So�This Is Montana� Ch. 32
After Joey, Chris and JC, along with ranch hands Mitch and Troy had been rushed to the county clinic by ambulance and patrol cars, the remaining law enforcement officials formed into several small groups. Three groups would carry out the most important task�searching for Lance, who had been last seen by Chris and the others heading into the woods surrounding the area where they had been rescued. The other officers would begin the grim task of going over the site and investigating the deaths of Charlie Reynolds, John Williams and Steven Cartwright.
It had now been more than an hour since Lance had disappeared and all were very concerned for his safety since it was reported that two of the men that had been hired to help in killing him, as well as the others, were also out there looking for the young man. Added to that was the fact that the stormy weather conditions were showing no signs of improving, further hindering the search. As far as the sheriffs and deputies were concerned, it was going to be a race against time and the elements�it could mean the life of a young man if they didn�t get to him first.
Several miles away, the scene at the county clinic was one that would probably be described by an outsider as controlled chaos. Doctors Ralph Parrish and David Granger, along with the help of several off-duty paramedics, were able to prepare themselves adequately in advance for the impending arrivals of the ambulances carrying JC, as well as ranch hands Mitch Warden and Troy Garner. Chris and Joey were being brought to the clinic in patrol cars, following closely behind the ambulances.
It had been disheartening enough to hear of Lance being missing and John and Steven�s violent deaths, but the death of Charlie Reynolds cut through the hearts of all the men�none of them wanted to believe that the kind, quiet man had been a part of a plan as hateful and cold hearted as John�s.
�Who�s coming in first?� a voice called out amid the noise of preparations, interrupting the silent thoughts.
�Mitch and Troy�they didn�t look too good according to the EMTs,� Dr. Parrish said after clearing the emotional lump that had formed in his throat. Slowly he rocked back and forth on his heels, his hands behind his back as he mentally ran through the conditions of those who were being brought in while at the same time attempting to push his emotions to the side. It was a battle that he was not accustomed to fighting and he was finding the task to be a daunting one.
Minutes earlier, the paramedics had called in that Mitch and Troy were being brought in unconscious, but apparently beginning to show some slight signs of awakening. Those attending to the ranch hands suspected that the young men had been drugged since there were no signs of head trauma causing their comatose states, but only the pair would be able to confirm or deny those facts and it might be some time before they would be able to do so.
The ambulance transporting JC had also radioed in his condition, which had not changed since they had left the far western pasture. Dr. Parrish and Dr. Granger were disappointed and slightly concerned to hear that the young man had, for the most part, shown no signs of coming out of his unconscious state. They were hoping that JC�s condition would improve soon since they were working with the fact that the young man had suffered a concussion, just days before. If it didn�t they would be facing the possibility that if it became necessary, JC would be transported to a facility in Billings that would better handle head traumas. Both doctors knew that the group of young men would not want to be broken apart�not now�not ever.
Both Joey and Chris were supposedly suffering from varying of degrees shock. According to the authorities, both had passed out at the scene and one of the sheriffs bringing in Joey had reported that he had regained consciousness, but wasn�t responding to their questions and appeared to be heavily dazed. It was as if he was not even aware of what had happened, where he now was or the fact that there were others in the patrol car with him. The doctors had learned that apparently after John Williams had been fatally shot, his body had fallen over Joey, effectively pinning the young man to the ground. After hearing of that, Dr. Granger and Dr. Parrish were certain that anyone would have reacted in the same manner�anyone.
No word had been heard on Chris� condition but the doctor was not yet overly concerned about the fact that there was a lack of communication. He knew that the officers would contact him if they ran into any serious problems as those did taking care of Joey, so the fact that there was no news was actually somewhat reassuring to him.
After not hearing anything from the officers about Lance, the doctor had quizzed the officers enroute to the clinic. A deep chill raced down his spine when he learned that no one actually knew where the young man was and that he was last seen riding into the woods on his horse while bound tightly. The doctor realized that it would be a miracle if the young man were even to remain seated on his horse much less have the ability to find adequate shelter from the storm. To his knowledge, there was really no place for the young man to go unless he were to be heading back to the ranch house, but he doubted that Lance had any real awareness of where he was heading.
A clap of thunder brought the doctor out of his thoughts and he ran a slightly shaking hand over his head before lowering his gaze to look at the floor.
�God�please help us�help them�� he quietly whispered before looking back up.
