Vet Series
Part 16
Dreams and
Portents
Our families though are innocent bystanders.
Elise, Jenny, Daryl,
So what the hell are we
supposed to do? How can we keep our loved ones safe, out of harm’s way? I suppose
that’s why so many cops get divorced. I think, if we
really thought it would work, that might be an option. But what kind of choice
is that? Not one I would choose.
There’s another thing I haven’t quite been
able to wrap my mind around. Something is happening with me. I’ve had…
instances where I knew something was wrong with Jim. Yeah, yeah, that’s not so
unusual, but I’ve also sensed things about El, Jenny and Mike.
And that thing with
I felt Jim’s astonishment and… respect as I pinned
I thought I had accepted my role in the
tribe when I accepted my badge so many years ago. But now I think I accepted it
in name only. There is so much more to being the Shaman of the
So, I’m going to soak in a nice hot bath and
ease these bumps and bruises until El gets home. Jim will be doing the same
next door, with Jenny’s help. We were lucky to walk away from that accident,
though truthfully it wasn’t Jim’s fault. Without his quick reflexes we would
have ended in a much worse situation.
As it was, the only casualty to our family
was Jim’s truck. I wonder who won the pool this time?
***********
Early August
Blair
stood in the line to order behind Jim while the rest of the gang headed over to
find a table.
Jim
studied the menu for a moment then dropped his gaze to the server behind the
counter. “Give me a number two all the way and add a burger made the same.”
“Geez, Jim,” Blair said sarcastically. “I know you’re still
making up for the last few months, man, but that is so unhealthy.”
His
partner turned briefly with a frown. “Yeah, you’re right, Chief.” He faced the
counter again as he pulled out his wallet. “Add a salad to that too, please.”
Blair’s
eyes bugged.
“What
do you want, Blair?” Jim asked, seemingly oblivious to his friend’s dismay.
“Uh,
I’ll have the chicken salad. No dressing,” Blair answered automatically.
“Okay,”
the server said. “Will that be all?” Jim nodded. “That will be eighteen dollars
and seventy-nine cents.”
Jim
handed her a twenty. “Grab the napkins and drinks for us while I wait for the
food, would you Chief?”
Sandburg
nodded, still staring disbelievingly at his partner’s back. He shook himself
and sighed then went to get the requested items and join their friends at the
table.
“What
took you so long, Blair?” Joel asked craning his neck to see where Jim was.
“Jim’s
order, man,” Blair shook his head sadly. “I mean, I know he’s still a few
pounds underweight, but he’s eating like…” the younger man just shook his head
sadly.
“Like
he’s pregnant?” H teased.
Everybody
chuckled except for Blair who turned a puzzled look on his partner. Jim was
making his way to the table, already munching on a fry. Blair’s expression grew
thoughtful.
“Here
you go, Chief,” Jim said setting the tray down.
They
divided the spoils, and began to eat. Blair covertly watched Jim as the
conversation flowed around them. Jim quickly and efficiently devoured both
burgers and the fries and started on his salad. He seemed to be having trouble
getting the little carrot pieces with the plastic fork, so finally gave up and
used his fingers.
Blair
watched with a sort of awed disgust, his own salad barely touched.
“So
what do you think, Jim?” Simon asked, trying to draw the silent partners into
the conversation.
“Hmm?” Jim asked, raising his head to view the table. He
focused on the bag of fries spread out on a napkin in the middle of the table
which the rest of the guys had been sharing. “About what?” he asked, reaching
out to capture a few of the French fries.
“Haven’t
you been listening to a thing we’ve said?” Rafe asked
with a grin.
Jim
popped a fry into his mouth and frowned thoughtfully.
Henri
chortled. “Naw, man. He was
concentrating too hard on his food.”
Blair
sat back in his chair and pushed his salad away from him.
“Aren’t
you going to finish that, Chief?” Jim asked, eyeing the salad.
A
look of disgust and disbelief covered Blair’s face. “No,” he said firmly. “I
can’t believe you just ate all that,” Blair exclaimed with a grimace and a wave
of his hands at the empty food containers.
“What?”
Jim asked confused. “I was hungry.” He reached toward the leftover salad. "You
mind?” he asked, already sliding it toward him.
“How
can you possibly still be hungry after that?” Sandburg asked, just barely
keeping it below a shout. “Two weeks ago you couldn’t keep anything down and
now you’re eating like a condemned man!”
Jim
just shrugged as he dug into the salad.
H,
Joel, Rafe and Simon exchanged amused, knowing
glances. “Pregnant,” they chorused.
“What?”
Blair asked, feeling left out of the loop.
“His
wife is pregnant,” Joel explained. “Haven’t you ever heard of Couvade’s Syndrome?”
“Yeah,”
Blair said, still obviously not getting it.
“So,”
Simon continued, “first he had morning sickness and was tired all the time and
now he’s hungry, maybe even having cravings?” Banks finished with a grin.
Jim
steadfastly ignored the conversation, but kept his head down to hide his grin
and pink cheeks.
Blair
looked at Jim then back at the others and back at Jim again. “Oh my God,” he
whispered. “The other day in the elevator…” he trailed off as Jim’s head jerked
up in alarm.
“Chief,”
Jim pleaded.
Sandburg
snapped his jaw shut.
“What?”
H pounced enthusiastically. “What happened? You gotta
tell us, Hairboy.”
Jim
held his brother’s eyes beseechingly.
“Jim,
ah, had a dizzy spell. Thought he was going to make me carry him into the
bullpen,” Blair obfuscated with a wave of his hands. “We couldn’t figure out
what caused it and he made me swear not to tell anyone.” Blair sent a mega-watt
grin around the table.
“Sandburg,”
Jim growled, though only Blair and maybe Simon recognized the relief in that growl.
“Ah,
come on Jim,” Blair wheedled. “They’re the ones who figured it out.”
Jim
tilted his head in acquiescence.
“Kinda makes sense if you think about it,” Rafe said softly.
“How’s
that, Rafe?” Blair asked.
“Well,”
Brian looked around and lowered his voice. “If anyone would have sympathetic
pregnancy symptoms it would be a… you know,” he said cryptically, nodding
toward Jim.
Ellison
frowned. He slowly pushed away from the table.
“Are
we leaving?” Blair asked.
“I
am,” Jim muttered. He stood and walked out.
“Jim!”
Rafe called. “Ah, man.”
H
clapped his partner on the shoulder as he stood. “Come on, Bri.
Let’s go catch him.”
Out
in the parking lot Jim leaned back against Blair’s 4x4. He closed his eyes and
sighed. It had been a long time since he’d been caught off guard like that.
He’d grown very comfortable knowing that the others were in on the Sentinel
secret. It gave him a safety zone, a lot of safety zones actually, where he didn’t
have to worry about hiding his abilities.
So why did Brian’s revelation hurt so much?
He heard the others gather around him and opened his eyes. Rafe
stood right in front of him, his eyes full of guilt.
“I’m
sorry, Jim. I didn’t…”
Jim
raised his hand stopping Brian’s apology. “It’s not your fault. I don’t even
know…” he sighed and glanced at Blair. Jim ran his hand through his hair. “Jen
and I figured it out a few weeks ago, but I didn’t want to tell anyone.”
“Why not, Jim?” Joel asked. “Lots of men go through it. Wish
I had when
“Why’s
that, Joel?” Jim asked softly.
Taggert shrugged. “I just think it would have been a great
way to share in the pregnancy. I mean, think about it. The woman does all the
work once the fun is done.” The others chuckled. “You know what I mean,” Joel
chided, earning nods and fond grins all around. “So I guess it’s a way for us
to be involved.”
Simon
cleared his throat. “I, uh, had cravings when Joan was pregnant with Daryl,” he
admitted quietly.
“Really?” Jim asked.
“I
swear,” Simon replied. “Joan thought I was placating her and using it as an
excuse to go off my diet, but I really did.”
Blair
put his hand on Jim’s shoulder while his partner studied the ground. Finally
Jim looked up with a rueful grin. “I guess I just wanted it to be a ‘normal’
reaction. When Brian suggested it was Sentinel related…” Jim shrugged.
Blair
squeezed his shoulder and gave him a little shake. “Come on, man. Not
everything’s about Sentinels you know.” Eyebrows all around him rose. “What?
It’s not.”
“Just
a little surprised to hear that coming from you, Hairboy,”
H teased gently.
“Okay,
okay,” Blair admitted, “but as you said, lots of men have Couvade’s
Syndrome when their wives are pregnant. Being a Sentinel doesn’t cause it, but
it may affect the intensity of your symptoms Jim.”
Jim
raised his hands. “Let’s not worry about it for now, okay Chief? I’m with Joel
on this, just let me enjoy the connection with Jen.”
Blair
pursed his lips thoughtfully then smiled. “I hear that.”
Jim
and the others groaned then laughed.
“Well,”
Simon drawled. “I hate to break this up, but we need to get back to work.”
More
groans ensued, but they all started to head for their vehicles.
Simon
stopped Jim with a hand on his arm. “You really okay Jim?”
Jim
gave his captain a lopsided grin. “Yeah. Thanks,
Simon.”
Banks
nodded and moved toward his car. He shook his head fondly. If they weren’t in
the Sandburg Zone, they somehow ended up in the Ellison Zone. He groaned at his
own pun and started the car.
**************
They were getting closer. He could hear
their breathing, the soft chuffing noises they made as they chased him. Where
to hide? Where?
There! He scampered up into the rock and
tucked into the small crevice where his larger foes could not follow. But it
was only a matter of time before they caught him. There were too many.
Blair
opened his eyes and took a deep shuddering breath. His meditations were
supposed to help him find answers, but they only seemed to be bringing more
questions. There’s probably a message in
that.
He
stretched and leaned forward to blow out the candles before gracefully rising
from the cushion. Blair fondly caressed the smooth wooden bench that had been
part of El’s wedding present to him. Who
is this ferret? And who are the jackals chasing it? I think Mike knows. I guess
it’s time to talk to her.
~~~~
Blair
opened the door to the bathroom. His eyes widened at what he saw.
Mike
sat on the edge of the tub. She looked up at his entrance with a smile on her
face. “Don’t you ever knock?” she teased.
“What
the hell do you think you’re doing?” Blair exclaimed as he closed the distance
between them, grabbed her shoulders and lifted her to her feet. He then pushed
her out of the bathroom.
“What
am I doing?” Mike responded. “What do you think you’re doing?” she asked,
turning to face Blair.
“I’m
trying to keep you from hurting yourself,” Blair said as he yanked the long
tube out of Mike’s hand. “If Megan knew what you were up to…” He trailed off as
he studied the writing on the side of the tube.
“I
don’t know why you’re making such a big deal out of it,” Mike frowned. “It’s
not like I haven’t done it before… all by myself even
and I’m still standing here today.
Blair
grunted dismissively as he continued to read the list of ingredients on the
tube.
“This
is ridiculous. It’s your day off. You should be doing day off stuff. Not here
babysitting me,” Mike huffed and tried not to pout. “I haven’t needed a
babysitter in a very long time.”
