Destined Spirits
Patt
Thank you to Xfreak for the idea for this story. I was
stumped. Didn’t know where to go and she guided me. <g>
I have a guide.
Lisa, this is for you.
James Ellison had been in the mountains for a long time now, trying to get
things ready for the fall and winter. He’d been alone for a long time.
He knew that he had to have enough food to last him for five or six months.
Once the snow hit, he’d be up there for the long haul.
Looking out into the distance, Jim saw nothing but blackness. It seemed
like it was dark all the time these days. His eyesight was so good that
he didn’t need light anymore. He only needed the moon to guide him
home. The cabin he lived in was bare of anything except the essentials.
He had a bed, a table with two chairs, and that was it. He didn’t want
to be comfortable. He’d lost his friend six years back and couldn’t
deal with sharing his cabin with anyone else. He had cleaned it out
except for those things he needed and was willing to live like this for the
rest of his life.
Jim owned 20 acres on the mountainside. He was glad to have it because
he didn’t want to have to deal with anyone. They made him uncomfortable.
Not to mention they might find out about his peculiarity. The lonely
man did fairly well in his manmade isolation. Only now and then thinking
about the love he missed, gone now all these years and the loneliness eating
at his soul. Even though he talked to him nightly, it wasn’t the same.
// God, I miss Jesse. Why did he have to leave? Couldn’t he
have stayed longer? And why can’t I just give up and join him?
Why can’t I go into my mind and just stay there? //
But James Ellison knew that his body wouldn’t let him for some strange reason.
Not to mention the fact that Jesse kept telling him it would be wrong. He
talked to his dear friend whenever he could.
He was almost ready for the fall and winter. Everything was stocked
up. He had his freezers on special back-up generators so that he’d never
lose his food. Once that snow came, he’d be here for a long time.
He walked outside thinking he heard something, and said aloud, “I can see
the lights in the distance, is it you, Jesse?.” Having said this, he walked
towards the woods that he saw the light coming from.
Jim heard things in the middle of the night and saw things that couldn’t
be explained all the time. Now he heard something and saw a light.
Jesus, I’m going to be fucking insane if this keeps up. It wasn’t
enough that I’m able to talk to my dead friend? Now I’m hearing someone
else’s voice.
He stood very still and could hear a voice in his mind. He knew it
to be in his mind because there was no one around to hear. The lonely
man was, indeed, all alone. As he listened, he heard a soft voice talking
to someone.
“Where am I? Why am I in the dark? Someone help me please? Mom,
are you here? ”
Jim could hear the heartbreak in the voice, and was forced to listen to
more of this conversation. In the past, Jim had talked to people he
knew to be dead. If his Father knew of this, he would have him put
away. Who are you kidding? You’re father doesn’t care about
you, one-way or the other. He doesn’t even ask about you.
“Mom, please tell me where I am. Why can’t I open my eyes. Why
can’t I hear anyone or anything. God, I’m so scared.”
Jim couldn’t stand it anymore. Without really thinking about it, he
talked with his mind. “Don’t be afraid.”
“Who are you and where are you?” the scared voice asked.
“I’m very far away but I’m here to help you find your way. What can
you hear around you? Listen carefully and tell me exactly what you hear.”
Jim commanded.
There was complete silence for a few moments, and then the soft voice spoke
again, “It sounds like a beeping, like on a machine in a hospital. Am
I in a hospital?”
“You might be. What's the last thing you remember?”
“I was really excited about the Halloween party coming up, I’m a TA at Rainier.
They asked me to be a chaperone at the school dance. I love Halloween.
So, I was there helping get things set up and the last thing I remember is
plugging in something for one of the other TA’s. Then I woke up to this
darkness and quiet.”
“Okay, I would think you’re probably in the hospital and are in some type
of coma. You’ll probably be fine.”
“Why are you able to talk to me and who are you?”
“My name's James Ellison, I’m no one special, but I can speak to people
that are sleeping for some unknown reason. I live very far away from
where you are. To tell you the truth, it’s nice to talk to someone
that’s not dead.” Jim stopped when he realized what he had said.
“James, you speak to dead people? Are you able to see them, too?”
“No, I’m not able to see them, just hear them and sometimes talk to them.
But now I’m given someone that’s not crossed over. I need to think on
that one.”
“James, you’re a very special person. You know this, right?”
“Yeah, I know that. I could do with being less special. What should
I call you?”
“Blair. My name's Blair Sandburg. I’m 29 years old and I wonder if
you could call my mom and tell her that I’m fine. That you’ve spoken
to me.”