�It�ll be at least another 5 or 10 minutes before they come in,� Dr. Granger said, glancing at the clock on the wall. Dr. Parrish cleared his throat as he glanced at his watch then spoke.
�I�m going to go check on Timberlake while I still have the chance,� he said. �Be back in a few minutes.�
The others in the room acknowledged his comments and he quickly left the room to make his way down a long hallway, which would take him directly to Justin�s private room.
Once at the young man�s door, the doctor quietly opened it and stepped inside the dimly lit room.
�Pete?� he said in an almost whispered tone of voice, not wanting to startle the ranch hand, who was seated beside Justin�s bed.
Pete looked up from the newspaper that he was reading and hastily folded it up all the while watching the doctor�s approach to the slumbering figure lying on the nearby hospital bed.
�Haven�t heard a peep from him in almost an hour,� Pete commented standing at the other side of the bed. �He moved around a little bit but never woke up or anything.�
�I guess tonight�s events took more out of him than I thought,� the doctor commented as he gently pulled the sheet covering Justin down while Pete carefully lifted the young man�s limp right arm out of the doctor�s way.
�That�s good�right there, Pete. Don�t want that to pull on his stitches,� the doctor said, indicating that the ranch hand needed to be mindful of how far he moved Justin�s arm.
�Just wanted to check on the site.� Dr. Parrish pushed the hospital gown draped over Justin�s body away from the heavy layer of bandages that were wrapped about his torso.
�Good�no bleeding,� he quietly commented as he rearranged Justin�s gown then the sheet until he was satisfied that the prone figure was adequately tucked in.
�How are things with the others? Have you heard anything?�
�What, Pete? Sorry�� the doctor apologized as he stepped back from Justin�s bed.
�The others�have you heard anything yet?� Pete asked again, his voice anxious and full of worry.
�Yes�I guess we�ve been pretty busy trying to get ready for their arrival�sorry we haven�t come down to tell you anything,� the doctor said, cringing at the fact that no one had thought to let the ranch hand know what had happened.
�Don�t worry about it, doc,� Pete said, waving his hand in dismissal and understanding of the situation in the treatment area. �What have you heard, doc?�
�Well�John and Steven�and Charlie Reynolds,� the doctor began while rubbing his eyes with weary hands. ��there�s no easy way of saying it, Pete� � With the doctor�s hesitation, Pete knew what he was about to hear even before the words were said.
�They�re dead�aren�t they,� the ranch hand said more as a statement, rather than a question. The doctor�s heavy sigh then simple nod of his head confirmed the ranch hand�s suspicions.
�The others? Don�t tell me something like happened to them too,� Pete said, his voice suddenly sounding almost desperate.
�No�no. They�re not dead, Pete�they�re not dead.�
With those words, the ranch hand visibly relaxed and shakily sat back down in the chair that he had earlier vacated as the doctor continued to speak in quiet, low tones.
�Mitch and Troy are pretty bad off. It looks like they may have been drugged�pretty heavily. Joshua�Joseph and Christopher are on their way in also. It looks like Joseph and Christopher are suffering from shock�Joshua is��
�Whoa�wait a minute, doc,� Pete stammered, raising his hands in confusion as he suddenly realized that one name had been missing. �What about Mr. Bass? Isn�t he being brought in?�
The doctor looked down at his feet no longer able to look the ranch hand in the eye and, at the same time he heard the chair move on the floor, signaling that Pete was now standing again.
�No. He�s missing, Pete,� he said with a heavy sigh. He ran a hand tiredly through his thinning hair as he continued. �Apparently, sometime during the forced ride out to the western pastures, he was able to escape, but two of the men riding with John went after him. Hal Owens has a large number of officers combing the area for Lance and the Miller brothers, but�they haven�t been found�not a one of them.�
Pete once again sat down heavily in the chair behind him as his thoughts swirled about while the doctor continued to tell him about the conditions of the other young men, as he knew them to be.
Minutes later, one of the off duty paramedics knocked on the door then stuck his head through the doorway and quietly announced that the first ambulance had arrived. With hurried movements, Dr. Parrish exited the room leaving Pete lost in his thoughts before lowering his head in quiet prayer for the young men.
At the same time, Lawson and Hank Miller were finding that their hands were full while trying to treat Lance for what they thought was hypothermia. Just moments earlier, the pair had managed to pull the wet and bound figure out of the rushing waters of a rapidly filling gully. Although the young man had yet to be able to fully communicate what had happened, the pair had guessed that a fall from his horse had sent Lance down the steep embankment and into the water. Thankfully, they had arrived just minutes before the young man would have surely been swept away to certain death.
