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      	  B: Chicago 
 by Dee Gilles	

 Disclaimer: For entertainment only.

 

 Benny & Ray 97 Chicago Dee Gilles Rated G

 Maggie MacKenzie thought it was beautiful spring day, even while standing
on the curbside at O'Hare and waiting for her brother to pick her up. It
had been freezing this morning when she flew out of Yellowknife. As soon
as she stepped on to the tarmac, she could feel the heat radiating upwards
from the pavement, warming her skin.

 She toted her old sturdy canvas rucksack on her back. It was overstuffed,
with enough clothing and toiletries for her two-week visit. Maggie was
excited. She had been looking forward to this trip for three months.
Although she and Ben had re-established contact after she brought in the
Tirelli brothers and kept it up via telephone and e-mail, it had been
almost six years since she had been to Chicago. It was nearly inexcusable
that Maggie hadn't made more of an effort to see Ben.

 Chicago was a controlled chaos just as she had left it, humanity spilling
and pouring all around her as people came and went. Private cars, limos
and cabs pulled up to the curb and picked up passengers before quickly
pulling back out into traffic to make room for the next vehicle. Mini
buses en route to and from car rental companies buzzed by, making a
constant low-pitched diesel moan. People hugged and kissed, cried and
laughed and they parted ways and reunited.

 Maggie caught sight of her brother's smiling face inside of a large blue
SUV. She could see the top of his daughter's car seat. She immediately
broke out into a grin. Ben maneuvered the car along the curb and got as
close to her position as he physically could. She hoisted her bag up her
shoulder and stepped up as Ben parked.

 "Hey, Mr. Chicago!" she called as soon as he emerged from the vehicle. 

 "Hello, Maggie!" Ben called. He wore a tan blazer and a white shirt with
a pale blue tie. His detective badge was on his belt. Her brother had put
on quite a few pounds since she had seen him last, had gone round in the
belly and thick in the thighs, and she could detect just a wisp of gray at
his temples just before they embraced. He squeezed her tightly, smelling
faintly of soap and gun oil.

 "How are you?" she said into his shoulder as they clung to one another.

 "Wonderful! Never better!" He said. "How was your flight?" They
separated, and Ben automatically reached for her bag. 

 "Too long. And we hit a little patch of turbulence over Saskatchewan, but
thankfully, it didn't last too long," she replied.

 "Yes, it is a bit of haul, isn't it?" He toted her bag to the back of the
SUV, dropped the back hatch, and easily hoisted the large bag in. He held
out his hand again for the nylon jacket she had folded over her elbow, and
placed it alongside her bag. "I don't think you'll need this. It's going
to be in the low eighties for the next ten days, at least."

 "Oh, that sounds so good!" she said. 

 "Your hair cut looks wonderful," he commented, standing there and gazing
at her. Maggie's hair was bobbed. "You look like a pixie. When did you cut
it?"

 "Yesterday," she commented touching the back of her bare neck. "I'm still
getting used to it."

 "Well, it's very flattering," Ben assured her.

 A waiting driver behind Ben impatiently tapped his horn, and Ben put a
hand up, palm forward to placate him. "We'd better get going," he said. 

 He came over to her side and opened the door for her. She stepped up on
the running board and hoisted herself in. The leather seat sighed softly
as she settled in.

 "Da! Who dat?" came a tiny but demanding voice from the back seat. Maggie
turned to see her curious niece pointing at her with wide brown eyes. She
wore a blue jumper with a white T-shirt. Her feet were covered by white
baby boots. Her mass of twisty chestnut hair cascaded to her shoulders. 

 Ben turned toward the little girl, beaming. "Carie! This is my sister.
Your auntie. Do you remember me telling you about my little sister?"

 "Wha?"

 "This is Maggie. Can you say `Maggie'?"

 "Mayg!"

 "Maggie!" Ben corrected, clearly enunciating.

 "Mayg!"

 "Hi, Carie!" Maggie cooed. The little girl was precious. With cheeks so
big she wanted to bite them. "Hi, little girl!"

 "Mayg!"

 The car behind them tooted at Ben again. He quickly turned in his seat
and got the car in gear again. "Well..." he said. "we'll work on that a
little more later. Close enough for now," he said, easing into traffic.

