Email address: Sonia316@mindspring.com <mailto:Sonia316@mindspring.com>

"You never have to ask Jim, I have always loved you and will love you for the rest of my life.

Dr. Robinson finished the last of his project, putting enough water on the floor in the darkened room so no one would notice. No one ever turned on the lights when they came in here to get hospital equipment. Now all he had to do was wait, nurse Silvia was working in the ER again today and she would have to come in here and get the setup for the operation. He exited the room making sure no one saw him.

"Nurse Silvia could you go and get the EKG machine out of the cardiac room?"

"Sure Dr. Sampson, I'll be right back." She walked into the cardiac area without turning on the lights, she never knew that the machine was on or that she was standing in a small puddle of water, she grabbed both of the clamps and was instantly consumed by intensifying pain. The electric currents swam through her body cutting off her power to scream, to move and finally making her heart stop.

****

"Oh my God, nurse Silvia. Someone call Dr. Robinson, tell him that we have an emergency on our hands...."

Dr. Robinson tried not to smile as he assisted the other staff in trying to revive the now dead nurse Silvia.

BULL PEN:

"Ellison, Sandburg my office now." Familiar bellow.

"What did I do?" Jim and Blair said together and cringed when Simon called for them again.

"Yes Sir?" said meekly.

"Have a seat gentlemen, I have two important things to talk to you about. The first thing is you, Jim."

"Me, Captain?"

"Yes, Sandburg has told me that you have been getting sick in the mornings and has also assured me that it isn't from any of his gourmet meals that he's been preparing, are you all right? Do you need to go home and take some sick time?"

Jim looked at Blair then back to Simon and answered. "I'm fine Simon, Blair's just overreacting, it's nothing serious."

"If you say so, but at the first hint that something is really wrong you go home without argument is that clear?"

"Crystal"

"Good, now on to business, Mrs. Silvia Raymond was found dead this morning at Cascade General Hospital, it was ruled as an accident but I want you to go and check it out just in case, something smells fishy."

"Um Sir, that's Sandburg's new dish that he made, it has...."

"Shut up Jim."

"Enough you two, off to the hospital with you both."

THE HOSPITAL:

"I'm Dectective Ellison and this is my partner Blair Sandburg can you tell me exactly what happened to Mrs. Raymond."

"Yes, she was sent into the cardiac room to get the EKG machine when a weird noise came from the room, when we went to check she was, she was...."

"Okay I got enough info thanks."

While Jim talked to the doctors he snuck off to talk to Dr. Robinson, Jim's usual doctor. "Can I talk to you for a moment Dr. Robinson?"

"Yes sure, it's just horrible what happened to nurse Silvia."

"Yeah I know but what I wanted to talk to you about was my partner Jim, he's been throwing up and having achy joints when he wakes up in the mornings, he says it's nothing but I'm worried about him."

"Is that so?"

Blair sighed in content as Jim snuggled in his lap. "You promised me that you would go to the hospital tomorrow, you haven't stopped throwing up."

"I know Chief, I will."

"Really? Your giving in that easy?"

"Sorry Chief but my mind is someplace else, I can't stop thinking about the nurse, I don't think that it was an accident, but I just don't know how to prove that there was any foul play involved."

"Don't focus so hard and something will come to you Jim, but right now why don't we just lay back and relax?"

"That sounds like a great idea Chief, I love it when you hold me like this."

"Is that all you want me to do?"

"Make love to me, Chief, nice and slow so I can feel you, know you're there?"

"Of course, love, anything that you want", Blair said as he kissed Jim's ear and then made a move to disengage himself from Jim so that he could get into a better position.

"No, like this please, I wanna feel your arms around me and my back against your chest, please?"

"Sure, my sweet Jim, anything that you want."

Blair slowly prepared Jim to take him, making sure that he was thoroughly stretched, he would never hurt his love in any way. When he was satisfied that it was safe he eased into Jim slowly, gently, nuzzling his lover's neck and murmuring words of love and foreverness.

"Jim, you have to help me, I can't move in and out like this."

"Don't, I like the way this feels, just push up. Ahh yeah that's nice just like that."

The rest of the evening ran together in a mix of touches, kisses and soft words of love until they both fell into a gentle sleep. Blair vowed that he would protect his panther forever.

Blair worked his way through the mist until he could see the great spirit clearly. "Why am I here? What do you want, you keep calling me in my dreams but I don't understand what you want."