Immediately after pulling Lance from the rain-filled gully, the brothers knew that they definitely had a major problem on their hands�possibly life-threatening if they didn�t act quickly since the young man was barely coherent and shivering violently.
While the brothers worked to get Lance ready to be situated on one of their horses, he moaned in a mixture of fear and pain. His right wrist was on fire�he had no idea who had helped him other than the fact that the men had been among those willing to kill him and the others.
He was only vaguely aware of what was going on around him�hands pulling at the ties surrounding his arms�a jacket being wrapped tightly about his shoulders�voices shouting above the sounds of thunder. But none of these things held any real clarity to his tired and confused mind causing him fear and anxiety.
�Hey�can you hear me?� Lawson asked loudly, trying to bring Lance out of his stupor as he ran his hands up and down the young mans quaking arms and legs, checking for any possible injuries. The only response that he was given to his words and ministrations were more feeble moans from the young man.
Very slowly, he raised the shuddering figure up so that he was now reclining against the saddle that Hank had pulled from his lamed horse. He then moved his hands up and down Lance�s chest, carefully feeling along his ribs and stomach, all the while watching to see if he would get any reaction only to be disappointed when his green eyes remained glazed and unfocused.
�Hey�are you with me?� Lawson asked, staring into Lance�s eyes while giving his left side a harder squeeze, hoping that the young man would respond to his voice and touch.
In reaction to the voice and firm, but gentle hands, Lance blinked heavily then swallowed deeply, nodding his head only very slightly while looking directly at Lawson as if seeing him for the first time before feeling a sudden, overwhelming weariness overtake him. The strength of the exhaustion pressed so heavily upon him that he was unable to fight it and, with a small, almost silent moan, his head lolled to the side as he gave into the darkness.
�Whoa, there,� Lawson said as he felt Lance completely relax beneath his hands becoming dead weight in his arms. He quickly scrambled to make sure the now pliant figure didn�t fall over and he glanced up to see that the young man no longer seemed responsive, not realizing that he was no longer conscious, his head lazily lolling about.
�Watch out for his right arm since his cast came off,� Hank reminded his brother while continuing to shine his flashlight on the pair, becoming more and more concerned with Lance�s deteriorating condition. Lawson just nodded in response before wiping his hand gently over Lance�s lax and pale face taking in the alarming fact that the young man once again didn�t even acknowledge his touch and he anxiously looked up at his brother after seeing that Lance�s lips were slightly blue-tinged and he was still shivering, even in his unconscious state.
�I�m no expert, but I think he might be going into shock or something�definitely hypothermia�but�what do we do, Hank?� he asked in a voice verging on the beginnings of panic. The situation had been out of hand before but now it was in danger of going completely out of control�especially if the apparent dire condition of the young man lying shivering on the ground grew any worse.
�The rain isn�t letting up any and we need to do something, but what?�
For a few moments, the pair watched Lance�s shaking form before the oldest spoke.
�Okay�this is what we need to do�first, we need to get him to the cabin. You know the one just beyond the break in the trees up ahead,� Hank said as he knelt down to lift Lance�s shivering form lying off the muddy ground while Lawson scramble to get to his horse then climb up into his saddle while his brother continued to talk, his voice now slightly strained by the added burden in his arms.
�We can�t head back since John and Steven want to kill him�we can�t get to the ranch house from here without going back the way we came�so we need to hide somewhere. The cabin is a lot closer than the ranch house and we can�t move too fast either. I�ve heard that too much jostling around isn�t too good for somebody�s heart if they�re suffering from hypothermia. There�s some first aid supplies there and we can get a fire started there to get him warmed up.�
�But what about the others? John and Steven�those boys don�t stand a chance against them.�
�I know, but right now we�ve got to do all we can to help this one,� Hank said nodding his head at Lance.
�You�re right,� Lawson called out over the sounds of rolling thunder as he reached down from his horse and pulled Lance�s limp form up from his brother�s arms. With care, he manipulated Lance�s limp, shivering form until he was sitting upright, his back pressed against his chest.
�He�s not going to last long if we don�t get him to some shelter,� he added in a voice full of worry for the young man. Carefully, he tugged the jacket wrapped around Lance a little tighter about his shaking shoulders before nudging his horse forward while his brother reached for the reins of Lance�s horse.
