New Arrivals
Author-JadenH
Titles

Test of Faith
by JadenH

Description: Jim is away from home and his Guide is injured in a car accident.

All feedback is welcome. I write for fun and will not be offended by any comments good or bad. (Additional notes at the end.)

Disclaimer: Jim, Blair, Simon, and The Sentinel belong to Pet Fly, UPN, and Paramount and no copyright infringement is intended.

Rainier University, Tuesday 9:26 AM

It was just something that happened. There was no warning, no sense of impending danger, no intention to harm… just an accident.

Blair Sandburg, graduate student, police observer, best friend, roommate, Guide and Shaman to Detective James Ellison, Sentinel of the Great City, lay motionless on the asphalt. His backpack lay a few feet away from where he had been thrown. Just moments before, he had been sitting on the trunk of his classic Volvo laughing with Barb, one of his fellow TA’s, about something that had happened the day before in one of his classes, and now that same TA was screaming for someone to call 911 as she rushed to check Sandburg’s pulse.

A student, in a hurry to leave the parking lot and going way too fast, swerved to avoid hitting a car that was backing out while trying to answer his cell phone. That small distraction was all that was needed for him to lose control, crashing into the side of Sandburg’s car. Blair had, for lack of a better description, been catapulted off the rear of the car, landing head first on the blacktop. The blood dripping from his right ear was not a good sign.

“Blair, can you hear me?” Barb asked fearfully, her shaking hand caressing his face. “Where in the hell is that ambulance?” she shouted, grabbing her friend’s cell from his jacket pocket. One thing she knew, she had to call Sandburg’s police boss. Captain Banks would need to know what happened and would be able to contact Blair’s roommate Jim, who was in San Francisco.

*“Banks.”*

“Captain Banks? This is Barb, Blair’s friend from Rainier.”

*“Barb? Sorry, Blair’s not here right now. I can …”*

“I know that, Captain.” Barb interrupted, trying to remain calm. “What I’m calling about is that he’s been in an accident here at the school and it looks bad. We’ve called for an ambulance and … wait. It’s here.”

*“What? Accident? What kind of an accident?” Simon bellowed.*

********************

“Barb, what kind of accident?” he repeated, standing up from his desk. The bullpen suddenly silenced as everyone stared into their superior’s office windows. They had heard his shout through the open door and held their breaths. There were only three people that would generate that kind of reaction. The first was Darryl, Simon’s son, but since he was on a class trip to the Cascade Museum of Nature and Science, they ruled him out.

The second was Jim Ellison, but he was in San Francisco and currently on a conference call with detectives from Cascade, Indianapolis and Miami working on a multi-state cold case investigation of which new evidence had been found.

The third and most likely was Blair Sandburg, Ellison’s ride-along, sidekick, roommate and best friend.

“I think Blair’s been hurt.” whispered Rhonda, Banks’ assistant, worry written all over her face.

Silently everyone watched as Simon listened to whatever was being said on the other end of the line, knowing without a doubt that it must be bad, their captain’s face had quickly lost some of its color, and he sat down on his chair abruptly. This did not bode well for their favorite anthropologist.

********************

“Joel, you’re with me.” barked Banks, quickly pulling on his suit coat.

Looking up at his friend’s face Joel just nodded. It was obvious that whatever Banks had been told during the brief call was not good.

“Sandburg’s been taken to Cascade General. They think … Oh God!” the captain croaked, standing still, looking around but not really seeing anything. “The paramedics think his neck might be broken.”

“Oh dear lord!” whispered Joel Taggert.

“Damn!” added Rafe, wrapping his arms around a sobbing Rhonda as tears streamed down her face. “Simon, we’ll be praying for Blair.” he added, holding back his own tears.

“We’ll take care of business here!” Henri called out as Joel and Simon quickly walked from the bullpen to the elevators, but Banks never heard their words, his mind replaying the phone call in his head, wondering how he was going to break the news to his friend, Jim Ellison.

********************

Cascade General Hospital, Tuesday, 10:19 AM

Eyes closed during the entire trip to the hospital, Joel prayed silently for a miracle of healing. During the elevator ride to the parking garage, Simon had told Taggert what he had not told the others in the bullpen. There had been obvious signs of some kind of brain injury but to what extent they did not know.

“We’re here, Joel.”

“Amen!” whispered the former bomb squad captain. Opening his eyes he turned and looked at his friend. “When do you want to call Jim?”

“I want to wait until I know how bad it really is.” Simon answered, getting out of the car.

