New
Arrivals
Author-Sorcha
Titles
In the Shadow of Evil
Part Two
by Sorcha
See notes and disclaimer in Part One.
As they waited in Emergency, Sandburg had once again tried unsuccessfully to convince Jim that he was perfectly fine and that they should go home. The Sentinel was determined that his Guide would see a doctor, and so they continued to wait. Finally, it was Blair's turn and he was led off to a curtained cubicle.
As the doctor checked him over, Blair let his mind drift during the moments when he wasn't answering questions. His short nap in the truck had really done nothing to relieve his sleepiness, and Sandburg couldn't wait to get home and into his own bed. He closed his eyes and drifted.
The darkness was closing in on him, a thick, suffocating darkness. Slimy tendrils reached out from the encroaching blackness, trying to grab hold of Blair. He desperately flailed his arms, struggling to ward off the faceless predator. The tendrils became large hands, gripping Blair's arms. Using all the strength he could muster, Sandburg wrenched out of his predator's grasp and propelled himself backward. He came up hard against a wall and stared around him in shock and confusion.
He was in the hospital. He was in the hospital and the doctor had backed nearly out of the cubicle and was watching Blair with a slightly stunned and surprised look on his face. But before Blair's brain had a chance to register what had just happened, Jim burst into the cubicle and rushed over to his Guide.
"Chief! Are you all right?" Jim put his hands on Sandburg's shoulder and looked down into his face.
Trembling, Blair grabbed onto Jim's arms. "Oh, man. Oh, God."
Ellison gave his friend a gentle shake, trying to snap him out of his shocked state. "Blair, talk to me. Are you okay? What happened?"
Finally, Blair's eyes lifted to meet Jim's. Sandburg blinked and shook his head once. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. I don't know what happened. . .I mean, I'm not sure."
"Why don't you sit down a moment, Chief." Jim guided him over to the examination table. Ellison glanced up at the doctor, who took a couple steps closer.
"Jim, I'm really ready to go home now," Blair said, rubbing his hands over his face.
"Okay. . . Doctor?" Jim looked to the other man for his opinion.
The doctor cleared his throat. "Yes, that's fine. Just get some food and liquids into you, have a good rest, and you'll be all right, Mr. Sandburg. Your only injuries are. . . ." He stopped and looked at Jim, and then Blair.
Sandburg waved off the unspoken question and picked up his clothes. "It's fine. He can hear whatever you have to say. It's all right with me."
The doctor nodded and picked up where he'd left off. "Your only injuries are the bruises on your side. Nothing serious."
"That's good to hear. Thanks, Doc," Jim said. Then he turned to Blair. We'll go home as soon as you're ready, Chief. I'll be waiting right outside, okay?"
"Yeah, thanks, man. I'll just be a minute."
Jim turned and left the cubicle. But he didn't go far, wanting to be close incase Blair had another. . . another what? What had happened in there? All Jim knew was that Sandburg's heartrate had suddenly leapt off the scale and that there had been a look of horror mixed with disorientation in the young man's eyes. Well, whatever had happened, Jim was determined to get to the bottom of it. He couldn't stand to see his Guide suffer.
After Jim had left, the doctor spoke up again. "Mr. Sandburg, you might want to consider seeing a psychologist. It may help you to deal with. . . whatever's bothering you. I could provide a list of names if you'd like."
<Oh, man,> Blair thought. <He thinks I'm crazy. And who could blame him? The poor guy was probably ready to call security and have me carted off to the Looney Bin.> Aloud he said, "Thanks, but that's okay. There's a psychologist at the department where I partly work."
"Very well. You take care of yourself, young man." The doctor moved off to find his next patient.
Blair dressed quickly and then passed through the curtains to find Jim waiting for him. A short while later they were in the truck, ready to head home.
"How are you feeling?" Jim asked, glancing at his friend while starting up the vehicle.
"Embarrassed," Blair replied, looking out the side window.
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about, Chief. You've had a rough time. Don't be hard on yourself."
