Disclaimer: Standard

Warning: AU story, follow-up to Left Behind and A Sense of Peace.

Rated: ?PG-13 or R Language, violence.

Field Duty 

by 

Elaine P

Jim strode down the crowded hallway of the hospital; his step was purposeful, yet light, a slight smile gracing his face. 

As he passed injured soldiers in wheelchairs, on crutches or those on gurneys being moved, he sent up a quick thanks that the student he and his unit had rescued was improving so quickly. It was strange that he still felt so protective toward the young man; Jim had not felt that way toward anyone except his younger brother. 

The smile spread into a full-fledged grin as he remembered the kid arguing with his doctor that the heavy cast could and should be removed from his injured leg and replaced with a lightweight, but rigid, metal splint. 

Sandburg had complained about the weight of the cast, the itching as his leg mended and how hot his leg always seemed to be inside the thick cast what with the hot, humid weather.


Once the cast was removed, Sandburg had spent a good ten minutes scratching the irritated skin, only stopping when the splint was being applied. 

The look on Sandburg's face while scratching had been a cross between euphoria and pain. 

After the splint was on Dr. Capalad had spent a good half-hour reading the headstrong young man his version of the riot act. It boiled down to the face that there would be no walking even with crutches for at least one week; the leg would be elevated and twice a day he would cooperate with the nurse and therapist; Sandburg would take all his medications on time and without complaint and would no longer try to convince his nurses that herbal remedies could replace anything his doctor had deemed necessary to his recovery. 

Sandburg had conceded his agreement after several long minutes of silence, puppy dog eyes failing to crack the doctor's stern facade. Jim had watched the verbal and silent dueling, silently applauding Capalad's strength of will. I would've cracked if the kid had turned those pitiful big blue eyes on me. Bet half the nurses on his ward have been out looking for the herbs he was asking for. 

Jim cautiously extended his hearing, knowing that one voice would act like a soothing balm on his frayed senses. He had rushed own his hospital release, anxious to get back out into the field and locate the village where Sandburg had been taken prisoner. 

He continued to focus, seeking, searching through all the noise of the hospital during the day, smiling when he heard the kid's voice. 

The smile faded as he noted the strident tone, "Look man, I don't do drugs, don't want to do drugs and I sure as heck don't want you giving me anything. Who are you guys anyway? Where's my doctor? NO!! Don't do this man! Please! I got this thing about needles, like a phobia or a real intense dislike! No! Ah! Please...." Ellison raced toward Sandburg's room, a low growl rumbling in his throat. 

Joan Stadler fought against the man holding her, watching in dismay as the needle plunged relentlessly into the vein just below Blair's left elbow. 

Three men held him down on the bed, but the kid was still bucking, twisting, fighting to get free. The man, who had claimed to be a doctor assigned to Sandburg while Dr. Capalad was off for the day, slowly injected the clear liquid. 

What could only be described as a roar suddenly filled the small room and the pseudo doctor found himself flying backwards to crash into the wall. The men holding Sandburg down on the bed found themselves looking down the very big, very black barrel of a very immense, very pissed off Ranger's .9mm. Joan managed to free her right arm and sunk her elbow into her guard's midriff. The man doubled over as she brought her knee up into his face, noting with satisfaction that the nasal cartilage crunched loudly.

Sandburg rolled off the bed away from his attackers, landing awkwardly on the floor next to Jim. A hiss of pain escaped gritted teeth as his injured leg was caught under him, hot bolts of pain shooting up from the abused ankle.

 Keeping an eye on the three men, Jim bent and gripped a thin shoulder. "Stay down Chief. Joan, check him out then call for the MP's." 

Joan hurried to her patient's side, grabbing a pillow to elevate Blair's ankle. She spotted the syringe the fake doctor had dropped and handed it to Ellison.

"I don't know what's in it, but it looks like they only gave him a couple of cc's." 

Jim glanced at the syringe, then fixed his furious icy glare at the three men; all were sweating, but not from the heat or the exertion of holding down the young man. They knew they had to remain perfectly still; movement, any movement, even a flinch, meant certain death. 