“Should we send someone down to San Francisco to get him? I really don’t think it’s a good idea to let him drive back alone.” asked Taggert, climbing out of the car.

“I’d prefer to go myself, but I made a promise to both Jim and Blair a while back that I’d watch over one if the other couldn’t be there.” stated Banks, walking through the entrance to the emergency desk. Looking at the nametag the nurse behind the desk wore he addressed her directly. “Excuse me, Nurse Barrett, I’m Captain Banks, I was told one of my men was brought in. Blair Sandburg?”

“Sandburg? I thought he was a student. The accident happened at Rainier University.” she asked, confusion on her face.

“He is, but he is also half of the best investigating team I have ever had the privilege to work with.” answered Simon, proudly. “We would like to see his doctor as soon as possible, and would appreciate any updates on his condition to be sent to my office directly.”

“Of course, Captain Banks, and its Marty. No one calls me Nurse Barrett except my overbearing ex-mother-in-law.” stated the nurse, grinning. “If you will take a seat in the waiting room, I’ll inform the doctor that you’re here.”

“Thank you, Marty.”
 
********************

Two hours, and many cups of coffee later, the attending doctor entered the waiting room.

“Captain Banks? I’m Mr. Sandburg’s neurosurgeon, Dr. Nathan Cutter.” the white coated man addressed. “And yes, that is my real name.” he chuckled, noticing the half hidden smiles his name invoked.

“How is Blair, doctor?” Simon asked, afraid of what the answer would be.

“Well, his condition is very serious. If you will follow me, gentlemen, I will take you to his room in ICU.” the doctor gestured toward the hallway, leading the captains to an elevator. “Mr. Sandburg has a hairline fracture at the base of his skull and there is some minor swelling in that area to the brain, but not enough to warrant any drilling into the skull to relieve it… as of yet.”
Entering the elevator the doctor pressed the button that would take them to the fifth floor where the ICU was located. As the doors closed he continued. “The reason it took so long to speak with you was because of some abnormalities between the first and second set of x-rays. I had to be sure of my facts before meeting with you.”

“What abnormalities?” asked Joel, glancing quickly at Simon before looking back at the doctor.

“In the first set there was a definite break between the third and fourth vertebra, and on the second and third sets there was no break. It was very confusing. As a man of science I should believe that it was just a malfunction in the x-rays, but as a man of faith I feel that there was some pretty strong praying going on.” Dr. Cutter replied, smiling.

“So Blair is going to be okay?” asked Banks, hopefully.

Looking at the men gazing at him expectantly, the doctor took a deep breath before answering. “Unfortunately, we won’t know that for a while. Gentlemen, I’m afraid Mr. Sandburg has lapsed into a comatose state. It is not a deep coma, but if he remains in it for too long it will hinder his recovery. If he has any family, I suggest that you contact them immediately.”

“Damn, I was hoping it wasn’t as serious as it seemed. It looks like you’ll be heading to San Francisco, Joel.”

“I don’t mind, Simon. Better me than someone else. I’m better at handling Jim than any of the others…” Taggert stated, adding as the men departed the elevator and headed for the young grad student’s room, “with the exception of Blair, of course.”

“Here’s Mr. Sandburg’s room. He has a brace on to protect his neck. He will also be given nourishment by IV until he becomes aware and can feed himself. Hopefully, he won’t need it for very long.”

Entering the room Joel and Simon were shocked at how small and fragile Sandburg looked hooked up to multiple machines, noticing also that his hands were restrained.  What surprised them the most was that their friend’s eyes were open and he was staring out the window.

“Doctor, I thought you said Blair was in a coma, and why is he restrained?” Banks stated, confused. Walking to their friend’s bedside, Sandburg’s eyes turned and looked at them. Sharp pain filled their hearts as they realized that there was no recognition in the dull blue eyes that stared back into their own brown ones.

“No, I said he is in a comatose state. There are many different levels of coma, gentlemen. Mr. Sandburg happens to be in one that allows him to be awake, but not functioning.” Cutter answered, pausing before adding “It’s like the saying ‘The lights are on but no one is home’. He’ll track you with his eyes, but he is not able to process anything around him. How long this will last … I really don’t know. It all depends on the swelling in his brain. If the swelling increases he will fall deeper into the coma. His hands are restrained because he keeps trying to remove both the neck brace and IV, and removing the neck brace at this time may cause more damage to his weakened neck.”

“What are his odds, doc?” ask Taggert, softly, fighting back the tears that threatened to escape. It hurt him to see his young friend in this condition, so still, so quiet, so … un-Blair-like.

