Blair Sandburg shivered again against the cold. He tried not to cough very much. It hurt his chest when he coughed. Which in turn, hurt his ribs where he had been hit. It seemed to him it was getting colder, but maybe it was just because he had been outside for over… Blair paused. He didn't really remember how long he had been outside. To him, time meant very little. He knew he had to find the main road and flag down someone to help him. But he wasn't sure how much further he had to go. He could barely feel his feet and hands. He trudged forward, hoping he was headed in the right direction. Trying not to think about the abuse his body had taken already. And still hoping he'd be found soon. He just wasn't sure where he was.
Detective Brian Rafe hung up the phone. He leaned back in his chair and sighed. He looked at his watch, noting it was almost 10:00 PM. But as he looked around the bullpen of Major Crime, he noticed the other detectives still working away. He looked towards Captain Simon Banks' office, intending to go in and give him an update on his latest inquiries. He noticed Jim Ellison was in Banks' office. Rafe could barely see Jim, as the blinds were almost closed. Rafe knew that earlier in the day, Jim had stormed out of the bullpen, upset over the lack of evidence and the fact that the FBI was getting control of the case. Jim had been on edge for over two days now, ever since Blair had disappeared from the loft.
It had been Monday morning and Jim Ellison walked into the bullpen of Major Crime. What was different about this Monday was that Jim was late. Almost two hours late. He barely walked through the doors when Simon yelled at him from his office. Jim looked at his fellow detectives and detoured to Simon's office. The rest of them found out later why Jim had been late. Blair had woken that morning suffering from a severe bronchial infection. Jim had been able to get an appointment for Blair with his doctor first thing that morning. Jim had taken Blair to the doctor. Blair had gotten a prescription for antibiotics and told to rest. Jim had taken Blair back home and had set him up on the couch in the living room, with pillows, blankets, water, food and the inhaler he had been given along with the antibiotics.
Jim's fellow detectives thought it rather humorous when Jim would call every couple of hours to check up on how Blair felt. He took off around noon, going to get chicken noodle soup for Blair. To make him feel better. He came back a couple of hours later to announce Blair was at least getting some much-needed rest. The others were envious that Jim gave Blair so much attention. Jim explained Blair would do the same thing for Jim had the roles been reversed. It was the nature of their friendship.
It was around 3:00 PM when Jim called and was concerned that Blair hadn't answered the phone. The others assured Jim that Blair was probably either sleeping or taking care of business in the bathroom. Jim accepted the explanation. But when he called back about an hour later and there still was no answer, he began to worry. He asked Simon if he could go home and check up on Blair.
"Go ahead, Jim. I know how you worry about the kid. But if he's just asleep, you'll have to make up your time."
"Okay, Simon. No problem."
Jim wasted no time getting home to the loft. As he got out of his truck, he extended out his senses towards the loft. He panicked when nothing came to him. Not Blair's heartbeat or ragged breathing. Or even his soft snores in sleep. Jim thought maybe his worry over Blair was the cause of his inability to sense Blair. He hurried inside the building, taking the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator. He still couldn't sense any indication of Blair as he reached the landing of the third floor. He moved on to the door and stopped short as he looked down at the door. It was ajar. Jim automatically pulled out his gun and pushed the door open with his foot. He cautiously walked through the doorway, quickly scanning the area. He didn't sense anyone or anything in the apartment. He noticed the blankets and pillows on the floor. Jim walked over to the couch, looking for some trace of evidence. He saw a small concentration of blood. He almost zoned on it. Somehow, he knew it was Blair's blood. Jim finally turned from the couch and searched the rest of the loft. Maybe Blair was somewhere else? But as Jim finished looking upstairs in his bedroom, he knew Blair was nowhere in the loft. Jim pulled out his cell phone and called into the station, asking to speak to Simon Banks.
"Banks!"
"Simon, it's Jim. I need a forensic team at the loft right away. Blair is gone."
"Whoa, Jim!! What do you mean he's gone?"
"I got to the loft and the door was ajar. Blair is nowhere inside the loft. I searched every inch of the place."
"Maybe he went out for a while?"
