Nature Calls, Escape & Change of Plans

Remote Mountain Cabin – Bathroom

Spike had put off using the bathroom until he couldn't wait any longer. Nature was calling him and he had to heed the call or else. He hated leaving Sam unattended. He had put more snow around Sam and then checked to see if Sam was even conscious in the slightest.

Sam appeared out cold. So Spike ran to the restroom. Nervously he tried to hurry up but that only slowed things down. He took a deep breath to relax. What could happen while he was in here?

He snorted. This is Sam. The better question to ask would be what couldn't happen. The list would be shorter.

Remote Mountain Cabin – Main Room

Sam stirred. He felt hot and cold. His head hurt like hell. He could almost hear his blood thrumming through his veins and each pulse brought agony. His eyes opened a slit. The low light caused him to squeeze them shut again.

He felt weighed down. Something wet held him to the ground. Sam reached out and his hand landed on a wet blanket. He threw it off. His body oscillated between hot and cold as he shivered.

Sam wondered where the hell he was. He forced his eyes open a little bit and tried to focus. With effort he pushed himself to a seated position. A wet rag fell from his face into his lap. It was purple. No. It couldn't be. He was not there. It was not the purple rag. The rag that was put over his face every day, twice a day. The rag that suffocated him while his tormentors poured buckets of water over his face.

But it was there. It was purple. It was wet. He was wet. He was undressed. His leg hurt like hell. His head hurt like hell. His whole body ached.

Sam had to escape. He didn't remember this room but everything told him he was there. He saw a door. He was not chained. Sam crawled toward the door unable to get to his feet.

On his knees he yanked the door open. The blast of frigid air and snow disoriented him. He was hallucinating. It had to be a sandstorm and stifling hot air. There was no snow there. His mind was screwing with him.

Sam took a deep breath and crawled into the sandstorm that his mind told him was a snowstorm. He ignored the hallucination and kept crawling. He had to escape. This was the first opportunity that ever presented itself. He had to make it out of here alive and get back to the unit. The sandstorm would provide him cover to get far away unseen.

His knees and hands were burning. His mind said it was from cold but he knew it had to be from heat. The same hot ground that burned and blistered his flesh as he was staked out to the ground as the sun beat down on him for endless hours.

Sam mumbled "Matt, I escaped. I did it. I finally got out of there. No more needles. Come find me Matt. I'm free, I'm out of this place. Come for me Matt."

He dropped to the ground all energy spent. Unable to crawl anymore Sam laid on his stomach on the burning ground. He felt the sand blowing around him and covering him.

As Sam slowly drifted out of consciousness he knew he had done all he could do to survive that hell hole. He had escaped. Now Matt would come for him.

Sam saw Matt crouch down next to him wearing a sad smile. Matt said to him "I've got you Sammy. I'll watch over you brother."

He felt Matt's light touch on his face and he felt safe, warm and in no pain. Matt had come for him. He always knew Matt would come for him.

Sam's eyes rolled back and he was out.

The snow continued to fall heavily, quickly covering Sam's boxers only clad body.

Ski Lodge – Main Entrance

Scott sighed seeing the ski lodge looming in front of him. Thank god he made it. Seven and a half hours though. He had taken so much longer than he had expected. But he had made it. He would be able to get help to Sam soon.

He stopped the snowmobile and pocketed the keys. He grabbed the old extra cane Landry had let him borrow. Easing off the snowmobile Scott braced himself against the wind. Slowly he made it through the knee deep drifts to the lodge door. The morphine had worn off and his leg was killing him.

As Scott opened the door he heard multiple muffled groans and yells to shut the damned door as he allowed ice cold air and snow to blow into the warm and toasty lodge. Scott closed the door and limped in. Two dozen people all with steaming mugs of something turned to see the newcomer. No one was out in this storm. They were all curious.

Scott was surprised he had actually made it into the lodge without his leg buckling. He ripped off his ski mask and said loudly "I need emergency personnel."

Bob Albertson, the lodge manager, strode forward "What's the problem?"

Leaning on the cane Scott said "I have a medical emergency. My …"

Bob noticed the man leaning heavily on the cane and the pain lines etched in his face and interrupted "We have a person trained in basic first aid. How are you hurt?"

"Not me. My cousin. He's in bad shape and needs a med evac. We're staying at Emmett Haley's cabin" Scott said as he eyed a chair across the room.

Scott really needed to sit but he didn't think he'd be able manage it that far without falling on his face. So Scott sucked in a breath and forced himself to stand relying on the cane to keep him upright. He went on to describe Sam's condition and that he needed to call for help.

Ski Lodge – Next to Fireplace

Deep in the room away from the entrance, nestled warmly by the fireplace Willow nudged Lexi "Hey that's the older twin cousin."

Ron Jenkins, the ski patrol guy snagged by Willow to keep her bed warm during the storm asked "What do you mean older twin cousin?"

Willow smiled at her boy toy. Using her pet name for him she said "Ronnie you remember the guy I accidentally ran into on the slope?" Ron nodded and she continued "That's the other one. They look like twins but are really cousins. He's older."

Ron nodded remembering the likeness of the two men from a few days ago. He said "Yeah I remember them. Thought they were twins or at least brothers."

Lexi grumbled thinking they had lied to her "I thought they were not staying at the lodge."

Striding over to Lexi a tall muscular college student stopped and handed her a fresh mug of hot chocolate. He heard part of the conversation and had been close enough to the door to hear some of Scott's words too. He said to the three others "Not staying at the lodge. Apparently there is some medical emergency. The guy skied like twenty miles to get here."

