Rating: G

Disclaimer: Same ol' same ol

"Hey there Detective, how do ya feel?" Asked the redheaded nurse. Sara groaned, unable to speak. For a moment she glanced about her, attempting to gather her bearings. She was unsure how she arrived in the hospital, yet she did recall a fight with Irons and Nottingham. Instinctively her hand grasped at her wrist, which normally bore the witchblade, however she no longer donned the bracelet. Panic filled her body and Sara tried to recall what happened.

"Where�s my bracelet?" She demanded, a little more hostile then she had intended. "I came in with a bracelet. It�s silver with a red stone. Where is it?"

"You never came in with a bracelet," the nurse muttered, as she checked the machines Sara was connected to. "You did come in with your hot partner, though. Is he married? Are you two serious?"

"Jake? Jake." The memories flooded back to her. She vividly remembered Jake placing the witchblade on his wrist, but Sara recalled little after that. "Have you seen him? Is he OK?"

The nurse smiled. "Oh he�s fine. We haven�t seen him much though. I mean he was with you until we chased him out of the hospital every night. But then there was that whole incident where he was arrested or something."

"What?" Sara couldn�t believe what she was hearing. "Who arrested him? What happened?"

"I�m not overly sure why they wanted him. It was a whole big mess. I heard about it, but I was with another patient so I missed the excitement. I always miss the excitement. Hold on while I get the doctor." The younger nurse left Sara. She threw back the covers. Pain shot through her body, but she was determined to leave the hospital and go and find Jake.

"Detective Pezzini," The doctor began as he walked into her room. "Get back in that bed!" he ordered. The nurse went to assist Sara.

"I have to get out of here."

"That isn�t going to happen because your body still needs rest. You can barely stand without help.

Besides, you can�t fool me. I know you are in a lot of pain." She did not acknowledge the doctor�s accusation, but he was right. The balding doctor began to ramble on about her condition and what they had done to her, but Sara�s was unable to listen to him. Her mind was focused on Jake and how soon she would be able to leave the hospital to help him.

**

Through tired eyes Jake looked around the park. He had joined the ranks of the homeless and spent his first night on the streets of New York City. It was not the pinnacle of his life, yet it had to be done. His dwindling money supply forced him to make decisions he had never faced before. It was a cold, uncomfortable night and Jake became very sympathetic to the countless homeless who spent each night on the hard concrete, attempting to stay warm with tattered clothing. He was not fond of his new life, and wanted desperately to go back to the way things used to be.

As he sat on the park bench, watching people stroll by, he contemplated his next move. Jake needed money, badly, but he was still hesitant about withdrawing money out of an ATM. However, the hunger, which lingered in his stomach, began to make a convincing argument to tempt fate.

He stood up and finally realizing, after he almost blacked out, due to hunger that he needed to eat. He had to have a decent meal, even if that meant incarceration. Jake was beyond the point of caring what happened to him now. As he moved through the park, crushing fallen leaves with each step, an odd sensation came over his body. Jake froze and looked around, wondering why he felt as if someone were watching him. Twinges of pain coursed throughout his body and then he sensed his partner�s presence.

"Sara?" Jake muttered. He could feel she was awake and in great pain. Without hesitation Jake stood up quickly. He was determined to see her despite the danger.

***

A hand cupped her mouth and Sara�s eyes flew open. "Shhh," a soothing voice instructed. Slowly he removed his hand from her mouth.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She demanded.

"It�s nice to see you too," Jake smiled.

"How did you get in here?"

"The nurses like me," he explained, as he walked over to the window and looked through the blinds. "Besides, all I have to do is flash my badge and I have free access to this place. No one checks my I.D."

"The nurse told me that you were arrested."

"I was almost arrested. Don�t worry Pez, I have everything under control." Jake walked around her room then made his way towards her bed. Sara grabbed his arm and pushed up his jacket. Her eyes became large when she saw the witchblade on Jake�s wrist.

"You�ve got it?" She couldn�t believe that he was wearing the witchblade.

"Yeah, well," Jake pushed down his jacket. "Don�t ask me why it hasn�t killed me or how I can kinda control it, but I can."

"Jake you can�t wear the witchblade." Sara was concerned for his well being. "You have to take it off."

"Wish I could. But it won�t come and when I try to remove it the damn thing digs down into my skin. I�ve left it alone. Irons wants it bad. He figures with you out of the picture he can reclaim the witchblade." Jake smiled. "I kinda gave him a run for his money when he tried to get it. I don�t think he expected this thing and me to work together." Sara�s mind swam with all the new information. Could Jake and the witchblade be linked as she had once been to the magical bracelet?

She threw back the covers and Jake grabbed the blanket. "Whoa, where do you think you are going?"

"I�ve got to get out of here. I have to get back the witchblade. I have to stop Irons and Dante. I just can�t lay around in this damn bed."

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news Pez but the witchblade isn�t coming off. Besides, I can handle Dante and Irons. I�ve done a pretty good job so far. And you need your rest." Sara refused to listen to Jake. She grabbed his wrist again and forcefully tried to remove the witchblade. The bracelet lashed out at its former owner and stabbed her. Sara withdrew her hand quickly, shocked by what had just happened. It was a small wound, but for someone who had been connected to the witchblade the way Sara had, she found its hostility towards her distressing.

"Don�t worry Sara. I�ll come back soon. I promise." She was not worried about Jake returning to her bedside, nor was she fearful of what the witchblade would do to him. Sara was distraught because she had to sit on the sideline and could not be included in the action. "I should go."

"Wait!" The urgency in her voice shocked even her. Sara knew he had to leave but she didn�t want him to. She wanted him to stay, to keep her company. She needed him, although she would never admit to it out loud.

"Yeah?"

She paused. "You smell. Would it kill you to take a shower?"

Jake�s smile became larger. "It might. Do you have any extra cash laying around?

"In my apartment I have some. Why?"

"I�m in a jam. I�ll pay you back once this mess gets cleared up, I promise."

"But.."

"Thanks." Jake flew at her before she had an opportunity to protest. In a blink of an eye Sara felt Jake�s warm lips pressing against hers. It was a warm, gentle kiss that lingered for a moment or two and quickly evolved into a deep passionate one, which neither of them expected. Jake withdrew, his blue eyes met hers and the two gazed at each other for a second. He attempted to move away from her but found that the witchblade had connected itself to Sara. Feeling incredibly awkward and wanting to flee the situation as quickly as possible Jake began to pull away.

"Let go." He grumbled, and the witchblade released itself from Sara�s skin. Once he was free, Jake hastily pulled his baseball cap lower and stepped back from Sara�s bed.

"I�ve," Jake backed out of the room. "Um, got to go. I�ll see ya later." And Jake left Sara sitting in her darkened hospital bed. They had just exchanged one of the most passionate kisses Sara had ever felt and then he abandoned her.

This story ©copyright Divia, 2001