“Ms. Sandburg... Ms. Sandburg... Naomi?  Come on back now.  It’s okay, but it’s time to wake up.”

Jim felt like a fool.  He knew he was no good at this kind of thing.  Besides the longer he was tied up here, the less chance he had of catching up with Blair.  Who knew where the kid would take off to in his present frame of mind?  Who knew what kind of trouble he would get into?  He really needed to get out there to look for the kid.

“Naomi, please.  You’ve got to wake up so I can go find Blair.”

The mention of her son’s name seemed to do the trick, since it was at that point that she gave a soft moan.

“What?...  What happened?...  Where?...”

“You fainted.  You’re on the sofa.  You’re okay now.  Don’t try to get up just yet.”

Naomi tried to remember what happened.  She had been at the clinic... tests... then the plane to Cascade.... Blair struggling with a much larger man... this man?... Chinese food?... shouting... it suddenly all came back.

“Blair!  Where is he?”

“I don’t know.  You passed out before I could stop him from leaving.”

She tried to sit up but she hadn’t yet regained her strength and fell back weakly.  Her vivid blue eyes bored holes into the man sitting on the coffee table beside her, trying to see into his soul.  Was he the man in the vision she’d just had?

She’d been in a jungle.  There was, what appeared to be, an ancient temple in front of her.  A large eye was carved over the top of the entrance.  She saw Blair, asleep, lying on the steps leading up to the temple, and as she approached a black panther?... jaguar?... leaped in front of her and growled menacingly.  The panther suddenly changed into... Jim, but not Jim... another version of the man.  More dangerous, more... primitive than the Jim of today.  The man turned and saw Blair lying on the steps and his face softened into such a look of love, it brought tears to her eyes.  He gently picked up her son and held him protectively in his arms.  She started to go to them when another person appeared beside them.  He was obviously a shaman of some kind.  He was much smaller than the man holding her son, but he still radiated authority.  The shaman looked at her and said, “the young one belongs with the watchman.  Only he can protect the boy from the dangers of your world.  The boy is the guide.  It is his destiny.  It is time for you to let him go.”  It was there that the vision ended.

For the first time since they had been introduced, she really looked at this man who had been in charge of her son.  Was he the man in the vision?  Could she trust him to protect Blair?  Could she trust him, period?  Even without the benefit of the vision, she realized these were the questions she should have been asking earlier, instead of making this man into an enemy before she found out what kind of person he actually was.

She had been the victim of prejudice many times over the years and she was nearly overwhelmed with shame to realize that she had behaved exactly the same way as her victimizers.  Although she had lost her ability to see people’s auras when the illness had struck she still somehow knew this man had a light surrounding him.  She had just been too stubborn, too prejudiced against his profession, to acknowledge it before.

Besides she had seen the respect Blair had extended to Jim Ellison, a respect her son had very rarely extended to any man in the past.  She was ashamed to realize she hadn’t considered Blair’s needs very much.

She remembered the letters Blair had written her over the past several months.  How happy he had sounded, how challenging he found his studies, how much he liked Cascade and how settled he was in his new life.  She had made her plans, without giving a thought to how much her son needed college, and not just any college, this particular college.  She had failed him at the most basic level.  Not what is the best thing for Blair, but what Naomi wants.

She suddenly realized the vision had been telling her to put her trust in this man.  A sort of calm settled over her.

“We need to talk, and I mean really talk this time.”

“Ms. Sandburg, I need to go find Blair...  we can talk later.”

“No, detective, we need to talk now or it won’t do you any good to find my son.  You need to know some things before you can help him.  And considering the circumstances, please call me Naomi.”  She gave him a small smile.

“Ms. Sandburg... Naomi, I don’t know if you’re aware of it or not, but Blair has an uncanny ability to find trouble, even when he’s not looking for it.  I really need to go find him.”

“No, Detective Ellison...”

“Considering the circumstances, you’d better make it Jim.”   Jim gave her an answering grin.

“Jim, I know my son.  Believe it or not, even though he has a temper and I’m afraid he got that from me, he’s also very level headed.  Once he calms down, he’ll be back to talk to us about what’s troubling him.  And there are some things you really need to know before you talk to him again.”

Jim looked at this woman whom he had despised before he met, and realized there were depths to her he hadn’t understood.  Maybe this was the right time to get to know and maybe even understand the real Naomi Sandburg.  Besides it was still early, how much trouble could the kid get into?

That thought would come back later to haunt him.

While Naomi went to the bathroom, Jim decided to help her out by picking up the things that had spilled from her purse.  There was all the usual junk that most women absolutely had to carry with them, he thought amusedly.  His smiled faded when he ran his hand under the edge of the sofa and discovered a small bottle.  As he studied the label his frowned.  *Darvon.  What would she need such a strong pain med for?*

It suddenly all fell into place.  That air of fragility she had, her pale features, the fainting...

As Naomi walked into the living, Jim turned to face her.

“You’re ill.”  It was a statement, not a question.

Naomi saw what Jim was holding in his hand.

“Yes.  I have a lump in my breast.  The biopsy was done this week and it came back positive.  I have to have surgery next week, then chemotherapy for possibly six months.”

“I don’t know what to say.”  Jim was stunned.  “How long have you known about this?”

“I suspected there was something wrong last fall when I brought Blair here to start school, but when it comes to my own health, I’ve always practiced the belief that if you ignore it, it will go away.  It didn’t.  The pain has gradually been getting worse and three weeks ago, when I couldn’t raise my left arm above my shoulder, I finally admitted to myself that it was serious.  My friend, Geraldine Two Crow, is a doctor in New Mexico and I went to see her last week.  She suspected what it was, but had to wait for the biopsy to confirm it.”

Naomi took a deep breath.  This was going to be very difficult.  She could count the number of people she truly trusted on one hand and aside from Geri and the people directly involved, no one knew anything about what she was going to reveal to this man.  This man who was a virtual stranger.  But she had to trust the vision.

Before she could start, Jim quietly said, “I’m afraid I don’t know very much about this disease.  Do you have any family who can help you?”

“No, aside from Blair, I have no family left.”

“I don’t want to sound insensitive, but do you have any contact with Blair’s father?  I realize Blair doesn’t know who he is, but maybe he... or his family could help you.  If you want, I could try and locate them for you.  It might be a good idea anyway, for Blair to know who his father is.”

Jim gave a slight smile.  “I’m a pretty good detective and I still have some contacts higher up.  I could probably get you some information on them within a week.”

“NO!”

Seeing Jim’s surprised reaction to her outburst, Naomi tried to calm down.  She had to make him understand the danger to Blair that was involved here.  She couldn’t allow him to try and find David’s family.  He would have to be told everything.  However, starting this confession was nearly the hardest thing she had ever done.

How do you break the habits of a lifetime?

She took Jim’s hand in hers and said, “You must promise me that you will never tell Blair what I’m about to tell you.  You’ll understand why later, but please you must promise me this.”

“Ms... Naomi, I don’t make blind promises... but I will promise to listen to your reasons.”

“Fair enough.  I guess I couldn’t expect any more than that under the circumstances.”  She took a deep breath, said a silent prayer and started her story.

“I suppose I should start with how David and I met, or maybe WHY David and I met.  You see I ran away from home when I was sixteen.  I came from a very traditional Jewish family.  So traditional, in fact, that my husband was picked out for me when I was only fourteen.  It was expected that we would marry soon after my eighteenth birthday.  And that might have happened if not for ‘The Stepford Wives’.”  She gave a small chuckle when she saw the puzzlement on Jim’s face.

“Once I turned sixteen, Aaron, who was twenty-two, and I were allowed to go to the movies by ourselves once a month.  Our parents decided it would do us ‘good’ to spend some time together un-chaperoned.  After all, we would be married and on our own in just two years, so a couple of hours alone together, once a month, was deemed acceptable.  The last time we went out together was to see ‘The Stepford Wives’.  Are you familiar with that movie, Jim?”

“I remember seeing it years ago.  It was a pretty bizarre concept.  Replacing women with perfect housewife robots, right?”

“That’s right.  Believe me, most girls my age who saw it had nightmares for weeks afterwards.  It was almost enough to scare us away from boys entirely.”  She chuckled.

