced themselves against the side of the lift cage and began hauling Mei Xing Hu out of her precarious predicament.
Ryan stood in the stairwell in disbelief as the rescue entered its final stage. His gaze shot between them and Mr Hu on the floor below who was speaking in Cantonese to his terrified wife, trying to calm her. Ryan thought he should be helping somehow, but he had no idea what to do so he just stood there rooted to the spot while the operation unfolded around him.
"How are you doing, Ray?" Fraser asked, realising his friend was struggling to maintain his grip.
"I'm doing…I'm doing fine, Benny," he lied.
Suddenly, Mei Xing was overcome by a strong contraction and she lurched forward. The makeshift cradle swung sideways and she screamed in terror. Ray tried to grab the side of the doorway to stop himself tumbling down the lift shaft, but he missed and slipped further towards the edge. Ray desperately clutched at the blanket, although he knew the action was futile - if he fell Mei Xing was going down with him.
Just as Ray thought he was going to plummet to his death, he felt Fraser's firm grasp on his belt.
"I've got you, Ray," said Fraser, gritting his teeth with the effort. He hauled his friend back to safety, still somehow managing to maintain his grip on the blanket carrying Mei Xing.
They paused for a second as Ray caught his breath, before continuing with the rescue.
Eventually Fraser was able to lift Mei Xing out and onto the floor. Mr Hu came running back up the stairs, almost knocking Ryan flying as he hurried to be with his wife. He fell to his knees beside her, kissing her and holding her hand.
"Thank you, thank you," he said to Fraser and Ray.
"Don't thank me, thank Spider-Mountie here," replied Ray, who had half-collapsed himself. He nodded towards Fraser. He'd seen the Mountie do some amazing things since he'd known him, but he had no idea how his friend had managed to maintain his grip on the wall while he had been strapping his belt around the lift mechanism. Ray glanced up to see if Fraser's handiwork was still in place and almost on cue the lift creaked and shuddered as the belt began to give way. In a split second, the cage broke away and clattered down the shaft to the basement, sending a cloud of dust in its wake.
Ray held his breath as he realised if it hadn't been for Fraser, it would have been him lying shattered into pieces at the base of the lift shaft. Not to mention Mrs Hu and her unborn baby. Ray turned back to Fraser to thank him for saving his life, but Fraser's attention was fully focussed on Mrs Hu.
He knelt beside her, opened the first aid kit and pulled on a pair of sterile gloves.
"What…what're you doing, Benny?" Ray asked, although he didn't really need an answer.
"Mrs Hu is having a baby, Ray," replied Fraser, calmly.
"No!" exclaimed Mei Xing. "No! Hospital!"
"I'm sorry, Mrs Hu," said Fraser, "but your baby is rather eager to make an appearance. There's no time to get to the hospital."
Mei Xing clung to her husband's hand as Fraser tried to make her comfortable on the floor with the pillows.
Ray got to his feet and took a step backwards, preferring to stay out of the way. He suddenly realised he hadn't heard a word from Ryan throughout the rescue.
Don't tell me he's done another disappearing act…
But Ryan was still there, standing at the top of the stairs. His eyes had a glazed look and his breathing was shallow.
"Ryan?" asked Ray, suddenly concerned, but he got no response from the young man. "Earth to Ryan," he tried again, walking over to him as Mei Xing let out a piercing scream.
The sudden noise was enough to snap Ryan out of his trance and he turned to Ray with a look of genuine fear. "I…I…I can't…" he stammered. "I can't do this!" and he ran down the stairs.
"Ryan!" Ray called after him. He hesitated, torn between running after Ryan and staying to see if Fraser needed any help. He glanced back at the Mountie who had already seen what had happened, despite being in the midst of preparing to deliver a baby.
"Go," said Fraser, nodding towards the stairs. "We're fine here," he added before returning his attentions to Mei Xing.
Ray nodded and ran down the stairs to catch up with Ryan. As much as he didn't know what he was going to say to him, Ray was glad to be out of the commotion. He'd never had to deliver a baby before – that kind of thing was definitely best left to Fraser - and he wasn't about to get involved in a delivery on the landing of Fraser's filthy slum of an excuse for an apartment building. He knew Mei Xing was in good hands, so he would just have to be the one to talk to Ryan and hopefully find out what was wrong.
I might be better at delivering the baby than finding the right words to say to that kid…
Ray ran out into the fresh air of the morning and looked around for Ryan. At first he didn't see him, but then he spotted a figure huddled against the wall in between two overflowing dumpsters. Ryan had his arms wrapped protectively around himself. He looked cold, but the sun was shining and it was a deceptively warm spring day in Chicago so Ray realised something else was causing his chill. Ray walked over to him without calling out, he didn't want to risk another flight reaction.
As Ray got closer, Ryan looked up, but to Ray's relief he didn't run.
"Hey," said Ray in as sympathetic a voice as he could muster. "Didn't feel like hanging around until the stork showed up?" he asked with a grin.
Ryan looked at him as if he was talking in a foreign language.
"Don't worry about Mrs Hu and the baby," continued Ray. "Fraser's done this before, they'll be fine."
Ryan just shrugged nonchalantly.
Ray sighed. He's not making this easy…
"So, um, what did you mean back there?" he asked. "What is it you figure you can't do?" Ray felt the direct approach might be best.
"Ain't that obvious, Vecchio?" snapped Ryan, suddenly finding his voice. "I can't do that!" he continued pointing up towards Fraser's building. "I can't be a cop! I don't know who I thought I was trying to kid by going to the Academy?"
"OK, just listen to me for a second," said Ray. "That," he said, pointing at the same window of the building as Ryan just had. "That has nothing to do with being a cop, OK? That's just Fraser. He does this sort of thing all the time. Don't ask me why. He just attracts people in trouble like a magnet. This afternoon it'll be a cat stuck up a tree, or an old lady with a knitting emergency. No one expects you to rescue people from elevators, or deliver babies. We have the Fire and Rescue Service and, y'know, doctors to do that. All you need to do is go out there and keep thugs, gangsters and general slimeballs off the streets."
"Oh, come on," replied Ryan, throwing his hands in the air. "You telling me you wouldn't have done the same if Fraser hadn't been there?"
"No, I wouldn't," replied Ray, folding his arms across his chest defiantly. "I would've called 911 like any other concerned citizen and waited for help."
"Really? You would have just stood by and watch her fall?" continued Ryan, incredulously.
Ray sighed. "Well, no, of course not…" he trailed off. The truth was he had no idea what he would have done. "I guess adrenaline might have kicked in, but there's no way I would've gone climbing that wall."
Ryan nodded sadly. "I would've run," he confessed. "I don't mean run away, but I wouldn't have stuck around too long to see the damage. I guess maybe I might have come out here and flagged someone down to help out, I don't know, but if I'd been in uniform she would have expected me to help her and…and I would have let her down, I know it."
"Don't get too hung up on this," replied Ray. "Just don't go partnering up with a Mountie, that's my advice. Cop Rule one-oh-two hundred, or whatever we're up to. Believe me my life was never like this until Fraser came to town."
Ryan was about to say something else, but he and Ray were both suddenly distracted by the sound of a siren. Ray spun round to see the ambulance arrive.
"At last…" he mumbled under his breath and he ran over to the vehicle to brief the paramedics and direct them to the right floor of the building. As the two medics ran into the building, Ray turned to walk back towards the dumpsters, only to find that Ryan was nowhere to be seen.
Ray sighed and ran his hand over his forehead in frustration. "Great!" he yelled to no one in particular. "He's done it again!"