Rescue Missions

Written By: LJ


Darby stood looking around in amazement at the condition of the family room.

‘How did we manage to turn this place into such a pigsty in just one evening?’ he wondered. Rowan had been gone since yesterday morning and would be returning home in a few hours. He’d be more than annoyed to find their home in this condition.

‘I better get things straightened up….and fast!’ Darby thought as he dragged the vacuum and cleaning supplies out from the storage area under the stairs. He quickly gathered up the take-out food containers, dirty glasses, dishes and anything else that didn’t belong in the room, taking it all into the kitchen. He was just about to start the vacuuming, when he was interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell and opened the front door to find Jayson standing there.

“Hi, Jayson, what are you doing here?” Darby offered up a smile, then looked suspiciously at the older man and asked, “Did Rowan ask you to check up on me?”

“Hello, Darby, and no he didn’t.” Jayson closed the door behind him as he entered the house. Gently placing his hands on the young man’s shoulders, he broke the bad news as kindly as possible. “Darby, I’m afraid I’ve not come for a good reason or with the best of news. There has been an accident involving Rowan’s flight.”

Darby couldn’t speak. He couldn’t even catch his breath. He just stared up at Jayson and waited fearfully for the words he didn’t think he could bear to hear.

Jayson pulled the young man into his arms. “I’m so sorry, sweetie. Half an hour ago we received word that the plane Rowan was on, experienced mechanical failure and crash-landed in the wilderness about a hundred miles southwest of here. We learned of at least one fatality before the cockpit caught fire and we lost contact with the pilot.”

Darby pushed away from Jayson and started pacing. “I’ve got to go find him or at least be as near as possible when he’s found.”

“That’s not a workable plan, Darby. You’re staying put and I’m staying with you. I’ve already called Riley and asked him to meet me here. The three of us will wait this out together.”

“You’re not in charge of me and you can’t tell me what to do. If I want to go, then I will and you can’t stop me!” Darby shouted as he headed for the door.

Jayson managed to move faster than Darby and caught him before he left the house. “Hold it, young man. You’re not going anywhere.” He picked up the struggling Brat and carried him over to the large recliner by the fireplace.

Recalling Rowan’s words of ‘I’ve found that gentleness and patience go a long way in defusing a situation before it gets out of hand and Darby responds well to a time-out if he’s held securely’, Jayson sat down in the comfortable chair, settled Darby on his lap and began a calming litany of words and motion to get things under control. He felt the other man’s body begin to shake as the tears started falling. “It’s all right, little one. It’s all right. I’ve got you. You’re going to be fine. I’ll help you work through this. You’re not alone!”

Darby gradually calmed down and burrowed deeper into the older man’s arms. He found comfort in the soothing sounds rumbling from Jayson’s chest and with the familiarity of a gentle hand rubbing his back.

“I just heard on the radio that a plane has gone down and…..” Riley shouted as he burst through the front door. He came to a sudden stop when he saw Jayson and Darby. “What’s wrong?”

Jayson set Darby on his feet and stood up. Keeping one arm around Darby, he held out the other for Riley to join them.

“It was Rowan’s plane, sweetheart.” Jayson gently informed his partner as he led the two Brats over to sit on the sofa. He realized he had a long afternoon and evening in front of him as he worked to instill optimism.

“What happened?” Riley asked, trying to stem the tears threatening to fall.

“We haven’t got all the details yet, babe. The control tower got a mayday call from Flight A506, reporting engine failure. The plane was losing altitude very fast. Its’ last known path was over a large wilderness area about a hundred miles from the airport. All contact was lost moments after it landed.”

“What are we going to do now?” Riley murmured, as he reached over to grab Darby’s hand to offer whatever comfort he could.

“The three of us are going to stay here and wait for further developments.” Jayson looked down into two distraught young faces. Darby’s green eyes were still overflowing and Riley’s hazel eyes were filling up. “Rowan is a strong, resourceful man. He’ll keep things under control at his end and we have to keep our hopes up at ours.”

“I don’t want to wait here!” Both boys stared at each other in surprise when they voiced their desires simultaneously.

“But I already said we are staying here, didn’t I?” After getting two scowling nods, Jaysons suggested, “We’ll pass the time by keeping busy. Looks like someone may have had a guest or two over here last night. Isn’t that right, Darby?”

