Title: The Promise
Author: Birgitt Schuknecht
Fandom: Due South
Rating: PG
Pairing:
Category: Drama
Disclaimer: The characters used in the following story are not mine.
I do not make any money out of this. It's written for fun and for the
fans of the show. Feedback: birgitt.schuknecht@uni-essen.de
Spoilers: Juliet is Bleeding
Teaser: Fraser has to cope with the aftermath following Irene Zuko's
death. Companionpiece to Fields of Gold. Date: July 1999

The Promise

Author's Note
This story takes place after the episode JULIET IS BLEEDING. There's
a companion piece for it, called "Fields of Gold" and there will be a
sequel. I would like to thank the comments I got for the earlier drafts
of the story. They helped me to improve what I've written. I'd like to
mention here the ficwrite list and the sanctuario list members. Remaining
errors are completely my own doing. 

Fraser looked at his friend who sat beside him. Ray was breathing deeply.
Finally he'd gone to sleep. Exhausted and shattered by the events of
the past days and especially by the loss of his love, Irene. Only a few
hours ago Ray had entered Zuko's house in a rage, determined to get Irene
out. Now she was dead and all he - Fraser - could do for Ray was sit
near him and watch his sleep. 

The Vecchios had left the hospital some time ago. Mrs. Vecchio had been
distressed to see her son in such a state. But she trusted Fraser
completely
to watch over her Raimondo. He had done it before and would do it in
the time to come. Although she knew that Ray's love for Irene had been
pure and complete she was also certain that it had been condemned to
end in a catastrophe right from the start. Her heart ached at the thought
of her only son suffering. However, Fraser would be a good friend, like
a brother Ray had never had. Nonetheless had it taken the Mountie quite
a time and determination to convince her that it would be best to leave
him alone with her son. He had promised over and over to bring Ray home
as soon he would be able to. Deep in her heart Mrs. Vecchio had known
that her son would need some time to go back to their house with its
abundance of Italian liveliness. 

Now that Ray was sleeping Fraser gave in to his own thoughts about the
tragic accident that had brought them here, into a cold and sterile
waiting
room. A nurse had brought them blankets and Fraser had accepted them
gratefully with a small smile that hadn't reached his eyes and his readily
whispered "Thank you kindly". He had stuffed a blanket around his friend
and took the second for himself, needing the comfort as much as the warmth
it had supplied. 

His mind ever returned to the same simple question. Simple? No, not so
simple. At least the answer wasn't simple. Could he have done anything
to prevent Irene's death? When did they trod on this path into tragic?
Oh god, this night at the restaurant... The evening had started as
pleasant
as Ray had planned it. Some friends... together on a night out... And
now there are two dead people, a friend, a lover... 

It took him a considerable effort to free himself of this line of thought.
No! Even if he could have done anything, it was too late now. He had
to concentrate on the future. He, Fraser, was responsible for his friend.
And he was going to help Ray through this crisis. No matter what the
cost. 

Fraser nodded off into sleep, despite his efforts to stay awake. But
the last days had taken a toll on him, too. Lulled by Ray's deep breaths
he closed his eyes. Suddenly he was disturbed by unusual sounds near
him. It took him only a few seconds to become aware of Ray's plight.
The man beside him had started to shiver and small moans escaped his
mouth. His breathing wasn't longer deep, but laboured and irregular.
Fraser placed a hand on Ray's perspiring forehead - and was shocked to
find it hot. In the next second he was on his feet calling for a doctor's
help. 

***

When the doctor came out of the room where they had brought his friend
Fraser jumped from the chair. He'd been waiting for the things to come
just for a few minutes, but it seemed like aeons to him. The doctor came
over to him and smiled confidently. "I'm Dr. Fisher. And you are..."

"Fraser, Constable of the RCMP. Dr Fisher, Detective Vecchio is my friend
and I need to know.." Fraser was interrupted with what was a silencing
gesture. 

"Detective Vecchio has caught a cold and a fever broke out - nothing
serious, I assure you, but he's showing the first signs of pneumonia.
Just to be on the safe side we'll keep him here for a few days. You say,
you're a friend. Will you notify Detective Vecchio's family?" 

"Of course, I will. But I'd like to stay with him. I promised his mother
to bring him home." Fraser's voice told of the stress he was under. Fisher
noticed it; it was obvious to him what was best for both men. 

