Survival, Missing Scene
Fandom: The Sentinel
Disclaimer: Jim, Blair, Simon, Naomi, and The Sentinel belong to Pet Fly, UPN, and Paramount and no copyright infringement is intended.
Archive: Not at this time.
Warning: This is my first attempt at writing discipline fiction so please be gentle.
Notes: Thanks to my beta readers: Judy, Elaine, and Joey for the inspiration for some of these scenes and helping me to put the finishing touches on this story.
Summary: A missing scene from the Survival episode of 'The Sentinel.'
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Jim threw the laundry basket to the side and rushed into the kitchen to catch Sandburg as he overbalanced on one leg and started to tilt towards the floor.
"Oh God! Thanks Jim!" Ellison had caught Sandburg around the waist with one arm and now hoisted him up into his arms heading for the bedroom.
"Hey Jim, you can put me down now really, I'm fine."
"You wanna tell me what you're doing out of bed? The doctors only released you on the condition that you have complete bed rest for the whole weekend. You're going to pull those stitches open or break your good leg!"
"I was hungry and you were in the laundry room so I didn't think it would hurt to just get a quick glass of juice. I wasn't sure when you'd be back, see ..." he trailed off with a gulp at the look in Jim's eyes.
"This is the third time in as many hours that I've found you out of bed," said Jim laying him down gently on his bed, his voice rising with every word. "What do I have to do to get it through your thick skull that you are NOT allowed out of bed? Not for food, not for drink, not to check the mail or what's on TV, not even to use the bathroom," he yelled. "Comprende´?"
"Yeah Jim, I get it," Blair said with a slight pout as he settled his back against the wall. "I think everyone in a 3 mile radius got it," he muttered sarcastically. "It's just so boring and I really don't feel all that bad, and I'm really careful ..." he trailed off as he realized that Jim was staring at him.
"Oh for Pete's sake look what you did to yourself."
Blair looked down. A rapidly spreading red juice stain was on the front of his sweat pants.
"Oh geez," he grimaced. "I must have spilled it when I lost my balance."
"Here, let's get these off you. Can you slide down a little and lift your hips up just a bit?" said Jim.
A little hesitantly, Blair started to slide down but caught his breath in pain.
"Here, wait," said Jim. "Let me do it." He put his arm around Blair's back and tucked his other under his good leg and slid him down slowly and with great care until he was flat on his back.
"All right I'm gonna slide these off. You tell me if it hurts, OK?" He hooked his fingers inside the waistband of his sweats and gently pulled them down taking his boxers, which were also wet, with them. Blair blushed.
"Ah ... Jim ... I can do this myself ... really ... "
"No you can't and it's OK Chief. You haven't got anything I haven't seen before." He finished pulling the sweats and boxers over the bandages on his leg and completely off and walked over to put them in the hamper. When he turned around Blair had hastily pulled the sheet up over his groin. Jim smiled to himself. One thing about Blair - he was surprisingly modest for someone who was so open in other aspects of his life. He didn't even walk from the shower to his room without completely covering up. *Hmm,* thought Jim. *This might be the answer to Blair's 'wanderlust'.*
"Where do you keep your clean pants and underwear, Chief?"
"That one on the upper right and the other right underneath it," said Blair, pointing to the dresser. Jim opened both drawers and reached in and pulled armfuls of pants and underwear out, but instead of selecting a pair for Blair, he marched into the living room and tossed them into one of the empty laundry baskets.
"Jim! What are you doing?" Blair's voice rose in confusion.
"I think I just figured out a way to keep you in bed this weekend," Jim said with a satisfied smile.
"What? You can't take my clothes man! That's ...that's... that's just plain sick," he said in outrage.
"Naw, that's how I'm gonna keep you in bed this weekend. Come Monday morning, if you've been a good little boy, you get your clothes back." Jim reached down and patted his cheek and then stood with his arms crossed over his chest and a triumphant smile on his face.
Blair sputtered with indignation, but to no avail. After 5 minutes of ranting and raving about psycho Sentinels who think it's funny to take away a man's most basic needs, (stop laughing, man - pants are too basic!) he finally calmed down realizing that it wasn't getting him anywhere. He might as well have been talking to a brick wall for all the response he got from Jim, who, after his initial laughter, was now in the kitchen cleaning up the juice spill. He decided to try a different tactic.
"Come on Jim, I'm a grown man," he said in what he hoped was a reasonable tone but had a sneaking suspicion that it sounded more like a whine. "You don't show any respect for me when you take away my clothes. You're treating me like some naughty little kid ..."
"If the shoe fits ..." said Jim who was now in the doorway. Blair scowled at him, lapsing into silence.
"You know, it's not like you weren't warned. It's going to take a helluva lot longer for that leg to heal, now. You have got to put your trust in the doctors and in me that we have your best interests at heart."
Blair looked shamefaced. "I know Jim. It's not that I doubt that. It's just... I just... I'm used to taking care of myself, you know? And I just have such a hard time lying here all day."
"Well, I'm not going to go through last week again. We were really worried about you, Chief. I almost called Naomi that first week in the hospital."
Jim was referring to the infection that set in Blair's leg after he had been shot during their little survival test in the woods with Quinn and associates. Sandburg had hated being in the hospital after the first couple of days and managed to talk the doctors into letting him go home early because, in Blair's words, his roommate used to be an army medic and he could take care of anything, man, ANYTHING, that came up. Of course, Jim had reports to fill out about the incident along with some new cases that were dropped in his lap, and had to spend much of his time down at the station leaving the hyperactive young man alone. Blair had not been able to follow strict orders to stay off his leg as much as possible, and had been lax caring for the wound because of the pain and his discomfort. Eventually, new infection had set in. Jim had come home to find him collapsed on the kitchen floor and had rushed him to the emergency room with a high fever and a severely bruised rib that occurred when he hit the edge of the kitchen table as he fell.
Ellison felt like it was his fault for not taking better care of his partner. He simply had no idea how bad a patient Sandburg could be. Blair didn't remember much of the next couple of days in the hospital, but gathered that he had given everybody quite a scare. Even Simon had given him a hug when he had come to the hospital to visit Blair. The doctors had released him to Jim's care this morning with the stipulation that complete bed rest was required over the weekend. Jim came back to the present as he heard Sandburg say:
"Oh man, I am like so glad you didn't call Naomi! That's all I needed, my mom AND you to hover ..." Blair quickly closed his mouth at the look on Jim's face.
"I do not 'hover'," Sandburg," said Jim with a glare. "Naomi, however, is another story. You know, she must have some sort of 6th sense about you. You hadn't heard from her for months other than her letters and she calls the day you're back in the hospital. She should be here Monday or Tuesday. I suggest you take advantage of the peace and quiet while you can. Your mom's a great lady
but I don't remember too much 'serenity' around here whenever she shows up. In the meantime, let's try my way and see if you can stay put. It's time for a pain pill." Jim turned and went into the kitchen for the pills and a glass of water.
"Well, I still say you shouldn't have told her I needed her!" yelled Blair after him. "I should be fine to take care of myself by Monday," he muttered under his breath. He lay there, flat on his back, pouting, with his arms crossed over his chest. Jim came back in the room with the pills and water. He put them down on the nightstand and propped Blair up with some pillows so he could take his medicine. Blair made a grab for his sheet before it could slide down his legs as Jim propped him up, blushing profusely. He took the pills without a fight and Jim helped him lay back down again, tucking the blanket and quilt around him.
"Do you need anything?" Blair stubbornly shook his head and turned his face away, still a little miffed at being treated like a child. Jim left the water on the nightstand and crossed to the door.
"Try to rest, Chief. Call me if you need anything. I'll be right out in the living room, OK?"
Blair relented. It simply wasn't in his nature to stay mad at his Sentinel. And Jim couldn't help it if he hovered, he thought to himself; it was probably some sort of 'Sentinel-related' thing anyway. "OK and Jim - thanks."
"You're welcome, Blair."
Jim went into the living room to start folding clean laundry. 15 minutes later he went to check on Sandburg and found him fast asleep and softly snoring. In spite of his restlessness, he still needed frequent naps to recover from the infection. They hadn't even been home a whole day and Jim was exhausted from herding Blair back to bed all day and arguing with him about it. He wished he'd thought of removing his pants earlier. An hour later he was starting dinner while watching the news on TV when he heard someone approach the door. He opened the door and put a finger to his lips just as Simon was poised to knock.
"Come on in, Simon. Blair's still sleeping," he whispered softly.
"How's he doing?" asked Simon as he took off his coat and hung it up.
"Well, if I could keep him in bed, things would be just hunky-dory," he replied. "But Sandburg has a mind of his own. Now if we could just find where he keeps it."