“Well
apparently you need one now,” he replied tartly. “Look, Mike, let me help,
okay? Megan would kill me if something happened to you and she found out I knew
you were doing this.”
Mike
rolled her eyes.
Blair
looked around at the supplies Mike had already laid out on the floor and shook
his head. “We’ll need a few more things. Stay here and don’t touch anything,”
he glared at the Sentinel. “I’ll be right back.”
Mike
sighed but nodded her agreement then watched as Blair left. “I don’t need a
babysitter,” she grumbled. She glanced at the stuff on the floor and grinned.
“I said don’t touch anything,
“Guides!”
she growled softly, peeking out the bedroom door to make sure Blair was indeed
not standing in the hall.
A
few minutes later Blair strolled back into the bedroom with an armful of stuff.
He put it on the bed and met Mike’s questioning gaze. “If you’re going to help,
you’d better put on something with long sleeves,” he suggested.
Mike
raised her eyes to heaven then turned to grab a long-sleeve T-shirt from the
dresser drawer. “Better turn around,” she said smugly as she started to pull
her polo shirt off over her head.
Blair
opened his mouth then abruptly turned to face the other way. “Sentinels,” he
muttered.
Mike
grinned as she tugged the long-sleeved shirt into place. “Okay. What do you
have here?” she asked moving to the bed.
“Gloves, masks, some hypoallergenic soap, and an epi-pen. I keep it on hand for emergencies.”
“Geez, Blair,” Mike complained.
Blair
handed Mike a pair of gloves. “Okay,
looks like we’re ready. Let’s get to
work.”
Mike
put her hands on her hips. “I really don’t mind doing this by myself. It’s not
like two people will make the job go faster.”
Blair
just handed Mike a filter mask and grinned impishly at her. “Just go with the
flow.”
Mike snorted. She flipped the switch to turn on the ventilation fan in the bathroom. “If that trial had finished last week like it should have, Megan would be here.”
“True,”
Blair replied calmly as he placed his own mask over his nose and mouth.
“Cut
to the chase Blair,” Mike demanded suddenly, her voice muffled through the
mask. “Why are you really here?”
Blair
concentrated on opening the tube and placing it in the caulk gun. He then
stepped into the tub before he replied. “Do you remember that dream you had
before Jen was kidnapped by
Mike
straightened to her full height in surprise. “Yeah.
What about it?”
“I
saw part of it while I was meditating the other day. The part
where the ferret was being chased by jackals?” He looked over his
shoulder at Mike when she didn’t reply. “Who is the ferret, Mike?”
She
knelt and leaned on her elbows on the edge on the tub. "You know, the old
stuff was latex caulk," Mike said as she rubbed absently at a spot on the
tile. "Do you realize just how long ago that means this shower was last
caulked?” She shook her head. “Don’t get me wrong, Jen’s great at a lot of
things, but she doesn’t really think about things like re-caulking the showers."
Mike
glanced at Blair and sighed in response to his patient look. "You're not
going to let this go are you?” Blair gave her a small grin and began applying
the caulk. “The ferret's my dad," she mumbled, sitting back on her
haunches. Mike shot a quick grin Blair’s way. “This is the only practical use
I’ve ever found for yoga,” she said, once again trying to change the subject.
“No sense letting all those years of practice go to waste.”
Blair
nodded. He could sense her discomfort so decided to let it go. For now. He leaned forward to examine the caulk lines. “So
how am I doing? Miss anything?”
The
Sentinel followed his gaze and pointed out a section. “So what else is bugging
you, Blair?” Mike asked bluntly.
“What
do you mean?”
“Oh
come on. You wouldn’t have volunteered to re-caulk the tub just because. You
might have insisted that I wait until Megan was free to help, but surely you’ve
got better things to do today,” Mike argued.
Blair
fiddled with the caulk gun. “I just thought it would give us a chance to talk.
See if you had any questions…”
Mike’s
eyebrow rose in disbelief. Blair glanced at her silence and smiled wryly.
“Okay. I… Well, you…” He stopped and took a deep breath, then let it out
slowly. “I needed someone to talk to who would…” He shrugged then continued.
“Jim’s my best friend, and he’s really great, but he just doesn’t get the
mystical part of our partnership. Oh, he’s better now, but lately there’ve been
some things that I’ve experienced… besides, Jim’s been pretty busy with Jen...”
Mike
waited as the silence stretched on. Blair sighed as he realized his delaying
tactic wasn’t going to work either. “Megan would be the logical choice to talk
to I suppose, as a Guide, but…” Blair shrugged. “As open as she is to this
stuff, I don’t think what’s going on has so much to do with my being a Guide as
it does my being a shaman.”
He
looked up at Mike and shrugged. “You’ve got the advantage of having been
exposed to so many spiritual cultures, as well as being a Sentinel. I thought
you might have some insight.”
Mike
nodded and sank to the floor to sit tailor-style. “So, spill.”
Blair
described the incident between him and Carsons
several months earlier. He also explained that he could now sense high emotions
or stress in the people close to him. He admitted
that he was seeing the spirit guides more often as well. Not just his and
Jim’s, but Jen’s and some of the others too.
“I
guess I just want someone to tell me this is a normal process,” Blair finished
quietly.
“You
missed a spot,” Mike said absentmindedly. “It sounds like your gifts are
becoming stronger. And as they do they’re manifesting in more visible ways.”
Blair frowned. “Look,” Mike explained, “you’ve always been a ‘people’ person,
right?” Blair nodded. “You’ve empathized, sympathized and basically been able
to see their side of the story, no matter who they were or what they thought.”
Blair nodded again.
Mike
shrugged dismissively. “That was normal empathy, but maybe you were using some
of your natural empathic gifts without realizing it. Now you’re getting leakage
from really strong emotions, especially from the people you care about.” Blair
nodded thoughtfully. Mike nodded in unison. “Well, you just have to practice
controlling it. Make sure you can shield yourself against unwanted input. Then
you can use the gift on your own terms.” She pulled her knees up and wrapped
her arms around her legs. “You should talk to Abi
about it. She can help.”
“What
do you mean?” Blair asked, surprised.
“She’s empathic,” Mike said. “I think that’s part of why Nat recommended her for Jenny. You didn’t know?”
Blair
shook his head. “No, I hadn’t caught that.” He smiled at Mike. “See, that’s why
I wanted to talk to you. You don’t have any hang ups about these ‘gifts’ of
ours.”
Mike
smiled back and rolled her eyes. She nodded her head toward the tub. “Shouldn’t
you be working?”
Blair
grinned but turned toward the tub. After a few moments, he nonchalantly asked,
“So do you mind talking about your bond with Megan?”
The
Sentinel was quiet for so long that Blair stopped and looked at her. “Mike?”
She
blinked and returned her focus to the man in front of her. “Sorry, I was just
remembering,” Mike answered shyly.
“It’s
pretty intense,” Blair agreed quietly.
“Yeah,”
she replied. She stood and began to straighten the bathroom. “We bonded for the
first time the day before we flew out of
Mike
placed the empty caulk tubes into an empty bag then turned to face Blair. “It
was really strange. Not at all what I
was expecting,” she waved a hand in the air, “not that I really knew what to
expect. I guess… I thought we'd… um, share thoughts. This was more a sharing of
memories.” She lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Not all of them, just certain
ones. I guess some of our stronger memories.”
Blair
nodded recalling the first memories he’d shared with Jim. Strong was one way to
put it. “Go on,” he encouraged gently.
Mike
frowned. “They’re pretty personal, Blair.”
He
held up three fingers. “I promise not to use them against you, or Megan. Scout’s honor.”
Mike
snorted then pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Well… Maybe… There was one… I think
Megan was about ten. The details are so…
it was like I was right there with her.”
She
saw Blair’s understanding nod and continued. “Megs had
gotten up and had her morning bowl of weetbix, with
hot milk and sugar. She uses too much sugar," Mike grimaced, wrinkling her
nose in disgust. "She was wearing this cute Gingham dress with a blazer
and a straw hat. She hated the hat. She was supposed to be singing in the
school choir the next week, one of the lead parts. She had a beautiful voice,
but some of the boys were teasing her. It got out of hand and she got pushed
off the jungle gym," Mike looked at Blair in anguished dismay at her inability
to go back into the past and protect her partner. "They broke her arm… it
scared her."
"She's
fine now," Blair reassured. "I
bet she didn't let it keep her down long either, did she?"
"No,"
Mike said with satisfaction. "And she sang great. Her brothers also taught
Megs some moves to protect herself, and helped convince their dad to let her
enroll in self defense classes as soon as her arm healed.”
"See,
she learned an important lesson. One which helped her to grow into the person
we know and love today," Blair reminded Mike.
Mike
snorted. "Still, if I ever run into the creep that pushed her…" she
muttered.
"Mike,"
Blair admonished.
“You missed another one,” she grumbled as she pointed to the spot.
Blair
rolled his eyes and 'fixed' the invisible spot of caulk he'd missed. "So
what else did you learn about Megan?"
Mike
grinned evilly. "When she was fifteen her favorite song was YMCA by the
Village People," she snickered.
"What's
wrong with that?" Blair mock growled. "I love that song. And,” he
stood up, “I do a wonderful rendition, complete with all the moves.” Blair
started to demonstrate.
She burst out laughing. "Hold it, cowboy. I think you better save that move for El," Mike said as she covered her eyes. She decided the best way to derail Blair was to get back to Megan's story.
"I
remember one of the times she used her martial arts to protect herself. She was
shopping for clothes with her friends at a store called Katie’s. She wanted to
find something special to wear 'cause her boyfriend was playing ruck with the Magpies, the local football team. A few older
boys came on a little too strong with Megan and her friends. Megs dumped the
biggest one on his ass in as sweet a move as I've ever seen." Mike smiled fondly at the memory. "Those
bullies left her and her friends alone after that incident and that was when
Megan decided to go into law enforcement."
Mike looked over at Blair to make sure he was still doing a good job. Hmm, not going to tell him about Megs and her first guy. That's way too personal, and he doesn’t need to know. Heck, I'm not sure I needed to know.
"There was one time when Megs was twenty..." Mike started. "She and some of her friends were out doing a pub crawl. Dancing, drinking, generally having a good time. There was a song competition, not karaoke, that came later. The pub was trying to find a replacement for their singer who had quit the day before. They were offering the winner of the contest a year's contract and an interview with a local recording company. Megan’s friends dared her to enter, so she did. She was just as shocked as anyone when she won."
Blair frowned and looked at Mike when the silence went on longer than expected. “Mike?” he asked, concerned.
Mike
looked at Blair in despair. "She'd been having trouble at the academy. It
isn't any easier to be a woman in law enforcement in
Mike
ran a shaky hand across her face then lifted her chin. "This is
ridiculous,” Mike muttered with a shake of her head. She looked up at Blair defiantly.
“She didn't take the offer. She decided to finish the academy, if for no other
reason than to show the people who were giving her such a hard time that she
could do it."