The scream of rage the Lieutenant had let loose when he barreled into the room had frozen them, but the murderous look on his face was enough to stop even the most foolhardy from challenging him. Jim waited as Joan checked Sandburg quickly, then nodded for her to get assistance.

 The fourth man had stayed on his knees, cradling his face in his hands, trying to stem the flow of blood. Joan stopped long enough to hand him some gauze pads, "you're getting blood all over my patient's room.". 

Jim listened as Blair's breathing eased and his heart rate calmed to almost normal. 

He was worried about the stuff they had pumped into the kid's bloodstream. "What is in this?" 

No one spoke. "If you don't tell me, I'll shoot the rest of this into one of you and we'll see what happens after that."

 They looked nervously at each other, but no information was forthcoming. "Okay, we'll do it the hard way then."

 His lips curled into a feral grin, "Time's up gentlemen. And reinforcements are here." 

Simon and Joel marched into the room; Simon scowled at the nervous three and pointed his unlit cigar at them as Joel made his way to Sandburg's side, "What are these idiots up to Jim? 

Joan gave us the gist of what's been going on. And is this the goon who was manhandling her?"

 This last directed at the man on the floor still gingerly holding pressure on his nose.

 "Sir, I arrived to find these three holding Sandburg down, while sleepy back there was injecting him with whatever is in this syringe. No one seems to want to tell me what's in it, so I propose to inject one of these fine men and see what happens."

 Simon pulled out his revolver and aimed it at the unfortunates. 

Jim crouched down to check on Sandburg who was propped up against Joel's chest. 

A loopy grin met his questioning gaze and when he looked at Joel, found the big man trying his best to remain calm. "Heya Jim. Man oh man, don' know wha tha guy gave me, but isss sure a trip. Waaayyyy cool man."

 The kid tipped his head back further, "Whoa! Head russ here! Hey Joel, whenid you get here? Hey Jim, Joelssss here." 

The smile faded as blue eyes looked back to Jim. "Wha's goin' on man? Why'm I on the floor?" 

Eyelids fluttered then slowly slid down. 

The slight body slipped down, Joel's arms coming around to brace the kid. "I don't know what 'that guy' gave you Chief, but I'm sure as hell gonna find out and right now!"

Joan came back to find Ellison with a man shoved against the wall, arm across his throat and needle poised at the visibly throbbing vein. 

Lieutenant! You can't do this. You don't know what's in that!" 

She started toward him only to find herself blocked by Simon's free arm.

"You're right Joan," Simon said softly, "but unless somebody starts talking, that man is going to feel the same effects as Sandburg. Do I make myself perfectly clear?" 

The two still looking down the barrel of Simon's gun nodded quickly, the man Jim was holding, blinked rapidly. Jim eased up on the man's throat and asked, "One last time, what's in this?" 

The man swallowed rapidly then wet his lips, "It's heroin mixed with truth serum." 

"What!!! Are you insane!??" Joan pushed past Simon and got in the man's face. "That could be lethal if you don't know what you're doing. Is that man really a doctor?"

 The man looked from the furious nurse to the face of the Lieutenant with murder in his eyes.

 Joan raced from the room; "I'm going to find a doctor right now. You get Blair back in bed and I'll be back as soon I can." 

Simon found himself straightening as she barked the orders at them, then shook his head in wonder. Damn woman! Thinks she's a general or something way she orders people around. Come to think of it, maybe this man's army would be better off if more women were in charge. 

Shaking off his wayward thoughts, Simon moved to help Joel, but found he wasn't fast enough. Ellison had dropped his captive and rushed around to lift Sandburg back onto the bed, his movement's gentle and comforting.

 Simon turned, "Alright you two, join your buddy over there on the floor and keep your hands on your heads."

 Simon noted the other already on the floor was breathing a bit better, rubbing his bruised throat gingerly. He turned and gestured with his gun, "A broken nose does not prevent one from walking. Get your butt over here with your buddies. NOW!!"

 Simon chuckled at the alacrity shown by the injured man. He stepped back and took a quick look at the 'doctor' who was still out. Jim's gotta watch his temper. Guy might be a long time waking up.

