New
Arrivals
Author-Suzie
Titles
Dragons Do Fly
by Suzie
Summary: Sequel to I Saw A Dragon Fly. It's Blair's turn to see the little critters.
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: I've had requests for another story involving the little butterfly dragons that appeared to Jim after his fall in I Saw A Dragon Fly. Well ... fine ... okay ... here it is! <VBG> Thanks go to my friend Jen, Beta Beast Extraordinary! Without whom I couldn't get a comma in the right place to save my life!
"Honor those the dragons heed
In thought and favor, word and deed,
Worlds are lost or worlds are saved
From those dangers dragon-braved."
Anne McCaffrey
######
The stakeout had turned into a bust, and it had gone off well ... so far. Darren and five of his gun running mercenaries were in custody. No shots fired, no chases, fights, or explosions.
Jim was on his cell phone with Captain Simon Banks while Detectives Henri Brown and Brian Rafe watched the prisoners. Jim's partner, police observer Blair Sandburg, stood off to the side quietly talking to H and Rafe.
"I did a sensory sweep of the building," Jim said into the phone, after checking to be sure that no one could hear what he said. "I know there's at least three more inside sir, and God knows what they have for weapons in there."
"Alright Jim, sit tight. I'm on my way with backup," Captain Banks said.
Jim was about to reply when automatic weapons fire exploded around them. Everyone ducked for cover, Brown and Rafe dragging the prisoners with them as best they could around a corner of the building. Jim swung down around his pickup as bullets bounced off the metal body.
"JIM!" Captain Banks cried into the phone. "What The Hell ...?!"
"Shots fired!!" Jim yelled back. "Automatic weapons!!"
As quickly as it had started the hail of bullets stopped.
Jim waited a moment, then risked a peek around the side of the truck. "Brown?! Rafe?! You guys okay?!" he called out.
"Brian took one in the shoulder, but it doesn't look too bad! The rest are fine!" Henri called back. "You alright?!"
"Yeah ... I'm fine! Sandburg?!" Jim called out trying to see around the truck.
There was no answer.
Shit! "Can you see where Sandburg is?!" Jim hollered to the other Detectives.
Brown cautiously looked around the corner of the building. Oh God No! "Jim, it looks like he took a hit! He's near the back of your truck!"
Another burst of weapons fire drove both men back again.
Jim stayed low as he made his way to the other end of the truck, speaking to Simon as he went, "Rafe took a bullet in the shoulder sir and it looks like Sandburg's been hit too."
"I'll have medical dispatched to your location Jim," Simon said, then broke the cell phone's connection.
Jim clicked off the phone and dropped it into his jacket pocket, then carefully moved around the back of the truck. But when he tried to look for Blair there was an immediate blast of gunfire. Sitting with his back against the back tire, Jim quickly reached Sentinel hearing out to his partner. He was rewarded with a strong heartbeat and steady breathing. "Thank God," Jim sighed, relieved. He glanced around for something that could help him get to his partner.
"JIM?!" Brown called.
"Yeah, I'm here!" Jim answered.
"Under the truck man! You should be able to reach him that way!"
Yes! Jim got down on his stomach and peered under the vehicle. He could see Blair on the other side, lying on his stomach, facing away from him. "Hang on buddy," Jim whispered. Quickly he scooted under the truck and across to the other side. "Chief? Can you hear me?" Jim called quietly.
Blair moaned softly.
"Blair, you with me here?"
Slowly Blair turned his head to look for the familiar voice. "Jim ..."
Jim could see blood slicking the hair down on the right side of the young man's face and grimaced. "Can you move your right arm Chief?"
"Aah ... yeah."
"Good, I need you to reach towards me. Can ya do that for me?"
Slowly Blair moved his right arm out.
"Great Chief, that's great," Jim said, as he reached out grabbed Blair's wrist and carefully pulled him under the truck and out the other side.
