Please Don't Shoot The Turkey !

By Dar Hutson Scally

(November 23,1999)

"I can't believe the guys all volunteered to help." Blair Sandburg said, as he climbed out of his partner's truck. "Even Simon."

Jim Ellison smiled as he walked around to put his hand on Blair's shoulder. "You got them all interested. Have you always been able to do that?"

"Do what?" Blair asked.

"You always bring out the best in people." Jim said.

"Nah, all I did was tell them what we were doing and the next thing I know they're all asking if they can volunteer too." Blair said.

They walked up to the door of the Turner Street Children's Home. The smell of turkey cooking assaulted their noses before they even opened the door. Jim thought back briefly to what he thought of as the "before Sandburg" days, when he would never have given up any part of his holiday to go to some shelter and help serve Thanksgiving dinner. From his current perspective, he couldn't believe he had ever been so bitter and self-absorbed as not to notice the needs of other people around him. There were so many people who not only had no family, but no place to live and no food to eat.

All around the city, homeless shelters and church groups were busy preparing to serve a feast of a meal to the lost and lonely homeless people. Even before Sandburg had started talking about helping out at the children's home, Jim had been thinking about volunteering at one of the shelters. He had come to realize lately just how lucky he was, and being thankful, wanted to spread his good feelings by helping others. He knew Blair would say that he already devoted his life to helping others in the course of his work, and as a Sentinel, but he wanted to give of himself as Jim Ellison, just another human being, not as someone with any special abilities. So, when Blair had said he was going to help out at the children's home, Jim had said he'd be right there with him.

They walked through the door and almost got run into by a little boy, about 7 years old. Right behind him, ran a girl about the same age. "Excuse me." They heard the boy yell as he sped off down the hall. The sounds of children playing danced throughout the big old house.

They followed the turkey smell to the back of the building, where a whirl of activity was taking place. Over the constant chatter, the solid voice of Simon Banks could be heard. Walking over to the table, they were surprised to see their fearless leader, Captain of Major Crimes, patiently explaining what he was doing, to several young teenage kids, as he carefully rolled out piecrust dough. Lined along the side of the table were 7 pies all ready to go in the oven.

"It's about time you two got here." He said, semi-gruffly, as he looked up at them. "I've been holding this place together all by myself."

A tall elderly woman walked over at that moment, smiling at the three men. "Well, I don't know if I'd say that, but he has certainly been hard at work."

Blair smiled, turning toward the woman. "Mrs. Alberto, I want you to meet my partner, Jim Ellison."

"Jim, please call me Maggie." She said, shaking hands with the detective.

"Maggie, please, put us to work." Jim said, smiling.

Mrs. Alberto was the type of woman that you instantly felt like you had known all of your life. She was everybody's mother.

"You can help Patricia with the vegetables, Jim." She herded him over to the counter where a teenage girl was mashing potatoes in a big round bowl.

"Hi, I'm Jim." He said. "What can I do to help?"

Patricia giggled and smiled shyly, pointing at the lettuce and other salad supplies on the counter. "You can start making the salad." She said.

Blair looked at Maggie, getting ready to ask for an assignment. Before he could say a thing, she pulled him aside, whispering. "I've got a very special job for you young man."

"Do you really want to make the children happy?" She asked, leading him toward the steps.

When Maggie came back down a few minutes later, Blair was not with her. She went back into the kitchen and started helping with the food. Within the next few minutes, Rafe and Brown showed up and were assigned the job of entertaining the children in the yard. The house had a big fenced in yard with lots of play equipment and a basketball hoop. Within minutes of their arrival, the two detectives had a major basketball game going. Those kids who weren't involved playing were cheering from the sidelines.

Jim finished up with the salad and washed up. Simon had put the pies in the oven and had gone outside to watch the game. Jim started to walk out to join them, when he was distracted by a quiet whimpering noise coming from another room. He followed the sound to a room down the hall. It was a large living room. At first glance it didn't appear that there was anyone in the room, but he followed the sound to discover a little girl, about four years old, behind the couch.

He kneeled down beside her and spoke quietly. "Hey, are you okay?"

The girls quiet sobbing suddenly stopped and she stiffened up. Jim could hear her heartbeat quicken and her breath catch. She looked up with fear in her eyes and backed further behind the couch.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you. My name is Jim. I'm a police detective. You know, police, we help people. Do you need some help?"

The girl examined him, clearly deciding if he could or could no be trusted. Finally, she calmed down and smiled cautiously.