“That all depends on the next few days. We’re giving him medications to reduce the swelling, but with head traumas, it’s anyone’s guess.” the doctor remarked sadly. “There are still too many aspects that we don’t know about the human brain. Mind you, barring any complications, he will eventually come out of the coma, but I cannot give you a definite timeline of when that will happen, nor can I guarantee that he won’t have any brain damage. It’s a wait-and-see type of injury.”

“Simon, I’m going to call a cab and head home to pack. I’ll have Rhonda call the airlines and get me on the next flight to San Francisco. I’ll also make sure that I drive Jim and myself back. I don’t trust the man’s driving where Sandburg is concerned.”

“Thanks, Joel. Tell Jim that I’ll not leave Blair’s side until he gets here,” Banks stated, adding softly, “just in case.”

“I will. Keep the faith, my friend. I believe that Blair will come out of this just fine.” Joel said with great conviction, leaving the room and heading toward the elevators.

“I hope so, Joel. I really hope so… for both their sakes.” Simon sighed.

********************

San Francisco 3rd District PD, Tuesday 9:38 PM

“Captain Taggert? I’m Captain Caleb Steele. I was informed that you were on your way here.” a tall, muscular man with graying hair said, extending his hand in greeting.

“I wish my visit to your beautiful city was one of pleasure, but unfortunately that is not the case.”  Joel sighed, grasping Steele’s hand and shaking it. Looking around the bullpen he added, “Where’s Ellison?”

“Detective Ellison is out having a late dinner with Detectives Asherton and Michelson. They should be back in a few minutes. I haven’t said anything to him about Mr. Sandburg per your request, but I did inform him that I would like to see him as soon as he returns.” Steele answered, motioning for Taggert to follow him into his office. Closing the door he offered the visiting captain a cup of coffee. “It’s Kona Blend. My son sent it to me for my birthday last week.”

“Thank you, but no. If I drink any more I won’t be able to sit still for the long drive back to Cascade, the way it is I may not be able to sleep for the next few days just from the amount of caffeine in my system, already.”

“I understand completely, Captain Taggert.” the large captain replied softly, glancing at a picture on his desk of him and a young man, standing on a beach cheesing for the camera. “My son was in a car accident ten years ago and we almost lost him. He had just moved to Hawaii to go to college, and because of the fear and caffeine, it seemed that the flight took days instead of hours. I was hyper and not a very nice person to deal with. I really hope that your friend recovers.”

“So do I, Captain Steele, so do I?” Taggert answered, noticing that Jim had returned and was walking toward the office.

“You wanted to see me Captain Ste… Joel? What are you doing here?” asked Ellison, frowning as he entered the office. Before Taggert could explain his presence the Sentinel’s face suddenly became pale with realization. There would only be one reason his large friend would be there. “It’s Blair, isn’t it?” he whispered, silently praying that the answer would be no.

“I’m afraid so, Jim. He’s been in an accident and is in ICU at Cascade General.” confirmed the captain. “I’m here to drive you back to Cascade. Simon is with him, but we knew that you’d rather be there for Sandburg. We can head out just as soon as we pick up your bags from the hotel.”

“Oh God, what happened?” asked Ellison, slowly sinking into a nearby chair.

“I’ll explain everything on the way home, Jim.”

“Please, just tell me Joel.” Jim begged, lowering his head as he closed his eyes. So Taggert did just that, he told him everything that had transpired from the moment Banks had gotten the phone call to his own trip to retrieve Ellison.

“Broken neck? Coma?” whispered the Sentinel. His Guide had been seriously injured and he wasn’t there.

“His neck isn’t broken, just strained,” stated Captain Steele, adding. “And I really think you need to get back to your partner, Detective. If everything you’ve told us the last few days about your young friend is fact, then he is a truly remarkable young man. I hope he recovers fully, and if the two of you are ever in San Francisco I would like to take you both out to dinner. Now if you gentlemen will excuse me, I have a meeting with the Commissioner and you need to head for home. Goodbye, Detective. Captain.”

“Goodbye, Captain Steele. I promise that when Blair recovers we will indeed come for a visit.” Jim replied, standing up and extending his hand.

“You do that.” Steele answered, smiling and shaking Jim and Joel’s hands.

Leaving the captain’s office, Ellison walked over to grab his jacket off the chair he had draped it on when he first entered the bullpen. “Let’s go, Joel. I need to get home to my partner.”

