Snapshot
of a Fallen Hero
 
 
Benton Fraser stood numb while the
veterinarian's words echoed
in his head. 
 
"No other viable options," she said. "If he were younger, I'd
consider anesthetizing him and trying
to put the joint back in
place. But at his age, I
can't even guarantee he'd survive the
anesthesia."
 
He'd known this day was coming eventually. A few years ago Dr.
Wire had diagnosed Diefenbaker with
hip dysplasia, a genetic
malformation of the joint which, in this case manifested itself
as a virtually non-existent socket
for the ball joint to rest
in. Though more common in
dogs, it was not unheard of in
wolves. The worst of the
symptoms had been kept at bay by an
aggressive course of Glucosamine and
Chondroitin Sulfate,
aspirin, and water exercise. And
it was very likely that life
would have continued on this course for a few more years had it
not been for the incident this afternoon.
 
Dief had given chase to a man running
down the alleyway carrying
a blanket wrapped bundle. The
wolf always seemed to have a
special place in his lupine heart for human children, especially
those in distress. And this was no exception.
He had heard the
infant crying from across the very busy street and immediately
took off after the man. Though his condition gave his gait the
appearance of a rabbit hopping, he
managed to soon overtake the
man and stare him down, barking and growling in a menacing
fashion.
 
The man tossed the infant into a trash
dumpster and ran back
down the alley the way he had come.
Dief knew that the Mountie
and his police friends would be there waiting to arrest the man
so he chose to stay and protect the
infant. Uncaring of the
instability of his hips, he gave a
mighty leap to the lid of the
dumpster but didn't make it and fell heavily to the ground. He
shook his head and tried again but
found that his legs just
didn't want to move properly to get him standing again. And so
he simply waited on the ground and tried to whine reassuringly
to the infant he could not see.
 
It was several long minutes later before
Ben walked to the
dumpster to see what was happening.
Confused by Diefenbaker's
posture, he first retrieved the infant from the trash receptacle
and handed her to the social worker. Once on the ground again,
he ran a hand along the wolf's flank
and felt the joint that was
out of place. He cringed,
knowing what this likely meant. But
when he tried to pick up his companion
and carry him back to
Ray's car, Dief whined in indignant protest. So instead he
placed a gentle hand underneath the wolf and lifted him to his
feet.
 
Ben was even more concerned when he
noticed that Diefenbaker's
hind paws were now crossed, but as the wolf slowly started to
walk, they straightened themselves
out. He breathed a sigh of
relief but knew that he needed to call
Dr. Wire immediately. 
And when they reached the street again where his two friends
awaited him, he asked to borrow a cell
phone.
 
He was amazed that both Ray's actually
argued over which one
would accompany him to the veterinarian's office and which one
would accompany the kidnapper to the
police station. But since
it was the Riviera that was at the
scene, Vecchio prevailed with
Kowalski asserting that he would follow-up with his friends as
soon as he could.
 
And now he stood in the examination
room with a softly whining
Diefenbaker and Dr. Wire. 
 
"Then I guess that's what we'll have
to do. But could we have
some time alone together before?"
 
"Of course, I'll check back with you
in a little while."
 
She left and went to the waiting room
and found Ray. Telling
him what was going on, she was mildly
surprised to see that he
seemed as upset by the situation as Ben. She knew that they
were good friends and had, in fact, provided transportation to
her office for the pair. After a few moments of silence Ray
excused himself and began to make some
phone calls.
 
In the room with Diefenbaker, Fraser
recalled some of the
moments they'd shared. From
the time they'd met in the bear
trap, to that fateful day on Prince Rupert Sound. The Mountie
remembered Dief by his side, tracking the man who killed his
father.
He acknowledged that the wolf had adapted far more
easily to the urban atmosphere of Chicago,
scrounging food and
begging for attention wherever he went. A smile crossed Ben's
face as he recalled the one time that
Dief hadn't been so happy
with the attention and was forced to wear a tam 'o shanter.
 
They'd been friends a long time and
shared many eventful moments
together. They'd watched
as the pups Diefenbaker had fathered
were whelped. They were together the day that Ben arrested the
man that had murdered his mother. They had even stood side by
side and watched Francesca Vecchio
marry Ray Kowalski. Yes, it
had been a long time since that bear
trap but Ben still wasn't
quite ready to let go. He
tried to remember a phrase from a
book that Elaine had loaned him last year.
 
A gentle knock on the door interrupted
his musings. 
 
"Yes?" he responded.
 
Dr. Wire stuck her head in the door
and he motioned for her to
enter the room. He could
tell she was carrying a syringe and
nodded at her. 
 
"This is sodium Phenobarbital. It's the same stuff they gave
you when you had your back surgery. I'll administer it in an IV
injection. It will sedate him and eventually cause his heart to
stop.
Now, his tail may wag or he may exhibit a minor muscular
spasm.
It's completely normal. I'd like you to wrap your left
arm around his chest and bring your
right arm over his back in a
nice tight hug. Are you
ready?"
 
"Can you give us just another moment
please?"
 
"Certainly, take all the time you like."
 
Ben held the wolf close to his chest
and spoke softly in his ear
knowing he couldn't hear the words but certain he could
understand the emotions. "Don't be dismayed at good-byes. A
farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting
again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are
friends," he quoted. "I'll see you around, my friend."
 
Dief whined softly and licked the face
of the man he'd come to
know as companion and pack leader.
The Mountie nodded at Dr.
Wire and looked away as she applied the tourniquet. Deftly, she
administered the injection and Ben felt the wolf relax. He
cradled his friend in his arms and allowed him to sink down to
the table.
 
Sandra put her hand on Ben's arm. "He's a very special animal."
 
"He saved my life, you know."
 
"Prince Rupert Sound," she acknowledged.
 
"Among other times. Even in my darkest hours, when I thought
there was no reason to live, he was
a living reminder that there
was."
 
"Yes, they have a way of doing that."
 
Ben kept his hand on Dief's chest,
feeling the heartbeat slow to
nothingness. One last sigh
escaped his muzzle and he was gone. 
Sandra wrapped her arms around her
friend in comfort but
wondered, perhaps, if he weren't trying to comfort her as well.

For
several minutes they held each other until Ben finally
straightened up.
 
"You'll take care of the cremation"
 
"Tonight. I'll call you tomorrow and make arrangements to pick
up the ashes. Do you have a container?"
 
"Yes, Ray's sister, Francesca, took
a pottery class last year
and I seem to have been her sole beneficiary."
 
"How nice."
 
"There's a jar that will be a perfect
container for the trip
north."
 
"North?"
 
"Back to Prince Rupert Sound. It seems to be a good spot."
 
"It is."
 
He left the examination room with his
Stetson in his hands. 
Ray, Francesca and Mrs. Vecchio were all waiting for him, as was
Kowalski.
 
"Benny?
You okay?" Ray asked seeing the tear stained cheeks of
his friend.
 
"Yes, Ray," he lied.
 
Francesca handed him a small box and
when he opened it, he found
a stained glass sun catcher in the shape of a tiger swallowtail
and a piece of paper with a note.
 
'What the caterpillar calls the end
of the universe, the master
calls a butterfly.'
 
The End
 
In memory of my beloved friend and
faithful Labrador Retriever
companion, Top Gun's Maverick's Mistress; Can/Am CDX,CGC,WC,TD.

10/4/86--9/28/2000 I'll see you around, Mavi.