Disclaimer: Alliance owns Fraser, Kowalski, Welsh, Vecchio, Huey, Dewey, Diefenbaker, Vecchio, Thatcher and Turnbull. I'm just using them for my own perverse pleasure. Everybody else belongs to me and the story is mine. The title of the series is a song by Peter Gabriel and Deep Forest. (used without permission) R (possibly NC-17)for M/M SEX, VIOLENCE, H/C, RAPE, BAD LANGUAGE, ANGST IF YOU ARE UNDERAGE OR M/M SEX BOTHERS YOU: GO BACK, LEAVE NOW, WALK ON, BUG OFF. Thank you kindly. WARNING: This story contains m/m sex and deals with mature themes, rape being the major issue. It is very angsty, but disturbing, so if my other stuff doesn't really turn your crank I sure as hell won't be winning any brownie points with this one. Detached By Rae -------------- Detective Stanley Ray Kowalski rummaged about in the cooler and yanked out another Coors. "Sure ya don't want a drink?", he asked his friend as he popped open the can. "I'm sure.", Constable Benton Fraser replied. The detective shrugged and lay back against the windshield of his car. "Is this helping at all?" Ben's eyes remained focused on the vast, open night sky above. "Yes, very much. Thank you, Ray." "You're very wecolme." Kowalski fell into silence and continued to take small, delicate sips of the beer. He avoided looking around him, at the circle of trees that surrounded this clearing where they were parked. Trees taller than some of the city's buildings loomed above them, gnarly branches reaching out as if to pluck the stars from the blanket of night. Ray didn't take to this wilderness thing. It made him feel small, humbled. That, and it was too damned quiet. But it was worth it just to see the look of relief on Fraser's face. The past few days had been tough on the Mountie. He'd been feeling 'boxed in' and as a consequence had settled into a deep depression. Today, after tying up loose ends on the Whitman case, the detective had managed to drag his friend out of the Consulate--not an easy task since Ben had been pretty lethargic--and driven well out of the city limits to a wildlife sanctuary in the middle of the woods. Ray was exhausted from the case, but concern for his partner had kept him going. Good conscience would not leave Ben in such a miserable state when something could be done about it. Kowalski yawned now, turning over on his side. Fraser studied his friend. "Are you tired, Ray?" He smiled wearily. "Yeah. Alittle." "Would you like to go back?" "No, no. We'll go back when you're ready." "I appreciate this, Ray, but you have been working very hard this past week, with limited sleep and--" "I'm fine, Frase." He yawned again, despite himself. "Besides, this is relaxing to me. I mean, gettin' away from the city, the lights, the noise. It's peaceful. And," He gestured to his friend. "the company's a helluva lot better." Fraser smiled at the compliment. "Thank you, Ray." "You are welcome, Buddy." They lasped into silence again and Ben's eyes went back to the stars. In his mind's eye he imagined the aurora borealis spread out across the ink black of the sky. He sighed deeply. There were times when he missed home. But at the same time, there was little for him there. Here, he had a wonderful friend in Ray Kowalski. He glanced over at the figure who was now sleeping soundly beside him. Ray was much like a younger brother. Turbulent, courageous, sometimes foolish, but someone he could not even imagine his life without. Ben glanced at his watch. It was nearing midnight. Perhaps it was time to head back. He rolled off the car and after draining the cooler and sliding it into the back seat next to Diefenbaker, he scooped up his partner and put him in the car. Kowalski murmured softly and settled into the seat. Ben took care not to disturb him too much as he retrieved the car keys from his partner's jacket pocket and carefully buckled his seatbelt. The securing of the belt resulted in an annoyed mutter from the blond. "Safety first.",the Mountie whispered. Not that safety was ever a factor with Ray....====================================================================== Ray Kowalski sighed and opened his eyes. The first thing he focused on was....a Canadian flag? He sat up slowly. "Good morning, Ray. Did you sleep well?" Ben was standing over him, dressed in uniform, tea in hand. Kowalski looked around in confusion. "H-how did I get here?", he asked. "I brought you here.", Ben replied, "You fell asleep on the car last night, so I drove back to the city. I would have taken you home, but I couldn't find the keys for your apartment." Ray smiled thinly. "Yeah. I keep 'em in the glove compartment now." Ben put his tea down and began to shuffle through some papers on his desk. Ray ran his fingers through his hair, suddenly looking down at the cot on which he sat. "Where did you sleep?", he asked. "On the bedroll." "Aw, Frase. That's just wrong." "Nonsense, Ray. I'm very comfortable on the bedroll. Besides, you've been under alot of stress; you were exhausted." Ray smiled. "Thanks, Buddy." The Mountie nodded. "You still look tired. You're welcome to sleep here. I can wake you after my shift ends." "Naw, I don't wanna bother you--" "It is no bother, Ray." Well, when the Mountie was right, he was right. The detective yawned and lay back. Ben moved forward and pulled the covers over him.