"He couldn't have, Simon. He was too ill to be wandering around. And he would have never left the door ajar. And I found a small concentration of blood on the couch and the floor."
"Maybe he hurt himself and called for an ambulance? I don't want you to jump to conclusions, Jim."
"I'm not jumping to conclusions, Simon!! If he had been taken to the hospital, I would have been notified. Or Blair would have called me about it."
"Jim? I'm sending out Rafe and Brown to help search the area. I'll be there shortly. Stay right where you are. You understand?"
"Simon?"
"No arguments, Ellison. We'll do this by the book. Which means, we'll search the area first. Check with the hospitals and clinics. And you wait there in case Sandburg decides that you need to know where he is. Do you understand?"
"Yes, captain."
Jim turned off his cell phone and resisted the urge to throw the thing across the room. He walked over to the balcony windows and looked out on the late afternoon. He knew it was getting colder outside. Jim turned around and looked towards the coat hooks by the door. Blair's coat was hanging there. Jim thought back to what Blair had been wearing that morning. He had on blue jeans and a Rainier sweatshirt over another shirt. It wouldn't help his medical condition any to be out in this weather. Jim turned back towards the windows. Blair was out there, somewhere, without a coat or hat or gloves.
Rafe and Brown showing up at the loft brought Jim out of his musings.
"Where do you want us to start, Jim?"
"Start with the rest of the building. Maybe he went to a neighbor. And don't forget the roof and the basement. There's a back room down there with a door that tends to stick at times."
"If he's here, we'll find him, Jim."
Jim turned away from the two detectives. They started with their search. Simon showed up about five minutes later. He knew he'd have to tread carefully with Jim as they proceeded with this.
"Is Blair's car in the lot?"
"His – car?" Jim walked over to the door and looked in the basket there. No keys were in there.
"His keys are gone. I didn't notice about his car when I came home. I was too worried about him."
"Go downstairs and look, Jim. That could be a starting point. If he drove somewhere, he could be coming back."
Jim left the loft and went down the stairs. He walked outside the building and looked around the lot. There was no sign of Blair's car in the lot. Jim went around the building and looked on the street, although he knew that Blair's car had been parked in the lot at noon when he had been home. There was no sign of Blair's car anywhere on the street. Jim shook his head and walked back inside the building and up to the loft. How could he not notice that earlier? He walked back inside the loft and saw Simon looking over the scene near the couch.
"His car isn't parked outside."
"Okay. So maybe he decided he needed to go somewhere. Or that he needed medical help."
"He would have called me!"
"Not necessarily, Jim. Think about it. He was on medication that probably reduced his mental faculties somewhat. Right?" At Jim's nod yes, Simon continued. "Okay. He felt the only way for him to accomplish what needed to be done was to do it himself. And to drive himself. I'll put out an APB for his car. Not to confront him, but to sight it. We find out where he went, then we'll find him."
"I hope it's that easy, Simon."
"With Sandburg, probably not." Simon got out his cell phone and got the APB started, having it go out to all patrol units. Once he was finished, he turned back to Jim.
"Where are Rafe and Brown?"
"Searching the building. I told them to do that first. Including the roof and the basement. But I've got to tell you, Simon; I didn't sense Blair at all when I reached the building. Nothing. I can usually latch onto his heartbeat or breathing, what with his bronchial problems right now. I didn't get anything."
"I'm sure he'll show up shortly." Simon was hopeful.
"I'll kill him when he does." Jim was serious.
"Jim? Just remember – he's sick."
"Yeah, he's sick all right. I'm going to handcuff him to his bed. I thought even sick, he was smarter than this."
Rafe and Brown came back to the loft about an hour later. There had been no sighting of Blair anywhere in the building. They had talked to all the neighbors that were home. No one had seen Blair all day. Jim knew it had been a small chance Blair was still in the building. Simon's cell phone rang a few minutes later. It was Joel, telling him that he had checked with all the hospitals and clinics and even the morgue. No one matching Blair's description had been treated or admitted. And he had checked with the recent accidents since noon. Blair's car hadn't been involved in any of them. It had been a dead end. Simon thanked Joel and turned to his three detectives.