"The doctor thought I was crazy, Jim! He offered to give me a list of names of psychologists." Blair was getting upset.
"Needing to see a psychologist doesn't mean you're crazy, Sandburg. You know that. And besides, it might help to talk to Dr. Lancaster at the station."
"So now you think I'm crazy too!" Blair's voice was rising. "This is just great."
"Whoa, hold on, Chief. I do not think you're crazy." Jim stopped the truck at a red light and looked over at Sandburg. "What I think is that you're tired, hungry, and stressed out and that maybe we should wait til morning before we talk about this."
Blair let out a breath, calming himself. He'd been overreacting, he realised. Jim was right. This probably wasn't the best time to be discussing things, Blair just wasn't up to it at the moment. "You're right. I'm sorry, Jim."
"No need to apologize, Chief."
An hour later, Blair had finished off a bowl of soup -- eaten slowly under Jim's watchful eye -- and was more than ready for a long nap. He settled down in his bed and fell fast asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, comforted by the daylight streaming into his bedroom. Sandburg slept soundly, not stirring until about ten hours later.
He awoke slowly at first. But when he opened his eyes, Blair panicked. His room was engulfed in darkness. His heart started beating faster, pounding against his chest. <Not again. Please, not again.> Sandburg was on the verge of hyperventilating when his bedroom door burst open and light poured in from the rest of the loft, illuminating Jim's form in the doorway.
"Chief?" Jim's voice was full of concern as he quickly moved to Blair's bedside. "Are you okay?"
Blair sat up and tried to even out his breathing. "I'm fine."
Jim sat on the edge of the bed. "What happened? Did you have a nightmare?"
"No. I just didn't know where I was for a moment, that's all. I'm okay now."
Jim looked at him for a moment. "How about some dinner? I kept it warm for you."
"That would be great, man," Blair said, relieved that Jim had changed the subject. "Thanks." He climbed out of bed and followed his sentinel out to the kitchen.
As Jim dished out spaghetti, he looked over to the kitchen table where his partner was sitting. Blair hadn't bothered to undress before going to bed earlier and now, with his rumpled clothes and his sleep-mussed hair, he looked like a child needing to be taken care of. Jim placed the food in front of his friend. "Eat up, Chief."
"Thanks, Jim." Blair began eating the meal.
When Sandburg had finished eating, he showered and shaved, then dressed in sweat pants and a t-shirt. He tied his hair back into a ponytail and went to join Jim in the living room. Taking a seat in the armchair, Blair looked up to find Ellison watching him from the couch.
"Are you ready to tell me what happened, Chief?"
For a second, Sandburg almost panicked, thinking that Jim was referring to Blair's episodes in the hospital and his bedroom. But he was able to quickly force the panicky feelings down as he realised that Jim was wanting to be told about what Carver had done to him. After taking a deep breath, Blair started to relay what he could remember. It wasn't a very long story as Sandburg only recalled being grabbed and then being in the cellar. He couldn't even tell Jim much about what Carver had said to him because Blair had tried to block out the sick man's words. However, Blair was able to convey the gist of Carver's speeches, and this caused considerable jaw clenching from Ellison.
"You don't believe the things he told you, do you?" Jim checked with his partner. "Because they aren't true. You're not evil."
"I know. I mean, I don't believe those things, not since you showed up and proved to me that I wasn't blind. Then I knew he was talking bullshit. He had me worried for a while there, but now I'm okay."
"Are you really?"
"Yeah, I am."
Jim wasn't fully convinced. "Well, if you find that you're not okay, I want you to let me know, all right?
"Yeah, but you don't need to worry about me, Jim. I know I may have freaked out a bit at the hospital but I'm all right now." Blair stood up and rubbed his arms as if he were cold.
"What *did* happen at the hospital, Chief?"
"Oh, man, that was so embarrassing. I was just so tired and still kind of out of it that for a moment I didn't know where I was and panicked."
"Like when you woke up," Jim said as a statement rather than a question.
"Yeah, like when I woke up," Blair agreed. "But I'm fine now and I think I'm ready for some more sleep."