********************

Cascade General Hospital, Wednesday 4:49 PM

“Thanks, Rhonda. I’ll head to the office just as soon as Jim gets here. Goodbye.” said Banks, before returning the handset to the phone base. “Well kid, your partner is almost here, and I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear it. These chairs were not made for a man of my … ahem… delicate nature.” he chuckled, slowly stretching out a kink in his back from sitting too long in, what Jim had humorously called ‘legal torturing devices’. “Jim and Joel are in Cascade and will be here any minute. I really wish you’d wake up and let us know you are alright. I sort of miss your jabbering. A silent Sandburg isn’t natural.”

Hearing the sound of fast approaching footsteps Banks turned and looked out the movable glass partition that served as a wall. Seeing Ellison, he stood up and vacated the room to make way for an extremely stressed Sentinel who was searching out his injured Guide.

“Simon.” Jim acknowledged, hurrying to the bedside. “Hey Chief, how are you doing buddy?” he asked, taking Blair’s restrained right hand into his own. The young man never budged, but he did open his eyes and looked up to his roommate’s face, remaining silent and still, the only change was the increase in the young man’s heart rate monitor.

“Hi, Blair. I told you I’d get your partner here safe and sound.” greeted Taggert, smiling as he patted Sandburg’s blanket covered leg.

“Hey Jim, it’s good to see you. I was just telling Sandburg that as soon as you got here I’d be heading to the station. So if you will both excuse me, I’ll be heading out now. I have to let everyone in the bullpen know how their favorite anthropologist is doing. Bye Blair, I’ll see you later.” Banks stated, waving as he left the ICU area.

“Wait up, Simon.” Joel called out to his superior, stopping just outside the doorway. “I’ll be leaving as well, Jim. I need to head home and get some sleep. I’ll see you later. Bye, Blair.”

“Bye, Joel. We’ll see you later.”

Sitting on the chair Captain Banks had vacated, the Sentinel reached up and brushed his Guide’s hair away from his face, cupping his cheek. Feeling the coolness of Blair’s skin, Jim released the hand he held and reached down at the bottom of the bed for a second blanket to cover his friend. Sandburg hated the cold, and Ellison was determined to make his roommate comfortable.

“Come on Chief, I know you’re in there. Please wake up and talk to me.” Jim pleaded retaking his Guide’s hand. “There’s a few pretty nurses here you haven’t flirted with yet, and from the way they look at you I’m positive you could get a few dates out of this trip.”

Sadly, the grad student did not do as the detective asked, but remained silent and still throughout the day and long into the evening. Eventually, Ellison, being exhausted from working the entire day before and not sleeping on the long trip home, finally laid his head on the side of his partner’s bed and fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

The night nurse, Nora, quietly entered the room to do her hourly check. Seeing the big cop asleep, she silently retrieved a blanket from an empty unit and draped it over the resting man. She had been working the day that Sandburg had been dosed with Golden, and remembered how close the two men were. Unlike some of the other nurses, she knew that the only way Jim would get some rest, was if he stayed near his friend and roommate. As she finished jotting down her observations of the patient she smiled, noticing that Ellison’s hand was still holding Blair’s.

********************

Thursday 8:00 AM

“Good morning, Detective Ellison.” greeted Dr. Cutter as he entered the ICU room. “I’m surprised to see you here this early after your long trip from San Francisco, Wednesday.”
Rubbing his fingertips over closed, tired eyes Jim looked up to his partner’s attending physician. “Morning, Doc.” he replied, before a huge yawn prevented him from continuing for a few moments. “I never left the hospital. I’ve been here since I got back to Cascade.”

“Really?” asked Cutter, surprise evident on his face.

“Yeah.” answered Jim, softly, retuning his gaze to his Guide. “I didn’t want Blair to wake up alone. He’d be scared and he seems to calm down quicker when I’m here.”
Shaking his head, the doctor looked over the chart he had in his hand when he walked in to the room. “Detective…”

“Jim” interrupted Ellison.

“Excuse me?” queried Cutter.

“Just call me Jim, it’s easier to say and cuts down on excess dialog.” the detective remarked, a sad grin on his face.

“Only if you call me Nathan, Jim.” chuckled Cutter.

“I can do that.” Jim answered, brushing his best friend’s hair out of his face, before cupping his cheek. “How’s he doing, Doc?”

“There’s still no change from the last group of tests, but that’s not a bad thing, Jim. It shows that he hasn’t gotten any worse.”

“It also shows that he hasn’t gotten any better, either.” the exhausted man sighed, “Do we have any idea when he’ll come out of this… coma he’s in?”