Jim had dismissed the others knowing Simon and Joel would take care of them until the MP's arrived. Right now he was more than a little worried about Sandburg.

 The kid's pulse rate was down to 60 and his respirations were shallow. He efficiently hooked the young man up to the IV, his medic training kicking in. He adjusted the drip and looked impatiently to the door, wondering where the hell the doctor was.

 His blue eyes tracked to the four men sitting on the floor and locked on the one he had threatened with the syringe. "Who sent you and why?" His voice was deadly quiet.

 He waited while watching the man think about his options, which were slim to none at this point. 

The man's eyes darted to Jim's left hand that again held the syringe. "I....I...." the man began gulping air like a fish out of water.

"Who sent you?" The Ranger roared and started toward the shaking man. He was so intent on his victim that he was oblivious to the arriving MP's

. "You have about 10 seconds before I snap your neck and ask one of your buddies here." The voice was once again soft and low, but so intense that the temperature in the room seemed to rise causing sweat to flow freely down the man's face.

 "Sgt. Frank Andersen, serial #4492816." The voice broke at the end and Ellison could smell the fear coming off the man in waves.

 "Rank and serial number, huh? Well, Sgt. Frank Andersen, lemme tell you a little know fact. That's only good to mark your grave right now. Who sent you?"

 One of the other men shouted, "for god's sake Frank tells him! Or he's gonna kill us all! Jesus Lieutenant, we was just following the Colonel's orders.."

 Ellison swung his icy blue gaze on the youngest of the men and waited. "I don't know why they wanted the kid, but we was ordered to give him the injection and bring him back to HQ. Honest! That's all I know."

 Ellison smiled and it wasn't a smile intended to make one feel all warm and fuzzy; this was the smile of a predator before ripping the throat out of it's prey.

 The young man gulped and began silently reciting a prayer from childhood.

 "Colonel? What's this Colonel's name?" 

There was no hesitation. "Colonel Oliver. We were sent by Colonel Oliver." 

Jim straightened and turned to Simon and the MP's.

 Simon nodded and ordered, "Arrest these three for assault on a civilian. That one assaulted an Army Nurse and assaulted a civilian. Get his nose checked and get him out of here. The unconscious one is to be checked by a doctor and arrested for impersonating an Army Doctor and attempted murder of a civilian." 

A gurney was brought in for the 'doctor' and the others were led out in handcuffs. 

Joel and Simon watched silently as the orders were swiftly carried out. Joan returned with a doctor who immediately ordered everyone out while he checked on a now unconscious Sandburg. 

Jim stood by the door and monitored the exam

 Two hours later he was relieved to hear the doctor announce, "okay, he's out of the woods. Good job everybody."

 Ellison slid to the floor, legs too rubbery to hold him upright

 Joan came out and lowered herself next to him. "By the way, Lieutenant, good job with the IV. Made our job a bit easier. Thanks."

 Jim waved a hand in dismissal. "I think all the thanks belong to you ma'am. If you hadn't been suspicious of the 'new doctor' Sandburg might be dead by now. Your intuition and interference saved him." 

He stuck out his right hand and gravely shook hers. 

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





Blair was getting tired of waking up totally disoriented and feeling like he'd been run over by a truck. He could hear voices talking quietly above him, but couldn't quite convince his eyelids to open up and let him see who was there.

 He moved his right hand; at least he thought he did, maybe not, so he tried it again. A large warm hand engulfed his and Blair somehow knew it was the big Ranger Lieutenant. A slight smile tugged at his mouth and he tried to speak, try being the operative word. 

His throat felt as dry as Death Valley mid summer. He felt a hand lift his head a little and a cup was placed against his lips.

 Opening them sent a gentle flow of cool water into his mouth, quenching the burning sands...oh man, gotta quit watching 'Lawrence of Arabia' every time I get the chance. Waaayyyy too many desert references here. 

He managed to croak out a, "Thanks, Jim." 

His head was lowered back to the pillow and a cool damp cloth landed across his forehead. Ummmm. This dude is definitely hired. Wonder how he knew my head is like busting? Before any more questions could run through his busy mind, it finally shut down and he was sound asleep.

