Broken Dreams - 4 Plot bunny – Judy Dedicated to my fellow whispers Brian opened his eyes and found himself leaning against the trunk of a tree and everything around him looked surreal. Moss hung down in heavy swaths and the part of the forest that was visible to him wasn’t like any forest he’d seen back east. It was out of some kind of horror movie or an episode of the X-Files. There was no pleasantly clear ground under the enormous trees where rabbits romped and Bambi peeked out from behind a bush. Rather, it was a tangle of old growth, fallen limbs and mysterious plant life that looked like it could be lethal. Brian grimaced, somehow it was just like he’d pictured, which wasn’t a good thing. He shut his eyes again and quickly for forced them open again, remembering that was how he’d passed out the last time. George sat on a large rock staring intently. “Merrrooooww,” he said with his strange raven accent. “I completely agree George,” Brian said. “This day fucking sucks.” His arm was killing him and the pain had settled into a heavy throb, that radiated into a knee bending scream whenever he moved and that was the good part. The bad part was the fact that he knew he needed to move or he’d be dead sooner rather than later. “There’s no way out of this is there?” he asked the raven. “I suppose I’m going to have to go back into that ice water and get my suitcases.” He knew he’d never forgive Craig Taylor for ruining his Louis Vuitton, let alone breaking his arm among other things. Then there was Justin; how did he figure in all of this? Was it some kind of scam; lure the wealthy in and then bump them off for whatever reason? Brian shook his head and immediately regretted making the move. His head ached and any movement in his body set off his arm. George meowed again and this time he also let out a kind of sqawk. “Okay, okay, I’ll get the damn suitcases. You know that everything in them will be ruined anyway.” The blue sky above had disappeared and turned a dirty gray, the reason for that became apparent with the opening of the heavens. George looked at Brian reproachfully and fluffed out his feathers. As he got up and waded into the icy cold water to retrieve his cases, Brian cast aside his need to put on a brave front for anyone when each movement brought the need for him to scream out in pain and frustration. Finally, he lay panting on the shore, his three water soaked cases lay in a heap as the cold rain fell on all of them. Brian wasn’t sure how much time had passed since he’d begun the retrieval of his cases, but he knew that it must have been considerable. The spot where the broken bone pushed against the skin in his arm was almost black with a red ring of infection around it. Even Brian knew that it wasn’t a good sign. He contemplated trying to set the bone himself, but realized he hadn’t a clue how to go about it but he knew it had to be done and soon. He wished he’d thought to pack a decent first aid kit with him, but who knew he’d need it. The best he could hope for would be a bottle of Jim Beam that he’d tucked into this case at the last minute before leaving New York. He lay shivering, rain falling on him, and had to laugh at what he must look like. “How fucking pathetic Kinney,” he said out loud. Brian shut his eyes hoping that when he opened them again, he’d be somewhere else. A snuffling sound accompanied by a heavy unpleasant smell aroused him enough to open his eyes. He stared into the eyes of a good sized white bear and looked hard at each other. In the distance Brian was sure he could hear George meowing and then squawking, never sure what sound he was supposed to be making. Brian knew how the raven felt; he didn’t know whether he should be saying his prayers or whether he should be screaming. Either one seemed like a good option at the moment. The bear snorted as it inspected Brian from one end to another. Rain glistened on its white fur and its nose twitched and wiggled as the bear took in Brian’s scent. George walked over in that arrogant twisting walk raven’s have and stood beside the bear. His meows and squawks seemed softer to Brian, almost as if he was talking to the bear because once in awhile the bear would stop sniffing him and listen to the raven nodding his heavy bear head up and down agreeing with whatever it was that George was saying. Brian was sure he was hallucinating, after all he’d been all but killed a few hours before. He was wet,cold and damn hungry and now he had a bear and a raven discussing his prognoses. Why not? Who heard of polar bears in this part of the country anyway? Brian wondered. The bear reached down and with some discussion on George’s part that the bear seemed to agree with, put his mouth on Brian’s good arm and pulled him upright. “FUCK,” Brian screamed in pain. The bear hadn’t hurt him, but moving into a standing position had jarred his arm, which was now sending shock waves of blinding pain through his body. The bear snorted, huffed and grunted but didn’t let go of Brian’s arm. (though) His grasp was gentle not