part 3
"We got 'em." Jim could hear the smile in Simon's voice. "Bio-Helix is a business. Seems the owners, Paul Jacobs and Andrew Kaminski had some dealings with the Government a few years ago, until the business went belly up. However, their security clearances weren't cancelled, so they were still able to use Government contacts to get the supplies they needed to make the drugs."
Jim sighed. "Typical." Bureaucracy at its best.
"We'll be moving in on your side of things at eleven. That's the same time that Bio-Helix is being raided, so watch your back. It doesn't take much for these things to go wrong and if anyone jumps the gun, Matthews could be tipped off before we move in."
"I'll be careful, Simon," Jim promised.
"You better be. I wanna meet this Guide who's got you all wound up."
Jim grinned as Simon hung up. One more day at most, then he could claim his Guide.
Leaving the beach, Jim got in his truck and headed for the warehouse, tapping out a rhythm to the music on the radio. Today was going to be a good day; he could feel it.
His good mood lasted until he got to the warehouse.
"Henderson."
"Cyrus."
Jim stopped as he smelt blood on the man. "What have you done?"
The reptilian eyes blinked at him while Henderson thought.
"I can smell blood," Jim explained. "What have you done?"
"Oh." Henderson shrugged, a slight hint of regret in his face. "The boss decided that Benny was a liability." He shrugged again. "I made it quick; I mean, I liked the guy. Just wish he coulda kept his hands off the stuff."
Jim glared at the back of Henderson's head. So that was it. Nice epitaph for poor Benny.
~'~
A couple of hours passed with Jim keeping a discreet eye on his watch. Finally, he heard the sounds of vehicles pulling up a short distance away, followed by the sounds of booted feet stealthily approaching the warehouse.
Sliding behind some packing cases, Jim pulled his gun and double-checked that it was loaded. It was showtime.
~'~
As the doors were yanked open, Simon bellowed, "Freeze, Cascade PD!"
For a brief moment, the figures were frozen, giving a weird tableau effect, then, naturally, people started moving. As the drug pushers dived for cover, Simon and his team scattered to vantage points that offered protection, and within seconds the air was ringing with the sound of gunfire.
As two officers went down, the bullets hopefully stopped by the thick Kevlar they were wearing, Simon signalled to Brown to cover him, and ducked to the left, intending to get around behind the perps and outflank them. His determination turned to astonishment as he all but fell over a prone figure, face down on the floor, the hands neatly held behind the back with a plastic tie.
"What the -" Kneeling, Simon checked the man over. The guy was out cold.
Something light bounced off his head, and Simon looked up to see Jim, plastic ties in hand, beckoning him on. Grabbing the plastic tie from the floor, Simon followed him, then joined in ambushing the drug dealers from behind. With two of them, it was even easier to take the perps down, and it wasn't long before the remaining few drug pushers gave up.
By the time they'd finished rounding up the last of them, Simon was thankful to note that he hadn't lost any of his men on this end of the operation, although several of them would be sporting impressive bruises from where their Kevlar saved their lives. One of those was Rafe, who could add the bruises he picked up this day to the ones he received not so long ago when Jim shot him.
Looking around, Simon ignored the glare the unwounded drug dealers were sending Jim's way and demanded, "Where's Matthews?"
"He'll be in his office, won't he, Henderson?" Grabbing a large, thick-necked individual by the collar, Jim pulled him forward.
"And where's his office?" Simon asked.
The guy spat at his feet. "Like I'd tell you, pig!"
Jim smiled, with a hint of the feral hunter. "We don't need you to tell us, Henderson. Matthews isn't that good at covering his tracks." He shoved Henderson back towards the uniformed cops who were escorting the criminals out to be loaded into police vans. "By the way," Jim hooked a handgun by the corner of the plastic evidence bag and held it up, "when we find Benny Carson's body, this will be the murder weapon." His hard eyes settled on Henderson, and Simon thanked God the Sentinel was on their side. "Won't it, Henderson?"