On occasion , Fraser would look in on Ray as he slept. Diefenbaker, having been severely chastised earlier in the day for his junk food habit, was curled up on the bed with Ray, his head resting on the detective's belly. Kowalski didn't seem to mind. He slept soundly with one hand curled in the wolf's fur. Ben smiled to himself and went back to work.
Ray awoke about a half-hour before Ben's shift ended. He wandered out of the office, rubbing his eyes drowsily. Fraser was standing before a painting of the Musical Ride tour, his back to the detective. "Are you feeling better, Ray?", he asked, without turning. Ray's brow furrowed in confusion and he started to ask how the Mountie had known, but then thought better of it. "Good. I am good.", he replied. Ben faced him now and smiled. "Good." "Hey, Frase, I'm gonna head home and get a shower.", he mumbled, rubbing his hand through his disheveled hair. "I can pick up a pizza and come back." Ben nodded. "That would be nice, Ray." Behind Kowalski there was a pathetic whine. Fraser looked at the whiner sternly. "No." Diefenbaker nudged Ray's hand. "No.", Fraser repeated. "What's he want?", Kowalski asked. "He's angry with me, so he wants to go home with you." Ray scratched the wolf's ear. "That's cool. I don't mind. I can bring 'im back later." "Ray..", The Mountie began, and then he sighed and addressed Dief. "Fine. Go ahead." He shook his head as cop and wolf trotted out of the Consulate together.
====================================================================== The next day found Kowalski wishing he'd drank the herb tea Ben had offered him with dinner rather than those four Budweiser's he'd consumed. His head was throbbing something terrible. The Duck Brothers, knowing full he had a hangover, were persistant in hassling him about every little thing. Someone was gonna get kicked in the head real soon, he was sure of it.
He was standing by his desk, massaging his aching head, when a soft voice said, "Detective Kowalski?" He looked up, startled. A young woman with sleek, strawberry blonde hair stood a few feet away, watching him with concern. He gasped. "Sarah?" "Are you, alright, Detective Kowalski?", she asked shyly. Ray glanced around quickly to see if anyone else had heard. "Detec-" He put his hand over her mouth and pulled her into the corner. Removing his hand, he leaned in close and whispered, "Sarah, look, I'm undercover here. Real important you don't use the name Kowalski, o.k.? I'm Detective Vecchio right now. Or just, Ray." She nodded slowly. Stan sighed. "So, what can I do for you?" "It's my dad. My Uncle Dan, he's about twleve years younger than Dad. He blew into town last week and he was supposed to be taking care of my brothers and--he had Dad committed." Ray shook his head sympathically. "Aw, jeez, kid, I'm sorry. But I can't so anything about that-" "No, I know. But it's the place. It's the hospital over on Ritter and Delancy. You know which one I'm talking about?" Ray's eyes narrowed as he thought, and then his face lit up. "Oh, yeah. I've passed it a few times." "Well, I've gone over there to see Dad and one time they let me. God, Ray, he looks terrible. He wasn't the same guy. I mean, they must have him on some mad drugs or something. He wouldn't look me in the eye and I'm not sure he even knew who I was. And he's scared, he seems scared. That was one time. They haven't let me see him since. Ray, something is very wrong over there." She looked at him pleadingly, tears drowning the pale brown orbs of her eyes. "Please, help me." Kowalski squeezed her shoulder gently. He started to say that all he could do was have someone check into it, but he caught himself. "Alright. Listen. I can't take action against these people without some hard and fast evidence. So here's what we're gonna do. Tomorrow, you're going to have me committed. She stared at him. "No! Ray, I'm not going to have you thrown in there!", Sarah protested. "Sarah! Who's the cop here, me or you? This is the only way. You'll know where I am. The minute things get too sketchy, you..." He moved over to Huey's desk, pulled out a sheet of paper and scribbled down the Consulate address. "Go here and ask for this guy, Constable Benton Fraser." He wrote the name as he said it and underlined it for emphasis. "He's my best friend, my partner and I trust him with my life. Just explain everything to him." Under the name, he scribbled down his own address. He folded the paper and pushed it into her hand. "Listen, that last one is my apartment. Pick me up tomorrow. Um, eight--nine-thirty. 'kay?" She smiled slightly, somewhat relieved. "Thank you, Ray." He cupped her face reassuringly. "Chin up, kid. Your old man's o.k." She nodded.