hard enough to break the skin. He shuffled forward, pulling Brian with him. The pain filled man had no choice but to walk where the bear was taking him. There didn’t seem to be any discernable path, but the bear was determined and Brian had no choice but to follow while George walked beside them adding words of encouragement. Finally, the bear let go and ambled away to sit on his haunches and to stare at Brian. George walked over to Brian and pecked him on his leg. “Ouch,” Brian said and glared at George. He looked around and realized that though it was raining. They were in an area where the forest canopy was so thick that it provided shelter from the rain; in fact, it was rather pleasant despite the stench of the bear. Who knew the buggers smelled so bad Brian thought to himself. He sat down on a moss covered rock and looked around. A bush covered in berries wasn’t too far away. They looked rather like black raspberries and George was eating them. They might be okay to eat, though ravens ate any kind of garbage, so seeing George chowing down wasn’t that reassuring. “Well boys,” Brian was assuming the white bear was a boy, like he assumed George was. “What now?” he asked. George walked over to him and pecked at his platinum ID bracelet. Brian yanked his arm away, but the raven hopped on his lap and pecked gently at the bracelet again this time looking up at Brian and saying “meeerrrroooow.” Brian shut his eyes for a second. What the fuck, he thought. But the third peck gave him an idea. “Do you want to take this bracelet to Justin?” he asked as if the bird understood him and would answer. “Meeerrororow,” George answered back and grinned if you could call it that. “There’s one small problem, I can’t get it off. My other hand isn’t working all that good.” He nodded his head indicating his broken arm. “Fuck,” he said when the bird hit the bracelet again with more vigor. “Okay, okay, I’ll work on it,” Brian couldn’t believe he was arguing with a fucking raven. He sighed heavily and looked over where the bear had been sitting. There was nothing there. The bear had disappeared into the forest or had never been there in the first place, though Brian was sure he could still smell him. Working determinedly with his teeth, Brian finally was able to release the clasp on his bracelet; it fell to the ground soundlessly. He couldn’t believe how hot he was despite the cold dampness of his clothes and suspected he might be feverish, probably because of his arm. George looked at him and kicked the bracelet a couple of times, and then slipped his head under it letting the links slide over his feathers and fall back to the ground. Brian by now could more or less understand what the crow wanted. He picked up the bracelet and managed to fasten it shut and then slipped it over the raven’s head. “Go Lassie, go get help, get mom Lassie,” Brian instructed the raven and laughed at his absurdity of talking with a bird. George looked at him and actually made a human laughing sound, which even in all his pain made Brian snort out loud. He knew he was losing it but couldn’t stop. He continued long after George had taken a few running hops and flew through the low hanging branches before disappearing into the gray sky. The next time Brian woke up, he knew he was in trouble. Infection had most definitely set in. His arm was an alarming color from the tips of his fingers on up to his shoulder. His eyes felt hot and his vision blurred. He was thankful that he wasn’t directly in the rain, but he felt like he might as well be with the heavy scent of wet leaves and air thick with moisture. For the first time he wondered if this was it; if he was going to die out here in the woods. All the money and fame that he had in the city was worth nothing out here. Brian’s mind wandered to a certain blond cowboy, for that’s how he had thought of Justin. He loved the visual image of the man in his worn thin jeans and his leather chaps. His high-heeled boots of leather worn soft and supple combined with the tight white tee shirt that hugged Justin’s muscled upper body. All these things designed to make Brian hard and hot. He focused on Justin’s skin, so soft and scented with the very essence of the man mixed with a woodsy smelling soap. He sighed and shut his eyes; sure he was feeling cool hands on his brow, brushing back his hair and soft lips on his breathing for him, with whispered words of encouragement to live, love and laugh again. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Daphne looked up when Justin walked out of his father’s office. She had removed the bullet from Craig Taylor’s leg and given him a strong sedative. “He trashed the radio,” Justin rasped. He’d been trying to piece it together, but it was beyond his capabilities. “I don’t know how I’m going to get help to look for Brian,” he stared at Daphne, his eyes filled with sorrow and pain. “How can you help that son of a bitch? He’s done something to Brian. He might have killed him for all we know. He’s certainly capable of it.” “Justin, I know the two of you don’t get along, but murder?” Daphne asked. “Besides, George had Brian’s bracelet. He couldn’t have put it on himself.” “You saw the room upstairs. You saw the blood on my mother’s carpet and her bed,” Justin shuddered. “He won’t even tell us what went on here.” “When he was drowsy from the drugs, he said something about Kinney in the lake. Do you think he could have killed him and put him in the lake?” “Maybe, the fishing boat is missing. But how would he get back here? Do you think maybe Brian took the fishing boat?” “Did Brian seem like the kind of guy who would do something like that?” Daphne asked cleaning up the items she’d used. “No,” Justin looked miserable. “Daphne, I’m going to look for him. I’ll take the canoe in case he did go somewhere in the fishing boat.” “I’m going with you,” Daphne said as she began assembling what she’d needed in a pile. “I could use a backpack for my supplies. He might be hurt or something.[”]She looked down at Craig, “I’ve done what I can for him. He can just deal with it now.” “I can’t ask you to do this,” Justin began. “You aren’t asking. Now pack up some things. Put together what we’d need if we were spending time in the woods, “ Daphne was good at giving orders. For some reason her friend had lost all of his oomph. He was standing around like he hadn’t a clue. “Justin, move your ass. If Brian is out there he’s going to need us. It’s raining or haven’t you noticed?” Justin jumped when she raised her voice. He didn’t know what was wrong with him, but he had to get it together, this was ridiculous. “I’ll put two field packs together.” “Don’t forget tents,” Daphne called after him. “Two of them, I’m not sleeping with you and Brian,” she kept her voice positive as she didn’t want to alarm Justin. Craig Taylor had mumbled a lot of things and none of them were good as far as Brian Kinney was concerned. She wished she could radio her father but like her grandfather often said, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride. Justin was staring at his father who lay sleeping on the sofa. “What about him?” he said to Daphne as they left the lodge both of them carrying heavy backpacks. “There’s nothing we can do about him,” Daphne shrugged. “I’ve given him enough dope to keep him sleeping for a few hours, but after that we won’t be here to stop him from doing whatever he wishes,” she said. “Justin, we can’t lock him in the cellar.”’ “Why not?” Justin asked with a choked laugh. “It works for me.” “Asshole,” she hit his arm, glad that he was able to joke even if it was kind of sick. They took the ATV down to the dock and Justin loaded the packs onto the canoe. He helped Daphne in before getting in himself. Soon the two friends fell into a steady rhythm of paddling in the direction that George had come from with the bracelet. The raven was nowhere to be seen and neither was Charlie the wolf dog or the cats Boomer and Bang. Misty watched from her usual spot perched on the fence. Before they’d left, Justin had turned the horses out of the stables leaving the gates open so that the horses could wander down to the lake for water. There was plenty of fresh grass for them this time of year; they’d do okay while he was gone even if his father didn’t bother with them. Neither Justin nor Daphne said anything as they paddled close to the shoreline looking for any sign that Brian could have gone ashore. Finally, Daphne broke the silence. “How far do you think he might have gone?” she asked her voice was quiet; she didn’t want to reflect her concern and cause Justin more anxiety than he was already feeling. They had paddled the long way around the lake. The ranch had disappeared almost immediately as they followed the curving shoreline and they felt alone out on the water with only the ducks and geese and the odd loon or heron to keep them company. Justin’s anxiety had increased with each stroke of his paddle and he refused to stop when Daphne wanted to break for something to eat having to be satisfied with a power bar. He continued to paddle, his long sure strokes fuelled by the need to find Brian. The closer it got to the evening, the cooler it was on the water. A steady drizzle of rain wasn’t helping and Justin and Daphne were truly feeling miserable. It was then that they caught a glimpse of the partially submerged aluminum fishing boat. At the same time, they saw Boomer and Bang sitting on the shore having taken a more direct route by land. George flew down from his perch on a tree to land on the bow of the aluminum boat. He meowed triumphantly and flew up and over Justin and Daphne while continuing to meow. “That raven has a serious identity problem,” Daphne laughed. “At least Boomer and Bang don’t squawk like a raven,” Justin replied. He steered their canoe past the aluminum boat and beached it on the sandy shore. He and Daphne jumped out and pulled the canoe free of the water. “Where’s Brian?” he looked around. Not seeing anything that told him where the other man could be. Charlie appeared out of the forest. He came