~'~
As Jim had said, Matthews wasn't that hard to find, and Jim took a certain satisfaction in slapping the cuffs on the smartly-dressed would-be drugs lord himself. As he hauled Matthews out to the police car, Jim ignored the threats that spilled from the irate man.
Placing one hand on Matthews' head, Jim shoved just enough to get the criminal into the car.
"This is police brutality!" Matthews shrieked, having obviously never been on the receiving end of police brutality.
Jim leaned into the car. "Save it for the judge." Then he slammed the door. Getting into his truck, the Sentinel smiled. It was over. It was finally over. Now all he had to do was give Simon his report, and get to Edwards' apartment to claim his Guide.
He hoped his captain would be content with the shortened version of events.
~'~
Blair barely noticed as the doorbell rang and Neds got up to answer it. A quiet, "David!" got his attention though, and he frowned as his fellow Guide disappeared out of sight. There was a murmur of voices, then the front door shut.
Tilting his head got him nowhere, so Blair leaned over in his seat to peer around the corner of the wall, then straightened up with a jerk as Cyrus - Ellison - appeared.
"Afternoon, Chief."
Pushing himself up, Blair hobbled around the armchair, making sure to keep it between him and the Sentinel.
"Hey! Ellison!" Blair forced a smile onto his face though his mind was racing with strategies and options, and he was uncomfortably aware that he was practically out of both. "How's the undercover operation going?"
"Jim. Call me Jim." The Sentinel smiled at him. "And the undercover op's finished, so why don't you sit down before you fall down?"
Blair's breath caught in his throat. "It's finished?"
"That's right, Chief." Cyrus...Jim - whatever - leaned against the back of the couch and regarded Blair thoughtfully. "I know that Edwards explained everything to you."
"Yeah! You're a cop. There are Feds." Blair glanced around frantically, a hint of panic nibbling at the edges of his control. "Talking of Neds... where is he? And David?"
"They went out." Jim smiled again as he straightened and came towards Blair's armchair; his movements slow and careful.
"Out," Blair echoed, blankly. He gave a half-laugh. "You know, man, I-I think I'd be insulted if I went to visit friends and they went out when I got there."
"Well, I didn't come to visit them."
A large hand stretched out towards Blair's hair, and he jerked his head to one side, evading the touch. "Right! You er..." Taking a breath to calm himself, Blair decided to go for it. "Look, man, I really think this is a mistake."
"A mistake." Jim raised his eyebrows as he repeated the words, keeping up his cautious approach.
As the Sentinel rounded the corner of the armchair, Blair did a mix of a hop and a hobble to keep his distance. "Yeah, a mistake. See...Alex, she's -" He paused. "Did you just growl at me?"
Jim nodded, a predatory smile on his face. "She's a rogue Sentinel, Guide. Don't say her name."
"Oh." For a moment, Blair considered asking whether it was the fact that she was rogue or the fact that she was another Sentinel that Jim was objecting to, but then he let it go. It really wasn't important right now, anyway. "Well...she's never going to give up, Jim. If you bond with me, she'll kill you - it's as simple as that."
"She can try."
Blair did another hop-hobble, then yelped as the Sentinel's hand latched onto his arm.
"Let's sit down while we discuss this. You need to be off that ankle."
Given no choice, Blair allowed himself to be seated on the couch, the Sentinel close beside him. As the flicker of the beckoning bond warmed the edges of his barriers, Blair's fingers curled with the need to reach out, to accept, to welcome, and he bit his lip firmly, using the pain to drive back the want. Bonding with Jim, with any Sentinel, would only get him killed.
"Look, man, A -" Blair swallowed the rest of the word, ignoring the amused glint in Jim's eyes. "She's never going to let me go. If I stay in Cascade, she'll stay in Cascade and she'll kill you to get to me!"
As the Sentinel leaned in slightly, the Guide's need grew and he pushed himself back into the corner of the couch, striving to avoid any contact.