"Constable, I know this sounds like a clich, but it's nevertheless the
truth: There's nothing that you can do for him - apart from going home
and giving yourself a break. You're no use for him in your state of mind.
Calm his family and - calm yourself." 

Fraser wanted to argue with him, but thought better of it. The man was
right, although he didn't like it. So he resigned to saying "Thank you
kindly, Doctor. I will come back tomorrow morning if it's all right with
you." 

Fisher nodded with a smile. "I do not see a reason to keep you away from
him, when you are rested and a real help for him. Don't worry, Constable.
We will look after your friend." And with a final nod toward the Mountie
he returned to his patient for another check. 

***

Mrs.. Vecchio was shocked to see Fraser return alone, without her beloved
son. But it took only a few minutes for Fraser to calm her down. She
was willing to believed the Mountie. If Fraser says Raimondo will be
all right... then she shouldn't worry but believe. 

Fraser gave her a final remark: "We will go together the hospital. You'll
see, he will be his true self in the morning." It seemed like he wanted
to assure himself as well. There was much more for Ray to deal with than
a  fever and the beginnings of pneumonia. He knew also that Mrs.. Vecchio
knew this and she knew that he knew. So both were determined to put those
thoughts away for a night's sleep. 

But for both of them it wasn't so easy to calm down their worries. In
consequence they met in kitchen early on the next day. There they stood:
smiling sheepishly at one another until Fraser took Mrs.. Vecchio in
an embrace, giving comfort and being comforted at the same time. Ray
Vecchio was like a brother for Benton Fraser and to a good part this
was due to his feelings for Ray's mother. 

"Let's get dressed and go to the hospital. Ray will be waiting for us."
Mrs.. Vecchio nodded, wiping away some tears from her face. "Yes, Benton.
Let us bring him home." 

***

"I'm sorry, Mrs.. Vecchio. We had to transfer your son to another unit.
Only a few minutes ago his state deteriorated immensely. He's in a coma
now. We called your house, but your daughter Francesca told us you already
left. She asked me to tell you she will be here in no time." 

Unable to speak Mrs.. Vecchio just nodded. Fraser took her arm since
he feared she could collapse there and then. But it took only a few
seconds
and Mrs.. Vecchio regained her strength. Raimondo needed her and she
would be there for him. She straightened and demanded in a steady voice:
"Take us to him!" 

The nurse shook her head in determination. "I have orders to inform the
doctors when you arrive. Please wait here. I will call Doctor Macken
right now that you're here. Please take a seat. Mrs.. Vecchio,
Constable..."
She turned and went over to the phone. 

Fraser considered to press his wishes. He wanted to see his friend
desperately
and knew that the woman beside him felt the same. But he restrained
himself.
It would be better to talk to the doctor first. However, he wouldn't
be calmed for a second time. 

A middle-aged man entered the room they were waiting in. He looked around
and spotted Mrs. Vecchio and Fraser. He come over to them, introducing
himself: "Mrs. Vecchio, Constable Fraser, I assume? My name is Macken.
Your son, your friend is in our custody now. The situation is serious
but not hopeless - from a certain point of view." 

There it was - another man speaking in clichs and selling them to him
as the truth. Fraser lost his temper: "Doctor, don't tell me - like your
colleague did last night - that Detective Vecchio will be all right.
Tell us the truth. No well-meaning lies." Although his voice wasn't much
more than a whisper his words had the desired effect. 

Macken nodded: "Let me explain, Constable. Detective Vecchio's coma cannot
be explained by any physical cause. Yes, he has rather severe fever.
But that is not the problem. When the fever reached is peak he just gave
up fighting. Normally he should have overcome the crisis by now. However,
there is... I'm sorry to say that, Mrs. Vecchio... there seems to be
no will in him to go on... no will to live..." His expression told Mrs.
Vecchio and Fraser that the situation was desperate - the experts didn't
have a solution ready. 

Nonetheless Mrs. Vecchio asked: "What do you do for him? What can we
do for him?" 

Macken looked in Fraser's direction before he answered - as if he knew
what Fisher had told him the night before. And most certainly he did
know it. "There's not much you can do. You can see him, of course, speak
to him, touch him. That has helped in some cases to bring back comatose
patients. Although I don't see there much hope. As long he's not
fighting...
All we can do is watch him." 

