Unfixable

Searching in the Dark

"Any change?" Elijah's foot tapped restlessly as he sat at Gavin's bedside. He shook his head in response to Chloe's question. A worried sigh slipped his lips as he felt her hand on his shoulder and reached up to hold it. How long had he been sitting in that chair? He felt absolutely drained, not from the sitting, but from everything before that. The searching. The riding. Being pelted by rain. Trying to hold Gavin's weight. "Your hands are like ice!" Chloe quickly took his hand and rubbed it between her own. He gave her a weak smile of thanks. He'd washed and changed upon his return, but little else. It wasn't clear how long Gavin had been passed out by the time he'd eventually found him.

Gavin often went riding, and that day had been no different. Elijah didn't know when he left, and he hadn't much cared. Gavin loved to ride, and he was a grown man. He could do as he pleased. He'd taken the pretty chestnut mare as usual. His brow pinched at the thought. Gavin would be devastated when he found out. He'd clearly taken the mare and headed out at some point. Elijah had been busy working, as usual. Seeing patients, tinkering with his inventions, updating Lord Alderton on the state current of his home. He'd paused briefly to check in on Chloe. She hadn't been herself the past few days. She was wretchedly ill. Though she insisted she felt better, he was beginning to think he'd overworked her.

It had been late afternoon by the time Chloe had come to his office to deliver some papers and ask if he'd seen Gavin. She couldn't find him, and was sure he must have returned. It was raining heavily, and had been for at least an hour by then. Elijah had barely stopped to thank her and shake his head, and she'd been off. It must have been an hour later that she'd returned dripping wet from the stables to tell him that Gavin was missing. He'd ridden out earlier that afternoon as usual, but he hadn't come back. Elijah had done his best to brush it off at first. He'd probably been caught in the rain and sheltered beneath a tree somewhere, or found an old barn house to hole up in.

Despite his comforting words and sending Chloe off to change, he'd been worried. Looking outside, he'd see the rain bucketing down. If he hadn't found shelter, he could have slipped and fallen somewhere. He assumed he'd taken his cane, but even then, if he fell from his horse, it may be too hard for him to get up. It had been rapidly darkening outside at that point, which he knew would make it more difficult for Gavin to find his way back. I don't even know where he's gone...It was with this in mind that Elijah headed down to the stables. He'd done little riding over the years, but the stable hand was willing to tack a horse for him. A great black beast called Goliath.

"This was the horse Mr Anderson took when they went out together...I reckon he'll steer you right." Elijah had hesitantly climbed up and let Goliath carry him. The first crack of thunder sounded before they'd even left the yard. He nudged Goliath on, despite his reluctance to head out in the storm. Although he was reluctant to head out, Goliath seemed to have a direction in mind. It had taken a while, but the beast finally stopped. With his limited night vision, Elijah saw it was a tree. A patch of trees. He'd lurched a little as Goliath leaned down and a crunching sound soon followed. It didn't take long to find the reason. Apples...Was this where Gavin had come? Or had the horse merely walked there out of habit? Perhaps both...

"Gavin!" Elijah had gripped the reins tightly as Goliath huffed and padded from foot to foot. He was restless. The storm had gotten louder about then, with flashes of lightning flaring overhead. "Easy-easy!" He'd laid a hand on Goliath's neck, soothing him as he looked around helplessly. His head jerked up as he heard it. A distant cry. "Gavin!" It was almost like Goliath understood. The moment Elijah knocked his sides, he lurched into action. It didn't take long for him to hear a second set of hooves and a distressed whinny.

Elijah had felt his heart lurch, a sick feeling welling in his chest, as the smaller mare bolted past. Her appearance was so sudden that Goliath almost reared in alarm. Elijah stood in the saddle and held on, calming and soothing him as the pounding hooves faded in the distance. That was the mare, but she'd been riderless. That meant Gavin was still out there. Elijah had shivered in the icy rain, hopping down to grip the reins. He didn't want to risk riding over Gavin's body if he was on the ground. He walked on, calling Gavin's name and peering through the darkness.