Simon smiled. "Thought I'd bring you up to date on the case."
"Why don't you stay for dinner? There's a Jags game on TV tonight, too."
"What's for dinner? Did you cook it?"
"Why Simon, if I didn't know better I'd think your answer depends on who did the cooking. I think I'm insulted. Don't you like my cooking?"
"You don't cook Jim," Simon said dryly, not at all impressed with Jim's rendition of injured dignity. "You heat up."
Jim started to protest and then just shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah you're right. Sandburg made some casseroles a while ago and froze them. They're not half bad. I'm heating one up right now."
Simon leaned back and made himself comfortable and began to update Jim on their current cases.
A little while later, Jim heard stirrings coming from Blair's room.
"Jiiiim, I'm cold," came a whiny voice.
"No, you're not. I put a second blanket on the bed while you were sleeping," Jim raised his voice loud enough for Blair to hear.
More silence. Jim and Simon went back to discussing the case in low tones so they wouldn't bother Blair.
"Jiiiim, I need a drink."
"I left a glass of water on your nightstand, remember?"
"Oh, yeah."
More silence.
"Jim! I want my damn pants back!" came a shout.
Simon raised an eyebrow at Jim.
Jim just shrugged his shoulders. "It was the only way I could get him to stay in bed."
"Chief, Simon's here."
"What?! How long's he been out there?"
"About a half hour."
"Shit!" More aggrieved mumblings were heard.
"Jim, can I go see him?" asked Simon
"Sure, just tell him to get decent first."
Simon stood up and went to the half-closed door to the bedroom and knocked.
"Sandburg, are you decent in there? I'd like to come in and talk to you."
"Oh - yeah, sure Simon. Come in."
Simon poked his head in. "You OK?"
"Yeah, yeah. Have a seat." He pointed to the chair next to the bed.
Simon sat down and they talked for a little while about station gossip. Blair told Simon how hard it was to just lie in bed all day and Simon suggested a game of cards. Blair's eyes lit up at that and Simon called to Jim to bring a deck of cards in. They used the bed tray as a makeshift table and started a round of three-handed rummy. After several hands (all of which Blair gleefully won) the timer on the stove went off and Jim collected the cards. "Time for dinner," he announced. Blair looked disappointed but perked up when Jim and Simon both brought their plates into Blair's room to eat with him.
"That was mighty good, Blair. You're going to have to give me the recipe for this," said Simon leaning back in his chair.
"OK. Hey, how about one more hand of cards?" asked Blair enthusiastically. They all agreed and Jim suggested poker this time.
"OK man, but no cheating. You can't use your hearing or your sight, right Simon?"
"Seems fair to me," said Simon
"Like I would ever cheat," Jim put a wounded expression on his face.
"Yeah, right. You just conveniently forgot that basketball game we played with Rafe and H a while back. You used your senses to win that one!"
"What! Chief - that was your idea!"
"No one was forcing you, Jim."
"I didn't want to use my senses - you were the one who wanted to win and kept pestering me to use them!" Jim sputtered.
"That's beside the point."
"Whaddaya mean that's 'beside the point' ...!"
"Jim, Jim," said Simon with a warning look. "Calm down. Lighten up on the kid a little. He's hurt. Cut him a little slack."
Blair looked innocently at Jim placing a hand over his injured rib with a pained expression on his face. Jim narrowed his eyes at Sandburg. Blair tried hard to repress a triumphant smile. It wasn't often that he got Simon on his side and he was going to take advantage of it in every way he could.
"Fine. Let's play." Jim reached for the cards and started to shuffle them.
"Did I tell you, Simon, that Naomi will be arriving on Monday or Tuesday?" asked Jim.
"No. Well, that'll help you guys. Naomi can help take care of you, Blair, so Jim can take a break."
Blair shot a look at Simon. "I don't need any help taking care of myself," he said a little belligerently. "Besides, Jim will be here, anyway. Won't you, Jim?"
"Well, no Blair. I'm going back to work as soon as Naomi gets here. You knew that."
"I did not! I thought you would be here the whole time she was in town!"
"You don't need two people here to take care of you. And I need to get back to work. My paperwork is starting to pile up."
"Well that's just great, man, just great!" Blair threw down his cards, crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Jim.
"What's wrong, Chief? You'll get to spend some quality time with your mom. I'd think you'd be looking forward to that. You two have a great relationship."
"Oh yeah? Well, you've obviously never been around Naomi Sandburg when she goes into 'nurse' mode. If I thought you hovered, well she's the queen of 'nurture overkill'."
"Listen," said Jim raising his voice. "I DO NOT hover."
"Yes, you do," said Simon and Blair at the same time.
Jim threw up his hands in exasperation.
"Jim, can't you please, please, please stay home?"
"I can't, Blair. There's too much to do right now and we're all a little backed up."
"Oh damnit! This just really, really sucks! Big time!"
"Come on Blair, it can't be that bad. Your mother is a wonderful lady." Blair just gave Simon a baleful look. "Pick up your cards and let's finish this game. This is not in your control so try to relax while you can, OK?"
Blair acquiesced and picked up his cards. They were right - there was nothing he could do about it now. But they had no idea what it was like to be the only son of Naomi Sandburg. They played one hand of poker, which Jim won this time. And due to this fact, he had to endure suspicious questioning from his friends who wanted to ascertain if Jim had won using his senses or not. Then they watched the Jags game in Blair's room on his TV. Finally they called it a night and Simon headed home.
"Come on Chief, let's get you ready for bed," said Jim.
"Um Jim. I need to use the bathroom ..." said Blair hesitantly.
"OK. Let me help you with the bedpan."
"Can't you just help me to the bathroom? I feel fine. I'm sure it won't hurt anything if ..."
"No way, Junior. The doctors were really specific on what you could and couldn't do this weekend. It's not so bad and you'll be able to use the bathroom yourself come Monday, if you behave yourself and follow their instructions."
Blair gave in and let Jim help him with the bedpan, embarrassed and blushing the whole time, knowing he didn't really have a choice in the matter.
Jim finally settled Blair into bed after making sure he took all his medicine. He looked down at Blair who was snuggling under the covers, trying to get warm and comfortable. Blair peered at him from under the blanket.
"You know, Jim - I'd sleep better if you gave me back my pants. I promise not to leave the bed for anything short of an emergency."
"Nice try, Darwin. Your definition of 'emergency' and mine probably differ quite a bit. And *I'll* sleep better if I don't give you back your pants."
"Smart-ass," Blair whispered under cover of the blankets.
Jim just grinned and said "Night, Chief. You call me if you need anything, OK?"
"OK, Jim," said Blair, yawning.
The next morning started off fine from Jim's point of view. He slept well, Blair didn't wake up until almost 10:00, and Jim had already cleaned the loft for Naomi's arrival. He'd borrowed a rollaway bed from their neighbor across the hall for Naomi and had everything in place when Blair woke up.
"Jim! What the hell is this in my bedroom?" came a yell from Blair's room.
Jim came and stood at the door to Blair's room.
"That's Naomi's bed while she's here. She specifically asked me to put a cot or something in your room so she could take care of you if you needed anything during the night."
"Well, get it out! I'm not going to sleep with my mom! She's crazy! I don't need her to sleep in here, anyway. I'll be just fine!"
"OK, OK," said Jim trying to placate him. "But you're going to explain it to her when she gets here - not me."
"Oh, I'll explain it to her all right," he said belligerently.
Jim got a thoughtful look on his face as he pulled the bed out of Blair's room.
"What?" said Blair grumpily as he watched Jim.
"Well, you know, I was just thinking that I've got a pretty big bed and I wouldn't mind sharing ..."
"Oh my God, you're talking about my MOTHER here Jim! I can't believe you would even seriously suggest such a, a, PERVERTED ..."
"Chief! I was thinking that you could move upstairs with me until Naomi leaves," said Jim with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh," said Blair, a little flustered. "Well, but then I couldn't get to the bathroom very easily. The doctor said I could use the bathroom and not the bedpan starting Monday, right?"
"Yeah, you're right. But, there's always the bedpan ..."
"No way, man! I really am beginning to hate that thing. Mom will be just fine on that bed if you put it in the corner in the living room."
"Chief, the bedpan would just be for emergencies in the evening. You'd probably never use it. You should be able to navigate the stairs by Monday or Tuesday so you can lie on the couch during the day. The doctor said you could use the stairs as long as you didn't overdo it and you didn't go into work for a week."
"Well, I suppose that could work ..."
"If it doesn't, then we'll move you back downstairs, Ok?"
