Gravity

Danae

Disclaimer: Not mine. No money made here.

Notes: This is another ‘turned out in a few hours’ things. Got the idea, it would NOT go away so I wrote it. Hope it’s not too awful. Not betaed at the moment.

“Is it just impossible for us to catch a break, Jim? Just tell me that.” Blair Sandburg was not a happy camper, quite literally, as he gathered up the camping equipment and tossed it into the duffel bag he held. “The weather man said nothing about any storm. They ought to fire that guy. What does he know anyway? Just one little peaceful weekend of camping and fishing, that’s all I asked for and what do I get? One morning of pathetic fishing and an afternoon of packing. Are you sure there’s a storm coming?”

“Well, gee, I am the sentinel here. You’re the guide. Let’s see, that means I have the heightened senses and you don’t. However, you were the one who was supposed to train me to use these heightened senses, so if I’m wrong then I’d say that it would be your fault.” Jim Ellison grinned at his friend as he stuffed the tent poles into their carrying case.

“Hey! No fair. Sure, turn everything around so it’s my fault. I see how this is going to be. That’s okay. That just means that if you’re wrong, then it’s my fault for not training you better, so I’ll have to devise some tests to help hone your senses better so you don’t make these kinds of mistakes. Yeah, that works.”

The grin disappeared from Jim’s face. “My senses are honed just fine.”

“Oh no, you could be right here. I think that we need to do some real serious work here. I mean, it could be dangerous for you to be running around with your senses only half trained. Yep, honing is in store for you, my friend. Friends don’t let friends go around unhoned.”

“You think you’re funny.”

“No, Jim, I know I’m funny.” Now it was Blair’s turn to grin. “And though it is completely beside the point right now, I’m cute too.”

“You’re delusional.”

“I think you’re the one that’s delusional. Look at that sky, man! Bluer than blue, not a cloud in sight. Come on, man, just a little more fishing! I mean, we’re packed now so if your storm does come up, all we have to do is jump in the truck and high-tail it outta here.”

Jim considered his friend and his request. He did not want to leave any more than Blair did. Ordinarily, they might have stayed in spite of the rain but they were not in the best location. The trail in was hard without a hard rain and the area had been known to be prone to flash floods. Then there was the fact that Blair was just getting over bronchitis. He did not need to be out in cold, damp weather. Jim did want to at least catch something to take back with them for dinner, though. If they could have fresh grilled fish for dinner that night, it might make up for having to cut the trip short. “Okay, just a little more fishing.”

“Cool!” Blair dropped the duffel, grabbed his fishing gear and was gone before Jim could say another word.

Jim shook his head then followed.

A few hours later, they had several fish, the sun was going down, and the clouds were rolling in.

“Guess you were right about that storm, Jim.”

“Does that mean I don’t need honing?”

“Not a chance, Jim. You should never have opened your mouth. You have to pay for your indiscretion with lots and lots of tests.”

“You’re an evil man, Sandburg.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s a gift. I am my mother’s child, after all. The things she would do to me if I opened my big mouth and…”

”Shh!” Jim ordered. He tilted his head and listened. Had he heard something or was it just the sounds of the coming storm? There it was again. It was a sad, lonesome sound.

“What is it?”

“It sounds like it might be a child crying.”

“Out here? Surely not, Jim.”

“Come on.” Jim took off in the direction of the sound. As he got closer, it did indeed sound like a child crying. He started climbing out of the valley where they were, up the trail that they had used to get there. At the top, he stopped and listened again. It was hard to pinpoint the direction now. The only thing he could say for sure was that it was not behind him, from where he had come. Blair caught up to him. “I can’t find it now. Sounds like it’s everywhere.”

“I can’t hear it at all. Okay, try to focus. Block out everything else. Oh, idea! Wind direction. That might help. Is it coming to you on the wind, Jim? Or is it going away from you?”

“To me. This way.” He headed east, off the trail. “Good idea, by the way.”

“Thanks.”

“Can you hear it now?” Jim asked him.

“Nope. Just following you, man.”

“We’re getting closer. Chief, it’s definitely a child. Up here.” Jim veered to the left and crashed his way through some underbrush and nearly went right over the cliff on the other side. “Shit!” He scrambled back only to stumble over Blair. Both of them hit the ground. “You okay, Blair?”

“Yeah, you?”

“Yeah. I wasn’t paying enough attention and nearly got myself killed but otherwise, I’m good.”