“But it wasn’t actually the movie, though, it was what Aaron said after the movie that really changed my life.  He said, and I quote, ‘I don’t see what the big deal is, they were perfect wives after they were changed.’”  She chuckled again.

“You see, it suddenly dawned on me that not only was he expecting me to be a ‘Stepford’ wife, he was also too stupid to realize they weren’t changed, they were murdered and replaced with robots.  Believe me, when I realized what kind of person he was, how stupid he was, and that I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with him, I couldn’t run fast enough or get far enough away.”

This time Jim’s laughter mingled with hers.  After their laughter died down, Naomi continued her saga.

“I not only ran away from Aaron, and my family and their expectations, I ran away from that nearly perfect girl that I had been.  I got to San Francisco and ended up in the Haight Ashbury section of the city, which was exactly where I wanted to be.  Of course, I’d heard stories about the hippie movement, read articles, seen the newscasts, but nothing prepared me for how it really was.”

She took a deep breath and with a soft smile said, “If it hadn’t been for David, I probably wouldn’t have survived.”

“David?”

“Blair’s father.  He was active in the Freedom For All group.  We met at a rally aimed at recruiting new members.  At the time, I didn’t really care about freedom for anyone, except myself.  I was determined to be as bad as I could, to make up for trying so hard to be perfect for the first sixteen years of my life.  I was ready and willing to try anything and everything. I had only gone to the rally with Geri Two Crow to score some dope, but when I heard David speak so passionately about the plight of the Indians in South America and how the Freedom group needed help, I was hooked.”

She smiled dreamily.  “David took one look at me and told me to go home because I still had a lot of growing up to do.  The group didn’t need some drugged out little girl to mess things up.  It didn’t take me too long to convince him I could not only do without drugs, I could be as grown up as he needed me to be.”  She chuckled.

“Blair comes by his determination honestly.  It only took me an hour to decide David was the man for me and it only took me a day to convince David that I was the woman for him.  God, that sounds so hokey now, but that’s exactly what happened.  You see, I had never met anyone who cared so deeply, and spoke so passionately, about helping people in need.   And the people he was talking about were being systematically wiped out by their own government.”

“I dived into the Freedom For All cause like I had found an oasis in the desert.  And not just because of David, either.  The group was not afraid to get involved in anything that would help the underprivileged, so unlike the situation I had grown up in.  For the first time in my life, I cared about something besides myself.  And I found myself a new family.”

“I spent the next six months helping Freedom For All collect donations and organize a group to go down to South America to aid the Indians.  It took me nearly that long to convince David that I knew what I was getting into and that I was strong enough to handle it.  Quite frankly, I think he finally gave in because I told him if I couldn’t go with the group, I’d just follow on the next plane.  He wanted me with him, so he could protect me, you see, and of course, he didn’t know I was pregnant.”

Naomi desperately tried to swallow the sob, but it escaped anyway.

“Unfortunately, I couldn’t protect him.  Somehow the government found out about what our group was planning and we didn’t get but two days into the jungle before they came after us.  They weren’t soldiers, they were pigs... uh police from some nearby village.  They were probably under orders from the government, but they wore police uniforms.  That surprised me.  We were expecting trouble from the military, not the police.  They killed most of the men outright.  David was the first one they shot.  I think they knew he was the leader of the group.  The women that weren’t killed outright were herded into a compound to wait to be deported and for other things.”

Jim handed her a tissue as the tears fell freely from her eyes.

“I never got the chance to tell him about the baby,” she whispered.  “I just saw the blood on his chest and then he fell and then I was pulled away.  I never got to tell him so many things.”

She wiped her eyes.  “I was fortunate that I was separated from the group and turned over to the American Embassy; I suppose because of my age.  I was being held there when I met David’s father.  David had never talked about his family and I had just assumed he didn’t have anyone, besides me, that is.  When I met Eric Cauldwell, I understood why David had never talked about him.”

“Eric Cauldwell, the senator?”

“He is now.  At the time he was just a very wealthy private citizen who had powerful political connections.  He also had a deep and abiding hatred of Jews, which is probably why David was estranged from him.  David couldn’t stand prejudice in any form.  Cauldwell was there to claim David’s body and somehow he found out that we ‘were involved.’  His words, not mine.”

“I was put on a plane for the States, but when I arrived in DC, instead of being turned over to my parents, I was held in a private facility.  It seemed the oh-so-important Eric Cauldwell couldn’t stomach the thought that his son had fathered a child on a dirty Jew and he was determined to stop his superior genes from being mingled with mine.”

“It didn’t matter to him that this baby was the only thing left of his son, it only mattered that his first grandchild not be half Jewish.  Considering all he could have done, I suppose I was lucky.  He could have forcibly taken my baby, since I was in no position to stop him, but his own prejudice clouded his judgment.  Since I was just another greedy Jew, he knew he only had to buy me off.  And that’s what he did.”

She took a sip of water and continued.

“He walked into the room and told me how much he despised me for getting his son killed, how much he despised what I was and how much he despised what my little bastard was going to be.  He then handed me an envelope with $5000.  All I had to do to earn it was to have David’s baby aborted.  I agreed.  He made arrangements for me to be taken to a private hospital the next morning.  I was being ‘escorted’ by two pigs, who were on Cauldwell’s payroll and who knew what was going on.  When the car slowed down for a light near a mall, I jumped out and disappeared in the crowd.”

“Jesus, Naomi.  How... why....”

“I couldn’t give up David’s baby,” she said simply.

“I had to protect him.  He was all that was left of David and it was necessary that David, or at least a part of David, live on.  I used a little of the money to get back to San Francisco and found Geri Two Crow.  She hadn’t gone with the group because she was expecting, too.  She took me to her reservation in New Mexico, where I spent the next few months hiding until after Blair was born.  Then with a new identity, Blair and I rejoined the world.”

Naomi looked deeply into Jim’s eyes.  “Have you ever been really afraid, Jim?”

“Yes,” he said simply.

“Then you can understand.  It seems like I’ve been afraid for most of the past sixteen years.  Eric Cauldwell is insane and I’m the only one, not in his immediate family, who knows it.  I truly believe that, even now, after all these years, he will try to kill Blair if he ever finds him, because he can’t stand the thought of his blood being mingled with a Jew’s.”

Jim couldn’t believe that he was trembling, not with fear, but with anger.  What this woman had told him was nearly unbelievable, but he knew she was telling him the truth.

“Naomi, Eric Cauldwell has built his political platform on family values.  Most of the religious organizations support him.  If this ever got out...”

“I know.  I’ve watched his political career closely for the past sixteen years.”

“Blair has no idea?”

Naomi trembled with exhaustion, but she had to finish this.

“I never told Blair about his father or David’s family.  You’ve probably noticed my son has the gift of seeing something good in most people.  I’m afraid that Blair wouldn’t want to believe how dangerous Eric Cauldwell really is and might try to contact him.  I just couldn’t allow that to happen.  It’s much better for him to believe I don’t know who his father was.  Much safer for him.  At least I was able to give him a part of David.”

At Jim’s questioning look, she said simply, “his name.  David Blair Cauldwell.  Blair Jacob Sandburg.  Blair, after his father; Jacob, after my grandfather.  A small part of both of us.  Sandburg, for David’s closest friend, who died with him in South America.”

Naomi smiled gently, closed her eyes and passed out once again.

Blair was so pumped when he charged out of the loft and down the stairs that he hit the street at about the same time Naomi hit the floor.

He ran down Prospect until he hit the first alley he came to.  He followed that until he had gone three blocks and then turned onto the cross street, figuring he was far enough away from the loft to get back on a street and catch a bus.  He decided it was either fate or he had built up a supply of good karma when a bus pulled up just as he walked up to the bus stop.  He got on without bothering to see where it was headed.  At that point he really didn’t give a shit.

Blair had been riding the same bus for nearly thirty minutes before he realized it was heading for the university.  As the bus neared fraternity row, just off campus, he suddenly remembered that this was the last free weekend before finals and there were several frat parties that, if rumors were to be believed, would last the entire weekend.

Although he had never had any desire to be a “frat rat,” one of the students he tutored, Joe Mills, belonged to a fraternity and had invited him to his house party during their study session yesterday.  Lots of food, lots of free booze, lots of beautiful coeds.  Blair pulled the cord signaling the driver to stop.  This was just what he needed to forget his problems for a while.

