~oOo~

Despite meeting the rescue party halfway, the trip back to a road with vehicular access had been a long and harrowing one, especially for Jim. He'd refused painkillers and, although Blair's touch seemed to be helping, by the time they'd reached the hospital, he was suffering badly.

Blair was snuggled on Simon's lap, dozing lightly while Jim was in an examination room down the hall. After a thorough examination, Blair had been diagnosed with a slight case of dehydration and exhaustion, but had been released to go home as soon as his father was ready.

"Captain." Sheriff Winslow ambled into the waiting room and took a seat. "How's he doing?"

Simon gently ran his hands through Blair's hair. "He'll be fine. Nothing a decent night's sleep and a few good meals won't fix. He's a tough little guy, this one."

"Takes after his father, then?"

"Something like that," Simon replied.

Winslow scratched his lightly whiskered chin. "I've taken the liberty of arranging some accommodation for you at the motel on the way outta town. It's nothin' flashy, but it's clean and the food ain't half bad. After what you folks have been through, I thought you'd appreciate a good night's rest before you head off."

"Thanks," Simon replied, sincerely. He observed Winslow's face and got the feeling that the man had other business to discuss. "Something else on your mind, Sheriff?"

Winslow got to his feet and paced the small room. "Well actually, yes. I've been speaking to the doc about the boy. He's still critical, but they think he's got a good chance."

"And?"

"Well, I was just wondering if you're planning on pressing charges?"

Simon looked at Winslow in total bewilderment and wondered how long the man had really been in law enforcement. "Sheriff, do I have to remind you that he kidnapped a child? I hope you're not suggesting that we just let that slide."

"And do I have to remind you, Captain, that he also saved that child's life, and will be minus one kidney for the rest of his because of that?" He lowered his voice. "I won't even mention the psychological effects he could suffer because of the rape, 'cause I sure as hell ain't got no answer to that question." Winslow deflated and sat back down next to Simon. He was a father and a grandfather, but most of all, he had a big, compassionate heart. Sending a boy like Lucas to jail just didn't sit right, especially after he'd been given the rundown on the kid by old Bill. "Look, Captain Banks, all I'm saying is that what this boy is going to have to endure just to overcome his injuries will be a punishment in itself. If Lucas Wilder has to spend time in a juvenile facility and then possibly jail, I just don't know how he's gonna survive."

Blair had stirred when the Sheriff had entered the room and, unbeknownst to Simon, had been half-listening to the conversation. The words 'jail' and 'Lucas' had piqued his interest, and it didn't take him long to put two and two together. He pushed back suddenly. "Wheuh Lucas?" he asked. "Is he heuh?" Simon barely managed to catch Blair as he scrambled off his knee. "I want to see him. I want to see Lucas, Uncle Simon." He stamped his foot and crossed his arms. "I won't let you send him to jail. Lucas is my friend. My bewy bestest fwiend."

Although the nurse tending to Jim had been around for a very long time, she was no match for the likes of Ellison. "Detective," she called out, her hands still sticky and wet with plaster, "I haven't finished."

"Daddy!" Blair smashed into his father's legs as soon as he spotted him. "Lucas is heuh. I want to see him. I think he hu't."

Despite the pain in his arm, Jim scooped Blair up and gathered him close to his chest.

"Please, Daddy." Blair pushed himself back. "They said Lucas is going to jail just like Tom did, but Lucas not bad. He need to come home with us. I promised he could. I promised him he could sleep in my bed."

Feeling slightly wobbly on his feet, Jim took a seat on the nearest chair.

Blair roughly and angrily swiped at the tears that were trickling down his cheeks. "You not let them take Lucas away. You promise, Daddy!" he demanded.

Jim pushed Blair's hair out of his eyes. He wanted to take away his son's pain, but it was a promise he simply couldn't make. "Blair, I can't make that promise," he said. "Lucas broke the law when he took you from Jessie's house, and it will be up to a judge to decide what happens to him."

"You talk to the judge, Daddy. The judge will know that Lucas not bad if you talk to him. He looked afteh me, and didn't let the man make me drink beeh."

Jim looked over at Simon, pleading for help. His exhaustion, combined with the pain he was still feeling, was catching up with him; he was just too worn out to try and explain to Blair why it was impossible for Lucas to come and live with them.

"Squirt, why don't you come with me and we'll see if we can track down some ice cream." Simon began to ease Blair from Jim's arms, but backed off when Blair protested. He wrapped his arms fiercely around his father's neck. "Please promise you talk to the judge, Daddy?"

Ellison leaned his head back and closed his eyes to try and get a handle on the nausea that was pulsing through him. "I promise," he finally relented. It probably wasn't the right answer, but he'd come to learn that sometimes, with children, the road less travelled was an easier one to take.

~oOo~

"You want a pill?" Simon had been laying in the single bed, listening to Ellison toss and turn for close to an hour.

"I'm not in any pain," Jim answered. He gently eased Blair away from his side and got out of bed. "I just can't sleep, that's all."

Flicking on the bedside light, Simon adjusted the glow so it wasn't shining near Blair. "So what are you going to do?"

"About what?"

"About the Wilder boy. You're going to have to tell Blair something tomorrow, and you know that you could make a recommendation to the judge."

