New
Arrivals
Author-Suzie
Titles
Too Hot to Handle
by Suzie
Summary: Blair gets overheated. Can Jim cool him down in time?
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: Thanks, Jen! <VBG>
"The tragedy of it is that nobody sees the look of desperation on my face."
~~ Unknown ~~
######
"TOO HOT TO HANDLE"
by Suzie ~~ August 1999
98 degrees! It was the hottest day in Cascade's history. 98 degrees and the air conditioning was out at the station, and Jim had been stuck in Major Crimes doing paperwork all day. 98 degrees and his truck was like an oven, even with the windows rolled down, and traffic had been miserable all the way home.
Jim slid tiredly out of the truck and glared down at the Volvo he was parked next too. Sandburg had promised to be at the station to help him with the paperwork right after lunch, but had never showed up. Jim had been disappointed, but not angry ... until he thought about Blair being in a nice air-conditioned office at the University. Angry? Nah ... not really. Cranky? You bet!
Jim sighed as the slightest of breezes touched his sweat soaked clothes, and he turned up his sense of touch to enjoy what no one else would have noticed. He opened his button front shirt and let the air wash over him in a gentle caress.
As he entered the building, Jim noticed that the usual fluorescent hum from the overhead lights was missing. Looking up at the darkened lights, Jim knew that the power was out. That meant no elevator. That meant having to climb the stairs. That meant lots of grumbling in the stifling stairwell. Jim reveled in the idea of a cool shower and smiled at the fact that he didn't have to worry about Blair using all of the *cold* water.
Approaching the door to the loft, Jim listened for his roommate as he put the key in the lock. Blair's heartrate and resperation were elevated, making the Sentinel frown. As he pushed the door open, a blast of hot air hit Jim's sensitive skin and sent him back a step. What the hell ..., he thought as he recovered by turning his senses down as he entered the loft.
The apartment was closed up ... completely. Jim began sweating rivers in the heat he stepped into. With no electricity, the fans that they'd been leaving on during the last few hot days were not moving the hot, stuffy air.
Why was the loft closed up if Sandburg was home? Jim wondered as he stood just inside the door. It must be 110 in here! He quickly moved to the balcony and opened the doors.
"Blair?!" he called as he crossed back and closed the door to block the heat in the hallway from coming in. Jim knew from the Blair's heartbeat that the younger man was in his room and moved quickly in that direction. "Hey, Sandburg!"
**********
The first thing Jim noticed was that Blair was lying sprawled on his back, fully clothed, on the bed. As he stepped closer, Jim saw the heat flushed skin and could feel the heat radiating off Blair even over the heat of the loft. Alarmed, he sat down on the edge of the bed and gently shook the younger man.
"Chief? C'mon, Blair, wake up."
Blair groaned quietly, but did not wake.
Jim noted that Blair wasn't sweating ... in fact, his skin was hot and dry. Pulling up Blair's T-shirt, Jim placed a hand firmly on the other man's chest. "Shit!" he whispered with realization as he felt the heat building inside his friend, watched the rapid rise and fall of his chest as Blair panted.
Moving quickly, Jim went to the bathroom and began to fill the tub with cool water. Then he went back to the bedroom and pulled Blair up to sit on the edge of the bed. "Blair, wake up!" Jim demanded as he started pulling Blair's clothes off.
Blair blinked and opened his eyes, squinting as if the light caused him pain. He tried to pull away from Jim, pushing at the hands that were undressing him. "Goway ... leave me alone!" he said with fear and anger. "Jim ... help!"
Jim grasped Blair gently but firmly by the arms. "It's okay, Chief. I'm right here."
Blair blinked slowly and looked up at Jim's worried face, "Jim? What are you doing here?"
"I live here ... remember?" Jim replied, pulling Blair to his feet after unbuckling his belt and unfastening his pants.
"When did you move in?"
"Oh, a while back." Jim helped Blair step out off his pants and wrapped an arm around the too hot torso.
"Cool," Blair replied, then passed out.
"Yeah ... cool," Jim said absently as he hoisted his limp Guide into his arms and carried him into the bathroom. He carefully settled Blair in the tub, then reached over and turned the tap off. Grabbing a cloth off the rack, Jim began to smooth the cool water over Blair's shoulders and face.
After a minute, Blair groaned as he opened his eyes again and, in a sudden rush of panic, he began thrashing about in the water as if he were drowning.
Jim struggled to control the situation with calming words and gentle hands. "I've got you, Blair," he said into the panic stricken man's ear. "You're all right. Calm down."
