Title: TKO

Summary: Blair's just having one of those days.

Disclaimer: They're not mine!

The first thing he was aware of was the pain. It took him a while to figure out where it was coming from. His head. It was coming from his head, especially the back and around his left eye. He struggled to remember what had happened to him, but nothing was coming to mind. Swallowing against the pain, he forced his eyes open. At least he tried to. Only his right eye opened, his left eye remaining stubbornly closed.

He focused all of his senses on figuring out where he was and what was going on. He was lying flat between stiff sheets on a hard mattress. Sunlight streaming in through the window fell across the plain green blanket covering his bed. A hospital. He was in a hospital. Why was he in a hospital?

Concentrating hard, he heard subdued voices coming from the other side of the room. Slowly turning his head until his right eye was facing in that direction, he focused blearily on the two people sitting just inside the doorway. They were talking animatedly, but in low tones, apparently trying not to disturb him. He strained a little harder, attempting to identify them. Megan and Joel.

Swallowing hard, he opened his mouth to speak. "Hey." It came out in a hoarse whisper, but it was enough. Both detectives rose from their chairs and came over to his bed.

Megan grasped his hand gently. "Hi, Sandy. How are you feeling?"

Blair Sandburg struggled to remember what had happened to land him here this time. "Head hurts," he managed at last. "What happened?"

Megan and Joel exchanged concerned glances. "You don't remember?" Joel leaned forward, studying Blair thoughtfully.

"No, I don't remember!" Blair snapped irritably, wincing. His head was really hurting now. "If I did, why would I ask you?" Suddenly a thought struck him, and he paled. "Where's Jim? Something happened to Jim, didn't it?"

"No, no!" Megan stroked his hand soothingly. "Jim's fine, Blair. Simon took him outside to get some fresh air, that's all." She looked away as she said this, and Blair's concern grew.

Joel leaned forward again. "Okay, Blair, just calm down and we'll tell you what happened......"

EARLIER

"Come on, Chief!" Jim Ellison entered the Major Crimes Bullpen, throwing a mocking smile over his shoulder at his partner. "You get yourself into these messes! You can't honestly expect me to feel sorry for you! I've told you before...if you stick to dating one girl at a time, you wouldn't have things like this happen!"

Blair followed Jim toward Ellison's desk in the corner. "Well, how was I supposed to know that Martika sings in the band that Lori's been dying for me to take her to see?"

"NO!" Both men stopped and turned at the shout. The suspect sitting quietly at Henri Brown's desk had suddenly risen, flashing wild bloodshot eyes desperately around the room. "I'm not going back!"

Before anyone had time to move, he had lunged away from the desk, head lowered. He barreled straight into Blair's unprotected torso, knocking him back against Jim's desk. Blair's head hit the corner of the desk with a sickening thud before he fell forward to land on his hands and knees, trying to clear his suddenly spinning mind.

The suspect faced off against Jim, moving toward him threateningly. Jim spared a glance toward Blair to find him still on the floor, looking dazed. Jim was beginning to suspect that this guy was on some heavy duty drugs.

Later, everyone would agree that time seemed to slow at that moment, causing what happened next to stand out in everyone's memories. In reality, it happened too fast for anyone to stop it. Jim pulled his fist back, launching a massive punch at the suspect, determined to stop him before he hurt anyone else. As his fist sailed through the area over Blair's head, his partner regained his senses and stood up, walking directly into the blow.

Jim's fist connected with his partner just below his left eye, snapping his head back. Blair was instantly unconscious. As his head continued its backward arc, it impacted into the face of the suspect, who was still standing just behind him. Both men went down in a heap. Jim was frozen in his tracks, stupefied by what had just happened.

Immediately the rest of the unit launched into action. Several of the detectives headed toward the small group, Simon Banks among them. "Somebody get some Medics up here!"

Brown and Rafe were the first to arrive, and they both dropped to their knees beside the crumpled bodies on the floor. Rafe looked the suspect over while Brown studied Blair. Rafe looked up in shock. "Captain, this guy has a broken nose! Ellison just took out two men with one punch!"

Simon looked over at his detective, studying him critically. "You okay, Jim?"

Ellison turned dazed eyes toward his captain. "I hit Blair!"

"Yes, I know. We've got Medics on the way up to check him out." Simon continued to study his friend. "But are you doing okay?"

"I hit Blair!"

Simon sighed. "Conner, get him out of here. He needs to sit down or something."

Megan immediately stepped forward, leading Jim to a chair. "Okay, Jim. Let's sit down now."

Jim turned those dazed eyes on her. "I hit Blair!"

PRESENT

"Come on, Jim. It was an accident. He's going to be fine!" Simon stood on the front lawn of the hospital, still trying to reach his detective. "He's only got a minor concussion, and that was from the first hit on the head. He'll be fine!"

Ellison looked over at him sorrowfully. "I hit Blair!"

Simon sighed, clenching his cigar tightly between his teeth. This was getting nowhere fast. He looked up hopefully as Megan poked her head out the door. "Captain, he's awake." She glanced sympathetically at Ellison, shook her head and disappeared back inside the hospital.

"Okay, Jim. Sandburg's awake. Did you hear that? He's awake! Time for you to go inside and face the music."

Ellison shook his head, making a visible effort to gather his composure. "I'm okay, sir. Thanks." He patted Simon on the shoulder and walked stiffly inside. Banks followed slowly, waiting to see how both men would react.

Jim's steps slowed as he neared his partner's room, and he steeled himself for the confrontation ahead. Stepping inside, his heart contracted painfully. Blair was on his side facing away from him, shoulders shaking. Jim could smell the salt of tears, and his heart sank. It was worse than he thought! Joel stepped back, dropping his hand from Blair's shoulder.

"We just told him what happened." Joel patted Jim gently on the arm and left the room, leaving the two partners alone for the first time since the fated blow.

Jim stepped further into the room, clearing his throat nervously. "Chief?"

Blair stilled for a moment, and then his shoulders began to shake again, harder this time. "Ow, ow, ow." Jim wasn't sure if he had heard the voice , it was so muted.

He stepped quickly up to the bed, tentatively dropping his hand to Blair's shoulder. "Chief...Blair...I am so sorry!"

The shaking got worse, and Jim finally grasped the exposed shoulder and turned his partner toward the door. Blair's face was streaming with tears, and he looked up at Jim, one blue eye focusing on his partner before he closed it. The other eye was swollen completely shut, and it was going to cause some spectacular bruising. Then Jim focused on the rest of Blair's face and looked at him in confusion. Blair was...... laughing?

"Chief?"

Blair opened his eye again, trying to get control of himself. "Sorry, Jim. Ow, ow, ow! I just can't believe you hit me!" He erupted in gales of laughter again. "Ow, ow, ow! That's probably the best example of partners working together I've ever heard of. Took both of us to subdue the suspect! Ow, ow, ow!"

Jim studied his partner, aghast. But then he started to think about what Sandburg had said, and it *was* kind of funny. When Simon made it to the door of Blair's room, he smiled , listening in satisfaction as the two voices blended in laughter. He nodded to himself at Blair's words. "Yup, they're the best example of partners working together that I've ever seen, too."

The words were whispered, but he was unsurprised to hear a quiet voice from inside the room. "Thanks, Simon."

Finis