"Ok," said Blair reluctantly. "Um, speaking of bedpans, Jim ..."
Jim took the hint and helped Blair with many blushes and discomfiture on the younger man's part.
Finally Jim helped Blair into a clean shirt and Blair tried to talk Jim into returning his pants.
"Nope," said Jim calmly. "You are going to stay in bed and this is the only thing that's worked so far."
"I promise on my ... my ... my great grandfather's grave ..."
"Stow it, Chief. I have to wash your clothes from yesterday anyway. When I'm done you can have them back, but you have to promise to stay in bed."
"Oh yeah?" said Blair truculently. "What'll you do if I don't, huh?"
Jim narrowed his eyes at Blair and said slowly "I'll tell your mother the best way to keep you in bed is to hide all your pants."
Blair backed off immediately. "Aww, Jim. You don't play fair at all. You wouldn't - would you?" No answer. "Well, would you? Oh man, that is SO not fair ..."
Jim just smiled evilly and returned to the living room.
Blair managed to stay in bed until mid-afternoon and then he just had to try a little trip to the living room to the couch while Jim was upstairs in the bedroom putting away clothes after putting Blair's pants back on him.
Right as he limped over to the doorway he heard a voice yell down the stairs "Stay right where you are, Sandburg!"
Blair froze, eyes wide in surprise. Jim came down the stairs and marched over to him. He put his arm around his waist and put Blair's arm around his shoulder and half-carried him back to the bed.
"Not the bed, Jim! Please ... I want to watch TV in the living room. I can't stand it in here one more minute!"
Jim relented and carried him over to the couch. He sat him on his feet in front of the couch and gave him a swat on the butt.
"Hey! What was that for, man?" said Blair, looking at Jim a little warily.
"That was for not staying in bed. And there's more where that came from if you get up again without telling me," said Jim firmly. Then he helped him to lie down. He brought a couple of pillows and a blanket. Blair snuggled down into his 'nest' of blankets and, keeping a wary eye on Jim, turned on the TV and settled down.
Everything went according to Jim's schedule for the rest of the day. Blair was content for the most part to lie on the couch and watch TV or doze off, as long as Jim was nearby. After cleaning up the dinner dishes, Jim finally sat down at the end of Blair's couch to relax a little when the phone rang. It was Naomi.
"Hello, Jim! How's my baby boy?"
"Hello, Naomi! He's resting comfortably. Are you at the airport? You're here a little early."
"Yes. I managed to get an earlier flight and I just picked up my bags. I'm taking a cab over to your place."
"Don't do that. Let me come pick you up."
"Oh, that's too much bother, Jim. Although I appreciate the offer ..."
"It's no bother, really. It'll only take me about 10 minutes to get there. Blair will be fine while I'm gone."
"Well, if you don't mind ..."
"Not at all."
They made arrangements for her to meet him and Jim hung up.
"Hey, man - didn't Mom want to talk to me?" asked Blair, somewhat disappointed.
Jim stood up and ruffled his hair. "Nope. I'm going to go pick her up right now. Don't worry; you'll have plenty of time to talk to her this week. Behave yourself while I'm gone. And don't get up from this couch, understand?" This last was said with a stern frown as Jim lifted Blair's chin to look into his eyes.
Blair irritably pushed Jim's hand away. "I understand! Geez, you're treating me like a little kid who can't be trusted," he said grumpily.
Jim just stood and glared down at him. "I said OK - I understand, man!" said Blair, a little intimidated.
Jim smiled. "Good, because I'm sure you wouldn't like the consequences if you decided to ignore what I told you." He turned away to grab his coat and keys.
"What do you mean *consequences,* Jim?" asked Blair nervously.
"Like I told you earlier - there's more where that came from," Jim said with an enigmatic grin as he slid into his jacket. "Be back shortly. Remember what I said." And then he was gone.
Blair looked in trepidation at the door. *He wouldn't! Would he? Nah, he was just saying that to scare me. Well, it worked, didn't it? But he wouldn't really ... Naw, he was just fooling around earlier when he swatted me.* Satisfied that Jim was just teasing him, Blair settled back into the couch, deciding to stay there until Jim returned with Naomi. Not that he was scared of Jim's 'consequences' - no way, it was just that he was a little tired. Yeah - tired! After all, he was still recuperating from the infection.
Jim had picked up Naomi with no trouble.
"Jim - I'm so glad you called me," said Naomi as she climbed into the truck. "Blair always tells me these things after the fact."
"He doesn't want you to worry about him, Naomi."
"I know. I just wish he'd let me know when something like this happens."
"Hey, he's really glad you're here. Don't let him make you think otherwise. He's a little headstrong. Doesn't like being dependent but he'll work through it."
"Jim, you just described my son to a 't' when he's not feeling well. Believe me, I've been through this before. I hope he hasn't given you too hard of a time."
"Well, he's a little stubborn - won't stay in bed or rest enough. But between the two of us, I'm sure we can handle him."
They smiled fondly at each other and the conversation turned to what Naomi had been doing for the last couple of months.
When they walked into the loft, Blair was dozing on the couch. Naomi went over and kissed his forehead, waking him up.
"Hi, Mom," said Blair sleepily as his eyes fluttered open, a little smile of pleasure on his face.
"Hi, Sweetie. How are you feeling?"
"Oh, I'm fine. You really didn't have to come ..."
"No more of that kind of talk! There's no place I'd rather be and you know it. Would you like to see what I brought you?" Naomi pulled out several boxes from her bags and proceeded to update Blair on her travels. Like a small child, Sandburg eagerly opened the presents, showing each to Jim in delight.
Jim quietly watched the two of them, smiling and nodding when appropriate. Although, there was little resemblance between them, Blair was definitely his mother's child. They each had a sort of naivete that was in direct opposition to their being well traveled and knowledgeable. That innocence seemed to draw people to them. The fondness and affection they had for each other was also very apparent. And he could tell that, in spite of Blair's words about 'Nurse Naomi,' he was eating up the hugs, and kisses, and attention his mother showered on him. Naomi was definitely attractive, Jim thought as he studied her, but he had learned not to mention that to her son. If she weren't his best friend's mother, he could easily fall for her, but Blair was very protective of his mother and Jim didn't want to even seriously think about how he would react if they ever got together. But there was no harm in teasing him about it now and then, he thought evilly. And Naomi played along beautifully when he did. Yes, she was definitely attractive, with a fine sense of fun.
Naomi had brought dessert and Jim went to make coffee while mother and son continued talking. He could hear Naomi quizzing Blair on his injuries and Blair trying to make light of them. He decided to have a private talk with Naomi after Blair went to bed.
They ate the cake and drank the coffee and Jim announced that it was time for Blair to go to bed.
"I'm not tired yet, Jim," whined Blair, who was clearly having a hard time staying awake.
Jim just looked at him. Blair tried to hold his ground but lowered his eyes in defeat.
"Oh, all right," he said sulkily. Naomi reached over to him and gave him a kiss and hug.
"Goodnight, dear. Call me if you need anything at all during the night. We'll let Jim sleep through the night since he has to go to work tomorrow." Blair had already explained to her that she would be sleeping in the living room on the rollaway bed Jim had borrowed.
Jim smiled and helped him up and then swung him gently up into his arms.
"Jim! Not in front of my mom! Can't you just let me walk?" hissed Blair, red-faced and struggling a little.
"I'm sure Naomi understands, Chief," said Jim not breaking his stride, but exchanging a glance with Naomi, who tried to keep a smile off her face. He carried Blair into the bathroom and then into his bedroom and helped him get ready for bed. Once he was tucked in, he was asleep in seconds. Jim smiled at his gently snoring roommate. *Not tired yet, huh?* He reached down and smoothed Blair's hair back from his cheek tenderly before he left the room.
He had a long talk with Naomi filling her in on all the details and not trying to gloss over the seriousness of Blair's injuries.
"He's really bad at remembering to take his pain medication, Naomi. Especially right before bedtime. When he forgets, he has a pretty restless night. He did take it tonight, but if he wakes up in pain, it's OK to give him one more pill. And he walks around way too much during the day. He needs to rest. Other than going to the bathroom, he should stay in bed or on the couch. The doctors said he could start walking more than that in a few days. The wound is still red and sore. The thing they're worried about is more infection. Walking too much right now could cause irritation and another infection."
"All right, Jim. Don't worry and try to get some sleep tonight. I'll take care of him if he wakes up. I ... I really appreciate the fact that you've been there for Blair."
Jim smiled and pulled her into a hug. She clung to him in relief for a minute.