Ron stood up "Christ! Twenty miles in this weather? Must be very bad to risk his life like that. I'm going to go see if I can help."

Willow pouted "You'd leave warm little me to go into the freezing weather."

Ron looked at Willow. It had been fun for a few days but she was so shallow and very clingy and needy. Being snowed in with nothing to do meant he hung around her longer than he would have normally. But now there might be an opportunity to ditch her.

In his voice he used to deal with difficult people Ron stated "Duty calls. The lodge doesn't pay me to sit around all day."

"But he's not even a guest Ronnie" Willow pouted again.

Ron shrugged but cringed inside. He hated it when she called him Ronnie. His ex-wife had called him that and she had been a controlling bitch who had run off with some surfer saying she preferred beaches to snow.

As Ron walked away from Willow he looked toward the man leaning on the cane. The man looked like he was exhausted and he might just need some help. Ron snagged a chair and dragged it with him as he headed towards the man.

Ski Lodge – Main Entrance

Ron set the chair behind the man and said "Take a seat. You look like you are gonna drop standing there. Name's Ron Jenkins, I'm part of the lodge ski patrol here. How can I help?"

Scott slowly lowered himself into the chair and winced. "Thanks. I'm Scott Braddock. I was just telling Bob that I need call for help for my cousin Sam."

Bob looked worried as he turned to Ron. Ron was head of the lodge ski patrol. "I informed Scott that the phone lines are down. Nothings getting through on the CB either."

Ron said "The ranger station has a satellite phone."

"How far is the ranger station?" Scott asked.

"About twelve miles" Ron answered.

Scott pull out his map "Show me where."

Ron pointed to the ranger station on the map. Then he said "You can't ski there. You look like death warmed over."

Pushing himself to a standing position and teetering a bit Scott responded "Not gonna ski. Have a snowmobile courtesy of Landry and Maisie."

Shaking his head Ron remarked "No you are too exhausted to make it even on a snowmobile."

Scott's voice came out hard "Not letting my cousin die. I'll make it."

Ron put up his hands defensively "Whoa wasn't suggesting you not go. Just not on the snowmobile. I'm suggesting a change in your plans only. You see the lodge ski patrol has a six passenger sno-cat. It goes faster than Landry's ancient snowmobile. I could get you there in less time and you wouldn't freeze to death with the heated and insulated cabin."

Scott sunk back down in the chair. His prayers had been answered. He knew that no helicopters could operate in these winds. He had been worried that even if he had called for help that it would not arrive in time. Scott asked "What's its top speed and how far is the nearest hospital?"

Bob said "It does twenty miles per hour. The hospital is ten miles from here"

Again Scott asked to be shown on the map. He did the calculations. Twenty miles to the cabin, backtrack eight and take a different route to the hospital that would be another twelve. God willing he could get Sam to a hospital in a little over two hours.

Scott said "We have forty miles to cover. Can we leave now?"

Ron put a hand on Scott's shoulder. In a serious tone he responded "You rest while I suit up and bring the sno-cat to the main entrance. Take me about fifteen minutes."

Turning to Ron Bob smiled "Go. We'll get Scott squared away while you get ready and get the sno-cat." Bob then called to one of his staff and instructed them "Kelly I need you to go get Scott something warm to drink and eat. Have Winston grab the first aid kit too."

Scott sighed and gave a small grin "Thanks."

Ron rushed to his room to dress appropriately. Then he grabbed his snowshoes and headed out to the lodge garage. It would be easier than slogging through the deep drifts.

Kelly brought Scott a huge plate of food and moved a small table to him so he did not need to get up. The lodge was abuzz with excitement as the news of what was going on spread like wild fire among very bored guest.

Bob managed to keep everyone away from Scott so he could eat in peace. He watched as Scott pulled out a bottle and shook two pills out and swallowed them. He sat in the chair he had pulled over and said "You are in pain."

Scott looked at him and responded "I'll survive. Thanks for all your assistance and the food."

Bob took in the military cut and bearing of the man and asked "Army, Navy or Air force?"

Scott downed the last of his coffee and answered "Navy."

Kelly refilled his coffee and smiled at him as Bob said "I was in the Air Force years ago. Are you any relation to Colonel Ryan Braddock?"

"Yeah, he's my uncle" Scott said.

"Sam's Father?" Bob inquired.

Shaking his head he said "Nope that would be General Braddock of Special Forces. Ryan is Adam and Zach's dad."

Bob's eyebrows raised "Wow a real military family. Your Father in the service too?"

"Yeah. He's a Navy Commander. Could say it is the family business" Scott chuckled.

Bob knew he was prying but he was trying to relax Scott because he seemed so tense "Sam in the service?"

"Nah he's the black sheep" Scott laughed. Then he clarified "He was in Special Forces but when his second tour was up he left the military and joined the SRU in Toronto."

Scott felt more relaxed as he spoke about bits and pieces of his family. He had been so tense for so many hours. He could not relax all the way because he was still too worried that it had taken him too long to get help. And it would be at least two more hours before he could get Sam to a hospital.

The main door opened and Ron came stamping in "Ready Scott?"

Scott pulled on his face mask and gloves. He shook hands with Bob who wished them luck and speed.

Bob helped Scott up then let him go as Scott toddled forward using the cane. He saw Scott sway and Ron grab his arm and assist him into the sno-cat. Then he closed the lodge door. When he turned the group of guests were all at the window watching the sno-cat drive away.