"I lost my blankey under the couch and now it's stuck." She sniffled, pulling on a little blue scrap of cloth that appeared to be stuck to the underside of the couch.

"Here, let me see if I can get it for you." Jim said, reaching for the blue cloth. It was smooth like a silky material. He remembered some of the nightgowns Caroline had worn. It was that kind of material. He pulled gently and it came away from the staple where it was stuck. He examined it carefully before handing it to the girl. It was torn in several places, not just from today's tear. Evidence indicated that this little one foot wide square piece of cloth had seen some action. She must have been carrying it with her for a long time.

She took her blankey and rubbed it against her face and Jim could instantly hear her heartbeat calm and see the difference in her expression. "Thank you." She said, timidly.

"You're welcome. You want some help out of there now?" Jim asked, offering a hand.

She gave it a thought, then said, "No, that's okay. I think I'll stay here a few more minutes."

"Okay." Jim said, pulling back. "If you need help again, just call me. Remember, my name's Jim, okay?"

"Okay"

As he turned away from the girl, he noticed Maggie waiting for him in the doorway. She motioned him to follow her, as she quietly explained, "That's Molly. She was being abused by her father, so she's a bit timid around men."

Jim nodded in understanding. "No mother?" He asked.

"She died a year ago in a car accident." Maggie said. "So Molly has been having a difficult year. Her blankey is a scrap of cloth from one of her mother's old nightgowns. Her mother used to sneak a fresh one in whenever it got too ragged, but I'm afraid that's the last one she has. We tried to exchange it with a new one but she knew right away it wasn't from her mom. She said it smelled wrong."

Jim nodded. "Where's Blair, by the way?" He asked.

Maggie smiled a devilish smile. "He's busy with a special project. You'll see in a little while."

"Okay. I guess I'll go check out the activity outside then." He said, walking toward the back door.

Rafe and Brown stood by the side of the basketball hoop, watching some of the kids play. They had shed down to their t-shirts and were sweating in the unseasonably warm weather. They looked up at Jim as he walked outside.

"Hey, Jim, it's about time you got out here. Where's hairboy?" Brown asked.

"He's busy. And I think by the way you guys look, I'm glad I wasn't out here. You're dripping." Jim said in feigned disgust.

"Yeah, it's really too hot for this." Rafe said. "It doesn't even seem like Thanksgiving."

Brown laughed. "I don't know. Remember last year? We had snow on Thanksgiving. Maybe this is better."

Rafe shook his head. "At least snow is closer to the right kind of weather."

Blair stood in the kitchen, sweating. It was really hot from all of the cooking and the fact that it was around 75 degrees F. outside. Where was the November chill that was normal for Cascade? He felt like he was in Florida. And this suit wasn't helping. This thing would have made him hot even if it had been cold and snowing like it was last year. He just hoped Maggie would call him to come outside soon and get this over with. He just knew he was going to be getting teased about this for years to come. He could just imagine the remarks he'd be hearing after this. But, it was for the kids and Maggie had made him feel sooo guilty when he had tried to refuse. He glanced out the window into the back yard and saw that Maggie was finally out there, gathering the kids together. He wondered where she had come up with this idea. She said it had started over 5 years ago and had become a Thanksgiving tradition. Kind of like Santa Claus at the end of the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. He hoped this wouldn't take long. He wanted to get out of this suit as soon as possible. No wonder they never had the same person do this a second year. Oh well, it was for the kids. He just hoped nobody had a camera.

The kids in the yard were lined up in two rows with a three foot space between each row. Jim, Rafe, Brown and Simon stood nearby, wondering what was next. Maggie turned back to the kids as she walked toward the door. "Now, remember, no getting wild and crazy." She warned.

Kids nodded and giggled behind her. They all knew that they were going to act wild and crazy and they knew Maggie expected it as well. Maggie walked into the house and the kids in the yard stilled and looked expectantly toward the door.

About five minutes passed before the door opened and Maggie stepped through, holding the door open and waiting.

Then it walked out, pausing just outside the doorway. It took a moment for the detectives to absorb what they were seeing.

It was a giant turkey! No, not a giant turkey, a Blair Sandburg dressed in a giant turkey suit. The only part of him that could be seen was his face, which was currently red with embarrassment. His mouth was covered with a strap on beak. The rest of him was clothed in a plump turkey body, complete with real feathers. His legs were visible through the tan tinted tights and on his feet were turkey claw slippers, about two foot long. His arms were hidden under the wings, visible only if he lifted them. All together a very nice looking giant turkey.