"He's going to be fine, Naomi. We just have to ride herd on him about following the rules for a while until his leg has healed a little more. He's a pistol when he thinks he knows better. "
"I know all too well, Jim. And I know he wasn't telling me the whole story earlier either. Thanks for filling me in."
They said goodnight to each other and went to their respective beds.
About three hours later, Naomi awoke to sounds from Blair's room. She walked over to his room, opened the doors, and looked in. Blair was thrashing around in the bed, tangled up in the sheets and moaning softly in pain. Naomi turned and went into the kitchen to get Blair's pain medicine and a glass of water and a couple of hand towels from the bathroom. She sat on the side of the bed and gently called Blair to consciousness. He finally opened his eyes and Naomi coaxed him to take his medicine.
"Don' need 'ny pills ... jus' let me 'lone," he slurred in pain.
Naomi finally got him to swallow the pill and then took the cool, damp towel and wiped the sweat off his brow.
Blair opened his eyes and tried to focus on her.
"Mom, I don't feel too good," he said.
"I know, honey. Just try to relax and you'll start to feel less pain."
"Hurts."
Naomi soothed him, but his eyes welled up with tears and started to spill over.
"Can't relax."
Naomi finally got him to roll over onto his good side and she rubbed his back until he relaxed and fell asleep again. Satisfied that he would stay asleep, she went back to bed.
The next morning, Jim and Naomi had breakfast together as Blair still slept. Naomi had explained that he had a restless night. Jim had slept through the night with the help of his white noise earplugs that Blair had given him.
"He's usually an absolute bear when he's tired AND sick," said Naomi.
"Well, feel free to give me a call if you can't handle it Naomi. "
"Oh, don't worry Jim. I've been through this a few times with Blair. It doesn't last long - just wears my patience down."
Jim grinned. "Say, since you have to deal with him today, I'll take him tonight so you can get some sleep. Deal?"
"Deal! I'll make dinner too, so don't worry about that."
"You know, Naomi, if you keep this up I might not let you leave."
"Oh Jim, you wouldn't be the first person to try and keep me from leaving," said Naomi, fluttering her eyelashes at him flirtatiously.
Jim smiled at her, mesmerized. "But I'll bet it would be worth trying." Naomi giggled and Jim was once again reminded of just how desirable a woman she was as he looked deep into her eyes. They were an unusual shade of brown ... almost caramel colored ... with just of hint of auburn in them like the autumn leaves ...
"Mom ... Jim ... What's going on?" came a suspicious and somewhat querulous voice.
Jim and Naomi instantly moved apart. Jim hadn't realized that they were so close together. Blair was standing at the doors to his bedroom staring peevishly at them
"Good morning, Blair!" said Naomi cheerfully.
"Morning, Chief." Jim mumbled and then grabbed his cup of coffee and gulped from it. "Gotta go. Call me if you need anything, Naomi. See you tonight!" With that, he quickly snagged his jacket and was out the door.
Blair looked suspiciously at Naomi, who looked innocently back.
"Would you like some juice, dear?" asked Naomi holding up the juice carton.
Blair rubbed his hand over his face, a little disgruntled, glared at Naomi, and made his way to the bathroom.
*Oh dear,* thought Naomi. *It's going to be one of THOSE days.* She sighed and wished she'd had a little more time to meditate in order to consider the best course of action to cope with Blair's foul mood. Thank God, they didn't happen very often. Her beautiful, sunny-natured son became the perfect example of a sulky, uncooperative, pain-in-the-butt adolescent when pain and illness combined with enforced rest to sideline him - and he did everything he could to push her away. Perhaps he wouldn't be so bad this time, she thought. He is, after all, a grown man now. Last time he was like this he had been a teenager. But that hope was dashed after Blair returned from the bathroom.
The juice wasn't the flavor that he liked, he wasn't interested in eggs for breakfast and Naomi's offer of pancakes was met with a sharp "Stop fussing over me!" Naomi got him settled in on the couch with some books and magazines and the TV remote. But Blair kept finding excuses to get up from the couch. Naomi kept herding him back. Blair got more and more irritated with everything his mother did and eating very little contributed to his irritability. This continued throughout the day, with Blair finding fault with everything Naomi tried to do to make him more comfortable. Jim always made sure he had the warm, fuzzy acrylic blankets when he laid on the couch, and HE never made Blair wear more than a t-shirt if he didn't want to (a blatant obfuscation on Blair's part - Jim frequently bullied him into dressing warmer if he thought Blair needed to). Naomi tried everything she could think of to make him metamorphose back into her sunny-natured, easy-going, 'good' son but it was not meant to be. She also knew that his leg was throbbing and bothering him, adding insult to injury. Blair seemed to take it as a personal affront that his leg chose to bother him while his mother was here and channeled all those miserable feelings into his discontent with Naomi out of habit. Finally 6:00 came and Jim arrived home. And not a moment too soon as far as Naomi was concerned.
"Ummm, what's that wonderful smell," said Jim, sniffing appreciatively as he hung up his jacket.
"It's my special sour cream and potato casserole. I added some meat to it and I think it's going to be my best improvisation yet if I do say so myself."
"I can't wait. How are you doing, Blair? Feeling any better today?" Jim brought the mail over to the couch and sat down beside his partner.
"I'm fine," Blair said somewhat testily. Jim examined him. Little lines of pain etched out from his eyes that normally weren't there. His leg was obviously bothering him. He reached out a hand to check Blair's forehead for fever. Blair swatted it away in exasperation. "I told you I'm fine, dammit!"
Jim narrowed his eyes and stared at him.
Blair avoided Jim's eyes and said "Just leave me alone, will ya?"
Jim didn't say anything but looked over at Naomi questioningly. She shrugged apologetically as they exchanged glances.
"Supper will be ready soon," she said trying to change the subject.
"Good. Sounds like someone could use a good meal," remarked Jim, throwing a glance at Blair.
Blair just frowned more and his mouth tightened, but he said nothing.
They sat down to dinner about 15 minutes later. It was delicious and Jim didn't even mind the fact that he had to eat the salad that went along with it. He had stopped at the neighborhood deli on the way home and picked up a strawberry torte for dessert, but they decided to wait until later in the evening to eat it. Jim noticed that Blair didn't say or eat much at dinner. He got up to help Blair over to the bedroom telling him that he needed to take a short rest. Blair didn't argue so Jim knew he wasn't feeling good. Naomi started to clear off the table.
"Naomi, let me do that - you did all the cooking. It's only fair that I clean up."
"I don't mind, Jim, really. In fact, I rather enjoy the ritual of cleaning away the dirty dishes and tidying the kitchen with a friend. Why don't you help me? It'll go quicker that way." They worked companionably in the kitchen, chatting and cleaning up. Then Naomi ran some warm water into a large bowl and said, "I'm going to help him wash up a little before he goes to bed. He's really starting to smell rank."
"Yeah, I noticed. Has his mood been like this all day?" asked Jim.
"Oh yes - before you even got out the door this morning."
"I'm sorry, Naomi. I've never seen him act like this before."
"Well, I have. But not very often. However, the pattern is exactly the same since he was a teenager. I'm off to brave the lion's den. Wish me luck."
She picked up the bowl of water, towels and soap and walked over to Blair's room. Opening the doors, she sat the bowl down on the table next to the bed and wet a towel. Blair, who was not asleep, turned over.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going to give you a little sponge bath, sweetie. You're beginning to smell."
"Well I don't want one," he growled. "And I don't smell that bad."
"Believe me, darling you are starting to smell. Now this should go quickly if you cooperate. Let me help you off with that shirt."
"I SAID NO!"
"Blair, you're being unreasonable. Let me help you. You'll feel so much better after you're a little cleaner." She reached over to unbutton his shirt.
"I am not letting my mother give me a bath! I'm a grown man for Pete's sake!"
"Sometimes even grown men need help. Let me help you Blair."
"Will you stop being such a bitch?" shouted Blair.
He sat up on the edge of the bed and surged to his feet. He stormed out of the room into the living room and Naomi followed him.
"Blair!" said Naomi, shocked. "I'm just trying to help you."
"No, you're not - you're just being a BITCH!"
Naomi's eyes filled with tears and Jim, who had heard the whole thing from the kitchen, decided to put an end to this.
He stepped into the living room and looked sternly at Blair.
"I think you need to apologize to your mother, Chief."
"No! I'm not sorry about anything - except that she's acting like a bitch! She always does this when I'm ..." he was cut off abruptly in mid-rant as Jim grabbed him by the elbow and propelled him to his room.
"Excuse us, Naomi," Jim said, turning back and looking at her as he stopped at Blair's doors with his grip still firm on his arm. "We need to have a little talk," he said, looking forbiddingly at Blair. Stepping inside he shut the doors behind them.
