Thank you so much for your continued support! You guys are blowing me away with all the hits I've received on this story, and the reviews continue to spur me on. Thanks so much to everyone who has taken the time to let me know what you think. You rock!
Like chapter 4, this chapter was not included in the original version of this story (the one I posted on SentinelAngst several years ago). I tried to skip this, but it insisted on being written! :-)
Warning: This chapter has MAJOR spoilers for Blind Man's Bluff!
November 1995
Jim sat silently beside Blair's bed, listening to the machine breathing for him. It was worse to not actually be able to see his partner. His imagination was running away with him, creating all sorts of scenarios of how terrible Blair probably looked. All he knew was that if not for the respirator, the younger man would not be breathing.
"Come on, Chief. You're safe now. You can come back any time." He reached for the edge of the bed and fumbled with the blankets until he found Blair's limp hand. "I need you to wake up now."
Silence answered his plea, and he sighed and settled in to wait some more, nearly zoning as he listened to the rhythmic whoosh of the respirator. He was roused from the near zone by the soft snick of the door opening followed by the sound of footsteps entering the room. Jim sat up a little straighter and inhaled the combined scents of tobacco and gourmet coffee. Simon.
"Jim? How's he doing?"
Ellison sighed and tilted his head toward the captain. "He's fading in and out, sir. Doctors say it's going to take some time for the drug to work its way through his system."
Jim listened distractedly as his boss filled him in on what they had discovered about the drug. Unfortunately, there was nothing new there. They were still shooting in the dark. His lips curved into a mirthless smile; pun intended.
Simon paused. "How you doing, man? You don't look so good." Simon's voice got closer, and Jim could tell he had sat down on the edge of Blair's bed.
"Oh, I'm all right, man. I was hoping…hoping he'd come to, you know? This Golden crap. This is insidious stuff, man. I mean, there must have been ten to twenty times the amount that would kill a person on that pizza." Jim shook his head. "I never thought I'd be happy that Sandburg had a medical condition, but his heart medication may actually be what saved him."
"How so?" Simon was clearly puzzled.
Jim laughed humorlessly. "Well, Golden is a hallucinogen, and one of the worst physical side effects is that it increases your blood pressure and heart rate. Blair just recently got his medication increased and he was still adjusting to the new dosage. Because his blood pressure and heart rate were low to begin with, it may have actually prevented him from having a stroke or heart failure. One of the doctors was just here explaining that to me. He thinks he's going to make it, but there are no guarantees."
Simon gripped Jim's shoulder. "We need to get these guys, Jim."
Ellison nodded. Leaning over, he squeezed Sandburg's hand again. "You hang in there, Chief. We need to find these guys, and then I'll be back. You rest."
He allowed Simon to guide him to the door, all of his senses still trained on his partner. He shook his head as he thought about how they had come to this point in time.
Golden was a new drug in town, and they had already lost several people to the hallucinogen. Jim and Blair had gone undercover at Slicks, the amateur drag strip, as point men for Cyrus, an international drug trafficker. What the local distributors had not known was that Cyrus was actually a made up entity created by the DEA.
While making contact with the dealers at the drag strip, Jim had come into contact with some of the drug, accidentally rubbing it into his eyes, which precipitated the blindness that now plagued him. All he could see were golden lights, streaks and swirls. The doctors were fairly optimistic he would get his sight back; they just were not sure when it would happen.
While blind, Jim had set up a drug deal with the distributors and had nearly gotten 100 Kilos of the deadly drug off the street. Unfortunately the bust had gone bad, and the distributors now knew that the police were on to them. This led to the delivery of several pizzas to the Major Crimes Bullpen, purporting to be from the chief for a job well done. Fortunately for the rest of the detectives, Blair was the only one who had actually eaten a slice. Unfortunately for Blair, there had been enough Golden on the slice he had consumed to nearly kill him.
Jim shuddered as he remembered the scene in the parking garage where they had found his partner. He had been shooting up the place with Jim's backup .38, terrified and convinced the world was being overrun.