over to Justin and Daphne and scratched at Justin’s leg and whined to get their attention. Then he turned back to disappear into the dank green of a primeval rain forest. “I think he wants us to follow him,” Daphne commented needlessly for Justin was already pushing his way through the undergrowth with Charlie in the lead. It wasn’t easy going, but there was a pathway of sorts. Daphne called ahead, “Justin a Spirit bear has used this path.” She was looking at a tuft of white fur stuck on a blackberry branch. “Be careful.” “He probably brought Brian to some shelter from the rain.” Justin spotted Brian lying at the bottom of the wide trunk of a cedar tree. He noticed his one arm swollen and discolored, his face flushed with fever as he quickly ran over to him. “Brian, Brian, Brian,” a mantra whispered in terror. “You have to live, you have to be okay.” He turned to Daphne his eyes panicked, “You have to help him. Look at his arm.” “Get away from him, let me work. If you want to do something you’d better set up the tents. I do believe we aren’t going anywhere until Brian is doing better than he is now. Unless you have some way of signaling for the mail plane tomorrow.” “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Justin swore. “He’s wet and cold; he needs to get into something dry.” “No he’s hot; he’s got a fever, probably because of the infection that’s set in because of his broken arm.” Daphne was cutting away Brian’s shirt, “Shit Justin, he’s covered in bruises. What the fuck did your father do to him?” Justin’s face was grim, “Let me help.” He was kneeling at Brian’s head smoothing back Brian’s hair as he kissed his lips tenderly. “Please Brian, be okay,” he whispered tenderly. “Justin set up the tents please,” Daphne instructed again. “As soon as you do, we’ll move Brian into one. He’ll be more comfortable there. I’m going to have to try and set his arm, but it’ll no doubt have to be repaired in Vancouver once we get him there. For now I’m giving him a big shot of penicillin and hope to God he isn’t allergic to it.” “Should I give him some water?” Justin asked. “No set up the fucking tents Justin, geeze, don’t you ever do what you’re told?” she bitched as she worked on Brian. She felt along Brian’s arm and then moved the bone back into position. Brian wasn’t conscious but he groaned deeply. Her trauma kit was a good one. At least Craig hadn’t stinted in that department. Daphne expertly splinted his arm and bound it to his chest. Immobilizing the arm to allow it to heal. Once that was looked after she began to check her patient for other signs of trauma finding more bruising and scrapes than she wanted to. Justin realized that he’d need to set up the tents close to where Brian was. They weren’t going to be able to move him far. In fact, he wasn’t sure they were going to be able to move him at least for the next twenty four hours or so. He put up the first tent. It was the smaller of the two he’d brought and Daphne would be fine in it. He unrolled her sleeping bag from her backpack and placed it inside. He wished he could do more for her, but he just didn’t have the resources at the moment. Walking over to where Daphne was dealing with Brian, Justin said, “You know I thought you were nuts when you wanted to be a doctor. I’m glad you ignored me and followed your dream.” “Yes and if Brian was pregnant, we could be sure he was getting the best of care,” she giggled. “I never was that great at general trauma,” Daphne was referring to the fact that she was an OB-GYN. “I wonder what he’d say if he knew,” Justin said with a laugh. “Fuck you Sunshine,” the voice was weak but still it was Brian’s. “I feel like I was pushed down a flight of stairs.” Justin thought that more than likely he had been. He didn’t know any other way his father could have carried Brian down the stairs from his room. “I’m sorry Brian that you’ve had to deal with my insane father.” “You didn’t know,” Brian said. He tried to smile and reassure Justin, but wasn’t quite able to pull it off. “Say Doc, how’s my arm?” “Not good Brian. There’s an infection and the bone should have been set sooner. You really have to be looked at in a hospital. I’ve given you a shot of an antibiotic and a painkiller. I’m going to leave what you need with Justin. It’ll be enough to last for forty eight hours.” “Daphne, you can’t leave me and Brian here alone?” Justin was shocked. He looked at Brian and then back at Daphne. “What would you suggest Justin? Brian needs help and he needs it as soon as possible. There’s no way he can hike out of here and I don’t think he can even sit in the canoe long enough for us to get to the ranch. When we get there, what happens then? If we miss the mail plane or your father has fucked up something else, Brian is screwed. I’m going to hike over to Rosa’s place. I can get there in a day and I can radio from there and get a medical helicopter to pick you guys up.” “That’s not going to be an easy hike,” Justin’s voice was quiet. “You’d be going right through Kermode Bear country and this time