"And
now she’s here and is and ever will be your Guide, and very good friend,"
Blair finished and started to give Mike a hug. He looked down at his clothes in
dismay and tried to figure out how to comfort Mike.
Mike
rolled her eyes and tried to get herself back under
control. "I think it's safer if you stay over there,” she joked, hoping to
lighten the atmosphere. “So… now it's your turn to share. What happened between
you and Jim? And don’t forget to share some of the good stuff," she
waggled her eyebrows. “I need blackmail material.”
Blair grinned as he started un-taping the plastic drape that they’d used to protect the tub from dripping caulk.
“Well,
let’s just say that Jim was a bit more insistent and proactive in establishing
our bond. Not that I wasn’t willing,” he said glancing at
Mike
took the trash bag from Blair and they moved out into the bedroom. Due to the
caulk on his clothes, Blair opted for a seat on the floor. Mike joined him.
“So?”
she prompted.
“The
first things I remembered seemed to explain some of Jim’s actions, how he
felt,” Blair picked at a bit of caulk on his pants. “I guess the most important
thing the bonding showed us was that we needed each other, no matter what we
might have said or done in the past.”
Mike
nodded. “It’s weird to feel so dependent on another person.” She met his gaze
steadily. “I’ve always been pretty self-reliant. ‘Course I’ve always had family
or friends to help me out, but I never felt…” she stopped. “I can’t even
describe it, Blair. The connection I have with Megan is beyond my experience. I
mean… I thought I was close to Jen, more than sisters, even though we aren’t
related, but…” she ducked her head and continued softly, “I feel closer to
Megan now.”
A
small smile tugged at Blair’s lips. He waited for Mike to raise her head then
he nodded sympathetically. “It’s not
that you don’t love Jen as much, but Megan is your soul-mate. You’ve shared
something with her that you can’t share with Jenny.”
Mike
nodded miserably.
“Hey,”
Blair chided, “don’t be sad. It’s perfectly natural. We all have varying
degrees of connection with each person in our life. You and Jen connect in a
way Jim and Jen can’t and vice versa. It’s a different relationship, but no
less viable. You have to remember, you haven’t lost anyone, you’ve
simply enlarged your circle of friends and family. We humans have an infinite
supply of love that can expand to encompass any number of people.”
“True,”
Mike agreed half-heartedly. “Were you afraid that you’re relationship with El
and Jim’s with Jenny would change what’s between you and Jim?”
Blair
thought for a moment. “I think we were both concerned about that. At first
because we didn’t know how they would respond to the whole Sentinel/Guide
thing. Jen got an abrupt introduction to bonding.” He frowned as he recalled
that rough patch in their lives. “Still, just the fact that we both were
worrying about it made it easier to deal with the changes. Because there were
changes, just like in any viable relationship the one between a Sentinel and
Guide is affected by the people who move in and out of our lives.” He shrugged.
“We adjusted and I think our bond is stronger for it.”
Mike
nibbled her lower lip thoughtfully then nodded and smiled at Blair. “Good. I’m
glad, because I want Megan in my life, but I know things change and, well, it’s
good to know that we can adapt. Sometimes when we’re dealing with the Sentinel
stuff I feel like I’m trapped in this rigid role.”
Blair’s
eyes widened and he blinked in surprise. “God, Mike. I’m sorry if I made it seem
that way.” She shook her head in denial. “Really,” Blair continued, “I mean, my
partnership with Jim is one of the best things that ever happened to me, but if
it meant being stuck in the same pattern for the rest of my life…” He huffed.
“Trust me, I wouldn’t have stayed around long.”
The
Sentinel grinned. “Well, I have to admit, since I’ve come to Cascade, nothing
has stayed the same.” Blair chuckled. “Now, come on, tell me something about
Jim that nobody knows,” Mike said, a mischievous glint lighting her eyes.
“Well,
there was this one time…”
*****
Labor Day
This
was their third monthly family get together. Okay, so the definition of family
was rather broad, it included all the Major Crime crew and their families or
significant others, plus a few close friends. Pretty much it ended up being
those who knew about Jim and Mike being Sentinels. Anyway, the first official
get together had happened the fourth of July, even though Jim and Jenny hadn’t
gone, the others had felt the need to celebrate together.
The
second one had been more a spur of the moment thing when Dr. Abi LaCroix was brought into the
group.
This
time they were taking advantage of the late summer/early fall weather. It was a
rare weekend without rain in the forecast and not too hot or too cold.
Jenny
and Elise spread out a couple of blankets under the trees while Blair grabbed
the cooler from the truck. Around them the rest of the family found spots and
started to set up their ‘tables’ as well.
Abi and Simon were sharing a blanket and getting all sorts
of cat calls from Joel, H and Rhonda’s husband, Bob, every time they touched
hands or looked at each other too long. Simon kept asking why they weren’t
picking on Rafe or Steven with their new girlfriends,
or even Megan and Nat.
H
just waved him off. “We always get to tease Bri and
Steven. And Megan would use some of that jujitsu on us. You’re much more fun,”
he grinned unrepentantly, earning chuckles from those who heard him.
Simon
grumbled something that made Abi laugh then decided
to shift the attention to another source. “So Jen, where’s Jim? I know he’s not
working today.”
Jenny
grinned and shook her head. “No, he’s test driving the vehicle he wants to get
to replace his truck.” She looked toward the parking lot. “He should be here
soon. Jim really wanted to show it off.”
“So
what did he decide on?” Blair asked curiously, settling in to sit beside Elise.
“I
know,” Rafe teased, “a Hummer.”
“Not
with his insurance rates,” Simon shot back.
“Well,”
Steven joined in, “I know it has to be a truck. He hasn’t owned anything but a
truck and that motorcycle since he was old enough to drive.”
Jen
opened her mouth but was interrupted by Henri.
“True,
but now he has a family to think about. He’ll probably end up driving a
minivan,” H chortled.
Lisa
smacked her husband lightly on the arm as everyone laughed. “There’s nothing
wrong with a minivan, Henri.”
“No,
babe, but can you see Jim in one?” H asked with a wide grin.
“Actually,”
Jen answered, “he was considering it…”
“What?”
“You’ve got to be kidding!” and “No way!” were just a few of the responses she
got.
Jen
shrugged. “They have more interior room and get better gas mileage. He’d have
to get a dual cab truck like mine to fit a car seat in the back seat and Jim
didn’t want to go the Expedition route again.”
Blair
frowned at her, his eyes brimming with suspicion, but Jen calmly went about
setting out the food she’d brought.
“I’ll
believe it when I see the pink slip,” H commented.
Just
then a horn honked from the parking lot catching their attention. Everyone
looked but didn’t see a familiar vehicle so turned back to wheedle the truth
out of Jenny. The veterinarian waved at someone in the parking lot then stood
up and headed that way.
“I
don’t believe it,” Simon said as he stood to follow Jen.
The
rest of the party watched them in confused silence until they saw Jim Ellison
climb out the driver’s side of a blue minivan. His long strides closed the
distance between him and his wife. Jim grinned as he dangled the keys in front
of Jen’s face then scooped her into a hug.
“What
do you think?” he asked with a smile as they both turned to face the van.
“Nice
color,” Jen smirked, composing her face into a happy smile before turning back
to the growing crowd of disbelievers behind them.
“I
don’t believe it,” Blair said, walking up to Jim and laying a hand on his
forehead. “Who are you and what have you done with my partner?”
Jim
frowned. “What do you mean, Chief?”
“A minivan!” Blair exclaimed, shooting a glance at the
offending vehicle.
“It’s
blue,” Jim said proudly.
Jenny
ducked behind Jim, pressing her face into his back.
Jim
frowned. “Now look, you’ve upset Jenny.”
Jen’s
shoulders started to shake and suspicious sounds began to leak out.
“Upset
my foot,” Mike grinned, punching Jim lightly in the shoulder. “Give it up,
Jenny. You never could pull off a good joke.”
“blue…” Jen squeaked, hardly able to catch her breath she was
laughing so hard.
Jim
just sighed and shook his head. “I see I have some work to do teaching you the
finer arts of obfuscation.” He draped an arm over Jen’s shoulders as she leaned
into his side wiping tears of laughter from her cheeks.
They
all headed back to their blankets, chuckling and talking about the minivan.
“So
whose is it?” Simon asked.
Jen
took a deep breath and smiled. “It belongs to a friend of mine. They offered to
let us test drive it to see what we think.” She met Jim’s eyes briefly and they
both turned back to Simon with a fake shiver.
Simon
chuckled. “So what have you decided to get, Jim?”
Jim
shrugged. “Haven’t made up my mind yet.”
******
“Jim,” Blair admonished with a sigh.
Jim rolled his eyes and started to dial anyway.
“You’re going to wake her up,” Blair said.
Jim sighed and put his cell phone down.
“You’ve talked to her every hour since we started this stake out, Jim. Jenny’s fine,” he assured his partner. “And she has your number. She’ll call if she needs you.”
Jim rubbed his face with one hand then leaned back into the seat of his new Ford F250. “I know, I know. I just… this is the first night we’ve spent apart.”
“El’s with her, Jim,” Blair reminded.
“Yeah,” Jim mumbled unconvincingly.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Jim took a deep breath and turned in his seat to face Blair more. “At least, not according to Nat and Jen.”
“But?”
Jim
closed his eyes for a second. “Her heart rate has increased.
“But… the pregnancy is changing her base line,” Blair finished with a small sympathetic smile. “And that is throwing you into BP mode.”
“Yeah,” Jim admitted reluctantly.
“Look, Jim, Jen’s going to be going through a lot of physical and hormonal changes in the next few months. Why don’t you talk to Nat about what to expect? Then I want you to spend a few minutes each morning before you get up cataloguing Jen’s current condition. That should help you.”
Jim nodded thoughtfully. “Thanks Chief. That’s a great idea.”
Silence
filled the truck as they were both lost in their own thoughts. It didn’t appear
that anything was going to happen tonight. The building they were watching
remained dark and quiet.
“Jim?”
“Yeah, Chief?”
“Do
you remember after we crashed the truck,” Blair paused briefly.
“Yeah,”
Jim prompted.
“You
didn’t see Jen’s spirit guide, right?”
Jim
shook his head. “No, but you did.”
“Right. Why do you think that is? I mean, why didn’t you see
it? You’ve always been the one to see our guides before,” Blair said rattling
on at the speed of light.
“I
hadn’t really thought about it,” Jim admitted. “But you have,” he added casting
a look at his partner.
Blair
nodded distractedly.
“So?”
His
Guide shrugged.
“What’s
wrong, Blair?” Jim asked, suddenly concerned by his friend’s behavior.
“Nothing. Nothing’s wrong, just,” Blair looked down at his
hands and fiddled with his wedding band. “I was just wondering if you’ve
noticed any changes in me lately?” he said softly.
“Changes,”
Jim repeated. He pushed his tongue against his lower lip as he considered the
question. His friend had changed in the last year or so. That wasn’t a bad
thing, but how to explain it. “Well, sure you have, Blair. We all have. A lot of
things have happened to us lately. Not the least of which is that we both fell
in love and got married. That’s bound to change a person.”
