I am SO sorry for the long delay in getting this chapter posted. I am sure it had nothing whatsoever to do with my niece's sweet 16 birthday bash . . . or our 3 day family reunion . . . or my trip for work up to the main office for a few days . . . or the story I was working on for a zine that had reached its deadline . . . Okay, actually it had to do with all of those things, but the biggest problem was a case of writer's block. So I apologize very much for the delay. My thanks again for all of you wonderful readers who have kept up with this story, especially those who have reviewed or bookmarked it as a favorite or put me on alert. You're awesome!

This chapter has no spoilers.

Blair opened his eyes sleepily, wondering what had woken him. He was still on the sofa, and he could hear Jim moving around the apartment. He wasn't sure how long he had been asleep, but he thought with satisfaction that it may actually have been longer than two hours. He blinked the sleep from his eyes and struggled to sit up.

Jim was halfway across the room to the door, but he stopped to look at his partner sheepishly. "Sorry, Chief. I wasn't paying attention, and Simon made it all the way to the door. I didn't mean to wake you up."

Blair blinked groggily and then grinned as he realized what Jim had just said. "Wait . . . you mean Simon actually got to knock on the door? That's awesome!" He yawned, leaning his head against the back of the sofa.

Jim opened the door to a smirking Simon. "Something wrong, Jim? I actually had to knock!"

"Yeah, yeah, you guys are so funny. I wasn't paying attention, okay?" Jim closed the door behind his friend and led the way to the living room.

"How're you doing, Sandburg?" Simon sat down in the armchair across from the sofa. "Feeling any better yet?"

Blair chuckled. "I've only been home a few hours. I don't feel any different yet. Give me a little while to sleep and start healing!"

Simon smiled back contritely. "Sorry, kid."

Blair snuggled back down against his pillow on the couch, pulling his blanket up over his shoulders. He closed his eyes, listening drowsily as Jim and Simon talked quietly about one of the cases they had been working on at the station. It didn't seem very long before the voices faded out and he drifted back to sleep.

*****

Jim ushered Simon from the apartment, and then turned to look back at Blair. The two men had discussed work for nearly an hour and a half, and Blair had never even moved in that time. Finally Simon had excused himself, declaring that he would stop in again when Blair was feeling better.

Jim sat down in the armchair, taking a moment to monitor Blair's heart rate. It was still skipping beats occasionally, but it definitely sounded better than it had before Doctor Simmons had started him on the Rythmol. Sandburg was deeply asleep and Jim hoped he would stay that way for a long time. Sleep had to be the best thing for him right now, especially since he had gotten so little undisturbed sleep in the hospital.

He wondered if this procedure could actually completely fix Blair's heart condition. After all of the problems he had struggled with over the past few years, it almost seemed too easy, although he knew that Blair would argue that point. He was sure the actual procedure had not seemed easy to the patient at all. It just seemed unreal to think that after he healed, Blair might never have another issue with his heart. Doctor Simmons had told them that was the ultimate goal but warned them that some patients still needed to take medication even after the ablation, and in rare cases an additional ablation was necessary or even other types of additional intervention, such as a pacemaker. He sincerely hoped that Blair was not one of those rare patients.

He sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. He should really be taking advantage of Blair's sound sleep and get some sleep himself, but he just couldn't seem to pull himself away for that long. He stood and headed into the kitchen. Maybe he could make some dinner while he waited for Blair to wake up from his nap.

*****

Blair woke to a delicious smell permeating the loft and the muted sounds of Jim moving quietly around the kitchen. He smiled blearily as his stomach growled suddenly. Whatever Jim was making smelled really good, especially after the bland breakfast he had consumed several hours earlier. This smelled like real food, a definite improvement. In fact, if his nose was not deceiving him, he was smelling his own lasagna. Jim must have thawed some out and heated it up.

He opened his eyes, staring vacantly at the blank television screen across from him while he got his bearings. He had really been out, which was probably the best thing for him. Wrapping one hand in the loose material at the top of the sofa, he slowly pulled himself up to a sitting position, where he sat blinking owlishly for a moment.

"Hey, Chief. Welcome back. I didn't wake you up, did I?" Jim was suddenly there, a dish towel in one hand, hovering over him anxiously.

Blair shook his head, but decided that might not have been such a good idea when the room spun. He tightened his grip on the back of the couch and dropped his head back to rest again the soft material. "No." He cleared his throat when his voice came out as a croak. "Uh, I don't think so, anyway. I think I just woke up because I had enough sleep."