"That was Joel. He checked the hospitals, the clinics and even the morgue. Blair wasn't in any of the places. He hasn't been involved in an accident."
"It's like I said from the beginning, Simon. Blair wouldn't leave the loft door open. And he wouldn't drive in his current condition, no matter how muddled his thinking was. Someone came in and grabbed him."
"And took his car?" Simon was skeptical.
"I don't know, Simon."
"Rafe, Brown? Do a canvass of the area, mile radius. I'll try to get some help for you. Jim? Do you have a recent picture of Sandburg?"
"He just had a picture taken for his consultant's badge at the station. They should have a copy of that. Otherwise, I have all kinds of pictures."
"I'll get Joel to get copies of the station picture distributed to the units and the canvass workers."
Simon called Joel back and told him to get a copy of Blair's consultant picture to distribute to the force. And he told Joel to have the captains of the various departments stress to their people to be on the lookout for any sightings of Blair. Simon was beginning to think Jim was right. It had been over an hour since he had arrived at the loft. And there had been no word from Blair at all. Even Blair would have come to his senses by now and contact Jim if he was able. Simon asked Joel to connect him to Forensics. He'd get a unit there to at least dust the place for prints. And to get a sample of the blood. Which Jim was looking at again. Simon quickly hung up the phone and went over to Jim.
"I called in a Forensics teach to come to the loft, Jim. They'll take fingerprints and a sample of the blood. Could someone have subdued Sandburg enough to get him out of the apartment without anyone else noticing?"
"It's possible. Blair wouldn't want to risk anyone else getting hurt. Maybe it was someone he knew and trusted." A shudder ran through Jim.
"That opens up a whole other scenario, Jim. And none of this is pleasant."
"Simon? I want to apologize for earlier…I clearly stepped over the boundaries with this whole thing."
"It's understandable, Jim. After all, this is Sandburg we're talking about. We're all protective of him. But no one to the extent you are."
Three students who wanted revenge had grabbed Blair Sandburg, unknown to Jim or anyone else with the Cascade Police Department. They had found out where Blair lived and went to the apartment, intending to trash the place. When they broke in, they discovered Blair was there on the couch. That's when they decided to take their revenge out on the professor instead. Two of the boys grabbed Blair, pulling him to his feet. Blair tried to fight them, but it was obvious that he was too weak. They were able to easily subdue him with a couple of punches to his midsection and a whack up side his head from the butt of a handgun, which produced a gash on the left side, near his temple. He had momentarily dropped back down to the couch and the boys bent down to pull him back up. Instead he slipped to the floor and lay there while he was kicked twice in the left side. They pulled him back up and dragged/carried him out of the loft. They grabbed the keys that had been in the basket. They suspected they were the keys to Blair's vehicle. And they figured they could get a good resale price for the classic car.
Blair was thrown into the back seat of his own car. He was still groggy enough to be unable to do anything in his own defense. He did know who his kidnappers were – Jason Phillips, Mike Rose and David Bates. All dissatisfied students who didn't appreciate the fact that Professor Sandburg had flunked each of them. They always hung around together on campus.
Blair cursed himself that he hadn't been more alert when they had barged into the loft and he missed the opportunity to call Jim to let him know what was happening. By now, Jim was probably worried that he couldn't get hold of Blair. He had been calling every couple of hours to check up on him.
They drove for some time. Blair had zoned out during the drive. He lost track of time as he was jostled in the back seat. His breathing was getting more labored, plus the fact that he probably had bruised or broken ribs also. And his head hurt. He wondered what they had planned for him. Surely, they wouldn't kill him? But one of them had a gun. Anything could happen as a result of that.
When they stopped, it was dark and Blair could tell it had gotten colder. And he didn't have his coat. With a bronchial infection, it wasn't a good combination. The three boys pulled Blair out of the car. Blair looked around and had a momentary thought of trying to get away. But it looked like the middle of nowhere. Blair didn't think he could get very far away.
They started walking, Mike and David holding onto Blair so that he didn't try to get away. And Jason kept the gun aimed at him. After some time, Jason signaled for them to stop. Blair looked around again. All he could see in all directions were trees and dense foliage. Mike and David continued to hold him upright between them while Jason took the gun and pointed it directly at Blair.
