Kidnapped
Part Eight
By Lynne Facella
Mulderette@aol.com or Lynne1919@aol.com

Rating: PG (language, violence)
Keywords: JC, PB angst
Spoilers: Episodes through All in the Family
Archive: Sure, just ask so I know where it is going.

Disclaimer: All ER characters are the property of Warner Brothers, NBC, etc., etc. (The bad guys are mine).

Summary: Dr. Carter is held for ransom and an unwitting Dr. Benton gets dragged along for the ride.

Note: Kristen, thanks for your comments and helpful suggestions and thanks to everyone who has given me feedback in the past. Sorry for the really long wait between chapters. Anyhow for those of you who are still interested here's the next chapter :)



Bill lay sprawled out on the bed in the motel room, staring at the television set, but not really seeing it. It was almost midnight and he was starting to worry. He had expected Frank and Tony back a long time ago. His mind was running through all the various possible ways that the two could have fucked up this caper. For all he knew the police would soon be crashing down the door to take him into custody. Although the air conditioner was on, the room wasn't overly comfortable. Bill got up off the bed, walked over to the air conditioner and turned it up as high as it could go. He then plopped back on the bed and started aimlessly clicking the remote control, but found nothing at all of interest. Finally, when he was just about to lose his mind, he heard the sound of the door being unlocked and Tony and Frank entered the room.

"Where the hell were you two?" he growled. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Frank looked at Bill incredulously. "Who the fuck are you, our mother? I wasn't aware that there was a curfew."

"After tomorrow, you can do whatever the fuck you want to do," Bill said. "With any luck I'll never cross your sorry path again. I don't think it was asking too much to expect the two of you back here at a decent hour with clear heads, not gallivanting in bars all night long."

"You're a smug son of a bitch, aren't you?" Frank shook his head and stared at Bill, looking as if he had just taken a whiff of a carton of year old milk. "For your information, we weren't *gallivanting* in bars at all. We just went to visit some friends."

"What friends?" Bill asked, his body immediately stiffening with apprehension. "You better not have told anyone about this. You're going to ruin everything." His eyes turned to Tony who was perched on the edge of the other bed, staring at his feet which he was shuffling nervously. "Where did you go, Tony?"

Tony shook his head, his face noticeably paling. "Nowhere, Bill," he stammered. "We...we didn't tell anybody about the plan, honest we didn't."

"Where the fuck did you go, Tony?" Bill could barely control his anger at this point. He knew there was something they weren't telling him, something that they were deliberately keeping a secret.

Frank started to smirk. "Tell him Tony. After all, they're his friends too."

Tony greatly resembled a deer caught in the headlights as his eyes darted between Frank and Bill and he clenched and unclenched his hands repeatedly.

Frank rolled his eyes as Tony continued his silence. "Oh for Pete's sake, Tony. I guess I'll just have to tell him." He smiled slyly at Bill. "We went to see your friends, Dr. Carter and Dr. Benton."

A look of shock came over Bill's face, quickly replaced by intense rage. He lunged at Frank, grabbing him by his shirt collar. All too ready, Frank threw an uppercut at Bill's jaw, causing his head to snap backwards as he landed on the bed. Tony, jarred out of his momentary trance, stood up quickly and came between the two men. "Enough!" he shouted. "This isn't going to help anything!"

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Frank threw himself on the other bed. "I'm not sleeping on no fucking cot."

"I'll sleep on the cot." Tony walked over to the cot and proceeded to unfold it. At this point he was willing to do just about anything in order to get some peace.

Bill sat on the bed, seething, resisting the overwhelming urge to rub his throbbing jaw, not wanting to give Frank the satisfaction. "How are they?" he murmured.

"Excuse me?" Frank asked with a grin, cupping his hand around his ear. "I didn't quite get that. Did you ask a question?"

Bill struggled to remain calm as he felt every muscle in his body seem to tighten up with tension. "How's the kid doing?"

"He's still alive," Tony replied, tiring of Frank's constant baiting.

"Why did you go there anyhow?" Bill asked. "What was so compelling that you felt the need to go back?"

"I was worried." Frank chuckled. "I wanted to make sure they didn't drown in all that water you left for them."