“It happens.”

“Yeah, but usually just to you.”

“Oh, ha-ha. Very funny, Jim.”

Jim grinned and cuffed him on the head before getting up and extending his hand to Blair to help him up as well.

Jim looked over the edge of the cliff. That was where the sound was coming from.

“Jim, you don’t think—“

“Unfortunately, yes.” It was then that Jim noticed the tracks. “Look.” He pointed down at the bicycle tracks that led off the cliff. “Goes right on over. Damn, that’s a long way down.” He shook his head. “Can’t see the kid though.”

“Where are the kid’s parents? That’s what I’d like to know.”

“Me, too. Sounds like he’s getting weaker.”

“I still can’t hear him. What do we do?”

“You go back to the truck and get some rope and the cell phone. I’ll check around and see if there’s another way down there.”

“Gotcha.” Blair sped away without another word.

Jim walked the edge of the cliff trying to find a trail or at least a place where the way would not be so steep. He had no luck. Going around on the trail would take an hour or more. By then, it would be dark and the rain would be on them. If the trail got a good soaking, none of them would be able to get out without a four-wheel drive. For the first time in a long time, Jim wished for his jeep or even the Expedition. Sweetheart would not be able to make it. The rear end would be too light. Going down the cliff was the quickest way. He had plenty of rope. The trip down should not be a big problem. Blair could pull the child up and then toss him the rope so he could climb up. Jim nodded. His mind was made up. Then the first peal of thunder rumbled overheard and the sky opened up. He sighed. “It just figures.”

“Jim!” Blair’s voice turned him away from the edge of the cliff. His guide was rushing toward him. “Bad news. You left the cell phone on yesterday. The battery is dead.”

“Damn it! What about yours?”

“I left mine. You had yours.” Blair shrugged as he came to a stop in front of Jim. “I got the rope though.” He pulled the coiled rope from his left shoulder and handed it to Jim.

“Okay, let’s tie this off somewhere.”

“Jim, I don’t want to sound wimpy here but shouldn’t we drive down the trail for help? This seems a little dangerous. It’s raining already and there’s nothing here that looks sturdy enough to tie this off to.”

“I don’t think this kid has that kind of time. Besides, by the time we got down there and back with help, we wouldn’t be able to get to the kid for the weather and the dark. This looks pretty sturdy here, Chief.” Jim tugged on the small tree near the cliff’s edge. It held. He tried again to be sure. It still held. “Between you and this tree, I’ll be in good hands.”

“Jim, you should let me go. I’m lighter.”

“You’re kidding, right? Blair, there’s no way on God’s green earth I’m letting you hang over this cliff on a rope. With your luck? Yeah, right. I’m going.”

“What are you trying to say, Jim?”

“What I’m trying to say is, take you, one rope, one cliff and a rain storm. That, Chief, is a recipe for disaster if I ever heard one.”

“Thanks for the faith, man.”

“I do have faith. I have faith that you’ll be up here, safe and helping me get that kid out of here.” He tied the rope around the tree. A flash of lightning momentarily blinded him but he got it under control in time to see the smirk that Blair gave him. “Don’t worry so much, Chief. I had to do this stuff in the Rangers all the time. I’m an old pro.”

“You got the old part right.” Blair mumbled.

“Hey, my hearing doesn’t need honing at all, Darwin, and you’ll pay for that one later.” Jim grinned at him as he moved to the edge.

Blair rolled his eyes at him. “Oooo, I’m so scared of you.”

Jim laughed then handed the rope to him. “Okay, take this, get down and brace yourself on those rocks right there. The tree will do most of the work on my way down but you’ll probably have to pull the kid up. I’ll tug on the rope and yell when we’re ready. Then after the kid is up, throw the rope back down to me and I’ll climb. Got it?”

“Yeah.” Blair followed his instructions.

“Ready?”

“Yeah.”

Jim nodded at him then carefully backed over the edge of the cliff.

Blair said a short prayer as Jim disappeared over the edge of the cliff. In his estimation, this was not the smartest thing Jim had ever done, but he would back his partner up and hope for the best. It was pretty dark by now and the rain was coming down hard. He grimaced as the cold ground under him got a little colder as rainwater began to soak in around his behind. “Jim, you okay?” he called out.

“Fine, Sandburg. Just hold the rope and don’t distract me here!”

Blair stuck out his tongue.

