New
Arrivals
Author-Suzie
Titles
You'll Be in My Heart
by Suzie
Summary: Lyrics by Phil Collins, story by Suzie. ~grin~
Disclaimer: Some of the characters in this story belong to the UPN Network and Pet Fly Productions as part of the television show The Sentinel. I do not claim these characters as my own. No money has changed hands.
Notes: Thank you, Jen, for having the confidence in me that I don't always feel in myself. You are a *great* Beta Beast, but a *wonderful* person.
It should have been easy. Carroll Tully wanted to turn states evidence and had arranged a meeting at a cabin off of Highway Three. Tully had insisted that there be no more than two detectives present, and one of the two must be Jim Ellison.
But the meeting turned into an ambush when Tully's boss found out what he was doing. Shots rang out in the gloom and rain of the day. The first bullet hit Tully, piercing his brain and killing him instantly. Jim emptied his gun at their unseen adversaries, not knowing if he'd hit anything other than rocks and trees. He tried to get himself and Blair to the safety of the cabin, but it was not to be.
Now, Carroll Tully was dead, Jim had taken a shot in the shoulder, and Blair had been hit just below the ribcage.
**********
When the shooting finally stopped, Jim lay where he'd fallen protectively over Blair, the mud ladden ground seeping into both their clothes. He listened and waited until his enhanced senses told him the only thing out there was the rain and wind in the trees. With only one good arm to do the work of two, Jim managed to get Blair inside the cabin, then used his cell phone to call his Captain, Simon Banks. Cradling Blair in his lap, Jim tried to stop the flow of blood that steadily seeped from the younger man's wound. Jim ignored his injured shoulder, not feeling the pain in his concern for his partner.
Come stop your crying
It will be all right
Just take my hand
Hold it tight
"Hang on, Chief," Jim whispered into Blair's ear.
"It ... hurts," Blair whispered, his voice raspy with shock and pain.
"I know, but it won't be long now, and we'll be warm and dry again." Jim wiped a streak of mud from Blair's cheek, taking with it a single tear. "Just a little longer." He gently grasped Blair's hand, watching as his friend's fingers curled around his larger hand and squeezed. "Stay awake, okay?'
I will protect you
from all around you
I will be here
Don't you cry
"Remember the first time you called me your Blessed Protector?" Jim said. "It was after the Lash incident."
"How ... could I ... forget," Blair managed painfully.
"Shh ... don't talk right now. Use your energy to breathe.You're always telling me to listen to your voice, to focus on it. Well, this time you listen to the sound of my voice ... focus on *me*." Jim swallowed hard before he continued. "I was scared that day. I had already begun to think of you as a friend. I already knew that you were special. When you told me about being your Blessed Protector, I felt proud to be that. I *wanted* to be that."
Blair groaned and tried to push Jim's hand away from his injured abdomen.
"Nono, be still," Jim said gently as he again moved the weak hand away. "I know it hurts, but the bleeding has almost stopped."
"You're still ... the best ... Blessed Protector," Blair whispered.
**********
For one so small,
you seem so strong
My arms will hold you,
keep you safe and warm
This bond between us
can't be broken
I will be here
Don't you cry
As Blair faded into unconsciousness, Jim wrapped his arms around his Guide ~ never had he seemed so small ~ pulling him a little closer and said quietly, "I need you, Chief. You're my strength. I don't want to do this without you."
Painfully, Jim struggled out of his jacket and gently wrapped it around Blair in an effort to keep him warm. Then he sat very still, listening to Blair's labored breathing and slow, steady heartbeat. He could feel his Guide's life within him as he held him and wished he could do more. Jim's wounded right shoulder throbbed and burned as he continued to hold pressure against Blair's abdomen. He was beginning to feel lightheaded from loss of blood and knew he would soon lose his own battle to stay conscious.
When Simon, Joel, Brown, and Rafe arrived along with the medics, they found Jim and Blair unconscious. Jim was slumped forward, still holding the younger man, his hand still covering the wound, but the pressure had slackened against it.
