Sentinel fic - Corners of His Mind

[dimity_blue]

Corners of His Mind
by Arnie


I laugh out loud as my partner gives me his sterling advice. Turn myself in. If I didn't know better, I'd swear Brad was developing a sense of humour, but he's not laughing. He's got that 'save the world' look in his eyes again - that idealistic streak that led him to becoming a cop is now leading him to try and 'save' me from myself. I told him that streak would get him killed one day.

"If you turn state's evidence you can help stop these guys!"

His hand's on my arm, his eyes fixed on mine. Smiling, I shake my head.

"They'd never let me live. And if they did, what would I have to look forward to? A short stretch in prison - you know how long bent cops survive in there - or spending the rest of my life looking over my shoulder hiding in a witness programme. I don't think so."

His hand falls away from my arm and I can tell he's disappointed in me.

"If you won't turn yourself in, I'll have to."

I nod. "I know that, Brad." With one swift movement there's a gun in my hand and pointing straight at his face. The penny's dropped. Now he knows why I insisted on meeting away from the station...now he knows why I said I'd talk it over with him, and only him. "You see, I like the money I get. Do you know how much money my dad had to leave after a lifetime of serving the public? It was just enough to bury him."

"You don't have to do this."

I ignore him, focussing instead on the power I can feel spreading through me. In all my time as a cop, and as a bent cop, I've never felt so strong, so powerful, so in control. "When I go, I'm leaving a lot of money behind - of course, that's assuming I won't have spent it all first." I laugh. For a second the look in his eyes hurts me - but that hero worship of his wouldn't have lasted anyway. It never does. "And I can't let you stop me, Brad."

His hands are raised in surrender, hoping that I'll put the gun down, but I can't. It's gone too far. I've never killed for personal reasons before. I mean, I've killed suspects in shoot outs, killed to save my partner, this partner, but I've never committed murder before. Only, I don't have a choice now.

"Don't do this. You do this and they'll never stop looking for you."

"Who's going to look for me? I'm going to be the bereaved cop who's just lost his partner. You won't believe the sympathy I'll get."

I can see the anger in his eyes and I relish it, letting it feed my feelings as I move around behind him, trailing the tip of my gun across his ear. One false move from him and he's gone - and he knows it.

"They'll identify the bullet. Ballistics will know it was your gun that shot me."

I can hear the panic in his voice and I sigh. I really did like Brad. He was a good partner, before he tried to stop me. Moving back around in front of him, I let him get a good look at my gun and I smile again as the hope fades from his eyes. The gun's not mine - I'm not stupid enough to shoot anyone with my police issue revolver. It's one I confiscated from a perp awhile ago - you never know when an anonymous gun will come in handy.

"Time's up, partner."

~'~

A groan forced its way out of him, and Blair Sandburg slowly opened his eyes then quickly shut them again as a white ceiling slid into view - slid being the operative word.

"How you doin', Chief?"

Blair groaned again hoping the voice would go away and let him retreat into the darkness.

"You were clipped by a car and hit your head on the kerb. You can consider yourself fortunate."

Opening his eyes again, and fervently hoping the ceiling stayed still, Blair tried to focus on the speaker.

"Yeah, I know that look on your face. But if that car had been going any faster you could have ended up with a lot worse than a bruised hip and a concussion."

Blinking to clear his vision, Blair stared up at the man by his side seeing a tall, military looking man with cropped brown hair and icy blue eyes. And a look of fond exasperation on his face.

"You still with me, Sandburg?"

The man's hand moved past his head and touched something near the top of the bed. Blair tried to follow the movement of the hand but lost it in a vision of sparkles. He frowned and shut his eyes again.

"Here comes the doc now."

One hand patted his arm and the man moved back to give the medic room to work.

"Blair?"

A woman's voice sounded from the other side of the bed and Blair opened his eyes again, then opened them wider to gaze at the pretty doctor at his side.

Producing a penlight, the doctor checked out his vision. "I'm Doctor Graves. Can you tell me your name?"

"Blair Sandburg."

"And your date of birth?" The woman listened, then nodded. "You're very lucky, Blair. If that car had hit you any harder, you might have spent more than just a few hours unconscious."

"Lucky me." The grin Blair directed at the woman was full of meaning, and he won a smile in response.

"We'll be keeping you in overnight for observation, but you'll be able to go home tomorrow. I'm just going to give you a painkiller for that headache." Turning, she injected something into the I.V. by his bedside, then smiled at the pair of them. "Ring the bell if you need anything. I'll be back to check on you later."