“I heard that.”

“I didn’t say anything!” he protested.

“You thought it.”

“Yeah, and I’d be giving you the finger if I didn’t have to hold this rope.”

He could just hear the chuckle that followed. He was smiling when the rope seemed to suddenly slip in his hands. “What the hell?” He turned and looked back that the tree. The ground around its base had shifted. “Oh, no.”

“What’s happening up there, Chief? What the hell was that?” Jim shouted at him.

“Jim, um, how much longer before you get down?” he called back.

“Long way. What’s happening?”

“Can you hurry?”

“Blair! What’s happening?”

“The tree is coming up by its roots, Jim. You need to hurry.”

“Oh, shit!”

“Jim, just come back up.”

“I’ll hurry.”

“Jim, come back up!”

“Just hold on, Blair.”

“Jim, please! I don’t think I can hold you by myself. Not in this rain! Please!” Blair watched as rainwater filled in the hole under the tree’s roots. That would not help matters. “Oh god.” He saw it coming. In the blink of an eye, the tree’s roots turned loose from the soil and the whole tree came rushing at him. Blair ducked his head low and felt the small trunk slam into his back. He nearly blacked out from the impact. When he cleared his vision and his hazy thoughts, he was amazed that he still held the rope in his hands. His bleeding, burning hands.

“Blair! Blair, answer me!”

“Thank god,” Blair whispered to himself as Jim’s voice reached him. “I’m okay,” he announced, although he was not sure at all if he was telling the truth. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. What’s your situation?”

“No more tree, man, but I’ve got you if you hurry. Get back up here.”

“I think I’m just as close to the bottom now. I’m going to go down.”

“Jim! I don’t have a way of getting you back up, man! Please, just come back.” His hands were killing him. He wanted nothing more than to let go of the rope and go shove his hands in their cooler of ice.

“Blair, I’ll be okay. I can take care of the kid and you can go get help. Okay?”

“Whatever, man, just do something.”

“Okay. I’m going.”

The pain was excruciating but he held on. He was almost convinced that everything was going to be all right until the rocks that he was using for his anchor also shifted in the ever-softening muddy ground. It was over before he knew what happened. He was lying face down in the mud. He could vaguely remember hearing Jim’s scream as he fell. The rope and the tree were nowhere to be seen. “No! Jim!” He crawled over to the edge of the cliff and looked over but he could see nothing. It was too dark and too far down and something more than rain was clouding his vision. “Jim! Please, answer me! Jim!” He listened. The only sound was the sound of thunder in his head or maybe that was his heart beating. He was not sure. “Oh no, God. Please, no. Jim! Be alive, please! Be alive!”

Still nothing came from the ravine. “I’ll go for help! Jim, I’m going for help!” He got up and ran. He fell more times than he could count on his way down the trail. His back hurt. His head hurt, and his hands hurt but still he ran. He made it back to the truck only to realize that Jim had the keys. He hesitated for half a second before picking up the case that held the tent poles and slamming it through the window. He tossed it aside and quickly unlocked and opened the truck door. Without pausing to clear the glass, he slid into the seat and reached under the dash. He snatched the wires there and fumbled in the dark for a minute before finding the ones he needed. Using his Swiss Army knife, he had the truck hotwired in seconds. He slammed the truck door and stomped on the gas, snatching the gearshift down into reverse. The truck shot backward and spun around. He was on his way.

Minutes later, however, he was having trouble. He could not get his eyes to stay focused and he could not keep the truck from sliding in all the mud on the trail. He was getting tired, too. He stuck his head out of the window in the hopes that the cold rain would keep him alert. The move was too much of a distraction, however, and he did not see the puddle until it was too late. The truck hit the water and the rear end fishtailed in the mud and slammed against a tree. Blair only had a moment to lament the fact that he had wrecked Jim’s truck before he lost his battle to stay awake.

The whole world must have caved in on me, Jim thought as he struggled to open his eyes. A shudder ran through his body and the pain that rode its wave nearly sent Jim back into oblivion. He was wet. He was cold too, he catalogued. He finally got his eyes to open and found that he was looking up into a cloudy night sky. Rain was pelting him in the face. A streak of lightning crossed the sky and he squeezed his eyes shut, as the light seemed to try to pierce him through the head like a red-hot poker. “Blair?” he whispered. No answer. He opened his eyes again and tried to take in his surroundings. His guide was not there. He searched his memory for an explanation for his condition. The child crying, the cliff, the rope, the tree, Blair, he listed. Then he panicked. What if Blair had fallen? He had fallen. He knew that, but if he had fallen, there was a good chance that he had pulled Blair over with him. But there was no Blair. At least not that he could see from his present position. He decided to try to get up. He needed to find Blair. He found that his left arm was in relatively good working order. He put the elbow solidly on the ground beside him and pushed.