That again brought Fraser to life: "And that is all you will do, am I
right? You speak about him as if he's a coward. A man who gives himself
up is to be given up!" Mrs. Vecchio was stunned... It was the first time
she'd heard the Mountie yelling in a rage. Equally stunned was Francesca
who just came in this moment. 

Although she didn't know the details she was determined to calm the fuming
man: "Benton, listen to me. You aren't any help to Ray in this state."
Fraser wasn't listening, but Francesca could be as stubborn as her
brother:
"Benton, listen. Benny, Ray needs you now, your strength. Give up this
needless fight." 

Fraser turned to the woman who stood there tugging at his uniform. He
wasn't sure what brought him down: The name only Ray used for him or
this last sentence. But she was right. The doctor had only used
platitudes,
but Francesca was right. He swore to himself that he would get Ray home
- just as he had promised his mother. 

***

Macken brought them into Ray's room. All three of them looked desperately
at the still form in the bed before them. Ray's face was deadly pale,
only the bruises he'd got in the restaurant brawl showing clearly. He
looked kind of small amid all the medical apparatus around him. Mrs.
Vecchio let out a small sob and Fraser helped her to sit down beside
her son. She took his left hand into hers and her lips moved in what
Fraser thought to be a silent prayer. His voice was hoarse when he spoke
up: "Mrs. Vecchio, I think that you should pray aloud. Maybe he can hear
your voice. That will help him to..." He stopped in midsentence. The
woman hadn't heard a word of what he'd spoken. Francesca, who stood behind
him, clutched his arm. "What is it, Ben?" 

Slowly he shook his head and beckoned her to follow him out of the room.
Dr Macken stayed behind to do another check on his patient's vitals.
Outside the little room Fraser turned to Francesca. "Francesca, I just
thought of something Dr Macken had said. Remember... speaking to him
and touching him might help him to come back. Maybe we should force
this..."

Francesca looked dubious: "How so?" Fraser took her hands in his: "Please,
call your family. Maria, Tony and the kids. Yes, by all means the kids.
He should know that the people who love and who need him are here for
him, waiting..." Francesca sighed: "I do not know if that's such a good
idea, our lot can be very annoying. It's been hundred of times Ray went
into a rage about us..." She looked up and a smile came to her lips.
Her eyes, a moment ago dull with pain and desperation, lit up. Fraser
nodded: "You see what I mean. He needs his family and his friends to
be near him. Which reminds me... Tell your family to bring Diefenbaker
with them. I left him with Willie, you know the little boy who keeps
an eye on him from time to time... Wait, I'll write down the address
for you. It's not far from my own apartment. Tony should have no problems
to find it." 

Francesca braced herself for the phone call. Maria would follow her lead,
there's was no doubt about that. But Tony... Whatever, she had only to
do what she could best, talking... "Wait, will Diefenbaker go with them?"
Fraser nodded slowly. He knows your family. He will trust them." Francesca
nodded. Maria was a brave woman. She would bring the wolf with her.
Francesca
went off to find a phone. Fraser looked after her: "Such a courageous,
intelligent woman... how alike she and her brother are..." He went back
to Ray and his mother. Dr Macken gave them a strained smile before he
left the room. But Mrs. Vecchio and the Mountie had only eyes for his
patient. 

Ten minutes later Francesca returned from her phone call. Fraser looked
up. Francesca smiled at him, giving him a thumps up. "They'll be here!"
she mouthed silently. Fraser only nodded as an answer. Somehow both of
them didn't want to disturb the still praying woman at Ray's bed. 

***

Only half an hour later the hospital was in an uproar thanks to the
appearance
of the Vecchio family. Francesca and Fraser looked up from their reverie
and even Mrs. Vecchio was shaken out of her constant praying. Fraser
left the room and met with Maria, Tony and the kids in the anteroom.
In the next instant Diefenbaker was at his side. It took him only a few
moments to calm down the whole group standing before him. "I'm glad that
you're here. Were there any difficulties..." He couldn't complete his
sentence when Dr Macken turned up, with an infuriated nurse following
him. Fraser turned to the doctor. 

"Constable, what is this all about? We're still a hospital and these
people here..." Macken was at a loss for words. After two deep breaths
he tried again: "They even brought a dog here." Diefenbaker let out a
small growl. Macken was not to be stopped. "This is strictly against
hospital regulations." Now the doctor was on firm ground again. "I take
it that is your doing, Constable. I give you one minute to get this...
whatever it is out of my hospital. Is that understood?" 