“Just Shelley and a couple of other friends,” Darby admitted as he wiped his face and drew in a deep sigh. “I was just starting to clean up when you got here.”

“Well, Riley can help you finish up while I put something together for lunch. How does that sound, boys?”

“I don’t think I can eat anything,” Riley informed his partner.

“Me neither,” Darby mumbled as he got up off the sofa.

“I bet you’re hungry, Riley, and, Darby, you probably haven’t had anything since breakfast, if then. Now, you are both going to eat what I prepare and I don’t want any arguments. Got it?” Jayson intended to maintain as near to normal a day as possible. He waited for an affirmative response but got glares definitely lacking in enthusiasm. “Did I just ask a question?”

“Yes sir.” Again, the young men answered as one. “We’ve got it!”

While Darby did the vacuuming, Riley followed his partner into the kitchen to wash up the dishes from last night’s party. In the meantime, Jayson threw together a quick meal of sandwiches, chips and juice.

“Can you call the airline to see if they’ve heard anything new?” Darby asked as they sat down at the table.

“Right after lunch, sweetie. Okay?”

“I guess, but it is sooo hard just waiting around,” Darby spoke with his head down and picked at his food. “I’d rather be doing something, like looking for the crash site.”

Both the boys were a little short on appetites, so after several attempts at encouraging the younger men to eat, Jayson opted for bribery and suggested, “The sooner you get some of this food into you, the sooner we can get up and find something more interesting to do.”

“Like what?” Riley inquired, sounding far from eager.

“Well, we could play a board game,” Jayson offered as he pulled several articles out of the games cabinet and placed them on the table. “Maybe you’d prefer to work on a puzzle or watch a movie.”

“I can’t do this!” Darby shouted, jumping up and sending the games flying across the room. “I don’t want to sit around playing some fucking game!” He grabbed up his keys, jacket and cell phone, intent on getting to his car.

It only took Jayson a couple of seconds to get over the shock of Darby’s language. He had never heard or seen the young man speak or behave so vehemently before. This time when he seize Darby to prevent him from leaving, Jayson confiscated all the car keys.

“I’ve already told you that you were not going anywhere and I don’t intend to put up with any temper tantrums,” Jayson sternly admonished as he walked Darby over to an empty corner and turned him towards the wall with instructions to settle down. “I know you’re upset and frightened, Darby, but I am not going to allow you to go off on your own. And, if I hear any more of that language, I’ll wash your mouth out for you. Do you understand me?” Jayson asked as he gently massaged the tense muscles in Darby’s shoulders.

Darby nodded in defeat and leaned further into the corner, trying hard not to cry.

Riley decided to side in with his friend, thinking that between them they could argue Jayson into going to help with the search for the downed aircraft. “I agree with Darby ‘cause I don’t want to sit around here either.” Riley voice kept getting higher until his final words were in danger of reaching the screaming point.

“That does it!” Jayson had had it and, pulling Riley up off his chair, sentenced his Brat to corner time with a sound swat. “No matter how upset you are, I’m not about to tolerate any temper tantrums from you either, little boy.”

“But, Jay….”

“Not another word, Riley.”

Jayson watched as the two young men gradually started calming down. Just as he was about to call them over, his cell phone rang. Checking the caller ID, he saw the airline’s number displayed.

“I’m going into the study to take this call, boys. I won’t be long. We will straighten up the room when I get back.”

His partner had barely shut the door to the other room when Riley turned and whispered as loud as he dared, “Darby, let’s get out of here!” He didn’t have to ask twice.

The two of them slipped out the back door leading to the patio, jumped the neighbour’s fence and, bending low so Jayson wouldn’t see them if he looked out the window, made their way along the bushes until they got to the alley. From there, they headed to the outskirts of town.

“Let me use your cell phone, Darby. I want to call Pete and Freddie.” Riley leaned against the side of the building to catch his breath and dialed his friends’ number. “Hey, Pete, it’s me, Riley. Darby and I need your help.”

“What’s up, man?” Pete asked.

“Have you heard about a plane going down? Well, Rowan was a passenger on it. We want to go to the crash site. Want to come along?” Riley nodded at Darby to let him know he had received an affirmative answer from his friend. “Can you pick us up at the old train station on the south side of town? Don’t let Jayson know you’ve heard from me. He’s probably hot on our trail by now. Just get over here. Okay?”