�You need to go on ahead, Law. I�ll be in right behind you. His mare is going to slow me down some, but we can�t leave her out here in this,� Hank said, waving his hand in the air as the cold rain continued to fall steadily upon them. The injured horse, if left to fend for itself, might accidentally stumble off the path and fall into the gully and drown.
Lawson nodded at his brother then gently prodded his horse forward in the direction of a small cabin not more than 200 yards ahead of them. Knowing that it would be dry and somewhat warm in the shelter once a fire could be built and that there could still be some supplies left over from the last group of workers that may have stayed there, he was certain that he and his brother would be able to help Lance.
Tightening his grip on the trembling form leaning heavily against him, Lawson urged his horse further into the woods. For a few minutes, he concentrated on the path that his horse was carrying them down, but eventually his thoughts traveled to what he and his brother had almost done to Lance and his friends, as well as ranch hands, Mitch and Troy. The emotions that swept through him were almost overwhelming�regret�fear�what had he and his brother been thinking?
�Nothing�we weren�t thinking at all�� he whispered as his thoughts went out toward the young men that John and Steven had been bent on destroying. They had all looked so frightened�panicked, but the face that seemed to haunt him had been that of JC, although he didn�t have a name to go with the face.
JC had appeared defeated�lacking hope. Somehow, he and his brother would have to get this one to safety before returning to help the others.
�How are you doing there?� he asked, speaking directly into Lance�s ear then, not truly expecting an answer, Lawson settled back in his saddle all the while keeping a tight grip on the figure in front of him, but a small voice barely heard above the storm surrounding them answered his question.
�C�c�co�cold�sss�so�cold,� Lance quietly complained, without seeming to be even aware of what was going on having just reached a level of consciousness so faint that it threatened to pull the young man back into darkness.
Quickly, Lawson took a deep breath in relief at the sound of Lance�s weak response before speaking.
�I know you�re cold�I know you�re probably scared too. We�re going to a cabin�not far from here. I�ll get a fire going to warm you up. You�re going to be okay�you�re going to be okay.�
Lance heard the words but it was as if he were at the far end of a tunnel. He desperately wanted to know about the others, but his thoughts were disjointed and confused. As he struggled to retain the thin layer of consciousness that he had, the effort to hold on to it became too great and he was once again swallowed up by darkness�his last waking thoughts were of the others and how he had failed them.
Back at the clinic, things were rushed, but orderly. Ranch hands, Troy and Mitch had arrived and neither of the men in the best of shape. Troy was fully conscious and was able to tell the physicians what had happened to them. Unfortunately, he was also suffering from severe stomach cramps, nausea and violent vomiting while Mitch was floating in and out of consciousness along with having some slight difficulty in breathing. Dr. Granger determined that there was little that could be done for both men other than carefully monitoring their vitals, supplying Mitch with oxygen and giving Troy a light sedative to help calm him while his system rid itself of the apparent extra dose of chloroform that he had been given.
In another area of the large emergency treatment area, Dr. Parrish and a small group of paramedics were working on JC, Joey and Chris.
JC had yet to awaken from his unconscious state. Through a quick, but thorough examination, Dr. Parrish determined that the young man was not in any immediate danger, although he didn�t like the fact that he had yet to show any signs of coming to.
He advised some of the paramedics to keep a watchful eye on the young man looking for signs of distress when he found that it would be necessary for him to help out with Chris, who was giving those trying to help him on the other side of the room a real run for their money.
�Jerry�just carefully monitor his vitals. If his blood pressure changes in any way or his breathing, let me know,� the doctor said rather loudly over the din that Chris was raising while arranging the blankets covering JC�s pale, still form.
�If he doesn�t come to soon�then what?� the paramedic asked, his eyes traveling rapidly back and forth from the doctor to JC to Chris and back.
�He had that concussion from two or three days ago and I don�t like the look of that goose-egg he has,� the doctor said gently probing the top of JC�s head where a sizeable lump had formed from being hit by Steven�s gun handle. �But�so far�everything is pointing toward the fact that he�ll be okay. His pupils are responsive�good reflexes�and his vitals are stable�he�s going to be okay. We just need to wait for him to wake up�I�d better get over there.� With that said, Dr. Parrish quickly crossed the large room to join those surrounding Chris�s gurney.