Fraser escaped a little smile. But he checked himself. This was no game,
this was utterly serious. His friend's life might depend on it... "Dr
Macken, I am totally aware that this is a hospital. But you have to see
the need for this. I believe strongly that this will help Detective
Vecchio
to regain consciousness. All his life he spent in a lively and loud
family.
People are constantly yelling at each other, out of fear not to be heard.
Don't you understand that this whatever it is, as you called it," he
pointed at the Vecchio family, now joined by Mrs. Vecchio and Francesca,
"that this might bring him back?" 

Macken ran out of arguments. He shrugged his shoulders and the Mountie
knew he had won. But Macken was eager to regain at least a small part
of his authority. "But the dog must leave." Fraser was no less determined.
"It's a wolf actually, but that is of no importance here. I'm sorry,
Doctor, but Diefenbaker is a part of it all." He was backed by a short
bark from his companion and Macken gave finally in. The idea of retiring
suddenly seemed quite a good idea... 

The Vecchio family, for once silenced, looked at their Mountie
expectantly.
Fraser smiled at them and explained what he had in mind. "I want you
to go in there and talk to each other like you do this at home. Talk
to Ray, about anything you can think of. We do not know for sure, but
I do hope strongly that he will hear you." With that he turned around
and entered the room. The others stayed behind. Well, Fraser thought,
I'm sure they will follow in a few minutes. He went over to Ray and looked
down on him. "Ray, what are you doing here? You have to come back. We
all wait for you. We need you." The man in the bed showed no reaction
whatsoever. He breathed calmly. Fraser tried again: "Your mother and
your sister are with me." No reaction. Time to get backup. Fraser opened
the door and waved Mrs. Vecchio and Frannie inside. 

Fraser whispered: "You should start talking to him." Both women tried
to smile and Mrs. Vecchio's voice was slightly trembling when she finally
spoke up: "Why don't you come home to us, Raimondo? We know that it's
hard for you, but you have to start anew. Come on, you have to fight!
We all need you!" Now Frannie joined in: "You're a stubborn man, Ray
Vecchio, but I do love you. Why do you do this to us? We need you, Mama,
Benny. Maria, Tony and the kids are waiting outside. They even brought
Diefenbaker with them. And Lieutenant Welsh called several times." 

Still there was no reaction from Ray. But wait, didn't he just move his
head ever so slightly? Fraser wasn't sure. But than he heard something.
He was certain Ray had said something: Irene? The Mountie decided to
follow this track. He steeled himself, wanted to make sure that his voice
was steady: "Irene's dead, Ray, you have to accept that." He knew his
words must have shocked Mrs.. Vecchio and Francesca. He could tell that
by their hard breathes. Mrs. Vecchio sounded slightly angry: "Benton,
you shouldn't tell..." But the Mountie only raised an arm to silence
her: "He must know, and he will know. Ray, do you hear what I say?" Now
the reaction was unmistakable. Ray turned his head in his direction.
He can hear me and he listens to me, Fraser thought. 

"Ray, listen to me. You've lost Irene, she's dead. But you have your
family here, and your friends." Francesca let in the rest of the family,
accompanied by Diefenbaker. And they all could see how Ray opened his
eyes, trying to focus. 

***

"Raimondo, you're awake, you're back with us." Mrs. Vecchio lost her
composure and embraced her son tightly.  Ray found his voice after a
while: "Mama, please, let me breathe." She righted herself up and let
go of him. Ray's nieces and nephews began hopping around until her mother
and father ushered them all out. Ray gave a small sigh: "Why did you
do this to me?" 

Mrs. Vecchio and Francesca stared at her son and brother open-mouthed:
"We did what to you?" Ray answered matter-of-factly, "bringing me back.
I didn't want to come back..." Francesca cried out in exasperation: "What
is that supposed to mean? You wanted to die?" Her eyes flashed with anger.
Her brother only nodded to her. Francesca looked like she wanted to slap
him: "You stubborn mule, you stupid man. You must be out of your senses.
After all we've gone through... You can't do this to Mama... or to the
rest of your family and your friends..." 

Ray stared hard at his sister: "Yes! Fraser! Make him go. I do not want
to see him again. Never ever..." 

The End
of this story