Blair
rolled his eyes and sighed. “That’s not exactly what I meant, Jim.”
Jim
smiled. “I know, Chief. You’re talking about how you backed
Blair
nodded, meeting Jim’s calm gaze a bit desperately. “At the time, I didn’t have
a problem with it. I just knew he couldn’t be allowed near you or Jenny and I
had no fear. He couldn’t hurt me,
Jim. I knew that as well as I know my own name.” He
ran a hand through his hair. “What I don’t know is why I knew it.”
Jim
regarded his brother sympathetically then turned to watch the building as he
spoke. “I remember once in
“He
was a shaman,” Blair said quietly.
“Yeah. I saw him do other things later that surprised me,
but nothing stood out like that first time. I remembered Incacha
and the snakes after you put
Blair’s
head snapped toward Jim, but he couldn’t find the words he wanted.
“I
guess he was right,” Jim continued, “You are the Shaman of the
Blair’s
jaw fell open as he stared at his partner. His mind whirled with too many
thoughts and questions.
“You
all right, Chief?” Jim asked. “It can be kind of a shock being told you have a
gift that has so much responsibility attached to it,” he grinned gently. “I
guess everyone deals with it in a different way. I throw neo-hippies up
against walls and you catch flies.”
Blair
spluttered indignantly. “You…”
“And are struck speechless. Really, Chief, a man in your
position should be a bit more dignified,” Jim teased.
His
Shaman whacked him in the shoulder and shook his head as he tried to suppress a
grin. “Asshole,” Blair muttered, amusement tingeing his tone.
“Ah,”
Jim said, “the wise one speaks.”
“Watch
it, bucko,” Blair teased, “or I’ll put a curse on you.”
*****
Mid September
Abi let Jen into the patient room. “Nice outfit,” she commented as Jenny walked past her.
“Thanks,”
Jen replied with a smile as she fingered the material of the new outfit she
wore. “I was getting tired of wearing scrubs and sweat pants all the time.
“Oh?”
Jen nodded and looked up to meet Abi’s gaze. “I… didn’t feel up to shopping by myself.”
Abi nodded. “Then you did the right thing.” She grinned. “Besides, it’s more fun to shop with friends.”
Jenny
nodded again but waited for Abi to take a seat on the
chair across from her before she spoke. “What can I do to…”
Jen stopped, searching for the right way to say what she wanted. “I want to make
love with Jim, but every time I think about getting close, I freeze up.”
“Have
you talked to Jim about it?” Abi asked.
“No, not really. We sort of mentioned it in passing a few
weeks ago, but neither of us was really ready yet.” Jen picked nervously at the
side seam in her pants.
“So
you’re ready now,” Abi stated.
“Yes,”
Jen replied. “No. Maybe,” she frowned as she met Abi’s
gaze. “I don’t know. What I do know is that in about four months we’re going to
have a baby and I don’t want that to be an excuse for me not to be with Jim. I
want us to reconnect before the baby gets here. Does that make sense?”
Abi nodded. “Yes, and I agree that you should work on
getting things back to normal before the baby is born, but I don’t want to go
into the steps right now. I want both of you here for that.”
“Why?”
Jenny asked. “They’re my hang ups, not Jim’s.”
“You
both need to know how to handle the exercises I’m going to give you. When to continue, when to back off. You wouldn’t want to go
too fast, get Jim all worked up and then have to stop because you aren’t ready.”
“Abi!” Jen said, slightly
mortified. She blushed, then shook her head. “All right. I guess that makes sense.” She looked into Abi’s eyes again. “But there is something we can do to help
me work through this?”
Abi smiled gently and nodded. “Some exercises to help you
both feel more comfortable with each other again.”
Jen
sighed and shook her head. “It’s so strange. I can lie in his arms all night
and feel safe, then something will click in my brain
and…”
“And
that’s perfectly normal, Jen,” Abi assured. “You can
bet Jim’s having his own issues. He’s probably terrified that he’ll do
something to scare you, or worse, hurt you.”
A
small thoughtful nod was the only response to that statement, as Jen worried
her lower lip with her teeth. “I’ll talk to Jim about the next session. I want
to get past this. I need my life back to normal before junior here shows up,”
she admitted, patting her growing belly.
Abi smiled. “You’re well on your way, Jen. Just remember,
no one expects you to suddenly forget what
“I
know that. Believe me, I know.”
******
Several weeks later
Jenny
took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders before going over and sitting
beside her husband. They’d been working on the touching exercises Abi had given them to help them get comfortable with each
other after the rape. In Jenny’s mind, they’d spent enough time ‘warming’ up
and it was definitely time to move on to the next step. She just had to get the
ball rolling.
Jim
draped his arm over her shoulders and pulled Jen closer as he focused on the
show they were watching. Jen snuggled into his embrace and watched the T.V. for
a few minutes. She tried for nonchalance as she moved her hand to rest on his
stomach and turned her face to nuzzle his chest.
It
still amazed her that he could wear tank tops around the loft all year long and
not get cold. Still, it gave her plenty of opportunity to enjoy the view.
Jim
lifted an eyebrow as he covered Jen’s hand with his own. “Homework?” he said
softly, lifting her hand to his lips.
Jen
shrugged with one shoulder as she concentrated on the task at hand. She was going to make love to her husband before the baby was born. And she was
going to enjoy it too, damn it. Jenny moved her kisses to Jim’s neck and face,
finding a quite willing participant in her husband. She soon found herself
stretched out on the couch enjoying the feel of Jim’s roving hands on her body.
As
for herself, Jen was a bit surprised at how quickly she’d become aroused. She
thought she might explode if Jim didn’t hurry. They fumbled to undress each
other. Jim’s fingers dipped past the top of her pants, briefly fondling her
swelling belly before undoing the button at the waistband. He nibbled on her
neck and started to pull her pants down.
Suddenly
Jenny stiffened and pushed against Jim’s chest, hard enough to move him back.
“Jen?” he asked, his voice rough with passion.
She
shook her head and scooted out from under him straightening her clothes as she
moved. “I’m sorry. I can’t. I’m sorry,” she repeated so softly that Jim could
barely hear her.
He
sat back on the couch taking deep breaths as he watched Jen pace around the
living room. She raked her hands through her hair, mumbling something under her
breath that he couldn’t make out.
Jim
rubbed his face with both hands and addressed his wife. “Jen,” he started.
“Damn
it! God, damn it!” Jen cursed. She picked up one of
the pillows off the love seat and threw it across the room. “Shit! Crap!” she
shouted, grabbing the stack of coasters off the coffee table and sending them
one at a time in the same direction that the pillow had gone.
Jim
leaned back and watched as Jen took her frustration and anger out on their
things. One of the lamps was the next victim. Jim looked toward the door as he
heard Blair coming.
“Jim?
Jenny?” Blair called through the door as another crash resounded. Jen’s
colorful language could also be heard in the hall. “Are you o-,” he paused as
the door opened, “kay?”
“Go
away, Blair!” Jenny shouted her face flushed with anger. She slammed the door
in his face.
Blair
blinked and a short moment later the door opened again. Jim’s amused but
worried face put Blair at ease faster than any words.
“She’s
just blowing off steam, Chief. We’re okay.”
Blair
nodded and gave Jim’s shoulder a squeeze. “Call me if you need help, man.”
Jim
chuckled. He rested his palm against Blair’s cheek for a moment. “Thanks,” he
said then closed the door.
Blair
listened for a second longer. More crashing followed by Jen’s muttering which
seemed to have switched to Japanese. I
didn’t realize she knew so much Japanese. He shrugged and went back to
reassure El that no blood was being shed.
Jim
leaned against the door, waiting. The dog and cats had taken off upstairs at
the first shout. Jenny now stood in the middle of the living room turning in
place, searching for more ammunition.
She
stopped, facing away from Jim and let her arms fall limp at her sides. There
was nothing left to throw. Even in her fit of rage, Jen had limited the damage
to things that were replaceable or unbreakable. She stood panting with exertion
and dying anger.
Jim
stayed where he was for several minutes and when it was clear that Jen wasn’t
going to move he crossed the room to stand behind her. “Are you okay now?” he
asked softly. He wanted to touch her, to hold her, but wisely waited for Jen to
make the first move.
“I
just wanted…” she replied not turning around. “I’m sorry. I didn’t…”
“It’s
all right, sweetheart,” Jim assured. “This is going to take time. Abi warned us not to move too fast.”
Jen
spun around, her eyes blazing for a moment before her anguish showed in them
again. “It’s not fair,” she sobbed, leaning into Jim’s chest.
He
wrapped his arms around her and rested his cheek against her hair. “I know,
baby. I know.”
******
Jim
pushed the handcuffed man into the chair. “Sit down and shut up!” he demanded,
earning a concerned look from Blair.
“I
demand my lawyer!” the man shouted.
“What
part of ‘shut up’ don’t you understand?” Jim growled, leaning into the man’s
space. “I missed a very important appointment because of you so you can damn
well wait a few minutes to call your lawyer!”
“Jim,”
Blair said, putting every ounce of calm into his voice that he could.
“What?”
Ellison snapped, turning to look at his partner.
“Go.
I’ll wrap things up here.”
Jim’s
shoulders sagged and he shook his head. “It’s too late. I might as well help
you finish up.”
“Jim?”
Rhonda called as she approached. “Jen called.”
“She all right?” Jim asked.
“What
about my rights?” the perp interrupted.
Three
sets of eyes glared at the man and he shrank down in his chair. “I’ll wait,” he
whimpered meekly.
Rhonda
lifted the message she had taken for Jim. “She called to say the appointment
was postponed.” The secretary looked at her watch. “If you hurry, you can
probably make it.”
Jim
smiled and caught Rhonda by the shoulders. He pulled her to him and gave her a
sound kiss on the mouth. “Thank you!” he said, letting her go and turning to
Blair. “You got it covered?”
Blair
grinned and nodded. “Go on. I’ll talk to you later.” He watched Jim dash out of
the bullpen then turned to the smiling Rhonda. They exchanged a look of fond
exasperation before Blair sighed and tilted his head toward his prisoner. “I’ve
got to get his majesty here processed,” he muttered.
Rhonda
nodded still grinning. “Have fun.” Blair just rolled his eyes.
~~~~
Cascade General
OBGYN wing
Jim
was surprised to see Jen still in the waiting room when he reached the fourth
floor. He glanced at his watch. “Are you done already?” he asked. He was a few
minutes later than Rhonda’s message had indicated.
Jen
shook her head. “No. There was an emergency.”
“Good,
I thought I had missed it,” Jim said with relief.
“Nat
only had time to introduce me to the
Jim
nodded. They’d all agreed that the
“Hello
again,” a voice startled them back to the present. “Sorry I’m late,” the forty-ish red head said with a grin. Her medium length hair was
pulled back and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses sat on a freckled nose. “I’m Dr.