"How's he doing Jim? I mean, does the doctor think he's gonna have problems with flashbacks or recurrent trips or anything?" 

Joel had spent quite a bit of his free time at the hospital since the latest attack on the young man. 

"No, no flashbacks or trips Joel. He was given heroin, not LSD, and the heroin was minute in quantity compared to the Sodium Pentathal. And he was very lucky according to the doctors. Seems whoever mixed it up for the kid knew what he was doing and he wasn't in any real danger. But I do know who is behind all this and I will make sure that nothing like this happens to the kid again. I've arranged for him to get a transport back to the States this weekend. And then we're heading in country to try and locate the village where Stoddard and the others were killed. I don't envy the kid. He's going to have a real hard time adjusting to every thing that's happened to him, once it all sinks in."

 Joel shook his head in commiseration. "Does the kid have any family? Someone he can stay with when he gets back to, where did you say he goes to college? Some place in D. C.?" 

Jim chuckled. "Uh, no. Not Washington, D. C. Washington state. And believe it or not, Rainier University is in my hometown, Cascade. If he doesn't have anyone, maybe he could stay with my Father, but that might not be the best idea, come to think of it. One look at the kid's hair and my old man would probably kick him out on the street." 

He looked at Joel, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "First things first. We get him out of Nam and back to the world, then worry about the rest." 

Joel grinned, thumping Jim on the back. "Right. Does the kid know about his impending journey?" 

Jim grinned right back. "Nope. He hasn't woke up long enough for me to tell him. Just hope he wakes up before he's on board the plane." 

A loud snort from the subject of their conversation announced a return to consciousness and they watched sleepy blue eyes slowly take in the surroundings. "Umph." Joel snickered. 

"What was that Chief?" Jim smothered a chuckle. "Didn't quite get that last." 

Blair's eyes focused and he managed to give Jim a dirty look.

 "No fair picking on a guy when he's waking up from being dosed with drugs man." 

Jim's face fell and guilt crept into his eyes. "Oh no, man. I didn't mean for you to take it personal or anything. It's not your fault those guys came in here. Wait a minute. I missed a whole bunch of stuff after that guy injected me with...with. What the hell did he give me? It wasn't like LSD or heroin or something? Was it? Oh god. I've never even touched a joint, but I can tell ya I have gotten high off the fumes. There was this one time I went to this little hole in the wall place in Seattle and man; they had like the coolest guitar player there. He totally blew the crowd away. I have never heard anyone play guitar like that guy. Last name was Hendrix and is he ever gonna go places. And he sings great too!" 

A large hand covered his mouth and he looked up into Jim's grim face.

 "Slow down a minute Chief. You'll hurt yourself one day from oxygen deprivation or something. You need to learn to take a breath once in a while." 

A gentle smile took the sting out of the rebuke.

 "Those guys were sent by none other than Colonel Oliver." 

The startled look on the young man's face told Ellison that Blair had indeed missed a lot that morning.

 "Those guys are all in the brig right now for assault and attempted murder. The injection they gave you, was, well, it was a mixture of a drug referred to as 'truth serum' and a small amount of heroin."

 Blair's face lost all color when he heard that. "Oh god, I'm...they gave me heroin? Am I an addict now? Am I gonna go through withdrawal or something? Oh man!"

Ellison heard the rapid breathing, knew the kid was starting to hyperventilate.

 "Easy Chief. They gave you a minute amount of heroin, not enough to worry about. You don't have to worry about becoming an addict. Or about withdrawal. You've slept through most of the time the doctors figured it would take for it to work out of your system." 

Deep blue eyes studied him closely as Blair's breathing evened out. Seeing the confidence on Jim's face, hearing it in his voice calmed the young man and he relaxed back into his pillow. 

Jim was startled by the trust shining in those blue depths and humbled by the simple fact that the kid would trust him so quickly.

 The two men shared a quiet moment and the strangest thing happened. An anti-establishment, hippie kid who had lost those nearest and dearest to him and a straight-laced, US Army Ranger whose father expected and demanded perfection, found a 'brother'. 