Blair glared at the detectives, as if daring them to harass him right now. This was for the kids, he reminded himself. He took a deep breath and started his walk. According to Maggie, he was supposed to take one walk around the yard, then walk through the rows of kids and they were supposed to follow him to the dining room for dinner. Then, once they were all seated, he could disappear and change back into himself. He was glad he had stripped down into his boxer shorts, even taking off his t-shirt before putting this suit on. It was incredibly hot in here. He started his walk around the yard, hearing the kids laugh and cheer.

"Hey, turkey boy, nice legs." Brown yelled.

" I didn't know turkeys had hairy legs." Rafe said quietly to the guys.

"This one does." Jim said.

They watched as their turkey finished his walk through the yard and started walking between the kids. The children fell in line behind him as he passed them, some of them pulling feathers off as they went. Within a few minutes, they were all in the dining room. It took a few minutes after that for the kids to get situated at the table. The guys followed them inside and watched as Blair stood at the head of the table waiting for the kids to all settle down. Then Maggie walked up to thank the turkey.

Just at that moment, a gunshot rang out, kids screamed and looked around. Four detectives automatically crouched and pulled their guns, looking for the source of the shot.

It was a short man standing by the doorway. He was obviously hyped up, looking about nervously. "Where is she?" He demanded, angrily. "Where's Molly?"

Maggie took a step toward him. "Mr. Carlson." She began. "You need to calm down, please."

He waved the gun around, his finger tight on the trigger, ready to shoot anybody who would stand in his way.

"Where's Molly?" he yelled. "All I want is my daughter and I'll go away."

Maggie glanced around the room, realizing that Molly was probably still behind the couch. That was her favorite place to hide and she spent a large part of her day hiding.

"Mr. Carlson." Simon said, drawing his attention. "Why don't you put down the gun and we'll get your daughter for you. You don't want to scare her, do you?"

Carlson eyed the row of four detectives standing to one side of the room. Still holding the gun ready, he glanced around the rest of the room. Seeing the giant turkey standing closest to him, he took a step toward him and held the gun to the turkey's head.

Jim tensed, gun ready. There was no way he was going to let this guy shoot his best friend.

Rafe marveled over Sandburg's knack for being in the middle of any bad situation.

Simon lowered his gun, still keeping it ready. "If you hurt anyone, you know you won't even get to see your daughter. Do you want to go to jail for the rest of your life?" Simon asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

Jim tuned into his partners heartbeat and found it surprisingly calm. He looked at Blair's face. He seemed to barely be paying any attention to what was going on, as if he had been threatened so many times that it no longer fazed him. 'Please don't let him get hurt.' Jim prayed. 'Please don't shoot the turkey!'

Brown, being slightly behind the other detectives, found himself edging his way back toward the doorway. Some kids on the other side of the room started crying, providing the perfect distraction, as Brown edged his way out the door and around the corner. He gradually moved around the hallway and stood just outside the other door to the room, behind Carlson, ready to make a move at the first opportunity.

The next few moments passed by in the space of a heartbeat. Carlson, distracted by the kids crying, unconsciously lowered the gun. Jim and Simon both saw this as an opportunity to strike. Brown, also saw this as his chance. As Jim and Simon both started to move closer to Carlson, Brown jumped into the room and tackled him. Carlson jerked the gun up and fired randomly three times, before Jim managed to reach him and grab the gun out of his hand.

The detectives cuffed Carlson and Rafe and brown took him into the hallway to wait for a patrol car to arrive. Simon looked around the room, checking for any casualties. Amazingly enough, it didn't appear that anyone had been hit. The kids were upset, some crying, but not physically hurt. Maggie had gone looking for Molly, wanting to make sure she stayed safely out of the room. She didn't need to see her father.

Jim walked over to Blair, who was still standing in the same spot, seemingly oblivious to the confusion going on around him.

This wasn't like Blair. Normally he would have been off comforting the children by now. He was one of the most compassionate people Jim had ever known. But here he was standing as if in shock.

"Sandburg, you okay?" Jim asked, looking at Blair's face.

Blair stared off into space, not noticing Jim talking to him.

Jim reached a hand over and touched Blair's shoulder. "Blair." He said, shaking gently. He wondered if this was what he looked like when he zoned.

Blair finally came to awareness and looked over at Jim. "Jim." He said, his voice a mere whisper. "I feel strange"

Suddenly his eyes rolled back in his head and his body dropped bonelessly to the floor. Jim managed to catch him just before he hit and gently eased him down.