"What?!" Bill's eyes blazed with fury. "You took their water? For what purpose? Just to make them suffer? What the hell kind of a person are you?"

Frank sat silently, staring back at Bill with a mocking smile on his face.

"We left them some water." Tony meekly rose to their defense.

Bill shook his head in disgust. "I'd expect it out of him but not you, Tony.  What happened to you? When did you become so cold-hearted?"

Tony said nothing. Finally after a few moments of almost unbearable silence, he stretched out on the cot, turning to face the wall. He was sick of this whole sordid mess. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough for him. He just wanted this all to be over so he could take his money and have some fun.

Bill turned towards Frank, a neutral expression on his face. "Where are the keys to the van?"

"Don't worry. I have them safe and sound." Frank smiled as he patted his pants pocket lightly.

"Give them to me."

"No fucking way," Frank replied defiantly. "There is no way you're going back out there alone. You'll blow the whole thing. I'm not losing all this money because you're feeling guilty. I was just having a little fun. They'll be fine."

"Anyhow, Billy boy," Frank added mockingly. "You are the one that brainstormed this entire plan, remember that. You're the one that decided to lock them up underground in an old cell. That was you, *not* me."

"Just give me the Goddamn keys."

"I said no!" Frank's face twisted in anger as he reached for his gun. "I'm not fooling around, Bill. If you want to go back after we get our money, by all means go right ahead. The three of you can sit down and have a little tea party. I don't give a shit what you do. For now though, we go according to the plan. You call old lady Carter in the morning and tell her where to make the drop. We pick up our money and we never have to look at each other again."

"I don't recall putting you in charge." Bill's voice was quiet but with a steely edge to it.

"No you didn't," Frank replied agreeably. "But this gun says I keep the keys. I know you have a gun too, but if we engage in a gun battle, the whole plan goes up in smoke anyhow, doesn't it? Then nobody will get anything and your two friends will die long, lingering deaths."

Bill took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then laid back on the bed. It was only one more night. Tomorrow he could go on with his life and begin to put all of this behind him. He remained awake for a long time, finally falling into a sleep filled with uneasy dreams.



Dave sat on his bike staring up at the windows of Kerry's home. He had been sitting this way for a while and knew he couldn't continue to lurk outside Kerry's house for much longer. If anybody happened to look out their window, they would assume he was up to no good. It was late but Kerry's downstairs lights were still blazing. He knew that she was still awake, probably worrying herself to death. Finally gathering up all his nerve he picked up his bike and started up Kerry's front stairs, boldly ringing her bell before he had a chance to change his mind. A few moments later he saw her peering at him through the glass, a look of obvious surprise on her face.

"Hello Dave," Kerry said after she had unlocked and opened the front door.

"Hiya Chief." Dave shuffled his feet, feeling uncustomarily awkward. "Uh...I came to see, um I wanted to see if you were okay, uh you know, with everything that's happening."

"Well thank you Dave, that was very nice of you. Would you like to come in?" Kerry opened the door and Dave entered her hallway, leaning his bike gently against the wall. He then followed Kerry into the living room where he was startled to see Mark and Elizabeth sitting together on the sofa.

"Hello Dave," Mark said and Elizabeth softly echoed his greeting.

'Shit,' Dave thought to himself. This was one possibility he hadn't even thought of. "Hi Dr. Greene, Dr. Corday." He was sure that Corday had shot him a dirty look as he entered the room. He knew that he wasn't one of her favorite people, nor was she among his. This wasn't the time for pettiness though and hopefully she was in agreement.

"Sit down, Dave," Kerry said, gesturing to a chair. "Can I get you a drink or something?"

"No....I'm fine," Dave said, as he sat down in a chair across from Mark and Elizabeth. "So um, have you heard anything?" He asked, directing his question to Kerry who had just seated herself by him.

"I spoke with John's grandmother just a short time ago. She has the money and is just waiting by the phone to hear what the next step is. The man said he would call tomorrow afternoon but we're hoping he'll call earlier."

Dave nodded. "So how much dough we talking here?"

"Fifteen million dollars."