Things were starting to look up.

Blair was greeted with drunken enthusiasm by Joe the minute he walked in the open door of the fraternity house.

“Hey, hey, hey, this is the guy!  This is the man!”

Joe waved his arm in a vaguely encompassing gesture to a group of young men standing in the hallway.

“Guys, come here!  This is who I was telling you about.  This is the guy who took down that Johanson asshole.  Right, Blair?  Knocked him on his ass from what I heard.”

“No way!”

“Really?  Way to go!  I’ve wanted to see somebody take that jerk down for a long time.  Wish I could have seen it.”

While Blair enjoyed their admiration, he felt he should set the record straight.

“Well, it didn’t actually... I mean it was kind of an accident, you know?  I mean... I did mean to knock him down, but it....”

Joe interrupted his fumbling explanation.

“Never mind, kid.  We all just wish we could have seen him on his ass.  You know, my girlfriend, Mary, lives in that dorm.  She might have lost some mail to him, just like a lot of others.  Ya did good, kid.  How bout a drink?”

Blair didn’t even hesitate.  “Sure, what do you have?”

“Whatever you want, kid, whatever you want.”

“Uh, Joe?  What I really want is for you to stop calling me kid.  Okay?”

“Sure, kid... uh, Blair; whatever you say.”

Two hours later, Blair was sitting on the floor, in a corner of the living room, surrounded by slices of lime and seriously studying the worm floating in the bottle he was holding.  He and Joe had been doing some serious scientific research on the properties of tequila and it suddenly occurred to Blair that tequila must have mystical powers!  He was convinced that it also had some kind of healing properties.  He decided to share his insight with Joe, who was slumped next to him.

“Joe!  Joe, lishen to me.  I just figured out somethin important!”  Blair lightly punched him on the arm.

“Wha?....”  Joe opened one eye and tried, unsuccessfully, to focus on Blair’s face.

“Tequila, man.  It’s got myscical... uh... musical... uh, no that’s not right... mys-ti-cal healing powers.... ya know?”  Blair punched Joe’s arm again, causing Joe to fall over onto the floor.

“Kay....  Goin to sleep now.”

Blair was excited.  This was the best, the most important discovery he had ever made.  Except maybe for sentinels, and that didn’t count cause he hadn’t actually found one yet.

But it was absolutely amazing how tequila had taken away all of his anger, all of his frustration, all of the bad feelings he had been carrying with him when he arrived.

He realized that now, thanks to these mystical, magical properties in tequila, he loved everyone!  Since Joe was no longer available, he needed to share his insight with someone else.  But who?

Jim!  He should call Jim and share this with him.  Yeah, out of all the people he knew, only Jim could truly appreciate this wondrous discovery.  Well... maybe Naomi could, too.  Yeah okay, he’d call Jim and Naomi and let them know about his new discovery.

As Blair awkwardly got up from the floor, he slipped a little on the lime slices before he got his balance, such as it was, and went weaving across the room, bumping into several people along the way, to find a phone.

He made it as far as the entry hall without spotting a phone and stood swaying, contemplating his next move.  Maybe upstairs.  Yeah, he’d go upstairs, find a phone and call Jim and Naomi.

He stood at the bottom of the staircase, took a deep breath and put his right foot on the first step.  So far, so good.  He wished the stairs would stop doing the wave, though.  When he raised his left foot up to join the right, he found, to his amazement, that it refused to raise high enough to reach the step.  He leaned into the wall and slowly slid down to land on his butt.

This was harder than it looked.

As he sat on the floor, trying to decide how he was going to get up those stairs, Steve, one of the guys Joe had introduced him to earlier, came over.

Steve was sober, since he was one of the designated drivers and official keeper of car keys.

“Got a problem, Blair?”

Blair squinted up at the man slowly weaving in and out of focus.  “Yeah... my left foot... or is it my right foot... I don’t know, man, one of ‘em doesn’t work.  I can’t get up.... gotta find a phone and I can’t get up.”

He burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny?”

“Man, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.... get it?”

Blair suddenly stopped laughing.  That wasn’t funny.  That poor old woman couldn’t get up.  Oh god, he was just like her!  He started to panic.

“I gotta find a phone, man.  Gotta call Jim.  He’ll help me up.”

“Okay.  It’s back here.  Come on.”  Steve dragged him up and pulled him down the hall to the office.

“Thanks, Joe.”

“I’m not Joe.  I’m Steve.”

“Oh... well, thanks anyway, man.”

“Welcome.”

“Did you know that tequila has musical powers?”

Naomi regained consciousness to hear Jim talking on the phone.  She was disappointed to realize she hadn’t had a vision this time.

“Yeah, Jack, thanks.”  He hung up the phone and turned to check on her.

“What’s going on?”

“I just called my partner, Jack Pendergrast.  He’s going to come over to stay with you, while I go look for Blair.”

“How long was I out?”

“About fifteen minutes.”

“Look, I’m fine now.  I want to go with you”

“No, absolutely not.  You’ve already passed out twice tonight.  I don’t think you can handle a third time.  Besides I need to focus on finding the kid and I can’t do that if I’m worrying about you passing out on me again.”

“All right.  I guess I can accept that.  I’ll wait here, but I really don’t need anyone to stay with me.”

“Naomi, I’ll feel better if Jack’s here with you.”  Jim decided to head off the argument before it could gain any momentum and said firmly, “Now, either Jack stays with you or I take you to the hospital.  What’s it going to be?”

“You... you... oh, all right, since I don’t really have a choice.”

“Good.  Uh, do you need a pain pill or anything?”

“Not yet.  I don’t like to take them too often.  Besides, I need to stay alert until after you find Blair.  Before your friend gets here, I need to ask you some things.”

“All right.  We’ve got a few minutes.  Shoot.”

“How do you feel about my son?   Don’t give me that look, I’m not questioning your sexual preferences.  Not that it would be a problem.  Blair and I have had many friends with alternate lifestyles over the years.  I’m certainly not one of those idiots who confuses being gay with being a pedophile.  What I need to know is... do you really care about him?  From what you said earlier, I gathered he was kind of forced on you and I know it’s only been a couple of weeks, but I need to know if you... how you feel about him.  When I watched you two together earlier, how you interacted, I got the impression that you enjoyed having him around.”  Naomi didn’t intend to mention her vision to him just yet.

“Naomi... I...”

“Or was Blair right.  Is he just a job to you?”

“I... no.  It’s more than that.  He’s more than that to me.  I can’t explain it, though.  It’s not sexual.  You’re right there, I definitely don’t have any interest that way, but it’s... I don’t know... I’ve felt a... connection with him, right from the beginning.  Maybe I’ve just gotten used to him being around.  I don’t know.  Look, I’m really not very comfortable talking about feelings... that emotional crap.”

“Jim, I think Blair is very confused.  He was angry with both of us, remember?  He accused you of thinking he’s just a job and he accused me of not caring about him at all.  These are the things that he’s the most insecure about and we’re going to have to work together to convince him that he’s wrong... about both of us.”

Naomi gripped Jim’s hand in hers.

“The way Blair and I have lived... the way we’ve always traveled around... well... I know that’s part of the reason he’s so insecure about a lot of things.  He’s never been in one place long enough to build any close friendships.  I know that’s my fault.  It seemed like every time we’d just get settled in one place, I’d start to get that feeling... that itch that told me we had to move on.”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong, Blair’s made a lot of casual friends over the years, but because of our traveling, none of them have had the chance to grow into a deep friendship.  The kind that sustain us.  I’m afraid I’m to blame for that, too.  I’ve always taught him to try and love with detachment.  After I lost David, that was the only way I could love.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my son deeply, but after Blair was born, instead of getting involved closely with individuals, I threw myself into working with various groups.  It was much safer.”

She continued softly.

“Looking back, and believe me, I’ve spent a lot of time doing that lately, it seems that if there was an issue to protest, or people or things to protect, I got involved.  When it wasn’t safe to take Blair with me, I’m afraid I just left him... somewhere safe, with people I trusted...”  Her voice dropped to a whisper, “but I left him nonetheless.  It’s bound to have left him somewhat insecure about my love for him and that’s where his anger came from earlier.”