It took several minutes of panting and looking around before he realized that the inhuman scream he had heard had come from him. He let his arm fall to lay flat on the ground by his side again. He was hurt. Hurt badly apparently. When he was able to think past the pain again, he tried to assess his injuries. He could move his right leg but attempting to move the left was not only unsuccessful but extremely painful as well. His ribs were broken. Yes, definitely some ribs broken. Lots of ribs, more than likely. Just the thought of it made him cough. It hurt like hell and when it was over, he could taste blood in his mouth. Then there was his head. It was threatening to explode if he moved it again.

“Oh shit,” he whispered. “Blair!” he called again. It sounded awfully loud to him, but somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that his voice was not carrying far, especially not in the midst of the storm. Besides, Blair was never able to hear the child that Jim heard so he probably would not hear Jim now that the rain was drowning out everything. Perhaps he was close to the child now at least. “Hello? Are you there?”

No answer. The crying had even stopped. He hoped that was not a bad sign. Maybe it was a sign that the kid’s parents had found him or her and they were on their way to help. Of course, that meant that Jim had just practically killed himself, and possibly Blair, for nothing. He could not just lie there and wait to die. He had to move. He had to find out if Blair had fallen too. He braced himself and tried to rise again. Then the ground was stolen out from under him and he fell into the darkness.

Sheriff Wade Palmer had had a long night. A lost child and a bad storm had meant chaos and mayhem for him and his deputies. Worried parents had demanded a search. The weather had prevented one. Now, after a night of working wreck after wreck in the pouring rain, they were just now beginning a search. He yawned and cursed the tourists who had let their child wonder off on his bike. This was treacherous ground for people who knew what they were doing. The White’s did not have the slightest clue. Mrs. White had wailed about how they just wanted to “commune with nature,” when she looked as if the most communing with nature she had done was when she went to Eddie Bauer’s at the mall, while her husband railed about backward country sheriff departments that could not find their asses if they were sitting on them. They had not endeared themselves with Wade’s department by any stretch of the imagination. But they were not the ones lost and possibly injured in his county. Their eleven-year-old son was, and so, Wade drove his four-wheel drive jeep up the trail to the river canyon. There were many places along this trail where a child could have fallen, some of them very deep ravines, deep enough to be fatal. Then there was the river itself. He shook his head and sighed.

He saw the truck as he rounded a sharp twist in the trail. The bed of it had almost wrapped around a big tree. “Damn. Whoever’s in there is hurt.” He pulled over near the blue and white truck and got out. He adjusted his sunglasses as the morning sun shone in his eyes as he approached. “Hello?” he called. A moan was his answer. He circled around to the driver’s side and peeked into the broken window. “Damn,” he swore. The kid inside was covered in blood. Dreading what he would find, he snaked a hand into the truck anyway and checked for a pulse. There was one and he said a quick thanks to God for that.

“Jim?” a pained whisper came from the young man.

“Just hold on, son. Hold on and I’ll get you some help.” He grabbed the mike on his shoulder strap and barked an order for an ambulance. He tried to open the door but it was jammed. The passenger’s window was shattered as well so he went around to that door. He reached inside, popped the lock and opened the door. Carefully, he brushed the glass from the seat and slid in. As he examined the situation more closely, he noticed that the truck had been hotwired. “Great. A car thief. Things just had to get complicated.” Despite this new information, he still intended to be careful with the kid. Gingerly, he removed the curtain of blood soaked hair from the boy’s face and found that he was not a boy at all. The man was older than Wade had first thought, probably thirty or so. He also found that the majority of the blood was from a scalp wound. Scalp wounds bled badly whether minor or serious so it might not be as bad as Wade originally thought. “Then again,” he said aloud as he noticed more blood on the man’s hands. “What’s this?” He took out his handkerchief and swiped it across one hand. He winced at the wounds there. “What the hell happened to you?”

“Jim?” came the plaintive question again.

“Who’s Jim, boy? Where can I find him?”