"She's not going to get to me or to you, Chief, I swear it."
As the Sentinel's fingers played with the Guide's hair, Blair could feel the warmth from the hand and had to fight to stop himself from turning his face towards it.
"And even if the worst happens," the Sentinel went on, his voice low and almost hypnotic, "Edwards will protect you. The Clan won't let her get near you. Now or ever."
Blair twitched his head to one side but the Sentinel's hand followed and settled on his shoulder, the thumb rubbing up and down his neck soothingly. "No -"
"I'll keep you safe, Blair. You can trust me."
~'~
The Sentinel smiled as he saw a dazed look enter Blair's eyes. All resistance was gone now as the Guide went into bonding heat. He wrapped his arms around his Guide and grinned as the smaller hands tugged at his shoulders, urging him on. The Sentinel growled with triumph as the heavy head fell back, and his Guide's throat was bared.
The scent of another Sentinel mingled with the scent of bonding, and the Sentinel growled again. Edwards.
Pulling back from the lure of his Guide's scent, Jim glanced around. Edwards' sitting room. Damn. Where -
David's bedroom. While the Sentinel Prime would be pissed at his Senior for bonding with Blair in David's bedroom, he'd be infuriated if he came back to find his sitting room had been used instead - well, he would be once he'd recovered from the bonding heat the scent would send him into. In any case, Edwards had kind of given permission by leaving Jim with Blair anyway.
Dismissing the sideline thought on Sentinel etiquette that was distracting him from the extremely important matter in hand, the Sentinel scooped his Guide up, fighting the gnawing need to simply claim him where they sat, and headed for the bedrooms.
Finding David's was an easy matter of following Blair's scent, and within seconds the door was kicked shut behind them. The Sentinel Prime's scent was less evident in here, although still present, but the Senior Sentinel Prime filtered it out and concentrated on the luscious scent of bonding that was calling to him.
Laying his Guide down, the Sentinel noticed the glazed look beginning to clear slightly as the blue eyes became more aware, but the Guide remained pliant, not protesting as the Sentinel pinned him in place. Hands trembling, the Sentinel moved to push his Guide's head back, then growled with a feral pleasure as his Guide willingly exposed his own neck, tilting his head back with a faint moan.
That was all the encouragement the Sentinel needed, and his head lunged down to bite into the soft flesh and mark his Guide as claimed. As his teeth bit down, his Guide's barriers exploded, and the Sentinel swooped in, invading, dominating, claiming every millimetre, and using his own mental shields to protect his Guide. His Guide's memories flashed past, names and faces tumbling wildly, and the Sentinel gentled his invasion, feeling the bond lock into place, irrevocably linking them.
Lifting his head, the Sentinel smiled in triumph. "Claimed and marked, Guide."
The eyelids fluttered, dazed blue eyes looked up at him. The mouth opened to return the vow, then the eyelids slid shut once more.
~'~
Opening his eyes, Jim realised that it was an hour or so later. Frowning, he lifted his head and listened carefully. Edwards and David were back.
Jim slid his arm free from underneath his Guide, and took a moment to soothe him back to sleep before heading towards the door. Opening it, he came face to face with Edwards, and sidestepped to hide his Guide from view as the Sentinel Prime's gaze narrowed then his nostrils flared.
"You claimed him." It wasn't a question.
"It was time." It wasn't much of an apology but it was all Edwards was going to get.
A slight nod showed that the apology was accepted, then Edwards turned to glare at his own Guide as he approached them.
"Is Blair asleep?" For a moment, David's bemused gaze moved from one Sentinel to the other, then he added, a hint of confusion in his voice, "Neds?"
"See you later, Ellison." Grabbing his Guide by one arm, Edwards stalked off down the hall to another doorway.
As the door slammed shut behind them, Jim heard David give a startled yelp and he grinned. Looked like Edwards would be busy for a while.
~'~
Blair forced his eyes open as he heard the slam of a door. Jim couldn't have left him - they'd just bonded.