“I know you may have a hard time believing this, but I’ve always been a little bit psychic.  Not much, but a little and I’ve had these occasional flashes over the years.  I had one when I brought Blair here to start school.  I just knew he’d be safe and that something important... important to him... was going to happen here.”

She held Jim’s hand a little tighter and looked deeply into his eyes.

“I think that maybe you might be that something important in my son’s life.  This connection you talked about... I think Blair feels it too.  That’s why he was so confused... so hurt and angry when he accused you of thinking he’s just a job to you.  Don’t you see, I think even in this short amount of time, that you’ve become important to him and I think he wants to be more than just a job to you.”

Before Jim could respond, there was a knock on the door.  Jack was here.

After hurried introductions, Jim left the loft to look for Blair.

Jack and Naomi eyed each other suspiciously before Naomi broke the silence to murmur, “He didn’t answer me.  Not really.  What if the vision was wrong?”

“Vision?... about what?”

“Jim.  What if... never mind, you wouldn’t understand.”

“If you’re wondering about Jim, I’m probably the best person to ask.  Fire away.”

Jack settled back comfortably in the living room chair.  Since he, like Jim, had formed a less than complimentary opinion about the woman sitting on the sofa, he figured this would be an excellent opportunity to set her straight about a lot of things.

Naomi looked closely at the large man sitting in the chair.  Even though she was exhausted, she knew she had to find out as much about Jim as she could.  Blair’s future might depend on it.

“Jim said you were his partner.  How long have you known him?”

“We’ve worked together for two years.  I knew him when he worked in Vice, but not too well, just by reputation.”

“What kind of man is he?  I mean...”

“I know what you mean.  He was a good street cop.  He’s an excellent detective.  A little hard nosed, but he always gets the job done.”

“All right, that tells me what kind of cop he is... what I want to know is what kind of man he is?”

“Look, if you’re concerned about how he’s treated your kid... well, just let me say you have nothing to worry about there.  Sure, there have been a couple of rough spots, but with Jim’s background and Blair’s upbringing, you kind of have to expect that.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean, Jim’s a straight arrow.  He was in the military for several years and he was trained to not only take orders, but give them as well.  He was a captain in the Rangers and was responsible for the lives of his men.  He took that job very seriously.  After his unit was lost in Peru, he resigned his commission and joined the academy.  He made detective within a year, was in Vice for two years and now Major Crimes.  He takes his job as a police officer very seriously, too.  Jim’s used to being in charge, but he’s also used to following orders from his superiors.  It’s obvious your son isn’t used to being around anyone with that kind of background.”

“That’s very informative, but I meant what are these rough spots you mentioned?”

“Oh that.  Well, maybe Jim or Blair should fill you in.”

“Jim and Blair aren’t here.  You are.  Why don’t you tell me what happened.”

“All right.  Once Jim moved the kid... uh, Blair, in here, he laid out the rules he expected the kid to follow.”

“Rules?”

“You know, the usual.  No drugs.  No alcohol.  Letting Jim know where he is.  Being home by curfew.  No swearing.  Nothing too demanding... for most kids, that is.  Since he also laid out the punishment Blair could expect if he broke those rules... well, let’s just say your son took exception to it all and decided to leave... at 2:00 in the morning.  See, when he and Jim moved his things out of the warehouse, Blair forgot his passport and the money you left for him, and he headed back there to get it.  Luckily for the kid, Jim caught up with him in time to stop some low life, with a knife, from... well, I’m sure you get the picture.  Jim brought the kid home, punished him and, for the most part, things have been pretty good between them since then.”

“Exactly how did Jim punish my son?”

“He spanked him.”

“HE HIT MY SON?”

“No... I didn’t say that.  I said he spanked him.  Jim would never hit a kid.  He spanked him because that’s what he told the kid he could expect if he broke the rules.”

“Blair has never been hit in his life.  How could he do that to him... to any child?”

“WOULD YOU CUT THAT OUT!  I don’t believe you, lady.  I tell you your son was out at 2:00 in the morning, almost got himself killed, that Jim saved him, and was hurt in the process, by the way, and all you can do is whine about how your baby boy got his butt spanked, deservedly, I might add.  No wonder the kid’s so messed up.”

“Mr. Pendergrast, my son may have some... he may be confused about certain issues, right now, but he is certainly NOT messed up.”

Jack tried to calm down.  It wasn’t often that he lost his temper and he always regretted it afterward.  He didn’t want to cause any problems for Jim and he genuinely wanted to help the boy, too.

“Let me tell you something... from what I’ve seen, that boy is starved for a man to teach him how to be a man.  He certainly couldn’t find any man better suited than Jim to show him what he’ll need to know to get on in this world.  I’ve spent the past two weeks watching those two together and believe me, your kid couldn’t be in better hands.”

“But to physically punish him... you don’t believe that was excessive?”

“Of course not.  And apparently, neither did your son.”

At Naomi’s puzzled look, he took a deep breath and continued, “Look, Blair didn’t tell you anything about it, did he?”

Naomi shook her head.  She didn’t understand where this was going.

“If Blair... if any kid... thought they were being treated unfairly, the first thing they’d do is complain.  Right?  Well, Blair didn’t go running to mommy about how the big bad policeman spanked his butt, so obviously he didn’t believe it was unfair treatment.  He knew he deserved it, he accepted it and went on with his life.  He and Jim have started something good here.  Good for both of them.  I’d hate to see that messed up by anyone.”

At that point the phone rang, causing them both to jump.  Naomi watched apprehensively as Jack answered the phone.

“Hello.  What?  No, it’s Jack....  Say that again.... yeah she’s here.”

Jack motioned Naomi to the phone, covered the receiver and said softly, “It’s Blair.  He doesn’t sound too good.  You talk to him, while I get Jim on the cell phone.  Find out where he is and I’ll pass it on to Jim.”

Naomi took the phone from Jack, who immediately started dialing his cell phone.

“Blair?  Sweetie, what....  Musical properties?... No, I’ve never... tequila?... Oh, God....  Is that what you’ve....  Sweetie, stop a minute... where are you?...  A party?.... Where?...”

Naomi covered the phone and said softly to Jack, “Fraternity row.  I couldn’t understand what house, though....”

“Try again.  There are a lot of frat houses.  We need to know which one.”

“Blair.... Blair?...  Sweetie, talk to me... I can hear you breathing.  Which fraternity?... Yes, I know, they’re all alike, but you need to tell me which one....  The second or third?...”

“Ask him which street”

“What street is the house on?... The bus dropped you off.... Blair, please try and stay with me, okay?....  NO!  Don’t go to sleep!  You have to talk to me.”

Jack passed on what he heard to Jim, who immediately headed for fraternity row.

Jim, who could hear Naomi’s conversation with Blair, told Jack to tell her to ask Blair what color the house was.  Jack passed the question to Naomi.

“Blair?  What old woman?....  The stairs are what?....  Oh, I see, the wave.  Yes, of course, I know what that is....  Sweetie, do you remember what color the house is?... Oh, it was dark.  Well, is it white?  Could you tell that?...  No?...”

Naomi covered the receiver again.  “He doesn’t know what color the house is.  He said something about an old woman and the stairs doing the wave, whatever that means.  Jack, I think he’s been drinking tequila.”

“So?”

“I’m allergic to tequila.  Blair might be too.  It sounds like he’s had a lot to drink and if it’s tequila... if he’s allergic...”

“Jim, did you hear that?  Yeah...  He doesn’t know which house it is.... are you sure?  Okay, we’ll try it.” Jack held the cell out to Naomi.

“He says to put the phone up to the cell so he can hear the kid.”

She awkwardly held the phones together and prayed for this to work.

As soon as Jim got the call from Jack, telling him that the kid was somewhere on fraternity row, he switched on the police flashers, turned the truck around and headed in that direction at top speed.  He was very thankful he wasn’t very far from there.  He heard Naomi trying to find out which house Blair was in with no success.  He slammed his hand on the steering wheel in frustration.  There must be at least fifteen fraternity houses in that area; finding Blair would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

When he heard Naomi say something about a possible allergy to tequila, he nearly panicked.  He’d had a buddy in the army who’d, unknowingly, been allergic to rum and after overindulging one night, had nearly died.  He knew just how serious this kind of allergy could be.