"Okay."

Once she was gone, the man moved back to his bedside. "You're slipping, Chief, you didn't get her phone number." He grinned, then added, "I'm just gonna let Simon know you're okay, then I'll be back."

"Okay."

Blair's eyes followed the tall man as he made his way out of the room, but the frown on his face remained. Shaking his head slightly, then wincing at the twinge it caused, he turned his face towards the window and relaxed as the pain subsided. Whoever that was, he obviously thought it was important that he come back, although Blair couldn't think why. He'd have to remember to ask the guy later.

~'~

Jim didn't get to make his phone call. As he made his way to the phone on the wall further down the corridor, he was surprised to see Simon arrive in the elevator. "Simon? What are you doing here? I was about to phone you."

The police captain frowned as he followed Jim back up the corridor to Blair's room. "How's the kid?"

"He's fine. A minor concussion and a bruised hip."

"He's lucky."

"Yeah, he knows." Stopping, Jim touched Simon's arm. "So why are you here?"

Sighing, Simon stepped closer to Jim and kept his voice quiet. "About an hour ago we got a call from dispatch. Some kids found a dead body - a uniformed cop. He'd been shot."

"Who was it?" While he knew that it couldn't be one of his colleagues from Major Crime, Jim was also hoping that it wouldn't be a cop he knew. While death was a constant danger in their line of work, it didn't make losing a friend any easier.

"Brad Mendelssohn. He's only been out of the Academy a couple of years, but he was a good cop with good instincts."

Jim shook his head. He might have known Brad's face, but the name meant nothing to him. "I didn't know him."

"As I said, he's...he was only out of the Academy a couple of years. He was partnered with Tony Allerton."

"Yeah, I've seen Tony around the station." He knew exactly what was going through Tony's head right now - losing your partner was every cop's nightmare.

"Anyway, his body was found just around the corner from where Blair was knocked down."

"And you think he might have seen something?"

"Can you think of any other reason why Sandburg would go racing out straight into a laneful of traffic?"

Jim shook his head. "No." Focussing briefly on his partner, the Sentinel smiled. "He's still awake. Let's go ask him."

~'~

"Hey, Sandburg."

Blair turned his gaze away from the window and towards the door to see a tall dark man, presumably the Simon mentioned earlier, approaching the bedside, the other man just behind him. "Hey."

"So how are you feeling?" The dark man took off his coat and placed it over the back of the visitor's chair before settling down on the seat.

Blair watched as the other man perched himself on the windowsill then turned back to the guy in the chair. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

Blair could see the frown on Simon's face as he looked at him. "Well, I am." He pulled himself up a bit straighter in bed. "Did you guys want something?" His hands gestured back and forth between them, the I.V. lead swishing gracefully with his movements.

The two men looked at each other, puzzled looks on their faces.

"Sandburg, are you sure you're all right?" Standing, Simon leaned over the bed slightly to gaze into Blair's face.

Blair retreated into his pillows, not liking the way the stranger was invading his personal space. His eyes avoided the bigger man's gaze and slid down, coming to rest upon the shiny badge on his hip, and he gasped, panic taking over at the sight. Shoving the man and the bedclothes away, he rolled out of bed, swinging his feet to the floor hurriedly and stumbling to take refuge by the window, yanking the I.V. stand over as he went. "You're a cop! Oh my God, you're a cop!" His back was pressed against the window sill as he tried to get as far as possible from the man at the other side of his bed.

Simon caught the I.V. stand before it fell completely, while the other man grabbed for Blair, exclaiming, "Sandburg, what the hell's the matter with you?"

Panicking even more, Blair elbowed the man sharply, trying to make him back off. He didn't. The man fell back slightly, his hands reaching for Blair's arms, catching one but missing the other. Instead, Blair felt the man's free arm wrap itself around his waist and hug him tightly. He felt trapped. His shoulder was tucked into the taller man's chest and the arm around his waist was holding him firmly. The I.V. line flew free and Blair lashed out wildly. His fist slammed into the tall man's eye and he hoped, for a second, that the shock of it would allow him to break free from the hug holding him prisoner. Blair felt the man release his arm that was, in any case, trapped between their two bodies; instead the large hand snapped out, grabbed Blair's other wrist and held onto it. His mind still clouded with panic, Blair refused to accept that he'd lost, continuing to struggle wildly, trying to wrench himself and his arm, free.

"Sandburg, calm down! It's all right, it's all right! Simon's not going to hurt you."

