Disclaimer: The Sentinel and its characters are property of Pet Fly Productions.

Thanks go to my best friend Denise who while shopping in Sam's Club managed to help with the story. For her encouragement and friendship, I will be forever grateful. To Paula, for her writer's thoughts and comments, that are always welcomed and treasured. Although sometimes blatantly ignored. Without her assistance, I would have never attempted another story. And to my friend Dr. Shelly for her medical advise.

Rating/warning: This story is rated R for violence.

Category: Drama

Summary: It's all Blair's fault this time.

Vacation
Part One
by Robin from Florida

It was pitch black outside and Andy was hopelessly lost. A few hours ago she had taken a wrong turn, and now after several more turns, was driving down a road that didn't look well traveled. "First, you have to delay your vacation for two days and now you don't know where the hell you are! Great!" Her reproach was interrupted when the vehicle started to rock sharply back and forth. Dishes in the overhead compartments shifted from their secured places. The sound of glass breaking confirmed that the road had gotten too rough for her RV. "Damn. I think you've gone as far as you can on this road." She slowed the motor home and started a lumbering three-point turn when her headlights fell upon dark skid marks that veered directly into a twisted guardrail.

Instinctively Andy checked her cell phone. 'Out of range' blinked merrily at her, like it had for the last two hours. "This just keeps getting better and better." Stopping the RV, she set the emergency brake, grabbed her flashlight and coat, and jumped down from the cab. She shined the light down the steep embankment and found a vehicle at the bottom. "Please don't let anyone be in there. Please. Please," she silently prayed as she carefully made her way down to the vehicle.

Her prayers were not answered, she discovered, when her flashlight shone in the driver's side window of an old blue pickup truck. She carefully reached in through the broken driver's side window and touched the cold skin, pulling away at the clammy feel. Taking a deep breath she reached in again to check for a pulse. She smiled slightly when she felt a steady beat under her fingertips. A quick scan, with the flashlight, around the interior of the cab, revealed that he was alone with only a duffel bag for company.

She carefully opened the door while holding his body in place. As the door swung open, she got her first full view of the man behind the wheel and knew she was in trouble. "Geez you're a big guy." She carefully leaned him back and reached around him to unbuckle his seatbelt. Andy made a quick inventory of the man's injuries.

The unconscious man had cuts on the left side of his face from the broken window and a deep cut on his forehead. His left pant leg was torn and bloody but the bleeding had stopped. "Thank God it's cold out here." Maybe too cold. How long have you been out here? She wondered.

She scrambled back up the hill and got the comforter-bedspread off her bed and went into one of the outside compartments to retrieve a rope. "Hope this works."

With all the strength the slender woman had, she managed to get the man out of the truck and onto the comforter. She wrapped the comforter around him, then tied the rope securely around his upper body. As an after thought, she reached back into the cab and grabbed his duffel bag. Somebody will only steal it, she thought. Tying the duffel bag to the end of the rope, she started up the hill letting the rope out behind her. "Please let this work," she prayed. Andy threaded the rope around one of the legs of the twisted guardrail then headed to the bumper of her RV. Quickly tying the rope to the bumper, she climbed into the driver's seat. Putting the RV in reverse, she pressed the accelerator ever so lightly. The RV inched its way up the road until she saw the edge of the comforter. She stopped the truck, set the brake and hopped down. After checking to make sure he wouldn't slide back down, she unhooked the rope and got back in the RV, maneuvering the truck's side door within a few feet of the man.

With the help of the rope, comforter and all the strength she had left she managed to get him in the RV. Andy had no strength left to try to get him on the bed so she made him as comfortable as she could on the floor. Probably wouldn't fit on the bed anyway, she smiled looking down at the large bundle taking up most of the floor of the RV.

Stepping over him, Andy went to the back of the motor home to the bathroom area and grabbed the first aid kit and a couple of extra blankets. She then began to work on cleaning the cuts on his face. She opened his shirt to check for other injuries and found his right side was a mass of bruises from the seatbelt. Seeing that his injuries were more extensive than she initially thought, she carefully wrapped him back up and got into the driver's seat and started down the hill.

***

A loud moan came from the back of the RV. Then the rustle of the comforter being shifted. "Oh. My head." The injured man moaned trying to sit up.

"Please. Stay still. I'm taking you to a hospital," Andy called from the driver's seat. She was fiddling with her rear view mirror so she could see him better and missed the blue sign with the white "H" pointing to the next exit. He continued to struggle so she pulled over.

"I can't see." He tried again to rise, but only managed to turn slightly.