Once inside, Blair snapped out of his shocked state and continued his rant.
"You have no right to tell me what to do! Just stay out of this ..."
"When you're in my house, you will not speak to your mother like that," said Jim firmly.
"Oh yeah?!" Blair was beyond reason now.
"Yes. Now I want you to calm down - right now. I know you'll see the logic of what I'm saying if you just take a deep breath and relax."
Blair's face turned alarmingly red. He would have stamped his foot, but he knew that would end in agony for his injured leg or cause him to fall. Instead, he looked wildly around and his eyes stopped on the wet towel that his mother had left on the bed from the aborted sponge bath.
Deep down inside Blair knew he was making a big mistake. And he knew he wasn't being fair to Naomi. But when he didn't feel well (which was rare), his temper had a short fuse.
He picked up the wet towel and flung it at Jim.
For a moment, everything was still. Blair immediately regretted throwing the towel. But laughter warred with fear and regret as he looked at Jim.
Jim, who hadn't been expecting it, was standing with his arms folded over his chest, the wet towel hanging off the side of his head, over one ear, dripping on his shoulder, and a look of stunned surprise adorning his face.
Then all hell broke loose.
"Goddamnit Blair!" Jim threw the wet towel on the bed and headed for his partner.
"If you're going to act like a child then I'm sure as hell going to treat you like one!"
Blair's eyes widened as fear won out over regret and laughter and he made a break for the door.
Jim caught him around the waist as he tried to dash past him, and pulled Blair around and under his arm, careful of his injured leg and ribs, and swatted his butt hard.
"Nooo! Dooon't!" screamed Blair. "I'm sorry!"
"Yeah, right - sorry you're being spanked!"
Jim swatted him a few more times - hard enough for Blair to know he meant business but not enough to do anything more than impart a sting through his pants. Blair screamed louder. Jim was astonished at the lungs on his charge. It sounded like he was torturing him instead of giving him a mere spanking, and a light one at that. He gave him a few more light swats and then Blair burst into noisy tears, sobbing as if his life depended on it - a far greater reaction than was warranted by a few smacks to his backside.
Jim pulled him up into an embrace, cuddling him as he sobbed his heart out into Jim's shirt. He walked over to the bed with Blair clinging to him and sat down. Jim rocked him and stroked his hair, while Blair continued to cry saying "I'm sorry ... so sorry, Jim" between gulping, choking sobs.
Jim rubbed his back and held him until his sobs died down.
"Jim?" said a small voice from his shirt.
"Yes? "
"I'm so ... sorry."
"I know you are, Blair. You need to tell that to Naomi, though."
There was a short silence.
"I don't think she'll ever forgive me ..." he said in a choked voice and the sobs started up again.
*Ah,* thought Jim. *There's the real problem.* "There, there," said Jim rocking him some more. "I think you'll find your mother has a very forgiving nature."
He cuddled Blair closer as he cried a little more.
Finally he stopped, exhausted and limp in Jim's arms. Jim reached around and snagged the towel off the bed.
"Here, wipe your face off a little. Then you need to talk to Naomi, OK?"
Blair nodded, wiping his nose.
Jim stood up and set Blair on his feet and lifted his chin to look in his eyes.
"I know you don't feel good, Chief and that's why you're acting like this. But that's no excuse for the kind of behavior I witnessed earlier. Do you understand?"
"Yes," said Blair, his mouth trembling as he tried to hold back more tears.
"OK. Let's go see Naomi and reassure her that I wasn't killing you in here." He ruffled Blair's hair and smiled. Blair smiled wanly back.
They went back in the living room. Naomi was sitting on the couch but jumped to her feet nervously when she saw them.
"Jim ..." she started to say.
Jim held up his hand behind Blair's back.
"Naomi, Blair has something he wants to say to you."
Blair walked over to his mother and stood in front of her.
"Mom, I'm really, REALLY sorry for ... for what I said to you. Can you ever forgive me?" Blair looked down at his feet as he waited for her answer.
"Oh, Blair, of course I forgive you." She put her arms around his shoulders and pulled him to her in a hug. He laid his head on her shoulder, sniffling a little.
"I know you don't feel well, Blair ..."
"But that's no excuse for what I said," said Blair quickly, echoing what Jim had told him earlier.
Naomi kissed his cheek and stroked his hair.
"Why don't we all start getting ready for bed and get a good night's sleep?" suggested Jim. "Chief, you sleep in my bed tonight so Naomi can get a good night's rest in yours." Blair started to open his mouth to argue but Jim just gave him a look and he closed it quickly. "OK," he said meekly.
"You rest here on the couch until I get your bed remade for Naomi," said Jim.
"Let me help you, Jim," said Naomi.
Blair sat down on the couch and started to flip through the channels on television with the remote. Jim and Naomi went into the small bedroom to make up the bed.
"You know Jim, I'm amazed," said Naomi, stripping the sheets off the bed.
"Why?" asked Jim as he reached for the clean set of sheets on the top shelf of Blair's closet.
"This isn't the first time Blair has done this to me - but it is very rare. He only acts like this when he's sick. And then it takes him hours, sometimes a whole day, to calm down enough to feel really miserable about it and apologize. This broke all records," she said with a smile.
"Well, you don't deserve to be talked to in that way, Naomi," said Jim gruffly.
"Thank you for your intervention."
They started putting the sheets on the bed when Naomi spoke up again.
"Jim, you've probably noticed that there are times when Blair seems to really crave 'male attention."
Jim stopped what he was doing and looked at her.
"Yeah, I have noticed that. I just figured that was the result of growing up without a father figure around most of the time. And I'm not criticizing you, Naomi. I can appreciate how hard it was to be a single parent at the time Blair was growing up. I think you did a fine job of raising him."
"Thank you, Jim. That means a lot to me. I tried to make sure he had male role-models around, but sometimes that just wasn't possible when he might have needed it the most. We traveled a lot and it was a different era ... I have to admit that there were a lot of different men in and out of our lives. I sometimes think any insecurities Blair has may stem from that ... anyway, I just wanted to say that I'm really grateful that you've taken Blair under your wing, so to speak. I can see that you've been a good influence on him. And it's clear he adores you."
"Hey, he's a good kid - one of the best."
They went back to making the bed and then returned to the living room. Blair was half-asleep on the sofa.
"Chief, if you're gonna sleep with me tonight, that sponge bath has to happen," said Jim.
Blair's eyes popped open. "Wha ... ?"
"Come on. I'll help you get cleaned up in the bathroom." Jim reached down to help him to his feet.
"Aw, Jim - I don't need to take a sponge bath ..." He stopped at the look on Jim's face. "OK, maybe I do, but I don't need any help ..."
"Yes, you do. No arguments. Now let's get going."
Jim helped him over to the bathroom with a firm grip on his arm, Blair whining all the way, but careful not to overdo it just in case Jim's hand came too close to his butt. No way he wanted to repeat that experience any time soon. But, surprisingly, he didn't feel mad at Jim for spanking him. He had only been spanked a couple of times in his life as a very small child. He felt oddly relieved and the experience had definitely been cathartic. He hated himself when he acted like that with Naomi. He never meant it, but couldn't seem to help himself when he was sick and it was usually a downward spiral for him from there. When he got to feeling better, he was able to apologize and was always surprised when his mother forgave him so quickly. But it didn't lift any of the feelings of guilt that he would carry around for days or even weeks afterwards. He wasn't sure he could voice all these feelings to Jim, at least not right now - it was still somewhat confusing to him. On top of all this, his bond with his Sentinel seemed to be kicking in stronger than ever, right now. He had a strong urge to remain physically close to Jim. He craved Jim's approval and reassurance. Blair didn't want to analyze this too closely. He had never felt the need for a 'father-figure' before; he'd have a hard time admitting to himself that he needed one now.
Once they were in the bathroom, Jim decided that Blair should sit in the tub while he helped him bathe. First he folded up a thick, terrycloth towel and put it on the floor of the tub. Then he told Blair to strip so he could seat him in the tub. Blair was sitting on the toilet seat and took off his t-shirt and threw it in the corner. He stood up so that he could remove his sweat pants, but before he could make the attempt, Jim had them jerked down and was kneeling at his feet telling him to lift his foot.
"I'm perfectly capable of taking off my own pants now, Jim! Will you give me a break for Pete's sake?" Blair's voice was taking on an edge.
Jim looked up. "I know you are, Chief, but it'll go a lot quicker if you let me help you. Now lift up ... You can balance yourself on my back ... OK, now the other ... good." He threw the pants over on top of the shirt and stood up. "OK, put your arms around my neck and I'll pick you up and put you in the tub."