He was just turning onto Addams Street, where most of the frat houses were located and hearing the different music blaring from each house, he got the idea to listen to Blair on the phone and try to distinguish what music was playing in the background.  It would be difficult, since he was being bombarded by all the loud music hitting the street, but it was worth a try.  He stopped the truck, with the lights flashing, in the middle of the block.

He tried to block out the noise from the street and focus on what he was hearing through the phone.  Without knowing how he did it, he tuned out all extraneous noises and could hear Blair breathing.  He went a little deeper and heard, very faintly, (the kid must not be close to where the music was playing) the beat of drums, the strumming of guitars, a voice singing, and a horn... trumpet?... sax?...   He was falling so deeply into the myriad details of the music that he was unaware of anything else, until he heard Blair saying softly,

“Naomi?...  I need Jim... can you find him?  I need him, please.  I’ve gotta tell him about the mystical powers....”

Jim shook his head slightly, dropped the phone on the seat, jumped out of the truck and headed for the house blaring the music he’d just heard through the phone.

Jim walked into the foyer and looked around.  There must be over two hundred people scattered throughout the house.  Finding Blair was still going to be a problem.  He knew Blair was pretty far from the music, which was blaring in the living room, so he started in the opposite direction.  He paused at the bottom of the stairs.  If Blair was upstairs, the music would be muffled, but he remembered the kid telling Naomi something about stairs doing the wave.  If Blair was having problems with balance, it was unlikely he would have made it up the steep staircase.

Jim headed down the hall, only to be stopped by a young man who was appeared to be sober.

“Can I help you?”

“I’m looking for Blair Sandburg.  Any idea where he might be?”

“Who are you and what do you want with him?”

Jim didn’t have time for this crap and put an immediate stop to it.

“I’m Detective Jim Ellison with the Cascade PD.  I’m also Blair Sandburg’s legal guardian.  Now, you want to tell me where he is, before I decide to call out the SWAT team?  I’m sure Blair’s not the only underage drinker on the premises.”

“He’s this way.  I left him using the phone.”

“Take me to him, now.”

Blair was still talking to Naomi when the door to the office opened.  He smiled hugely, dropped the phone, and threw himself at the large man standing in the doorway.

“Jim, man!  It’s great to see you!  Where’ve you been, man?”

Jim caught the inebriated youth before he could fall to the floor.

“I’ve been looking for you, Chief.”

Jim was relieved to see that the kid was still conscious.  He was also relieved to note that Blair didn’t seem to be angry with him any longer.  It would make it much easier getting him out of here.

“That’s a coincidence, cause I’ve been looking for you, too, man.  I’ve gotta tell ya something.”

“Okay, Chief.  Why don’t you tell me in the truck, okay?”  Jim tried to gently ease him out the door and into the hallway.

“No, man!  I gotta tell you now.”  Blair pulled back from Jim, losing his balance and nearly falling backward.  Jim pulled him upright, this time getting a better hold on the boy.  He was not about to let the kid fall down.

To avoid an argument, Jim spoke gently.  “Well, why don’t you tell me now, then.  We’ll just walk around a little, while you talk, okay?”

“Okay, Big Guy.  That’ll work.”

Jim eased him out the door, down the hall and out the front door; all the while nodding to Blair as he talked, somewhat incoherently, about the mystical... musical?... powers of tequila.

Jim got Blair situated in the truck and picked up the cell phone, lying in the seat.  He called the loft to tell Jack to bring Naomi and meet them at Cascade General Hospital.  Looking over at the boy, still chattering incoherently about tequila, he sighed.  It was going to be a long night.

By the time Jim and Blair reached the hospital, Blair was starting to turn green.  Jim pulled the truck up to the emergency entrance, ran around and opened the passenger door just in time for the kid to lean over and throw up on the ground.  Jim gently eased the boy out of the truck, around the mess and into the ER.

Luckily, there weren’t very many people in the waiting area, unlike the previous time they had made this visit together.  Jim held Blair up as they walked over to the sign-in desk.  Jim noted that the same woman was on duty from their previous visit.  Not that Blair would recognize her, since he had been unconscious the last time they were there.

“This boy needs to see a doctor as soon as possible.”

Once again, the woman (Carla) didn’t look up as she passed over the clipboard with the forms.

“Fill this out and take a seat.  It’s pretty slow tonight, so there shouldn’t be a very long wait.”

“Lady, I don’t think he can wait.”  At just that moment, Blair erupted once again, this time on the floor.

Hearing the sound of the boy being sick, she immediately recognized the odor of an inebriated person and glanced up.  “He probably doesn’t need a doctor.  You might try some coffee.”

“He’s only sixteen and he’s been drinking tequila.  I don’t know how much he’s had to drink, but he may have an allergy to it, so I think he needs to see a doctor... NOW.”

For the first time, Carla looked at the man holding up the kid.  “Not you again!  Okay, okay.  Jerry!  Get these two to exam room three.”

*Deja vu.* Jim thought as he held a clipboard with the familiar forms to be filled out.  At least this time, he had a little more information to fill in, but as he looked over the forms, he realized he still didn’t know enough about this boy to fill it out completely.

Blair was lying on the exam table, moaning pitifully.  “Jim... Jim?... oh, man, I think I’m gonna be sick again.”

Jim laid the clipboard aside.  He wrapped his arm around the boy’s shoulders, held him up and held the bowl for him to be sick in.  When Blair was finally finished, Jim went into the adjoining bathroom to empty the bowl and wash his hands.  After he placed a cold wet cloth on Blair’s head, he poured the boy some water and held the glass while he took a sip.

Blair couldn’t remember ever feeling as sick as he did now.  What a night!  He didn’t think he had ever screwed up as much as he had tonight.  *Just think, it only took you fifteen years to totally mess up your entire life.  You’ve managed to alienate everyone who really matters to you.  Naomi....  Jim....  Wait a minute, was it fifteen or sixteen?*

“Jim, what time is it?”

Jim glanced at his watch.  “It’s 1:30.”

“Oh, man, what a way to start my birthday.”  Blair was unable to stop the tears in his eyes from falling, and before he could control it, a sob escaped.

“I’ve got to tell you, Chief, this wouldn’t be my first choice for a celebration.”

“I’m so sorry,” the boy whispered.

Jim sat down on the side of the gurney, reached down and pulled Blair into his arms.  He held the boy to his chest and let him cry it out, all the while murmuring words of comfort.

When the door opened, he looked up, expecting to see the doctor.  Instead, Naomi stood in the doorway, frozen at the picture she was seeing.  The man holding the crying boy in his arms was so very near the vision she’d had earlier, it brought tears to her own eyes.

Even though Jim was uncomfortable at the way Naomi stood staring at them, he didn’t let go of the boy in his arms, as he said, “Naomi....  He’s upset...  It’s not what you might think....”

Naomi said softly, “Jim, hush.  Don’t worry, it’s going to be all right.  I understand.  Now I know for sure.”

She crossed the short distance to the gurney and gave her son a hug.  Since Jim was still holding the crying youth, her arms held him, as well.

Blair still held Jim tightly as he rested his head on his mother’s chest and sobbed.  He couldn’t remember ever feeling as secure as he did at that moment; being held by the two people he cared about the most.

Jim was nearly overwhelmed by a feeling of... love.  There was no other word for it.  He felt closer to these two people than he had ever felt to anyone before.  Not his wife, not his partner, not the family he’d been born into, not even his brother, no one had ever caused him to experience this rush of protectiveness.  His previously unacknowledged feelings of caring, protectiveness, and, yes, love for the boy were now, not only recognized, but accepted.  These feelings also extended, to a lesser degree, to the mother.

He was now a family man.

Jack, who had followed Naomi to the examination room, watched, unseen, from the doorway, as these three very different people formed a bond that would last a lifetime.  He quietly closed the door, leaving them together.  He headed outside to use his cell phone to call J.P. and Simon.  He needed to get things organized so that when the time came everything would go smoothly.

The doctor’s entrance was almost anticlimactic.

“Well, what do we have here?”

Jim gently eased out of Naomi’s arms, laid the boy back onto the table and turned to the doctor.

“He’s been drinking tequila tonight and from what I gather, it was a pretty high proof.  This is his mother and since she’s allergic to tequila, we were concerned that he might be too.”