As Ray watched her walk away, he thought back to the case that had brought them together. Not that long ago and yet it seemed a lifetime away. She was a only a child then, 14, living in a slum. The oldest of three children, she had been taking care of her two brothers and a mentally ill father. Sarah had certainly grown up since the last time he saw her. She looked better, healthier and more lively. He smiled to himself and returned to his desk, headache forgotten.
Getting a week off from work proved less of a problem that he anticipated. He had some sick days coming anyway. The next step was to call Fraser and tell the Mountie that he was going out of town for a few days. Just a vacation. Ray didn't like lying to his partner, but it was better this way, all things considered.
================================================================== Stan tapped his foot nervously and looked about mindlessly as Sarah checked him in. He took note of the two orderlies in the corner and four more moving about the corridors. Sarah was still filling out paperwork when the desk nurse called to the men in the corner. They moved toward Kowalski, gently hooking their hands under his arms and lifting him out of the chair. Ray allowed them to lead him down the hall, flashing Sarah a confident, lop-sided grin as he passed. The young woman, eyes dark with worry, did not return the smile.
The first few hours were just boring. He was stripped of his street clothes and dressed in uncomfortable, thin scrubs. Ray spent much of his time keeping to himself and observing the other patients. No one really spoke except the hosital employees and from what he could tell, there weren't many of them. Not that they were needed. The patients were all zombies, wandering about as if in a daze. Ray behaved himself, but nevertheless got suspicious looks from the orderlies, the aging doctor and the cinnomon-haired head nurse.
Sarah stopped by after work to see Ray. An orderlie led him to the waiting area and sat him down beside her. "Here's your brother, Ms. Dunn." Kowalski scrowled. 'Here's your brother'? *Like here's your dog, here's your mail, here's your steak?* 'Here's your brother'? *What the hell?* Sarah offered a frightened little smile. "What's going on?" Ray shrugged. "I dunno. They haven't started me on these drugs yet, but something is definitely up. They committed me on your word alone. I haven't even seen a doctor yet. Far as I know, that ain't standard procedure." He fell silent as an orderlie passed. "Remember what I said. Anything goes down, you call Fraser, got it?", he continued after the man was out of earshot. She nodded. "But, um, gimme four days, minimum. If I'm unable to contact you or they refuse to let you see me, then you go to him." Sarah protested at once. "Four days is a long time. What if something really bad happens?" "Sarah, four days is not a long time. What the hell could possibly happen in four days? Would you please trust me?" "I trust you!", she hissed, "It's them I don't trust." She gestured to the orderlies and the doctor. Ray smiled confidently and winked, patting her on the hand as he stood up. "I'm a Chicago hard guy, 'member? It's gonna take more than Dr.Giggles and a couple of apes to push me down." Sarah smiled back, but she wasn't entirely convinced.