Too worn out to argue and too drained to get angry, Jim shrugged his shoulders. "And what exactly am I supposed to say to the court, Simon? Because, at the moment, I'm torn between ripping the kid apart limb by limb with my bare hands and giving him the biggest hug of gratitude I can muster. On one hand, he saved my son's life, but on the other hand, Blair wouldn't have been in that position if he hadn't kidnapped him in the first place."

"Are you sure about that?" Simon sat up and pushed a pillow behind his back "Think about it, Jim. Naomi was hell-bent on taking Blair away from you, and she would have done it whether or not she had the kid's help. In reality, maybe you were lucky that Lucas was the one to take him. Imagine what could have happened if she had enlisted the help of one of the other 'family' members."

Jim slumped back down on the bed. "I don't ever want to think about that." Avoiding Banks' eyes, he flicked back the blanket and lifted his feet off the floor. "You mind if we talk about this the morning? I'm really beat."

"Thought you said you weren't tired?"

"Yeah, well, I'm full of shit." Turning away from Simon, Jim gathered Blair close. He didn't want to think about what would have happened to Blair if it weren't for Lucas Wilder, because imagining life without Blair was simply unthinkable.

~oOo~

Jim carried Blair into the darkened room and stood a reasonable distance from the bed. Lucas was lying on his stomach, covered by a thin sheet that did little to hide the tubes and wires that snaked in and out of his body. A fever had taken hold, and the boy's skin was slick with sweat and assaulted by fine tremors that were barely visible to the naked eye. Despite the severity of his condition, his eyes were at half-mast and they meticulously tracked the intruders in his room. "Lucas," Blair whispered, urging his father to take him closer to the bed. "I found my daddy, Lucas. He comed to save us just like Incacha sayed." Blair wiggled to get even closer and Jim reluctantly let the youngster sit on the very edge of the bed. "We didn't even need our plan, Lucas."

"Blair." Lucas fingers brushed across Blair's jeans. "You okay, Sport?"

"I okay, Lucas, and the doctuh sayed that afteh you get some rest. you will be feeling betta too." He reached down and took the teenager's hand in his own. "Then you can come live at my house like I promise." He turned over the boy's hand. "We can make a spit promise if you want."

Struggling just to keep track of the conversation, Lucas didn't have the energy to answer and Jim intervened. "Come on, Chief." He lifted Blair off the bed. "We need to let Lucas get some rest."

"We come back tomorrow, Daddy?"

"We'll see." Jim took one long – and what he hoped would be last – glance at the teenager. He'd made Blair a promise he'd talk to the judge, but talking was all he intended to do.

~oOo~

Sheriff Winslow nodded as Jim entered the waiting room. "I was just saying to your Captain that the doc is going to arrange to transfer Lucas to Cascade General in a few days, so he can get the specialised help he's going to need. Until that time, he will be kept under police guard. Not that he's capable of going anywhere," he added. "We've also arranged the successful transfer of Naomi Sandburg to the state psychiatric hospital. Apparently she'll be a resident there until she's fit to stand trial."

Simon held out his hand. He hadn't thought much of the small-town Sheriff when he'd first met him, but the man's compassion and willingness to delve before he judged did make him think about just how 'uninvolved' his police work was. "Thank you for all your help, Sheriff," he said, shaking the man's hand sincerely.

"Detective, before you go, I was wondering if you've had any thoughts about Lucas. I've made a few initial inquiries, and apparently if someone were willing to be appointed the boy's guardian, then he would stand a better chance." Winslow hesitated, knowing he was pushing the envelope, but his daddy had always told him that you 'never know until you give it a go'. Deciding to at least try, he continued, "And an even better chance if that guardian happened to be you." Looking at the expression on Ellison's face, he doubled his ammunition, hoping for a sure aim. "Now before you go bustin' a boiler, I thought you might like to take a look at this file. I was able to track Lucas down through child welfare, and... well, let's just say I think it's important that you read it before making a decision."

"You're totally unbelievable," Jim stated, shaking his head. "I have no decision to make, because as far as I'm concerned, there is no decision to make." He held Blair close, cradling his son's head in his large hand in a futile effort to shield the child from the harshness of his next sentence. "I don't know what you're thinking, Sheriff, but that kid is not my responsibility, and I'll be damned if I'll let myself be sucked into a guilt trip by some small-town cop who wants to play Mother Teresa." Still holding Blair close, he headed toward the door. "Simon, if you have any intention of staying to chat with the good Sheriff, then you either give me the keys, or I'm hot wiring the truck."

Simon took the file and shook the man's hand again. "I'll make sure he reads it," he assured. "Thanks again for all your help."

Jim strapped Blair into the car seat before taking a position behind the wheel. "You needn't have bothered," he said watching Simon approach with the kid's file in his hand. "I'm not going to change my mind."

"Sure, Jim, absolutely. I didn't think you would." He turned around and gave Blair a quick wink. "I mean, once your mind is made up, I know there's no changing it." He tossed the file on the dash. "Now would you get out from behind the wheel? If you think I'm going to let you drive all the way back to Cascade with a broken arm, you're mistaken, detective."

~oOo~