Slowly, Blair settled down, but clung to Jim's arm like a life preserver. "Jim ... help!" he sputtered.
"Shhh ... it's okay," Jim whispered, lightly rubbing the wet cloth over Blair's back. "You're safe."
Blair groaned again and leaned to the side, letting his head settle against Jim's chest, "God ... my head hurts."
"Yeah, I know. Just try to relax." Jim's Sentinel sense of touch could feel the slight changes in Blair's temperature as it slowly started coming down.
After several more minutes, Blair was dozing against Jim and had started to shiver slightly. Jim decided that Blair was out of immediate danger and it was time to get his partner out of the overheated apartment. He pulled the plug to drain the tub and said, "Okay, Chief, let's go."
Blair let himself be pulled to his feet and stood quietly as Jim wrapped a towel around him. He felt his wet boxers pulled down, and he stepped out of them as Jim guided him out of the tub to sit on the closed toilet. Blair sat, looking rather glassy eyed, trying to pull the towel around himself.
"Dry yourself off while I get you something to put on," Jim said, handing Blair another towel, and making sure that his friend was making an attempt to dry himself before hurrying out to fetch some clothes.
**********
Jim sat quietly next to the hospital bed, his hand lightly holding Blair's. Blair lay sleeping, an IV running fluids into his dehydrated body.
Before drifting off into exhausted sleep, Blair managed to give a rather disjointed explanation of what had happened. Jim pieced the story together and decided that Blair had skipped lunch and gone home to change clothes before heading downtown to the police station to help him. Blair hadn't planned on being at the loft for more than the few minutes it would take to change, so he hadn't bothered to open the place up at all, even though the power was out. Already overheated from his drive from the University, plus the heat of the apartment, and he ended up collapsing.
Jim berated himself for not calling the University to see if Blair had left when he realized his friend was late. He would have become concerned and tried to find his young partner. At least, then Blair would not have had to lie in that stifling room for several hours. Jim thought of all the *should haves*, *could haves*, and *did nots* and beat himself soundly with each one.
**********
A couple of hours later, Blair woke feeling groggy and disoriented.
"How ya doin', Chief?" Jim asked.
Blair groaned and raised a hand to his head. "Tell these tribal drums to take a break ... and I'll be doing a lot better."
Silently, Jim reached up, moving Blair's hand away, and began to gently massage Blair's temples.
"Ohhh, man, Jim," Blair sighed gratefully. "That's great ... thanks."
Jim stopped his ministrations a short time later, as he felt Blair's tension ease. He gently pressed his hand against Blair's where it rested on the bed and let his fingers curl around the smaller hand. Jim watched as Blair's fingers moved around his.
"What's wrong, big guy?" Blair asked, his voice quiet and soothing.
Jim shook his head slightly, not looking up.
Blair squeezed the hand. "Jim, look at me."
Slowly, Jim turns sad eyes to those of his Guide's. "I am so sorry, Blair."
Blair blinked slowly, confused. "I know I'm still a little out of it here, so maybe I'm missing something. Just *what* are you sorry for, Jim?"
"I should have known something was wrong when you didn't show up at the station," Jim said, looking away again. "I just thought you'd decided to stay where the air-conditioning was working."
"It's out at the station again, huh?"
Jim nodded.
"How in the hell could you have known what happened, Jim? You're a Sentinel, not a psychic."
"I *should* have known ...," Jim whispered, almost too quiet for Blair to hear.
"Jim," Blair interrupted. "Turn off the Blessed Protector thing for a minute and think. This isn't your fault, man."
"But if I'd ..."
"No, Jim! No way are you going to pull a guilt trip out of this," Blair said firmly.
Jim stared at the young man lying in the bed. Blair still looked a bit flushed and tired, but there was a certain sparkle in his eyes.
Blair smiled impishly, "At least we get to sleep in air-conditioned comfort tonight."
Blair was right and Jim knew it, but he still didn't like to admit it. Deep down he would always feel as if he should have known there was something amiss with his Guide. Jim looked into Blair's smiling face and couldn't help the low chuckle that worked its way out. "Yeah, well next time let's just go to a hotel ... okay?"
<>~~<>~~<>
end
In light of the recent heat wave, I thought it might be worth while to add the following links to information concerning heat stroke and heat exhaustion. Both are serious, and potentially fatal if not treated as soon as possible. <http://www.umr.edu/~umrshs/heat.html> and <http://www.aomc.org/HOD2/general/Perssafe-HEAT-2.html>