of year they’ll be out in full force.” “I know that Justin, but I’ll take Charlie and you know George will be along as well. You can keep Boomer and Bang.” She looked over at the two cats who watched from just inside the tent Justin had set up for her. They smiled at her. “What about me?” Brian asked weakly. “Justin will look after you. He’s really rather good at it,” Daphne said and she winked at Brian. “Of course, you’re too sick to benefit from what he’s really, really good at.” “Geeze Daphne,” Justin huffed. “Can I have more of whatever you gave me before?” Brian asked. “Your doctor friend has good drugs,” he smiled weakly, a slightly crooked smile that made Justin’s heart melt. “No you can’t. Justin is going to put up the other tent and then we’re going to help you into it. Justin will change your clothes and make you dry and comfy.” “I’d like to be wet and sticky with Justin,” Brian replied and Justin flushed. “Apparently he doesn’t need anymore drugs,” Justin’s tone was dry. “I need you Sunshine,” Brian’s voice slurred and his eyes rolled back before shutting. “Ahhhhh, that’s kind of cute,” Daphne said with a giggle. “Hurry up and get the tent ready. He needs to get out of this damp air and get his clothes changed but no funny stuff, Brian is in a delicate condition.” “He’s not pregnant,” Justin laughed, but he did what she asked and put the larger tent up. When the tent was up and sleeping bags ready, Justin went back to check on Brian and Daphne. Boomer and Bang were curled up next to the sleeping man on one side. Charlie was on the other side. He looked around and found Daphne just coming out of her tent. “What’s up with the animals?” “I told them Brian was cold, they’re warming him up,” Daphne replied as she got out of the tent and walked over to look at the sleeping man surrounded by the two cats and the wolf dog. “We have to move him now. It’s not going to be fun for him or for us.” She bent down to look at his arm, “I think it’s looking better.” “How can you tell?” Justin asked. It looked damn awful to him. “I’m a doctor.” “A baby doctor.” “So he’s just a bit bigger than most of my patients. Though I have had some moms just about that size.” “But not as good looking,” Justin smiled down at Brian fondly. “He’s kind of cute sleeping like that.” “Somehow I doubt anyone has used that term with Mr. Kinney,” Daphne smiled as she looked at him. “But you have a point, he is kind of cute. By the way I took his picture.” She held up her small digital camera that went everywhere with her. “I’m pretty sure the cats were smiling, but Charlie doesn’t seem to smile much.” “No he takes his job very seriously,” Justin said. “How are we going to get Brian into the tent?” ”He has to walk in but we can help support him.” Daphne leaned down and touched Brian’s good arm. “Brian, time to get up, Brian, it’s time to get up,” she shook him gently. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, that hurts like a motherfucker,” Brian groaned loudly. He opened his eyes and stared into the yellow eyes of Charlie. “Please tell me that he wasn’t my trick last night?” he tried to joke. “As a matter of fact,” Justin began. “You don’t seem to have very good taste in tricks, Charlie is just a tad hairy for my taste, but whatever turns you on.” He leaned down, “I’m going to help you stand up. You need to get into the tent and I want your clothes off.” “I want them off too Sunshine, but I don’t think I’m going to be able to do much to help. I also need to piss.” “Luckily, I’ve been reading up on golden showers,” Justin laughed. “I always wondered at the whole mystique of it all.” “You going to hold it for me?” Brian asked as he tried unsuccessfully to leer. “If you want,” Justin laughed. “It might be interesting. Now let me help you sit up; that’s the first step to getting you on your feet. He placed his hand under Brian’s good arm and behind his back and pulled him into a sitting position. The deep groan and the whiteness of Brian’s face told him how much pain the man was in. The two of them stayed still for a few minutes while Brian got his breathing back under control. Justin whispered soothing words to him and rubbed his back easing the tight muscles. “I have to tell you Sunshine, this hasn’t been my best vacation,” Brian sighed. “Stand me up, I really have to piss.” Brian shut his eyes for a moment and then looked into Justin’s eyes, “Help me up.” Daphne looked on worriedly but she stepped up to Justin and held onto her friend. “I’m going to help you and you help Brian. It’ll work, I know it.” “Think positive Sunshine,” Brian said. “You have some great muscles under those flannel shirts.” “I don’t wear flannel shirts in the summer,” Justin laughed and using the talked about muscles, pulled Brian to his feet. He was glad for Daphne’s support so he was able to keep his balance. Brian was a lot taller than he was and not much help in standing up. Between the pain and the drugs, he was as weak as a kitten. “You’d look hawt in flannel,” Brian groaned. He stood unsteadily on his feet