lit_gal | Guidelines: Power Play

The Sentinel
Jim/Blair

Getting close to the end now! I think I may have the last bit out tonight still!

Jim dozed on the cot Dr. Malain had forced the staff to set up next to Blair's hospital bed. A respirator clicked away and an IV dripped antibiotics into Blair's system, but the surgeon insisted that Blair had good odds. At least, he'd offered that after Dr. Malain had forced the doctor to give Jim a realistic assessment right there in the middle of surgery with the surgeon's hand inside Blair's body.

The surgeon had snapped that it was a grade two trauma with fecal contamination but no devascularization and he was attempting re-anastamosis. Even though Jim didn't understand the technicalities, Dr. Malain had relaxed at the news. So Jim had sat through the operation at Blair's feet, one gloved hand wrapped around Blair's ankle, while Dr. Malain, specialist in Sentinel-Guide medicine for the USSP, assisted the surgeons.

Blair made a noise, and Jim forced his eyes open to take another check. Blair sweated lightly, his body damp and warmer than normal, but not dangerously so. His eyelids flickered, and for a second, Jim thought he might wake up, but then his guide settled back into silence. Jim glanced at the window where the morning sun just now started to make the drawn shades glow. Despite the fact that he had only caught short naps, Jim sat up, taking Blair's hand in his own as he cracked his back and pushed back his need for sleep.

"How is he?" a woman asked from the door as she pulled a cart into the room.

"Still not waking up," Jim said. He tried to not sound worried, but he must have failed.

"That's normal for this level of trauma. His body took a lot of damage, but his tests look good. Is his fever the same?" the nurse asked as she pulled down a nearly empty IV bag and hooked up a new bag.

"Yeah, the same."

"That's normal too," the nurse assured him.

Jim looked down at his partner. Blair's pale face looked distorted with the respirator, and his arms sprouted tubes and wires. Despite that, Blair's heart continued its regular rhythm. "He's strong. From the first day on the job, he has never walked away from a fight, and he'll win this one," Jim said confidently. A little whisper still stabbed at him, but he could hear the steady beat of Blair's heart and his guide no longer smelled of blood and contamination.

"I don't doubt it," the nurse agreed as she smoothed the hair back out of his face. "I imagine he has to be strong being a guide. You Sentinels and guides go into such dangerous places. My brother is overseas, and when Sentinels work the field, he says you can find terrorists even if they're hiding so deep in caves that patrols walk right over their heads and never spot them."

Jim flinched at the hero-worship in the woman's voice, and then something she said registered.

"Who told you?" he asked. She turned to him with a confused expression. "Who told you Blair was my guide?" Jim clarified.

"Oh, Dr. Malain. He tore the doctor down in the E.R. a new one, and he had the hospital call in all off duty emergency room staff for a training on Sentinel-Guide medicine. He told the head of security that physically pulling a Sentinel away from an injured guide was a good way to trigger instincts that could have ended up with people hurt if you didn't have so much self-control." The nurse laughed. "I think Anthony saw his life flash before his eyes when Dr. Malain described how most Sentinels would have reacted to that sort of manhandling."

"Anthony?" Jim asked, his stomach tightening at the thought of people talking about him behind his back. He dialed up his hearing a notch to focus outside the room for the first time since they'd settled Blair into the bed.

"He was one of the guards in E.R. Dr. Malain told him that any other Sentinel would have snapped his arm and explained Sentinel-Guide protocols later. Well, if you don't need anything else—" She stood near the door with her cart, waiting with a warm smile.

"Thanks," Jim offered as he listened to the voice outside the room. "I appreciate how well you're all taking care of Blair."

"Of course, Sentinel," she smiled wider.

"Could you tell Simon Banks to come in here?" he asked as he identified his captain's unmistakable baritone.

"We don't normally allow two visitors," the nurse glanced down at Blair who still lay limply against the white hospital sheets. "But then again, you'll know the minute anything causes him any stress, so I'll let you take care of your partner. I'll get him."

While the nurse only asked Simon Banks to step in the room, Major Browning and then General Karn followed.

"How is he?" Simon asked with a glare in the direction of his two followers.

"Doctor said something about removing a section of intestine and reattaching. He's going to be weak for a while, and they're keeping him in the hospital until the risk of infection is past."