The great spirit pointed to a spot behind him. Blair turned to see a patch of mist clear and a black panther sitting in it's spot.

"Okay so what does that mean?"

"You are the wolf, the leader of the pack, responsible for keeping the pack safe, the panther is strong, but he must guard the entire tribe, and needs someone to guard him, you are that person. Are you willing to except that challenge?"

"Yes I'm willing to do anything to protect my panther."

"Ahhhh, but it's not just your panther you must protect". Blair glanced over at the black panther, it lifted up one of it's paws and revealed a small gray kitten, rolling around in the grass, trying to pounce the panther's tail. The panther picked up the kit by the back of its neck and brought it to lie in the middle of its front paws. It instantly rolled onto its back and tried to claw the panther's nose as the panther gave it a tongue bath. The panther licked the soft fur of the kit's stomach, making sure that the energetic kit was clean. The panther than settled down and wrapped itself around the kit, snuggling it in close, preparing to go to sleep, but the kit tried to struggle out of it's grasp, and the panther growled irritably. Accepting defeat the kit settled down to go to sleep.

Blair watched the beautiful vision as panther and kit slept, and he swore that he would protect them with his very life.

Blair awoke and laid his head on Jim's stomach wishing that he had Jim's Sentinel abilities and he could hear even if it was a trick of his mind another heartbeat. When he didn't he settled down into a disappointed sleep, he awoke again to find himself alone in bed, he looked around until he noticed Jim's bare body standing at the window staring out into the common dawn. Blair wrapped his arms around his lover from behind and rubbed soothing circles on his stomach.

"If I didn't know any better Chief, I'd think you were trying to feel me up."

"Maybe I am Jim. Come on we have an early appointment with Dr. Robinson this morning.

Jim and Blair sat patiently in the waiting room. Jim sat in one corner reading the newspaper and Blair paced back and forth on the white tiled floor.

"Why don't you have a seat, Chief, you have been agitated all morning," Jim said not looking up from the newspaper.

"I'm not agitated, Jim, I just want to be here when the doctor sees you. I wonder what's taking him so long?" Blair said glancing around the deserted waiting room.

"Go to the bullpen, Chief, I'll be all right, it's just a normal little check up," Jim said grinning, his lover worried over him so much, but it also showed the big man how much he cared for him.

"Okay, Jim, but you'll call me if the doctor comes up with anything right?"

"Yes, mom," Jim teased.

"Jim..."

"I will, I will."

Blair headed for the exit as the doctor emerged from a patient's room carrying a clip board. "Ahhhhhh, Mr. Ellison, your here. Great I'll see you now. Are you staying Mr. Sandburg?" 'Please say no,' the doctor thought. 'I don't need the risk of having to dispose of two bodies.'

"No, I have to go do some important paperwork now, so I'll see you later Jim."

"All right, Blair, I'll catch you at home."

'If you are who I think you are, you won't make it.' The doctor thought dangerously.

PART 6

Jim tuned out the elevator music that was playing all throughout the hospital and tried to ignore the cool air of the room against his naked skin. He watched as the doctor readied a needle. "What's that for?" Jim asked as he fidgeted on the examining table.

"Oh, I just need to run some additional test and this is just something that will help me."

"Okay," Jim said as he held out his arm and let the doctor inject the yellow fluid into his bloodstream.

The doctor had to put a steadying hand on the other man's shoulder as his eyes visibly dialated and he slouched to his side. "Dizzy?"

"Yeah, what did you give me?" Jim said grogily.

The doctor didn't need to reply as his patient slumped back onto the table and passed out. He quickly set to work on using the straps on the bed to secure the older man then he opened the door and peeped out into the hallway, he was glad that it was early in the morning and most of the doctors were having their morning cup of coffee. The doctor quickly wheeled Jim out of the room and into an empty private room that only he knew about. He then went back to the nurse's station and covered his tracks. "Can you make a follow up appointment for that man. " He said as he pointed at the back of a dark headed figure that was leaving the building.

"Oh, yes, a follow up appointment for Mr. Ellison, did he give you a time or would you like me to call him?"

"In four weeks at two o'clock." The doctor said offhandedly as he started walking back down the hall. He secured the door behind him, making sure no one else could get in or out unless he opened it. He had already prepared a table with all the tools that he would need. Scissors, saw, needles, gloves and a gun.

Jim woke up with an aching head, and it took him a moment to realize that he was bound and naked on an examing table. He groaned as he felt the cold surface of a stethoscope slide over his stomach.