The shouted reassurance finally got through to him, and the adrenalin rush that had fuelled his struggling faded, leaving Blair worn out and gasping for breath. He sagged in the taller man's arms, finally realising that he wasn't going to be able to break free from the man's strong hold.

He heard Simon say something about the doctor, and when he looked up the cop had gone. Blair sighed with relief as the tightness in his chest relaxed. He really didn't know why he'd panicked that much - it wasn't like he'd had a lot of trouble with the cops before. Okay, he'd been arrested during a demonstration or a protest a couple of times, but he'd never resisted arrest and once the protest was over, he'd been released without charge.

Not bothering to resist as the large man at his side settled him back on the bed, Blair slumped into his pillows. His heart was pounding as if he'd run a marathon, and, glancing up, he realised that he had an apology to make too. "I'm sorry about your eye, man. I - I don't know what got into me."

~'~

Jim frowned as he regarded his partner, who looked pretty embarrassed as he hunched himself up against the pillows. He suspected he was going to have a black eye in a few hours, but he didn't really care; he was more interested in figuring out what was going through Sandburg's head.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he leaned forward, then straightened again as Blair leaned back into his pillows as if to maintain the distance between them. "So what happened? You've never had a problem with Simon before now."

Blair's eyes shot up at that point, and he stared at the large man with confusion written all over his face. "Before now? What do you mean 'before now'? I've never met him before!"

"What?" Jim shook his head slightly then continued, "Sandburg, you've met Simon plenty of times - at the loft, at the station... Are you telling me you don't remember any of that?" He stopped for a second, his eyes searching the face in front of him, then asked, "Do you remember me?"

Blair shook his head slightly, but stayed silent as the doctor came in alone. Jim sat back, feeling as though someone had punched a hole in his heart, but keeping his face calm, although he could feel his jaw working over time in the clenching department. Whatever had happened, it wasn't Blair's fault that he couldn't remember his friend...his Sentinel, and Jim wasn't about to try to lay the blame on him.

Raising her eyebrows at the state of the room, the doctor glanced at Jim's soon-to-be bruised eye then turned her attention to her patient.

"What happened?" Noticing that Blair's I.V. was swinging free with no patient to attach itself to, she added, "Hang on," before bustling out of the room. Coming back with a fresh needle, she readjusted the I.V. before hooking her patient up to it. "Okay. Now tell me what happened."

Jim sighed as Sandburg remained silent. Obviously he wasn't prepared to explain himself again. As the doctor glanced towards him, Jim inclined his head towards the corridor before getting up and leading her out to where Simon was waiting out of sight of the patient in the bed.

"Well?"

Icy blue eyes fixed her with a stare. "He doesn't remember Captain Banks or myself."

His voice was calm as he made a mere statement of fact but, after a few seconds, Simon's hand grasped his shoulder comfortingly.

She frowned. "And how long have you known Mr. Sandburg?"

"Just over a year."

She nodded, then left them to return to Blair's bedside.

~'~

Blair looked up as the doctor returned and watched warily as she pulled out her penlight.

Checking his eyes once more, she asked, her tone casual in the extreme, "Blair, can you tell me what year this is?"

Blair frowned and shifted uncomfortably in bed, suspecting that he was wrong about something but not sure what. "1996."

"And the exact date?"

"February 27th, 1996."

She smiled and put her penlight away. "Just relax. Your headache won't last for too long."

Watching her leave, Blair snuggled down under the blankets. His head didn't hurt at all, although he suspected that was due to the painkiller in the I.V., but it felt fuzzy, and he definitely felt shaky. Hoping that he wouldn't have to face either of those two men again, at least, not for the foreseeable future, he leaned his head back against his pillows and tried to listen in on the conversation outside his room but he could only pick up the murmur of their voices; the words were indistinct.

~'~

"Well?" Jim looked down at the woman in front of him, hoping for an explanation even though he guessed that the doctor wouldn't have that many answers to give.

"As you heard, he believes that it's February 1996." The doctor shook her head. "Amnesia is quite common with head injuries, although the memory loss is more usually restricted to the accident in question, possibly the few hours beforehand. In spite of how things seem in the movies, it's not that common for people to lose more than a few hours of their memories."

"So why this year?" Jim's tone was demanding. "Why has his memory taken him back to when he didn't know me or Simon?"

"That, I don't know. Were either of you involved in Mr. Sandburg's accident?"

As Jim shook his head, Simon spoke up. "The kid ran out into traffic and was clipped by a car. We don't know for sure, but we suspect he may have witnessed a cop being killed before it happened."