"We want to make sure you don't flunk anyone else, professor." Jason squeezed the trigger of the gun. Blair tried not to flinch when the shot went just over his head. Jason lowered the gun a couple of inches. He squeezed the trigger again. Blair cried out in pain as the bullet hit its mark – his left thigh.
"It's been real, professor. Let's go guys."
Mike and David let go of Blair and he dropped to the ground. He watched as the three young men walked away. Blair willed his body to move so that he sat up. He looked at the hole in his leg. It was bleeding quite a bit. He looked around the area again. He knew he couldn't stay there. He wondered how far it was to the road. And was he anywhere near Cascade? Would Jim and the others even find him?
Blair tried to remember how far they had walked and in what direction. Even with his full faculties, he had problems with directions. Jim always gave him a hard time when they went anywhere. Blair always seemed to go off in the opposite direction he was supposed to. But Blair knew he had to get this one right if he wanted to survive.
Blair looked at the bullet hole again. He had to stop the bleeding. The only thing he could think of was to take his shirt off and use it as a tourniquet. He pulled off his sweatshirt and then undid the buttons on his shirt. He had to make two swipes at it; his hands were already cold and uncooperative. He took off his shirt; grateful he had a tee shirt underneath that. He quickly put his Rainier sweatshirt back on. It still held some of his residual head and it warmed him for a short period of time. He worked at ripping his shirt to get a strip of cloth that he could put around his leg. He finally got it done. He discarded the rest of his shirt on the ground. He could feel the coldness seeping into every part of his body. Blair knew he had to get moving and keep moving. Despite his physical problems. He had to find the road and get some help. After several aborted tries, he got to his feet and started walking. The pain of his body was constant, but he kept moving.
It was frustrating to everyone that there appeared to be no clues as to where Blair had gone. Or where he had been taken. There were no usable prints at the loft. The blood was determined to be Blair's. Jim had known that already. Simon had expanded the original APB to state wide and Jim had provided a more detailed description of Blair and his vehicle. The picture from Blair's consultant's badge was used with the APB. Simon made Jim go home after he spent over eight additional hours at the station, going through his past cases and anything recently that might have caused Blair to be abducted. Simon could see Jim's frustration rising as each hour passed. By the time Simon got Jim to leave the station, Blair Sandburg had been missing for at least twelve hours.
When Jim got home from the station, he cleaned up the bloodstains on the couch and the floor. He almost zoned on them again. He thought about Blair. Where he was, what was happening to him. Jim had heard the temperature on his radio on the way home. It was only 20 degrees outside. Jim only hoped Blair wasn't outside in the weather. Instead of going upstairs to his bedroom, Jim went into Blair's small bedroom. He felt a need to be close to Blair. He sat down on Blair's bed and grabbed the pillow. He could smell Blair's shampoo on the pillow. Jim gently rocked back and forth. He was able to drift off a short time later.
Now, it was the third day and Simon had called the FBI. That's why Jim had stormed out of the bullpen earlier in the day. The FBI was starting their search. Jim didn't like the idea that it was being taken out of their hands.
Brian watched as Jim came out of Simon's office. He didn't look at anyone else as he made his way back to his desk. Brian watched as Jim turned off his computer and grabbed his coat. Jim just sort of shuffled out of the bullpen. Brian felt sorry for him. He went to give Simon an update on his latest leads. He knocked on Simon's door. He heard Simon say 'enter'. He walked inside.
"What can I do for you, Rafe?"
"I just wanted to update you on my latest rounds of phone calls, captain."
"Anything promising?"
"No. I wish there was something. Is Jim okay?"
"To be honest, I don't think so. He's taking this real hard. He blames himself because Sandburg had been sick. He just doesn't want to listen to anyone telling him that he wasn't responsible. I just wish we'd get one break in this case."
"We're bound to get something soon, captain."