Disconnecting the call, Riley handed the phone back to Darby. “They should be here in about fifteen or twenty minutes. We may as well make ourselves as comfortable as possible,” he suggested as he slid down the wall to sit on the ground.

Darby followed suit and joined Riley to wait for their friends. “How are we going to get there? I don’t have very much money on me, do you?”

“I’ve got my debit card. Don’t you have any plastic on you?”

“No! The only plastic I use is a fuel card and it’s on the visor in my car. Rowan takes care of the bill when it comes in. Not that I ever put much on it, as I don’t use my car very often. I don’t have any other credit or debit cards but I’ve got about thirty bucks on me.”

“How come; everyone uses plastic? How do you buy stuff?”

“I’ve never really need much money and when I do I carry cash.”

“Man, I couldn’t survive without my cards.” Darby was the first person Riley had ever heard of who did not use plastic. “Have you ever had a credit card?”

“I’ve still have one but it’s totally maxed-out; big time!” Darby didn’t like being reminded about his financial problems, mainly because he had never gotten around to talking about them with Rowan.

“I guess Rowan helps you out when you need anything, right?”

Darby nodded and replied in a very subdued voice, “When he’s around.” He didn’t want to think about life without Rowan but his mind kept dwelling on the worst possible scenarios.

“Come on, Darb, everything is going to work out fine. We’ll go find Rowan and bring him home. You’ll see.” Riley tried to remain positive and encourage his friend. “Hey, Pete and Freddie are here.” He got to his feet and offered a hand to help Darby up.

“We’re coming. Hold your horses!” Riley shouted, as Pete kept honking to get them to hurry.

“Jayson called. Man, is he ever pissed off!” Freddie volunteered the information as Riley and Darby climbed into the back seat of the pick-up. “We told him we had no idea where you were and that we hadn’t even heard from you.”

“I don’t think he believed us though. I saw him pulling up to the apartment building just as we headed around the corner. I’m pretty sure he didn’t see us but we better get outta here as fast as possible!” Pete exclaimed as he took the corner a little too quickly.

“I see we have a full tank of gas but did you bring anything else we might need; like maps and stuff?” Riley asked Freddie.

“Yeah, we brought whatever we could think of. The plane went down near the area where our dads used to take us camping. Ha, what do you know! Finally, all those miserable weekends roughing it with our old men may actually pay off,” Freddie grumbled. “God, I hated those weekends.”

“If you didn’t like it, how come you went along?” Darby wondered why they hadn’t enjoyed themselves. He could still remember all the fun he’d had the few times he’d gone camping with his dad.

“We weren’t given any choice. Riley was lucky because his dad didn’t make him go,” Pete explained, “but his old man always dragged along Riley’s older brother, Corby.”

“Lucky? Yeah, right! I had to listen to you guys belly-aching for weeks after one of those trips,” Riley shot back.

“How long is it going to take us to get there?” Darby asked uneasily, his stomach already protesting against the motion of the moving vehicle.

“If we don’t have any trouble locating the place, we should be there in less than two hours,” Freddie answered.

“We’re going to have to stop soon. I really need some liquid Gravol before I get sick.” Darby was embarrassed about mentioning his problem but decide it was better that throwing up in Pete’s truck.

“There’s a truck stop just up ahead. Can you wait for about ten minutes? We can get whatever you need as well as some junk food and pop,” Pete said as he looked in the rear-view mirror at the younger man. “You look a little green, man.”

“Thanks a bunch! I’ll be fine once we stop. I can hold off for another ten minutes or so.” Darby shyly smiled back at Pete’s reflection.

************

With the stop behind them, it didn’t take all that long to get to the small town nearest the site of the crash. As they slowly drove down the main street, Riley gently shook Darby to wake him up. “Come on, Darb. We’re here!” Riley announced.

As usual, Darby had fallen asleep shortly after taking the medication he needed to settle his stomach. “Where exactly are we?” Darby asked.

“In Campbellton; a town about eight miles north from where we think the plane went down,” Riley answered.

“Look at all the people! This quaint little place must be busting at the seams. Let’s get out and walk around a bit so we can stretch our legs and ask for information about the crash. I bet a lot of these people are here to help with the search,” Pete suggested as he looked around for a place to park.