The food sucked. Worse even than that lumpy shit they give you in real hospitals. Ray sighed, picking at what might have been sauce. He'd been looking for an opening, an oppurtunity to do some investigating. But none had come. This place was run like a military installation; security was fairly tight. He looked at the woman across from him. She hadn't touched her food, but she was busy picking at her hair and mumbling softly to herself. She looked like the kind of mental patients that he saw in the movies. The whiny type, where just about anything could set off an episode of hysterical bawling. Kowalski studied her for a moment, thinking. It was a cruel thought, but this could be the opening he'd been searching for. Resting his hand lightly on his tray, Ray shoved it forward into her glass, spilling it over onto the woman's lap. As predicted she jumped and started screaming as she tried to rub the water off her clothes. This incited some of the other patients to start crying, while others laughed. Either way, it was a disruption. As the orderlies busied themselves with controlling the group, Ray moved toward the door. He turned once, to be sure his escape was going unnoticed and he saw one of the orderlies violently shaking the woman who was screaming. And then he slapped her hard. Once, twice. Ray's breath caught in his throat. He fought the urge to shove through the crowd and jump the orderlie right there. As the scene grew more chaotic, Kowalski slipped out in search of more solid evidence.
The hallways were dark and eeriely silent. Cold. Ray shivered and rubbed his arms. The rooms were more like cells. Small, with one, tiny barred window. The thought of having to spend the night in such a confined space was already filling the detective with dread. The lights in the front office were off, but the door was unlocked. He turned on the lights and began to poke around. For lack of anything better, Ray used a letter opener to break into up one of the drawers. Papers, office supplies. Nothing of real value. He employed the letter opener again with the filing cabinet. Patient charts. "Jackpot.", Ray whispered. He opened the first file. Name, but nothing written. Same with the second. Third. Fourth. Fifth. Sixth. Seveth. Eighth. "Geez." Only names, nothing else. Nothing. No listing of medications or observations. *What the hell is going on in here?* Behind him the door opened and he dropped the file as he turned. Two orderlies stood behind him, flanked by the doctor and the head nurse. Kowalski raked his fingers through his hair, smiling nervously. "Hey, guys, I've just been exploring and ya know what? This is not the library." He shook his head. "I could have sworn, in the brochure, there was a library." Ray took another step back and the two orderlies stepped forward, grabbing his arms. The doctor moved in now, flicking a syringe. He struggled. Not intravenous. He'd expected pills, something he could throw up later. "Hey, Doc. What are you going to do with that?" "Just relax, Mr. Dunn.", he said quietly. Ray shook his head. "No. I don't think so." As soon as the man was within range, Kowalski pulled forward and head-butted him hard. The doctor went down, the syringe shattering as it struck the floor. The orderlie to the right swung his fist, catching the detective on the side of the head. Ray was on the floor then, lights flickering in front of his eyes. "Shit.", he muttered. The orderlies had him again, pinned to the ice cold floor. The doctor was being helped to his feet. He sighed, looking down at Kowalski. "Treat him as a hostile.", he told the nurse, "Take him to the shower and then give him the injection. The Blue 42 for this one."
Ray didn't fight much as he was dragged toward the shower. His head reeled from the last blow he'd received. It was a communal shower, like the ones they have in gyms, a few stalls side by side. He was stripped naked and shoved hard into the one of the stalls. The water was freezing and instinctively he cried out and lept forward only to be caught by another fierce punch. He fell back, dazed. Blood ran out of his nose, mingling with the water. "Shit.", Ray mumbled softly. Again he tried to stand, but the larger of the two orderlies stepped on his bent knee and forced it down, causing Ray to howl in pain. He could see the nurse filling another syringe. The orderlies moved forward now, turning off the shower, grabbing him roughly and pinning him against the wall. Ray struggled, but in vain. His arm was pulled out sharply so a burning pain shot through the nerves. Fingers dug into him hard enough to leave bruises. There was a mild sting as the needle pierced flesh. Almost immedietly he began to feel dizzy, tired. The orderlies released him and let him collaspe back into the stall. Ray was able to think, but not...react or understand. He wanted to move, to kick 'em all in the head, but he could not. He had no control over his arms or legs. He was cold, freezing. There was a draft coming from somewhere, caressing his naked flesh like ice. Kowalski moaned softly and gazed up at his abusers. The two orderlies were beginning to take off their pants. "What..the hell...are you....doing?", he managed. There was a certain feeling of dread that took him over then, a familar feeling of knowing what was coming, but refusing to accept it. They laid their hands on him again, dragged him out of the shower and threw him down on dry tile. He was turned over on his belly, legs nudged apart. "Please....don't." The last thing Ray would hear before searing pain branded itself on every brain cell and nerve ending was the sound of the nurse's laughter.