"He did have an extreme reaction when he saw your police badge, Simon," Jim pointed out.

"That's got to be it, then." Simon shook his head and turned away. "Damn."

"If Mr. Sandburg did witness this killing, it could be that his mind is trying to forget what it saw and anything related to what he saw."

"But will he remember?" Jim's jaw was rigid as he waited for the answer. Given Sandburg's new aversion to cops, if he didn't remember their past friendship and exactly why he now hated the police, the detective suspected that that would put an end to their friendship - and he wasn't sure if the kid would be willing to work past the revulsion to recover it.

"Give him some time," the doctor advised. "Once his subconscious has had time to process what's happened, his memory should return. In any case, we'll keep him in overnight, checking him every couple of hours, and see how he's going in the morning." Accepting the thanks the two men offered her, she added, "And if you'd like to follow me, Detective, I'll give you an ice pack for that eye."

"I'll wait here until you get back."

"Thanks, Simon."

He was back within a few minutes, one small ice pack pressed to his face. Glancing into the room, he could see that Blair was curled up on his side, his face turned towards the window, his relaxed heartbeat and breathing telling Jim that he'd fallen asleep.

Simon looked over his shoulder, obviously being careful to keep out of sight if Blair looked around. "He'll have to have police protection, Jim. Whoever shot Brad could come back and try to finish the job."

Jim rubbed the back of his neck. Giving Sandburg police protection while the mere sight of a police badge sent him into a frenzy could prove difficult, but there was no other way. "You'd better make it someone in plain clothes, Simon. I have no idea how he'd react to a police uniform."

Simon rolled his eyes at the thought, then grinned as he looked at Jim's eye. "I agree. I'll warn them to keep their badges out of his sight too. We don't want half the station sporting black eyes."

"Good idea." Fetching Simon's coat for him, Jim handed it over then returned to Sandburg's bedside. Discarding the ice pack, he slid off his own jacket and draped it over the back of the chair, then glanced down and felt grateful that he hadn't taken off his jacket beforehand. If the sight of one police badge was enough to send Blair into a panic, the sight of two would have put him into the stratosphere. Unclipping his badge, Jim stowed it away in his pocket out of sight, before settling down by the bedside to wait out the next two hours.

~'~

Damn. Damn, damn, damn. I recognised Sandburg from the start, although I'm pretty sure he doesn't know my face - us uniformed cops all look alike. Well, Brad, you might win after all. I bet you had no idea that Sandburg was going to turn that corner just in time to see me blow your head off. I certainly had no idea or I would've chosen somewhere else for our sweet goodbyes.

Jesus! If it's not bad enough that someone witnessed it, it had to be a guy who's working in Major Crime and is partnering Ellison. I know Ellison from years back. No buddy, buddy stuff - I'm a uniformed cop while he's a high and mighty detective. But I've worked here long enough to know his face and he knows mine...and the whole station knows of his protective streak where that civilian observer is concerned.

Joel Taggart, or rather, Captain Taggart, thought he was making me feel better when he dropped that little bombshell on my desk. I must have gone pale when he told me that they suspected Sandburg witnessed Brad's death because Taggart asked me if I was all right. Oh sure, Captain, I'm just fine. My first murder was witnessed by someone who works in Major Crime. How much better could I be?

Why couldn't Sandburg get himself killed by that car and save me the trouble of tracking him down and putting him out of the picture? Well, one saving grace, for now anyway, is that he has no idea what he saw. I can't take the chance he'll remember, either. Good thing I kept the gun.

Sorry, Ellison. Looks like you'll be in need of a new partner.

~'~

Simon Banks stared down at the grief-stricken policeman in front of him. He understood Tony Allerton's motives for wanting to be one of Blair's guards, but there was no way he could acquiesce to his request. "No."

"But, Captain...."

"I said, no. Tony, you're too involved in this case. Jim's not going to let anything happen to Sandburg and as soon as he gets his memory back we'll know who killed Brad. In any case, the kid's going to a safe house in the morning - he'll be safe there and we have the whole station volunteering to watch his back. Everyone liked Brad and we all want his killer to be caught." His voice softened as he laid one hand on Tony's shoulder. "Go home. Get some rest. I'm going back to the hospital now, and we'll let you know if anything happens."

"Okay. Thank you, Captain." Glancing back at the determined police captain behind him, Tony shut the door carefully and left.

~'~

"C'mon, Chief, wake up. You've got a concussion, remember?"

Jim looked down at his partner as Blair woke and blinked a few times before looking around. The look of relief on his face told Jim that Blair was glad Simon had gone. He couldn't blame the kid for that, he was probably still feeling embarrassed about his extreme reaction.