“He’s—dead. I killed him,” the man moaned. “I killed him.”

“Holy shit.”

“Wade, here’s the man’s wallet and personal effects.”

“How is he?”

“Not great but it could be worse. He’s bruised up and hypothermic. He’s got bruised kidneys and a few broken ribs. The cut on his head required a few stitches. Those are rope burns on his hands.”

“Rope burns,” Wade muttered as he searched through the wallet. “Says here his name is Blair Sandburg, Cascade.” He looked up at Dr. Collins. “Did he say anything else about this Jim?”

“Nope. Of course, we drugged him into next week. I doubt he’ll be saying anything for a bit.”

Wade nodded. “Ah, here.” He pulled out a card. “’In case of emergency, call Detective James Ellison, Cascade PD, Major Crimes Division. Got a number here.”

“That might be Jim, you think?”

“I hope not.”

“Why?”

“Because he told me that he killed Jim. That would mean I have a cop killer on my hands.”

“Wade, that boy doesn’t look like a cop killer. Maybe there was an accident…”

“I’ll lean toward that. He seemed pretty upset and then there are those burns. Well, only one way to find out. Let’s call Cascade Major Crimes.” Wade smiled at Collins and waved the card.

“Captain Simon Banks here. Can I help you?” Simon listened to the man on the other end of the line. His heart fell into his feet. “I’ll be right there. Take care of him and get a search party out there for Ellison. I’m on my way!” He slammed the phone down and ran for the door. “Joel, you’re with me. Brown, hold down the fort.” Simon did not wait to see if Joel or Brown had heard or were following their orders. When he reached the elevator, Joel Taggert was by his side. “They just can’t get a break!”

“Jim and Blair?”

“Yes, Lord, isn’t it always Jim and Blair?”

Joel shook his head. “Sure seems that way.”

Two hours later, Simon and Joel entered the Granite Falls Medical Clinic in Snohomish County. A Dr. Collins directed them to the room where they would find Blair Sandburg. Simon took in the IV and the pile of blankets on the bed before letting his gaze settle on the man in the bed. A white bandage covered the right side of Blair’s forehead. Both hands were wrapped in gauze.

“He’s really going to be fine. He’ll need lots of bed rest and his own doctor needs to watch the situation with his kidneys, although I’m confident that they’ll heal just fine. We have him sedated, but he should be able to talk to you for a minute or two.” The doctor left them then.

“Blair, come on, son, wake up.” Simon touched the younger man’s shoulder gently.

Blue eyes opened slowly and then widened when they focused on Simon’s face. “Oh god, he’s dead. I killed him,” he blurted out and Simon rushed to calm him.

“Easy, son. Tell me what happened.”

“Heard a kid crying. Went down the cliff. The tree came up and I couldn’t hold on, Simon. I didn’t mean to. He fell. Jim’s dead! I killed him. I know I did.”

“No, no, you didn’t kill him.”

“You found him? Did you find him? Where is—?” He tried to get up but Simon gently pushed him back onto the bed.

“No, we haven’t found him yet. But we will, Blair, and he’ll be fine. You’ll see. Ellison is too damn tough to die. Haven’t you figured that out yet, kid? You take it easy and me and Joel’ll go find Jim for you, okay? You just rest.”

“Okay, Simon. You find Jim, okay?”

“We will. Close your eyes. That’s it,” Simon soothed as Blair’s sad blue eyes closed. “Let’s go, Joel,” he whispered then led the way out of the room.

Once outside, Joel grabbed his arm. “Should you have told him that Jim’s alive, Simon? What if he’s not?”

“He is. He’s got to be, Joel. Or we’ll lose them both. Blair won’t be able to live with this.”

“You heard, Simon. It wasn’t his fault.”

“You think you can make him believe that? Good luck.”

“He wouldn’t kill himself. That’s not Blair.”

“No, not intentionally. He’d grieve himself to death, Joel. Let’s just find Jim.”

Wade turned and greeted the two men who approached him. “Captain Banks?”

“Yes. This is Captain Taggert. Any luck?”

“Not yet. Did you talk to the kid?”

“Yeah.”

“Tell me I don’t have a cop killer down there.”

“You don’t have a cop killer, Sheriff Palmer. Sandburg is a civilian consultant with my department and Jim Ellison’s best friend. Jim thought he heard a child crying. The two of them went to investigate, and Jim went over a cliff to find the kid. The tree they anchored on came up, and Blair was hurt trying to hold on but ultimately couldn’t. Jim fell, and Blair blames himself.”