"But he's going to be okay," Simon interrupted. Jim could hear the stress in Simon's voice, and he nodded. He didn't trust himself to talk now that he knew Blair would survive. In the operating room, he'd pushed all the guilt and fear to once side as he concentrated on the sound of Blair's heart, and now his emotions threatened to careen out of control.

"Thank god," Simon said softly.

"Certainly no thanks to Captain Ellison," Browning crossed his arms, and Jim bit his tongue to avoid saying any number of inappropriate comments.

"I hardly think this the time or place," General Karn broke in as he came forward. "The boy is quite the fighter, so I have no doubt he'll be out of here long before anyone expects."

"And that brings us to the salient point," Browning commented. General Karn had stepped forward, and now Browning walked around the man and stepped to the side of Blair bed on the opposite side from Jim. Jim clenched his jaw around curses that would only give Browning more ammunition… not that Browning needed more ammunition after he's shot his guide.

"What the hell are you people talking about? What salient point?" Simon demanded. The man kept his voice well below his normal bellow, but his aggravation came out in every clipped syllable and annoyed tone.

"Yet again, Captain Ellison has shown a predilection for physically harming guides. As the senior officer of the USSP Guide program, I must intervene when I have evidence of a pattern of behavior." Major Browning looked up, watching Jim with a smug expression that made Jim stand up and lock his hand around the railing of Blair's bed.

"I won't leave him," Jim said in a quiet, deadly voice.

"No need. You have obviously bonded, but with a clear pattern of abusive behavior, your time with your guide must be monitored. The law is clear."

"But you said Blair wasn't a guide," Simon broke in. He looked at Jim in confusion, but Jim didn't have any answers either. A quick glance toward General Karn just made Jim even more suspicious because the man had a constipated expression as if he'd just sucked a lemon by accident and was trying to hide the grimace.

"As General Karn's doctor pointed out, medically, guide can only be distinguished by their sentinels' reactions to them. That being the case, Mr. Sandburg medically fits the definition of a guide and is our concern." Browning announced, and Jim spotted the trap as it closed around him. His hand immediately went to Blair's limp arm, feeling the heat as though seeking to make sure his guide hadn't dropped dead at the shock of Browning laying claim to him.

Jim tightened his jaw as he bit back angry words. These people had made Blair's life miserable, and now Browning sailed in and laid claim on Blair as though he had any right. Jim's hand tightened, fisting the blanket that covered Blair's body.

"Since you have gone on record objecting to Blair's status, I doubt your claims would stand up to any challenge," General Karn objected, narrowing his eyes as he considered the major. Jim just wished he could believe the objection meant that General Karn honestly wanted to help. He suspected it had more to do with the political in-fighting between Karn and Browning.

"And I am a big enough man to admit to being wrong. While the garbage about guides being biologically unique is obviously hogwash, your doctor very eloquently argued that anyone who can claim a Sentinel's loyalty and bond is medically a guide. Therefore, the guides have altered our definitions to reflect that irrefutable fact."

"Which would make you not a guide," Simon pointed out. Jim just focused on breathing.

Browning gave a thin, tight smile as he turned toward Simon. "My rank and training are quite enough to prove my abilities as a guide. Dr. Malain has simply shown us that anyone who is able to claim a Sentinel's loyalty also becomes, by default, a guide. And with the attack on Guide Sandburg, Captain Ellison has committed three known assaults and is—"

"No!" Jim snapped. "I will take you to court on this," he practically snarled. He had a sudden vision of life inside a USSP camp under a hostile Sentinel order. One of the few female Sentinel's he'd known before Peru had been convicted under those laws, and the conviction worked as well as a finding of mental incapacity. The USSP would have full custody of him, and any interactions with Blair would happen under supervision.

"Court? The first two assaults are documented, and shooting your guide certainly constitutes a third assault," Browning insisted with a pleased smirk.

"Jim took action during an attempted kidnapping. He will not be found guilty of any assault," Simon insisted as he took a step to the right, effectively blocking the door. Jim wondered whether the man moved on instinct or really meant to take this to a physical fight if he needed to. Given Browning's soft and slightly flabby middle, Jim would bet on Simon taking the man down in one hit.

"I'll challenge the assault against Thomas; I'll publicly claim self defense," Jim said calmly even though his heart pounded erratically. The idea of the guides taking custody of him, of having no rights except what Browning chose to give him, made Jim's stomach knot into a tiny, writhing ball. "And Blair will never support an assault charge."