“I don’t think so. They’d lock me up so fast my head would spin.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Sorry. James, will you continue to talk
to me until I wake up?”
“Sure, Chief, I could do that. But don’t call me James. That’s
what my Grandfather used to call me and I hated it. Jim will do me just
fine.”
“Okay, Jim. Thanks.”
“You’re very welcome, Blair. Now why don’t you try and rest so you
can wake up soon?”
“Okay. Where are you anyhow?”
“I live in the mountains. I’ve lived up here for about eight years.
Alone. I own about 20 acres here.”
“Cool, man. I love the mountains. I bet it’s beautiful this
time of year.”
“I just got done stocking up the freezer with food for the winter.
I do most of the hunting and I rarely go into town. I have problems
with people.”
“Is it live people that you have trouble with?”
“You could say that. I have problems with my senses. I see, hear,
taste, feel and smell things I should never be able to do.
“Jim, I’m familiar with this, if you’d like to hear about it. It seems like
I’m not going anywhere else.”
“Sure, what do you know about my senses?” Jim asked, honestly interested.
So Blair talked to Jim for about an hour telling him all about Sir Richard
Burton, the explorer, not the actor. The time went by so fast that Jim
was shocked when he realized what time it was. Blair told Jim how he’d
help him learn to control his senses and they’d work on him entering the
real world again. Able to face other people, and not be afraid of what
might happen.
As Jim walked back to the cabin, he said, “Chief, I think you should sleep
now. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Rest well and have good dreams.”
“Thank you, Jim. I’m glad you’re with me. I was very frightened.
I feel much better about being alone now.”
“You’re very welcome. Sleep well.” Jim said as he sat down at his table
in the cabin and hoped to speak with Jesse. Jim fell asleep at the table,
waiting, and was woken by a sound. He sat up straight and heard Jesse’s
voice.
“Hi, Jim. I wanted to say goodbye.”
“No, Jesse, please don’t leave me.”
“Jim, there's someone you can talk to now. I can leave you and not
feel guilty.”
“What are you talking about? Who?” Jim asked, pleadingly.
“It’s time for me to move on, Jim. I can’t stay with you any longer.
I need to go. Please, forgive me, and promise me you won’t follow me.”
“I’m not promising anything to someone who doesn’t even stick around.”
“Good-bye, Jimmy. Be well and know that I always loved you.
But someone new is destined to meet you and make your life better. Please
let him.”
“I don’t want anyone else.” Jim sobbed.
“Good-bye, Jimmy.” the sad voice called out. Then the cabin was filled
with silence. Jim could feel that he was gone. He went out side
and screamed his name until he was hoarse.
Just when he was feeling like he could no longer go on, there was a soft
voice calling to him.
“Jim, are you there? I heard something strange and I can’t sleep now.
Please talk to me.”
“Yeah, I’m here, Chief.” Jim said sadly and with huskiness to his voice
that Blair had not heard before.
“Something's wrong. What is it?” Blair pleaded.
“Nothing to worry about Chief. Go back to sleep. I’m going to bed
myself. All right?”
“Jim, you won’t be here tomorrow, will you?”
“Blair, I’m tired. I need to go to bed.”
“Jim, please don’t leave me. Don’t leave me alone.”
“I’m just going to sleep for awhile. I’m tired… That’s all...
Rest...”
“Okay, I’ll sleep for a while. I’ll talk to you tomorrow then.
Be well, Jim.”
“Night, Blair.” Jim said as he walked into his empty cabin. Jim felt
the sadness almost overwhelm him. He didn’t know if he could do this
anymore. He knew that he wasn’t the loner that he thought he was.
He needed someone to love him. Someone to need him. Why had Jesse
said that there was someone new in his life? Jim didn’t have anyone
in his life. He lay down on his cold bed and didn’t care if he ever
woke up again.
Jim slept, but tossed and turned and was awakened by Blair’s voice.
“Jim… Can you hear me?”
“Yeah, I can hear you. I was sleeping. What do you want?”
“I can hear the doctors talking to my mother. They’re telling her
to turn the machines off because I’m brain dead. Help me! I don’t want
to die yet.”
“Blair, what do you want me to do?”
“Could you come here? This is Halloween Eve and I believe that you
might be able to do something. You could give my mom a message and tell
her I’m in here. God, you can’t just stay up on your mountain and let
me die, can you?”
Blair proceeded to tell Jim what to tell Naomi, if and when he saw her.
He didn’t really ask if Jim wanted to do it, he just figured that Jim sounded
like someone that would help him.
“Blair, maybe it’s time. Did you ever think about that?”