*Could this day get any more humiliating?* thought Blair. *First my mom tries to give me a bath, then my roommate spanks me, and now here I am, naked as a jay bird, waiting to be carried in his arms like a little kid.*
Trying to swallow his embarrassment Blair closed his eyes and hooked his arms around Jim's neck. Jim picked him up and sat him gently in the tub on the towel. Then he left to get the bowl of water and a washcloth. When he returned, he knelt by the side of the tub and started washing Blair.
"Let me do it!" said Blair, his voice rising in frustration.
To his immense surprise, Jim gave him the washcloth and said, "OK, here." Then he sat back on his haunches and watched.
To Blair's everlasting annoyance, he found trying to wash himself with a bruised rib more painful that he thought. He couldn't wring out the rag, he couldn't raise his arm and wash himself, and he was getting more frustrated by the minute. Jim just watched for a few minutes, then said "OK, I think you've done as much as you can; let me finish the rest."
Blair knew Jim was just trying to preserve his dignity so he sheepishly handed over the washcloth to his partner.
"I just hate being so dependent," he said.
"I know," said Jim matter-of-factly.
He washed Blair thoroughly and gently from the waist up. Then he gave the cloth to Blair, told him to take care of below the waist, and stood up and busied himself over at the sink. Blair breathed a silent sigh of relief. At least he was going to be spared the humiliation of being washed *there* like a little baby. He managed to soap his genitals and then decided to pour the bowl of water over his lap to rinse off. Jim came and refilled it for him a couple more times so he could rinse thoroughly.
Finally, he was finished and Jim helped him to stand, then lifted him gently out of the tub and sat him on his feet. He patted him dry and then helped him into clean sweat pants.
"Do you want to wash your hair?"
Blair looked at Jim in surprise. "Well, yeah that'd be great, but how are we going to do that?"
"I think we can do it at the sink if I bring a chair in here. Want to try it?"
"OK."
Jim brought a chair in and placed it in front of the sink. He directed Blair to sit in it and lean back. It worked perfectly and Jim made short work of washing Blair's hair.
Blair hated to admit it, but he did feel a lot better now. Almost cheerful.
When they came out of the bathroom Naomi had made cocoa and coffee and cut small pieces of the torte for everyone. They sat drinking it at the kitchen table and Blair's spirits rose even more. It was a long-standing tradition from Blair's childhood for him to share a cup of cocoa with Naomi before bedtime on chilly nights when he was a child, and it brought back pleasant memories for him.
After a little while, Jim noticed that Blair was starting to get fatigued and a little silly.
"All right, Chief. I think we need to get you to bed."
Blair started to open his mouth to protest, but caught a stern look from Jim and acquiesced. He went up the stairs with Jim close behind him. Jim walked over to the bed and pulled back the covers.
"Here you go."
Blair slid in and snuggled down under the covers. Jim tucked the covers around him and started downstairs.
Blair's head popped up. "Where are you going?" he asked, a little anxiously.
Jim raised an eyebrow. "I'm going to take a shower. I'll be up as soon as I'm finished."
"Oh. OK. Hurry up." Blair settled back down. The whole thing of sleeping upstairs with Jim reminded him of the occasional sleep-overs he'd had as a kid. He determined to stay awake as long as possible so he could talk to Jim when he came back.
Jim's mouth twitched as headed for the bathroom. He guessed that Blair was somewhat excited about sleeping in the 'big bed' with him, tonight. He had the same look on his face that Steven got when he was little and would sneak into Jim's room to read comic books under the covers with a flashlight, both boys giggling madly about escaping the notice of their father. Although, Jim always had a feeling that his father knew exactly what was going on and didn't immediately shoo Steven back to bed.
He took a quick shower and went back upstairs. Blair was half-asleep, but he struggled awake when Jim sat down on the bed and got under the covers. Jim sighed deeply as he started to relax.
"Jim?" came a whisper.
"Yeah?"
"I want you to help me with my baths from now on - not my mom."
"Alright. But there might be times when I'm busy or can't help so then you're going to have to let Naomi help you."
"Aw man, you have no idea how humiliating it is to be naked in front of your mom!"
"Yeah, well I'm sure you haven't got anything she hasn't seen before," Jim said with a grin, reaching out and ruffling his hair.
"Hey, don't even joke about that, man. That's not something I want to even think about! Change the subject will you?"
"OK. How do you think the Jags are going to do this year since they lost Peterson?"
Blair talked enthusiastically for 10 minutes about the Jags' chances of a good year, station gossip, and his newest crush on an extremely well-endowed new and quite friendly TA about whom he went on in detail, when he suddenly yawned.
"You need to go to sleep, now," said Jim reaching out and pulling the covers up over Blair's shoulders a little more.
"'M not tired," mumbled Blair trying to suppress another yawn. His eyes kept shutting and opening as he tried desperately to stay awake.
"Yeah, I can tell - you're just wide awake and raring to go here," said Jim smiling.
Blair frowned at him sleepily. Jim reached out again and brushed Blair's hair back from his forehead, but he didn't remove his hand and kept stroking Blair's hair. There was silence for a moment as Blair's eyes shut.
"Jim?" came a sleepy voice.
"Um hum?"
"You're not ... you know ... gonna spank me again ... are you?"
"Why? Do you want me to?" asked Jim with a small grin.
"What? No! No way! I just ... just ... I don't want you to spank me ..." Try as he might, Blair couldn't keep the whine out of his voice.
"Well, it depends," said Jim softly, still stroking Blair's curls.
"On what?" Blair's eyes opened a little as he tried to focus on Jim.
"On your behavior. You were acting like a combination of a two-year-old having a tantrum and a particularly nasty, hormonally-unbalanced adolescent."
"But, what if I'm sick and don't feel good?" Blair managed to put a pitiful, little whimper into his voice.
"No excuse. You need to control those little temper tantrums when you're not feeling well. You hurt Naomi and I know you felt bad about it afterwards. Could have all been avoided if you had just controlled your temper a little," said Jim matter-of-factly.
More silence.
"I'm REALLY sorry," said Blair, looking at Jim with his "lost puppy" eyes.
"I know," came the non-committal remark.
*That ought to count for something,* thought Blair peevishly, a little annoyed that Jim wasn't trying to smooth things over. Blair was used to being forgiven for his transgressions immediately. His personality, looks, and offbeat charm usually had that effect on people. And his mother could never stay upset with him for long.
"You know you shouldn't have done that. We'll work on controlling those little outbursts that keep happening when you're not feeling well. I know you can do it - all you need is a little more practice at it."
A little more silence, then:
"You should have seen your face when you were standing there with a wet towel on your head," said Blair, utterly failing to suppress the snicker in his voice.
Jim grinned in the darkness. Now that it was all over, he could afford to see the humor from Blair's point of view, but he wasn't about to let Blair know that.
"Yeah? Well, you should have seen your face when I came at you. You looked like you were going to wet your pants."
"Hey man - cut it out," said Blair sheepishly, giving Jim's arm a shove. "I had good reason. Wasn't it you who told me you know 100 different ways to kill a man? From the look on your face, I really thought you were going to try at least two of them on me right then and there!"
"Oh, I would never hurt my sweet, itty, bitty Guide," said Jim in a syrupy-sweet voice reaching over to pull Blair to him in a mock hug.
Blair giggled and tried to pull away. "Stop it, man! You're gonna make me puke. Although I just hope you remember you said that the next time you decide to whack me!"
Jim gave a little puff of laughter and ran his fingertips lightly over Blair's ribs, which made Blair giggle more and then toss his pillow at Jim's face. A few more minutes of this gentle roughhousing accompanied by giggles and soft snorts of laughter and Jim put an end to it.
"C'mon. We've got to settle down here and go to sleep. I've got to go to work in the morning and you need to rest."
"OK," said Blair, yawning again.
Jim straightened the covers, put the pillows back and tucked them both in again.
Blair woke once during the night in some pain again. Jim quickly got the pain pills and a glass of water and then rolled him onto his good side, gently rubbing his back as Naomi had told him she had done the night before.
Blair sighed heavily, tears close to the surface. Jim could see his lower lip trembling. He reached over and pulled Blair a little closer, cuddling him against his chest.
"It's OK, Blair."
He stroked up and down his back gently. Blair didn't try to push Jim away for once; just snuggled his face against Jim's chest soaking in the comfort the embrace gave him. In a few minutes, Jim could hear the deep breathing signaling sleep. He tucked the curly head under his chin and relaxed into sleep too.
The next morning Jim and Naomi were up early again and Blair was still asleep.