The young men decided to split up in pairs and meet back at the truck in half an hour. Thirty minutes later, Freddie was explaining the directions he had been given by one of the townsfolk. “If we leave the truck here next to this ravine, we should be able to climb down and follow the river for about three miles. That should bring us fairly close to the area where the search parties are and save us a lot of time.”

Four hours later, Riley rounded another bend and stared in astonishment. “There’s another freakin’ beaver dam! It must be at least twelve feet high!” he wailed in frustration.

The four young men had long lost the excitement of the adventure. They were soaking wet, hungry and physically exhausted. They had been walking through waist high water for over two hours. The canyon walls had steadily closed in on them and the riverbank had completely disappeared. Several times they had found it necessary to scale large piles of fallen trees they referred to as ‘beaver dams’. They kept hoping the mouth of the river would be just around the next turn, but it wasn’t.

“I know for sure that we have walked more than three miles,” Pete griped as he made his way slowly over to Riley’s side.

“I bet it’s more than ten miles!” Darby just wanted to get out of the water and sit down to rest. “I think someone must have gotten the directions messed up. I’m not pointing fingers but…”

“Hey, I’m the one who was told about this route!” Freddie shouted. “The old man I talked to must have given me the wrong info.”

“It’s just your lack of organizational skills rearing its’ ugly head, Freddie,” Pete complained.

“What are you talking about? I’m good at organizing things.” The angrier Freddie got, the louder he hollered.

“Who are you trying to kid?” Riley yelled back. “You couldn’t organize a two-man race to a three-hole shithouse.”

“Hey, everyone, let’s just calm down!” Darby jumped into the fray. “We’re not going to solve anything by arguing.”

“Darby’s right!” Pete exclaimed. “We need to stop fighting and save our energy for getting out of here.”

“Yeah, maybe the end of the river isn’t too much further,” Freddie agreed as he watched Darby climb over the dam and take the lead.

“Hey, guys!” Darby exclaimed. “There’s a sandbar just up ahead. We can get out of the water and rest a while.”

Half an hour later the boys were still sitting on the riverbank. It was going on eight o’clock in the evening and the temperature was starting to drop.

“We better get moving before we run out of steam completely,” Pete recommended as he held out a hand to help pull Freddie up off his butt. “If we wait much longer, we won’t be able to go any further.”

Grumbling and muttering to themselves, the boys waded into the water and headed around the next curve as the walls closed in on them once again.

Stumbling onto another sandbar, Darby sputtered, “I can’t go another step. You can go on without me if you want.”

“I’m not leaving you behind, Darb.” Riley lay down on the sand beside his friend. “It’s almost midnight. I’m worn out and half frozen.”

There was just enough moonlight to make out a large patch of tall grass.

“Let’s use some of this to make a place to lie down in and sleep.” Freddie chattered through blue lips. He made his way over to the spot he planned to use as a makeshift bed.

“We’ll have to take turns sleeping for only short periods of time if we don’t want to freeze to death,” Pete pointed out, following his friend.

All four young men bunked down together in order to save as much body-heat as possible. Riley lay down first and reached up to pull Darby down beside him. Darby nestled as close as he could with his head on Riley’s shoulder and wrapped his arms around him. Freddie spooned up behind Riley and Pete took his place next to Darby. It was agreed upon that Darby and Riley would sleep first for an hour and then trade places with their friends.

“I wonder how Rowan’s doing?” Darby whispered. “I’m starting to wish we hadn’t come here. Jayson might have gotten some more news. Maybe even good news.”

“Try not to worry, Darb. Just go to sleep. Things will look better after we’ve rested some.” Riley was trying as hard to convince himself as he was his friend.

************

“I think we should just stay here until the sun comes up. We might get lost or one of us could get hurt if we try to walk in the dark,” Pete suggested a few hours later.

“But we’ve all rested and it’s too cold to just sit around.” Freddie was getting frustrated.

“I think Pete’s right. We might be able to climb out of this canyon in the morning if it’s not too high. There is not enough moonlight to do it now,” Riley sided in with Pete.

“And I agree with Riley and Pete.” Darby’s declaration convinced Freddie that he was outnumbered.

“All right, but I wish we could start a fire or something.” Freddie began to rummage through his pockets.

“We’ve lost any supplies we brought with us, including the waterproof matches,” Pete reminded the other young man.

“So much for all the survival lessons you guys got from your fathers,” Riley teased as he cuddled closer to Darby to keep warm.