Clint,” she said, offering her hand to Jim.
“Jim
Ellison,” he replied, standing and shaking her hand.
Clint
looked at Jen. “You ready to get started, Dr. Ellison?”
Jenny
nodded. Jim helped her up and they followed the doctor into the exam room.
As
Dr. Clint flipped Jen’s chart open she started to ask questions. “So, any problems so far?”
“No,”
Jen answered. “Nat’s been keeping a pretty close eye on me.”
Clint
met Jen’s eyes and smiled. “He’s a good friend. He told me that there’s a
history of allergies…” she said, looking to Jim.
He
nodded. “I’ve had a few bad reactions to medications and other chemicals. In fairly small quantities.”
Dr.
Clint nodded thoughtfully as she made a note in Jen’s chart. “So, Dr. Ellison,
I assume you want to have this child without the aid of medications, if
possible.”
Jenny
nodded. “Absolutely.”
The
doctor smiled. “A lot of women say that, most of them are screaming at me for
drugs before the birth is over.”
Jen
chuckled. “Well, I can’t promise anything, but I do not want to use any
medications that aren’t absolutely necessary for my health or the baby’s.”
“All right.” Clint looked at Jim again. “Can I see your
medical record in order to determine potential dangers for the baby? I can have
Dr. Kingston go over the specifics with me.”
Jim
nodded. “That would be fine. Having Nat help will probably speed things up a
bit anyway.”
Jenny
snorted. At Dr. Clint’s confused look she explained. “His file is a little
thick. Jim’s a very dedicated police officer.” She threw a teasing glance at
her husband.
Jim
just shrugged.
“Okay,”
Dr. Clint said with a smile. “Why don’t we see what this little one looks
like?” She and Jim helped Jen get comfortable on the exam table and the doctor
pulled the ultrasound machine closer to them. “Do you want to know the sex?”
she asked as she squeezed a tube and spread lube on Jen’s stomach.
Both
Ellisons nodded.
“All right. I can’t promise anything, sometimes they’re a
bit shy, but you’re far enough along that we should be able to tell. This might
be a little uncomfortable,” Dr. Clint warned as she pressed the probe to Jen’s
stomach.
After
a few seconds the black and white picture on the machine began to take on
familiar features. “There you are,” Clint mumbled to herself.
She lifted her free hand and pointed at the screen. “Here’s the head… arms…
legs. Hmm, not facing the right way,” she lifted the probe and repositioned it.
“Let’s try here. Ah… that’s it. You see?” she asked.
Jen
and Jim stared at the screen.
“A boy?” Jen ventured.
“Yes,”
Dr. Clint said with a smile. “It’s pretty clear.” She adjusted a few buttons on
the ultrasound machine and a piece of paper shot out of a slot. “Here you go.
Little Jimmy, Junior.”
Jim
took the picture with a shake of his head. “We are not calling him Junior.”
Jenny
just laughed.
*****
Jenny
knocked on the door. Elise opened it and smiled.
“Mind
if we come in?” Jen asked motioning to the three critters at her feet.
“No,”
El replied backing up to let them in. “What’s going on?”
“Jim
has decided to redo the downstairs bedroom.” She sighed and took a seat at the
dining table. “Evidently it’s not safe for the baby. Too many
exits?” Jen queried rhetorically.
Elise
chuckled. “Blair tells me the room was a bit drafty.”
“Well,
it won’t be now,” Jen huffed. “He’s sealing up the door and the window over the
fire escape. There’s only going to be one window to the outside when Jim’s
done.”
“Can
you really blame him?” El asked. “With all the trouble that
follows us around?”
Jen
frowned. “Well, when you put it that way.” She smiled. “It’s not the remodeling
that chased us over here anyway. Not completely. I just wanted to visit and the
girls were bothered by the noise.”
“I’m
glad. I know Blair’s going to spend all day over there helping Jim,” El said.
“So, what do you want to do?”
“I
don’t have a preference.”
“What
say we call Megan and Mike over and watch some movies?” Elise suggested. “We
can order pizza and have a girl’s day in.”
“Sounds good to me.”
~~~~
Jim
followed as Blair led the way to his place. They could both hear feminine
laughter through the closed doors. With a quick exchange of shrugs they entered
“Is
it safe to come in?” Blair asked as they took in the sight.
Jen,
El, Megan and Mike were sprawled on various chairs and couches, talking and
laughing. Several pizza boxes and drink bottles sat on the coffee table. All
four women looked up and smiled at Blair’s question.
“The
conquering heroes return!” Mike exclaimed with a grin and a raised glass. The
other ladies laughed and followed suit, lifting their glasses in salute.
Blair
and Jim exchanged an amused glance then bowed to the women.
“We
came,” Blair said regally, “we saw, we spackled.”
Elise
stood and went to Blair’s side. She removed something gently from his hair. “I
can see that,” she said wryly as she showed him the plaster compound in her
hand.
“It’s
everywhere,” Blair sighed dramatically.
“It’s
all on you, Chief,” Jim teased, leaning down to kiss Jen before taking a seat
beside her on the sofa. “The loft is spotless and once the walls dry we’ll be
ready to paint.”
Jenny
frowned. “You spent all day sealing up the windows?”
“Um,”
Jim stalled.
Blair’s
grin widened. “Not exactly.”
“What
does that mean,
Jim
stood and caught Jen’s hands, gently pulling her to her feet. “Come see.” He
led her and the others back across the hall to 307.
The
ladies followed Jim and Blair back to 307, uncertain of what to expect. Jenny
and Elise headed straight for the baby’s room.
Mike
stopped, her nose twitching at the smell of spackle coming from above. “Um,
Jen?” she said just loud enough to get her friend’s attention.
Jenny
stopped and turned around. “Yeah?”
Mike
pointed toward the upstairs bedroom.
The
rail that had once been one ‘wall’ of Jim’s bedroom had been replaced with a
half wall that turned and continued down the stairs creating a solid banister
to the lower floor.
Jenny
looked to Jim for an explanation.
He
shrugged and grinned. “Seemed like we might want a little
more privacy in the near future. We can take the wall all the way to the
ceiling later if you want.”
Jen
smiled and nodded thoughtfully. “I like it,” she declared saucily. “Now let’s
see what you’ve done down here.” She tossed a teasing glance at Mike. “Maybe
he’s knocked down the outside wall and added a play room for Junior.”
“We
are NOT calling the kid Junior,” Jim huffed as he watched his bride lead the
others to the nursery.
Blair
grinned and punched his partner lightly on the shoulder. “Give it up, Jim. You
know she’s gonna win.”
Jim
shook his head. “Not this time, Chief. Not this time.”
~~~~
Later that evening
“Why
don’t you want to name the baby James, Jr.?” Jen asked, tilting her head up as
she leaned comfortably against her husband on the couch.
“It’s
too pretentious. The kid will always feel like he’s got to live up to some
standard,” Jim grumbled. “Don’t you have another name you’d like to use?”
Jen
shook her head. “The only thing I really have my heart set on is using ‘Lee’ as
his middle name. It’s sort of a family tradition.”
“Lee?
What kind of tradition?”
“Well,
all the first born sons on my Dad’s side of the family are given the middle
name ‘Lee.’” Jenny chuckled.
“What’s
so funny?” Jim asked.
“My
Dad really hates the tradition.”
“Then
why do you want to follow it?” Jim asked confused.
“I
like the name ‘Lee,’ unless of course you’re talking about Lee Brackett,” Jen
qualified. Jim snorted. “But my grandparents weren’t too cautious about
choosing a name to go with it.”
Jim
frowned, trying to figure out what Jen meant, then laughed.
Jenny
smiled and chuckled again. “Yep, poor old Dad. His
given name is
“Frankly,
my dear…” Jim started with a grin. Jen slapped him lightly on the leg. “It’s
just one more reason not to name the kid James. Just think about it… Jamie Lee?”
Jen
rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay. How about Jacob? Jacob Lee has a nice ring to it.”
“After Blair?” Jim asked surprised.
“Well,
yeah,” Jen agreed, “but James is also the
“You
know it’s going to get shortened before he’s old enough to choose,” Jim pointed
out.
Jen
bobbled her head. “Yeah, yeah, I know. So? What do you
think?”
Jim
put his hand on her stomach. “Hey, Jacob.” He met his
wife’s amused eyes and smiled. “I think it works just fine.”
*****
Jim
stood at the door. “I’m heading out Jen.”
“Okay,
I’ll see you tonight. Don’t forget we’ve got Lamaze at eight,” his wife replied
from upstairs.
“I
won’t,” Jim answered. “Love you,” he said, then closed the door behind him and
knocked on Blair’s door once before opening and going in.
“Hey
Jim,” Elise greeted from the kitchen.
“El,”
he said with a nod as he sat on the nearest chair and began to pull off his
shoes and socks.
“Um, Jim?” El said hesitantly as she moved to stand beside
his chair.
“Yeah?” Jim asked distractedly as he drew a pair of socks
out of his jacket pocket.
“What
are you doing?”
Jim
cast a slightly guilty look up at El before continuing his task. “Changing my
socks,” he replied softly.
El
smirked. “I can see that. But what’s wrong with the pair you had on?”
“They
didn’t match,” he answered even more softly. He focused on putting his shoes
back on.
Elise
looked at the two white socks lying on the arm of the chair. She frowned.
“They’re both white.” Jim just shrugged.
Blair
came down the stairs from the bedroom in time to hear the next question from
Elise.
“Why
didn’t you just change them at your place?”
Jim
sighed and finished tying his shoe before meeting El’s gaze. “I didn’t want Jen
to know.”
“Know
what Jim?” Blair asked as he came to stand beside Elise.
Jim
picked up the socks he’d just removed and held them out to Blair. “They don’t
match. I tried, but I just can’t wear them like that all day.”
Blair
took the socks, examined them and shrugged. “They look the same to me Jim.”
Jim
rolled his eyes. “Okay, they look alike, but can’t you feel the difference?”
Blair
and Elise took turns feeling Jim’s socks, trying very hard to keep the smiles
off their faces.
Finally
Blair handed back the socks. “Um, one of them is stretchier
than the other?” he offered hesitantly.
“Yes!”
Jim said with relief. “It’s annoying. One sock moves more as I walk, or moves
the wrong way, up and down instead of side to side. It’s distracting,” Jim
exclaimed.
Blair
pursed his lips, trying not to smile. Surely this was some sensory thing and he
shouldn’t tease his friend. “Okay Jim. I guess I can understand that, but why
don’t you want Jen to know you switched socks?”
Jim
closed his eyes for a second and sighed again. “I usually put my own clothes
away, but Jen is nesting or something. She wants to do all the housework,
dishes, laundry, everything. When I tried to re-sort my socks the other day she
got this hurt look on her face.” His shoulders slumped.
Blair
and El exchanged a glance then broke down in a fit of giggles.
“It’s
not funny,” Jim proclaimed. “She’s possessed or something.”
This
only caused more laughter.
Jim
shot to his feet. “Fine. You two have a good laugh.