Blair's leg gave out on him. He fell ungracefully to the ground. He was bone-tired. He just wanted to lie down and sleep. He had gotten turned around somewhat on his quest to find the road. He wished he had Jim's sense of direction. A cry came out as a result of the thought. He had to find something soon. He decided to keep on the line he was walking in at the present. He just had to get to his feet again.
He knew that daylight had come twice since he was out here. Which meant at least two days. Two days he had been wandering around in the woods. It was some type of miracle he wasn't dead yet. It was dark again. He hadn't been able to find much shelter from the cold. And it had rained and snowed intermittently throughout the two days.
"I'll never be warm again." Blair shook his head and pushed himself to his feet. Two steps later, he stumbled over a tree root and fell flat on his face. The impact made him lose consciousness.
It was around 1:00 AM when Simon Banks got the phone call that Blair Sandburg's car had been located in Seattle. At a used car dealer. Who had given the three young men $800 for it. Two days ago. He gave the FBI agents the names of the young men. They looked like they were in their early twenties. The FBI told Simon they would pick up the young men and question them. That was okay with Simon.
After talking to the FBI, Simon decided to call Jim and let him know at least Blair's car had been found. There was some blood in the back seat, but Blair hadn't been found in the car. Whoever those young men were, obviously had dropped Blair off. Or had killed him.
Jim heard the phone. He jerked awake and was momentarily confused as to where he was. But then he remembered. He had taken to spending nights in Blair's bedroom. To be closer to him. To remember him. Jim stumbled to his feet and staggered out to the kitchen and picked up the phone after the second ring. That's when he noticed it was 1:30 AM. Not a good time for a phone call.
"Ellison."
"Jim? It's Simon. I have news."
"Bl-blair?"
"The FBI found his car in Seattle. There was a response to the APB. Apparently, three young men sold the car to a used car dealer for $800. The FBI are tracking down the young men now."
"Any indication of Blair?"
"There was some blood in the back seat. He wasn't in the car."
"Which means they dumped him somewhere…"
"The FBI will question the boys."
"They'll clam up. They won't say a word."
"I'll keep updated on developments."
"Can we get the car back?"
"I don't know, Jim. We'll find out."
"He won't be able to take it."
"What, Jim?" Simon didn't know what Jim was talking about.
"Blair hates the cold. And it's been raining and snowing. I hope he has shelter."
"Sandburg's smart, Jim. He'll take care of himself."
"If he's able."
The FBI called Search and Rescue about midday the next day. One of the young men, Mike Rose, had given the information that they had left Blair Sandburg in the forest. He wasn't sure how far in. The FBI gave Search and Rescue the description and picture of Blair Sandburg. It would take a long time to search the entire forest area. It expanded over miles. Simon was called again. He thanked the agent. He was sure his detectives wanted to help in the search. Especially Jim.
Simon called the meeting in the conference room. He walked in to see everyone there except Jim. He turned to Joel.
"Where's Ellison?"
"He was on the phone. He'll be here shortly."
"Well, I'll tell the rest of you what I know. One of the young men, who apparently abducted Blair and stole his car, confessed that they had dropped Blair off in the forest area. The FBI already has alerted Search and Rescue and they are using all their resources to looking for Sandburg. But I thought we would want to help with the effort. I've sent out an alert to the rest of the departments for anyone who would like to help us in our search. I can have Rhonda work on a schedule so that we are covered in the department while we continue to search. I'm not sure how long it's going to take to find Sandburg. But I think I speak for everyone here in saying that we're in it for the long haul. Am I right?"
Everyone agreed with Simon. Jim walked in at that time.
"What's going on?"
"We're going to search for Blair. Apparently one of his abductors told the FBI they dropped Blair deep in the forest area."
"The forest area? That's hundreds of miles!! Did the FBI contact Search and Rescue?"
"They're already on it, Jim. I just thought that the Cascade Police Department would like to help."
"You're right, sir. We would like to help."
Simon had Jim go with him. Jim had Simon stop by the loft before they joined the search. Jim told Simon he wanted to get some things. He carried a duffel bag back to Simon's car.
"What's in there, Jim?"
"Blair's coat, hat, gloves, extra sweatshirts, socks, shoes and a blanket. If I find Blair first, I want to make sure I can warm him up."