Jim heard Blair cry softly making him wish that he was the one that was
on the machine instead of this young man.
“I’m sorry for bothering you, Jim. Nice meeting you.”
The silence that surrounded Jim was even worse than when Jesse left.
He knew that Blair would be dead tomorrow and he somehow had his fate in his
hands. Now he just had to figure out what to do. Shit…
As Jim got into his truck, he prayed that it would start. He hadn’t
used it in a few weeks. It started right up, and Jim headed down the
mountain, praying the whole time that he’d make it in time to save one Blair
Sandburg. He wasn’t sure who to pray to but he did know that someone
had to be listening. They just had to be.
During the drive, he wondered what Naomi Sandburg would think after he gave
the odd message to her from Blair. But right now, he concentrated on
the drive and getting there in one piece.
It took quite a while because the snow had started and it was slick, but
once he was down from the mountainside, he was able to make good time, getting
to Cascade General Hospital. How do you know he’s there? What
if he’s somewhere else? Dismissing those thoughts he continued on.
As he got closer to Cascade, the lights were beginning to hurt his eyes,
so he did what Blair had told him to do with the dials. Hoping that
the young man had known what he was talking about. Sure enough, it
worked. For the first time in years, Jim was able to drive at night
without the pain from the lights of oncoming traffic.
When he pulled up to the hospital, he saw an old friend. Simon Banks
was a Detective at CPD and had wanted Jim to work with him years ago but that
was before this all happened. Once his senses went online, he was useless
for that type of work. Now, maybe there was hope. It was the
first feeling of hope he’d had in a long time.
“Simon, what are you doing here?” Jim asked, shaking the man's hand.
“Where in the hell have you been Ellison? We looked everywhere for
you.” Simon answered, as he pulled Jim into a bear hug.
“It’s good to see you too, Simon. I had some troubles and I had to
move up to the mountains for some time. I might be able to think about
life in the city someday again.”
“Well, we could use your help this time. Someone tried to kill this
young Teaching Assistant, at Rainier and we can’t catch a break.”
“Is his name Blair Sandburg?”
“How did you know his name? We’ve not released that information to
anyone.” Simon said.
“It’s a long story, but if you have a few moments, I could fill you in and
then maybe you could help me talk to his mom. It’s important that I
speak to her tonight.”
“Okay, let's go and have some coffee.”
As they sat downstairs in the cafeteria, drinking coffee, Jim told Simon
what had been happening. Simon just sat there with his mouth open and
didn’t know what to say, but he also knew that there was no other way that
Jim could know about the Sandburg kid.
“Jim, did I mention that I’m the Captain of the Major Crime unit?
I think we could use someone like you, with or without being able to talk
to people in coma’s.”
“So you believe me?”
“Yes, I don’t want to, but there is no other way you could know these things.”
“Thanks, Simon. Now, who's the other TA that was involved?”
“There was no one else involved. He was alone when his class found
him.”
“He said that he was plugging something in for his friend, another TA, when
he was shocked and that’s the last thing he remembers.”
“Well, shit! We need his name. Could you speak to him, do you
suppose?”
“I could try.”
Both men walked up to the ICU unit and found a pacing Naomi Sandburg.
Simon approached her and said, “Ms. Sandburg, this is a friend of mine and
would like to speak with you about your son.”
“What? What could be worse than what’s going on now?” the angry mother
cried out.
So they took her into the empty waiting room and filled her in. She
just stared at both men, as if they were insane and said, “Is that the end
of this? I have to get back to my son.”
Standing up, Jim said, “Naomi, Blair sent a message for you. Do you
want to hear it?”
“You’re a very cruel man, Mr. Ellison.”
Jim hurried after the retreating form and said,
“I can see the lights in the distance
Trembling in the dark cloak of night
Candles and lanterns are dancing, dancing
A waltz on All Souls Night.”
Naomi started crying, and said, “This is his favorite time of year.
He always loved All Souls Night. He believed in so many different customs.”
“Stop talking about him like he’s dead. He’s very much alive and we
need to find out who tried to kill him. If you’ll allow me to talk with
him, I might be able to do it.”
“I’m not sure I believe this, but whatever you believe will help my son,
then by all means do it.” Naomi said, leading the way back to the room.
Simon and Naomi left Jim alone in the room with Blair. He held the
young man’s hand and spoke to him without moving his mouth. He knew
that he didn’t need to talk aloud now. “Blair, I’m here. I’ve
come to help you. I need some help from you.”
“Jim, are you really here? I never thought I'd hear your wonderful voice
again.”
“Yeah, I’m here. I gave the message to your mom and she bought it.