“If we ever get out of here, I’ll make you eat those words.” Pete playfully threw a handful of sand in Riley’s direction.

“You’re awfully quite, Darby. What are you thinking about?” Freddie asked the younger man.

“I’m just thinking about Rowan and wondering if he’s all right. I don’t know what I’m going to do if he’s hurt……or worse. I don’t want to be without him.”

“Well, maybe he left you the house in his will,” Freddie joked, thinking it would lighten Darby’s mood.

There was silence for all of thirty seconds before Darby pushed himself to his feet and stalked off.

“Very good, Freddie; do you have any other bright comments?” Riley asked in disgust, as he got up to follow Darby.

Darby got as far away from the others as the small patch of dry land would allow. He was so confused. He didn’t know if he was angry or hurt by Freddie’s thoughtless comment. He couldn’t remember when he had been this scared, if ever. He only knew he desperately wanted Rowan. He felt like curling up in a ball and crying out all his pain instead of trying to keep up a brave appearance in front of the others. Darby felt Riley come up behind him and, at his friend’s light touch, turned to bury his head in Riley’s shoulder. Riley wouldn’t mind if he cried. Riley would understand. As it was, both boys ended up crying together with their arms tightly wrapped around each other.

Riley waited for several minutes before saying, “Guess we should get back in case they come looking for us.”

“With the luck we’re having today, they probably wouldn’t be able to find us anyway. I mean, we are only twenty feet away from them and in plain sight.” Darby chuckled as his usual good humour slowly returned.

As soon as Darby and Riley were sure they had their emotions under control, they walked back to the other side of the sand bar and sat down beside Pete and Freddie. Both were relieved when neither of their friends commented on what they had overheard.

“I’m sorry, Darby,” Freddie apologized. “I shouldn’t have said what I did. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, thanks. I’m actually feeling better now.” Darby grinned at Riley and received an understanding nod in return.

“Do either of you guys know anything about the kind of aircraft Rowan was on?” Pete asked.

“Yes. It was a Dash-8, 100 series,” Riley answered. “It’s a comfortable-size commuter plane.”

“What’s the passenger capacity?”

“I think it holds thirty-seven passengers. Isn’t that right, Darby?”

“Uh-huh, and three crew members. I think Jayson mentioned that there were only twenty-one people on board. Why do you want to know, Pete?”

“It is just that I overheard some guy in town talking about there being two male fatalities; an elderly passenger and someone who was sitting in the cockpit. It must have been the pilot or co-pilot, so I bet Rowan’s okay.”

“Unless he was sitting in the jump-seat when the plane went down,” Darby whispered this latest fear.

“Why would he be sitting up there?” Freddie wanted to know.

“Sometimes he sat there to visit with the crew. He knows all the pilots and has worked at one time or another on every plane the company owns.” Riley supplied this information and was disturbed by its’ implications.

“God, I wish we were any place but here.” Darby wrapped his arms around his bent legs and put his head down on his knees. “I just want to get back to civilization and find out what’s happening.”

They sat quietly for a long time; each absorbed with his own thoughts. The sun was barely coming up when they heard voices calling to them.

************

After learning that the downed plane had been located about eight miles from the town of Campbellton and that rescue personnel were on the way, Jayson opened the study door to share this latest information with Riley and Darby only to discover that the young men were gone. A couple of hours later, he admitted to himself that looking for the missing Brats was a lost cause. He decided to drive up to Campbellton, as he was almost positive the boys were headed there.

Being able to book a room for the night was no small feat as the town was overflowing with people. Rescue and medical personnel, reporters, and curiosity seekers were everywhere. The only reason Jayson had succeeded in finding accommodations was due to his employer making advanced arrangements.

Shortly before midnight, Jayson met up with his very tired and, thankfully, only slightly injured friend. Rowan had remained with the crew to help facilitate the evacuation of the aircraft and assist the injured. The first members of the medical team to arrive on the scene had set up a triage area and deemed a head laceration as one of the least serious injuries, so Rowan had been one of the last people to leave the crash site.

Jayson sat on the bed while Rowan cleaned up in the small bathroom. “I was only on the phone for five minutes. I shouldn’t have turned my back on them for one minute, let alone five. I knew they were understandably upset, Darby particularly, and I should have foreseen them pulling a stunt like this.”