"He's lucky to have a friend like you, Jim."
"We're lucky to have each other, Simon."
Simon headed out to where Search and Rescue had set up their command post. They checked in and were given an area to start looking. Jim stopped Simon before they went much further.
"I need you to help me, Simon. I'm going to try to extend out my senses to try to find Blair. I need you to help me stay grounded. Just a squeeze on my shoulder or patting my back should do the trick."
"Okay, Jim. But after we find Sandburg and he's up to it, I want him to talk to everyone in Major Crime about this. It's high time that everyone knows what you can and can't do."
"I agree with you, Simon. I just hope Blair sees it that way."
Blair came to and wondered why he was so cold. It was almost like he was totally numb. He opened his eyes and it all came back to him. He started coughing and couldn't stop. He was definitely overdue for his medication. When the coughing fit finally passed, he found it difficult to catch his breath. He had to get out of here. He struggled several times before he got to his feet. He stood there on unsteady legs; not at all sure he could take more than a few steps forward. But he had to keep moving. A wave of dizziness passed through him and he took one step forward. Then another. He was moving again. His goal was to find the road today. He didn't know how much longer it would stay light.
Jim extended his eyesight and his hearing trying to find any indication that Blair had been in the area. It was slow going. They had been at it for about an hour. But they hadn't covered much area. Jim wanted to be the one to find Blair. He wanted Blair to know that someone cared for him.
It was about three hours later when Jim stopped dead in his tracks. Simon almost ran him over.
"What is it, Jim?"
"I hear something. It's faint. It's heading our way."
"Is it Sandburg?"
"I can't tell. It's right at the edge of my range."
"Well, let's move towards it."
Jim increased his pace and Simon was able to keep up with him. About three miles later, Jim stopped again. A small smile came across his face. Simon noticed it.
"Is it Sandburg?"
"Yeah. But his heartbeat is uneven. We have to get to him. Contact Search and Rescue and give them our location."
"How far away are we?"
"Probably another ten to fifteen miles. He's moving forward, but it's hard for him. His breathing is really labored."
"Did you bring his medications?"
Jim gave Simon an irritated look.
"Of course you brought his medications. That was a silly question. Sorry."
Jim kept his senses focused on Blair. The scent of blood came to Jim's nose. Along with sweat and tears. As they got nearer, Jim was able to sense more from Blair. He was half surprised Blair wasn't talking to himself. But with his breathing problems, Jim understood how much exertion talking to himself would have taken out of Blair. Jim increased his speed, wanting to get to Blair as soon as possible.
When they were about five miles away, Jim could really see Blair. His heart sank when he realized how bad off Blair was. Jim turned to Simon.
"He's about ready to collapse. I've got to get to him now."
"I understand, Jim. Go. I'll be there as soon as I can."
Jim broke into a run, determined to get to Blair before he collapsed. The wheezing sound in Blair's chest was overwhelming to Jim.
Blair dared to look up to see where he was. Hoping the road was there. He blinked twice and didn't believe what he was seeing. It couldn't be. But then Jim Ellison was standing in front of him. And pulling him into a strong embrace.
"Is – this – an – illu'sion?"
"No illusion, Chief. It's me."
Jim put the duffel bag down and opened it. He pulled out Blair's coat, hat and gloves. He helped Blair on with the items. He could hear Blair sigh and trying to take a deep breath. He suffered a coughing fit. Jim gently rubbed Blair's back, trying to ease the tight muscles. Jim sat down on the ground, pulling Blair with him onto his lap. Blair snuggled towards Jim's chest. Jim chuckled and reached into the duffel bag to pull out the inhaler. He held it to Blair's mouth and whispered in Blair's ear.
"Take as deep a breath as you can. It's okay. I'm here to help."
"Tha—a-anks, Jim…"
Blair inhaled as deep as he could. Jim pressed down the release on the inhaler. Blair held it as long as he could.
"Good job, Chief. Can you try one more?"
Blair nodded his head. They went through the same thing again. This time, Blair was able to hold it longer. He relaxed against Jim's chest. Jim rubbed small circles on Blair's back.
"Search and Rescue should be here shortly. They can give you more medical attention."