Blair pushed himself up in bed. "So...you get to wake me up then, huh?"

"Yeah, it's always the way with a concussion."

"Okay."

Blair avoided his gaze as he looked around the room, and Jim guessed he was wishing for a TV or a radio to break the silence, and save him from any conversation. 'Sorry, kid. We gotta talk.' "My name's Jim, by the way. Jim Ellison." Holding out his hand to shake Blair's, he wondered if the kid would respond. Fortunately, Blair's manners won out over his obvious reluctance.

"Blair Sandburg." Releasing Jim's hand as quickly as he could, Blair leaned back into his pillows.

"Yeah, I know. We've met before."

"Oh?" Confusion crossed his face. "I uh...don't remember."

"No, I know." Getting up, Jim moved back to the window and leaned on the sill, his gaze fixed on Blair's face. Noticing how uncomfortable it made the younger man, he turned his head and looked out of the window.

"So, how do you know me?"

"We work together." Jim's voice was steady, and he felt quite proud of that considering the shock Sandburg had given him earlier.

"We? Work together? You're at the university?" Blair sounded surprised.

"No." Jim shifted on the sill, then moved back to stand at the end of the bed. If Sandburg was going to panic again, his position would give him time to stop the kid whichever direction he made for. "We work together for the police force - I'm a police detective." He heard Blair's breath catching in his throat, and caught the panic that flashed into his eyes.

Blair gave a half-laugh that contained a note of hysteria. "Me? Work with the police? I-I can't see that happening, man. Plus, you know, I think I would have noticed if I'd been working with the p-police."

"You have amnesia." Jim watched Blair intently as he shifted uncomfortably under the stare.

"I don't think so, man! I know my name, I remember -"

"Do you remember when the doctor asked you today's date?"

There was silence for a few seconds, then Blair raised his eyes and stared back at Jim. "Yeah."

"You said it was February 27th, 1996."

"So?" The jaw was set at a defiant angle, as if daring Jim to contradict him.

"It's March 19th, 1997."

Blair snorted, his disbelief evident. "Why would I forget a whole year of my life? What's so important about this year?"

Jim ground his teeth slightly. He really hadn't wanted to get into that part of it tonight, but the kid was too stubborn to drop the subject - he knew that from past experience - however, he felt bound to try. "Why don't we discuss this tomorrow?"

"Why don't we discuss this tonight?" Blair retorted.

Jim grasped the rail at the end of the bed and leaned on it, gaining strength from the cold steel beneath his hands. "Maybe you're not up to it tonight?" Blair opened his mouth to argue, but Jim talked over him. "You might be back to normal tomorrow, in which case this would be a wasted conversation."

"Or I might not. In any case, I'm awake, so let's talk."

The Sentinel sighed, disliking the hostile look in Blair's eyes. Jim was tempted to tell Blair the truth about himself and their relationship, but he wasn't sure how Blair would react to the necessary secrecy involved. Painfully, he had to admit that he wouldn't trust this antagonistic, distrustful Blair to keep his secret. And since the kid was so insistent on finding out the truth now, he guessed he might as well face the storm and tell him what they suspected.

Straightening up, he altered his position so that he was ready to move quickly if he had to. "When Simon was here earlier, he came to tell us that a policeman had been shot and killed near to where you were hit by that car." Even if the Sentinel's hearing hadn't caught the sudden spike in Blair's heart rate, the terror that filled his face would have been obvious to any observer.

"Th-that doesn't mean I s-saw -"

"Then there's the fact that every time you see or hear something related to the police, you panic." That panic was back on Blair's face and Jim readied himself. He wasn't going to let the kid run with a possible killer out there after him.

Blair gulped, and Jim heard the shuddering inhalations catching at his lungs. "Th-that doesn't...." Again, he tried to deny it, but his voice trailed off.

"Sandburg."

The eyes met his, the darker blue eyes filled with a desolation that tore at Jim's heart.

"This is probably temporary. Once your subconscious mind has processed what you saw, your conscious mind will remember."

Blair took another harsh breath. "Psychologist too, huh?"

"Not me. You." Jim gave a quirky smile. "You talk a lot. Some of it had to sink in."

There was another half-laugh at that. Jim's eyes followed Blair's gaze down to his fists, the blanket beneath them twisted up into knots. He saw Blair's attempt to calm himself as the hands purposefully smoothed the blanket, but they clenched up again as Simon appeared in the doorway.