'Yes this is the one that I want.' The doctor sighed with relief as his final diagnosis came out positive.

"What are you doing to me?" The voice came out small and pained.

"I'm just going to take back what you took from me." The doctor said as he picked up another syringe filled with clear liquid and injected it inside Jim's stomach.

"I don't understand," Jim said as he passed out again.

PART 7

Blair sat at his and Jim's desk at the bullpen, humming a tune to himself and trying to finish the pile of paperwork that he was working on. He suddenly became very tired and slumped over the desk, asleep instantly.

Blair found himself wandering a path that lead to a clear pool and a water fall. The scene was beautiful, rich green grass surrounded the area. His panther laying by the edge. The panther looked up at him with blue eyes filled with pain. It tried to stand and make its way towards him but it collapsed back down onto the grass.

Blair started running towards his panther but was blocked by some invisible wall. "No!", he screamed as he banged on the wall. He could do nothing but watch as the panther tried to stand again. Then he saw something that made his heart split into two, the panthers legs were coated with blood and it was running freely into the pool, mixing with the clear liquid. "No!", he banged the wall again harder, hurting his hands but really not caring. He had to get to his panther.

The panther finally found the strength to walk towards him and did it in slow careful steps, leaving behind a little gray kit. Blair stilled his pounding when he saw the kit, it lay still in the grass and didn't try to get up, nor did it move. The panther mewled hoarsely as it turned and looked at the kit. It limped back over to it and nuzzled the kit's neck and still it didn't move.

A hyena circled the pair and Blair could only watch as it stalked his lover and the kit. "NO! God please don't let this happen, please let me help them, I'm supposed to protect them."

"That is right Shaman, you are their protector," the great spirit said.

"So why can't I help them?", Blair said frustrated that he couldn't get past the invisible barrier.

"Look," the spirit said pointing towards the panther again.

Blair looked again and watched as the hyena morphed into....into, no it couldn't be, into Dr. Robinson.

Blair woke with a start, sweat pouring from his face. He could see the wolf standing in the hallway by the elevator waiting for him. He understood what he had to do.

"Sandburg you all right?," Simon said as he put his hand to Blair's sweaty forehead? "Huh?, what are you doing?"

"We have to go save Jim and the kit," Blair said as he grabbed Simon's arm and dragged him towards the stairs."

"I don't understand Blair, Jim and the kit?"

"I can't explain now Simon we just got to get to the hospital, Jim's in trouble."

"No Blair," Simon said as he stopped them both in the parking garage. "You tell me what's going on now."

"There's no time Simon, some wacko doctor is hurting Jim," Blair said, pulling Simon towards his car.

"And how do you know that?", Simon stopped again.

"I had a dream Simon."

"This is all about a dream Sandburg?"

"Please Simon? I need your help, please help me."

Simon could see the tears and the pain well up in the young man's eyes. "All right Blair lets go." Blair had him in his car, and the engine going in under two minutes.

"Please we have to save Jim."

PART 8

The doctor picked up another needle from the tray and injected the anesthetic into Jim's stomach, he didn't need the patient screaming from pain while he did the operation. He looked down at the other man who stared up at him with disoriented blue eyes, searching frantically around the room.

"Shhhhhh," the doctor soothed, running his hands through Jim's hair. "It will be over soon, then no more pain I promise. You know I'm sorry that you had to be brought into this. But you can't go against the men I work for, they'll end your life and won't even bat an eye. They don't do a half assed job either, they'll kill my whole family and probably all my friends just to make sure that nothing got out. You're just an accident." The Doctor gave Jim a weak smile and then picked up a scalpel from the tray.

"No, no, no.......", the words came out slurred as Jim tried frantically to free himself from the examining table, but all he could do was thrash his head from side to side.

"Hold still, you don't want to make this anymore painful then it has to be," the doctor said as he made his first incision into Jim's stomach.

************************************************

The wolf ran straight into the hospital before the car could even stop and Blair was right behind him, but when Blair turned a corner he lost sight of the wolf.

"No come back, where are you?"

"Excuse me Sir, can I help you?", the nurse behind the desk asked him.

Blair looked at the sign behind her which read "Adult Clinic", he then looked past her and saw his spirit animal waiting for him, willing him to follow. He made his move to go around her desk but the nurse stopped him. "You can't go in there Sir, do you have an appointment?"

"Get out of my way."

"I'm sorry, but I can't allow you to go in there."