Dave whistled softly. "Wow, that's a lot of money, but I guess it isn't much for Carter's family. Boy, Dr. Benton must be pretty pissed that he got dragged into this though."

"Why?" Elizabeth snapped, already sick and tired of listening to Dave. "Why do you assume Peter is pissed? He cares about Carter very much. He would want to help him."

"Whatever," Dave shrugged. He didn't agree but he wasn't going to argue with Corday over this. He wished he had thought things through a little bit more before deciding to stop by Kerry's. He should have realized Greene and Corday could be here.

"You don't know Peter at all," Elizabeth continued. "How can you..." She stopped mid-sentence as Mark squeezed her hand tightly.

"Come on Elizabeth," he whispered softly. "Everyone's upset about this. Quarreling amongst ourselves isn't going to help anything."

"Fine." Elizabeth sat back silently, crossing her arms over her chest. She decided to just ignore Dave unless it was deemed absolutely necessary that she speak to him. As far as she was concerned he was an arrogant pup with not a speck of sense in his entire body.

"Why don't I make some more coffee," Kerry suggested as she rose to her feet. She had a feeling it was going to be a very long night.

"I'll help you, Chief," Dave said as he scurried after Kerry into the kitchen, eager to escape the wrath of Corday if only for a few minutes.

After Kerry and Dave had left the room, Mark put his arm around Elizabeth, gently rubbing her shoulder. "Everything's going to be okay, Elizabeth. Peter and Carter are going to be fine."

"You don't know that, Mark," Elizabeth replied softly, shaking her head. "For all we know, they're already dead."

Mark sighed, leaning his head back against the top of the sofa. No matter how optimistic he was trying to be, he knew that Elizabeth was right. All they could do was hope and pray that Carter and Peter would be okay.



Carter opened his eyes and saw nothing. Bewildered, he blinked a couple of times, still seeing nothing but blackness. He raised his hand in front of his face, waving it around, but still couldn't see it. He would have thought he was dead if he didn't feel so God-awful. Maybe he was blind. That would be his luck. "Dr. Benton?" he called out in a tremulous voice.

"Yeah, Carter, I'm here." Benton's familiar voice sounded out of the blackness.

"Why...why is it so dark? Why aren't the candles on?"

Benton sighed heavily. "The candles burned out, Carter."

Carter shivered, not so much from the cold as from the fear. Why knows what could be in here that they couldn't see. It hadn't seemed quite as bad when they had the candles, but now he was terrified. "What about the flashlight?"

"I don't want to use it without good reason, Carter. We have it if we really need it.

"Please turn it on, Dr. Benton, please?" Carter pleaded.

"All right, Carter, but just for a minute, okay?" Benton fumbled around until his fingers finally grasped the flashlight. He flicked the switch and the inside of the cell was illuminated. Benton studied Carter closely, wishing once again that there was something he could do to help him.

"Okay now Carter?" Benton asked, giving him a reassuring pat on his shoulder.

Carter nodded, not looking very convincing. "Yeah, I'm all right. You can turn it off."

Benton turned off the flashlight, plunging the cell back into darkness.

The two sat silently for a few long minutes before Benton spoke. "Carter, you need anything? You warm enough?" He hoped Carter wasn't thirsty. Their water supply was now dangerously low. They still had the crappy food but who the hell wanted chocolate, crackers or beef jerky sticks without water. He wondered if they had been deliberately given thirst-inducing foods. Benton's thoughts were starting to turn morbid as he wondered what it would be like to die of thirst. Realistically speaking, Carter would die first. The thought of it chilled Benton to the core and he tried to think of something else.

"I'm fine," Carter answered tonelessly. He broke out into a fit of coughing, causing sharp pains in his shoulder, chest and in his side where he had been kicked. Finally the coughing eased and he tried to catch his breath.

"You all right, Carter?" Benton's tone was gentle, the question automatic. He knew he wasn't all right. He was far from it.

"Yeah." Carter didn't bother to elaborate any further. He knew he was running out of time and he knew Dr. Benton knew it too. Of all the ways in the world there were to die, he had never imagined this. There weren't many ways that seemed worse, maybe burning in a fire or dying of thirst in the desert. He supposed there were other ways also, but right now this seemed about the worst.  Suddenly feeling hot, Carter tossed the blanket that was covering him off to the side.