 Maggie remained turned in her seat, captivated by the toddler. Carie was
attempting to grab her right foot, but it was held down by the safety
straps of her car seat.

 "Daddy!"

 "Yes, Carie?"

 "Daddy!"

 "Yes, Carie?"

 "Daddeeeeeeeeee!"

 "Yes, baby?"

 "Cawuhr!"

 "Yes, Carie. There are lots of cars."

 Carie pointed out the window and stared at Maggie as though asking her to
confirm her father's statement. Maggie nodded. "Yes, Carie. Cars," she
said.

 "Wha'?"

 "Cars," she replied. 

 The little girl stared at her with liquid brown eyes. "Daddy!"

 "Yes, Carie?" her brother patiently asked.

 "Who dat?"

 "This is your Aunt Maggie, Carie."

 "Aynt Maggie, Care-wee!" Something about that was funny to her and she
burst into peals of laughter. 

 Maggie laughed too, falling in love.

 VVVVVV

 Ben and Ray took Carie and Maggie to a buffet-style restaurant. "I'm
sorry," Ben apologized as he held open the front door for her. "With
Carie, we need a place where we can sit down and eat immediately. She
doesn't have the patience to sit for long." He balanced the child on one
hip, and a diaper bag hung from his other.

 "It's fine, Ben," she replied. "I understand." 

 Ray brought up the rear, grabbing the door from her as she stepped
through. The place was loud. There were lots of children everywhere, as
well as quite a few elderly. There were people of all races with a range
of skin colors. The place was clean, but had a slightly dated and
disheveled look to it. 

 Within moments, they were seated at a comfortable table. Their young
waitress poured their beverages, and brought a high chair for Carie. Ben
attempted to get her settled in, but Carie decided not to cooperate. The
child splayed her legs so she would not fit in the opening of the chair.
Ben picked her up and tried again, and once again, Carie blocked him. Ben
lifted her up and attempted once more. Carie kicked.

 "Hey!" Ray barked. He had taken his seat and was dispersing plates. "Sit
down!" He shot the girl a serious look and her face crumpled.

 "Don't you raise your voice at her, Ray," Ben said crossly as Carie began
to cry. Ray tossed Ben his plate and utensils and they both dropped with a
clang to the table. Ben shot Ray a dirty look, but otherwise kept silent.

 It had been a bit of an odd evening so far. Ray had arrived home within
an hour of them. Ray had greeted her loudly and given her a warm, tight
hug. Both Ben and Ray had been gracious and warm toward her, but they had
barely had said a word to one another. The tension in the apartment had
been thick enough to cut a knife. Maggie was certain her presence had
interrupted some altercation. She felt awkward as she now picked up her
plate, watching the two of them. Ben sat down next to his daughter. "You
two go ahead," he said, pulling a bib from the diaper bag. "Could you get
Carie some macaroni and cheese, please, Ray? And some mashed potatoes."

 "Yeah, sure," Ray said.

 Maggie followed Ray up to the buffet, burning with curiosity. "So," she
said in what she hoped was a casually light voice, "you two having a
little spat?" 

 Ray grabbed several spare ribs and some fried chicken. "No, I wouldn't
call it a `little spat', I'd call it a big one. Actually, more like World
War III." He scooped up some eggplant parmesan as Maggie served herself
some curried chicken, salmon, and vegetables. 

 "Oh! I'm sorry to hear that. Anything I can do?"

 "No, not unless you know how to clone people and make another Benny,
because right now, there's not enough of him to go around," he quipped.
Ray selected a thick slab of meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, and corned
beef. Maggie raised her eyebrows. For a thin man, he sure had a lot on his
plate. Maggie was curious to see if he could finish it all.

 "You want some of this corned beef? It's the best," Ray continued without
pause.

 "Sure, I'll have a little."

 "You want somethin' else? Want some lasagna?"

 "No, this is plenty."

 "Hey, it's all-you-can-eat."

 "Oh...I think this is about all I can eat!"

 Ray shrugged. "Suit yourself. But save a little room for dessert. They
have the best banana cream pie. And chocolate cake."

 Ray had also loaded a small plate with the foods for Carie that Ben had
asked for before escorting her back to their table. They seated
themselves. Ben rose as soon as Ray sat, to serve himself. 