"I'm gonna head off to bed now too so I'll see you in the morning, Chief." Jim stood. "Good night."
"‘Night." Blair made his way into his bedroom, stifling a yawn. He left the door open a small crack and climbed into bed. But as he reached out to turn off the bedside lamp, he stopped. Sandburg dreaded the thought of being left in the darkness once the light was out. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. <Okay, no problem. I'll just read for a while until I get more comfortable with the idea of turning off the light. There's no reason to get worked up. I'll be fine. Just fine.> He was trying to convince himself, but he wasn't sure that it was working. Deep down, he was planning to leave the light on all night. Reading was just an excuse. Blair picked up a book he had brought home from the library a few days earlier and began to read.
* * *
Waking in the middle of the night, Jim propped himself up on one elbow and listened. He could hear anxious murmurs and rapid breathing coming from Blair's bedroom. Not to mention the racing heart which was more than likely the thing that had awakened the Sentinel in the first place. Pulling on his robe, Jim descended the stairs and pushed open the door to Sandburg's room.
The light was on and the Sentinel had to blink a couple times as his eyes adjusted to the harsh difference in lighting. He sat down on the edge of the bed, noticing the book which lay open on his friend's chest. Jim reached out and place a hand on Blair's creased forehead. "Blair. Come on, buddy, wake up."
Blair shot up into a sitting position, breathing fast. Eyes wide, he looked at Jim, whose hand had slid down to rest on Sandburg's shoulder. "Jim?"
"Yeah, Chief, you're okay," Jim soothed. "It was just a nightmare. You're fine now."
"God." Blair ran a hand through his hair. "Man, I'm sorry for waking you."
"Don't worry about it. That must have been one hell of a nightmare, Chief. Your heart was going like a jackhammer. You want to talk about it?"
"No, that's okay. But thanks. I think I can go back to sleep now." Sandburg lay back down and pulled the covers up close to his chin.
"Just call if you need anything, okay, Chief?" Jim took the book off the bed and placed it on the floor beside the bed.
"Thanks, Jim."
Ellison switched off the light as he stood up. But as soon as the room was darkened, Blair's heart-rate shot off the scale again. Worried, Jim quickly turned the lamp back on. "Blair? What's wrong?"
"Oh, man, I'm so sorry." Blair was ashamed of himself.
"What is it?"
"It's just. . .well, could you leave the light on, please? Whenever it's dark I seem to freak out."
"I'm sorry, I didn't realise." Jim sat down again.
"Don't apologize. You didn't know." Blair rubbed his hands over his face. "God, I can't believe it. I'm afraid of the dark! What a wuss."
"Sandburg, you are not a wuss. I wish you wouldn't be so hard on yourself. You've gotta give yourself time to get over what you've been through."
"Yeah, well, maybe talking to Dr. Lancaster isn't such a bad idea after all. I don't want this to keep happening."
"Of course you don't. We can see about making you an appointment in the morning, if that's what you want, all right?"
Blair nodded.
"So, you ready to try going back to sleep now?" Jim stood, leaving the light on this time.
"Yeah, I think so. Thanks, man."
"Anytime, Chief."
* * *
For the first while, Blair talked to Dr. Sylvia Lancaster of what had happened while he had been in the cellar, then he told her about his panic attacks and nightmares. He was tense at first, but as he talked he started to relax.
"What, specifically, do you think is the cause of these nightmares and attacks that you've been having, Blair?" the doctor asked.
Sandburg shrugged. "I'm not sure exactly."
"When you were in the cellar at Carver's house, what was it that scared you the most?"
"Well, it was so dark. There was nothing familiar to ground myself on. And there was his voice. I think it was the combination of the darkness and his voice that scared me the most. It was like his voice was something. . .physical. Like it was reaching out, trying to grab me. And I couldn't get away because there was no where to go. There was only the darkness."
"But you did get away," she reminded him.
"Yeah."
"How?"