"Guide Sandburg has been overcome by the responsibilities involved in guiding such a difficult Sentinel, so Guide Wilke will testify about both the assault against him in the squad room, and the shooting."

"We have Wilke on tape. His report clears Jim, and he was never assaulted in the squad room," Simon practically growled. He also stepped forward, his hands clenching in anger. Browning physically twitched and then held his ground.

"In the heat of the moment, Wilke may have left out important details, and you yourself ordered him out of the squad room after he and Sentinel Ellison became involved in a conflict." Browning crossed his arms and glared at Simon. Unfortunately, the man had no hope of winning that contest and after a few minutes of mutual hatred and glaring, Browning dropped his eyes. Jim turned to his last hope, appealing to Karn with a desperate expression. Karn returned the gaze impassively for several seconds before looking down at Blair in the bed.

"You're going out on a limb," Karn finally said without looking up. He continued to watch Blair even though the slow rise and fall of Blair's chest in time with the ventilator provided the only movement. "If that limb breaks…" he let his words trail off.

"Unlikely." Browning practically spit the word.

"I have a right to hear my accusers." Jim tossed the challenge out. Maybe if he could glare murder at either Wilke or Thomas, he could get them to back down. Maybe Thomas would lie about the assault if he knew Jim would be willing to out him as an attempted rapist. Remembering Blair's words about knowledge and power, Jim played his best card. "I have a right to hear there before being taken into custody. And since I don't plan on leaving this room, you'll have to have them come here so I can challenge their versions of the assaults. After all, I have a right to tell my side of the story," Jim said with an aggressive smirk of his own.

"Simon, why don't you call Wendy Hawthorne who's been bugging us for some footage for that True Crime show of hers. I'm sure she'd love to be involved."

"USSP issues are not for public display. In today's world of terrorism, people don't need to get panicked over one out-of-control Sentinel making wild accusations," Browning snapped.

"Captain, the press have no right…" Karn began to agree.

"I have a right to confront them before being taken into custody. So, either back off or I'll make a very public statement." Jim narrowed his eyes, feeling a surge of energy as his fear turned to anger. Browning's heart started accelerating.

"You'd better have the press here quickly then," Browning suggested mildly. He walked to the door, circling around Simon with a wary expression. Simon gave Jim a questioning look, and Jim shook his head with tiny motions. If Browning had the witnesses ready now, Hawthorne could never get here in time.

Browning disappeared into the hall and then returned almost immediately. Jim's body tightened as he faced Thomas for the first time since the man had sent him into a zone in order to bond. Jim mentally snorted. That's what Karn and Browning had called it… an attempt to bond… Jim tended to think of it more as rape. Thomas' skin was darker, tanned and one arm had a patchwork of scars. From the pattern, Jim guessed a fall into something sharp, but who knew whether it was falling into roses when pruning them or catching the far edge of a shrapnel spray.

Jim half-expected himself to feel the protect outrage of someone hurting a guide even after Thomas' betrayal. He also expected to feel fear at being around someone who had turned his senses against him. Instead, he felt nothing. Jim walked around the bed calmly, putting himself between Blair and Thomas.

Behind Thomas, Wilke with his pinched expression stood in full dress uniform. Wilke took up a position beside the door while Thomas stepped in, faced General Karn, and gave a sharp salute. Karn returned the salute without bothering to hide a disgusted expression.

"Captain Mayer, would you care to describe what happened the last time you saw Captain Ellison?" Browning asked, but the whole time, Browning watched Simon. At first, Jim thought Simon had just intimidated the man, but as Thomas told of an unprovoked attack that had left him with a black eye and sprained wrist, Jim realized he'd been set up.

"So, would you care to dispute that?" Browning asked, flickering his gaze toward Jim for just a second before looking back at Simon.

Jim clenched his teeth as he tried to organize words that he truly wanted to avoid. God he was a hypocrite. He'd coached a thousand victims, and yet when it came down to it, he wanted to hide the attack—he wanted to hide the fact that Thomas had put him into a position of powerlessness. Jim looked first at Browning and then over at Thomas. His former guide stood at parade rest, his eyes focused on the wall in perfect military form.

