Author=s note: Actual dialogue from the episode are contained with {}.

Second Chances

by Wendy Myers

Jim heard the sirens as he finished securing Francisco. Rising to his feet, he heard an unmarked squad pull up onto the pier and seconds later he saw Simon’s familiar figure emerge from the vehicle. A quick glance over his shoulder confirmed that Maya still stood close by. She hadn’t said a word since he’d taken down her supposed boyfriend, and Jim wasn’t certain whether it was shock or guilt that held her silent. At the moment, he didn’t care. He had more important things to worry about.

"Ellison!" Simon called out. "You all right? Where’s Sandburg?"

"I’m fine, sir," Jim replied. "But we need an ambulance. Gustavo’s been shot and Sandburg’s unconscious." Indicating the handcuffed an, he added, "Can you keep an eye on this scum until some backup arrives?"

"It’ll be my pleasure. Go see to your partner. I’ll call for the ambulance and check on our reinforcements."

Satisfied that the situation was under control, Jim headed back to the boat. He’d barely stepped aboard when he found himself face to face with Gustavo. The older man was clutching his shoulder, his fingers tinged with fresh blood.

"Did you kill him? Where is Maya?" Gustavo demanded.

Jim had to admire the man. Even with a painful gunshot wound, the man’s first concern was for his niece.

As much as the Sentinel wanted to answer the man’s questions, *his* first concern was his Guide. Pointing toward where he had left them under Simon’s watchful eye, he quickly explained that Francisco had been taken care of and that Maya was fine. Picking up sounds of movement from where he’d left his partner, he slipped past the older man, murmuring a soft apology for his hasty departure.

"Sandburg?" he called tentatively. As Jim approached the boat’s aft, he saw the Blair was indeed starting to stir. Jim rushed to his side and gently grasped his shoulders as the young man tried to rise. "Easy," he cautioned. "Easy."

Blair got to a standing position, then slowly began to sink back down to the deck with a groan.

Jim wrapped an arm around his partner’s waist and half-carried, half-walked Blair to a stair step and sat him down. Kneeling in front of the younger man, he took his Guide’s face in his hands. Looking into Blair’s eyes, he tried to judge the extent of the injury, searching for signs of a concussion. There was none. Brushing the curls away with his fingers, Jim inspected the gash above his friend’s eye.

It, too, was not as bad as it looked.

All the while, Blair was babbling about what happened. ". . . I tried to get the gun away. . ."

Jim clenched his jaw as he listened to his friend’s ramblings, especially when Blair explained that Francisco’s thug had decked him with his gun. As he completed his inspection of his Guide’s physical condition, the detective noticed the red marks appearing on the knuckles of his partner’s right hand and smiled to himself. At least the kid had been able to throw in a good punch.

"You’re gonna be okay, Chief," said Jim, placing both hands on his shoulders.

"Yeah, well, I wish I could feel that way," Blair groaned as he raised a hand to his head. Then he remembered what had been happening. "Oh man, Maya!" He jumped to his feet, only to be greeted with a fresh wave of dizziness and dancing black spots before his eyes. "Whoa!" he said, grabbing his head as his knees buckled.

Jim had been startled by the sudden move, but recovered quickly as the anthropologist started to fall. Grabbing his arms Jim eased Blair down onto the step once more.

"I gotcha. Just take it easy," Jim cautioned, sitting down next to his friend. "It’s all right. Maya’s fine. It’s over."

Over. That word echoed in the far reaches of Blair’s mind. Jim had done it again. The Sentinel had saved his bacon from the flames. Again. Maya was fine, no thanks to him. All he’d managed to do was get himself kidnapped, which had forced Jim to get the real codes from Maya’s father --- and who had them now? Then he’d topped it off by getting his butt kicked by Francisco’s thug. It began to rain and Blair started to shiver uncontrollably. Reality came crashing down, along with the rain.

Jim responded to his Guide’s obvious distress by embracing Blair in a tight hug, tucking the young man’s head under his chin and rubbing warmth into his partner’s arms.

Blair didn’t resist, gratefully accepting the comfort and strength of the older man. But his mind was far from calm. ‘Jim deserves better than this,’ he thought guiltily. Blair had walked off to clear his thoughts after Gustavo accused his own niece of being in on the kidnapping. He just couldn’t believe she could be in on it. He had forgotten all about Francisco. . .until the would-be drug lord showed up in that alley. *Can’t even prevent my own kidnapping.* he thought glumly. After a while, he spoke. "I’m sorry," he said quietly.

Jim continued to hold him, more for himself as an affirmation that Blair was alive and safe than anything else.