holding desperately to Justin. “Lead me to a bathroom.” “How about a nice big tree?” Justin asked. “Not too far away. My arm is going to fall off.” “No it won’t I taped it to your body,” Daphne laughed. “I’m going to find us some yummy power bars and a couple of bottles of water. It’s dinner time. You two can pee, spare me the details unless you see blood in his urine Justin. Brian took a bad fall.” “Wonderful,” Justin said dryly at the same time as Brian. They grinned at each other before slowly moving behind the tree Brian had been leaning against. “You know Sunshine, I’m sorry to make you do this,” Brian was a bit embarrassed at needing the kind of help that he did. “You aren’t making me do anything you wouldn’t do for me if the roles were reversed and you know it.” “But…..” his voice trailed off. “Thanks.” “Let me undo your jeans; they have to come off anyway. How did you get so wet?” “I think daddy dearest scuttled my boat,” Brian said as he began to urinate, the relief feeling wonderful. He finished and unsteadily tucked his cock inside his pants. “I can’t look, was there blood?” “Sorry, but yes.” Justin replied. “I thought there might be. Your back especially around your kidneys is black and blue.” “Fuck,” Brian whispered. “Not now dear, Justin replied in falsetto. “I have a headache.” “Asshole.” “Hey I thought that’s what you are.” Justin was leading Brian back to the tent he’d prepared. “I want to wash my hands.” “I’ll get you some water but there isn’t any soap. Stand there for a minute while I take your pants off.” Justin helped Brian down onto the open sleeping bag after he’d removed his pants. “I brought some sweat pants. I don’t think your stuff is going to work out, it’s kind of wet.” “No shit.” Brian’s hand had found the soft silk of Justin’s hair when he’d knelt down to remove his pants. He kept his hand there as long as he could before he moved it to Justin’s shoulder as the blond helped him to the sleeping bag. “You know you’re sexy when you’re helpless,” Justin smiled at him and Brian’s hard heart melted with the smile. He wasn’t sure why this man affected him the way he did. “Justin….” Brian said and shut his eyes, his arm was killing him and he felt like shit. Every part of his body ached, some worse than others and he needed to regain his strength. “Brian don’t talk. I’m going to wash you and get you something to eat and drink, but first let me slip some pants on you. “I like to sleep in the raw,” Brian said, his head lay on the barely perceptible pillow. “I’d like to sleep with you.” “You will,” Justin smiled and pulled on the soft worn jersey up over Brian’s cold legs. “We’ll never sleep in anything other than each other arms once this is over and you’re better.” Justin let his forefinger caress Brian’s face, stopping on the man’s lips where he replaced his finger with his own soft lips in a tender kiss. “You give nice kisses,” Brian muttered. “I sound like a lesbian.” “You don’t look like one,” Justin joked. “Don’t go,” Brian pleaded. “Stay please.” “I thought you wanted to get cleaned up,” Justin pulled the sleeping bag up over Brian and tucked him in. He smiled at the cats as the padded into the tent and took up their spots next to Brian. “Boomer and Bang will keep you company. I’m getting you some water and something to eat.” “I’ve had enough fucking water to last me a lifetime,” Brian grumbled. He moved his head to look at the cats who smiled back at him, “And I don’t like pussy.” “Well sucks to be you,” Justin grinned. “I’ll be right back.” He got up after planting another kiss on Brian’s forehead and scratching the cats behind their ears. “Daphne, he is kind of out of it. He’s talking all mushy and stuff,” Justin began as he rifled through his pack for a bottle of water and a couple of power bars. “It’s the drugs, they lower his inhibitions,” Daphne smiled. “You could ask him pretty much anything and he’ll more than likely tell you the truth.” “Kind of like a truth serum?” Justin laughed. “Damn don’t I wish I’d had some of that over the years for guys I’ve dated?” “You’re bad, real bad,” Daphne laughed. “As soon as you have what you need out of the packs I’m hanging them in the trees. We don’t need a Spirit bear visiting for a midnight snack.” “How early are you leaving in the morning?” Justin asked. He held a two power bars up triumphantly and grabbed a bottle of water. “I’ll check on the two of you, well Brian anway, I’m sure you’ll be fine, then I’m leaving. I figure I can start out at first light. I’ll be okay and George and Charlie will be ready to go then.” “But the Spirit bear will be up early. You know they sleep during the day.” “It doesn’t matter, I have to get help. Brian might seem okay to you, but he isn’t. We don’t have enough antibiotics and we don’t have the proper facilities to fix his arm.” “I know, I just worry about you Daph, you’re my best friend,” Justin gave her a hug. A muffled groan from the tent drew Justin’s gaze. “Go make a new friend,” Daphne smiled. “Brian needs you. Who knows maybe you two will fall in love