"I tried to block out the sound of Carver's voice. I thought about Jim and how he would come for me. I knew I could count on Jim to save me. I guess that gave me strength."
"So the thought of Jim was a sort of life-line for you?"
"Yeah, that's a good way to put it."
"Have you talked to him at all about what happened, about what's happening to you now?" the doctor inquired gently.
"No, not really. I mean, I told him about what happened with Carver. And Jim knows about the panic attacks and the nightmares. But I haven't *really* talked to him, not about what's really causing them. I guess I wasn't really sure myself."
"Do you think you should?"
"Yeah, I know I should. For both our sakes. It's just hard, hard to talk about."
"Can you tell me more about Jim?" Lancaster requested.
Blair cleared his throat. "Jim's always there for me, you know? He's given me friendship, family, stability, a home. Jim's a good guy, and he's strong."
"Strong in what way?"
Blair shrugged. "Things don't bother him."
"What makes you say that?"
"Because. . ." Blair paused, thinking. "I guess that's not true. Things do bother Jim. Sometimes a lot. He just doesn't talk about it voluntarily, keeps it all inside."
"Do you think that's healthy?"
"No way! I'm always telling him that if he keeps it all bottled up inside that it'll only get worse and. . . ." Blair stopped and looked at Dr. Lancaster. Smiling slightly, he said, "I guess you got me there, huh? You're thinking that I should practise what I preach. I'm always trying to get Jim to open up, but I don't open up myself."
"It's definitely something to think about," the psychologist agreed.
"I just. . . I just don't want Jim to think that I can't hold myself together, you know?"
"You and Jim are good friends, aren't you?"
"He's my best friend." Blair nodded.
"Then do you really believe that's what he'll think of you, that he'll judge you like that?"
Blair was silent for a moment, thinking. "No, I guess he wouldn't. But I wouldn't blame him if he did. I have been freaking out a lot lately."
"So you're the one that's thinking these things then, not Jim. Am I right?"
"Yeah, I guess that's right," Sandburg agreed.
"And what do you really think is going through Jim's head right now?"
"He's probably worried. What am I saying? Of course he's worried. He's always worrying about me."
"Why's that?"
"Cuz I'm always getting into trouble." Blair smiled for a second but then his face got serious again. "And because he cares about me."
"From all you've said about him, and from what I've seen of the two of you together, I would have to agree strongly with your last point. Jim does care about you. And it's important that you know that, Blair. It's important that you realise that he's on your side and wants to help you."
Blair nodded, swallowing. "I know."
The doctor paused for a moment, then spoke. "Would you feel more comfortable if Jim came here with you so the three of us could meet together, to get things started?"
Blair considered this for a moment before replying. "No. No, I think I'd rather talk to him on my own, if that's okay."
"Of course it's okay, Blair," she assured him. "That was just an option. Whichever way you feel most comfortable is the one you should choose."
* * *
Jim took the casserole out of the oven and got two plates out of the cupboard. Hearing his Guide approaching the loft door, the Sentinel started dishing out the meal. After his session with the psychologist, Blair had gone to the university to catch up on some work so Jim hadn't had a chance to talk with his partner. Ellison wasn't even sure if his friend would want to talk.
Blair came in the door and hung up his jacket. "Hey, Jim."
"Hey, yourself. Dinner's ready."
"Mmm. Smells good." Blair moved into the kitchen, sniffing appreciatively.
Jim handed a plate of food to his friend. "How was your appointment with Dr. Lancaster?" Jim asked casually.
"I think it went well." Blair took his plate and some cutlery over to the table.
"That's good." Jim opened the fridge. "What do you want to drink?"
"Just water for me, thanks."
Jim retrieved two bottles of water and went over to the table, picking up his plate on the way. He really hoped that the sessions with the department psychologist would help Blair. Ellison wanted more than anything for the kid to feel safe and be free from nightmares again. Jim took a seat across from Blair, and they started eating in silence.
After a few minutes, Sandburg broke the silence. "I think I might be able to get rid of the nightmares and stuff now."