Another volley of bullets bounced off the sidewalk around them, but luckily missed their mark. Jim gently pulled Blair up to sit against the side of the truck.
"JIM?!" Henri called. "Jim, you guys okay?!"
"Yeah, we're okay!" Jim called back. "How's Rafe doing?!"
"I'm fine!" Brian hollered.
"Backup's almost here!" Henri called. "I can hear 'em!"
Jim had been so focused on Blair that he hadn't heard the sirens closing in. He gently pushed the blood soaked hair away from the wound on his partner's head and wiped away some of the blood with the sleeve of his jacket.
Moaning, Blair tried to push the hand away. "Hurts ...," he mumbled, eyes still closed.
"Shh," Jim soothed, relieved to find that the bullet had only grazed Blair's head from temple to the top of his right ear. Jim tilted the younger man's face up and said, "Open your eyes Chief."
"No ... hurts."
"I know it hurts, but I want to check your eyes. Just for a second Chief, okay?"
"'Kay," Blair replied quietly, then slowly opened his eyes and squinted against the light.
Jim quickly peered into Blair's glazed blue eyes, "That's it buddy." Concussion.
Simon and a half dozen or so other units rolled onto the scene.
"You stay put Chief," Jim instructed Blair. "The EMT's will be here in a minute."
Blair looked up groggily, as Jim stood, "Mmm? Yeah ... no problem." He watched blearily as Jim hurried to meet Simon. Something buzzed in his right ear then flitted past Blair's face, "Huh?" He reached up to shoo it away, but stopped when he saw a small creature hovering on nearly transparent wings less than a foot from him. Blair giggled, "Oh my God!" He waved at Jim frantically, "Jim! Jim, c'mere man!"
Jim quickly returned to his Guide's side with Simon right behind him. "What's up Chief?"
Blair giggled again, "Don't you see them man?" He glanced at the Captain, "Oh ... hey Simon.
"What Blair? What am I suppose to see?" Jim asked.
"The little dragons man. There's three of 'em. Don't ya see 'em?"
"Oh no," Jim groaned.
Blair laughed, reaching out for what only he could see.
"What's going on Jim?" Simon asked with concern.
"Remember a few months back when the trail at Cornel Park gave way? I whacked my head pretty good in that fall," Jim said.
Simon's eyes widened as he remembered that day, "Oh no!"
Jim nodded knowingly.
"You mean he's seeing ..."
"Looks that way sir."
"There's one on your shoulder Simon," Blair said, pointing to the Captain's left shoulder.
Simon automatically turned to look, but of course there was nothing there. "Thanks Sandburg," he said, patting the young man on the knee.
Jim saw the paramedics and two squad cars drive up to where Detectives Henri Brown and the injured Brian Rafe were huddled against the building. Jim was relieved when the prisoners were loaded into the squads. The SWAT Team arrived at the same time. "Okay Chief," he said, laying a hand on Blair's chest to get his attention. Blair looked up at the Detective with a dopey grin, and Jim couldn't help but return a small smile to his partner, as he said, "The medics will be here in a couple seconds. I have to go talk to the SWAT guys for a minute, but I'll be right back. Understand?"
"Uh huh ... okay Jim," Blair answered distractedly.
"Don't move Chief, stay here."
"Okay Jim."
Jim left with Simon to talk to the SWAT Team.
**********
The little dragons mesmerized Blair as they darted, flitted, and hovered around him, never quite close enough for him to touch. His head had quit hurting as he watched them playing hide and seek among the cars. Then Blair noticed they were getting further away. "No ... don't go!" he said. Wobbling to his feet, Blair leaned back against the truck. "Wait for me!" he called, as he pushed away and staggered off into the street.
Jim turned at the sound of his Guide's voice, "Sandburg?" His partner wasn't where he'd left him. "Blair?" Quickly looking around, Jim spotted the young man jogging slowly down the middle of the street. "Damn!!" he breathed. "SANDBURG!! Stop!!" Jim yelled, as he started after him.