and live happily ever after.” “You do know we’re queer don’t you?” Justin said with a laugh. “Queers aren’t meant to live happily ever after, believe me I know,” his voice was bitter. Daphne shook her head and kissed Justin’s cheek, “I’ll see you in the morning.” “You came back,” Brian said, though his eyes were shut, he’d heard Justin come into the tent. “I’ll always come back,” Justin promised. He knelt beside Brian, “I brought you some water and something to eat. “ “What about my cats?” Brian asked. “What are they going to eat?” “They’ll leave later and catch something. The lake isn’t far, they’ll have lots of water to drink. “ “More water,” Brian sighed, “I hate to admit, but I could use a drink of the stuff.” “Here,” Justin twisted the top off the bottle of water and supported Brian’s head while he drank deeply. “You have a choice of strawberry or peach for the power bar.” “Doesn’t matter, they all taste like shit.” “True, but nicely flavored shit,” Justin laughed as he peeled off a wrapper. “We’ll share. You can have some of each. It’ll cut down on the decision making.” Brian chuckled, but ate a small piece of the power bar. “I never thought I’d end up like this, half dead in a spooky forest, where white polar bears take you for walks.” “They aren’t polar bears, they’re called Spirit bears or Kermode bears.” Justin lay down beside Brian on his own sleeping bag. He tucked his jacket under his head for a pillow and began, “Kitasoo legend says that Raven: The Creator went among the bears and turned every tenth bear white to serve as a reminder of a time when the Earth's great glaciers covered the landscape. In the beginning of time, the world was white with ice & snow. Then the Raven came from heaven and made the world green, as it is today. But he wanted to make something to remind himself of the beginning and its whiteness. So on this Island, this special piece of paradise, he went among the black bears and every tenth one he made white. That way he could remember the world as it was. Then the Raven issued a decree: "The white bears would live here forever in peace" “One of them seemed to talk to George and then the next thing you know the bear is bringing me here. Until then I was wet and hurt and probably wouldn’t have lasted. The bugs were driving me nuts. There weren’t many bugs in here and the rain didn’t quite reach us.” “It’s funny about the bugs,” Justin agreed. “As for the Spirit bear…. that I don’t have any explanation for.” He traded power bars with Brian and bit off a piece, “I like the strawberry one best.” He chewed and watched Brian’s face. He seemed sweaty and Justin took his tee shirt and set the end. He wiped Brian’s face; the older man was on fire, “Hey buddy, you’re kind of hot.” “That’s what all the guys think,” Brian attempted to joke. His hand went down; he didn’t have the strength or the appetite to eat any more. “Justin, I feel like shit.” “I know,” Justin let his hand smooth back Brian’s hair. “You’ll get better, wait and see. Daphne’s a terrific doctor and she’s a kick ass hiker. It won’t be long before she’s back with help.” “I’m glad you’re here,” Brian said and sighed. “Somehow I know that you’ll make sure I get out of here in one piece.” The only sound was the deep rumbling purr of the two cats as both men thought of what was ahead of them. Daphne stuck her head in the tent. “How’s Brian doing?” she asked. “He’s got a fever,” Justin replied. “Can you give him something?” “In an hour he can have another dose of the painkiller. There’s an anti- inflammatory in it so that will help and I’ll give him a shot of penicillin at the same time.” “You just want to see my ass,” Brian joked. “Now don’t you wish you went in for something that would show you male bodies and not female ones?” “You happen to have a not bad ass, but believe me Brian there are a lot of fugly’s out there,” she laughed. “Don’t let me interrupt,George and I are going to visit.” “Yes, the raven is full of fun,” Justin grinned as he watched Daphne back out of the tent. “I fee like I’m in some weird version of Dr. Doolittle,” Brian said. “You don’t have a talking raccoon out there do you?” Justin giggled, “I’ve had lots of animals over the years. Most of them were wild and once Daphne and I got them up and running they would just disappear and go back to being wild. Boomer and Bang, they’re actually Missy cat’s kittens though you’d never know it. George the raven you already know about. Charlie the wolf, well we think he was the runt of the litter. It was one of those real cold winters and the mom wolf had her pups behind the barn. When she moved them Charlie was left behind, he was almost dead and it took Daphne and I a long time to get him looking like he was going to survive the day let alone any longer. We tried to convince him he was a wolf and could go home with his family, but he wouldn’t have any part of it. He’s almost twelve years old now, and not interested in being anything more than a rather large dog with close relatives who are wolves. “ “Was it only you and