“I’m afraid not, Jim. The human brain is a very complex thing. I can tell you that the swelling is reducing.” Nathan stated, leaning against the glass wall. “I expect that if it continues to reduce at the rate it is doing now, Mr. Sandburg may awaken from the coma as early as Saturday or Sunday.”

“Blair, he prefers to be called Blair. He says that calling him Mr. Sandburg makes him feel like an old man.” Ellison corrected, grinning. “He’ll wake up, Doc. I know my partner. If there’s one thing I am sure of, it’s that Blair is not a quitter.”

“I hope you’re right, Jim. But you should prepare yourself in case it takes longer, and also prepare yourself in case he shows signs of brain damage, although I really hope that there are none. Also, I believe he will awaken from the coma, but how soon is anyone’s guess.” Cutter replied, adding as he left the room, “I’m off to do my rounds, now. I’ll stop back in before I head out tonight to see how you both are doing. I suggest you go home tonight and get some sleep. You’re going to need to be rested when Blair wakes up. He’ll need you to be at your best.”

********************

Thursday 11:37 PM

Feeling very tired and somewhat disconnected, Blair opened his eyes. Confusion filled his mind as he tried to focus his eyes, slowly looking around the room, noticing he was in a bed that was not his own. ‘Where am I?’ he thought, frowning, not sure if he was truly awake or dreaming. Shifting his eyes to the right he realized that there was someone sleeping in a recliner, next to the bed. ‘Jim?’ the young man thought, closing his eyes he added silently before returning to the land of nod. ‘Must be a dream, Jim is in San Francisco and won’t be home for another week or so.’

********************

Friday 8:03 AM

“Good morning, Jim.” greeted Nathan, waving his hand to Jim to remain seated. “I was warned by your captain that I should expect you to remain here after your return to Cascade. I see now that he was right.”

 “Yeah, well… Simon knows me.” Jim chuckled, shrugging as he returning his gaze to his partner, his breath catching as his pale blue eyes immediately locked on to Blair’s darker ones, noticing that there was something different in the way his roommate was staring at him. “Chief?” he whispered, taking his friend’s hand and clasping it between his own.
Blair continued to stare, and just as the Sentinel was about to lose hope that his Guide was coming out of the coma, that said Guide did something extraordinary. He smiled. And not just any smile, but the one that told Ellison that his roommate was back, knew him, and showed no evidence of brain damage, at least not to the Sentinel.

“Sir, can you tell me your name?” queried Cutter, approaching the bed.

Shifting his eyes to look at the doctor, Blair stared at him, blinking, for a few tense moments before answering hoarsely, to the relief of his partner. “Blair Sandburg.”

“Very good, young man, it’s nice to finally meet you. Would you like a drink of water, Blair?” asked the doctor, reaching for the small pitcher of water and cup on the bedside table.

“Yes please.” Sandburg replied. Reaching for the cup Blair realized that his hands were restrained. Fear gripped his heart as he turned his eyes back to his best friend. Sensing his Guide’s fear, the Sentinel released Blair’s hand and quickly removed the restraints, knowing that since his friend was once more aware of his surroundings, he would not need them. Taking the cup from the doctor, Ellison directed the straw to his partner’s lips.  After taking a small sip, the young man finally asked the questions that was most on his mind. “Jim, what happened? Why was I tied down? When did you get home? I thought you were in San Francisco.”

“Whoa, slow down partner. What was the last thing you remember, Chief?” inquired Ellison, glancing quickly at Nathan who nodded to him to continue.

“I was talking to Barb. We were laughing about something that happened yesterday in my Anthro. 101 class. There was … a loud noise and I fell off the trunk of my car when it moved. I stood back up, dusted myself off, laughing. After that… I’m not sure what happened after that.” he answered, reaching for the cup of water. His throat felt really dry. He stopped when he saw the surprised look on his Sentinel’s face. “What happened, Jim?”

Looking up to the doctor, Ellison waited until Cutter nodded before telling his Guide. “You were in an accident, Chief. A student lost control of his car and hit yours. You were thrown about 10 feet from your car and landed on your head. I don’t know how to tell you this Blair, but you’ve been in a coma since Tuesday morning and today’s Friday. Your hands were restrained because you kept trying to remove the IV and the brace around your neck.”

“A … a co… coma?” stuttered Sandburg, his face paling. “I… I…, “ swallowing hard, Blair tried to wrap his mind around what his friend was telling him. “Oh my God, what about Barb? She was standing right beside my car talking to me.”