�I�ll take it from here, David�keep working on Joseph and JC,� the older physician said to the younger man, who was slightly reeling from a solid punch that Chris had chaotically thrown. In response, Dr. Granger just slightly nodded his head.
�Watch out�mean left hook,� he warned with a humorless chuckle before walking over to Joey�s gurney.
While Joey was quiet, lying limply, almost boneless on a gurney in what could be described as a state of deep shock, Chris was anything but sedate as he sat up on his gurney, fighting against the hands that were attempting to hold him down.
�Where�s Justin�where�s Lance? Joey�Jace�where are they?� Chris anxiously asked in voice that was shaking from, what Dr. Parrish and the others could only surmise was a mixture of shock, fear and anger.
Desperately, he pushed against two of the paramedics and tried to kick out at a third in an attempt to jump off the gurney, but his wild, frenetic energy was slowly beginning to lag�the adrenaline that had been coursing through his body was gradually dissipating�his movements becoming slower�sluggish and haphazard.
�Chris�Chris�you need to calm down for me,� the doctor urged the young man, holding his face firmly within his grasp as he attempted to examine him, but the distraught and confused young man was not making the task an easy one by struggling against the other hands that continued in attempting to push him back down onto the gurney.
�Justin! Lance!� Chris shouted out above the din in the room as he gazed about wildly with red-rimmed eyes in a desperate search of his younger brothers.
�Where are they? Joey? Jace? Tell me now! Where are they? Where!�
�Chris�calm down�calm down. You�re going to hurt yourself,� the doctor said before shouting out. �I need valium over here! 1.5 mg�now!�
After several more moments of failed attempts at calming Chris, the doctor in a near fit of frustration, slung his stethoscope over the back of his neck then grasped Chris�s shoulders with both hands and shook him firmly in an effort to gain his attention, but to no avail.
�Doc�we can�t hold him still long enough to get him the shot,� one of the paramedics said as he watched the others struggling to gain control over the writhing form. Although Chris�s energy had seemed to be flagging just moments earlier, it now seemed as if the young man was pulling out any reserve energy that he had remaining in order to fight against everyone.
�Chris�Christopher!� Dr. Parrish called out but was barely heard above the racket that the agitated young man continued making.
�Chris! Chris!� he shouted, but his voice was again drowned out.
Finally, the doctor gave up since his efforts weren�t getting him anywhere he reached the realization that he was going to have to resort to a rather unorthodox measure in order to get the attention of the hysterical figure before him.
�Move out of the way,� he warned one of the paramedics before carrying out his decision. Acting quickly, he reared back and slapped the young man twice in rapid succession across the face. Instantly the room became silent as Chris reeled with the impact of the blows. Then, with a small gasp of surprise mixed with pain, he raised one hand to his check where a bright red handprint was slowly beginning to appear. In a small voice he quietly spoke with a tone of disbelief.
�Doc�you�you slapped me��
Dr. Parrish nodded and gave the obviously confused young man a half smile before explaining himself all the while choosing his words carefully since he didn�t want him to revert to his hysterical behavior.
�You�re in the clinic, Christopher. You are doing just fine�so are the others,� the doctor said in even, gentle tones. �I�m sorry had to slap you, but you were being pretty uncooperative�and you really didn�t leave me much of a choice.�
In response, Chris simply lay back on the stretcher and nodded at the doctor who continued to use reassuring words in telling him what was happening to him and the others, but at the mention of Lance still being missing, Chris once again became agitated. The doctor was then forced to inject the young man with the valium and minutes later his limp form was taken directly to x-ray so that the physicians could begin assessing his condition.
At the same time, a very shaken Hal Owens slowly walked into Dr. Parrish�s office to make a very difficult phone call to Harvey Benson, who was still in Phoenix with his brother. Witnessing Chris�s panicked behavior, he felt emotionally drained and he knew that speaking to Harvey was not going to be any easier to stomach.
With slow, reluctant steps, the sheriff stopped in front of the doctor�s cluttered desk and looked down at the phone.
�God�please help me find the words,� he whispered, closing his eyes while pinching the bridge of his nose. He had known John Williams, Steven Cartwright and Charlie Reynolds for a little less than 20 years and knew that the relationship that Harvey had had with the three went far beyond that.