"I'm going on record as claiming self defense," Jim said carefully, holding Blair's slack hand and wishing his guide would miraculously wake. Of course, that though led to more self-loathing since Jim knew, intellectually, that he had to take this step on his own. "Thomas Mayer intentionally triggered a zone and then attempted to initiate sexual contact in order to form an involuntary bond."

Jim flinched as Simon gasped so loudly in the silence that it seemed to echo off the walls and slap at him. Bracing his shoulder, he threw himself into the only defense he had, the truth. "I consider Captain Mayer's actions nothing less than attempted rape, and I do dispute the assault charge." Jim straightened his back and pushed under the blanket until he could feel the warmth of Blair's arm.

Browning opened his mouth, and then closed it without a sound. Thomas just stood motionless with his eyes focused on that invisible spot on the wall. A wet, cold silence filled the room like a fog that seeped into every crevasse.

"I would say that Captain Ellison's description is at least plausible," General Karn finally offered slowly. "His complaint at the time certainly doesn't contradict his current description of the situation, so I would suggest that a full investigation might be warranted."

Jim looked at the general in surprise, but he didn't dare look at Simon. He really didn't want to deal with the shock and pity he knew he'd find on his friend's face. He remembered the way Simon had looked at him when the man had visited him in the mental hospital; he remembered the sympathy and the pain. He never wanted to see that again.

"If he forces a full investigation, this truly might make life more difficult, especially since the medical documentation and Lieutenant Wilke support the USSP position," Browning's words came out in tight clipped syllables that made Jim's head ache.

"You people have got to be kidding. You have one case of self defense, one push, and one righteous shooting, and you think you have the right to come in here and threaten one of my men?"

"He is USSP first and foremost. He is a Sentinel, and as a Sentinel, he owes his country and the military who trained him to use his senses."

Jim had been stroking a small bit of soft skin but now he stopped as he could hear Blair's heart break rhythm.

"Stop it," Jim snarled, holding up a hand to silence the room as Simon started his reply.

"Captain Ellison." Major Browning emphasized the rank.

"You're bothering him, get out," Jim said, turning his back to the room as he reached up and ran a finger over Blair's face above the ventilator.

"I am not leaving without you. You cannot be trusted, especially with a guide who cannot fight back." Browning insisted.

"Jim, it's a trick to get you out of the room. There must be a dozen USSP guards out there," Simon barked right back.

"Both of you, get out," Jim repeated as he reached over and pressed the button for a nurse. He could hear a heaviness, a sluggishness, inside Blair's body. Blair's eyelids flickered, and then the machine made a whining, long tone of alarm as it registered Blair's distress.

"Get out," Jim practically begged as he turned toward the five men crowding the room. Blair shifted restlessly, his body making uncoordinated jerks that threatened to pull out IV's. The door opened, and nurses stood in the opening, shocked at crowd in the room. One of them ordered people out, but Jim focused on Blair, whose skin now started warming slightly.

Jim moved down toward Blair's feet as doctors and nurses arrived. A hand on his shoulder surprised him so that he looked up to find a nurse struggling to get by him. Browning still stood next to the door, his arms crossed defiantly while Simon physically shoved at him. A USSP guard had appeared, creating even more chaos as he stood outside in the hall and tried to pull Simon out. Unfortunately, that left even less room for the nurses who struggled to get in the room, cursing under their breaths and issuing worthless orders for the men to get out.

"All of you out," Jim practically roared.

"Not likely, Captain," Browning snapped back as he closed his hand around a pieced of equipment to try and keep from being pulled from the room from Simon. Blair twitched again, making wet sounds into his respirator, and Jim felt himself tense at the sound. Unfortunately, there were no enemies to fight. Making up his mind, he backed away from the bed. They were bonded. Browning couldn't keep them apart forever.

"If I'm not here, you'll leave?" Jim asked, turning toward Browning and using every bit of control not to charge the man and drive a fist into his smirking face.

"If I know for sure you do not have the freedom to come back here, I'll leave," Browning corrected him.

"Jim, don't do this," Simon threatened. "There's another way."

"Not without endangering Blair," Jim said as he stepped toward the door. "Simon, out. The doctors need to work. You too, Major," Jim bit his tongue to avoid saying more as he left Blair's side. Outside, USSP guards waited, and Jim almost felt relief as hands grabbed him. He couldn't have kept control much longer and at least this way, Blair could get treatment.