Joel watched them struggle with their discovery; the amazed confusion turning to understanding and acceptance. He quietly left the little room, smiling through his tears. 

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





Blair listened as Jim conferred quietly with the doctors out in the hallway.

 It still amazed him the amount of time the big Ranger had taken to actually stay with him, making sure he was comfortable and cared for.

 He had known Ellison less than two weeks, but realized, admitted to himself he had never felt safer than in his presence. And even stranger Blair seemed to know when the Lieutenant was nearby; didn't need to see or hear him, he could feel him. And that excited, amazed and scared the shit out of him, if he were to be truthful with himself. 

He had never felt that close to anyone, other than Naomi and even that relationship that was so totally different from this. But there was no way he was going to tell Ellison about this, no way! 

The big man probably thought of him as an inept kid, unable to stay out of or get out of trouble and the last thing he wanted Jim to know was how quickly and deeply Blair had come to care for him. Probably take that all wrong! But I do care about the guy; not just because of his enhanced senses which is so cool all by itself, but the man himself. Never had one, but if I could pick my 'big brother' Jim would be my choice. So, just keep quiet and enjoy it while you can. Won't last much longer I guess, never does. 

Jim thanked Dr. Capalad and Dr. Patterson for taking care of the young man he had rescued. 

Dr. Capalad had given him a hand-written list of instructions he expected Sandburg to follow, foremost being 'keep off the ankle'. 

Dr. Patterson had assured Jim that the drugs had completely worked out of Blair's system and there should be no lingering effects to waylay him down the road. Unconsciously monitoring the kid while talking to the doctors Jim was aware when Blair's heart rate shot up and his breathing grew strained.

 He quickly thanked the doctors once more and quietly made his way to Sandburg's side. Blair quickly wiped a hand across his face, sadness tugging down the corners of his mouth even as he tried to smile at Jim. 

"Okay kid, you've got your travel orders and I think Dr. Capalad will follow you all the way back home if you don't follow them to the letter." 

Blair nodded, keeping the smile plastered on his face, heart sinking as he thought about making the long trip back to the states without a soul to talk to, no friendly faces. His heart clenched as he thought again of his mother's death, Dr. Stoddard, the other students, the villagers, Guardian. Guardian!! 

He had actually forgotten about Guardian what with all that had happened. "Jim man, you gotta do me a favor, please?"

Jim studied the pale, thin face, with the incongruously heavy five o'clock shadow, the pleading ocean blue eyes. Feeling himself drawn to the quiet, urgent tone, he nodded, "What is it Chief? Short of asking for the keys to my car back home, that is."

 A real smile appeared on the kid's face, 

"You said your, uh, CO, was sending you to check out the village where my Mo....." the voice broke but then firmed, "where my Mom and Dr. Stoddard, where they died, right?"

 Jim nodded once and Blair continued, 

"When you find it, can you check the area for Guardian? I mean, I think the VC might have been looking for him, because of his enhanced senses. They could use them to their advantage, couldn't they?"

 He waited; growing more worried as Jim remained silent. 

"You might be on to something Chief. If he could alert them to our patrols, we could lose a lot of men and a lot of ground. I hadn't thought much about it before, but what if the brass were to get wind of my, well, these senses of mine? What do you think they'd have me doing?"

Blair's eyes widened impossibly as the implications of Jim's quiet question dawned. Lab rat, for the military? 

Or worse, federal lab rat! Oh god, that cannot happen! 

They'd turn him into an assassin or something worse! 

"Jim, oh man, I didn't think, I mean, I didn't even consider the military, I just knew that I had found, I mean you are everything I'd ever searched for since I first read Burton. No one can find out, you've got to dial everything way down, turn down everything until you get out of here!" 

His voice rose as he spoke, coming up off the bed to grab Jim's upper arms in a bruising grip.

 "I'm sorry if I made trouble for you, I didn't know, didn't think, oh god, oh god, what am I gonna do here...." 

Jim placed a firm hand over the runaway mouth.

 "What did I tell about remembering to breathe Darwin? Now you need to calm down and listen to me. Okay?"