Jim looked up. "That's great, Chief. . .But so soon. . . .?"
"Yeah. You see, Dr. Lancaster and I talked about what it is that's *really* been causing them. Like, what parts of this whole thing got to me the most." Blair proceeded to tell Jim about how Carver's voice had affected him in the darkness. "I think it's those feelings that keep coming back to me in the dreams."
Jim nodded, but he felt terrible. <God, the things he must have gone through, trapped in that dark cellar. No wonder he's having nightmares.>
"But, you know," Blair continued, "I feel like there's more to the nightmares though."
"What do you mean?" Jim asked.
"When I wake up, I feel like I've just escaped from something terrible that was about to happen. Something much worse than the rest of the dream." He shrugged. "I guess that's just a nightmare kind of thing. And besides, I'm glad to get out of there. I don't particularly want to hang around in Dream Land to find out what that terrible thing is. Anyhow, I think I've got a handle on them now." Blair wasn't as confident as he sounded, but he didn't want Jim to worry about him.
Jim ate slowly. He knew that Blair wanted to believe that the nightmares were over, but Jim couldn't bring himself to believe that it would be so easy.
After Blair had said good night and gone off to his room, Jim stayed in the living room. He kept an eye on Sandburg's door, waiting to see what would happen. Just a few minutes later, the light in Blair's room shut off, and almost at the same moment, Jim could hear the young man's heart begin to pound. The Sentinel didn't hesitate, entering the bedroom as the light was turned back on.
"Dammit!" Blair was angry with himself and didn't look up at Jim.
"Chief, don't push yourself. If you still need the light on, then leave it on."
"No, Jim." Sandburg shook his head. "I'm gonna sleep with it off tonight."
Ellison noticed the determination in his friend's voice, but he also realised that Blair dreaded the moment when he would turn the light off again. When Blair glanced up for a brief moment, Jim read the plea in them. "Would it help if I sat with you until you fell asleep?"
"You don't have to do that, Jim," Blair said quickly, but he hoped that Jim wouldn't listen to him.
"I asked if it would help, Chief."
Blair looked at him gratefully. "Yeah, it would help."
"All right then." Jim sat on the floor, his back resting up against the side of the bed.
This time when Blair turned off the lamp, his heart-rate stayed steady. He smiled to himself in the darkness. How could he feel anything but safe with his Sentinel guarding him? Blair closed his eyes and was soon asleep.
When he was satisfied that Blair was sleeping peacefully, Jim had gone upstairs to get some rest himself. However, in the early hours of the morning, he was awakened once again by noises coming from Sandburg's bedroom. Another nightmare. Jim was down the stairs and halfway to the bedroom door when he stopped himself, remembering what Blair had said earlier about there possibly being more to these nightmares. If that was true, should Jim leave him to find out what that was? Would it help Blair finally get over these nightmares?
Jim waited, thinking this over. But when there came a frantic "No!" followed by a crash, Ellison waited no longer. He rushed into the bedroom to find Blair on the floor, struggling in a tangle of blankets. "Blair!" Jim knelt beside his flailing Guide, catching his arms.
"No!" The cry was even more desperate now.
Jim remembered the descriptions of Blair's dreams and realised that Sandburg thought it was Carver or some other unseen enemy that had grabbed him. "Shh, Chief. It's me. Jim. You're okay."
Blair's eyes opened, but he didn't seem to see Jim and kept on struggling.
Noting the glazed look in his partner's eyes, Ellison gave Sandburg a shake and spoke more loudly and firmly. "Blair, it's time to wake up. You're safe, but you've got to wake up now."
The struggles abated, then stopped all together. Blair blinked a couple times and recognition appeared in his eyes. "Jim?" His voice was trembling.
"Yeah, I'm here." Jim rubbed his friend's back, feeling the tremors which were shaking the smaller man's body. "I think that one wins the prize for the worst dream yet."
"God," was all Blair could manage.
Seeing that the tremors were still going full force, Jim pulled Blair closer to him, hugging him to his chest. "You're okay now, buddy. I've got you."