“She’s fine, Chief.” Ellison soothed, reaching out and pushing his roommate’s hair out of his face, before cupping his cheek, brushing across it with his thumb, smiling when his Guide leaned in to the caress. “I spoke to her last night when she stopped by to check up on you. She told me to tell you, when you woke up, not to worry about the classes you’re teaching, they’re covered, and Reggie, Lexi, Fred and Leo are taking notes for the classes you’re taking. The Prof’s are very understanding and will give you extra time to catch up.”

“I don’t care about the classes, Jim. I was just worried about Barb. She told me last week that she and Kent are expecting. This will be their first.” Blair replied, softly, breathing deeply, relaxing now that he knew his friend was okay.

“I’m glad for them, Chief. Barb did a wonderful job taking care of you until the ambulance got to the scene and transported you here. She kept her cool and contacted Simon.” Ellison remarked, smiling at his best friend.

“Jim, you didn’t drive back from Frisco did you?” asked Blair, frowning, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

“No Chief,” chuckled the large cop, “Joel flew down to tell me, and he drove us back to Cascade. He even made sure we stopped a few times to rest and eat.”

“Good, I’m glad. I’ll have to thank him when I see him.” said Sandburg, yawning tiredly. “Man, why am I so tired?”

“You’re tired because you have been through a traumatic experience, Mr. Sandburg. You’re body is still recuperating and using a lot of energy to do so.” answered Nathan, startling the roommates. They had forgotten that he was in the room. Chuckling he added, “And if you behave, promise to rest, and all your tests come back okay, I may release you as early as Saturday morning. I’d release you sooner, except I want to keep an eye on you a little while longer because of the head injury.”

“Head injury? That explains why my head hurts, everything is a bit blurry, and I’m seeing double of you both, then, huh?”

“What? What do you mean you’re seeing double?” asked Jim, worried that there was some underlying problem.

“It’s alright, Detective. That is to be expected. Blair will probably suffer from double vision and headaches for the next month or so, but eventually his sight will return to normal and the headaches will stop. Until then I’ll prescribe him a mild pain killer. His neck will also be a bit weak, so no riding on any fast, jerking carnival rides for the time being. As a matter of fact, I want you to remain housebound for at least two weeks and continue to wear the brace for half of that time. That means no school work, police work or anything else strenuous. It would also be best if you avoid going up or down any stairs unless it is absolutely necessary. Your balance may not be up to par for a few weeks. For the time you are wearing the neck brace you should sleep with your head partially elevated. That means you should either rent a temporary hospital bed to sleep in, or elevate the head of your mattress. It will make sleeping easier. I also want you to make a follow-up appointment with me to be checked out in a couple of weeks. If you’ll excuse me, gentlemen, I have other patients to look in on.”

“Thanks, doc.” mumbled the sleepy young man, his eyes closing. In seconds he was fast asleep.

“Ditto from me, Nathan, I’m grateful that you were here to take care of my partner.” whispered the Sentinel, a soft smile gracing his face as he watched his Guide fall into a healing sleep.

“You’re both very welcome. I’ll stop in and check on Blair again before I release him. Jim… There is something that you need to be aware of.” the doctor replied, adding quietly, “Exhaustion and fatigue may cause Blair to have a slight slurring of speech, and he may use the wrong words when speaking. It’s nothing to be afraid of. It is typical of any brain injury. I just thought you should know in case this should come up later on.”

“Thanks Doc, knowing that ahead of time will make it a lot easier if it does happen.” Jim sighed, rubbing his forehead with his hand. Learning this, he knew he’d have to be diligent on making sure his partner got plenty of rest and didn’t stretch himself too thin. ‘All in a day’s work for the Sentinel of the Great City, right Chief?’ he mused, returning to his seat to watch over his Guide until he could take him home.

Fin

~~~~~~~

*The injuries in this story are the injuries I myself suffered when I was in High School. I had been catapulted from the hood of a car when a few friends and I were being typical teenagers and doing stupid things. I suffered with a skull fracture and a broken neck. I was indeed in a coma, even though I was awake. The x-rays proved I did have a broken neck, but by the time I arrived to the trauma unit at a hospital that could deal with my type of injuries, I had been healed. The x-rays taken there showed I had a sprained neck. I trust the first x-rays because one of my close friend’s dad was the technician whom took them and the break in the spine was perfectly clear. I also did have a false memory of the accident. Strange what your mind creates during a trauma. Double and blurry vision was a given no matter what type of head injury a person gets and I hated having them.

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