"Well, I have some lasagna heating. I figured that's about as far from hospital food as we can get." He grinned. "Do you want me to bring some in here?"

"No." Blair swung his feet down to the floor." I need to get up anyway." He gestured vaguely toward the bathroom.

Jim nodded. "Do you need any help?"

"I'll let you know." Blair stood up slowly and then released his hold on the sofa. Carefully balancing himself, he stepped toward the bathroom, relieved when he didn't need to hang on to anything. "Yeah, I think I'm good. I'll be back in a few minutes." Still moving slowly, he steadied himself against the wall as he approached the door.

It didn't take him long to finish his business and clean up a little. He had to laugh when he looked in the mirror. His eyes were marked by dark circles, but that wasn't what had him chuckling. His curly hair was sticking out in every direction. He couldn't believe that Jim hadn't said anything. Wetting his brush, he made a valiant attempt to tame the curls, but finally gave up and headed back to the living room.

Jim was sitting at the table in the kitchen waiting for him. His face reddened when Blair approached, and Blair grinned.

"I caught you, didn't I?" He eased down into his chair, sniffing appreciatively at the fragrant pasta on his plate. "You were monitoring me again."

Jim grinned, embarrassed. "Guilty."

"So . . . what's the verdict?" Sandburg slumped down in his chair at the table, amazed that he was tired just from walking that far. He surveyed the table with interest. A plate of lasagna and a bowl of salad sat in front of him. "This looks good."

Jim grinned. "Thanks. I can heat stuff up with the best of them. And the verdict is you sound better each time I 'listen in'. I think that Rythmol is really doing the trick."

"Good." Blair picked up his fork and began to eat, only realizing exactly how hungry he was when he tasted the food.

*****

Blair was sleeping again. He had done a lot of that in the two days since he had been home, but Jim noticed that every time he did, his heart calmed a little more. It almost sounded normal now. He would be the last person to begrudge his partner a little . . . or rather a lot . . of sleep if it was actually going to heal him. It was just getting kind of boring. He had been keeping the guys at bay, trying to let Blair get his rest, but that meant that he had really had nobody to talk to either. Most of his time was spent taking care of his 'patient'. He made sure Blair had food and plenty to drink, he woke him up when it was time for his next dosage of medication, and this morning he had even hovered outside the bathroom door while the younger man took his first approved shower.

When the telephone rang, he was pathetically happy for contact with the outside world. He grabbed it eagerly. "Ellison."

"Hey, Jim. " Simon's deep voice sounded better than he could have imagined. "How's Sandburg doing? Are you about ready to come back to work?"

"Hey, Simon." Jim sat down on the sofa, relieved that he didn't even need to speak quietly since Blair had opted to sleep in his room this afternoon. "Blair's doing great. He's been sleeping a lot, but his heart rhythm keeps getting more regular. I think I might come in for a while tomorrow. "

"That's great, Jim. Listen, I know that you thought it was too soon for the guys to come visit. Now that he's doing better, do you think he would be up for some company tonight? We'll even bring the food. "

Jim felt relief seep through him. Simon's plan sounded absolutely perfect. Blair would be able to stay up for a little while, the guys would get to visit, and Jim would have something to do other than listen to Blair's heart rate. As much as he cared about his roommate and was concerned about his condition, the enforced solitude was about to drive him insane.

"That sounds like a great idea, Simon." He hoped that his quick reply didn't come across as too desperate.

Simon's chuckle told him that his boss knew him too well. "Have you been missing adult conversation, Jim? Don't worry; Rafe is bringing a deck of cards. We can squeeze in some poker while we're visiting."

Ellison laughed. "Am I that easy to read? It's just that he's been mostly sleeping since he got home, and I haven't had anyone to talk to. But I think he'll be fine to be up for a while tonight. It will do us both some good."

Simon and Jim finalized their plans for the evening, and then Jim decided he should wake Blair so that he could get up and get ready for their company. He stepped quietly into Blair's room, looking fondly at his sleeping partner. Blair was sleeping on his side, his hair curling wildly in all directions. He looked impossibly young. One arm hung over the side of the bed, and Jim wondered how long it had been like that. He hoped it hadn't gone to sleep. He carefully grasped Blair's wrist and lifted his arm back onto the bed.

Blair shifted in his sleep and tucked the offending arm back under his pillow, snuggling in closer under his blanket. Jim grinned. He must be feeling less anxious about Blair's recovery, because he had an overwhelming urge to take a picture. It would look great on the Major Crimes bulletin board!