"Jim? Jim, it's dark."
"It's okay, Chief. The darkness can't hurt you," Jim assured him, still holding tight. "But if you want me to turn on the light, I will."
"No, that's okay. If you're here, it's okay. But if you're going to leave. . . .?" A scared note crept into Blair's voice.
"I'm not going to leave," Jim stated firmly and made no move to get up.
Blair sighed. "Thanks, Jim." A few moments of silence passed before Sandburg spoke up again. This time he sounded more relaxed and in control. "Jim? You remember how I said that it felt like there was another part to this nightmare that I hadn't got to yet?"
"Yes."
"Well, I got to that part."
"What happened?" Jim asked, knowing that it must have been something horrendous.
"He was there, standing over my bed." Unconsciously, Blair moved back a little bit, closer to his Sentinel.
"Carver was?"
"Yeah. Only he was. . ." Blair swallowed. "He didn't have a face. God. And he wanted to kill me, Jim. He was going to kill me. And I was paralysed."
"Calm down, Chief, it's over now. You're all right." Jim waited until Blair relaxed again. "Carver's dead, Chief. I saw it with my own eyes. He can't hurt you anymore."
"I know." But Blair didn't sound all that sure.
Jim glanced at the bedside clock and saw that it was nearly five o'clock. "Chief, what do you say we make it an early morning? We can get bagels from the bakery when it opens."
"That sounds like a good idea." Blair didn't want to face the dangers of sleep again.
Jim helped to untangle the blankets from Blair's body, then switched the light on. "Why don't you have a shower while I put some coffee on?"
"Yeah, I could use a shower. And some coffee."
"Are you okay, Chief?" Jim wasn't sure if he should leave him yet.
Blair nodded. "I'm okay now."
"All right. I'll get that coffee ready." Jim turned and went out into the kitchen.
While driving to the station that morning, Jim looked over at his partner and asked, "Chief, do you think it might help if you were to see a picture of Carver? So you can put a face to the name?"
Blair looked thoughtful. "Hey, yeah, that might work. It was really freaky seeing him faceless in my dream. Maybe that'll make him seem less threatening."
"That's what I was thinking. But maybe you should talk to Dr. Lancaster first. See what she has to say about it."
"Yeah, I probably should," Blair agreed. "But I don't have another appointment until next week. And I don't want to go on that long having these nightmares."
"Maybe she could fit you in for a few minutes today," Jim suggested.
"It's worth a try. I'll drop by her office when we get to the station."
* * *
Blair sat at the table in Simon's office, steeling himself for what was about to happen. After hearing about the new developments in her patient's dreams, Dr. Lancaster had agreed that seeing a picture of Carver might help Blair. So there he was, waiting for the picture to be placed before him.
Jim exchanged a look with his Captain, then sat down beside Sandburg. "You ready, Chief?"
Blair nodded. "Let's get it over with."
Jim slid the picture of Randy Carver onto the table in front of Blair. The Sentinel kept his eyes on his Guide, not knowing how he would react.
Sandburg studied the photograph quietly. It had been taken two years previously and it was a close up of Carver, apparently taken on a beach somewhere. A few moments later, Blair whispered, "He looks so normal." Then he slid the picture back to Jim and stood up. "Well, that's over with."
"Are you all right, Chief?" Jim also stood, handing the photo to Simon.
"I'm fine. It wasn't as bad as I thought, seeing his face. I just hope it helps."
"We all do, Blair," Banks assured him.
"Thanks, Simon." Blair left the office. He felt a bit sad. Seeing how normal Randy looked made Blair wish that the doctors had been properly able to help the man. If they had, maybe none of this would have happened and Randy would still be alive. And Blair wouldn't be going through all this. . . stuff. It wouldn't take long before he would find out if putting a face to Carver's name had helped him any. But he prayed that it had.