“That would be consistent with the rope burns and his other injuries. Poor guy. Well, we do have a kid missing, too. Okay, cliffs, huh? That gives us a few possibilities.” He spread out his map for the two city cops and circled two areas. “You two can come with me to this area nearest the river and I’ll send my guys over here to the west. That okay with you?”

“Works for me.” Banks assured him.

“Then let’s move.”

“Go away,” he ordered the person poking him. His words were slurred, and his eyelids were heavy.

“Wake up, mister. Please, wake up.” The child’s voice surprised him and he forced his eyes to open. Sure enough, there was a kid kneeling next to him. He tried to turn over onto his back but the pain of the smallest movement changed his mind. He lay there staring at the boy before him.

“Hi,” he managed.

“Hi.” The kid was holding his right arm tight against his body.

“What’s your name?”

“Josh White.”

“Hi, Josh. I’m Jim. Are you hurt badly?”

“Not as bad as you.”

Jim tried to stop the chuckle that rose in his throat. It was going to hurt if it managed to escape. Only the smile got through and it was not too painful. “Josh, have you seen anyone else around here?”

“No, sir. I didn’t look around too much though. I was stuck for a while but I got free a little while ago. Then I found you. I figured that they would be looking for us and we’d be easier to find if we were together, right?”

“Smart kid.”

“Who were you looking for?”

“I had a friend with me. If he’s not down here with us, maybe he’s gone for help.” Jim tried to sound hopeful but it was daylight. If Blair were okay, he could have already brought back help. No, Blair might not have fallen but he was definitely hurt somehow. Someone had to be looking for the kid though. All was not lost yet. If he could just hang on… his eyes were sliding closed though. He felt so tired. His whole body was one big searing pain. He reached for the pain dial. If he could just turn it down to zero, maybe he could stay conscious. Maybe he could think well enough to figure out a way out of this for himself and Josh. He heard Josh calling him, begging him not to die but he could not answer. He struggled with that dial. It would not budge. The pain was becoming overwhelming. It was taking on a life of its own. It suddenly had a color, swirling red. And it had a smell, a coppery scent. It had a sound, a piercing scream. It had a taste; it tasted like blood. It consumed Jim’s world. His last coherent thought was that he hoped Blair was okay.

Simon watched as Palmer tilted his head to one side in a suspiciously Ellison-like fashion.

“This way!” He took off suddenly, leaving Simon and Joel to bring up the rear. He stopped just as suddenly on the edge of a particularly deep ravine. Vegetation and small trees blocked the view of the very bottom of it. “They’re down there.”

“You sure? I don’t hear anything.” Simon stated.

“Me neither,” Joel added.

“I can just hear the kid. They’re down there all right.” Palmer grabbed his mike. “Lover’s Leap, gentlemen! Let’s get this show on the road!”

Minutes later, the cliff swarmed with rescue personnel and cops. Stretchers were sent down. They returned with a very subdued eleven-year-old boy and an unconscious Jim Ellison. “He’s alive,” one of the rescuers announced to Simon and he and Joel shared a sigh of relief. “We have to get him to Everett though. The Clinic isn’t equipped for this.”

Palmer nodded and called over the pilot of the search and rescue chopper. Jim would be in Everett in no time at all.

Simon walked alongside the stretcher as they carried it to the chopper. “Hang in there, Jim.” The stretcher was loaded and Simon moved away so they could take off.

“We need to tell Blair, Simon.” Joel was just behind him.

“We need to do more than that. We need to get the kid to Everett with him. Let’s go say our thanks and get out of here.” They made their way back over to Palmer. “Sheriff, can’t thank you enough. If you’re ever in Cascade, look us up. We owe you dinner at the very least.”

“Just doing my job.”

“You do it well.”

“Thank you. Well, I’d better go meet the Whites and give them back their little boy. Take care, gentlemen.” Palmer shook their hands and walked away. Simon watched him with a burning curiosity.

“How’d he hear that, Simon?” Joel asked the question that was singing along the synapses in Simon’s head.

Simon thought he knew but he shrugged just the same. “Good ears, I guess. Let’s go.”

A swaying Blair Sandburg stood next to Jim’s hospital bed. Simon grabbed both shoulders and pushed down until the man was once again sitting in his wheelchair. “I can’t see his face this way,” he complained.