As that thought sank in, Blair's eyes opened wider and he stared at the ceiling then at the Sentinel looming over him. "We're bonded."
"Got it in one, Chief." The Sentinel smirked at him, smug satisfaction radiating from him.
Blinking, Blair forced the tiredness back. He'd...they'd screwed up, he knew that. Now he had to convince the Sentinel of it.
"Blair?" The smirk disappeared and a frown took its place as the Sentinel's warm hand cupped his face. "What's wrong?"
Blair shook his head and pushed the hand away. "Alex is going to kill you, man, don't you get that?" Ignoring the annoyance he could feel through their bond, Blair forced himself into a sitting position, feeling his arms shake with fatigue. "She's not going to let me go, Jim, and you're the only one standing between her and the bond she wants."
The anger dissipated as the Sentinel pushed him flat on the bed. "Go back to sleep." As Blair tried to protest, Jim kept on talking. "You're too tired to think straight." Settling down next to him, Jim threw an arm over Blair, holding him in place. "Shhhh." Warming reassurance flooded along the link.
Blair tried to twist free as exhaustion nibbled at the edges of his consciousness. "Jiiim -"
"We'll talk later. Now go to sleep."
His need for sleep was too much to resist and Blair let go, then fell back into the encroaching darkness.
~'~
Tightening his arm slightly as his Guide gave in to his need for sleep, Jim rested his head on the pillow. Closing his eyes, he inhaled the scent of his sleeping Guide and smiled with contentment. No matter what Blair said or did, they were bonded. That fact couldn't be changed.
As for Barnes....
The Sentinel forced down the urge to growl at the thought of that Sentinel's determination to claim his Guide. She wasn't going to be allowed near Blair. Even if something happened to Jim, the rest of the Clan would stand between her and the Guide she wanted. But, for Jim and Blair to move on with their lives, they needed to rid themselves of her spectre.
Grinding his teeth, Jim faced the fact that he had no confidence in the Feds - not that it was news to anyone. It was possible that the Feds might catch Barnes, but it was far more likely that she'd have them chasing their tails for months.
However...Jim had what she wanted.
His eyes rested on the dark mass of curly hair.
He had what she'd kill to get. And while the Sentinel would not, could not, use his Guide as bait, he could use himself. The only way for Barnes to bond with Blair was for Jim to die.
Jim smiled as he rested his cheek against his Guide's hair. He'd be the bait; he'd draw her out.
And then he'd kill the bitch.
~'~
"You've gotta be kidding me!" Blair stared at his monumentally stupid and suicidal Sentinel.
"Not kidding you, Chief." Even if Blair couldn't feel it, satisfaction was written all over the Sentinel's face. "Barnes wants you, and she knows - or she'll soon know - that she'll have to go through me to get to you."
"And you're just going to sit there and let her take pot-shots at you."
Jim nodded, a half-smile on his face. "Something like that." He glanced around. "Is this all the stuff you've got?"
Blair ignored the small pile of clothes the Sentinel was frowning over. Most of it was David's anyway. "Jim, she'll know it's a trap. If you use me as the bait -" He shut up as the Sentinel swung towards him, fury ripping through his weakened barriers.
"We're not going to use you as bait, Sandburg! Get that into your thick skull right now!"
"She won't go for it, Jim," Blair insisted. "She'll know there's something wrong. If we've just bonded -"
"We did just bond, Chief, remember?" Jim trailed a finger over the bite mark on Blair's neck then leaned in slightly, flicking a glance at the bed Blair was sitting on. "Or do you want me to remind you when, where and how?"
Blair felt his face redden. "I remember." Oh boy, did he remember! "But she won't buy it unless I'm by your side!"
As Jim threw up his hands and turned away, Blair got up, limped past him and stood in his way.
"We've just bonded so we'll have to be together!"
"Edwards will be with you; he'll shield you!"