I’ll just take my socks and…” he started toward the door.
“Jim…”
Blair gasped out struggling to get control. “Wait.”
“Please,”
El added. They each grabbed one of Jim’s arms.
“We’re
sorry, man,” Blair said, looking at El who nodded earnestly.
Jim
sighed again, but the corner of his mouth twitched upward a bit. “I guess it is
a little funny.” His friends nodded.
“But what else should I do? There’s no reasoning with her right now.”
Blair
smiled. “Maybe we can work with the dials Jim.”
Jim
shook his head. “Tried that. I had to turn them so low
to get rid of the irritation that I ended up tripping over my own feet.”
“Well,”
El suggested with a grin, “we could keep your stash of matching socks for you
until the baby’s born.”
This
time Jim laughed.
*****
Simon’s office
“I
assure you Captain Murphy, I understand what you mean. I’m not sure it will do
any good, but your men are welcome to spend a few days with my unit,” Simon
said to the LA officer on the other end of the phone line.
“Thanks,
Captain Banks. You’re closure record is impressive and even though my men are
none too shabby about closing cases themselves,” Murphy sighed. “I’d just like
to see them do it with a little less… chaos and mayhem.”
Simon
chuckled. “Then I’m doubtful Cascade is the right place for them to visit. We
have our very own living embodiments to those two right
here in the building.”
Murphy
laughed. “Well, if nothing else it gets them out of my hair for a few days.”
“Thanks,”
Simon replied sarcastically.
“Once
they drop off the prisoner I’ll have them check in with you in Major Crime.
Which floor are you on again?”
~~~~
“All
I’m trying to say Riggs,” Roger Murtaugh said with a
slight pleading tone, “is that we are just here to see another precinct in
action. And maybe pick up a few ideas.”
“I
know that Rog,” Martin Riggs replied as they boarded
the elevator.
“Well,
just try to stay out of trouble.”
“Who? Me?” Riggs asked innocently as he clipped his visitors
pass to his jacket and then turned ‘that’ grin on his partner.
“Yeah. You,” Murtaugh growled. “I
mean it Martin. No diffusing bombs, no high speed car chases through office
buildings. And,” he said turning to shake a finger at his wayward friend, “if I
so much as see you light a match…”
Riggs
raised his hands in surrender, grinning madly. “Okay, okay, kemosabe.
Don’t hurt me.”
Murtaugh shook his head and sighed. The elevator stopped,
he grabbed the front of Riggs’ coat and gave him a tug. “Stay close to me.”
“Yes
sir,” Riggs replied with a chuckle.
They
entered the bull pen to Major Crime and stopped just inside the door to get
their bearings.
“There’s
the captain’s office,” Riggs said softly. They crossed the room and knocked on
the door. A loud, grumbled “come” sounded clearly through the closed door and
they went in.
~~~~
Blair
looked up from his desk as the two men walked across the room. They didn’t look
like Feds or CIA. He glanced at Jim and found the Sentinel with a puzzled frown
on his face. “Jim?” Blair asked softly.
“Hm?” Ellison replied, focused on
the captain’s office.
“What’s
going on?”
“I’m
not sure. I just got a weird feeling from those guys,” Jim answered cryptically.
“Weird?”
Blair asked. “Weird, how? Not like another Sentinel
weird,” he said anxiously.
Jim
shook his head. “No, not that. It’s more…” he
shrugged. “I don’t know. Just not normal.”
Blair
chuckled then rolled his eyes when Jim looked at him. “Sorry. It’s just that I
hardly know what ‘normal’ is these days.”
His
partner’s lips quirked into an acknowledging grin. “I’m sure Simon will let us
know what’s up soon.”
No
sooner than the words had left his lips did he hear “Ellison! Sandburg! My
office!” float quite audibly through the closed door
to Simon’s office.
Jim
grinned. “See?” He earned another eye roll from Blair as they both headed
across the room.
~~~~
“Detectives
Jim Ellison and Blair Sandburg,” Simon introduced as his men entered his
office. “This is Detective Roger Murtaugh and Martin
Riggs out of the LAPD. They’re on temporary assignment with us.” Simon sat down
and leaned his elbows on his desk as the officers shook hands.
“I
want you and Sandburg to show our guests around. They can back you up on any
cases you’re working,” Banks instructed. “There’s no reason for you to have to
learn the city since you’re only going to be here a few days,” he said,
directing that last sentence at the LAPD men.
Murtaugh nodded. “We’ll be glad to help out in what ever
capacity you need us, Captain.”
“Good,”
Simon said with a nod. “Would you two mind waiting outside for a moment?” he
asked Riggs and Murtaugh.
“Yes
sir,” Riggs replied with a congenial smile at each of the Cascade officers. He
and Murtaugh left the office closing the door behind
them.
Simon
frowned as he considered the two men in front of him. Yes, they were two of the
finest detectives in Cascade. And yes, they were two of his best friends. But
that didn’t make him feel any easier about this assignment. His captain’s
instincts were screaming at him. But really, what other choice did he have?
“I
would have preferred to have Riggs and Murtaugh ride
with Connor and Jackson,” Banks stated bluntly. “These two officers have a
reputation for finding trouble that rivals your own. However, that’s not an
option since Jackson and Connor are currently neck deep in the Robertson case.”
Simon paused as he glanced out the window to the bull pen. Riggs and Murtaugh were talking to each other. “So,” he continued,
“you two drew the short straw. I expect you to be on your best behavior and
keep out of trouble if possible. It would not look good if we got visiting
detectives injured or killed.”
Jim
managed to swallow his smile, Blair wasn’t quite as successful.
Simon
rolled his eyes. “Go on, get out of here,” he growled.
“Yes, sir,” Jim replied, imitating Riggs tone exactly. His
grin widened as he heard Simon’s grumbled ‘Sentinels’ as the door closed behind
them.
He and Blair approached their new partners who looked up
and smiled cordially.
“So,” Blair started, “do you two have a place to stay
already?”
“Sandburg,” Jim growled, not feeling up to houseguests at
the moment.
Blair sent a questioning glance at his partner.
“We have reservations at a hotel nearby,” Murtaugh replied. “We just need to get checked in.”
“Well,” Jim said, feeling a bit embarrassed, “why don’t we
follow you over there. You can get checked in, we can leave your rental car and
go get something to eat.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Riggs said with a grin.
~~~~~
The ride to the hotel didn’t take long. The four men only
had time to talk a bit about their jobs before reaching their destination.
Silence took over at the sight of half a dozen police cars and an ambulance in
the hotel parking lot, all with lights flashing. Officers were in the process
of putting up yellow tape and working to keep the growing crowd away from the
ambulance crew.
Murtaugh sent a quick mock glare at his partner.
Riggs held up his hands. “I swear, it wasn’t me,” he joked.
Roger chuckled.
“Let’s see what’s going on,” Ellison said climbing out of
the truck. The others followed. They all flashed badges at the officers working
the scene. Jim looked around then headed for the ambulance where medics were
getting ready to load a gurney with a body bag into the back. “What’s the
story, Tomlin?” he asked the officer who was evidently in charge.
“Ellison,” Tomlin greeted. The older man acknowledged
Sandburg and the two men behind him. Lowering his voice in deference to the
press that had started to arrive, Tomlin filled them in. “A hotel guest found
the vic laid out in one of
the chairs by the pool. Looks like an execution. Some one was sending a
message.”
“You mind?” Jim asked motioning toward the body.
“Suit yourself,” Tomlin shrugged. “It’s
going over to the Feds anyway.”
Jim nodded and went to the stretcher. “Hang on a second, guys,” he instructed the paramedics. Blair and
the two LA cops moved up beside Jim as he unzipped the bag.
Blair whistled. Jim nodded. “Looks
familiar, huh, Chief?”
“Yakuza?” Blair asked rhetorically, recognizing the elaborate
tattoos covering the chest and arms of the victim.
“You guys run across them before?” Riggs asked.
“A few years back,” Jim replied.
“Who are the Yakuza,” Roger asked, grimacing at the hole in
the man’s forehead that was the most obvious cause of death.
“Japanese mafia,” Martin said. “They have some ties with
our Chinese Triad crew.”
“Shit,” Roger cursed, remembering all too vividly their run
in with that bunch.
“You guys sure know how to show people a good time,” Riggs
teased, sending a grin at the Cascade officers.
Blair and Jim just grinned back.
“You don’t know the half of it,” Blair shot back.
******
They got Riggs and Murtaugh
checked into the hotel and then grabbed a quick bite to eat before heading out
to check on a few leads. Jim and Blair had been working a murder case for the
last two days that looked like it might be tied to a few other unsolved cases.
So far, they hadn’t found any solid evidence linking the murders.
Jim pulled the truck into a parking place and cut the
engine. “This is where the girlfriend works, right Chief?”
“Uh hmm,” Blair replied distractedly as he skimmed through
the information they had on the woman. “Estelle Barmingham.
Thirty-five. Employed by Dapper
Cleaners for the last five years. No record.”
“No connection to any of the other victims?” Roger asked,
taking the sheet when Blair offered it.
“None that we could find.”
“Let’s go ask the lady,” Riggs suggested.
~~~~~
The four men laughed as they entered the hall to the lofts.
They’d spent the afternoon talking to people who knew the latest murder victim,
but just couldn’t find any connection between the other two cases. They had,
however, narrowed down a list of suspects. On the way to 852 Prospect, they’d
stopped to pick up dinner and called Jenny and Elise to let them know about
their imminent company. The drive back had been filled by sharing a few of the
two teams’ funniest cases.
“Yeah, yeah,” Riggs insisted with a laugh. “Then Lorna
grabs the box and sits on the guy until backup arrived.”
Roger smiled and nodded to let the Cascade officers know it
was a true tale as he laughed at the memory of a very pregnant Lorna taking
down a petty thief at a donut shop.
Jim chuckled and shook his head. “I’m glad Jenny’s a vet.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t stop you from going ape when someone gets between you and your donuts,
Jim,” Blair teased, causing the LA officers to laugh again.
“Watch it, Junior,” Jim growled, cuffing his partner
lightly on the back of the head.
Blair just grinned as he opened his door. “Why don’t you
two come on in. Jim and Jen can join us in a few,” he
suggested, knowing his Sentinel needed a few moments with his wife before
letting strangers into his home.
Jim smiled his thanks at his friend. Blair nodded then
shouted out as he opened his door. “Elise! I’m home!”
Riggs and Murtaugh followed him
in while Jim turned and entered his own loft.
~~~~~
Later that night
Elise snuggled up to Blair as they prepared to go to sleep.
“That was fun,” she murmured.
“Yeah,” Blair replied.
“What’s wrong, Blair? You’ve been distracted all evening.”
Blair shrugged. “Something’s off with Jim. Has been since this morning. I just can’t figure it out.”
El remained silent for a moment. “Something bad?” she asked
hesitantly.
Her husband sighed. “I… don’t know. I don’t think so. I
think… something about Riggs and Murtaugh is bugging
him, but he can’t quite figure out what. And
I’m not picking anything up.”