“Has he been able to get rid of it?”  Seeing their blank looks, the doctor sighed.  “Has he thrown up?”

Jim nodded.  “Repeatedly in the last half hour.”

“Good, good.  That always helps.  It’s when they can’t get it out of their system, that we run into problems.”  He turned to Naomi.

“What kind of allergic reaction do you have to tequila?”

“Well, it was only once, years ago, but I....”

As Naomi talked to the doctor, while Jim stood next to her, listening intently, Blair lay on the table watching them all without much interest.  He was weak as hell and still felt sick to his stomach, but it didn’t seem to matter.  One of his wishes had come true.  He now knew in his heart that the two people who meant the most to him not only loved him, but actually liked one another.

Life just got a little bit better.

After an exceedingly long night spent in the ER, where it was finally determined that Blair would be fine, Jim, Naomi and Blair headed back to the loft.  Once they arrived, Naomi tried to talk Jim into calling her a cab to take her to a hotel, but he insisted she spend what was left of the night in Blair’s room.

With a warning look at Blair, telling him not to offer any arguments, Jim stated firmly, “Blair can sleep with me.  He should have someone keep an eye on him for the rest of the night anyway.”  With that pronouncement, they each went to bed.

Not surprisingly, Jim was the first one up the next morning.  He glanced at the boy snoring softly.  It looked like the kid would be out for a while longer, so he headed downstairs for a much-needed cup of coffee.  As Naomi would say, he needed some time alone to “process” everything that had happened in the last 24 hours.

After a quick shower, Jim sat at the table nursing his coffee and brooding over everything he had learned in the past 24 hours.  After giving careful consideration to everything Naomi had told him, along with his feelings of protectiveness towards her, Jim came to the reluctant conclusion that Blair would need to go with his mother when she left.  Naomi would need her son with her when she faced the coming ordeal.  It was as simple as that.  He was pondering just how bleak the future would be without the kid around, when Naomi walked into the kitchen, looking surprisingly refreshed.

“Good morning.  Is there any coffee?”

“I just made a fresh pot...  well, actually it was a while ago, but it should still be okay.  How did you sleep?”

“Considering the night we all had, I slept surprisingly well.  Is Blair awake?”

Without giving a thought to what he was doing, Jim cocked his head and focused his hearing on the bedroom upstairs.  He could hear Blair breathing quietly.

“No, he’s still asleep.  He’ll probably sleep for a while longer.  He’s must be wiped out after last night.”

Jim continued, chuckling, “he’ll probably have the mother and father of all hangovers when he wakes up.  I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes this morning.”

Naomi’s chuckle joined Jim’s, “no, I can’t say I would either.”

Their mutual amusement subsided into a comfortable silence.  After a few minutes of tranquility, Naomi concluded now was the best time, before Blair woke up, to let Jim know what she decided.

“How long do you think it will take you to get the paperwork started?”

“What paperwork?”

“The guardianship papers.  So you will have temporary guardianship of Blair.”  Naomi spoke matter-of-factly, giving away nothing of her true feelings.

“Naomi, what are you talking about?  I HAVE temporary custody of Blair, remember?  But it was just until you could be located.  Once I talk to Judge Harrigan, you’ll be able to take Blair with you and I think that’s what you should do.  Considering everything...”  Jim’s voice trailed off.  He still felt uncomfortable trying to discuss her illness.

“Jim, I’m not talking about temporary custody; I’m talking about guardianship.  I’m not going to give up my parental rights entirely, but I think it would be much easier for you, and Blair, if you have some kind of formal... if we do this a little more formally.  You know, I sign some kind of paper saying that I allow you to keep my son with you and that you have all the rights, and responsibilities.... you know... the same as if you were his father.  That would make things easier for you, don’t you think?  And I know it would be better for Blair if he knew he was... if he knew that he belonged to you on a permanent basis.”

“Naomi, you’re not listening to me.  I said I think Blair should go with you.”

Naomi couldn’t help it.  The irony was too much.  She burst into laughter.

“What’s so funny?”  Jim didn’t see anything funny about this.

“You... us... the situation.”  It took Naomi a few minutes to get herself back together enough to explain what she meant.

“Jim, when I first found out about my illness, my first... I guess you’d call it instinct?... impulse?... whatever....”  She took a deep breath.

“My knee jerk reaction was to come and get my son to be with me.  I didn’t think about what was best for Blair... just what I wanted.  After I got here and saw what was going on... who he was living with, I was determined to get my son out of here.  But then I started remembering all his letters to me about how much he loves it here... how much he loves school, I started to realize that maybe I was making a mistake.”

Naomi decided not to mention the vision she’d had last night.  She didn’t think Jim was ready for something like that.

She continued, “And after what happened last night... after I saw how you are with him... how good you are with him... how much you care and how much he needs you... well, let’s just say you’re never too old to grow up.  And that’s what I’ve done.  I just grew up a little, that’s all.”

Seeing that Jim still didn’t look convinced by her argument, she hurried on.

“It’s kind of ironic, don’t you think, that you’re now trying to talk me into what I initially planned to do.  Don’t you see, I’m trying to do what’s best for Blair, here.  I’m trying to give him what he needs.”

She paused briefly.  “Jack said something last night that really hit home.  He said Blair is starved for a man to teach him how to be a man... and that he couldn’t find anyone better than you to teach him what he’ll need to know to get on in this world.”

She looked in Jim’s eyes and smiled gently.  “After seeing you with him last night, I have to agree.  And I believe that since you know the true situation with Blair, that you are the one man who can protect him, if the need arises.”

Jim wanted to agree with Naomi.  He really did, but his conscience wouldn’t let him.

“I... thank you for your faith in me, but I still can’t let you do this.  You’re going to need someone with you next week and for the next few months...”

“I’ll have Geri with me, you don’t need to worry about that.  Of course, when I go back I’ll have to eat a lot of crow... and that’s even more uncomfortable when you’re a vegetarian.”  She chuckled.

“You see, Geri thought I was making a mistake by coming to get Blair under these circumstances.  She had some pretty convincing arguments, if I’d been willing to listen to her.”  She paused thoughtfully.

“Maybe... I wonder if I was hearing her voice...”  She sighed.  She was pretty sure Jim wouldn’t understand and there was no point in going any further with that line of thought right now.  She’d check with Geri when she got back to New Mexico.

“Naomi, I still think you shouldn’t be alone during all this.”

“I’ll be staying with Geri, who’s a doctor, so I couldn’t be in better hands.  You really don’t need to worry about me, although I do appreciate it.”

She smiled gently at Jim and after several seconds, he smiled back.

“Have I convinced you yet that I know what I’m doing and that it’s all for the best?”

“Yes, I guess you have.”  Jim paused thoughtfully.  There were still a couple of things to discuss.

“What do you want to do about telling Blair... I mean, he’ll have to be told about your situation.”

“Not until after he finishes the semester.”

“He deserves to know about this.”

“I agree, but not just yet.  Right now he needs to concentrate on finals and all the other things he has to do to finish up the semester.”

“I guess I can go along with that, but you know he’s going to be pretty angry, with both of us, when he finds out we kept it from him.”
Naomi smiled once again.  “Welcome to the joys of parenthood, Jim.  Believe me, it won’t be the last time he’ll be upset or angry with us, just like this drinking incident won’t be the last time we’ll be upset or angry with him.  It’s just part of the cosmic territory.”

“Speaking of this ‘drinking incident’... you know that I’ll have to punish him for this.  I know you don’t believe in....”

Naomi interrupted Jim before he could go any further.  “You’re absolutely right.  I don’t believe in spanking children.  Jack told me about Blair trying to run away and what happened afterwards.  As you can imagine, I was pretty upset when I heard how you punished him.”

Jim thought darkly that Jack should learn when to keep his mouth shut.

“I planned on Blair telling you about that,” Jim said uncomfortably.

“You know, your partner is a pretty wise man.”

Jim looked puzzled.  He could call Jack a lot of things (and had over the years), but wise wasn’t a word that came to mind.

“He pointed out that if Blair thought he had been treated unfairly, he would have immediately complained about it to me and since he didn’t say a word....”

She took a deep breath and said firmly, “I would just like for you to hold off on his punishment for today.”  Before Jim could protest, she continued, “Blair is sixteen today and I would like to make his birthday special.  I also have to tell you that I refuse to be here when you...”