Blair didn't doubt that. There was no way Jim would leave him alone and vulnerable, regardless of what the separation would do to the Sentinel. In any case, it didn't matter; Blair had to be with Jim to convince Alex they were bonded; convince her she had to make a move. "And because we're not together, she'll know it's a trap!"
"Blair!" Jim's hands settled on his shoulders and held him still. "I'm not putting you in danger. You'll be in the Sentinel suite with Edwards and David." His grip gentled slightly, one thumb rubbing gently across his collarbone. "I can't risk losing you."
"But I'm supposed to risk losing you." Fear for his Sentinel settled like a hard, cold stone in Blair's chest.
"You're not going to lose me, Sandburg."
Blair wished he could believe that.
"Now let's get your stuff together and go. The sooner we do this, the better."
~'~
It didn't take long to pack what little clothing Blair had and Jim frowned over it again before a thought occurred to him. "Chief, where do you live?"
The blank look on his Guide's face at the sudden change in subject amused Jim but he kept his face straight and made a note of the address, raising his eyebrows over the fact that it was obviously a warehouse.
"Why do you want to know?"
"Once we're in the Sentinel suite, I'll send a couple of Sentinels to collect some of your things. Let me know if there's anything you want in particular."
Blair's face lit up. "My backpack, man! It's got my laptop in it. I had to leave it behind when Alex came through the door..." His voice trailed off suddenly and he looked down at the floor. "She could have trashed the place, I guess."
Jim sat on the bed next to him and rubbed one shoulder comfortingly. "She might have been more interested in getting hold of you, Chief. But I'll tell them to check the place over, see what damage she might have done." Forget the couple of Sentinels. If there were any chance of Barnes being around, Jim was taking a team there himself.
"It's uh...not very tidy, Jim." Blair's face reddened.
Shaking the slumped shoulder slightly, Jim replied, "Then we'll blame that on Barnes."
He won a slight smile in return, then it faded as Blair chewed thoughtfully on the corner of his lip.
"What are you thinking?"
Blair looked up and smiled winningly. "My ankle's almost all right now; I could go myself, if you'll give me a ride."
Jim shook his head and got up. "No."
"But -"
"No." There was no way his Guide was going anywhere where Barnes might have been and might still be.
"Is that all you're going to say?"
"No." Jim smiled and shook his head again, enjoying the annoyed look his Guide threw him.
"You're a jerk, Jim, you know that?"
Jim nodded. "Yeah."
~'~
Moving Blair to the Sentinel suite was easily done, although leaving him there, under the protection of Edwards, Doctor Harvey, and several other Sentinels was much harder for Jim. It didn't help that Blair didn't seem to see why he had to be left behind either.
Glaring down at Blair as he sat on the bed, Jim folded his arms and said, firmly, "It could be dangerous, Sandburg. You're not going."
Disbelief seemed to rob Blair of speech for a few seconds and Jim turned towards the door.
"You're risking me by going!"
Jim turned back. "What?"
"If you..." Blair's hands waved in the air for a moment before he finally continued, "die then I'll be left bondless; vulnerable! What's going to happen to me then?!"
At his glance, Edwards and David left the room, and Jim knelt by the bed. "I'm not going to die, Chief."
"You don't know that, Jim. At least if I go with you -"
"No."
Blair gave a strangled groan and fell flat across the bed before sitting up again. "What is it with you and the 'no'?!"
"It's a word, Sandburg. And I get the impression I'll be using it a lot from now on." Jim stood up. "Edwards will shield you while I'm gone. Nothing is going to happen to you -"
"It's not me I'm worried about, you jerk!"
Jim smiled. "I know that. But nothing's going to happen to me either. You stay here, be good. And I'll be back with your stuff soon."
As Jim moved away, Blair's hand latched onto his sleeve and clung on. "Jim, the stuff isn't important; I can do without it!"
Removing the grip on his sleeve, Jim shook his head. "I have to go, Chief. If she's there, this will all be over quickly." He could smell the fear on his Guide but refused to give in to the need to comfort him. "I have to go."
"Jim!"