 Ray chatted with Maggie as she began her meal. She realized she was
ravenous, and dug in with gusto. Ray fed his daughter mashed potatoes with
a spoon. She opened her mouth like a baby bird for more, and made
impatient noises when Ray removed the spoon to reload. Ben returned
shortly with a small plate of steamed rice and vegetables, and some baked
chicken. Ray raised his eyebrows. "That's all you're having?"

 Ben sighed. "It's very low fat, Ray." He picked up a knife and fork and
began to removed the skin.

 "Benny, you look fine."

 He looked pained. "No, I don't, Ray." He pushed the skin to the side of
his plate.

 He grabbed Ben by the wrist. "Stop. Look at me." 

 Ben dropped his utensils.

 "You look good to me Benny. You're perfect." The two of them locked eyes,
their gazes becoming very intimate. Ben smiled finally, and the two of
them visibly relaxed. To Maggie, it almost looked like two balloons being
released of air. 

 Ray let go of Ben's wrist. "You eat, Benny." He took a couple of his ribs
and a piece of fried chicken and put it on Ben's plate. "I gott'er.
Com'ere, you!" He pulled the little girl's high chair close to him and
began to spoon her macaroni and cheese.

 Ray kept Carie entertained for the rest of their meal while mostly Ben
and Maggie conversed. "Papa! More!" the toddler would exclaim from time to
time. She would kick when Ray didn't feed her fast enough. Her pasta and
mashed potatoes quickly disappeared, and Ray excused himself to get
seconds. 

 The siblings recapped their lives to one another, since their last email,
while they ate. Maggie shared some stories about life in the RCMP these
days, talked about her mother and what she was up to, and told him that
she and Avery had talked about getting married. She'd been with him for
over a year, and it felt good being with him. It felt right. Ben told her
about being a detective on some of the toughest streets in America, how
despite his time spent with Ray while he was at the 27, he felt somewhat
unprepared for the raw brutality, the bottomless immorality of some of the
criminal minds he had encountered thus far. He talked about his partner
Stanley, and what a good guy he was, while Ray rolled his eyes. He got Ray
to talk about his recent promotion to sergeant and his transfer to a
better part of the city.

 Without seeming to look at Carie, and without breaking their
conversation, Ben silently pulled out a small bottle of milk. Ray removed
her from her high chair, cleaned her up, and sat her on Ben's lap. Ben
settled back in his seat and Carie settled back in his arms and she drank
from the small bottle. She closed her eyes and pushed a hand into her
hair. Maggie got the impression she was witnessing a nightly ritual. 

 "You wanna little dessert, Benny?"

 "A small sliver of cherry cake would be nice, Ray."

 "How `bout you, Mag?"

 "Oh, I'm stuffed. Thank you."

 Ray disappeared.

 "You know, you two are really good at this," she said. "Carie's a lucky
little girl."

 Ben sighed. "It's not easy." He shook his head. 

 "Few rewarding things seldom are." Maggie glanced in the direction that
Ray disappeared. "So Ben...is everything okay? I mean--

 Ben put on a bright smile. "Everything's fine," he said. "Just fine."

 VVVVVV

 The next week and a half flew by. As Ben promised, the weather was
perfect. Each day, temperatures climbed into the low eighties. Her brother
took her everywhere to see the places she had only heard of, or seen on
television, or read about. Sometimes they were accompanied by Ray,
sometimes not. Sometimes with Carie, sometimes not. They caught a couple
of ball games at Wrigley Field, saw a performance at Second City, toured
the Art Institute. He took her to Buckingham Fountain where he gave her
all the details of his sister-in-law's lavish wedding and reception. They
took a tour on the lake, ate Chicago-style deep dish pizza, and went to
the opera. One night, they got a sitter and the three of them went to a
club to hear some of the blues music the city was so famous for. 

 She accompanied Ben as he did his errands all over Little Italy. She
shopped with him the little boutiques, the Italian pastries shop, and the
corner butcher in the neighborhood. He took her around the campus of the
University of Chicago where he had started his degree and hoped to
continue this fall. He took her to the 27 where he reintroduced her to
Margarita and to Micky, and she got to meet his partner Stanley. She had
felt a rush of physical attraction in his presence, the force of it both
surprising her and making her nervous.

