She tapped Ben’s shoulder. Tears filled her eyes as she pointed at the truck. “Please, don’t let those men see me in here.” She pleaded softly. “I don’t know why they’d stop right there of all places.”
“Oh, hold on.” The cop looked at all their licenses and then looked back in the vehicle. “How did you fellas get into Canada and this far north if you’re from the states?”
“We have been up here for work.” Ben kept the information vague and hoped Nate would do the same or stay silent like usual. Ben had no idea what businesses were in Haines. Fortunately, Nate only nodded.
“If you’re from Haines, how did you meet up with these two?” He handed Natalie back her license.
Ben tensed all over while the cop held on to his and Nate’s.
“They saw I needed help and offered it. They’re family men that are missing their wives and kids back home. When they saw I had a baby, they stepped up and wanted to be sure I made it safely to my mama’s house.” Natalie was having a hard time keeping her emotions in check. “I fear for my baby’s life, sir. I put up with the abuse for long enough. It was a better choice for me to flee to this insanity than stay. I have nowhere else to go.” She was full of emotion and her hands were trembling where she gripped the seat.
Ben patted her hand and wished he’d hadn’t moved at all because it brought on a wave of pain. His cheeks were feeling abnormally hot.
Another patrol car pulled up behind them.
The cop standing by the window listened to the radio before he turned his attention back to them.
He still held onto their licenses. “I need to go to my car for a minute. You all stay put.”
The baby started to cry. Natalie scrunched down in her seat while she consoled her baby.
“I’m sorry to say, I may be cursed and you’re gonna be sorry you brought me along.” Natalie bounced the car seat to quiet the baby and it was making the vehicle shake. “I would like to know who put a hex on me because nothing ever seems to go right for me anymore.”
“This journey was cursed long before we picked you up,” Ben said as he massaged his arm. It was throbbing and felt warmer than it should. He sighed. “I wish we could stop at an urgent care place or find a doctor. It’s feeling worse.”
“Those deep wounds tend to do that, pain sets in more, long after the injury happened. I do have proper nursing skills. I can help you more if we can get to a place where I can take care of it properly. I don’t have the good pain-relieving meds on me though and that’s what you need. We probably should make that a priority if he lets us go because there is running water here in town and I can’t do much for you if we are out in the wilderness if it’s infected.”
“I think they’re waiting for us,” Nate whispered and pointed at the truck.
“You know that truck too?” Natalie asked.
“Yes. They are the reason this window is taped over and my arm is a mess.” Ben couldn’t get comfortable.
“Lovely. They’re the reason I left Haines and am here with you now.” Natalie sank down in her seat. “I don’t feel as safe as I did when we first came into Whitehorse.” She sat upright. “Wait, can we tell that cop? Get the cops to arrest them for beating me and stabbing you?”
“If we tell them that they stabbed me, the officer, I mean constable, might want to bring us in too. When the truck cornered us, I fired first and took out their tires and this injury came right after so we aren’t exactly innocent,” Ben answered.
“I don’t think outrunning them is going to be in our best interest. They don’t know Natalie and the baby are with us and they can’t find out. Wait, how did the men chasing us wind up being the same men you were running from?” Nate asked.
“I suspect they assumed I was heading for the border to head to Fairbanks. Which I was. But I’d had a chance encounter with someone in Haines Junction that told me not to bother, I wouldn’t get through because the border was closed. I was trying to regroup and was headed south instead when I saw a white truck gaining on me and turned onto that stretch of road when I ran into trouble. So I guess it wasn’t them if you ran into them outside Beaver Creek. I’m sure once they got there, they figured out I wasn’t going to make it to my brother’s house. Michael knows that I have family in Canada too.”
“They were probably short on fuel when they saw us, don’t you think?” Nate asked Ben.
“Perhaps. But how did they get this far if they needed fuel?”
“Who knows. They could have taken it from anyone else that crossed their path,” Natalie said. “I didn’t realize how awful of a person he was until it was too late. I couldn’t stay through another winter. That’s when it’s the worst. Nothing to do but get drunk all the time. There are too many women in situations like mine for anyone in Haines to bat an eyelash at me and offer to help get me out of that house. Not one person was willing to take me in after he beat me. Not one person that I heard was leaving town would help get me out either. I wasn’t recovering well after having her. He didn’t care. If I stayed, I was going to die. That’s why I was willing to do anything to take your rig. Desperation makes people do funny things.” She sat back in her seat to stifle a sob. “I wish you’d shot him and not his tire. Then my nightmare with him would be over.”
Ben looked at Nate but neither of them knew what to say. That white truck had turned around so it was facing the road with a clear view of them when it was time to pull out.
They were all quiet when the constable returned.
“Because we’re inundated with stranded travelers and you have that infant, we aren’t going to scrutinize your credentials because we can see you’re prepared. You can go. We don’t want to delay your travels with the weather that’s coming this way. Consider yourself warned at what may be waiting for you the further south you go.”
Natalie gripped Ben’s seat as she pulled herself forward and it jarred his arm. He moaned as he adjusted to get comfortable again.