A hail of automatic weapons fire exploded around them, and it was all Simon could do to force Jim to the ground. When they were finally able to get up, Jim half expected to see Blair lying dead in the street. But his partner was no where to be seen.
"Jim?!" Simon asked. "Where is he? Can you tell which way he went?"
Jim cocked his head to one side slightly ... listening. He easily found Blair's racing heart as well as the sound of his voice calling out for the dragons to wait for him. "Yeah Simon, he turned left at the corner down there."
"Okay," Simon said quickly, chomping down on his cigar. "We'll take care of things here. You go after Sandburg."
"Thank you sir."
Simon waved his cell phone at the Detective, "Call me!!"
Jim nodded sharply, then headed out to find his Guide.
**********
"Little dragons ... where are you?" Blair called as he wandered down the sidewalk.
No one stopped Blair to see if he needed help, and those who spared him a glance looked at him with obvious distaste. Blair was oblivious to the people around him, as they avoided contact with him.
"Ah ha! There you are!" Blair laughed, seeing his dragons at the entrance to an office building.
Two of the little creatures fluttered inside, as one remained outside. It looked at Blair, eyes glittering silver in the afternoon light as it waved to him. It was as though it were waiting for Blair to catch up, beckoning to him to hurry.
"I'm coming!" Blair mumbled. "Wait for me!"
**********
Jim raced along the sidewalk trying to catch up with Blair. How'd he get so far ahead? he thought, as he tracked the young man with Sentinel hearing. He could barely stand!
Suddenly Jim stopped in his tracks. Damn! I've lost him! He looked around, trying to find his Guide again.
Jim began stopping people, flashed his badge, and asked if they'd seen anyone that fit Blair's description.
"Yes, I saw him," a businessman finally admitted to Jim. "He was going into the Jacob's Building as I was leaving. It's about a block down on the right. He didn't look to be in very good shape. I thought he might be going to see a Lawyer."
"Thank you very much," Jim said hurriedly, as he began to run.
**********
Blair followed the little dragons into an elevator. "Where we going?" he mumbled to the creatures as they buzzed around his head.
"What floor do you need?" a voice asked.
"Huh?" Blair tried to focus to the face that belonged to the voice. His head was beginning to hurt again.
"I'm getting off on the eighth floor," the woman said, obviously concerned at Sandburg's bloodied head and faraway look. "Are you looking for a doctor? Medical offices are on the ninth floor." She reached over and pushed the button for the ninth floor.
"Doctor? Ah ... okay."
The elevator stopped on the eighth floor and the woman stepped off, then turned and said, "When the car stops, get off and go to your right. Any of the offices there should help you."
"Um ... thanks."
The elevator ascended one more floor and stopped. Blair got off, staggered a bit, and looked to his right. The long corridor shifted and moved unpleasantly. "Aww man," Blair groaned. Looking around he saw the dragons off to his left, waiting by a door with "STAIRS" stenciled on it.
"But the lady told us ...," Blair said, pointing down the corridor to the right.
The dragons beckoned and Blair followed.
**********
Jim arrived at the Jacob's Building and went inside, letting his senses open in search of his Guide. With the stress he was feeling and without Blair's coaching, it was difficult for Jim to filter through the noise around him..
"C'mon Chief, where are you?" Jim whispered, trying to locate Blair's voice or his heartbeat. "I know you're here."
"Slow down!" Blair's voice filtered into Jim's ears like an echo. "I can't keep up."
Jim could hear the shakiness, breathlessness, and pain in his friend's voice. Stairwell! He's going up! he thought, heading for the line of elevators. Jim heard the clank and creak of a door opening as he listened to Blair's movements.
"Damn that's bright!" Blair said. "Why are we on the roof?"
The roof?! Oh no! Jim gasped to himself, as he boarded an elevator.