"Sandburg." Simon nodded calmly to the police observer. "Jim, can I have a word?"

"Sure, Simon. Chief, I'll be right back."

~'~

Blair gave a nod as the two of them disappeared out of sight, then sighed and relaxed into his pillows. If people felt at a disadvantage when someone they didn't know knew their name, he wondered how much more of a disadvantage they'd feel if someone they didn't know had a whole year of a relationship on them. Probing at the memories, Blair realised that he had no idea if there was a missing gap. It didn't feel like there was - so far as he was concerned, it felt like February 27th, 1996. He knew it was a Tuesday. He'd had a class in the morning and had been on his way to a class he was giving in the afternoon, although he couldn't remember getting there. For a few minutes confusion overwhelmed him, and he decided that he must have been on his way to that class when he was hit by the car. Sitting up straight in shock he realised that he was missing his date with Juliet, the gorgeous blonde he'd run into at the health food store. He hoped she wouldn't think that he was standing her up and wondered if she'd hear that he'd been hit by a car, or if she'd assume that he'd changed his mind. Maybe he could use a payphone in the hospital and call her to let her kn -

With a jolt, as though he'd missed a step in the dark, he remembered what the guy had said. It was 1997, not 1996.

He sank back into his pillows and wondered how his date had turned out. Had he seen Juliet again? Glancing down he checked his wedding ring finger. No ring. Well, he didn't think he'd forget being married - actually, he wasn't sure he ever would marry. Commitment really wasn't his style. With a half-smile, he guessed he had his mom to thank for that.

Naomi! Where was she? Did he know? Was he supposed to know? He usually knew vaguely which area or country she was in - it was disconcerting to realise that everything he knew was a year out of date. And as for that whole other matter, he wasn't even going to think about that. The feelings that surged up in him every time his mind wandered in that direction weren't pleasant and he was hoping to leave them in the darkest corner of his mind for as long as possible. He decided that letting them build up a good layer of dust would be beneficial.

Looking around for something to distract him, he realised that there was something else he didn't know. His backpack. He was sure he would have had that with him - he rarely left it behind anywhere. So where was it now? Glancing back at the door, he realised that that...Jim would probably know, but he wasn't sure he wanted to ask him. The guy knew too much about him already, and until he started remembering some stuff, he didn't want him knowing more, or knowing how alone Blair felt.

Raising his chin, Blair squared his shoulders. No matter how hard life got, he could face it. And he could face it alone. In spite of his wide circle of friends and acquaintances, he'd always faced the hard stuff alone. That was just how he was. And he'd be fine.

"So how are you feeling?"

A woman's voice intruded on his thoughts and Blair looked up in surprise to see Doctor Graves at his bedside. He'd been that deep in thought he hadn't noticed her come in. Shaking off his despair, he gave her his brightest, most charming smile. "I'm fine. And how are you?"

"Hmm." The look she gave him showed that she wasn't fooled, but she still smiled in response. "I'm fine too, thank you, so why don't I check you over while I'm here? How's your head?"

"It's fine too."

"No headache?"

Blair smiled widely and lied through his teeth. "None at all."

"That's good...and surprising." The tone in her voice showed that she wasn't fooled, but she let the lie slide. "I'm going to leave the I.V. in for tonight, but you'll be able to go home tomorrow. I'll give you a prescription for some painkillers for your non-existent headache. If you do get a headache, don't be a hero. Just take a painkiller."

"Sure thing!"

"Riiight. Try to get some more sleep now. Someone will wake you up in two hours' time to check on you. If your headache returns, ring the bell. There's no point in suffering."

"I'll remember that."

She smiled and turned away, then turned back at his whispered, "Doctor?"

"What is it, Blair?"

"What's today's date?" Blair tried his best to make the question sound casual, but he knew he'd failed.

Her answer was quiet, but it sent his heart plummeting. "March 19th, 1997. I'm sorry, Blair."

"Hey, just checking."

"You know, your memory should return. Just give it a little time."

"Sure." Blair kept his smile on his face until she'd gone, then the smile disappeared and the desolation in his heart took control. It was real. That guy had told the truth. He was missing a whole year of his life.

Snuggling hurriedly under the blankets, he shut his eyes. Maybe he could get to sleep before...Jim returned. If not, maybe he could just convince him that he was asleep so he wouldn't have to face any more revelations for now. With any luck, Jim would go, and he'd have checked out of the hospital before the guy came by in the morning. He wanted to figure a few things out before he started trying to act friendly with the guy.

~'~

"So how is he, Doc?"