“They seem nice enough,” Elise soothed. “Did you check them
out?”
“Simon did. They’re good cops,” Blair admitted. “I just
can’t help but worry when Jim gets these feelings.”
El rubbed her hand up and down Blair’s chest trying to
offer some comfort. “Why don’t you sleep on it and ask Jim in the morning.
Maybe he’ll have figured it out by then, or you will.”
Blair yawned and gathered Elise closer to him. “Yeah,
you’re right. It’s not like he’s having visions or seeing spirit guides.”
*****
The next morning saw the four men at the CPD running down
alibis for their remaining suspects. They were also cross referencing those
people with the other two murder victims.
A little after lunch Blair hung up his phone and sat back
from the conference room table. “Okay. Matt Gurney’s alibi is full of holes. I
just spoke to the manager where he works and he was not there at the time of
the murder,” Blair tapped his pen on the table. “He was clocked in, but the
manager distinctly remembers looking for Gurney and not finding him. He also
has several reprimands in the man’s file for having someone else punch his time
card.”
“Where do we find him now?” Jim asked, taking a good look
at the photo in Gurney’s file before handing it off to Riggs and Murtaugh.
“He’s just getting off from his shift,” Blair replied. “We
should be able to get to his apartment about the same time he does.”
~~~~~
Thirty minutes
later
Jim turned onto the street in front of Gurney’s apartment
building, scanning the area for signs of the suspect.
“He’s here,” Riggs said as they entered the parking lot.
“How do you know that?” Murtaugh
asked, looking around for the man in question.
“His car’s in the parking lot. I memorized his license
plate number from the record.”
“Where?” Roger asked. He followed Riggs hand motion and frowned. “I
know you have good eyes, Riggs, but how can you possibly read that from here?” Rog squinted, trying to make the numbers on the plate come
into focus, then just shook his head.
Jim and Blair exchanged a glance, then
Blair cleared his throat. “Hey, Jim’s got really good eyesight too. He’s always
seeing things I can’t.”
“Yeah, like our suspect just entering the building,” Jim
interrupted.
Riggs looked at the front door. “Yep.
That’s our guy. He lives on the fifth floor, right?”
“
Jim parked the truck and they all piled out. Jim and Blair
let the other two get a few steps ahead then Blair whispered to Jim, “He’s not
a Sentinel?”
Jim shook his head. “No, definitely not.
I’m not getting that feel from him.”
Blair decided on a quick test and called out Riggs’ name
soft enough that only a Sentinel could hear it. Riggs and Murtaugh
continued toward the door oblivious.
Blair shrugged. “Well, maybe he’s just got one or two
enhanced senses.”
Jim shrugged. “Whatever. Let’s go see what Gurney has to
say for himself.”
~~~~~
Roger knocked on the door. No one answered. He looked at
the others and sighed as he knocked again.
Blair glanced at Jim who gave a slight nod. He could hear
Gurney inside. Blair took his turn knocking on the door and called out,
“Cascade PD. Open the door Mr. Gurney. We know you’re in there. We just have a
few questions for you.”
Jim stiffened at the sound of a weapon being readied on the
other side of the door. He gave Murtaugh a shove with
one hand and pushed Blair to the side with the other as he shouted, “Move!”
The sharp crack of gunfire sounded a split second later and
a hole appeared in the door. Fortunately no one was in the bullet’s path. The
four men bracketed the door, two on each side and with several quick glances
managed to convey the plan without words.
Jim kicked the door open and Riggs went in low with his
weapon ready.
“Clear,” Riggs called from inside the apartment.
Blair followed going in cautiously, then Roger and Jim.
Riggs and Blair headed for the doorway to the bedroom while
Jim and Roger secured the living room and kitchen area.
Riggs pointed out the closet to Blair, Blair nodded and
Riggs went toward the bathroom. Just as Blair was about to open the closet, the
door slammed open and Gurney charged out. His gun was aimed at Blair’s chest.
Blair reacted automatically bringing his arm up to knock
Gurney’s arm to the side and the suspect lost his grip. The gun went flying.
Gurney grabbed Blair’s gun with both hands. The two men stumbled back against
the far wall struggling for control of the weapon.
Riggs started across the room to help just as Gurney
managed to elbow Blair hard in the face. The detective’s nose started to bleed
but Blair continued to fight for his gun. He brought his knee up hard trying to
hit Gurney in the groin and when that failed Blair brought the same foot down
hard on the suspect’s toes.
Gurney lost his balance and the two men spun together in an
awkward dance that sent them careening against the window.
Riggs saw the cracks form in the glass and holstered his
gun as he lunged toward the two men. Gurney saw him and renewed his effort to
get the gun. That effort included shoving Blair forcefully into the window.
In the few seconds that had passed since Riggs and Blair
had entered the room, Jim and Murtaugh had cleared
the other rooms. When they heard the sounds of a fight they rushed for the
bedroom. They entered just as Gurney shoved Blair against the window.
The glass gave way to this final insult and in an attempt
to not fall through the window, Blair dropped his gun and grabbed for Riggs who
had gotten close enough to catch Blair’s reaching hand. Riggs braced himself
for Blair’s weight and started to pull the younger man back.
Gurney now had the gun, but had lost his balance and was
faced with a very long drop to the ground. He grabbed the only thing he could,
Blair.
Unfortunately, Riggs wasn’t ready for the extra weight of
the suspect.
Jim and Murtaugh watched in
horror as first Gurney, then Blair and Riggs went
through the shattered window and over the edge. The two men rushed for the
window.
They both turned away from the view to lean heavily against
the solid wall. In almost perfect unison Jim and Roger let their heads fall back
and they exhaled a sigh of relief.
“I’m too old for this shit,” Roger said softly.
A small grin touched the corner of Jim’s mouth.
“I can’t believe he did that again,” Murtaugh
grumbled, pushing himself away from the wall. “I’m gonna kill him.” He stalked out of the apartment and headed
for the elevator.
Jim followed. “Did what again?” he asked, trying to
side-track himself. He knew he couldn’t risk using his hearing to check on
Blair just yet. He was too pumped.
Roger didn’t seem to hear the question. “Damn fool. Always jumping off of buildings and shit. One of these days…”
“Um, Roger,” Jim said tentatively. “He didn’t really jump…”
Roger glared at Ellison.
“At least not this time…” Jim finished lamely.
Murtaugh growled and left Jim standing in the elevator when the
doors opened onto the ground floor. Jim shook his head and grinned a bit then
jogged to catch up.
He found Murtaugh and Riggs
pulling Gurney out of the pool. Murtaugh slapped the
cuffs on the suspect while Riggs helped Blair out of the water.
Blair pulled his hair back and squeezed some of the water
out as he looked up at Jim. “D’you godda hankerchief, Jim?” he asked,
wiping blood from his upper lip as his nose continued to bleed.
Jim nodded and pulled one out of his pocket as he watched
the byplay between the LAPD officers.
“Really, Rog,”
Riggs chided. “I’m disappointed. After
all these years, you still won’t back me up…”
“What?!” Murtaugh shouted. “What the
hell… Riggs, you are the craziest son of a bitch. I told you the last time, I’m
not gonna follow you out a window. I don’t care if
there is a pool below!”
Riggs grinned up at his partner. “Aw, come on Rog. It was fun…” he glanced at Sandburg. “Right, Blair?”
“Speak for yourself, man,” Blair
said, shaking his head. “I have a serious problem with heights.”
“I seem to remember that you followed me off a cliff once,
Chief,” Jim chimed in, taking Gurney by the arm.
“Oh, like I had a choice,” Blair replied as he gingerly
pressed the handkerchief to his aching nose.
“See, Rog?” Riggs teased. “That’s
what I’m talking about.”
Roger held his hand up in front of Martin’s face. “You see
this Riggs?”
Martin held his hands up and chuckled. “Okay, I know, talk
to the hand.”
Roger shook his head. “Nope,” he said then calmly put his
hand on Martin’s forehead and gave him a push.
Riggs stepped back at the unexpected force and hit the edge
of the pool. “ROGER!” he shouted as he fell backward into the water.
Murtaugh laughed.
~~~~~
They called a unit to take Gurney to the station then
dropped by the hotel and then the lofts to get dry clothes for Blair and Riggs.
Jim determined that Blair’s nose wasn’t broken and once it finally stopped
bleeding, he decided a trip to the ER wasn’t really necessary.
After only ten minutes in interrogation, Gurney confessed
to killing his partner. Greed was the motivating factor.
~~~~~
The next morning Jim and Blair took Riggs and Murtaugh to the airport to catch their flight home.
“Thanks for everything,” Riggs said, offering his hand to
Jim.
“Thank you for your… assistance,” Jim said with a grin.
Murtaugh and Blair shook hands, sharing an amused look.
“You know,” Riggs said, “when Lorna was pregnant we had a
baby beeper. It was just for her to let me know when Theo was on his way. It
would save you some worry,” he suggested.
“That’s a great idea, Jim,” Blair agreed. “And I know Jenny
will appreciate not having to answer the phone every five minutes.”
“I’m not that bad,” Jim grumbled.
Roger chuckled. “Don’t feel bad, Jim. Martin was the same
way until I got him and Lorna the beeper.”
Riggs grinned and shrugged. “It really does help. I think
all the pregnancy hormones affect us as much as they do the woman.”
“I’ll say,” Blair said softly.
Jim elbowed him in the ribs. “Just wait, your turn’s
coming, Junior.”
“Flight 632 to
“Thanks again,” Roger said.
“Yeah,” Riggs said. “It was a blast.”
“No, thank goodness,” Roger replied as the two men walked
toward the boarding gate. “Not this time it wasn’t.”
“Oh, come on Roger,” Riggs bantered. “How long are you
going to hold that over my head anyway?”
“How long are you planning on being my friend, Martin?”
“Huh? That’s a silly question. I’ll always be your friend.”
“And that’s exactly how long I’m going to keep reminding
you about that bomb.”
“Rog!”
Jim and Blair chuckled as the pair disappeared down the
boarding ramp, then turned and headed for the exit.
“Hey, Jim?”
“Yeah, Chief?”
“What did you mean? My turn’s coming?”
Jim draped his arm over his partner’s shoulders and just
chuckled.
“Jim?”
**********
Early October
Jim
drove up to the drive through at Wonderburger and
waited. This was the only place he knew of that was open 24 hours and had both
of the required items.
“Thank
you for choosing Wonderburger, how may I help you?” a
tired woman’s voice said through the speaker.
“Yes,
I’d like two, no, better make that three orders of
onion rings and two chocolate ice cream cones. But put the ice cream in cups
would you?”
“You want three orders of onion rings and two chocolate
ice creams?” the disbelieving voice asked.
“That’s right,” Jim sighed.
“Okay, sir. Drive up and I’ll have your total at the
window.”
Jim
drove up to the take out window and handed over the appropriate payment for the
food. The woman handed him a bag with the onion rings, her eyes full of
questions.