"Move or I'll go through you!", Blair said dangerously.

"Sir....."

Seeing Blair's anger rising Simon spoke up. "Ma'am I'm Captain Simon Banks of the Cascade P.D and we desparetly need to get in there and check on one of my detectives, a Jim Ellison."

"I'm sorry Captain but Mr. Ellison has already left and he even made a follow up appointment."

"Your lying, he's still here."

"No, I watched him leave."

"Blair," Simon said, putting a comforting hand on the young man's shaking shoulder. "Maybe she's right, we should just go back to the station. Jim's bound to turn up sooner or later."

"Simon, there's no harm in letting me look, just let me see for myself, please."

"All right go, I'll hold the nurse off."

Blair went straight past the nurse without a backward glance, the wolf waiting for him. It growled at him when he started to move towards it so he stopped and looked for another way to go. He put his hand on several doors until the wolf agreed with him when he came to a small, dark corner of the hallway.

"What? I don't understand what your telling me, but there's no door here, I can feel Jim close but I don't know where he is," Blair said, pulling his hair frustrated.

The wolf shook his head from side to side then butted Blair's behind, pushing him towards the wall.

"He's in there?"

The wolf howled.

"But I don't see a door."

The wolf howled again.

Blair put his hands to the wall and began to feel all over it. He was almost ready to give up again when his hand hit something small and hollow. "Simon!!"

"What is it Blair?"

"He's in here, I know it but you have to help me."

"What? How do you know that, this is just a wall."

Blair grabbed Simon's hand and placed it on the wall. "Feel that, it's a door but I don't know how to open it."

Simon took out his gun and grabbed the barrel of it. He took the butt of the gun and started to bang on the hollow spot. "Don't worry Blair, we'll get to him."

***************************************

His patient had passed out on him in under the first five minutes of the procedure. It seemed that everything was going well for him until he heard someone at his private door. 'Impossible, no one should have known about the room other then him.'

Jim awoke and started to groan, feeling the pain deep inside, feeling like he lost his soul.

***********************************************

"I just can't open the door Blair," Simon said as he pulled on the little notch he had found in the wall.

Blair looked at the wolf, silently asking him for more help, but instead of the wolf coming to their rescue, it morphed into the great spirit from Blair's dreams. It raised a glowing hand and touched the notch.. Instantly the door that was hidden in the wall appeared and opened, then the spirit disappeared.

"Did you see that?" Simon asked, amazed at the vision he just saw. "Nevermind, don't say anything Blair, we'll talk about these little visions later, after we get Jim."

Blair let Simon go ahead of him since he had the gun, but when they both got into the room they saw nothing put a cold damp room, a tray with various bloody tools on it and an unconcious Jim tied down to a table. Blair rushed to his Sentinel side and quickly unstrapped him. "Oh god Simon, all this blood is his, he's bleeding badly."

Simon clenched his teeth and turned his head away from the ghastly sight of his detective. "Shit, what the hell was going on here?"

PART 9

Blair walked into Jim's room just off of the emergency ward, feeling guilty about ignoring his premonition. He peeked into the room, not sure if he could face his mate, but when he entered Jim looked at him with a sleepy, pouty expression and he forgot everything.

"Baby?", Blair gently spoke, "are you okay?"

Jim just motioned for Blair to join him on the bed. Moving at lightspeed Blair made it to the bedside and carefully climbed in and cuddled his lover.

A nurse came in at the moment and tried to glare Blair out of the bed, but it was useless his baby wanted to be cuddled and cuddled he would be.

Jim cuddled up to Blair's chest and fell asleep with one arm around Blair's waist holding him tight. The nurse was still glaring at the couple from across the room but was virtually ignored. The only thing that Blair was paying attention to was his mate. When the nurse approached them, Blair actually growled at her. "Leave him alone", he said. The nurse backed up a little bit, she could tell that Blair was just trying to protect her patient, but he had to have his vitals checked and he had to be monitered.

The nurse walked out of the room and went to get the doctor. "Dr. Luca I can't work like this, I can't even get near the patient."

"Calm down, Lucy, I'll go see what's up with our new patient," the doctor said softly, his voice warm and deep. He got up from behind his desk and followed Lucy to Jim's room. "So how's my patient today?"

Then the nurse spoke up, "Sir you have to get out of the bed so Dr. Luca can look at the patient."

Blair growled at the nurse again, not wanting to leave Jim's side.