Earlier
"Blair? It's Jim. What's going on, buddy?" Jim slowly approached his partner, a forced smile on his face, clapping sporadically. The smile slipped a little when he heard Blair's thundering heartbeat. His illness had never caused his heart to race this fast. Jim wondered how he was still standing.
"There's no need for applause, man. I got it all covered."
Jim relaxed slightly, hearing the almost tranquil quality to Blair's voice. Maybe he could reason with him and nobody would need to get hurt any further. "What's going on?"
"You don't see them? They're coming through, through the walls and the floor, man."
Ellison's heart fell when the tranquility dropped from his partner's voice and the rapidity of his heart rate increased. Sandburg was sounding terrified now. "Who are?"
"The Golden fire people. You don't see 'em, man? They're made out of fire and they're burnt. You think they're ashes, but they're alive, man. And we got to send 'em back!" Sandburg was in tears now, his terror overcoming him. He pulled the trigger again, and there was the sound of shattering glass as a headlight exploded.
Ellison was deafened momentarily, not having been prepared for that, but he stopped moving, waiting until his hearing kicked in again to speak. "Blair! Easy, buddy! Easy, buddy! Whoa! Blair, listen to me! Your gun isn't going to work with the fire people. They're not going to be afraid of your fire. It's only going to make them stronger. You've got to use the bat echo trick."
Blair was so out of it that he didn't even remember what trick Jim was talking about, although it had only been days before that Sandburg had taught it to Jim to help him combat his blindness. Jim did not have an easy time convincing his partner that it would work, but at last he was able to inch close enough to touch Blair's hand, and he carefully eased the weapon from it.
Ellison could hear footsteps pounding as police officers came out from behind cars all over the garage. He heard Simon's voice as the captain rushed over to help him with Blair, who was now clapping half-heartedly in an attempt to get rid of the golden fire people that only he could see. Ellison and Simon moved in concert to help the young observer off the hood of the car he was standing on.
Chills ran through him as Ellison realized he could actually hear Blair's body shutting down. As they lifted him down, Jim pulled him into a tight hug. Sandburg whispered a feeble apology as he slid into unconsciousness. Jim held him closer, resting his head against his partner's. That had been too close, and they weren't out of the woods yet. He vaguely heard voices shouting, most predominantly Simon.
"We need a medic over here now!"
Jim ignored the chaos, concentrating solely on his young partner. "Hang in there. It's all right."
What seemed like a moment later, someone tried to pull Sandburg from his arms, and Ellison snapped back to reality with a jolt. He released his hold on the unconscious observer, allowing the paramedics to do their job. Simon stayed beside Jim, keeping him grounded with a hand on his shoulder.
Within moments, the paramedics had Sandburg on oxygen, hooked to a heart monitor and blood pressure cuff. Jim shook his head; they had been here before. Just when it seemed they had everything under control, this happened. He wondered what this drug would do to the tenuous handle they had on Blair's mysterious heart condition.
Later
Ellison's sight now coming and going sporadically, he waited with his gun cocked for backup to reach him and the last drug dealer. He knew Simon was not going to be happy that he had damaged his car, but at least the scum was off the streets. Now all he could think of was getting back to the hospital to see how his partner was doing.
Simon was the first to reach him, and although his sight was still not back to normal, he could see the storm clouds in the captain's eyes. "Ellison! The next time you drive my car while blind you're going on suspension. Is that understood?"
Jim blinked. "Uh, the next time, sir? I'm not on suspension this time?" He had been fully prepared to take the consequences for his actions.
Simon glared at him. "No. Now have one of the patrol cars take you back to the hospital to see your partner before I change my mind."
"Yes, sir!" Ellison headed toward the nearest patrol car.
"Ellison!"
Simon's call stopped him in his tracks. He turned to look back at the captain quizzically.
"Good work."
*****
Jim walked down the hallway to Blair's room, finding it odd to make the trip now that he could actually see where he was going. Entering the room, his heart sank when he got his first real look at his partner. Sandburg was flat on his back on the bed, his hair sticking out in untidy bunches of curls around his head on the pillow. The respirator protruded from his mouth and his skin was pale and waxen, making him look like a poor imitation of the real Blair Sandburg.