Daphne when you were growing up?” “And Molly,” Justin reminded Brian. “We actually were sent to boarding school but because we were close here, we stayed close in school. School more or less sucked as far as I was concerned. I just don’t fit the whole rough and ready cowboy look that everyone expected. I liked to draw and I was good in drama class.” “So you weren’t a jock?” “Hardly,” Justin laughed. “I suppose you were.” “Actually I was,” Brian smirked. “I was captain of the track team and (of) the soccer team. I went to school on a soccer scholarship.” “I went to school on daddy’s dime and spent four years of additional hell earning a marketing degree at Dartmouth.” “Kind of a strange degree for an artist who takes out guiding trips.” “No shit,” Justin said. “I snuck in as many fine art classes as I could without daddy dearest getting suspicious. So all in all I did get some of the education that I wanted.” “How did you end up here again? I mean Molly, she’s one of the top models, she escaped.” “Molly is probably the strongest person I know. She wouldn’t take any crap off of my father and refused to do anything that she didn’t want to do. They were always fighting. She was vicious to him and could run verbal circles around him which of course pissed him off even more. Her being a girl and all,” Justin grinned. “Speaking of the vicious bastard, you do know I’m going to press charges against him for attempted murder.” “I wouldn’t blame you one bit. If I can do anything to help, I will,” Justin moved closer to Brian. He didn’t dare touch him for fear of jarring his arm. “You mean it?” Brian asked. “Yeah, I mean it. My mother has kind of flipped out, so I doubt she’ll be back here. Which means I don’t have to run Taylor Outfitting. I was only doing it to protect her, not that I did much good.” Justin sounded like he felt; very down and depressed. “Do you think she was trying to kill him?” Brian asked. “I mean frankly I wouldn’t blame her.” “No, she would have if she’d wanted to. She’s a champion shot.” Brian reached his good arm over his body slowly and ran his finger’s through Justin’s hair, massaging the blond’s scalp gently. “You’ll be better off away from here.” Justin felt himself relaxing under Brian’s touch. He was supposed to be taking care of Brian not the other way around. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Jennifer Taylor made it to the hotel before she had a melt down. She’d smiled prettily at the pilot of the plane, the cab driver, the front desk clerk using every ounce of self preservation and training she’d ever learned. Once she was in her hotel room, it all came apart. Finally, unable to cry any longer, Jennifer made a telephone call to her lawyer back in Pittsburgh for advice. She needed to know where to go and what do. “Melanie, it’s Jennifer Taylor,” she said when she reached her lawyer on the woman’s private line. “I’m in trouble and I don’t know what to do next.” “Did you finally kill that son of a bitch you live with?” Melanie asked, more as a joke than anything else. “I don’t think so, but I did shoot him, twice,” Jennifer sniffed. “No shit,” Melanie laughed. “I’m sorry, I guess it’s nothing to laugh about. Are you in custody?” “No, no one knows that I shot him yet. I threw the gun in the harbor and Craig is still back at the ranch.” “But he’s alive right?” Melanie asked. “Yes, I think so,” she started to cry. “But Melanie, I left Justin to find him and I ran away. I think he did something to one of our guests. I can’t find him and I’m scared. I know it won’t be long before he comes after me. I smashed the radio, so he can’t leave before tomorrow, but still, he’ll be coming.” “Are you at your usual hotel?” Melanie asked. “Yes.” “Well check out and go to a hotel you’d never think of staying in. That would be the first thing. The second thing is go to your bank and get your accounts in your name only.” “I can’t leave him with nothing.” “What would he do?” Melanie was being reasonable. “I’ll go to the bank,” Jennifer was subdued. “But I’m not taking all the money. I just couldn’t do that.” “I’m going to call a friend of mine in Vancouver. She’ll give me the name of a lawyer you can use there. I should have it within half an hour,” Melanie replied ignoring Jennifer’s attempt to be fair to her husband who deserved nothing. Jennifer looked over at the hotel door, someone was knocking. “Just a minute Melanie,” she said and put the phone down on the bed. “Yes?” she asked opening the door to two men in suits. “Mrs. Jennifer Taylor?” the taller one asked. “Yes,” “I’m Inspector Meyers and this is my partner Inspector Thomas, we’d like to speak to you for a moment.” “What’s this about?” Jennifer asked as she backed up toward the bed. “It’s about the gun you dropped in the harbor an hour ago,” Inspector Thomas said. Jennifer crumbled to the floor in a faint. Melanie had listened to everything. She hung up the phone and then began to dial her friend in Vancouver. She’d better make sure Jennifer Taylor had someone who could handle criminal law.