**********
'Cause you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on
Now and forever more
You'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be here in my heart, always
**********
Jim woke with a start. "Where is he?!" he questioned as he struggled to sit up on the exam table in the ER. "Where's Blair?!"
"Ellison ... Jim, calm down!" Simon bellowed to get his Detective's attention.
Jim blinked up at his Captain. "Where's Sandburg?!"
"He's in surgery. They're doing everything possible for him." Simon's tone was calm and low.
**********
Why can't they understand
the way we feel
They just don't trust
what they can't explain
I know we're different but,
deep inside us
We're not that different at all
"You need to go home and get some sleep, Detective," the nurse in ICU told Jim.
Jim shifted slightly in the chair next to Blair's bed, trying to find a comfortable spot for his shoulder. "No, I'm fine. He'll need me here when he wakes up."
"He'll sleep for several hours yet, and you need to rest if you're going to recover from your own injuries. He won't even know you're here."
"I need to be here for him. He'll know and try harder to come back. I can rest here," Jim stated adamantly. "I've done it before."
"Yes, sir, you have," the nurse sighed, shaking her head. She couldn't understand the bond between the two men, but none the less knew it was there. She shook her head once more before giving up the argument and leaving the room.
**********
And you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on
Now and forever more
Jim leaned his good shoulder against the doorway of Blair's room, a cup of coffee in his hand. How did you burrow your way into my heart so easily, Chief? Jim thought to himself as he stood there looking at his partner's still form in the bed. No one else could get past my walls ... not even my wife. But you just walzed right in like you owned the place and I didn't have it in me to stop you ... found I didn't want to. You occupy a place in my heart that no one will ever have ... forever.
**********
Don't listen to them
'Cause what do they know
We need each other,
to have, to hold
they'll see in time
I know
Jim moved his chair as close to the bed as possible. He laced his fingers in Blair's and settled back to wait, blocking out the beeps and gurgles of the monitoring equipment in the room. Jim focused on Blair's heart; stronger since the surgery repaired the bullet's damage.
When destiny calls you
You must be strong
I may not be with you
But you've got to hold on
They'll see in time
I know
We'll show them together
"Do you believe in destiny, Chief?" Jim said quietly to his unconscious friend. "Do you think it could be that we're meant to be together? You know ... Guide and Sentinel?" He smiled a little as he rubbed the back of Blair's hand with his thumb. "The people at the station were so surprised when I decided to let this 'neo hippy witchdoctor punk' start tagging along behind me. But you showed them ... *we* showed them. Now, I think they'd be almost as lost without you as I would. People think we're crazy sometimes. Every once in a while someone will catch something one of us is saying about my senses ... and they give us this look I can't really explain. It's like a cross between fear and ..." Jim shrugged. "Maybe it's curiosity. I just know that if the world ever finds out about me and my abilities, things are going to get rough. But, I also know that we can tackle anything and win ... so long as we're doing it together."
**********
Blair opened his eyes and looked around the room. He didn't really remember everything that had happened, but he did know that Jim had been injured. For a moment he felt a panic rise in his chest, then Blair looked to see his Sentinel in the chair along side the bed. He was sleeping peacefully, his right arm supported in a sling, and his head against the side of the bed. Blair smiled a tired smile and gently ran his hand through Jim's short hair. He felt calmed by the sight of his Blessed Protector. It let him know that they were safe and things would be all right. Blair let his hand rest on Jim's shoulder, then let himself relax into sleep.
Yes, Blair did believe in destiny ... their destiny.
'Cause you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on
Now and forever more
Oh, you'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be here in my heart, always
Always
<>~~<>~~<>
end
The song "You'll Be In My Heart" was written (lyrics and music) by Phil Collins for Disney's 1999 animated movie "Tarzan". To hear a portion of "You'll Be In My Heart", and others off the soundtrack of the movie, go to the page at the Disney site: <http://disney.go.com/disneyrecords/tarzan/>