"Yeah yeah, I'm coming! Just let me catch my breath here a sec!"
**********
The little dragons flitted and flew around Blair's aching head, as he reached up to touch the right side above his ear. They seemed to be in a hurry.
Blair felt something wet under his fingers and pulled his hand back to see blood. Huh ... wonder what happened? he thought curiously.
One dragon stopped and hovered in front of Blair's face. It's eyes glittering and refracting light into a rainbow of colors.
"You know ... I thought Jim was crazy when he went off chasin' you guys. But now I know ... I understand." Blair reached up slowly and the hovering creature backed away, out of reach. "You're so beautiful ... so free. I want to follow you ... be with you." He smiled dreamily, "I want to fly with you."
The other two dragons joined them. They looked at one another then back at Blair, who would have sworn they were smiling at him. They beckoned ... Blair followed.
**********
The elevator stopped on the ninth floor and the last of the passengers filed off ... save one worried, impatient Sentinel. Finally Jim was alone in the car, willing it to go faster and praying it would not stop until it reached his destination.
Jim listened intently to Blair's words. The only thing that kept him from zoning was the jerk of the elevator car as it stopped on the twelfth floor. The roof.
"You can't fly Chief, you're afraid of heights ... remember that," Jim whispered, as he stepped off the elevator. He looked around, but saw no one. Listening again for his Guide, Jim heard the accelerated beat of Blair heart. "Hang on buddy."
Jim followed the sound across the roof and around two large twirling air ducts before spotting Blair on the raised edge of the roof.
"Are you sure this will work?" Blair asked quietly, his back to the Detective.
Of course Jim realized the young man was talking to the dragons only he could see. He quickly moved up to his partner to stand off to his left. "Hey Chief," Jim said quietly so as not to startle him.
Blair turned glassy eyes on his Sentinel and smiled, "Hey Jim, come to watch?"
"Watch what Blair?"
"I'm gonna fly man."
Jim shut his eyes for a moment, as his heart skipped a beat then dropped into his stomach. "Why would you want to fly?"
"You of all people should know big guy," Blair giggled.
"Why don't you tell me anyway Chief, just so I know we're thinking the same here," Jim said, trying to keep his voice casual.
Blair gestured to the air around him, "The dragons man. I know now why you wanted to follow them in the park." He grinned and turned back to stare into space, "They want me to fly with them. They tell me it's easy."
"Blair, I think we need to talk about this before ..."
"Before what? I wanna fly!"
"But you're the one who's afraid of heights Chief."
Blair hesitated for a moment, thinking. "I'm afraid of heights?"
"Yeah, You don't even like to sit in the window seat of an airplane," Jim said hopefully.
Blair looked at Jim with narrowed eyes, "You must have me mixed up with someone else. I'll see ya around Jim, the dragons don't like to be kept waiting." Blair began to take the step that would send him flying ... twelve stories straight down.
"No wait!" Jim cried, desperation now in his voice. "Don't go Chief! I don't want you to go! I *need* you!"
Blair looked at Jim, puzzled, "Need me?"
"If you leave, who'll help me with these senses? What if I zone? I *need* you Blair ... you're my Guide!"
Those words seemed to get through to Blair. He blinked several times and looked around.
Jim noticed a slight clearing in the glassy blue eyes of his partner. "You with me here Blair? Don't look down."
"Too late," Blair whispered, as he glanced down beyond his feet. "Jim, what am I doing here?" he asked, his voice shaking with the panic he was beginning to feel.
"Easy Chief, don't move," Jim said with a calm he didn't feel.
"Jim, please get me down."
Jim locked strong arms around Blair's waist, gently pulling him down off the ledge to the rooftop. "I've got you buddy."
Blair's knees buckled as he felt Jim's arms grab him, and he let himself go into the solid body behind him. The Sentinel slumped to the tarpaper and gravel surface of the roof with his Guide held tightly ... and safely ... against his chest.