“Quit beating yourself up, Jay.” Rowan said, walking into the room as he towel-dried his hair. “They deliberately disobeyed you and took off. They made that decision, not you.”

“You’ve had enough trauma for one day without this on top of it. I have no idea where they are, Rowan. I’ve spent several hours looking for those two Brats and their accomplices, and I am no further ahead now than when I started.”

“We may need to ask for help to…” Rowan looked up at the knock on the door and waited for Jayson to open it.

One of the town’s two law officers stood in the hall. “We hear you’ve been searching for some young men. We may have something that will interest you.”

“It’s theirs, all right!” Jayson informed the deputy fifteen minutes later, as he and Rowan walked around the abandoned pick-up truck.

“Near as we can tell, they headed off in that direction towards the river. Old man Larson said he told them about a short cut to get them to the crash site. Trouble is, old man Larson couldn’t find his way out of a wet paper bag with the arse-end busted out.” Deputy Johannsen shone his flashlight into the wooded area to indicate where the four missing boys may have gone. “There’s not much we can do before sun-up, I’m afraid. We’ll get a search party organized and meet here a five o’clock tomorrow morning, if that’s all right with you.”

“Thank you, Officer. I guess we don’t have much choice but to wait,” Rowan acknowledged, realizing he and Jayson had a long night of worrying to look forward to.

************

The boys were huddled together on that lonely stretch of sand as the sun started to make an appearance.

“Darby! Riley! Up here, boys!”

All four faces turned upward to see Rowan and Jayson standing at the top of the canyon wall. Ropes were dropped down and the four young men were hauled up the forty feet of solid rock. They were soaking wet, dirty, exhausted and hungry, but very relieved to be safe again. Darby was first man up and couldn’t get to Rowan fast enough. He felt his partner’s arms close around him and his world finally settled back on its’ axle.

“What happened?” they all asked each other simultaneously.

“Maybe it would be better to talk about everything after we get these guys back to the motel.” Jayson stood a couple of feet away with his arms firmly wrapped around Riley. Turning to several other men present, he offered his heartfelt thanks for all their help in locating and rescuing the young men.

Rowan shook hands with the various rescuers, voicing his gratitude for their timely assistance, and then helped Jayson get the four miscreants wrapped in blankets and bundled into Jayson’s SUV.

While Rowan volunteered to go out for meals for everyone, Jayson stayed in the motel room while Darby, Riley, and company took turns showering. Rowan returned to find Pete and Freddie sitting on the end of one of the queen-size beds and Riley curled up in the middle of the other one. All three boys were wearing bathrobes supplied by the motel. He left the food containers on the table and went into the bathroom where his partner was still under the shower.

Having run out of hot water, Darby turned off the faucets and slid open the glass door to discover Rowan standing there with a big bath towel in his hand. He contentedly went along with his partner briskly rubbing him down and drying his hair. It felt so good to be pampered in this way. After Rowan had wrapped him in a large robe, Darby leaned against the older man looking for the physical comfort he needed so badly. Rowan sat on the closed toilet seat to pull the smaller man unto his lap so they could spend several minutes cuddling and reconnecting.

“Breakfast is getting cold, Sweets. We’ll pick this up later, I promise!” Rowan assured his young lover.

As soon as they had finished eating, the four younger men were put to bed. This time, Rowan stayed behind to watch over them while Jayson gathered up the dirty clothing and headed for the nearest Laundromat.

Half an hour later, Darby woke up and looked around for his partner. Seeing Rowan reading in a large armchair near the window, Darby climbed out of the bed he had been sharing with Riley, quietly walked past the other bed where Pete and Freddie were sleeping soundly, and crawled into the safe haven on Rowan’s lap.

“I thought I had lost you,” Darby spoke softly of his nightmares as he brushed his fingers over the big man’s handsome face. “I wouldn’t have been able to survive without you.”

“Yes, you would have, love!” Rowan assured him, enjoying the feel of small butterfly-type movements across his cheeks.

“But, I wouldn’t have wanted to!” Darby shook his head to emphasize his feelings.

“There is a difference in not being able to do something and not wanting to do it,” Rowan explained, kissing each of the fingers as they passed over his lips.

“I love you so much, Rowan. I want you and need you to help me. I like being able to rely on you to take care of some of the things I have a hard time with. You are the only one I wish to be with for the rest of my life.” Darby looked into his partner’s deep blue eyes as he made this declaration.