“Punish him?”  Jim couldn’t help but grin.

“Yes.  That is strictly between the two of you.  I don’t agree with it and I certainly don’t approve of it, but I won’t interfere.  You’re now his guardian... or shortly will be, and I have to trust your judgment.”

“I want you to know that I don’t enjoy punishing him.  But I told Blair what he could expect if he broke the rules and now... well, I have to follow through.  I wouldn’t do this if it was something minor, but this was a pretty major offense.”

Naomi burst out laughing again.  “Boy, you really are a cop, aren’t you?”

Before Jim could come up with a retort, he and Naomi both heard a groan coming from upstairs and couldn’t help but grin at each other.

In later years, Blair would look back on his sixteenth birthday with a smile.

However, he wasn’t smiling at the beginning of the day; he was too busy holding his head on his shoulders.  He was absolutely sure if he took his hands away, it would fall off and probably bounce on the floor.  Before he even opened his eyes, he knew he was in trouble.  The pounding and throbbing in his head woke him up, along with a very familiar feeling of nausea.  He vaguely wondered what evil god he had pissed off to the point of putting this curse on him.  He could hear a faint moaning and before he could tell the moaner to shut up, he realized the pitiful sound was coming from him.

As he was trying to remember what remedies worked on curses, Jim came pounding up the stairs.  Even through the pounding in his head and the rolling of his stomach, Blair registered that the awful sound coming from the smiling detective was whistling.

“I really am cursed,” he whispered and continued a little louder, even though the sound of his own voice was agonizing, “Jim... please, man.  I’m dying here.”

“You’re not dying, Chief.  You’re suffering from a hangover.  Your first one?”

Blair nodded and immediately regretted it.  He grabbed his head with both hands to hold it on his shoulders and moaned again.

Jim looked at the suffering boy.  Blair was extremely pale.  He was also covered with sheen of sweat and was shaking.  Even though the kid had it coming, Jim didn’t like seeing him in this much pain.  The old family remedy was called for... immediately.

“Come on, Junior.  Let’s get you downstairs.  I have something that will fix you right up.  Then you can have a hearty breakfast.”

Blair just moaned painfully and let Jim lead him downstairs.

The recipe consisted of tomato juice, Tabasco sauce and raw egg.  Blair looked at the glass dubiously, until he finally came to the conclusion that it couldn’t possibly make him feel any worse than he already felt.  He was wrong.  It no sooner hit his stomach than it was making its way back out again.  His eyes widened in shock and he made a mad dash for the bathroom, reaching it just in time.

An hour later, Blair did remotely resemble a human being again.  He wouldn’t want to experience Jim’s “old family remedy” again anytime soon, but he had to admit it seemed to work.  After a shower to wash away the night’s revelries, he was even able to eat.  While it wasn’t a “hearty” breakfast, like Jim had predicted, it was enough to fill his empty stomach.  The breakfast, along with a couple of aspirin, completed his recovery.

Jim looked at Naomi, who could only shrug, and shook his head.  Only youth could recover from a severe hangover that quickly.

Blair was surprised that neither Jim nor Naomi felt compelled to give him a lecture about his activities of the night before.  He finally came to the conclusion that they were going to give him a free pass, an extra birthday present, which was more than fine with him.

After Blair finished his breakfast, Naomi started hauling out his presents.  Although she didn’t believe in having a lot of material possessions, she always made it a point to get Blair a little something from every place she had visited.  Since she hadn’t seen him for eight months, and she had traveled quite a bit in that time, she had collected several things, which she had saved to give him on his birthday.

As he opened each present, she spent several minutes describing where it came from. Jim was just as enthralled as Blair, at her vivid descriptions of the colorful and exotic places in which she had stayed.  They spent nearly an hour opening her gifts and hearing about her travels.  After all Naomi’s gifts were opened and discussed, Blair spent several minutes holding her close and not just as a thank you for the presents.

Then it was Jim’s turn.  Unlike Naomi, who never gave practical gifts, his presents mostly consisted of clothes, with blue jeans, sans holes, being the most abundant.  Blair, who loved presents of all kinds, appreciated each and every gift, especially the new jacket.  He was even more appreciative of the gift certificate to a local clothing store, after Jim explained, with a grin, that he thought Blair would prefer to pick out his own underwear.

But the last present from Jim was the one that left the boy speechless.  It was a leather cased pocket watch, designed to hang from his belt loop.  It was waterproof, shock proof and had a lifetime guarantee.  Blair had never liked wristwatches and had eyed this watch longingly a few times in the window of the small store down the street, but didn’t realize that Jim had noticed.

The silence went on for so long that Jim was beginning to believe that he had made a mistake.  Suddenly he found himself holding a laughing boy.   His arms instinctively went around Blair, holding him close.

“Thank you... thank you....  I mean, I wanted this thing ever since I saw it.  It’s perfect.  How did you know?”

Jim said jokingly, “Well, Chief, I just got tired of you always asking me what time it was, so I figured you could use your own watch and save me the hassle.”

“Thanks, man.  Really.”

Naomi had no lingering doubts about her decision to leave Blair with Jim, but if she had, seeing the man and boy together like this would have convinced her that she was doing the right thing.

It was mutually decided that Naomi and Blair would spend most of the day visiting a couple of museums that were featuring special exhibits from South America, that Blair particularly wanted to see.  After their excursion, they would stop by the loft, pick up Jim and all go out to dinner.

As Blair was changing (into his new clothes), Jim pulled Naomi away from the bedroom door so they wouldn’t be overheard.

“Are you sure you’re up to this?  You didn’t get much rest last night...”

“Jim, I’m fine... really.  Look, if it’ll set your mind at ease, I’ll take it slow today...  promise.”

Jim looked skeptical at first, then remembered that, recovered or not, Blair had had a bad night and probably wouldn’t be very energetic today.  Besides there wasn’t too much he could do about the situation, anyway.

“Just promise me that you’ll call if you get too tired.  He may not have remembered it last night, but Blair has my cell phone number, so I can be reached any time today.”

“You’re a real mother hen, aren’t you.  Okay, okay, I promise.”

Mother and son spent a wonderful day together, not only exploring the exhibits, but rediscovering how much they truly enjoyed spending time together.  They were reminded that not only were they mother and son, they were best friends, as well.

It was bittersweet for Naomi, since she knew that she wouldn’t be able to do this with her son again for a very long time, but she resolutely let those feelings go, so she could enjoy the day.

After they had visited every exhibit... twice, watched the dynamax movie, explored the gift shop and indulged themselves at the snack bar, they headed back to the loft.  Their time together did much to heal the scars the argument from the night before had left on both their spirits.

They were amiably arguing about the significance of one of the exhibits they had seen when they entered the loft.  Their friendly disagreement came to an abrupt end when they saw Jack and a stranger sitting with Jim in the living room.

Even though Naomi had never seen Judge Harrigan before, she knew immediately, if not who he was, at least what he was.  She turned an accusing eye to Jim.

“You didn’t waste much time, did you?  I know we agreed on this, but I thought you’d at least allow us to have today together, before you...”

“Naomi, I didn’t call them.”  Jim nodded his head towards Jack.  “Jack decided to jump the gun a little.”

Jack walked slowly toward Naomi.  “I’m sorry, Ms. Sandburg, but after I saw how the three of you were... I mean, after last night... well, I thought I’d just make it a little easier for you, that’s all.  I thought it’d be best for everybody to do this informally.  At least now you won’t have to go to court.”

Blair, who had immediately recognized THE MAN from his visit to court after the riot, turned pale.  The confusing conversation between Jim, Jack and Naomi didn’t help either.

“What’s going on here?”

Before any of the men could make matters worse, Naomi walked over to Blair and took his arm.  “Sweetie, we need to talk.”  With a pointed look at the three men, she continued, “Privately.  Let’s go in your room.”

She led Blair into his room and closed the door firmly behind her.  She led Blair over to the bed and sat down beside him.

“Mom, what’s going on?”

“You haven’t called me that in so long... I’d forgotten how much I liked it.”  She murmured gently.  She took a deep breath.  This wasn’t going to be easy.

“Blair, you know how occasionally over the years, I’ve had... well, you remember how sometimes I just know things?”