"What's wrong with Sandburg?" Simon asked, walking over closer. "Was he hit?"

PART 2

Simon kneeled down on the other side of Blair and started looking for any sign that the kid had been shot.

Jim had already looked and smelled for any sign of blood and didn't find any. "He wasn't hit, sir. It's something else."

Jim pulled the beak off and started pulling the turkey suit away from Blair's face.

"Help me get this suit off." Jim said, working at loosening the suit. "I think he's just passed out from the heat."

They pulled the suit down away from his upper body, then carried him into the living room and layed him on the couch, propping his head with pillows.

The patrol officers had arrived and taken Mr.Carlson away, so Maggie gathered the children in the dining room and allowed them to begin eating, while the detectives were occupied in the living room. She didn't want the kids getting any more upset than they already were.

Jim pulled the turkey suit and tights off of Blair.

"Get me some wet towels." Jim asked Rafe and Brown.

Within a few minutes, they had Blair's legs and chest covered with cool wet towels and Jim was wiping his face gently with a cold rag.

It wasn't long before Blair stirred.

"Blair." Jim called.

Blair moaned and slowly pried an eye open, quickly shutting it back tight.

"Blair, come on, I need you to wake up now." Jim said, patting him gently on the cheek.

"Go 'way." Blair mumbled. "sleep." He tried to roll over but Jim held him still and prodded him again to wake up. He needed to make sure he was going to be okay now that they had cooled him down. He didn't relish the idea of a hospital trip on a holiday, but if he couldn't be sure that his partner was okay, they'd be headed there in a few moments.

"Blair, come on buddy." Jim urged. "If you don't wake up and tell me you're okay, I'm taking you to the hospital."

'That should get him.' Simon thought, knowing how much Sandburg hated hospital visits.

"Blair, son, we need you to wake up now." Simon said, using his authoritative Captain's voice.

Blair stirred again, rubbing his eyes, and opened them, looking around him. Four faces stared down at him. Right next to him, of course, was Jim, and standing behind him were Simon, Rafe and Brown.

"Blair, you okay?" Brown asked.

Blair blinked the fuzziness out of his eyes and moved to try to sit up. Dizzyness overcame him and he plopped back down.

"I'm okay." He said. "What happened?"

"You passed out." Jim said. "What do you remember?"

Blair thought about it. "Some guy came in with a gun. I felt too sleepy to pay much attention. I was hot." He looked down, noticing for the first time that he was no longer in the turkey suit, but laying in only his boxer shorts on the couch in the living room. The wet towels on his chest and legs were no longer cold but they felt good.

"You just got overheated in that suit and finally passed out." Jim said, handing him the wet rag. "Here, put this on your head and lie still for awhile. You'll be okay."

Blair took the rag and folded it over his forehead.

Simon herded Rafe and brown out of the room, figuring Blair didn't need them all standing around looking at him. Now that they knew he'd be okay, they should go have some dinner and help Maggie with the kids.

Jim sat quietly by Blair's side, thinking how easily this could have gone bad. Another close call. There had been too damn many of them. Why did it seem like Sandburg walked around in a battle zone half the time. He was just grateful that none of those gunshots had hit Sandburg or any of the kids. It occurred to him then, that this was the appropriate day to be thankful and he took a moment to be thankful that Blair was alive and would be okay. He was pulled out of his thoughts by a sound from the couch. His partner was calling him.

"Hey Jim, man, are you with me?" Blair was calling, looking a little alarmed.

Jim smiled, reaching a hand out to touch Blair's shoulder. "I'm here."

"I thought you had zoned. I've been calling you." Blair said.

"What do you need, partner?" Jim asked.

Blair smiled, handing him the rag. "I need you to help me up. There's a Thanksgiving dinner going on in the other room and I'm starved."

Jim laughed, taking Blair's arm and helping him to sit up, then stand. Blair wavered only for a second, then took a deep breath and started for the dining room.

Jim stood still, looking after him for a moment, before calling to him. "Sandburg."

Blair turned, surprised to see Jim still standing there. "What?"

"Aren't you forgetting something there, Chief?" Jim asked, unsuccessfully suppressing a giggle.

"What?" Blair started to ask, then realizing he was about to walk out into a room full of kids wearing only his underwear.

"Oh, yeah." He said, grinning sheepishly. " I guess I'd better go get dressed, huh?"

Jim nodded, walking past him and heading for the dining room. "If you hurry, maybe there'll even be some turkey left."

Blair looked after him. "I think I could actually do without the turkey this year, Jim."

The End