The Gift of the Mad Guy With apologies to O. Henry

Due South

Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski

m/m

Police

PG for implied m/m and violence

Warnings: Benton ouchies, Ray angst

Summary: Their first Christmas as a couple has some rocky bits. Ray is mad.

Ray Kowalski was mad. He did not enjoy the Christmas Holiday Season.. He used to,.

when he was young he loved all the festiveness and joy and pageantry of the season. But, that was B.S., before Stella His ex-wife had not exuded holiday cheer. Christmas was not high on her list of priorities, ranking somewhere near the bottom after Ray and having a family, but before pets. After she had realized that the Chicago detective would never fit into her politically centered world, she had stopped trying and asked for a divorce at Christmas. So Ray had cause to be a Grinch.

Ray was also mad because he could not come up with the perfect Christmas present for Benton. He had thought and thought and nothing was just right for conveying the love and trust he felt for his lover and best friend. He had looked in many store windows hoping something would scream out Benton's name, but so far not as much as a whimper. What did you get the Mountie who had very little and seemed content with that?

Benton Frazer also had trouble dealing with Christmas. Growing up with strict Canadian Grandparents had made Benton miss out on the childhood joys of Christmas. Since they were librarians his gifts were always books and he never had a proper tree.. Until he had come to Chicago, he had not experienced the holiday craziness of a big city. His first Chicago Christmas with Kowalski as his unofficial partner with the Chicago Police Department had been horrendous. He had gotten himself beaten up by thugs for being the sanctimonious Mountie he was capable of being. . His friends at the 27^th ultimately came through for him and he enjoyed a raucous Christmas Party surrounded by friends. He had even let Ray K wear his sacred Stetson.

But that was Christmas past and this Christmas Benton had hoped would be an improvement. After their trip to find the Hand of Franklin, he and Ray had cemented their relationship and had admitted their attraction to each other and were living in a committed , loving relationship. Most of the time, but Benton was having trouble dealing with a Ray Kowalski who seemed to be mad at the world and at Benton Fraser, in particular. They had not been intimate since Ray had become moody. First Ray was not in the mood and then Fraser had become unresponsive. If Ray wasn't ignoring him, he was being short and rude to Fraser. He was beginning to become annoyed.

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Two days Later, December 19th

Ray had just screamed at Fraser for putting their lives in danger yet again, by not thinking and throwing himself off of a two story building. Naturally Ray had to follow, but his temper boiled over from the dumpster they had landed in and the language that erupted from said dumpster was loud and terrible. Fraser had had enough, now he was angry. He pulled himself up and out of the dumpster, not even bothering to check and see if Ray was following him..

That is why Fraser had walked away from Ray and was not paying attention when the car came from out of nowhere and plowed into Benton and sent him flying through the air. He landed on the road, an unmoving crumpled form. Ray heard the sickening thud and catapulted out of the dumpster. Ray ran to the unmoving man, whipping out his cell phone and dialing 911. Ray was mad. It seemed to take forever for the ambulance and police to arrive. Ray stayed by Fraser and talked to him, even though Fraser kept going in and out of consciousness. Ray's anger melted away and he kept apologizing and pleading with Fraser to not leave him.

When the paramedics finally arrived, they assessed Fraser and loaded him into the ambulance.

Ray insisted on coming along. He was too scared to be angry. When they arrived at the hospital, Fraser was whisked into the Emergency Room. Ray was forcefully restrained from following and it took the arrival of Lt. Welsh and Frannie Vecchio to calm him down. He stayed outside the Emergency Room until Frannie finally persuaded him to get some coffee. When they returned the surgeon talked to them. Fraser had broken ribs, a broken arm and a fractured leg, .and a possible concussion. He had had some internal bleeding and would need a blood transfusion Unfortunately because of the holiday season, the hospital's blood supply was dangerously low Ray immediately pulled out his Red Cross Donor card and announced that he had type O Blood, the universal donor and he wanted Benton to have his blood. Ray was immediately sent to the Lab where his blood was taken, tested and proved to be usable. Frannie followed him Ray demanded that they take two pints which was about the amount that Benton had lost.. The phlebotomist said that since their blood supply was so low and this was an emergency, he could take two pints, spin it to remove the plasma and put the serum back into Ray. After he was done with the procedure, the technician insisted that Ray rest for a while, but Ray being Ray made it up off the bed only to collapse after taking a few steps. Two orderlies scooped him up and deposited him back on the bed. When he was finally allowed out of the bed after drinking two glasses of orange juice, Ray made his way back to the Emergency Room with Frannie's help. She kept telling him he had to stay strong for Fraser. Ray knew that Frannie was right, but her constant yammering was just making him mad and that was the last thing he wanted to be when he finally would get to see Fraser. He made a huge effort and told her he understood and could she please shut up already. Frannie wisely demurred.

Early the next morning, Fraser wad taken to ICU where Ray was allowed to see Fraser for fifteen minutes every couple of hours. Four days later. Fraser was transferred to a private room to which Ray, for all purposes, moved in also. Because of the holiday season, the patients that could be dismissed were and there were very few patients on the floor. Someone brought a Christmas Tree for Benton and the gentle glow of the lights at night made the room less antiseptic. Ray sat by the bed and held Fraser's hand. They talked a little, but mostly they were both content to be in each other's company. They both appreciated the fact that this Christmas could have been Fraser's last and they had been given time to be together and love each other and grow in that love.

Ray placed the gentlest of kisses on Fraser's forehead and told him there would be plenty more of them when he felt up to it. Fraser tightly squeezed Ray's hand and told him: "Understood."

Then Ray climbed unto the narrow bed and carefully but thoroughly wrapped himself around his

Mountie. He whispered: "Merry Christmas." And again gently kissed him this time on the lips.

After they broke the kiss, Benton looked into the eyes of his lover and sighed deeply and demonstrated the depths of his trust by falling into the deepest sleep he had been able to achieve in the hospital so far. Ray chuckled quietly and settled into the tight space gingerly. He was

content to watch his lover sleep peacefully .

Through the transfusion of his blood into Benton, Ray Kowalski had given his soul mate the ultimate gift, his Life. Force. Although the present wasn't wrapped in fancy paper or in a beautiful gift box, it was the best gift that Benton had ever received, the ability to continue living with and loving the man with whom he wanted to share the rest of his life. Benton spent Christmas Eve wrapped in Ray's arms in his hospital room looking forward to the New Year. Ray might have been a Mad Man, but he was Benton's Mad Man and the same volatile blood now coursed through both their veins binding them to each other for eternity.