Jim shuddered as he sat down in his chair. His imagination had actually been kind; in all of the scenarios he had imagined, Blair had never looked this bad. Even the golden glow that still softened the edges of everything didn't help.
He gently picked up Blair's limp hand again. "Come on, Chief. We got the bad guys. Now it's time for you to wake up." He squeezed the hand, then carefully eased it down beside his partner in the bed, sighing. It was going to be a long night.
*****
A strange noise woke Ellison from a restless sleep. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, wondering what it was that had woken him. Moving again, he stretched his stiff muscles and glanced at his watch. He had been sitting beside Blair's bed for five hours now, leaving his partner's side only to use the small bathroom in the corner of the room. He glanced blearily over at the man lying in the bed, and suddenly he was wide awake.
Blair was moving sluggishly on the bed, head tossing restlessly, fingers scrabbling aimlessly at the sheets. The strange noise Jim had heard was the alarm on the respirator. He leaned forward, grabbing Blair's hand.
"Whoa, Buddy." He pushed the nurse call button clipped beside Blair's pillow. "It's okay, Blair. You're fine."
Sandburg stilled, curling his fingers around Jim's, but his heart rate, which had dropped significantly overnight, started to pick up speed again. He opened panic stricken eyes, staring up at Jim in confusion, and raised his other hand to pull at the tubes.
"No no, Chief. Leave them alone. They're helping you breathe. Don't fight it. Just relax and let the machine do the breathing for you. Come on, stay still for a minute. The nurse will be here in a minute and she'll help you. It's okay. You're going to be fine." Jim squeezed Blair's fingers firmly, resting his other hand on his partner's forearm. He kept up the soothing monolog in an attempt to keep the injured man calm.
By the time the nurse had arrived, Jim's efforts were paying off, and Blair's heart rate was slowing again. The nurse bustled into the room, heading immediately for Blair's bed.
"I'm so sorry it took me so long to get in here, Mr. Sandburg. We're a little bit short staffed today. It's good to see you awake. Let me just check your vital signs, and then the doctor will be in to see you. If everything is going as well as I think it is, he'll probably get you off that respirator in just a little while."
Jim smiled up at her. "Thanks, Maria."
Maria smiled back, quickly checking Blair's vitals and plumping his pillow. "Okay, I'll page Doctor Anderson. He wanted to be alerted as soon as you were fully awake. I'm sure he'll be in soon."
As soon as Maria had bustled back out the door, Blair turned puzzled eyes on his partner, squeezing his hand firmly. Jim met his gaze steadily.
"You want to know what's going on, right?" At Blair's slight nod, Jim continued. "Do you remember anything?" This time, he got a head shake. "Okay, Buddy. Do you remember the pizzas being delivered to my desk in the bullpen?" Blair thought for a moment, then nodded. "Well, they were laced with Golden. You ate a piece and got an overdose. But you're doing much better now." Jim deliberately didn't mention the garage and Blair's bad reaction.
Sandburg's heart rate picked up anyway, as he suddenly began to remember what had happened after he had eaten the pizza. Jim gripped his arm firmly.
"Hey, hey. It's going to be okay. You survived, nobody got hurt, and nobody blames you for what happened. Everyone knows it was an attack against the police station. You just happened to get the pizza first. But Doctor Anderson told me last night that he feels you're getting better, and he doesn't think that you're going to have any permanent damage from the Golden, not even your heart." He chuckled. "Actually, your new heart medication may have saved your life."
Blair looked at him quizzically, but before Jim could elaborate, the door opened and a middle aged man wearing a white coat over his scrubs entered the room, followed by a more familiar figure; Blair's cardiologist, Doctor Aaron, followed the doctor into the room.
"Good morning, gentlemen." Doctor Anderson immediately approached the bed. "Maria tells me you're doing really well and would like to get off that annoying respirator." He laughed at Blair's emphatic nod. "Well, first I want to see how you're breathing. Maria, start the test."
Maria, who had followed the two doctors into the room, typed rapidly on a keyboard attached to the respirator, and then nodded to the doctor.
"Okay, Mr. Sandburg. Now I want you to breathe normally. We're going to test you to see how you do without the extra help. If you can breathe normally for the next 15 minutes and your blood oxygenation level stays okay, we'll take you off the machine. Sound like a plan?"