=================================================================== The next few days would be a sick, miserable haze for Kowalski. For awhile he fought with whatever was at his disposal: hands, feet, words. He was rewarded for his efforts with beatings and brutal fondling. The showers meant an icy bath followed by another rape. At night he was cuffed to the bed with leather restraints, so tight that his hands would go numb in the first hour. But that was always a comfort compared to the events that would follow. He was raped then too, sometimes once a night, sometimes three or four. The drugs helped, but they could not completely obscure reality. He was able to feel everything, the weight of the orderlie on top of him, the slimy sweat of each man raining down on him, taste it, hot and salty on his lips and feel the tickle as it trickled a path down his neck and chest. Every angry, vicious thrust, fingernails digging hard into his flesh. He felt everything. In his head, he screamed and screamed, but the drugs rendered him helpless, like a goddamn ragdoll. Finally, Ray stopped fighting. He let them do whatever they wished. After the second night he took each rape in silence and never made a sound.
He behaved....and still they hurt him. And he did not understand. He could not understand why they still hurt him. He was good, he behaved. During dinner on the fourth day he was suddenly pulled out of his chair and dragged down the hall to the showers. The nurse was in a particularly bad mood. He barely responded to anything and she yelled curses at him as he sat huddled and shivering beneath the cold spray of the water. Ray remained equally indifferent as the orderlie raped him and this reaction only seemed to enrage the nurse. "Tough guy.", she muttered. "Make him scream." The man shoved into him even harder than before. Ray bit the inside of his cheek to supress a scream. He blinked, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes were the only release for his pain. Somewhere in his brain, where rational thought remained, he wondered if this should have gotten easier by now. *Please make it stop hurting. Please.* Tears rolled down his face and the teeth digging hard into his cheek had drawn blood. He heard the click of the nurse's shoes and felt the toe nudge the back of his head. She bent over him and then laughed. "He's crying. Aww...not so tough." She laughed, joined now by the rapist. Every part of Kowalski's body flushed and burned with humiliation and he emitted a low whimper, unheard over the laughter of his tormentors. One word, whispered, hopeful. "Frase." He felt the man on top of his stiffen and shudder. Ray's stomach turned and suddenly all he'd just eaten came spewing out in a sick, greenish brown mush. He cringed as the orderlie pulled out of him. He knew what would come next. He'd been bad. Bad. A sharp smack across his back and he scrambled up, slipping on his own vomit and then he was struck again and again. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry.", he whimpered, huddling into a corner. And the beating continued, until he was sobbing like a child. And the nurse, leaning against the wall, laughed, her eyes alight with amusement.
==================================================================== Benton Fraser was filling out yet another report when he glanced up to see a young woman in the doorway of his office, "Constable Fraser?" Turnbull appeared behind the young woman. "I'm sorry, sir, I tried-" Fraser raised his hand. "Never mind, Turnbull. Will you please come in?" He was somewhat alarmed by her appearance, the pale face, eyes blood-shot and puffy as if she'd hadn't slept in days. "You are Constable Benton Fraser?" "Yes." With a sigh of relief she entered the office and shut the door. "I was given your name by Ray Kowalski-I, mean, Vecchio." Ben's ears perked up at the mention of that name and his eyes narrowed. "My name is Sarah. I knew Ray from when he was still a beat cop.", she added, quickly, seeing his expression."He was good to my family when we were going through a hard time." She sighed. "I think-I came to him for help. Again. And I think--I might have really gotten him into some trouble." Ben sat back. "I'm not sure I understand." "My father was wrongly thrown into a psychiatric hospital and they refused to let me see him. I told Ray that I thought they were abusing the patients. He said there was only one way to be sure and that was to go in undercover. I told him it was a bad idea, but h-he said, 'Who's the cop here, you or me?' Now, they won't let me see him. He said four days, at least. T-today's the fifth." Her lips trembled. "He's the only person I trust." Tears trailed down her cheeks. "If-If anything happens to him..." Fraser stood quickly and put his hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, Sarah. Ray is a good officer, I'm sure he's fine. But he should not be in that hospital." He offered a reassuring smile. "I'm going to contact his lieutenant and have him removed. Why don't you go home and-" "No!", she shook her head. "I can't go home until I'm sure he's o.k." Fraser sighed, thinking for a moment. "You can stay here with Turnbull." She nodded.