“My
wife’s pregnant,” Jim said, setting the bag on the seat beside him as he
silently ordered his rumbling stomach to ‘shut up.’
The woman smiled knowingly and gave him the ice cream.
“Congratulations.”
“Thanks,”
Jim mumbled. He rolled up the window and headed back to the loft. I’m never going to be able to show my face
there again.
~~~~~
Jim opened the door. “I’m back, Jen,” he called, listening
for his wife.
Jenny came out of the downstairs bedroom and met Jim at
the table. “You got it?”
“Uh
huh,” Jim said as he passed a cup of ice cream to Jenny and handed her a bag of
onion rings. He set another duplicate place for himself and popped an onion
ring into his mouth at the same time Jen did.
Identical
expressions of bliss lit up their faces. Jenny dug her spoon into the chocolate
ice cream and slid it into her mouth. A low moan of delight caught Jim’s ear
and he smiled as he took his first bite of ice cream as well.
After several quiet minutes, Jenny met Jim’s amused gaze.
Jim
shook his head. “For all that Blair teases me about my eating habits,” he
grinned, “I have never, ever had
onion rings and chocolate ice cream together, “ Jim said, holding up a ring,
“until now.”
“Me either,” Jen grinned back. “Blame your son.”
Jim chuckled then turned toward the door. “It’s Blair.
Come in, Chief.”
A
disheveled Sandburg shuffled in, pulling his robe tight around his middle.
Blair stopped beside the table and stared at the contents. Bleary, disbelieving
eyes took in the fact that the unusual feast was not just being eaten by the
pregnant party at the table. “That’s disgusting,” Blair said with a shiver.
Jim
grinned evilly and snatched the last onion ring from his wife’s bag before she
could. At Jen’s glare, Jim calmly pulled the third order of rings out and
handed them to his bride. Jenny tapped her temple with a finger and smiled as
she devoured another onion ring.
Blair
blinked, held out his hands in a stopping motion and turned to head back to his
loft. He started to say something else, then just
shook his head as he closed the door behind him.
Jim
chuckled at Blair’s incredulous words to Elise. “You will NOT believe what they
are eating over there now.”
*****
Jim
got into bed and lay on his side facing Jenny. He pulled the sheet up to cover
their shoulders and sent a silent little prayer that he would handle this
correctly. Jenny insisted it was time. She wanted to be ‘over this’ and well
past ‘it’ before the baby came. He stifled a sigh. There was no telling her
that she would recover in her own time. They had been progressing very nicely
with the touching exercises Abi gave them, but Jim
wasn’t sure if they were ready to make love yet. If she wants to do this now, then I’m going to be as gentle as I
possibly can, make it as easy for her as possible.
Jenny
lay flat on her back, her arms down by her sides, waiting. Her heart beat fast
and Jim could see the pulse in her neck jumping in rhythm. “Shhh, baby. We’ll take this as slow as we need to.
There’s no rush.”
She
closed her eyes and took a breath, trying to maintain some semblance of calm.
“I’m ready,” Jen barely whispered.
Jim
closed his eyes against the distress in her voice. It cut through to his heart
and made him wish that
The
pregnancy was progressing well and was now obvious to all. Jen’s belly rose
with each breath she took. Jim focused and could hear the baby’s heartbeat. If Jen needs this to be ready for the baby,
then we’ll do it.
He
ghosted his fingers over her hair and brushed her cheek with the back of his
hand. Jen tensed then relaxed a bit. “Good,” Jim whispered. Using his sense of
touch to gauge the pressure, Jim ran one finger along Jen’s cheekbone, barely
touching her skin. Next he followed the contour of her jaw and then went up to
her brow. She didn’t move, but seemed less anxious.
Jim
continued this for several minutes, then lightly
brushed her lips with his fingertips. Jen shivered, but her lips moved in
response as well. This was just a repeat of the touching exercises they’d been
working on. Jim trailed his fingers down her throat resting them on her pulse
points. He closed his eyes briefly. Don’t
you zone, Ellison!
His
fingers traced Jen’s collarbones as he carefully moved his body toward her
until he was less than an inch away. Jim touched his lips to her shoulder in a
light kiss. When Jenny didn’t react negatively he eased over a bit and kissed
her on the cheek.
Jenny
swallowed hard but still offered no signs of bolting. “You’re doing great, Jen.
I love you,” Jim said softly. Leaning on one elbow he slowly lowered his head
and peppered her face and neck with light teasing kisses. He murmured
reassurances the entire time pleased to feel Jen begin to relax under his
ministrations.
Jim
stopped and waited for a minute, hoping she might look at him. “Jen,
sweetheart, open your eyes for me,” he urged when her eyes remained closed.
“Please.”
Jenny
opened her eyes and started just a bit even though she knew he was right there.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, closing her eyes again.
Jim
caught her chin gently between his thumb and forefinger. “Hey, there’s nothing
to be sorry for. I just think it’ll be easier if you can see me, and,” he
paused. Jenny opened her eyes questioningly. “And if I can see your eyes, I’ll know how you’re really doing.”
She
licked her lips nervously, but nodded. “Okay.” Jen gave him a tentative smile.
“I liked what you were doing,” she admitted shyly.
Jim
grinned and bent his head toward her. “Oh yeah? You
mean this?” he asked as he started to cover her face in light kisses. “Or
this?” he moved his attention to her neck.
“Mmm,” Jen replied, venturing to lift her arm and loop it
behind his back as she tilted her head back into the pillow.
Her
husband moved his entire body ever so slowly closer and closer to Jen as he
continued. When she seemed comfortable, Jim relocated his kisses to her mouth.
He brushed his lips against hers caressing Jen’s throat with his thumb before
he increased the intensity of the kiss.
Jen
responded, parting her lips. Her fingers tightened ever so slightly on his
back. Okay, time for phase two. Jim
ran his hand down Jenny’s shoulder and arm several times as he kissed her then
lowered his head to kiss the base of her throat. She stiffened and inhaled
sharply at the change, but when Jim looked up, Jen still had her eyes open and
on him. He smiled encouragingly and watched her as he cupped her breast with
his hand.
Jim
couldn’t decide what the emotion was that he saw in his wife’s eyes. It wasn’t
fear, apprehension maybe? “Jenny?” he asked pausing.
She
swallowed. “I’m okay,” Jen breathed and to prove it she brought her other hand
up to rest on his arm as he caressed her breast with his thumb.
All
of the physical bruises inflicted by
Jim
continued his gentle caresses using his hands and lips to reclaim every inch of
Jenny’s body, to show her that he wouldn’t harm her, that he could be trusted.
Jenny slowly responded, relaxing bit by bit. Her body remembered her husband’s
touch. Jen put all of her concentration into the here and now, beating back the
memory of
She
was beginning to feel a welcome and familiar response to Jim’s attentions. Jen
focused on that, moving to pull her husband closer as she kissed him. Her hands
found their way down his body, teasing and encouraging as her need became
stronger and overcame the fear.
Jim
groaned and rolled onto his back pulling Jen on top of him. Abi
had suggested letting Jen be ‘on top’ to help her feel more comfortable, more
in control. He attacked her neck with his lips grinning as Jenny moaned his
name. The feel of her against him and the touch of her hands were wonderful,
but didn’t seem to be causing the expected result. Jim doubled his efforts,
teasing his wife with his lips and hands until she begged him for release.
Suddenly
Jim sighed with frustration and dropped his head back into the pillow. He threw
one arm over his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I can’t.”
Jenny
lay still against him for a second, taking deep breaths
to try and get herself under control. Finally she rolled onto her side and
propped herself up onto one elbow. She used her free hand to trace the edge of
Jim’s pectoral muscles. “You don’t have anything to be sorry about, Jim,” she
replied just as softly.
He
peeked out from under his arm, rolled his eyes and let the arm rest across his
face again. He couldn’t remember a time when he had been unable to perform. God, that sounds like some snot-nosed
teenager.
“Well,”
Jen said gently, “I think it’s sweet. It means that
you were too busy worrying about me and my responses to be able to… well, you
know.”
Jim
moved his arm and looked at his wife. Such a contradiction.
Strong, yet vulnerable. Small, but
tough as nails. Hurting, but still able to give
comfort. He held his arms out, inviting her into his embrace and wrapped
his arms around her as she snuggled up to him.
“Sweet is not a word my old army buddies would associate with Ever Ready Ellison,” Jim said.
“Ever Ready?!” Jen exclaimed, turning further into his embrace so she could see his face.
Jim grinned, lifting one shoulder in a shrug. “It was the army. There are certain… macho standards that have to be upheld.”
Jenny laughed.
“Besides,” Jim continued, “all it usually takes is for you to look at me sideways or the feel of your breath on my skin…” he added a bit more frustrated.
Jen lowered her face until her lips were just centimeters from his chest. “Like this?” she asked then blew gently across his bare skin.
Jim swallowed hard. “Yeah,” he answered huskily.
Jen pouted. “I don’t think it’s working.”
“Maybe you should try again,” Jim breathed with a teasing grin. His wife smiled.
*****
Elise grunted and rolled over in bed. Blair was thrashing around caught in the grips of another nightmare. She waited, knowing better than to try and wake him. The first and last time she’d tried to help him wake from a nightmare El had gotten a lovely bruise on her cheek and Blair had been apologetic for a month.
She grinned as she recalled all the flowers and special meals out that Blair had given her in an attempt to ease his guilt. Guilt that Elise had told him was unnecessary. It was an accident. But then that was part of what she loved about Blair.
El sighed with relief when her husband opened his eyes and focused them on her.
“Want to talk about it?” Elise asked softly.
Blair touched her face with a shaky hand. “Pretty much the same one I’ve been having,” he replied.
El nodded and slid down to cuddle next to her husband. She wrapped her arm over his chest and listened to his heart. It slowed a bit as the adrenaline from the nightmare wore off, but she could tell he wouldn’t be sleeping any more tonight.
Blair hugged Elise closer to him as he replayed the dream. It was very similar to the ones he’d had recently, with one small change…
They were getting closer. He could hear
their breathing, the soft chuffing noises they made as they chased him. Where
to hide? Where?
There! He scampered up into the rock and
tucked into the small crevice where his larger foes could not follow. But it
was only a matter of time before they caught him. There were too many.
The sudden sound of a cat’s scream caused
the jackals to turn and scent the air. A bird’s voice echoed the cat’s
challenge. The jackals gave one last derisive look at the small prey they’d
cornered then loped off in the direction of the cat.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stay
tuned for Part 17 – ‘Echoes from the Past’ by CherylR
Author’s
notes: Hope you enjoyed the bit with
Riggs and Murtaugh… another of my favorite buddies.
Yes, I know at this storyline takes place after 9/11, and Jim and Blair
couldn’t go with the guys to the gate, but it works better this way, so that’s
the way I wrote it <G>. I really hope to get the next few stories out
faster. Cheryl has a large part of 17 done and I’m working on 18. Can’t promise anything other than that I will not stop here.
There are way too many plot bunnies running around for this series.
Thanks
for reading.
Feedback
is always appreciated. Judy