After a moment to let his heart slow to something near normal, Jim tilted Blair's head back gently until it rested against his shoulder. "Blair, open your eyes buddy," he whispered.
"No ... hurts," Blair mumbled.
Jim couldn't help but chuckle slightly with relief, "What's the last thing you remember Chief?"
"Um ... The stakeout. You, Brown, and Rafe ... ah, arrested Gerald Darren and some of his men. You were talking to Simon on the phone." Blair cracked open his eyes enough for a quick glance around. "Where are we?"
"On the roof of the Jacob's Building downtown."
"Why are we on the roof of the Jacob's Building? It must have something to do with why my head is hurting?"
"Yeah, I'll explain it all to you when you're feeling a little better, okay?"
"Umm ... sure," Blair closed his eyes again.
"Okay, you just rest. I'm gonna call Simon," Jim said, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket and punched in the Captain's number.
Blair groaned softly as he relaxed against the big man.
"Banks," Simon barked into the receiver.
"Hey Captain, I found Sandburg," Jim said quietly.
"Where?!" Simon asked, relief in his voice.
"On the roof of the Jacob's Building. Can you send us an ambulance sir?"
"It's on its way. How is he?"
"Dragons," Blair breathed softly.
"He'll live," Jim said with a slight smile in his voice.
"I'll meet you at the hospital Jim," Simon said, then clicked off the phone.
Jim set the phone down and shifted to lean back against the raised ledge. "Hey Chief, stay awake for me." He pulled his knees up with Blair sitting between them and locked one arm around his partner's chest to hold him upright.
Blair's hands came up to hold the arm that encircled his chest. "I'm ... awake. I'm just so tired. I feel ... like I've run a ... marathon."
Jim smiled, stroking Blair forehead gently, "We both did Chief."
A wisp of a smile played on Blair's lips as he opened his eyes to look at his Sentinel, "Did we win?"
"You bet we did buddy," Jim said quietly.
**********
Jim was dozing lightly in a chair next to Blair hospital bed when his partner moaned softly. Jim moved closer and gently rubbed one big hand over Blair's upper arm. "Hey Chief, you awake?"
Blair's eyes fluttered, then opened. "Hey Jim," he smiled groggily.
"How are you feeling?"
Reaching up a hand to his bandaged head Blair said, "Like a wall hit me. Ow ... what happened?"
Jim moved his friend's hand and held it for a moment before laying it back down on the bed. "You've got a few stitches there ... nothing serious. What do you remember?"
Blair wrinkled his brow in thought for several moments as he tried to remember. "I remember the stakeout and the bust, but ..." Then the rest started coming back to him and his eyes widened. The dragons, the roof ... wanting to fly. "Oh my God Jim!"
Jim gently squeezed Blair's arm in reassuringly. "Shh, it's all right," Jim quickly soothed. "It's over."
Blair looked into his Sentinel's eyes as he remembered something else. "Jim, what did you say?"
"What? Oh ... I said 'it's over.'
"No ... before ... on the roof. Do you really need me Jim? Or did you just say that to get me down?" The pull of sleep made his headache ease as the room fuzzed slightly.
"Ah Blair, you *know* I need you. A day doesn't go by where I *don't* need you." Jim watched as Blair fought the heaviness of his eyes. "You need to rest now. Get some sleep."
"Jim ... your senses?"
"Not just the senses Chief." Jim watched as Blair slipped into an easy sleep and let his voice drop to a whisper. "You're more than a Guide." Jim took Blair's cool hand in both of his. "You've taught me what it's like to have friends and to *be* a friend."
How long the Jim sat like that watching and listening to Blair sleep, he didn't know. But he suddenly felt very tired. Jim laid his head down on the edge of the bed, his hand still gently locked around his partner's, and slept.
**********
Who wills,
Can.
Who tries,
Does.
Who loves,
Lives.
-- Anne McCaffrey
<>~~<>~~<>
end