As the Mountie had predicted Welsh was furious. Ben held the phone away from his ear as the older man screamed out colorful obscenities. "Are you done, sir?" Harding was breathing hard. "I'm gonna have to call in some favors on this one, but I can have a team and a warrant together in a half-hour. Where the hell is this place now?" Fraser glanced over at the young woman. "Sarah, where is this the hospital?" "Ritter and Delancy.", she said. "Thank you.", Ben said, "Lieutenant-" "Yeah. Ritter and Delancy I heard. Listen, don't let the girl go anywhere. We're going to need a statement." "The Lieutenant says you have to make a statement." Sarah nodded, wiping her eyes. "Sure. Anything.", she replied. "Good." "Ben!" "Yes, sir?" "Can you meet us at this hospital in....say...an hour?" "Yes, sir." Fraser hung up and ran his fingers through his hair. For awhile he stared at his boots and then, suddenly aware that eyes were upon him, he looked up. Sarah watched him with a miserable expression. "You're worried about him.", she said softly. Ben started to lie, but as usual it rose like bile in the back of his throat. "Yes, I am." She cast her eyes downward. "I'm sorry I got him into this." The Mountie dropped down in front of her, taking her small hands into his own. "Sarah, Detective Vecchio is a good officer, an excellent officer and I am proud to call him my partner and my friend, but he tends to...act before he thinks. You didn't tell him to go undercover, he thought of that himself. And he went in without any back-up, without informing his superior officer, his fellow officers or even me of his intentions. He should have known better." He smiled gently. "But, you know, for all his recklessness, I have never known him to come out of a situtation weaker than he went in. He will be fine, you'll see." She smiled back and squeezed his hand alittle. "Thank you, Constable."
The psychiatric hospital was in a state of pandemonium as the police stormed in, followed by paramedics and an investigative team from the HRS. Ben went down the hallways, searching for his partner. He recalled being onboard the Henry Allen, running around the lower decks, calling for Ray. He'd been unwilling to leave him, even as the ship was sinking. There had been a fear in him then, that he would not find Ray in time. And he had that feeling now, though it seemed unwarranted. He checked offices and cells, to no avail. He took a quick peak onto the shower room, saw nothing and began to leave, when he smelled....hmm, that scent. That scent that was distinctly Ray Kowalski
"Ray!" There was a soft whimpering, amplified in the small space of the communal shower. Fraser searched out the sound and pulled back the curtain on the largest stall. Kowalski was huddled in the corner, soaked, naked and shivering. Ben's heart jumped. He unbuttoned his tunic quickly and wrapped it around his friend. Kowalski gasped and flinched at his touch so the Mountie drew away in surprise. "Ray?" The detective shook his head and attempted to push himself further into the corner. "Not--No more. I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry." "Ray?" He reached his hand out slowly as he would with a wild animal, letting Ray see his open, unarmed palm and lay it on his partner's shoulder. "Ray, it's Ben. Do you know who I am?" His friend sighed deeply and his eyelids fluttered. Fraser caught him as he fell foward and eased him onto the floor. He pulled the tunic tighter around the slender form. "Ray. Ray. Ray." He gently slapped the detective's face. The eyelids fluttered again and opened. He looked up at Benton and smiled weakly. "Hey, Frase. I knew you'd find me." He heard footsteps and looked back to see Dewey standing in the doorway. "Holy shit.", the other detective muttered, "How is he?" Ben wrapped his arm around Kowalski's waist and hoisted him up. Ray was like a dead weight in his arms, barely able to hold his head up, let alone the rest of his body. "Drugged, I think.", Ben replied. "Get some blankets." Dewey nodded and disappeared down the hallway.
Fraser found a place free of drafts and sat down, cradling his partner. Ray relaxed slightly, settling into the warmth and strength of Ben's body, laying his head on the Mountie's shoulder. Instinctively, Fraser stroked his hair, and softly whispered a poem in a mixture of Inuktitut and French. The detective sighed and closed his eyes. Huey and Dewey were coming down the hall, each holding a blanket. Ben eased the blond forward gently so that Tom and Jack could pull the blankets around him. Kowalski's eyes flew open and he yelped, pulling away. Both Huey and Dewey moved back, startled as Ray scrambled back into the closet corner, curling into a ball. "Jesus.", Jack whispered. Ben squatted down again beside his partner. "Ray, it's o.k. It's Huey and Dewey. They are detectives, like you." He reached out and stroked his friend's hair. Kowalski's body was so drawn and tense, that he was trembling. "Ray, they won't hurt you.", he whispered. The blond whimpered. Fraser looked to the other two detectives helplessly. Jack stepped back. "I'll get the medics."