"Nothing to be sorry about," replied Jim. "It’s not your fault Francisco took you. That’s my fault."

Blair pulled away slightly and looked at the detective. "Your fault? How?"

Jim looked out to the water. AI never should have told Francisco we knew about their planned kidnapping." He remembered the look on Blair’s face as Francisco drove off with him. . .that look of helplessness. That image was burned into his brain as he rushed to get the codes and rescue his partner. Then the fear of seeing his friend unconscious on the deck. . . . He shook his head and clenched his jaw. "Hell,, I never should have let you out of my sight."

"You couldn’t’ve know what Francisco was gonna do," Blair said. "You can’t blame yourself for that."

Jim looked at him, amazed. It always astonished him how Blair could go through so much and still have enough faith in his "Blessed Protector" to pull both of them through every ordeal.

Blair turned his gaze to his feet, like they had sprouted something of great interest. "I shouldn’t’ve walked off like that. I’m sorry." He started to shiver again.

Jim brought his friend back into a warm embrace. He actually blamed Maya for all of it. She was in on it from the start and had played on Blair’s emotions. The whole thing had been planned right down to the stint outside their apartment building the first night this mess had started. But he wasn’t about to say that to Blair. His Guide had found out the hard way and had been through enough. Jim took comfort in the fact that this exuberant bundle of energy he called his partner would bounce back to his usual self after a while.

The sirens were louder now and the sun was setting. The rain had petered off to a drizzle. Jim took one look in the general direction of the sirens, then looked back at his partner. "You think you can walk?" he asked the young man huddled against him.

Blair stood shakily, accepting Jim’s arm as he steadied himself. "Yeah, I think so," he said, smiling weakly.

Jim returned the smile and wrapped an arm around the younger man’s shoulders, leading them both to the gangplank and the waiting ambulance.

They’d taken no more than a couple of steps on the gangplank before Blair started to collapse. "Sorry. . ." he trailed off as he lost consciousness.

Jim didn’t miss a beat as he scooped up his partner and carried him to the dock. "S’all right, Chief," he whispered in his Guide’s ear. "S’all right."

oooooo

Blair stirred to consciousness as Jim sat him on the edge of the ambulance.

"Nnnh. . ." he groaned, holding his head in his hands.

Jim maintained his hold of his friend’s shoulder. "You’re gonna be okay, Chief."

As the EMT examined and treated Blair’s injury, Simon approached them. He handed each of them a heavy Police jacket to ward off the chill caused by the rain.

"You okay, Sandburg?" the captain asked, eyeing the young observer closely.

Blair nodded, then winced as his head protested the motion. "Yeah,’ he said, giving the taller man a weak grin. "I’ll live."

The EMT finished with Blair and turned to Jim. "He should be okay. I don’t see any sign of concussion, but you might want to keep an eye on him for a day or so. If he starts exhibiting any signs of something wrong --- dizziness, disorientation, vomiting --- take him to the hospital right away." Seeing Jim nod, the EMT patted Blair’s shoulder and left to assist his partner with Gustavo’s shoulder wound.

Jim turned to his captain. "So what’s gonna happen now, Simon?"

"The Feds are gonna deport them. . .Maya too," said the dark captain.

Blair looked up. "Why?" he asked, stricken.

Jim laid a hand on his partner’s shoulder. Part of him was secretly relieved Maya was getting deported so she wouldn’t be able to cause Blair any more grief. Yet another part knew that the forced separation would create simply another brand of misery, at least until his friend came to terms with how he really felt about the young woman.

"It’s for the best, Sandburg," Simon explained calmly. "She’s not being arrested, but she will be prohibited from ever coming back to the States again."

Blair just nodded. The police jacket Simon had given him was two sizes too big for the young police observer and with his drenched hair and hunched posture, Blair looked more like a small lost child than a teaching fellow of Anthropology at Rainier University.

The rest of the conversation and his surroundings blurred as Blair dealt with his emotions. Did he still love Maya? He wasn’t sure. He may have loved her at one time, but now. . . .

After talking with her, telling her of her deportation, Blair decided what he felt for her now was friendship. Despite all she had done, he would still be her friend.

{"You gonna be all right?"} asked Jim as Blair walked up beside him.

Blair nodded. {"Yeah. . .still hurts though."}

The last statement was said so soft only Jim’s Sentinel hearing caught it. He wasn’t sure if Blair had been referring to the physical injury Francisco’s thug had caused or the emotional one caused by Maya. Or maybe both. Before he could make a decision, Blair flashed his partner one of his familiar smiles.

Jim reached out and gave his friend’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze and smiled. ‘Yeah, he was going to be fine.’

The End.