"He woke up once in the middle of the night in some pain again but I did what you told me and he went back to sleep. Still, that might mean he's a real grump again today."
"Oh, don't worry, Jim. I can handle him."
"Nevertheless, maybe I'll stop by around lunch time. Just to make sure he doesn't dump on you all day. "
"Well, I can't say I won't appreciate it. He is quite a handful when he reverts back to obnoxious adolescent behavior."
Jim grinned and impulsively pulled her into a hug. "Yeah, that he is. But between the two of us, I think we can convince him of a better way to handle things."
Naomi smiled and kissed Jim on the cheek just as Blair walked down the stairs.
"Good morning, Blair!" she said cheerily.
Blair looked at his mother in a little confusion. Was she just kissing Jim? He looked at Jim, who looked back with an innocent expression on his face. Oh man, he just hated it when they did that. He frowned as Jim told him to have a good day and reached for his jacket. Blair sat down at the table and Jim walked past him on his way out; leaning down towards him, he whispered "Behave!" and continued on to the door. Blair just rolled his eyes as Jim looked over his shoulder at him. Jim waited with his hand on the door, narrowing his eyes at Blair.
"I will! Sheesh!" Blair said in exasperation. Jim smiled and left.
From Naomi's point of view, this day didn't start off too much better than the day before. Blair was obviously in another bad mood, probably stemming from his throbbing leg. Everything she said or did seemed to irritate him. She saw him make an attempt at curbing his temper, but habit overcame that. He kept reverting to how he always treated her when he was in pain and a bad mood. His mood built throughout the morning, even as she tried to defuse it. Finally, right before lunchtime he exploded. He was in his bedroom and Naomi was standing at the doors.
"Why did you have to come?! I told you I didn't need you! I can take care of myself . . ."
"Blair, I was just trying to help. And even you have to admit that you need some help . . ."
That was obviously the wrong thing to say as Blair's face turned bright red and he yelled, "I do NOT need any help! Jim and I were doing just fine until you showed up! You're just butting in where you're not wanted and ruining things like al ..." All of a sudden Blair stopped in mid-yell and his eyes grew wide and round.
"What the hell is all the yelling about? I could hear you all the way outside!" Jim had appeared behind Naomi with a look on his face that could only mean bad news for Blair.
"I ... I ... what are you doing here?" Blair squeaked out.
"I live here, Einstein, remember? I had an errand to run nearby so I decided to stop for some lunch. Have you been giving Naomi a hard time?" This last was said with a very intimidating tone.
"I ... I... " Words seemed to fail him as his mouth opened and closed with no sound.
"Naomi, give us a few minutes while I set Blair straight about a few things, please?"
"Of course, Jim," Naomi said in relief. She moved away from the doorway and Jim stepped in the bedroom shutting the doors behind him.
"You were giving Naomi a hard time, weren't you"? he said under lowered eyebrows.
"No! No ... I didn't do anything wrong!" Blair pleaded.
"Don't lie to me or you'll make things worse."
"But, I didn't do anything ..." he repeated.
"You were building up to a major tantrum. I heard you as I was pulling up outside."
Blair didn't say anything, just looked at Jim with huge, scared eyes.
"All right, here's what we're gonna do. I told you I'd help you control these outbursts so I want you to take a little "time-out" and calm down."
Blair opened his mouth to protest and then immediately thought better of it when he saw the look on Jim's face.
Jim pulled the desk chair over to a corner of the bedroom and led Blair over to it.
"You sit here for a little while and reflect on how you were acting and how you should have handled it." He pushed Blair gently down in the chair. "I'll be back in a while after you've had a chance to think about it and calm down a little. You stay here, understand?"
Blair nodded his head, still staring in shock at Jim. Jim left the room, closing the doors quietly behind him. He walked into the living room where Naomi was seated.
"Good thing I stopped by. I think we nipped it in the bud," he said to Naomi.
"Oh, I don't know, Jim. He doesn't give up his bad moods so easily. I always figured that was because they came so rarely. I can probably count on one hand the times he's acted like this. And I just seem to make it worse. I just don't know how to handle him when he's like this."
"Hey, don't blame yourself. I think you're doing a great job - you haven't lost your temper - most people would have by now, and believe me he knows exactly the right buttons to push." Jim patted her on the shoulder. He could hear Blair mumbling to himself in the bedroom, but even his Sentinel hearing couldn't make out the words.
"When do you have to go back to work, Jim?"
"Actually, Simon gave me the day off. We got a lot done yesterday, caught a few breaks on a couple of cases, and things have slowed down a little. In fact, if you want to go out or something, I'll stay here with Blair."
"That'd be nice. I thought I'd do a little grocery shopping for this special recipe that I'm making tonight and there's a new bookstore that a friend recommended to me that I'd like to take a quick peek at."
"Go ahead, Naomi. Blair will be fine with me. And don't rush - take your time."
"Thanks, Jim! I'll get cleaned up a little and leave right now. I'll be back in time to start dinner." Naomi headed for the bathroom and was on her way out in just a few minutes.
Jim settled down on the couch with a book and listened to Blair's mumblings as they became more coherent.
"I didn't do anything wrong, dammit ... makes me sit here on a time-out like some BABY ... grown man ... nobody understands ... not gonna sit here any longer ... control freak asshole ... really, really sucks ... shit! ..." The last word was accompanied by what sounded like someone kicking something.
The cursing got steadily worse and finally Jim decided to put a stop to it. He walked silently over to the doors and opened them.
"Blair," he said quietly.
Blair jumped about a foot off the chair and turned around.
"Dammit Jim - you just scared 10 years off my life!" he said clutching at his chest with his hand.
"Yeah, well, you're supposed to be sitting quietly in here."
"You never said anything about 'quiet.' You just said to think about things!" came the sullen answer.
"I told you to calm yourself down. Sounds to me like just the opposite is happening."
"Aren't you supposed to be back at work now?" Blair said with a snide tone in his voice.
"Stop trying to change the subject. For your information I've got the afternoon off. Now will you try to calm yourself down instead of working yourself up?"
Blair stood up and said nastily "I am not some little KID you can order around! I don't have to sit here if I don't want to, you're not my father, you big jerk! And furthermore ..."
Jim had had enough. He stalked into the room and before Blair knew what was happening, he was face down over Jim's knee while Jim sat on the bed.
"You can't spank me - I didn't do anything wrong!" Blair screamed, trying to kick his legs without hurting himself.
"Nothing wrong, huh?" said Jim calmly. "What about screaming and yelling at your mother who was only trying to help you? And you were right on the verge of hurting her feelings AGAIN by saying something you know you'd be sorry for." He held firmly onto Blair as he tried to wiggle off his lap.
"But I didn't do it - you came and I stopped! So I didn't do anything wrong!"
"You couldn't even sit still and calm yourself down for 10 minutes. You know what I think?"
"No! And I don't give a flying ..."
Jim gave him a little shake and cut him off before he could finish. "I think you need something to remind yourself of the consequences when this happens again. And I'm going to help you out here and give you what you need!" With that, he pulled Blair's sweatpants down to below his buttocks and smacked his bare, wriggling, bottom hard.
When Blair felt his sweatpants being pulled down, he flushed hotly in embarrassment and then hollered in surprise at the top of his lungs with Jim's first swat.
"Owwwwww! That hurts!" he yelled.
"I think you'll probably remember this next time you decide to act like a two-year-old, then." Jim swatted him a few more times; still careful not to hurt his leg, but letting him feel the sting.
"Stop it!" he howled. Jim ignored him and continued to spank him.
Blair had never been spanked like this before. At first it made him angry and he let loose with all the curses he could think of, which weren't that many as he was pretty shook up about being in this position.
"You ... you ... psycho Sentinel ... militaristic control freak ... crazy shithead ... you stinkin' ...!"
The more colorful and inventive name-calling deteriorated quickly however, as he burst into sobs.
"I want ... I want ... I want NAOMI!" he sobbed.
Without stopping his swats, Jim said, "She's not here right now. I told her to take a break and go out for a while."
"I want my mom," he sobbed pitifully.
Jim stopped in mid-swat. "Do you think she'd want you after you've been so nasty to her this morning?"
That started the tears anew. "I'm sorry ... so sorry ... didn't mean it ... I'm such a dumb ass ..."