He nodded, even though he was totally confused.

“Now I know that you’re studying to be an anthropologist... a scientist, but I’ve always believed the best, the most successful men of science were the ones with open minds.  That’s what I’m asking you to do, just hear me out with an open mind.  Okay?”

He nodded again.

“Good.  Last night, I had a vision... about you and Jim...”

In the meantime, out in the living room, Jim was seething, as he paced back and forth across the living room.  He had never been as furious as he was now.  How could Jack do this?

He had been stunned an hour earlier when he opened his door, expecting to see Naomi and Blair, and instead saw Jack and Judge Harrigan standing in his hallway.  When he found out that Jack had called Harrigan to get the paperwork for the guardianship, without even discussing it with him, he was furious.  He calmed down a little as he listened to Jack’s reasoning.  It did make sense to do this as informally as possible so as not to upset the kid, but he still felt Jack should have discussed it with him, and Naomi, first.

Jim continued to pace, totally ignoring the other two men, only now he altered his route to walk back and forth in front of the window, where he had an unobstructed view of the bedroom door.

He wouldn’t blame Naomi if she changed her mind and decided to take Blair with her after all.  He stood by the window, glaring at Jack and wondering what he was going to do if he lost the boy now.  He could hear muffled voices in the bedroom and wished he could hear not only what Naomi was saying, but Blair’s reaction to all this.

“You know Jim, pacing isn’t going to make the birth go any faster.”

“It’s not a birth, you jerk.”

“Sure feels like one.  The old fashioned kind, anyway.  You know, the mother off in another room, going through some mysterious process, known only to women.  The father pacing nervously, waiting to find out what it’s going to be.  Only in this case, you already know it’s a boy.  All we need is for Simon to give you a couple of cigars to pass out when it’s over.”

“You act like this is all a foregone conclusion.  But we haven’t had a chance to talk to Blair, yet.  He may decide he doesn’t want this.  He may not want m...”

Jack jumped in before Jim could finish.  “Don’t be an idiot!  I saw you three last night.  I saw how that boy held on to you... like you were his lifeboat in an open sea.  I also saw how you looked when you held him.  Don’t make this any more complicated than it already is.  You’re a family man now, Jim.  Accept it.  I know the boy will.”

Before Jim could utter a scathing retort, the door slowly opened and Blair and Naomi came back in the living room.

Since Blair was totally tongue tied, Naomi made the announcement, giving it her own special touch.

“Jim... Blair has told me that you saved his life and he now considers you his Blessed Protector.  After discussing this situation, we have come to the conclusion that it is fate... that the gods, in their infinite wisdom, have brought you two together... and that he should stay with you, so you can both explore and come to fully understand what your combined destiny is.”

Jack and Harrigan both sat frozen, with their mouths hanging open slightly.  Jim, who’d had a little more experience with how Naomi’s mind worked, grinned.

Blair saw Jim grinning but, still feeling a little unsure, asked, “If it’s okay with you?  If you want me...”

His question was cut off by the large man pulling him into his arms and holding him tightly.

Before the guardianship papers could be signed, Judge Harrigan needed to reassure himself that all parties were fully aware of all the ramifications of such an action.  To that end, he spent an inordinate amount of time questioning each person, to confirm that they knew exactly what they were getting into and that they agreed to abide by the documents.

“Ms. Sandburg, by signing this document, you will relinquish none of your parental rights, you are merely saying that Detective Ellison, here, has the same rights and responsibilities towards Mr. Sandburg, uh Blair, as you.  In the event that something were to happen to you before Blair reaches majority, Detective Ellison would have full custody of the minor child.  Do you understand all this and do you agree?”

“Yes, your honor, I do.”  Naomi was comfortable with her decision, especially after her talk with Blair, and didn’t hesitate as she signed on the line that Judge Harrigan pointed to.

“Now, young man, you realize that Mr. Ellison will now have all the rights and responsibilities of a parent.  In nearly every way, he will be your father.  You understand that, don’t you?”

Even though this man totally intimidated him, Blair couldn’t wipe the smile off his face.  “Yes, sir... uh, your honor.  I understand.  Uh, there’s just one thing.”  He turned to face Jim.  “I don’t have to call you ‘Dad,’ do I?”

Jim grinned and said, “I think, under the circumstances, it’d be best if you just keep calling me Jim.”

Harrigan then turned his penetrating gaze towards Jim.

“Detective Ellison, you have the most difficult decision to make.  Ms. Sandburg and young Mr. Sandburg are giving up nothing.  You, on the other hand, are giving up a lot.  Your privacy... your single life... that will all be gone.  You know, parenthood is a challenge that a lot of people are not equipped to handle.  Even the people who make a conscious decision to have a child have nine months to get used to the idea, and several years before they face the challenges of raising a teenager.  Even then, they can feel overwhelmed with the responsibilities of dealing with a teen.  In effect, you are coming into this situation blind.  Are you prepared to accept this?”

“Yes, sir.  I’m prepared to deal with all the rights, responsibilities and even potential problems that you mentioned.  But sir, I have to disagree with you about one thing.  Ms. Sandburg and Blair are giving up a lot.  Naomi is giving up the joy of having her son with her.  She is making a sacrifice for the benefit of her son and that should be recognized.  Blair is giving up a lot of freedom, which he enjoyed just a few weeks ago.  That should also be recognized.  And I... I’m not giving up anything.  That privacy... that single life, you mentioned, that means less than nothing to me.  I am the one who is gaining something here.  I’m gaining a family and that is more important than anything else to me.”

With that, Jim signed his name on the dotted line.

It was official.  He was now a family man.

As Naomi began gathering together drinks and snacks for an impromptu celebration, there was a knock at the door.  Blair opened the door to reveal Simon, holding a manila envelope and a wrapped gift.  As Blair let Simon enter, he thought to himself, *another HUGE guy.  I’m surrounded by all these big men.  Oh well, guess I’d better get used to it.*

“Jim, I got a call from Jack last night asking me to get this paperwork together for you.  I understand you’ve joined the ranks.”

At Jim’s puzzled look, he continued, “Fatherhood?  You’ll need to fill these out and bring them in with you on Monday.  Once the guardianship documents have been filed with the court clerk, you can submit these to Personnel to get Blair on your insurance, etc.  Oh, there’s one other thing in that envelope, just for you.”

As Jim was rummaging in the envelope, Simon turned to Blair and awkwardly thrust the gift into the boy’s hands.  “Here.  Happy birthday.”

“Gee, thanks, Simon.”  At the dark look Simon threw him, Blair stammered, “Uh, I mean Mr. Banks... uh, Captain Banks.”

Simon interrupted Blair by slapping him on the back.  “I hope you like it, Darryl informed me that this is the... now how did he put it?  Oh yeah, the greatest group, of all time.  I have to admit I enjoy listening to them too.”

While Blair eagerly tore open the paper to reveal the newest cd by one of his favorite groups, Jim found a cigar at the bottom of the envelope Simon had given him.  It had a blue band around it proclaiming, “It’s a boy!”

The smiling, joking men became silent when Naomi walked into the living room carrying the birthday cake, that Jim had picked up earlier, with sixteen lighted candles, singing happy birthday.  The varied baritone voices joined with her pure alto to serenade the blushing boy, who blew out the candles with one breath.

Naomi put the cake down on the table and put her arm around Blair’s shoulders.  “What did you wish for, Sweetie?”

“I guess for all of us to be happy, I mean as happy as we are today.”

Naomi smiled gently.  She knew this was impossible, but said, anyway, “That’s a good thing to wish for, son.  I hope you always remember to include others in your wishes.  That’s very important to build up a supply of good karma.”

With that, Naomi turned away to cut the cake and Jack joined Blair.

“What did you think of my present, kid?”

“Uh, Bigger... you didn’t... I mean... you didn’t actually give me anything.”

“What do you mean, I didn’t give you anything?  I gave you the best present you got today.  A father.”

Jack continued as Jim moved over to join them, “You know, Slick, usually it’s the other way around.  It’s the person retiring who’s supposed to get the presents, not the one left on the job.  I got you a son, so what are you getting me, huh?”

Jim grinned wickedly.  “Wait and see, partner.  Wait and see.”

The series will continue.
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