Wiping a shaky hand over his face, Hal reached for the phone then slowly dialed the number. Seconds later�
�Hello? This is Hal Owens. I�d like to speak with Harvey Benson, please. Okay�thank you�Harvey? This is Hal�well�things aren�t going to well here�we�ve got some trouble�I think you need to come home�yeah�it�s pretty bad��
Hal sat down heavily in the doctor�s desk chair and spent the next 20�30 minutes on the phone quietly explaining what had taken place at the ranch. The conversation finally ended with Harvey promising to be on the way home as quickly as possible.
With a heavy heart, Hal hung up the phone then took a deep breath to calm his quaking nerves. After a few seconds, he stood up and left the office to make his way back into the trauma treatment area.
�Be careful, Hank�it�s pretty slick out here,� Lawson warned, directing a beam of light from his flashlight to help his brother pick his way across a muddy yard toward a tiny cabin while carrying Lance�s limp form in his arms.
Just minutes before, the pair had led their horses to a shed that would serve well enough as a temporary shelter. Now, they were struggling to remain upright as they trudged through the thick, slick muck and mud surrounding the cabin. Hank had narrowly avoided slipping to the ground twice and he wasn�t about to lose his footing again if he could possibly help it.
�Just a few more steps, brother,� Lawson encouraged him before stepping aside for the older man to join him at the structure�s door.
�Lights must be out,� he commented after opening the door and reaching for the light switch.
�Don�t worry about it,� Hank replied, his voice slightly strained with the effort of carrying his lifeless burden. �A fire will give us all the light we need.�
Once inside the darkened cabin, Lance was settled on a small cot in front of the fireplace before the brothers began the task of getting a fire started.
As soon as they had the fire going, the two worked as quickly and carefully as possible to remove Lance�s wet clothes down to his boxers, seemingly without his even being aware of what was happening. Both brothers noted that there were a multitude of scrapes as well as bruises covering the young man from head to toe but none of them looked too serious. Their main concern for the moment was getting Lance warm and dry.
As Lawson set the clothes aside to dry, Hank worked quickly to gently wrap Lance in several thick layers of blankets that were kept in the cabin before working to stabilize his broken arm.
�Is he going to be okay?� Lawson asked, standing on the other side of the cot, watching his brother work.
�I hope so. You know�one of us is going to have to go out and find him some help�soon,� Hank said while standing up to look around the room. �I need something to put around his wrist�something to keep it still.�
Lawson looked down at the fireplace to see that there was a kindling box and he quickly bent over it to sift through its contents. Minutes later, he was knelt beside Lance, holding several flat pieces of wood that his brother was wrapping strips of cloth tightly about.
�There�that should hold him until we can get him some proper help,� Hank said quietly, looking at his handy work before standing up while Lawson adjusted the blankets covering Lance�s shivering form.
�But where would we go? Like you said before, we can�t go to the ranch house or the bunkhouse and the main road is just too far away,� Lawson quietly reminded his brother. �We�re pretty much stuck here�at least until the storm lets up some.�
Hank grimly nodded in agreement. There really weren�t too many options for them to choose from so, for the moment, they would be forced to remain at the cabin. But, at least they were sheltered from the storm giving Lance a fighting chance�at least that was something in the young man�s favor.
�Well�let�s see what was left from the last time someone was here,� Hank said, standing up to walk across the room to a set of cabinets in the cabin�s small kitchen area where he began opening and closing doors in search of canned foods or coffee. Although Harvey Benson had not officially employed the brothers on a full-time basis, there had been occasions when they had been needed to help on the ranch. That had been the only reason they had known about the cabin in the first place and had knowledge that there might be some supplies for them to use.
�There might be something we can use to help warm him up from the inside besides just water, but he�ll have to be awake for that.�
�Once we get him warmed up in front of the fire, I�m sure he�ll come to,� Lawson said in a tone that was tinged with doubt.
�I hope so, brother�I surely do hope so.�
Lawson took one more look at the figure lying on the cot before joining his brother.
A group of law officers stood in a tight huddle at the hood of one of the patrol car pouring over a hastily drawn map of Hickory Hill Ranch. The beams of light emanating from their flashlights punctuated the drizzly night air as they shone them about while creating the make shift drawing.
�Okay�there�s the back of the western pasture�here,� one of the men said as he pointed at the paper before shining his flashlight in the general direction that the map was indicating. �And�this is where we are right�here.�
�One of the victims said that Bass was last seen heading south�southwest,� another said as he marked the area on the map with his pen.