*****

When the first guests arrived, Blair was waiting anxiously on the sofa. He had been awake for a while and was looking forward to some company other than Jim. He knew that this would be good for his partner, too. It couldn't have been very interesting sitting around the house being quiet for the past couple of days.

Jim was out on the balcony making sure that the grill was ready for use. Apparently, the guys had volunteered to bring dinner, and that included something to grill. Blair glanced up at the open door to the hallway. Since Jim was outside, he had left the door to the hallway propped open so that Blair would not have to get up to let their visitors in.

Blair sighed. He was perfectly capable of walking across the room and opening the door. It was just another example of the overprotective nature Jim had been lavishing on him the past few days. Part of the reason he had been sleeping so much was because Jim wouldn't let him do anything else. He knew it had been helping his heart to heal from the ablation, but it was also incredibly boring.

"Anybody home?" Simon and Joel walked into the apartment, both carrying bags of food.

Blair immediately stood up and headed toward his visitors. "Hey, guys!"

"Sandburg, are you supposed to be walking around?" Simon's stern question made Blair stop and stare at him in frustration.

"Actually, yes. I am supposed to be walking around. But my guard dog won't let me do anything! I am so glad to see other people!" He glared out toward the balcony, and then headed for the kitchen.

"I heard that." Jim stepped in from the balcony, smiling at Blair good-naturedly. "Hey, guys. You can bring the stuff for the grill right out. I have it all ready. Blair, show Joel where we keep the bowls for salad and then sit down somewhere, okay?" He headed back out for the balcony, followed by Simon, who cast Blair a sympathetic look before turning his attention to the grill.

Joel stood in the middle of the floor with his bag of salad supplies in his arms, watching the interaction between the two men. He followed Blair into the kitchen and put the bag down beside the sink. The younger man wearily pointed out the cabinet that contained the salad bowls and then headed back toward the living room.

"Hey, Blair. Maybe you could sit on one of these stools?" Joel dragged one of the tall stools from the breakfast bar up to the sink. "That way, you'll be sitting like Jim asked, but you can still help."

Blair looked back, startled, but then grinned widely. "Thank you! Aw, man, you have no idea how happy I am that you guys came by tonight! When are Henri and Rafe coming?" He sat on the stool and grabbed a handful of vegetables out of the bag, preparing to wash, peel and dice.

Joel grinned back at him. "Glad to help. They should be here soon. I think they were stopping by Rafe's apartment. He needed to go home to get a deck of cards for poker."

Blair nodded, already carefully peeling a carrot. It was so nice to finally be able to do something other than sleep.

*****

"Hey, Hairboy, you take care of yourself." Henri was the last of the visitors to leave, and Jim watched as Blair grinned and nodded at his guest's advice.

Blair closed the door behind the departing guests and then slowly walked to the sofa to sit down. Watching him closely, Jim saw exhaustion, but also something he hadn't seen since before the ablation. Blair was content. He hadn't overdone things, but he had actually managed to help with the dinner and had obviously enjoyed interacting with his friends. And Jim was sure that the fact that he had cleaned up at poker didn't hurt.

"Hey, Chief."

Blair had stretched out on the sofa, and he rolled his head now to look at Jim curiously. "Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Blair pushed himself back up to a sitting position. "What for?"

"I've been smothering you the past few days. I was just trying to look out for you, but I guess I didn't realize until tonight how much you actually have improved." He sighed. "I should have been letting you do more for yourself."

Blair's smile lit up the room. "Hey, man. No problem. I know you were just trying to help! I'm just glad that the guys decided to visit tonight. I think it was good for both of us. I know you haven't been having any fun the last few days either."

Jim shook his head. "Well, since I wasn't letting you do anything, that was kind of my fault, wasn't it?"

Blair laughed out loud. "Well, since you put it that way . . ." He sobered. "Actually, all that sleep did help, I think. I am feeling a lot better. So even though I was getting frustrated, thanks."

Jim nodded. "I'm going into work tomorrow morning, if that's okay with you."

"Yes!" Blair caught himself, coloring at the exuberance in his voice. "Uh, I mean that's okay with me."

This time Jim laughed out loud. "I guess I had that coming. Well I'm going to head to bed now. Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm good." Blair watched as Jim headed for the stairs to his bedroom and then he grabbed the TV remote. He was going to stay up as long as he wanted tonight. Maybe he would even fall asleep watching television.

TBC . . .

Okay, we are actually getting toward the end of the story, but that doesn't mean that all of the action is over! It will probably be maybe two more chapters from here. Thanks again for reading, and please review and let me know what you think!