Huey returned in a matter of minutes, followed by two paramedics and Welsh. Fraser felt Kowalski tense, but nothing could have prepared him for what happened next. A scream rose from deep within the lithe body and he went into hysterics, thrashing violently in Ben's hold. With the aid of the medics, Fraser managed to get the blond onto the floor. "Ray, calm down. Calm down." Kowalski screamed, scratching at the walls until his fingers were bleeding. "Can't you sedate him?",Welsh asked. A raven-haired medic looked to the men who stood behind her. "We cannot sedate him without knowing what else he was given. It could kill him." Ben cradled his friend's head, taking the brunt of the impact as Ray repeatedly slammed his skull against the tile floor. "Leave me alone!!", he howled. After a terrifying struggle and finally employing the aid of two other officers they managed to pin Ray's arms. Through the detective's terrified shrieks, the black-haired medic began to sing softly in a Middle Eastern dialect. A need for breath finally silenced Kowalski and the song echoed through the shower room. There was sadness in it and Fraser thought it to be a love song of some kind. It seemed to have a remarkable effect on the detective. He began to shiver again and his eyes rolled back into his head. The medic stopped singing and pulled up his eyelids. "Detective Vecchio, can you hear me?", she said quietly. "D-don't laugh. No more." Her eyes narrowed and she pushed the wet hair away from his forehead. "I'm not going to laugh you, Detective Vecchio. No one is laughing."
Ben was still shaking as he entered the ER. He'd never seen Ray like that before and the image that was recorded in his mind's eyes was haunting him. After a long struggle, the medics had finally managed to successfully restrain the detective and put him in the ambulence. Tom had gone to retrieve Sarah and HRS was contacting the families of the other patients. Now, the Mountie took a seat between Welsh and Huey and together, they waited.
After nearly a four hour wait, the doctor, a young woman with aurburn hair approached them. She identified herself as Dr. Marian Phillips. "Detective Vecchio is resting. He has bruises and cuts.", she said. "Resulting from the incident in the bathroom with the medics?",Fraser asked hopefully, though he already knew the answer. The doctor shook her head. "He has wounds on his face, chest, abdomen and back that are days old." Welsh scrowled. "Sick bastards.", he muttered. "But," she continued, "there was no permanent damage. Now, we are keeping him restrained until the drugs have passed out of his system. We are going to avoid sedating him unless he becomes a risk to himself. Coming off a drug psychosis is difficult, sometimes painful. But, " She smiled reassuringly. "that is the worst of it. I expect he'll make a full recovery." Ben smiled. "Thank you. Can I- can we see him?" "Not right away. From what I was told by the paramedics, it seems having too many people around agitates him. Not a big surprise, all things considered." She looked at the the men sternly. "This is a very sick and degenerate case of abuse, gentlemen, and an absolutely depraved misuse of medical privilege. I trust you will do everything in your power to see that those people get what they deserve." "They will be punished to the fullest extent of the law.",Welsh replied. The young doctor nodded solemnly. "Pity. I was hoping for something less merciful.", she replied curtly and walked away. Welsh turned to the Tom and Jack. "Go home, gentlemen. It's been a long day. I'll call you when Ray wakes up." The two detectives nodded. As they left, the lieutenant said to Ben, "You too, Constable." The Mountie shook his head. "No, sir. Ray is my partner, I won't leave him." Welsh sighed. "Fraser, you're dead on your feet. Go back to the Consulate and get some sleep." "With all due respect, sir, you look worse than I do. No offense intended. You should go home, but I am going to stay here." Harding looked at the younger man steadily. "You're a good man, Constable.", he said finally as he slipped into his jacket. "Thank you, sir." Benton watched the lieutenant leave and then settled into the uncomfortable plastic chair. Continued in Broken