Jim smiled as the young man nodded almost frantically.

 "I've done what you taught me, been practicing with the dials every day and I think I've got a pretty good handle on things now. Only you and Simon know about this senses thing, although Joel, Rafe and H probably suspect something, but I can trust them not to say anything. I think I'll be okay until I'm rotated stateside, which should be right after this mission. So, you just concentrate on getting back to the world and back to college safely. We clear on this?"

 Blair smiled, a hint of color returning to his face.

 "Yeah, clear man, we're clear." 

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





Blair hobbled carefully down the hallway and out the front doors of the hospital.

 He was tempted to take a deep breath of freedom, but the air was so thick with humidity and the smells from the streets, he didn't dare. 

Jim hovered at his side, waiting in case of a misstep or bobble. Blair wasn't too confident of his ability to use the crutches and hated how they hurt under his arms, wondering why the heck there was no padding there. 

He grinned when he saw his transportation to the airstrip arrive. Simon driving, of course, along with Joel, Rafe and H, all grinning like they were responsible for his recovery. 

He tottered down the steps with Jim glued to his side, not trusting his shaky control with the crutches. Rafe and H bounced up the steps, H calling out, 

"Hey Hairboy, didn't the nurses make you take the wheelchair ride outta there?" 

Jim smiled at the nickname, 

"He absolutely refused to be treated 'like an invalid'! Drove the nurses crazy the past two days, didn't you Chief? I think they were begging the doctors to release him no matter what!"

 Blair tried to look affronted, but couldn't bring it off what with the sheepish grin that took over his mobile features.

 Joan came out to say goodbye to her patient, giving him a quick hug. 

Blair grinned as he noticed how she stepped back to stand 'very' close to Simon. And Simon didn't seem to mind at all, if the look on his face was any indication. Jim broke in, 

"Okay Chief, let's get you to that transport and get you home."

Jim squeezed himself into the back seat with Blair and Joel. H rode up front with Simon and Rafe balanced himself precariously on the tailgate. Blair seemed deep in thought, barely responding to lighthearted jibes from H about breaking all the nurses' hearts. Jim watched him closely, wondering what was going on inside the curly head. In a voice pitched so low that only Jim could hear Blair voiced his worry,

 "I should be going with you Jim. You need someone to watch your back who knows about your senses and can keep you from zoning out there. I mean you could be focusing on your hearing or sense of smell and be caught by the enemy or even worse get caught in a zone and if no one can pull you out, you might stop breathing or something for god's sake! I know with my ankle I'll slow you down, but I promise you I'll be able to keep up. I don't eat much and I promise I'll keep quiet and stuff when you tell me to. But I really believe I should go with you. I'm afraid you'll get killed or something and I just couldn't stand that."

 Blair was afraid to look at Jim as he voiced his fears, simply stared at his hands clenched tightly in his lap.

 "Please Jim, please I gotta go with you, keep you safe. You're special man, a Sentinel, you've got to stay alive and I need to go with you."

 Gentle fingers under his chin tilted his head upright then pulled around to look at Jim. Blue eyes that could freeze you with a glance or frighten even the bravest man looked into his, blue eyes warm with thanks and, affection? For me?

 The fingers moved and whapped him lightly on the forehead. Jim's muscular left arm tightened around his shoulders in a quick hug.

 "Thanks Chief, but you and I both know you're in no shape for a trip like we're in for and the brass would never let a civilian, much less a kid, go with us. I promised you I'd be careful and I will. And Simon will be there watching out for me. And I want you out of here away from this godforsaken war. And I promise you I'll look you up when I get back to Cascade." 

Jim kept his arm in place around the thin shoulders the rest of the way. 

He couldn't explain what was happening, but he felt more relaxed, at peace when in close proximity to the young man sitting beside him. No sensory spikes, no headaches and he was able to use his senses to a greater extent than ever before since meeting the bundle of energy next to him. Couldn't explain it, didn't really care to, come to think on it. Whatever weird kind of bond this is, it works and that's what really counts. And he wants to go with us, to protect me! Can you believe this kid? No, this man. He looks so young, acts like a kid at times, but when it counts he does what needs to be done, no questions asked. And what if I had never met him? What would be happening to me right now? Probably be headed toward a section 8 most likely. Don't know who is responsible for this kind of thing happening, but I'm grateful. 