She believes me, I think. Well, as much as she can.”
“You said you need my help. What could I possibly help you with?”
“You could tell me the name of the TA that was with you the night you were
electrocuted.”
“Well, that’s easy. It was Martin Simmons. You can find him at our
place.”
“You share a place with him?”
“Yeah, he had let me move some things into his place until I found a better
place by myself. He wanted to do more than just be friends but I told
him that I didn’t want to. He said he understood and we moved on. That
was about two weeks ago.”
“Well, first of all, no one seems to know where you live and he wasn’t anywhere
to be found. Why would that be do you think?”
“I don’t know, Jim. Why would he do that? Would he hurt me just
because I didn’t want to sleep with him?”
“Maybe. I don’t know yet. We’ll see when we talk to him.
Blair, did you tell him that you were against gay men or something?”
Jim heard a soft chuckle and then the sweet voice saying, “Well, Jim, I’d
be in big trouble because I’m gay.”
Jim found himself smiling. Hot damn, he’s single, he’s gay and
I might have a chance. Oh geeze, get your mind off sex for once, Ellison.
“I’m glad to hear that, Chief.” Jim said, just as softly.
“Yeah, I figured that’s why you asked. When I wake up, can we see
each other?”
“Just wake up, Chief, okay? Then we’ll discuss how you feel about
dating someone losing their hair, that’s ten years older than you.”
“Man, I know I’m going to love you. Your voice's beautiful.
That makes you beautiful. So I think it’s a given that I’m going to be fine
with you.”
“I have to go and tell the police now. I’d really like it if you woke
up, Chief. Try, okay?”
“Yeah, I’ll try, will you stay with me until I do?”
“I’ll be right back, Blair.” Jim walked out to the hallway and told
Simon the man’s name and told him what Blair had said. Naomi took Jim
into her arms and just held on for dear life. If it weren’t for this
wonderful and special man, Blair would be taken off the respirator tomorrow.
Naomi could never thank him enough.
Jim walked back into the room and held on to Blair’s hand. He looked
at his watch at midnight and said, “Happy Halloween Chief,” and laid his head
down to rest until the young man woke.
Jim woke up to someone petting his head, and it felt so nice. He smiled
and wanted it to be more than a dream. He opened his eyes and saw that
Blair was doing the petting. The machines around Blair were setting
off alarms right and left. Jim jumped up because he wondered what was
going on but he could hear Blair’s heartbeat, good and strong. So that
wasn’t it.
The doctor pushed Jim aside and said, “He can’t breathe right with the respirator
still in. He’s starting to breathe on his own. Now let us do our job.”
Jim moved and gladly let them do their jobs. He had Naomi in his arms
and she said, “Jim, this is so perfect, it’s Halloween. What a perfect
day for rebirth and new life.”
About ten minutes later, the doctor said, “Ms. Sandburg, he should be waking
shortly. All of his vitals are good. No, let me restate that.
His vitals are great.”
“Thank you, Doctor. We’ll stay here with him.”
Naomi watched Jim and saw the love shine from his eyes. She had a
feeling that Jim Ellison was in love with her son, and he hadn’t yet met
him face to face. But Naomi knew that Blair’s spirit was enough to
make anyone fall in love with him. It would not be surprising.
Jim looked up and saw the smile on her face and realized that Naomi, would
be all right with them if they did decide to have a relationship.
“Hey…” came a soft voice from the bed.
Naomi and Jim both ran to his side and said, “Blair.”
“Yes, that’s my name. Now where's this Jim Ellison I’ve heard so much
about?”
Smiling Naomi said, “I’ll be outside when you finish talking to Mr. Ellison.”
Leaning over she kissed her son’s cheek and whispered, “He’s a keeper, sweetie.”
“Hey, Blair.” Jim said almost shyly.
“Hey, yourself. Where's that kiss you promised me?”
“I never promised you a kiss. That was never mentioned.” Jim said,
laughing.
“Well, I want a friggin kiss, damn it! But not until I get to brush
my teeth. I can’t imagine what your poor senses are doing right now.”
Jim smiled at him, leaned over and kissed his lips ever so softly.
Blair moaned into Jim’s mouth. Jim didn’t mind the antiseptic smell
or taste. He didn’t mind because, in the end, he got Blair. How could
a man be in love with someone he had just met? Maybe it was fate.
For once, Jim Ellison was not going to mess with fate. He wanted this man;
he needed this one and could love this man as no one else could. He
knew this to be true. He would have to remember to thank the gods for
this gift. He was indeed blessed. Their spirits had been
destined from the beginning.
End
Return to
Patt's Stuff