“You can see his ugly face any time, Sandburg. Right now, you need to sit.”

“Are you sure he’s okay, Simon? What did the doctor say again?”

Simon rolled his eyes but repeated the doctor’s words just the same. Blair was still blaming himself and making himself sick with worry. If it would help Blair, he would repeat the prognosis every hour on the hour. “He said that Jim came through the surgery just fine. His lung will heal just fine. His left collarbone is cracked. His left leg is broken but it’s a simple fracture. He has a concussion and seven broken ribs, some of them broken in back, some in front but all of them will heal. Otherwise, he’s one big bruise. He’ll live, Blair.”

Sandburg nodded. “Okay.” The voice was so small and unsure.

“Blair, this was not your fault. You did what you could, son. You’re here right now with bandages on both hands, stitches in your head, your own set of broken ribs, and bruised kidneys. That tells me that you tried. Jim’s a big man. It was raining and the rope was wet. The ground was muddy as hell. The elements were just working against you. You can’t control gravity, Blair.”

“Guess not, huh?”

“Nope.”

“Can I have a few minutes alone with him, Simon?”

“Sure. I’ll be outside.” Simon walked out of the room and left the guide with his sentinel.

It started out as a low hum. It was soothing. As it gained in volume, the sound of the pain receded. Then the taste and smell of it disappeared. The hum was slowly replaced by words, low in tone and melodic.

“I tried to tell you, Jim. You scared the hell out of me, you know? If you’d just wake up now, I’d give you hell. You’re not Superman, Jim Ellison. Regardless of what I might have led you believe sometimes, you are not a super hero. That’s not to say that you’re not a hero, Jim. You are. In so many ways. It’s just that…” A sad sigh interrupted his serenade and Jim opened his eyes to find out what happened to it. The sights of an ICU cubicle replaced the swirling red of pain. “It’s just that I don’t want you to die, Jim. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you to some stupid heroic stunt. Even you can’t control gravity, damn it! You can’t fly, you hear me?”

Jim wet his lips and struggled to form words. “I hear you, Chief,” he choked out. It was muffled by the oxygen mask but it was heard. A curly head popped up over the side of his bed. He smiled through the mask at his best friend.

“Jim. Thank God.”

Jim turned his head and saw the wheelchair. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m okay, Jim. Just bruised up. That’s all. You got the worst end of this one.”

“Well, sit down. You’ll tire yourself out.”

Blair smiled at him then sat down.

“You may now commence with the hell you promised me, Chief.”

“You heard that, too, huh?”

“Yeah, I always hear you, Blair.”

“Yeah? Well, you certainly don’t listen! I swear, Jim, you can be so stubborn. You could have been killed. I told you the tree was coming up. And when the damn thing whacked me in the back, I almost lost you then. What would those extra feet have done to you, huh? If you had just come up when I told you to…”

“Okay, okay. I think I can see the gravity of the situation.”

“No, you didn’t. You did not just say that.”

Jim tried hard not to laugh. He was not entirely successful. It hurt but it was worth it to see the stunned and irritated look on Blair’s face.

“That was like the lamest thing I have ever heard, Jim.”

“Yeah, maybe so, but I have to find little ways of paying you back for all those freaking tests you put me through. Of course, now that I’m injured, surely you’ll let me pass on those honing exercises, right?”

“Oh no, this will be the perfect time.”

Jim groaned. “Can my life get any worse?’

“Oh sure it can. Just wait until Simon tells the whole bullpen that you took me up to Lover’s Leap and fell head over heels for me.”

“What!?”

“Well, I’d better head back to my room. I’m kinda tired.” Blair carefully backed his wheelchair up and headed for the door.

“Sandburg! Get back here!”

“Jim, you’d better calm down before they sedate you. They don’t want you all upset.”

“Don’t want me--- have you lost your mind? Blair? Tell me you’re kidding. Come on, Chief.”

“Good night, Jim.” The wheelchair rolled right on out the door.

“Lover’s Leap? Jesus, can’t I ever catch a break?” He heard Simon’s rumbling laughter outside his door. “Simon! Don’t you dare!”

“Night, Jim!”

“I’m going to have to kill them both.” He announced to the nurse that came into the room.

The End!

There! Jim owies. Just to prove to myself that I could do it. Of course, I had to throw in Blair owies too, but Jim did the really bad ones. Humph, close enough! <g>