He ignored the shout and dived through the doorway. Glaring at his second in command, Jim ordered, "Stop him," then continued down the corridor, resolutely dialling down his hearing. The sooner he went, the sooner he'd be back.
~'~
As Jim lunged through the door, Blair pushed himself up. That damned Sentinel wasn't going anywhere without him; he hadn't bonded with a Sentinel just to be treated like spun glass. He limped forward, intent on following, then stopped as Neds and David came in, shutting the door firmly behind them.
"Neds -"
"Just sit down, Blair. He'll be back soon."
Blair could feel Neds' shields wrapping around his mind, protecting him as his own Sentinel's shields faltered around him and died away. Shutting his eyes and shaking his head, he concentrated on pushing the barriers away. He didn't want this alien touch; he wanted, he needed his own Sentinel.
"Sit down, Blair."
Firm hands forced him back onto the bed and he shook his head again, still struggling to escape mentally as his body tightened with resistance.
"David, lie down on the other side."
Beside him the bed dipped, then he was being pushed and pulled, rolled onto his side against his will as warm bodies settled either side of him, their hands and arms holding him in place. Forcing his eyes open, Blair stared into David's concerned face, feeling Neds' arm tighten around him even as those damned unwanted barriers tightened and held, defending him against all.
"It's all right, Blair."
David's voice was soft and Blair could feel the echo of his concern filtering through David's bond with Neds. For a moment, Blair allowed himself to experience what was happening instead of fighting to push it away. He could feel their bond, almost see it as it wrapped warmly around him, drawing him in; protecting him.
Willing himself to pull back, Blair fought against the barriers again, gritting his teeth and mentally pushing with all his might. Damn it, he was stronger than this! But he'd just bonded - a fact that Jim knew very well - which meant that he was weakened. Groaning with the effort as he strove to break free, Blair felt the sweat break out on his forehead. This wasn't his bond, and sure as hell wasn't his Sentinel, but no matter how hard he tried, the shields remained in place.
"Just relax, Blair." Neds' breath was warm on the back of his neck. "Ellison will be back soon."
~'~
Unfortunately for the Cascade Clan, there was no sign of Barnes when they reached Blair's address, however Blair's fears were confirmed: balked of her prey, Barnes had taken her frustration out on his belongings.
"It's all trashed."
Jim nodded at Pais as she stood over the remains of a laptop. "I don't think she left anything undamaged," he replied.
"His clothes look okay." Milano picked up a shirt by its collar, then let go of it again, wiping his hand on his shirt hurriedly. "It's uh...."
Making his way over, Jim stopped a few feet away. He didn't need to get any closer to realise that the bitch's scent was all over Blair's clothing. "Start searching. See if there's anything to be saved." If there was anything, they'd find it but, looking around at the devastation, Jim doubted if Blair would have much left of his former life.
Leaving the majority of his team behind, Jim returned to the Sentinel suite taking two Sentinels and their Guides back with him. While he, personally, didn't feel the need for any bodyguards of his own, he knew better than to bother arguing with his Clan over that one. It wasn't only the Senior Guide Prime who had to put up with unwanted protection.
As he opened the door and stepped into the room he and Blair were sharing, Edwards rolled from the bed and sat up.
"Welcome back." Standing, Edwards held out his hand and helped David scramble off the bed, as Blair slowly rolled onto his back. "Senior Sentinel Prime. C'mon, David."
Before the door had even shut, the Sentinel leaned over his Guide. "Damn!" Throwing off his jacket and kicking off his shoes, he settled himself down and pulled his Guide to him, wrapping his arms and his shields around him tightly.
For a moment, he felt Blair fight him mentally, then the resistance drained away and the taut body relaxed. "Jiiimm."
"That's right, Chief, it's me." Resting his cheek against Blair's head, Jim muttered, "You must have put up a hell of a fight to get into this state." Tightening his arms slightly, Jim reminded himself that it wasn't Edwards' fault, it was his; he shouldn't have gone.