"It's all right, Lucy, Mr. Sandburg is fine where his is."

"He is?" the nurse seemed shocked.

"Yes, if you'll excuse us, I have something to discuss privately with my patient."

Lucy stormed out of the room, the door would have slammed but the air pressure closure wouldn't allow it to.

Jim snuggled closer to Blair and Blair pulled the blanket around his shoulders, then looked at the doctor with a jaundice eye. He wasn't trusting Jim's safety to anyone.

"I only want to take some blood and urine samples from him, if you'll let me that is. I want to make sure that he has no infections, the knife wound wasn't very deep but it's better to be safe than sorry. You understand, don't you, Mr. Sandburg? If everything checks out I'll release him in a couple of days," The sincerity was clear in Dr. Luca's voice.

"Okay, only you though, I won't have him hurt anymore." Blair's eyes blazed with anger and then the fire was banked, but Dr. Luca shivered. He had heard that Mr. Sandburg was the one that was the most reasonable, but apparently he had heard wrong.

He watched as the other man gently rubbed the arm of his patient, speaking softly so he wouldn't startle him. "Babe, the doctor needs to check you out."

"Noo, don't want to, tell him to go away." Jim sleepy whined.

"I can't, baby, we just want to make sure you're okay. Let Dr. Luca check you out."

It took a little more coaxing to get Jim to let the doctor to take the samples he wanted.

"Do I have to leave?" Blair asked.

"No, he needs you here and it looks like you need him. Both of you get some sleep, I'm going to run these tests. Your Captain has assured me that there will be two armed guards outside your door. I will be back later on to check on you two."

Jim and Blair snuggled together, wrapped tightly around each other. "It's all right Jim," Blair said softly, running his hand gently through the older man's hair, "We're going to get through this together."

PART 10

Dr. Oliver Luca had run and rerun the test for the twentieth time that day, but there was no denying it any longer. His patient, Jim Ellison, was pregnant. He had discovered it accidentally when he first sent the test to the lab and had accidentally checked the box for blood and urine to also be tested for pregnancy. This had to be some sort of error or joke. So he went to run the test himself and found out it was true. This was hard for him to comprehend let alone explain it to the patient and his patient's significant other.

'Thank God I had him moved,' Oliver thought. Because of security reasons Jim had to be moved. It seemed that Mr. Ellison was a very popular man in Cascade for solving some major crimes, plus being kidnapped and injured was like fodder for the newshounds. Oliver had moved his patient to obstetrics, believing that the reporters would never think to look there.

Oliver approached Jim's room on unsteady feet, rehearsing his speech. When he reached the door, he felt a spike of fear go through him, but he would not be swayed. They had to be told. He nodded at the guards and knocked once on the door. He found them in bed, Jim had his head on Blair's chest and was complaining that he could hear the mother's in the other room telling their "horror" stories about giving birth. Jim was shuddering and Blair was giving him comfort by cuddling him close and whispering loving and hopefully soothing words in his ear. Blair looked up when Oliver walked into the room. He started to smile in greeting but when he saw the worried look on the doctor's face he stopped. "What is it, what's wrong?" He was instantly alarmed.

Oliver started stammering, not knowing what to really say. "Umm, ahhhhhhhh, I ddon't don't know how to to, ahhhhh ssay this but if if I had to come out and sssay it. Jim's... Jim's pregnant."

Oliver scanned his two patients waiting for some sort of reaction. He didn't have to wait long.

Jim burst out laughing, derision clear in his tone. "Doc, what kind of drugs have you been taken? I'M A MAN, I Can't Get Pregnant!"

Blair lay silently on the bed, his face wrinkling with deep thought. Then his face split into a wide grin.

"Don't sit there Blair, tell him that he's wrong, tell them that this is crazy, isn't it? Why do you have that smug look on your face?" Jim's voice rose and rose. "Blair you can't, you don... no way I'm not....", he couldn't quite get the words out anymore. He blushed furiously as he stuttered, this couldn't be real, couldn't be.

"My Kit," Blair sighed happily as he laid his head on Jim's stomach and stroked Jim's belly button. He started humming some sweet melody that Jim couldn't quite make out.

"Chief, Chief," Jim started shaking Blair. "I'm not pregnant, I can't be." Jim was getting really upset as he watch his partner lay there and smile. "Nooo I won't believe this."

"Shhhhh." Blair stared at Jim with glassy eyes. Jim felt his stomach sink.

"Noooooooo."

END PART 10