“Oh, really?” Natalie stammered.
Ben was afraid she was about to blow it. She remained silent and composed while she watched the white truck.
“I’m sure you are already doing this judging by the lack of vehicles behind you as you came into town, but because you appear to be street legal I suggest you remain on the road but give other vehicles the opportunity to pass safely if you aren’t able to maintain the speed limit.” He smiled for the first time as he handed them their licenses back.
The cop went back to his car and waited for them to get on the road. He motioned for them to go when the road was clear.
Nate was wringing his hands on the steering wheel again. Natalie rocked back and forth pulling on Ben’s seat, driving him nuts and aggravating his wound on his arm again.
“You guys, stop. Just relax. We are in the clear and if this cop follows us as we get back on the road, that will keep those guys from following us for the time being.” Ben tried to be the voice of reason even though he was nervous too.
“Okay, yeah, okay.” Nate was such a basket case, Ben wondered how he managed to get so far in life. But circumstances since everything hit the fan had been far from ordinary. He knew he needed to quit being so harsh. Nate was the reason they made it Whitehorse.
35
Ben
Ben suggested that Nate should drive around town when the white truck pulled out behind the police car.
Whitehorse was crawling with cops. Which also meant they were probably drawing attention to themselves driving around town in an off-road vehicle. The next constable that stopped them might not let them go. However, staying in the city limits while they were playing follow the leader with the white truck would hopefully keep things peaceful. For the time being, anyway. As long as they didn’t have to stop.
Natalie covered herself and the baby under a blanket as they drove around town. When there were no patrol cars around, the white truck gained on them and was riding their tail even when there wasn’t any traffic preventing them from passing.
“Where should I go?” Nate asked.
“See that sign for the RCMP? I’m sure that’s their police station. Let’s head there and hopefully, they won’t force us off the road before we get there.”
Whitehorse was big for a town in the Yukon but fortunately not that big. They were able to find the station without having to stop at a stop sign or a traffic light. A few police cars were coming and going for what must have been a shift change. However, the white truck kept on going once they were able to pull into the parking lot and stop.
They remained in the parking long enough that the constable that stopped them earlier headed over to check on them.
“Is there a problem?” He looked up and noticed the white truck as it made another pass in front of the station. “Wait, that truck keeps driving by.”
“Yes, sir.” Nate continued to grip the steering wheel. “They’ve been following us so we came here.”
“Let’s see if they drive by again.” The cop waited, holding onto his radio. It took a few minutes but the white truck went by again and then sped off when they realized the cop was watching. He spoke into his radio and one of the patrol cars sped off after it.
“Is there any reason why they might be targeting you?”
“Our gear perhaps?” Nate looked up at the cop innocently.
“Perhaps. You go on ahead and we will keep them occupied for as long as we can.”
“Thank you.” Nate took off before he could fix his window.
The wind sucked out all the warmth and Ben shivered. He gasped in pain.
“Can you fix that and drive at the same time?” Ben asked through clenched teeth. He had to close his eyes.
“Hang on.” He turned onto the main road before he was able to try.
Ben jumped when someone’s hand pressed against his forehead. “Ow! I hurt there too.” He pulled Natalie’s hand away from his face. He couldn’t quite turn around to remind her that he still had a head wound. “Remember, I have fake stitches there.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot.” Natalie gently patted his arm.
“Actually, everything is hurting. Every movement is too much. It’s coming on fast. I feel like I have the flu.” Ben grabbed at the seatbelt because it was the only thing he could grip as he worked on mentally blocking the misery.
“Ben, maybe we do need to stop at a clinic,” Nate said.
“You know, the cops are only going to be able to detain them so long. Then they will be on our tail again. We don’t have time to stop.” Ben didn’t dare open his eyes. It didn’t make any sense that he was suddenly feeling so much worse.
“Ben, this may be your only opportunity to get treatment. I have an idea. There’s a clinic right over there. Turn around and stop there.” Natalie pointed at a building that they just passed.
Ben rested his head against the headrest of his seat. He sighed, knowing she was probably right.
“I don’t know if I can hide this rig from view when we park.” Nate pulled over and had to wait for a few vehicles to pass before he could backtrack.
“Leave me in the vehicle. I’m sure once they see this they will go looking for you inside,” Natalie said.
“I’m not going to leave you in this thing alone,” Nate answered.
“Ben, I want you to take my baby in with you. That way you’ll trust me. I’m not going to leave her behind. I also want to make sure she’s safe inside where there are people. If they come in, though, don’t let them see the baby.”
“This is insane. Why bother stopping here? There’s no place to hide the Ranger.” Ben said. “There won’t be enough time for anyone at the clinic to see me before they spot us. It’s just asking for trouble.”
“It’s obvious we can’t outrun them. What other choice is there?” Natalie sat back in her seat and started rearranging the blankets.
“But what are you going to do? I doubt this plan is going to work. How are we supposed to do this safely? And me a miserable mess holding the baby they aren’t supposed to see?”