The doctor looked up at the pair of men who both towered over her, then glanced over at the dark, bulky man who was quietly sitting in a chair by Blair's door. "He's fine, well, he says he's fine. I've advised him to get some sleep. Sleep can do far more for him right now than anything I can give him, although he still needs to be woken up in two hours' time. I'll give him a prescription for painkillers tomorrow; he can go home then."

Jim nodded and let her go. Even while he was talking to Simon, he'd been aware of Blair's heartbeat. It had slowed almost to normal after he and Simon had left, then spiked again. Shaking his head, he realised that Sandburg was probably trying to process everything he'd been faced with. And from the way his heartbeat had leapt when the doctor confirmed the date, Jim didn't think he was doing a particularly good job at the moment.

"Are you going to tell him about the safe house tonight?"

Jim shook his head and murmured, "He's falling asleep now. He might feel better in the morning."

Nodding, Simon continued, "Taggart will stay until the morning. He's wearing his badge, but he's knows to keep it out of Sandburg's sight. Rafe will take over at 0600, and I'll be here with Brown to escort you and Blair to the safe house once the kid's been checked out."

"Thanks, Simon, Joel, I appreciate it."

As Joel shook his head and smiled, Simon replied, "Hey, don't thank me. I've got a station full of volunteers. Everyone likes the kid. Now if only I could get them to volunteer for when the Mayor's wife is holding one of her parties and insisting on full protection in case someone steals the silverware...."

"Not gonna happen, Simon."

"Tell me about it. If I wasn't a kind, understanding police captain, I'd run them in for insubordination."

~'~

"Morning, Sandburg."

Blair's eyes flickered, then opened as he stared resentfully at the man by his bedside. Although Jim had still been there the night before, he had been absent when the doctor had done her first early rounds, and Blair had been relieved to find the large man gone. Relaxing, he'd drifted back into sleep for a couple of hours. However, when he next woke, he realised that the man was back again and he'd kept his eyes closed hoping Jim would think him to be asleep. No such luck, he guessed. "Hey."

"The doctor said she'd be by in about ten minutes, so you might want to be up and ready for when she says you can go."

"Okay." Pushing back the bedclothes, Blair was doubly glad that the I.V. had been removed from his hand earlier. Apart from it being rather restrictive as regards how far he could get, he hadn't been looking forward to trying to get dressed with the thing still connected to him. He took a step towards the bathroom then stopped and headed for the chair. "My backpack!"

"It was left down in ER. It wasn't until later last night that they realised it was yours."

"Oh. Okay." Picking up the pile of clothes on the chair, Blair paused. "Where did these come from?"

Jim shrugged. "I picked them up for you. You'd better get a move on."

"Okay." Deciding that he didn't want to ask why Jim had a key to the warehouse, Blair took his clothes and retired into the bathroom to get washed and dressed in there. He'd just finished when the doctor arrived, so he hopped back up onto the bed while she checked him over.

"Remember what I said, Blair: if you have a headache, take a painkiller. And if you lose consciousness for any reason, come back to the hospital."

Blair batted his eyelashes at her, hoping she'd buy his assurances. "Sure thing. I'll pick up the pills before I leave."

"Already done, Sandburg." Jim's eyes met Blair's steadily. "I got the prescription filled out before you woke up."

"Oh. Okay. Thanks." Blair was a little stymied. He guessed he wasn't getting rid of this guy as easily as he'd hoped. Picking up his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder, he smiled at the pretty doctor. "Thanks, Doc. Seeya around."

"I don't doubt that, Blair."

Blair waited until she'd gone then he held out his hand. "So, can I have my pills?"

Jim's hand rested on his shoulder and steered him towards the door. "I'll give them to you once we get to the safe house."

"Wh-what? What safe house?" Pulling his shoulder free from Jim's grasp, Blair stopped in the middle of the room. "What are you talking about?"

"You're a witness, Sandburg, remember? Whoever killed that...Brad is bound to come back and try to silence you."

"But I don't know anything!"

"You don't know anything now. Once your memory returns, there's every chance you'll be able to identify the killer and he won't be able to take that risk."

Jim's eyes were intent on Blair's face and the student inwardly squirmed. He wished the guy would stop staring at him - and he really wished this guy would just back off and give him some time to get his head together. Taking a calming breath, Blair open his mouth to argue further.

"We're not discussing this, Sandburg. You're hardly in a condition to be making decisions like this - and seeing as I have power of attorney, I can and will make those decisions for you."

"Power of attorney? How the hell did you get -"

"You gave it to me."

