CHAPTER NINE
The day slowly turned to night. Connors was kept busy trying to keep the brothers and Anderson from beating the crap out of each other. The men really didn't have much in common except for a mutual loathing. Roy spent most of the time sleeping.
It wasn't until nearly supper time that Connors remembered the injuries to the paramedic's hands and knees from falling so much the previous day. He searched the cabin until he came up with hydrogen peroxide, cotton balls, bandages and tape. Entering the master bedroom, Connors wasn't surprised to find Anderson hovering over the man.
"Get the hell out of here," Connors growled. He really didn't like the man much. He was a little too much like Johnson for his tastes.
"Who made you God?" Anderson spit out. He really wanted to spend some time alone with this civilian. There was something about him that brought the worst out of the criminal.
"I did," Connors replied. He took a step towards the shorter man, murder in his eyes. Suddenly Anderson decided the civilian wasn't worth getting a beating over. He'd have his time with him, just not yet.
"Fine, knock yourself out," Anderson said. Holding his hands up in a placating gesture, Anderson left the room.
Heaving a sigh, Connors placed the items he'd collected on a chair beside the bed. The paramedic was lying on his back, completely oblivious to the world. Connors supposed he'd be pretty much the same if he'd gone through what the man had in the last twenty four hours.
Carefully, Connors pulled the man's hands up from underneath the blankets. They had long since stopped bleeding but in the light of a lamp beside the bed he could see the ground in dirt and gravel. Johnson had had a little too much fun with the man. Connors soaked a cotton ball with peroxide and bent to work. This was going to take a while.
It took a few minutes for the effects of the cleaning agent to register on Roy's exhaustion fogged mind. The paramedic managed to push the pain to the back of his mind until he felt someone pulling at the blankets. Flashbacks from his fight with Johnson erupted in front of Roy's eyes. His reflective response was to hit out at the dark shadow hovering over him. He was barely even aware that his hands were wrapped in bandages. All that mattered was getting away from the person trying to uncover him.
"Hey, hey, it's me," Connors said, trying to calm the civilian down. All he'd been trying to do was get at the man's knees. He had hoped the man would stay unconscious. No such luck.
"Where's Johnny?" Roy muttered as he rapidly blinked his eyes. For some reason they weren't focusing quite as well as they usually did. The flashbacks were tapering off, allowing the paramedic to better assess his present situation.
"Who's Johnny? Johnny Carson? At home I'd imagine," Connors said. He was rambling now but his continued prattle seemed to be calming the man down. "I'm going to clean your knees. Your hands were pretty messed up from yesterday and I want to make sure your knees are cleaned up as well."
"Where are the others?" Roy asked. He didn't feel up to filling the inmate in about his partner or even what he did for a living. The less these men knew about him the better.
"Around. I think Jared is making supper. That boy can really cook! David is trying to help and Anderson can go jump in a deep lake for all I care," Connors stated. He'd finally gotten the blankets down and was examining the man's knees. They were in as good of shape as his hands had been. Johnson had really been having too much fun.
As quickly and carefully as he could manage, Connors cleaned Roy's knees and wrapped them up in bandages. Then he turned his attention to the man's wrist. He should have dealt with that at the same time as his hands but such is life.
"I'm thirsty," Roy stated. He was in better shape than he had been but he could tell he was still dehydrated.
"And hungry I'll bet," Connors said. "I'll finish here and then I'll go get you more water. I think Jared should have supper ready in a few minutes. I'll bring some in when it's ready."
"Thank you," Roy said. He was finding it hard to keep his eyes open. The only thing keeping him awake at all was worry for his wife and kids. They must be frantic by now. Roy was sure that Johnny had told Joanne about the necklace. He'd been missing too long not to.
OOOOO
Once they got beyond the initial scene, the dogs picked up on the scent quickly. Johnny felt hope begin to burn in his chest as they ran to keep up with the dogs. The police officers didn't pay much attention to the junior paramedic but he didn't care. At last they were finally doing something. He was barely even aware of Mike Stoker pounding up behind him. The engineer had no intentions of being left behind.
It was hard work keeping up with the dogs as they bound after the scents they'd found. At the top of the embankment there was a momentary lull as they sorted through all of them and found the one they wanted. Then the small group was off again.
OOOOO
"They couldn't have travelled this far could they?" Mike Stoker asked. After nearly two hours of running, the police officers and firemen had been forced to take a break. The humans and the dogs were hot, tired and thirsty.
Mike and Johnny were seated on a fallen tree passing a canteen back and forth. They were deep in the forest up toward the hills. Mike was wondering if the dogs had lost the scent and were just enjoying the run at this point.
"They were highly motivated to not get caught. I imagine they would have travelled as far as possible," Johnny said. While they'd covered a fair amount of ground, the junior paramedic was chomping at the bit to keep going. Roy was out here somewhere with a group of inmates. He needed to find him as soon as possible.
Luckily for them the policemen had brought rations and canteens with them. Johnny had been so distracted that the only thing he'd remembered to bring was a well stocked first aid kit. After a quick bite they were off again.
OOOOO
It was later in the day that the search team came across a dilapidated cabin. The policemen entered first, their guns drawn. It wasn't until they were satisfied that they allowed Mike and Johnny to come inside.
Looking around, Johnny had the terrible feeling that Roy had spent the night here. The roof was partially gone, which would have left them exposed to the elements. There were signs that someone or something had been inside the cabin recently. It was the pair of steel handcuffs lying discarded on the ground by the broken wood stove that confirmed the inmates' presence.
"Damn it, Roy. Where are you?" Johnny breathed as he stepped out of the cabin. He was beginning to lose hope that they were going to find his partner in one piece. He clung to the fact that the hand cuffs had been left behind. That seemed to indicate that Roy was at least free. It could also mean that the senior paramedic was so badly injured that the convicts didn't have to worry about him getting away.
Swallowing bile, Johnny paced around the cabin, waiting for the officers to conclude their search. Johnny all ready knew everything he'd needed to know. Roy was not here.