* * *
Detective Ellison sat at his desk, not concentrating on the files before him. He looked over at Sandburg, who was working on the computer. The young man looked so worn and tired, and Jim was tired too. Neither man had had a proper night's sleep for a long time. Instead of getting better after seeing the photo of Carver, Blair's nightmares had become increasingly worse. Now Carver didn't appear faceless to Sandburg, but with twisted features more hideous than none at all.
The nightmares had progressed to the point where Blair was absolutely terrified of going to sleep at night, and Jim had taken to sleeping on the floor next to his friend's bed. Every night, at least once, Jim would awaken to the horrified cries of his partner. After each bout, the Sentinel would sit, sometimes for hours, comforting his Guide and soothing him back to sleep. Some nights, they would give up altogether and they would sit up talking or watching movies, or Blair would read while Jim caught some rest.
After watching Blair take off his glasses and rub his eyes tiredly, Jim stood up from his desk abruptly. Something had to be done. Desperate situations call for desperate measures.
Blair looked up, startled. "What's wrong, Jim?"
"Nothing." Jim was already heading for the captain's office. "I just need to see Simon about something." The detective knocked on the door and entered the office when the call came to do so. He walked over to Simon's desk. "Captain, I need to talk to you about something. . . ."
* * *
Jim and Blair walked side-by-side down the bland hallway. The taller man looked carefully at his friend. "Are you sure you want to do this?" The worsening dreams had driven Jim to bring up a drastic idea. He, Dr. Lancaster, and Sandburg had agreed that it could work. It could also have a damaging effect, but nothing else, not even the more frequent sessions with the psychologist seemed to be helping, so they had decided to go ahead with the plan. Jim just wanted to make sure Sandburg was ready.
Blair was insistent. "Yes, I want to do it now. I want this all to be over. And besides, the body's gonna be cremated tomorrow so we have to do it today."
Blair was right. They were lucky that Carver's body was still at the morgue at this point, and by the next day they would have lost their chance. Seeing with his own eyes that Carver was dead might be the only thing that could free Sandburg from his nightmares and let him move on with his life. So the two men entered the morgue and over to where the body was lying, covered with a sheet, ready for the viewing.
As Sandburg took a deep breath, Jim put a hand on his shoulder and drew the sheet back to reveal the dead man's face. Ellison watched as his partner stared down at the corpse. Blair's face turned pale, and Jim pulled the sheet back up, one hand still on Sandburg's shoulder. "Are you ready to go?"
Blair nodded and turned with Jim to exit the morgue.
Once out in the hallway again, Jim asked gently, "Are you okay?"
Sandburg swallowed, then nodded again. But the nod changed into a shake and he choked out a "No" before racing down the hall to the washroom.
Jim followed close behind and was there to hold back Blair's hair and support his head as the young man emptied his stomach into the toilet. "Easy, there." Jim helped him to stand up. "All done?"
"Yeah. I feel better now." Blair rinsed out his mouth and splashed water on his face. "Oh, man. This better have been worth it."
"I'm sorry it was so hard, Chief."
"That's okay. You know me and dead bodies. I just hope the dreams stop now that I know for sure that he's dead." Blair looked up at Jim and said quickly, "Not that I didn't believe you when you told me, Jim. I just. . . ."
"I know. You had to see for yourself."
"Yeah. But, man, I'm glad I didn't have to see him impaled on that branch." Blair made a face. Then he turned to the door, feeling better. "Come on, let's get out of here."
Jim walked out behind him, then fell into step beside Blair once in the hall. He rested his arm across Sandburg's shoulders and they headed back to the elevator.
That night, Jim took up his usual place by Blair's bedside. He stayed awake for a long time, listening to Sandburg's even breathing, waiting for the breaths to become laboured and frantic. He must have drifted off eventually because he was surprised when he awoke, not to the sound of Blair's cries, but to the light of morning creeping into the room. Jim looked at his friend. He was still sleeping soundly, a slight smile on his face. No nightmares. Ellison sighed with relief. Maybe it had worked. Maybe they were finally free from the dark shadow which had been hanging over their lives. He left Blair to continue sleeping and went out to the kitchen, praying that this had been the first of many peaceful nights to come.
The End