Blair again nodded emphatically, obviously ready to get rid of the extra tube. Jim chuckled. "You'll get there, Buddy!"
The next fifteen minutes seemed to take an eternity to pass for Jim, and he couldn't even imagine how long it must seem to Blair. The two doctors and the nurse stood off to the side, monitoring the readout of the blood oxygenation monitor. Blair fidgeted, turning pleading eyes to Jim, who couldn't refuse his partner and started talking, trying to keep his mind off of his current situation. He talked about the latest Jags game, what he had eaten for lunch and anything else he could think of.
Finally Doctor Anderson stepped forward. "Okay, Mr. Sandburg, you're alright. Your Blood ox levels are fine, so I'm going to take you off the respirator. I'm going to need you to blow out for me in just a moment. Ready?"
Jim gripped his partner's arm again, offering silent support throughout the uncomfortable procedure. Once the tube had been removed, Maria handed Jim a cup of ice chips to give Blair if he was thirsty. Then she stepped back to let the two doctors examine their patient.
Doctor Anderson stepped forward first. "Mr. Sandburg, I just have a few things to check here, and then I'm going to turn you over to Doctor Aaron. If all goes well, we could have you resting at home by late this afternoon. We just need to monitor you for a little while more to make sure that there are no side effects from the drug."
"'Kay," Blair rasped, reaching for the cup of ice chips that Jim held out.
Jim winced at the rough quality of the younger man's voice. It was going to take a while before Blair's sore throat went away.
Doctor Anderson quickly conducted the tests he needed, and then stepped back. "Okay, James. He's all yours."
The cardiologist stepped forward. "Let's just take a look at a few things, Blair. But actually, Doctor Anderson already did most of the tests I need, so I won't take too long, and then you can rest for a while."
"My medicine saved me?" Blair rasped. "How?"
Doctor Aaron smiled. "Oh, you didn't hear that whole story yet? Well, you know how you've been feeling tired the past week or so while we got your dosage adjusted on your medication?" At Blair's nod, he continued. "Well, that was because during the adjustment period, your pulse and BP were too low. It usually self adjusts after you're on it for a little while. Golden is a hallucinogen, so it makes your pulse and BP skyrocket. Because yours were already too low, you had a head start on countering the attack."
Blair shook his head in disbelief, and Jim smirked at him. "See, your heart condition saved your life." He sat back and watched vigilantly as the doctor checked Blair over carefully.
"Okay, Blair. I am going to have to agree with Ken here." Doctor Aaron smiled at his patient, gesturing toward Doctor Anderson. "From all the tests we've conducted, I think you've really gotten away with something here. Your heart still seems in perfect shape, and it's slowing down to a normal rhythm. I think by this time tomorrow, you'll be fine. Just take it easy tonight. Ken will be back in a few hours to discharge you." He patted Blair's shoulder. "I'm glad to see you doing so well!"
The two doctors and Maria quietly left the room, and Blair looked up at Jim. "You can see?"
Jim grimaced. "Yes, I can see, and please stop talking! You're making my throat hurt! My sight is still pretty golden, and it comes and goes, but it's getting better all the time." He leaned forward. "Chief, I know you, and I know how you think. Don't ever think that you did anything wrong in that garage. Anyone would have reacted that way, and you had no reason to doubt that the pizzas were from the chief. Nobody thinks any less of you because of what happened. "
Blair looked at him for a moment, and then studied the blanket on the bed as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world. Jim gripped his shoulder tightly.
"Chief, are you listening to me? You had a major overdose and nearly died. But you did nothing wrong. What happened in the garage was not your fault. Are you getting me?"
Sandburg looked up at him with a tiny hint of a grin. "I hear you." He yawned and blinked, leaning back in his bed. "I'm really wiped. I'm going to rest for a while."
"You do that, Chief. I'll be here when you wake up." Jim watched his partner drift to sleep and leaned back in his chair to keep watch over him. Nothing more would happen to his guide while he was around.
To be continued . . .
Thanks again for reading, and as always please review and let me know what you think.