Blair only nodded, content to stay where he was. He was the warmest he had been for forever, or so it seemed. Jim catalogued the injuries Blair had suffered and he discovered the source of the smell of blood. The wound wasn't bleeding much. But it did look infected. Blair had a fever, even though his body temperature was low. Jim got out the blanket, putting it around Blair and allowed Blair to relax and even drift off for a while. It was okay now.
Jim heard Simon's intake of breath when he reached the two men. Jim was able to look up at Simon.
"God, Jim!! How did he survive?"
"Sheer will. He's still in bad shape, but at least I'm warming him up a little. And I got him to use his inhaler a couple of times. But his lungs are still infected from the original problem."
"Search and Rescue will be here in about five minutes. They can airlift him back to Cascade."
"Good. He needs more medical care than I can give him."
Jim increased his hold on Blair and looked down to see Blair looking up at him. Jim smiled.
"Simon's here with me. He's worried about you."
"I kn-knew he did."
"Don't be disrespectful, Sandburg."
"Tha-anks, cap-tain…"
"Just relax, Sandburg. You'll be at the hospital in no time."
"Oh…joy…"
Blair started coughing again. Simon turned to see that Search and Rescue where just landing. Jim held the inhaler for Blair again and got him to take two more puffs. He rubbed Blair's back a few more times and Blair relaxed again. Jim whispered in his ear again.
"I know it's hard for you, buddy, but no more talking. Search and Rescue just landed. I'm going to have to give up my hold on you in a while. They have to treat the rest of your injuries. You okay with that?"
Blair only nodded his head, heeding Jim's advice.
Jim stayed by Blair's side as the paramedics moved Blair to a waiting gurney. They took his vital signs. Jim saw how low Blair's body temperature really was. And the paramedics confirmed the infection from the gunshot. Jim told them he had other clothes for Blair and he asked if he could go in the helicopter with Blair. They told Jim it would be okay. Jim went over to tell Simon he was going with Blair in the helicopter.
"I'll tell the others about Sandburg. That was an awesome job, Jim."
"Thanks, Simon. It's easy when it involves Blair."
Jim provided answers to the paramedic's questions as Blair kept his silence. Jim was impressed with Blair's ability to keep quiet. One of the paramedics gave Blair a pain shot and he started to drift off to sleep. Jim sat beside the gurney on the ride back to Cascade. Blair was drifting in and out. The paramedics allowed Jim to change Blair's socks and put on his shoes so that his feet would start to warm up. Jim had grabbed Blair's thermal socks. He heard a soft sigh from Blair as he removed the wet and cold socks and had massaged Blair's feet to bring back the feeling and to warm them up. The paramedics were impressed with Jim's ministrations. Blair noticed the paramedics watching Jim and offered his answer to them.
"He w-was – medic – in – army. A – Ranger."
"What did I tell you about talking, Chief?"
"I – feel – better."
"It's best to just relax, Mr. Sandburg."
"C-ca-ll me – Blair."
"Okay, Blair. Our ETA to Cascade General is twenty minutes."
It was hours later when Simon made it to the hospital. He found out that Blair was in a regular room. That sort of surprised him. What didn't surprise him was when he walked into the room and saw Jim Ellison sitting by Blair's bedside. Simon noticed Blair was securely wrapped up in electric blankets. Simon touched Jim on the shoulder. He didn't realize he had waked Jim.
"Sorry, Jim. You okay?"
"Yeah. It's just the adrenaline letdown after an exciting day. Blair has been asleep ever since they transferred him to this room. He'll need some rehab and he'll be on antibiotics for a while longer. But the doctor doesn't think there will be any permanent damage to his leg. And they were able to warm him up enough to save all his fingers and toes, hands and feet."
"That's good news. Someone was looking out for him."
"Yeah, I know. I was in the chapel earlier while he was in surgery. Sometimes, there is someone bigger than we are."
"You should go home and get a good night's sleep in your own bed."
"I will tomorrow after I get to talk to Blair. I want him to know I'm here."
"I'm sure he knows you're here, Jim. It's the nature of your friendship."
"Yeah it is."