The transport was fueled and ready for take off when they got all the paperwork squared away. Blair had lost all his ID, passport, everything, back in the Laotian village.

 Simon finally tired of the endless bureaucracy and barked out, 

"For cripes sake man! Look at the orders and just get this moving! Hell of a way to win a war! Buried under a ton of blasted paperwork!" 

The Sgt. took one look at the pissed off expression of the tall dark Captain and the paperwork magically fell into place. Soon they were all standing on the tarmac, awkwardly silent, not knowing how to say good-bye to the young man. Joel finally swept Blair into a fierce bear hug, eliciting a startled grunt from the student. 

"You take care of yourself, you hear me?" 

Blair nodded, not trusting his voice at that moment.

 Joel patted his shoulder and stepped back. Rafe was next; 

"You sure made things interesting there for a while Sandburg. We'll look you up, count on it." 

They shook hands and grinned. H had a solemn look on his normally cheerful countenance; 

"it won't be as much fun without you around Hairboy. Can't believe we've only known you a couple of weeks. I'm counting on you to keep the ladies company 'til I gets back, 'kay?" 

Simon watched as his men said farewell, then cleared his throat loudly,

 "Sandburg, you're a royal pain in the ass," 

Blair's eyebrows climbed to his hairline in surprise, 

"and a good man to have around." A blush rose from the kid's collar to said hairline with this. "I'll keep my eye on Jim, don't you worry. And you will take care of yourself, you hear me?"

 Blair nodded, eyes shining with thanks and wonder.

 "Well, that's about it. We'll see you again, right Sandburg? Right men?"

 A chorus of assent sounded and Simon, Joel, H and Rafe marched back to their Jeep. 

Jim looked at the transport, 

"Chief, you've done more for me in a few days than anyone I've ever met. Thank you." 

Swinging his blue gaze to the young man at his side, he noted the shaking shoulders.

 "Oh heck Sandburg. Don't be doing that, come on. You don't want these guys seeing you do this." 

Then he heard the barely audible chuckles. 

"You laughing at me Sandburg? I'll teach you about laughing at a US Army Lieutenant, Ranger type!" 

Agile fingers grabbed very ticklish ribs for a moment and peals of laughter rang out. 

"Cut it out man! How'd you know I was so ticklish anyway? Did you sense something? Can you like feel when someone is....?" 

Jim waved a hand for silence, 

"No, I cannot 'sense' when someone is ticklish Darwin. It just figured you would be. Now, listen to me. You get on this plane and get home and stay safe. I promise I'll find you. If for no other reason than to make sure you have followed doctor's orders like you promised!"

 Blair smiled at him, a smile so warm and brilliant you could warm your fingers with it. Blue eyes shining with trust and a hint of moisture caught his own, then he was being hugged like a giant teddy bear in peril of losing all it's stuffing. 

"I'll wait on you man. Like I promised. And you do what you promised." 

They parted reluctantly and Blair slowly made his way to the transport. Moving awkwardly on his crutches, he made his way to one of the small windows and strapped himself onto the bench. 

The plane powered up and began to taxi ponderously out to the runway. 

Blair waved at the tall, lone figure watching. His chest clenched anxiously, fear for the well being of one Jim Ellison his foremost concern. 

His attention was diverted as a man made his way from the cockpit. 

"You must be Blair Sandburg?" 

Blair nodded.

 "Well, well, well. You don't look like much, but then my information came from a rather unreliable source. You worked with Dr. Stoddard?" 

Blair nodded again, confusion warring with dawning alarm on his face.

 "Well, you'll be happy to know arrangements have been made to reunite you with your original destination here in Southeast Asia. My contact is most anxious to have you return to Laos." 

Blair's heart rate rose as the man continued, 

"forgive me. I haven't introduced myself, Mr. Sandburg. My name is Lee Brackett."

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To be Continued, next story "In Country"