“Ben, you will need to hide her inside your coat. I have a baby carrier you can wear. You won’t even have to hold her. Just keep your coat zipped. At least you’ll be able to disappear into an examination room and that’s fine. You will both be safe in there. Nate, you can be the live bait. Once they follow you, it will give me time to sabotage the truck. I just need a few minutes to make it impossible for them to come after us so we can get a head start if they manage to get back on the road. And the bonus is, they won’t know I’m with you.”
“Maybe all they want is what’s in the trailer. What happens if they decide to take that instead? Or how about this. Our rig is the bait that gets them to stop and then they get a glimpse of you when they pull in. That will lure them inside for sure and then I can sabotage the truck,” Nate said.
“I don’t want to take that chance.” Natalie was shaking her head when Nate pulled the Ranger into a parking spot where he could take off easily if he had to take off in a hurry.
“They did get a good look at me and I’m sure I’m the one they want at this point. I can be the one lingering outside and when they head in after me, you can work together on sabotaging the truck and be ready to go once I head back out.” Ben was having to control his breathing so he wouldn’t panic from the pain.
“Really? You look awful. I’m sure you’re not going to be able to run if they chase you. The whole point of stopping here is to get you looked at. I’m wondering if you should even be holding the baby.” Nate tugged on Ben’s sleeve so he’d look at him. “You look like you might pass out.”
He felt weaker than he should. “Scratch my suggestion. You’re right. Help me inside and then put that carrier on me once we’re in there. I can take care of the baby. I’ll let you two figure out the rest.” Ben worked on unfastening his seatbelt. That was hard.
When they went inside, the front desk was busy checking in several people and there was a line. The clinic appeared to be short-staffed. He stood in line as Natalie removed his coat and flannel shirt before settling the infant against his chest. She wound a long scarf thing over the baby, around his shoulders, across his back and back around the baby again. She helped him put his coat back on before she went back outside.
Ben was struggling to remain on his feet with the weight of the little one snuggled against his chest. He gave up and sat in a chair when it was obvious it was going to take a while. He made sure the chair he chose was in a place where he wouldn’t be spotted easily but he could still keep an eye on the door. Fortunately, he was close enough to overhear what was going on at the front desk.
The person that was taking the longest at the front was definitely sick. But they were having issues because he was an American. They couldn’t accept his insurance info because they couldn’t verify it. There had been no news from the United States as to when they would have things back online. This also meant his ability to pay with a credit card was compromised as well.
The more Ben listened, the more he realized he wasn’t going to get assistance there. He had cash but it was American currency. They said if the guy at the counter was dying, then they’d call an ambulance. But he wasn’t so they suggested he try the hospital because there was nothing the clinic could do for him. He told them the hospital sent him there because it wasn’t an emergency. The front desk lady didn’t believe him and said the hospital wouldn’t turn him away.
Ben chewed on his lip. It seemed their stop was pointless. He stayed put so they could at least have the opportunity to sabotage their pursuers. Besides, he wanted to enjoy the warmth while he could. His fingers were still cold and stiff as he patted the baby’s back when she started to squirm. He realized it was a great opportunity to use the facilities as well. A warm seat to sit on to do his business and running hot water to wash his hands would be a luxury. Maybe he could get a look at his head and arm while he was in there.
Fortunately, the bathrooms were for either sex and a single toilet in each one
so he had lots of room to move around in the bathroom as he removed his coat and cleaned up while the baby slept against his chest. Ben knew he had to be running a fever when he saw how flushed his face was and his eyes didn’t look right either. The baby barely stirred when he washed his hands and face. He was washing his bloody arm when he heard a commotion in the lobby. He quickly finished up before pulling on his coat. He clenched his jaw as he dealt with the torture of moving his bad arm. He had to hide the baby if the source of the drama in the lobby happened to be the men from the white truck.
He heard shouting coming from the front desk. Maybe it was the American that they refused to assist and he was having a fit. That man was beside himself with frustration and was close to losing it before Ben went to the restroom.
When he opened the door, he had to step out of the way of a doctor that was rushing to the lobby along with a large male nurse.
“Let me go. I need to see if that’s who I think it is,” a man shouted from the lobby.
“Sir, you need to leave. If you’re looking for patients in our care, we can’t tell you if they’re here. Because you aren’t a patient and you’re behaving like a lunatic, you will need to wait outside. You are upsetting our patients in the waiting room,” the doctor shouted as soon as he was in the lobby.
Ben slipped down the hall and happened to find a monitor to the security camera that was showing what was happening at the front desk. He recognized the man making a scene. He was the one who stabbed him.
They had to have an emergency exit in the back somewhere. He casually and quietly walked down the hall as if he belonged there. It was a U shape as he went up the hallway to the back, staying out of the way of the staff that were all headed to the lobby. He made it all the way to the back. They must have assumed he was a patient in the clinic. Perhaps they saw his head injury because not one of them paused as they hustled past him. He found the exit. Another male nurse came out of a room closest to the exit door and headed to the front. Ben almost passed by when he realized it was a supply room with medicines on the shelves.
Endure Series (Book 2): Enduring The Journey: Page 25