“I understand, sweetheart. I don’t want or need anyone else either. I love you with all my heart and soul.” Rowan bent his head down and gave his young lover a deep, lingering kiss. “But right now, I want you to go back to sleep.” Although these words were sternly spoken, they were accompanied by a gentle smile.

Darby nodded his head, yawned then whispered, “I’m in a lot of trouble, aren’t I?”

“Oh, yeah!” Rowan replied as the young man cuddled closer and fell asleep.

*************

The boys were awake and getting restless by the time Jayson returned with clean, dry clothes.

“What took you so long, Jay?” complained Riley as he pulled up his shorts.

“I was only gone a couple of hours, babe. It takes much longer to dry sneakers than to dry just a few articles of clothing.”

“I’m ready!” Pete informed everyone.

“Can we get out of here now?” Freddie asked as he finished tying his shoes.

“I’ll take you back to your truck while the others wait for me here. I have something I want to say to you both.”

Pete and Freddie exchanged glances, realizing Jayson’s statement didn’t sound too promising.

Several minutes later, the three men were walking over to the abandoned pick-up.

“Do you have extra keys around here somewhere, Pete?” Jayson inquired.

“Yeah, right here.” Pete reached under the bed of the truck and pulled out his spare set. Opening the driver’s door, he stretched over to the back seat and grabbed up a couple of items. “Here are Darby’s cell phone and Gravol. He bought the meds on the drive up.”

“Thank you.” Jayson slipped the items into his jacket pocket and then standing with his arms crossed over a muscular chest, he took the opportunity to deliver a stern lecture.

“Before you take off, I just want to tell you how unhappy I am that you let Riley talk you into this escapade. Any one of you could have ended up seriously injured. I am also very disappointed that you lied to me. Being a bit older, I’d have hoped that you would have tried to prevent this fiasco from happening instead of encouraging it. I have never interfered with Riley’s friendships or whom he hangs around with, but if something like this ever happens again the only time you will be allowed to associate with my partner will be on the job, not socially! Do you understand me?”

“Yes sir!” Both young men shifted uncomfortably and avoided looking directly at the older man, who continued to glare at them in a very intimidating manner.

After deciding that his message had gotten across, Jayson released them. “Drive carefully! We’ll touch base with you later, okay?”

“Yes sir! We’re sorry, man, for everything. Thanks for coming to get us. See ya later,” the boys said as they got in the truck to drive away.

Jayson didn’t move from his spot until he saw the last of their taillights. Then he got into his SUV and headed back to the motel to pick up Riley, Rowan and Darby.

************

Almost three hours later, Jayson pulled into Rowan’s driveway. Darby and Riley had slept most of the trip, enabling the older men to discuss the repercussions of their partners’ latest adventure.

“Thanks so much for everything, Jay,” Rowan said as he helped Darby out of the back seat.

“Don’t mention it. I know we are all very relieved that things ended as well as they did,” Jasyon assured his friend. “Riley, get back in the car!” he shouted when he saw his partner running around the back of the vehicle.

“I’m just saying goodbye and I want to change seats,” Riley explained as he hugged the other two men before climbing into the front seat beside his partner.

Jayson waved as he backed out on to the street.

“You, little boy, are in so much trouble!” he said and glanced at his partner.

“Yeah, I figured as much,” Riley slumped down in his seat, “but we had to do it, Jay.”

“Had you waited another five minutes, you would have saved yourself the paddling you’ve got coming when we get home, Brat.”

After closing the front door, Rowan reached out and took Darby into his arms. “We’ve got a lot to talk over, don’t we?” He felt Darby’s head nodding against his shoulder. “I want you to go upstairs and find yourself a corner. Take off your sneakers and shorts. The sooner we take care of things, the sooner we can move on.” He patted the younger man’s backside and sent him on his way.

Ten minutes passed before Darby heard Rowan enter their bedroom, walk past the dresser and sit down on the side of their bed. He continued to stand where he was facing the corner, nervously waiting for the summons.

“Darby, come here please,” came the gentle request and Darby slowly made his way over to Rowan.

“Why are we doing this, Darby?” Rowan asked, enfolding the other man’s small hands in his larger ones.

“Because I disobeyed Jayson when he told me not to leave and I broke our rule about endangering myself.” Darby valiantly tried to hold back the tears.

“Why, baby?” Rowan softly inquired.