"You're wrong, man! I'd never -"

"Well, you did. You're going to the safe house, Sandburg, if I have to pick you up and carry you there. So don't bother arguing with me."

One heavy hand on Blair's shoulder steered him back towards the door, Blair allowing himself to be pushed along in a stunned silence. What the hell had led him to giving this guy, he refused to even think the word 'cop', power of attorney?

~'~

Jim presented a calm face to Rafe once they were outside in the corridor, but inwardly he was kicking himself. He'd hoped to try to gain Sandburg's trust sooner, rather than later, and he really doubted that coming down on the kid like a ton of bricks was the way to do it. And judging from the look in his eyes, any overtures of friendship were going to have to wait until Sandburg had calmed down a little. At least he'd managed to avoid mentioning the word 'cop'. He had no doubt that if he had slipped up, Sandburg's heart would be doing the Macarena yet again. The kid still wasn't ready to come back to 1997 and face whatever it was he saw.

~'~

Blair was dismayed to see Simon, and another guy, waiting for them by the elevators, and he guessed this was his escort to their un-needed and un-wanted safe house. Fuming silently, he allowed himself to be pushed into the elevator with them.

The four men formed a protective guard around Blair as they headed towards the main exit. Blair's eyes were darting every which way, but with Jim's hand on his back and three other men to contend with, he suspected he wouldn't get very far if he did try to make a break for it. Sighing, he guessed he'd have to go along with them for now and hope he could get away later. All he wanted to do was to find some quiet place where he could let his head catch up with whatever was going on - and being surrounded by these four wasn't where he wanted to be.

Blair's eyes opened wide as he saw what was waiting for them by the exit. For a second he stopped, frozen to the spot as he stared at the uniformed cop carrying a boom box, then Simon's hand on his shoulder spun him around and pushed him up the corridor away from the main entrance. Again, panic flooded his mind, but this time there was no I.V. to slow him down. With a shove to either side of him, Blair fled.

The side exit doors flew open as Blair barrelled his way through them; the only thought on his mind was escape. He crashed into a car parked illegally by the doors and bounced off, barely noticing the collision. Throwing himself over the hood, and losing his backpack in the process, he hurled himself into the road and tried to pick up his pace, but was thwarted by Jim.

~'~

Cursing as the shove from Sandburg sent both himself and Brown crashing into the walls, Jim recovered quickly and gave chase. He flew down the corridor as the kid practically threw himself through the doors and into the car. His outstretched hand almost had Sandburg as he thudded into the parked car; Jim had felt the cloth of the kid's jacket brush the tips of his fingers as he fled, but he wasn't close enough to make a grab. Swerving to avoid the car, he managed to catch up with Blair and yank him into a bear hug just as the kid's feet touched the ground.

Jim held on as he swung him back towards the car. Recognition was beyond the kid: the only thing Jim could see in his eyes and his face was sheer terror. Focussed on holding onto his partner, the sound of a safety catch being removed almost escaped him, but his instincts kicked in and he forced Blair down beside the car even as the windshield exploded from the bullet.

Looking up, he saw Henri race past them towards the speeding car, but then the cop was forced to dive into the nearest bush to avoid a swerving ambulance. Jim cursed. He hadn't had chance to see who was in the car or even to catch sight of the licence plate. As Henri jogged back towards Blair's abandoned backpack, Jim pulled Blair to his feet.

"Is he okay?"

Jim nodded. Physically, Sandburg was fine. Mentally, well, there was a blank look on Sandburg's face that Jim didn't like one bit. Helping the kid stand up straight, Jim kept one hand holding onto Blair's arm firmly. If he tried to take off again, he'd be taking Jim's hand with him. "What about the car? Did you get the licence plate?"

Henri shook his head. "Didn't get a chance."

Heading back into the hospital, they met Simon coming out.

"Is he all right?"

The stunned look was fading from Blair's face, but the kid still looked shook up, and Jim wasn't surprised. "He's fine, or at least, he will be once we get him to safety."

Simon nodded. "Let's get him inside for now. Rafe's taking care of that...whoever that guy is."

Part 2.

Comments

[starwatcher]

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Saving for later -- it looks yummy! -- but I wanted to give you a heads-up; you forgot the cut.
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[dimity-blue.livejournal.com]

You've probably read it already - it's an old fic I'm posting on my LJ. I accidentally posted it 'now', then realised and changed the date on it. It should now be buried back in January.

Thanks for the heads up though. I remembered the cut, but added an extra / so it didn't work! It's fixed now.