 She had Sunday dinner at the house, and had a nice long chat with Ray's
mother and sister, who quizzed her about every detail of her life. She got
reacquainted with Francesca, and met her husband Damon. She got to spend
some time with Maria and Tony's children.

 Ben's life was full of some many people, so unlike her own. 

 After spending just a few days here, Maggie understood her brother's deep
love for this city. It had depth, character and strength and richness.
There were seemingly an infinite number of things to do at any given time.
The two of them often spoke of Canada; Ben liked to hear stories about his
home country. But the fact was that the Constable Benton Fraser that she
met and briefly knew six years ago was no more; he had been deconstructed,
and that made Maggie feel a little lost.

 VVVVVV

 It was her final weekend of her visit, and Ben had taken her camping a
short drive outside the city, at Starved Rock State Park. Their campsite
was on the shore of the Illinois River overlooking Plum Island.

 They had rented horses and ridden some trails together once they arrived
early this morning. Ben had borrowed some fishing equipment from his
friend John, and they had spent the better part of the afternoon fishing
the backwater along the Illinois River. 

 Maggie enjoyed the peace and quiet after the fast pace of the city. She
could tell that Ben did too. He was talked a little slower and moved a
little slower as the day ambled on. It was nice to talk to him without the
baby, as wonderful and sweet as she was, interrupting every minute or two.

 Maggie made a small campfire while Ben cleaned and gutted the fish. They
conversed in low murmurs, and even so, their voices seemed loud in the
heavy silence of the woods. The river beneath them murmured and burbled as
it flowed past, a steady heartbeat that underpinned their light
conversation. 

 They settled into their bedrolls after they had eaten, the sun dropping
past the horizon. Embers from their earlier supper fire still glowed,
casting them both in dim orange, and drawing long shadows behind them.
Maggie lay on her stomach, head resting in crossed arms. Across the fire
from her, Ben lay on his back. Despite the cool night, Ben lay exposed, on
top of his bedroll. He pillowed the back of his head with his hands and
appeared to be examining the nighttime sky.

 Maggie was pleasantly tired from the day's activities. Her mind replayed
bits of her visit as she contemplated the end of her vacation.

 After a long silence between them, Maggie hesitantly brought up a topic
she had been curious about since the beginning of her stay with the men-
the cause of their rift when she had first arrived. She hesitantly asked
her question. She could hear him shrug in the dark, and then softly sigh
as he contemplated his response.

 "Ray doesn't want me to go back to school," he said at last. "He wants me
to be home."

 "What's wrong with that?"

 "I just think it's a little bit of a selfish stance on Ray's part. I
started this degree program, and I always intended to finish it. I had to
withdraw while I was at police academy and while my officer probationary
period was in effect. I could have resumed last fall, but because Carie
was so young, I deferred. It's time now. I want to finish what I started.
Plus, I miss school. I miss the academic challenge, the environment."

 Maggie carefully mulled it over. She chose her words carefully as to not
to appear to be taking sides. "Well. You certainly do have your hands full
right now. I mean, you've got a pretty demanding career. A baby. Perhaps
now isn't the best time."

 "I'm only going to be taking two classes. I can easily manage the time."

 "I hear you but Ray--

 "Ray's notorious for not wanting to me to live my own life. Maggie, my
entire world is Ray's world. Surely, you see that. He never really stepped
into mine too much, not without complaining anyway. All these years...I've
always given Ray what he wanted. I just want this one thing for myself.
This one thing. I don't think I'm asking too much of him." 

 "Have you told him this specifically?"

 "He doesn't listen to me. He doesn't hear what I'm saying to him. He
doesn't listen or maybe he just doesn't care. In either case, nothing gets
resolved. I'm expected to be at his beck and call at every moment."

 Maggie sighed softly, watching her brother restlessly move around in the
dark, clearly agitated. This certainly was a revelation. Maggie had never
heard her brother say anything even mildly negative about Ray or about
anybody for that matter; this was troubling. Ben rolled from his back to
his side, away from her. "I just don't think it's very fair," he murmured.


 Neither said another word that evening, and a long time later, they
drifted off to sleep, to the murmur of the crickets.

 FINIS	
  

End B: Chicago by Dee Gilles 

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