"Not you."
The words were whispered but the Sentinel heard them easily and his self-condemnation deepened. "I know, Blair, I'm sorry." Rocking him gently, Jim added, "But it's me now. Just relax. Everything's going to be fine."
~'~
With his Sentinel by his side, Blair finally felt able to rest easy. He'd known, while he was struggling against Neds' protection, that he was forcing himself towards an overload. He supposed he should be grateful that Jim had returned when he had.
Leaning his face against his Sentinel's shoulder, Blair relaxed even more as sensitive fingers massaged the back of his head. Jim was back, safe and sound. He could put up with a headache for that.
"Do you want me to fetch Doctor Harvey?"
Blair guessed he shouldn't have been surprised that they had a doctor on call but he shook his head slightly. He'd be fine.
"Are you sure?"
He felt Jim pull back slightly and frowned at the movement. This was nice, comfortable. His headache would clear soon, he was sure of it.
"Better safe than sorry."
His moaned protest was ignored as Jim moved off the bed. Opening his eyes slightly, Blair flinched at the light, and shut them again, preferring to listen rather than endure the stabbing pain that came with vision. He heard the door open, a murmur of voices, then the door closed again. For a moment, he thought Jim had left him again, then the bed dipped once more and familiar arms slipped around him.
"She'll be here soon."
To Blair's surprise, it was only a couple of minutes later that the door opened again and a female voice murmured, "Senior Sentinel Prime."
"Doctor Harvey, Jon," Jim's voice took on a formal tone even though he didn't move an inch, "this is my Guide, Blair. Blair, this is Sentinel Doctor Harvey and her Guide, Jon."
For a moment, Blair wondered if he were expected to acknowledge the introductions - he really didn't feel capable - then two voices softly chorused, "Senior Guide Prime," before Doctor Harvey spoke again. "May I examine your Guide, Senior Sentinel Prime?"
Blair felt Jim's jaw rub against his forehead lightly as the Sentinel nodded, then Jim released him and moved down the bed.
"Sentinel Edwards shielded him while I was gone," Jim said.
Cool hands touched his head gently, silently urging him to lift his face up slightly. "I've already spoken with the Sentinel Prime," the doctor replied, her voice quiet. "He told me how hard your Guide fought him. Jon, will you turn off the light, please?" There was a click, then the doctor continued, "Senior Guide Prime, can you open your eyes?"
Blair cautiously obeyed, then opened them wider when there was no stabbing light to be found although the arc of sparkles that was distorting his vision made him blink in a futile effort to clear it. He could feel the Sentinel's breath wafting across his face but, in the darkness, he couldn't see her at all.
"Where does it hurt?"
Letting his eyes slide closed, he whispered, "Right behind my eyes. I think it's a migraine."
He could hear the amusement in her voice as she answered, "I think you're right. Senior Sentinel Prime, I'll give him an injection that should help the migraine to clear. Keep him warm and let him rest until he feels better. He should sleep, if he can."
Blair ignored the quiet sounds that followed and the feel of a sterilising swab wiping the inside of his elbow. The sting of the needle that followed was harder to ignore but it was nothing compared to the pounding in his head.
"He should be fine by morning." Her hand gently touched his shoulder. "Next time you're being shielded, Senior Guide Prime, try not to fight it." He heard her get to her feet. "Senior Sentinel Prime." There was the quiet sound of her footsteps, then the door opened and closed.
"Okay, let's get you into bed."
With Jim's help, Blair didn't find it too difficult to strip down to his t-shirt and boxers before being rolled under the covers, although the heaviness in his head meant that he just wanted to lie down and sleep until the pain went away.
As Jim settled down next to him, Blair eagerly reached for the soothing bond that was wrapping around him.
"Next time you're being shielded," Jim murmured, "just accept it."
Blair sighed. "There won't be a next time, man. You're not going anywhere without me." Tightening his grip on his Sentinel, Blair tucked his head underneath Jim's chin and went to sleep.