Benton thoughts had begun drifting again, this time focusing on Reece. He was such a good little boy. He wondered what he would be like as he got older...what kind of a man he would grow up to be. He hoped that Carla would let Jackie see him after he was gone, let her be a part of his life. Jackie was a good sister and she had always been good to Reece. She'd tell him about his father. Let him know how much he had loved him. Benton was abruptly brought out of his thoughts by the realization that Carter was speaking.

"When I was a kid...I used to be really afraid of the dark," Carter began. "I would see shadows on my walls and think they were people. There was one shadow that looked like a huge hunchback of a man, wearing a hat. I used to try to show it to my brother, but he never saw what I saw. Of course, we can't even see any shadows here...we can't see a thing." He swiped at the sweat-soaked hair on his forehead, feeling more and more unbearably hot.

"Lots of people are afraid of the dark, Carter. I can't say I'm too fond of it myself right now." Benton longed to be outside, walking in the sunshine or the moonlight, whatever fucking time of day it was. He longed to be anywhere except in this horrible little cell.

"Dr. Benton?"

"Hmmm? Yeah, what is it Carter?"

"Dr. Benton...Do you, do you think there's something after this life?"

Benton tilted his head back, resting it against the stone wall. He could just hear the fear in Carter's voice. He didn't know what he thought. It wasn't something he had ever spent much time worrying about.

"I'm sure there is something, Carter," Benton said quietly. "But you shouldn't be thinking about that. Help is going to come...very, very soon."

"You think...you think there's a big tunnel like they talk about and that my brother is waiting to lead me into the other world?"

Benton began to fidget, feeling very uncomfortable with Carter's topic of conversation. "Yeah Carter...that's probably what happens."

"And Lucy is there and Dennis?"

Unexpectedly, Benton felt his eyes well up with tears and for a split second was actually grateful for the darkness, glad that Carter couldn't see him in a moment of weakness. "Yes Carter."

"I hope...I hope they forgive me." Carter spoke in a soft whisper, but Benton still heard his words.

"Carter...Carter there's nothing for them to forgive. Those things weren't your fault, neither of them. If they could, I'm sure they would tell you that themselves."

"I think this is my punishment...for the horrible things I've done," Carter moaned as he began to ramble. "You're just an innocent pawn. Or maybe you're part of my punishment too. God would know how horrible I would feel that you are going to be left here to die alone, that this is my fault too. I'm sorry, Dr. Benton...I'm so sorry." Carter 's voice was full of despair.

"Come on man...Don't. None of this is your fault Carter. You sure as hell don't deserve this." Benton grabbed the flashlight and turned it on. He cursed as he saw Carter's sweat-covered face and instinctively put his hand on his forehead even though it was obvious that he was burning up again. Benton shakily shook four Advil out of the bottle and poured a small amount of water into a cup, trying not to think about the tiny amount of both Advil and water that were left.

"Carter here." Benton lifted Carter's head with one hand and popped the pills into his mouth. "Come on, man...drink this, swallow the pills.

"I don't know why this happened," Carter murmured feverishly as Benton lowered his head gently back down. "I don't want to die here. Why is this happening to us? Why?"

Benton watched as Carter dropped off to sleep, amidst more frequent coughing fits, and then turned off the flashlight. His hand remained lightly resting on the younger man's chest. Carter's breathing was starting to become labored, which had Benton extremely worried, but he needed to feel the rise and fall of Carter's chest. As long as Carter had a breath in his body, Benton could still hold out hope that he somehow was going to get through this.



"Hello?" Millicent grabbed the phone on the very first ring. The night had seemed endless. The few times she had managed to doze off for a few moments, she had been tormented by dreams of John being tortured, screaming in pain. After that, she hadn't even tried to get any more rest. She had just sat quietly, staring at the clocking, listening to its rhythmic ticking.

"Mrs. Carter?"

Millicent immediately recognized the voice of the man who had taken John.

"Yes...this is Millicent Carter," she replied, trying to keep her voice steady.  "I have the money."

"Very good," Bill said. "Now here's what I want you to do..."



End Chapter 8