�What�s out there�anything?�
�Not too sure. I�ve never been out this way before.�
�Hey�wait a minute,� another one of the men suddenly said in a tone of voice that let the others that something was just now coming to mind. �Isn�t there some sort of cabin just south of here�can�t be more than a quarter of a mile or so.�
�Yeah�that direction,� the oldest in the group said pointing toward the stand of trees that the young man that they were searching for had headed into.
�Do you think he could have made it there? Last time I heard, the cabin was still being used by the ranch hands.�
�It�d be a small miracle if he did. No telling if he could stay on his horse tied up the way he was much less find that place in the dark.�
�Lots of gullies to work around too. The terrain is pretty rough and unforgiving even in the best of circumstances.�
�It�ll be like finding a needle in a haystack, but it�s worth a try going to the cabin.�
�I�ll radio Matt�s group to head in that direction and Jacob and I will head that way too.�
The group dispersed with two of the men mounting horses that had been brought out from the ranch�s stables while the others radioed the other groups in an effort to check for any progress being made.
Minutes later after finding that searchers were coming up empty handed, the remaining officers realized that time was slowly running out for the young man if they didn�t find him soon.
Back in Orlando, Dr. Kenneth Shannon and his family were winding down a family get together that they had been hosting in their home. The last of the guests had left only moments earlier and now the couple and their teenage daughter were busily cleaning up the kitchen and dining area.
�I�m glad everyone was able to come,� Peggy, Kenneth�s wife said as she handed him a few plates to put into the dishwasher.
�Don�t let me forget to get Rachel to give Sandra a call tomorrow, Ken. Sandra wants Rachel to baby-sit for them next week but we didn�t get into any specifics.�
�Aunt Sandy and Uncle Wade need me to baby-sit?� Rachel said, coming in at the tail end of the conversation. �Sounds like fun.�
�You just need�� Peggy began but the ringing of the phone interrupted her.
�I�ll get it,� Rachel said as she quickly ran to the phone. �It could be David,� she added excitedly while her parents simply smiled and rolled their eyes.
�It could be David,� Dr. Shannon said, emphasizing the latest boyfriend�s name with a shake of his head. �It was Tyler last week��
�Don�t forget Shelby about 2�3 weeks before that,� Peggy added with a shake of her head but the pair quickly became silent when their daughter re-entered the room.
�Daddy? It�s a Dr. Ralph Parrish,� she said with a slight frown of disappointment on her face. �He said that it�s urgent.�
Without a word, the doctor quickly took the phone and hastily left the room leaving Peggy and Rachel giving each other questioning glances before once again tackling cleaning up the kitchen.
�What happened to them?� Dr. Shannon asked, knowing that something serious enough must have happened to one or more of the boys to precipitate the late night phone call.
�It�s more like what didn�t happen to them, Ken,� came the tired reply. �We�ve got a pretty bad situation up here that I think you need to be involved in.�
For the next several minutes Dr. Parrish gave the run down of each of the boys� conditions while Dr. Shannon busily began packing an overnight bag.
�Let me call Johnny Wright to see about using their private jet to get there, Ralph. It might be the fastest way.�
�If you don�t mind, Ken�have Mr. Wright start calling their parents and having them come out here.�
�Yes�I�ll do that,� Dr. Shannon said after taking a shaky breath, his mind reeling with all that he had been told�especially the fact that family members were being asked to come. With all the other mishaps, the parents had been reassured that their presence wasn�t needed�that the boys were going to be just fine and, in each case, the parents had taken the advice of the doctors and remained home knowing that if they were truly needed, they would be notified immediately and would board the next plane to Montana.
�I�m sorry, Ken�so sorry about all of this,� Dr. Parrish said sadly, his voice breaking slightly.
�I�ll be there as fast as I can. I�ll call you just as soon as I know details, Ralph.�
A few more words were exchanged before Dr. Shannon hung up the phone and turned to see his wife standing in the bedroom doorway.
�What do you need for me to do, Ken?� she asked, taking in the pained expression on her husband�s face.
�Pray, Peg�pray that the boys are going to be alright,� he replied knowing that his wife knew exactly whom he was speaking of.
�It�s bad?� she asked stepping into the room, already knowing the answer when her husband�s shoulders visibly slumped.
�Yeah�it�s pretty bad. I need to make some phone calls�call their parents�management. Can you finish packing some things for me?�
�Sure, hon. I�ll have you ready in about 20 minutes.�
With a slight nod of thanks, the doctor passed by his wife on his way to his study so that he could begin making his phone calls while Peggy walked into her husband�s closet.