“It was too hard to wait around. I wanted to do something to help. You don’t have any idea of how frightened I was!”

“Yes, I do. You must have been as frightened about not knowing where I was and wondering if I was all right, as I was about you when I didn’t know where you were or if you were okay.”

As Rowan’s quiet statement impacted on Darby, the tears started to fall. “I’m so sorry, Rowan. I never thought about you having to find me before I could find you. I was so worried about you that I never thought you’d end up being worried about me.”

“I was worried about you even before I learned from Jayson that you boys were missing.”

Darby dropped his gaze from Rowan face and for the first time noticed the hairbrush lying on the bed next to the older man’s hip. He looked up in surprise and uncertainty.

“This was serious enough to merit more than a hand spanking, young man. We are going to see to it that something like this never happens again.” Rowan explained when he saw the questioning look on his partner’s face. He started to pull Darby across his knee when he heard a tearful ‘I’m sorry I worried you’. “You are not being spanked for worrying me, little one. You are being punished for breaking the rules.” He settled his Brat, pulled down his boxers and requested, “Tell me again why you are getting this spanking, Darby.”

“I disobeyed Jayson and put myself in danger.”

Rowan shifted his leg and raised the bare-bottom in front of him. His hand landed right on target, covering most of both cheeks. The painful smacks continued to fall until the young man’s backside was a deep shade of scarlet.

Darby had given up on his plea-bargaining attempts and apologies. He had stopped kicking and was crying hard enough to find breathing difficult. He realized that Rowan’s hand had stopped falling and thought the spanking was over. Then he felt the smooth back of the hairbrush gliding over his already sore bottom. “No, p-please, Rowan…..I-I’ll never take off again. P-promise.”

Rowan hardened his resolve to insure the lesson being taught would be remembered, and delivered a dozen stinging swats before ending the spanking. Tossing the hairbrush on to the night table, Rowan started to work on calming his beloved Brat. He gently rubbed Darby’s back until the crying had abated and then helped him to stand while he pulled the damp T-shirt over the young man’s head.

“Breath, baby!” Rowan drew Darby down onto their bed and hugged him reassuringly. He tenderly wiped the tears from Darby’s face and kissed his cheek.

“I’m s-sorry, Rowan. I-I really am!” Darby declared through hitching breaths and looked up with tear-swollen eyes.

“It’s okay now, sweetheart. We’ve taken care of it and you’re right, it won’t happen again.” Rowan soothingly stroked his fingers through the soft auburn hair. “You know, love, if you had waited until Jay got off the phone, you would have known I was all right. After we got everyone out of the plane, we moved to slightly higher ground and were able to contact the control tower with a cell phone. One of the company officials called Jayson.”

“The first reports said a male passenger had been fatally injured. I was afraid it might have been you.”

“There was one fatality. It was an older gentleman who suffered a heart-attack several moments before the plane crashed. I don’t even know for sure it the two events were related.”

The two lovers lay quietly mulling over their own thoughts and feelings of the past thirty-some hours. They used the time to re-connect emotionally. Darby lifted his head off his partner’s chest where he had been taking comfort in listening to the older man’s heartbeat. He wriggled his way up Rowan’s body until he could wrap his arms around the big man’s neck, snuggling down with a contented sigh.

“Love you, big guy!”

“Love you too, Sweets!” Rowan whispered softly before giving his lover a long, satisfying kiss. “By the way, I haven’t had the chance to ask how your university registration went on Wednesday. Did you get into all the courses you wanted?”

“Yeah, Shelley and I both lucked out. Toby had to pick an alternative for one of his science courses. The one he wanted was either filled or wouldn’t work into his schedule. I decided to take only four credits instead of five. I don’t want to over-tax myself incase I either fail a course or cause my business to suffer.”

“Good idea! Sounds like you have everything pretty much under control.” Rowan brushed the hair out of Darby’s eyes and kissed his forehead. “You realize that had you not had to register two days ago, you would have been on the flight with me and we’ll never know how things might have turned out, had that been the case. We’ve been very fortunate, my love.” He pulled the young man closer for a bone-crushing hug.

“I don’t ever want a repeat of these last two days.” Darby whispered, lifting his head to stare into the deep-blue eyes in front of him. He reached around and tentatively touched his very, sore bottom before emphatically declaring, “And there will be no more rescue missions!”

The End