"No, you're not. You're just sick and irritable. And you need to just let us take care of you and trust that we know what's best right now." Jim pulled him up so that he was cradled in Jim's lap. Blair buried his face in Jim's shirt and Jim put his arms around him, rocking and cuddling him as he sobbed nonstop for several minutes. After a few more minutes, Jim realized that Blair had fallen asleep in his arms. *Well, that explains some of this,* thought Jim. *He needed a nap and probably was resisting taking one.*
Jim gently lay him down on his bed on his stomach. He pulled the sweat pants back up over the pink cheeks and covered him with a blanket with no more than a soft snort and grumble from his sleeping partner. He tenderly stroked his hair back from his cheek as he remembered the 'You're not my father' comment. Speaking softly, he said "Like it or not, I'm the closest thing you've got to a father or an older brother and you're just going to have to learn to live with it, because I'm not going to leave like all the others did. I'm here for the duration." He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. Blair batted at his cheek in his sleep, as if chasing away a fly. Jim smiled and went back to the living room.
An hour and a half later, Jim heard stirrings from the bedroom as his roommate returned to the land of the living. He gave him about 10 minutes and then got up to go to his room. But as he stood up, he heard Blair say quietly "Wait, Jim. Just stay there for a minute, OK? I have something I want to say and it's easier this way." Jim stayed where he was. Blair continued.
"I ... I'm really sorry about the way I acted. You were right. I'm going to work harder at controlling myself while I'm sick. And, although I don't like the spankings, I understand why you think they're necessary. I'm going to focus more on making you think they're not necessary. SO not necessary." He cleared his throat a little. "And ... and ... did you mean it when you said you were here for the duration?" His voice was small and unsure for the last part.
Jim hurried over to the room and opened the doors. He walked over to the bed and sat down, putting his arms around Blair, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. He pulled him close and enveloped him in a huge hug.
"Yeah, I meant it." Blair buried his head into Jim's shoulder and sniffled a little, not completely relaxing, but Jim didn't let go. He rubbed up and down his back and finally Blair sighed and relaxed completely into Jim's arms.
"You'd be the first," he mumbled into Jim's shoulder.
"I know. Now, come on. Let's get you cleaned up a little and then you can watch some TV in the living room. I rented a couple of videos that you might like."
Blair's mood quickly became cheerier and once again he wouldn't let Jim out of his sight, seeking reassurance by chattering on and pretty much demanding Jim's full attention. Jim knew exactly what was going on and wisely said nothing about it, but listened affectionately, taking every opportunity to give his approval to Blair.
When Naomi arrived back at the loft she found them both sitting on the sofa watching 'ET' on video. Jim had paused the tape and immediately risen saying something vague about cleaning the kitchen. He gave Blair a "look" and Blair sat up and motioned his mother over to the couch beside him. Jim had made it clear to Blair earlier that an apology to his mother was expected.
Jim tried not to listen to the low murmuring of their voices, but knew Blair was apologizing. Naomi put her arms around her son and Blair buried his face in her shoulder. Jim harrumphed to himself. Naomi was far too quick to forgive Blair for his bad behavior and that was probably where part of their problems lie. But he was pretty sure he couldn't change Naomi's behavior - in fact, part of her charm was due to her compassionate and forgiving nature. He was just going to have to be satisfied with making sure Blair behaved better. *Come to think of it,* he thought, *It's probably the easier job of the two.*
Naomi called Jim back into the living room and they finished watching the movie together. She'd been amazed at Blair's mood reversal and apology for being so irritable earlier. He had promised to do better while she was here. She sat back and enjoyed watching the two men interact during the movie. Blair kept kicking Jim with a stockinged foot when he would make fun of the parts Blair liked the best. However when Jim surreptitiously wiped a tear away at the end, Blair turned the tables and teased him about it.
Jim knew that he had a full-blown case of hero-worship on Blair's part most of the time, but now realized that Naomi was also starting to look at him in the same way. He wasn't sure he could handle two Sandburgs in hero-worship mode. But he didn't see that he had any alternatives right now.
The rest of the week went by quickly. There were no more tantrums and Blair's leg got better each day. True to his word, Blair tried hard to control his temper when he got irritable and there were no more incidents with his mother. By the end of the week, he had been released by the doctor to go back to work on a part-time schedule and Naomi started making plans to leave.
"You know, you can stay a few more days. You don't HAVE to leave right now," Jim said to her as she was packing her bags in Blair's room.
"I know, Jim, but it's time for me to go. You know the 3-day rule about house guests, don't you?"
"Yeah - garbage and houseguests begin to stink after three days. But you're family, Naomi. That rule doesn't apply to you ..."
"Jim, you are so sweet to say that. But, Blair needs to assert his independence again. It's so hard to do that when your mother hovers over you all the time. And I know I do - don't try to tell me otherwise. It's the only way I know and I love him so much. But don't worry - I'll be back. Probably when you least expect it!" She smiled teasingly at Jim. "After all, I have two excuses now for a visit. TWO very handsome men instead of just one." Naomi had been sitting on the edge of Blair's bed and she leaned forward. Jim met her halfway and they kissed softly. Just then, they heard the front door bang open and they jumped apart.
"Mom! Jim! Where are you?" came Blair's voice.
Jim cleared his throat. "We're in here, Chief."
The doors opened and Blair poked his head through. Both Naomi and Jim looked rather guiltily at him. And was that lipstick on Jim's mouth? Oh man, he really, REALLY hated it when they did this. He was sure they were just torturing him for their own amusement. And it got to him every single time.
"What's going on?" he said darkly.
"Naomi's just getting packed here. Her flight leaves in the morning."
"Mom! Can't you stay a little longer? It's been so great having you around. Not to mention your blueberry waffles."
Naomi laughed and walked over to hug Blair.
"It's time for me to leave and both of you to get back to your regular routines. I loved being here, but I do have some people waiting for me in Nepal. I'll write you all about it after I arrive. Now let's make this the best night ever and let me treat you to dinner."
After much protesting Jim and Blair agreed to go out to dinner but only if they were allowed to pay. Naomi finally gave in on the condition that drinks and dessert were on her. By the time they got home that night, they were happy, stuffed, and a little tipsy. Naomi quite enjoyed the sight, laughing at them, since she had been the designated driver.
"Oh, I'm really going to miss you two," she said fondly.
Jim sobered a little. "Naomi, have you ever thought about settling down in Cascade? Or making this your headquarters?"
"My headquarters?"
"Yeah - you know, have a permanent place here so Blair would always know where you were in between your trips and adventures. There's an international airport here so all your trips could originate in Cascade, you know. It might give you a little more quality time with Blair."
"Ah, Jim ..." said Blair, a little hesitantly.
"Why Jim, that's a wonderful idea! Why didn't I ever think of that before?"
Blair looked stunned. He never believed his mother would ever settle anyplace. Would she really do this for him? He had never thought just to ask her before. He looked over at his partner, who looked smugly back at him, and smiled fondly. Maybe it wasn't so bad having a father figure at this advanced age. But there was no way he was going to admit that out loud.
Naomi and Jim were already making plans to get together after she returned from Nepal to choose an apartment or rent a house.
"Blair and I will keep an eye out for something while you're away. It's going to be great to have you around, Naomi."
They talked a little more excitedly and finally went to bed. The next morning they left early for the airport and waved Naomi on her way.
Blair sighed a little sadly as they made their way back to Jim's truck.
"Gonna miss her?" asked Jim sympathetically.
"Yeah," said Blair avoiding his eyes.
They got into the truck.
"There's just one thing about Naomi making this her headquarters, though."
"What's that, Chief?"
"You've just got to stop flirting with her, man. She's my MOM, you know?"
"Oh, I don't know, Junior. She's awfully attractive ..."
"Jim ..."
"And I've always wanted a son ..."
"Oh God, no, you're taking this too far ..."
"Someone to take fishing ..."
"Please stop, Jim before I get sick ..."
"Someone to share lifesavers with ... toss a ball around a little ... pass on my wisdom to ..."
"Well, that won't take long ..."
Jim reached over and pulled Blair over to him "And last but not least, someone to give noogies to!"
"Ooooh geez, I'm screwed ... I'm really screwed ...Ahhhh! Not the hair, Jim! What have I told you about that?!" Blair pushed Jim away and patted at his hair, trying vainly to tame it; a difficult job at the best of times.
Jim just grinned and reached out and pinched his cheek as he steered the truck out of the airport parking lot.
"Cut it out, man - don't want to mar the dimples; the ladies love 'em," said Blair smugly, batting Jim's hand away.
"You know, you've got a dimple right above your left ass cheek, too," said Jim, still grinning.
"I know. You're not the first one to tell me that - maybe the first man, but women have told me that it's adorable."
"Your 60-year old doctor doesn't count, Sandburg."
"Hey, I attract 'em in all ages, sizes, professions, why one time when I was in Mozambique I even ..."
Jim just grinned and prepared himself to listen to outlandish obfuscations from his partner. Yes indeed, they were back to their regular routine.
End