"You're going to hurt yourself if you keep moving around like that," she cautioned, crawling over the hump between the two front seats. She could see that his hand was shakily holding his head and his eyes were tightly shut. "Please lay back. You're safe. You're going to be okay," she soothed, pressing him back to the floor. When her hand touched him he grabbed for it and held it tightly. Although it startled her she didn't try to pull away. "Just relax. Breathe slowly." The woman started to stroke his forehead mindful of the bandage.

The sentinel used all his concentration to get past the pounding in his head and felt her warm touch and soothing voice and tried to dial down the pain.

"That's it breathe in through your nose then let it out through you mouth." Andy saw the man trying. "There you go," she encouraged.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Andy, Andrea. What's yours?"

His mind was groggy and dull with pain. After a long silence she asked. "Do you know who you are?"

"Jim."

"Ok, Jim." She smiled at his simple answer. "Did you say you're having trouble with your sight?"

"Yes." The Sentinel opened his eyes and tried to focus but all he could see were blurry shapes and shadows. He groaned when he tried to shift his body.

"Maybe you should keep them shut until I can get you to a hospital? Do you think I need to bandage them? Do they hurt? Oh. Geez. Does anything else hurt?" She gushed, starting to panic because she might have missed an important injury.

"No. No. They don't hurt. Nothing else hurts," he lied calmly. "Maybe you should breathe slowly?" He sent a small smile in her general direction as he repeated her early instructions.

The sentinel knew she had caught the smile when he heard her chuckle. The woman squeezed his hand and tried to gently tuck the blankets back around him. "I will if you will."

"It's a deal," he said softly as his senses came back on-line. First, his sense of touch. Her hands were soft and caring and they felt warm and reassuring. He could hear a generator running and the slight hiss of heat coming from a vent at his feet. His sense of smell kicked in and he picked up her very soft scent, that even to a sentinel was not over powering. He could also smell a light sweaty smell. It must have been a struggle to get me in here, he surmised. His sight was still not working but he knew she was a beautiful woman, if not in body then definitely in her soul.

"Where am I?"

I wish I knew, she thought, but said, "you're in my RV. I found you off the side of the road."

"My truck?"

"I'm sorry, it looked pretty bad," she stated softly, quickly adding when she saw his face sadden, "but I'm not a mechanic. I really don't know."

"Oh."

"I wish I could drive with only one hand but this thing is too big for that, and I really need to get you to a doctor?" He instantly tightened his grip. "It's okay, Jim," she smoothed. "I'm only going about two feet."

Jim fought the urge to hang on, realizing she was right. He eased his grip, then let go. She smiled and tucked his arm under the blankets. She rose slowly while giving the blind man a reassuring, pat on the shoulder.

Not a big talker, but knowing her patient only had his hearing for comfort she slipped in an easy listening CD and started to sing-along. He smiled when he realized what she was doing. She was a lousy singer but he allowed her voice to wash over him. It helped calm him so he could relax enough to sleep.

***

"Hey, Simon." Blair bounced over to the captain's car, where Simon was packing the last of the groceries into an overstuffed cooler in his trunk.

"You're late as usual, Sandburg." The Captain scorned. He looked up just as the anthropologist carelessly flung his backpack into the small space beside the cooler.

"Sandburg that doesn't go there, go put it in the back seat."

"All right. All right." The young man held up one hand in a surrendering motion. "Here, hold this." The young man handed the captain a box while he pulled his backpack out of the trunk.

"What the hell is this?" Banks questioned. Dirt shook out of the bottom of the box as it was thrust into his hands.

"It's the reason I'm late. It was part of the shipment I was cataloguing. It's really strange."

The police captain interrupted, knowing this was going to be a long story and wasn't really in the mood for it. "Sandburg we're late and I don't want to hear about some shipment. I want to get to the cabin and relax. This chit-chat is cutting into my fishing time and there are only three days. So give it a rest and get in the car." Simon punctuated his speech by shoving the box into the tiny space next to the cooler and slamming the trunk.

"Okay, okay. Geez man, are you going to be grumpy all the way to the cabin or what?" He questioned getting into the passenger side.

"Or what."

"Oh man, it's so going to be a long ride," the young man grumbled as he put his seatbelt on.

***

Andy pulled up to the emergency entrance. "Jim? Are you awake?"

"Yes," came a sleepy reply.

"Jim, I'm going to get some help. I'll be right back. Okay?"

He nodded carefully.

She hopped down from the cab and quickly came back with two burly orderlies pushing a gurney. The orderlies came out of the side door carrying Jim. They carefully placed him on the gurney. As soon as he sensed Andy was near he extended his hand. She gladly took it, knowing how disorienting it was for the man who suddenly couldn't see. She walked beside the gurney as they took him to an examining room.

"You can't go in there," a big nurse commanded.

Andy knew she wouldn't be going any further so she called to Jim, trying to reassure him. "Jim, I'll be right here. I won't leave you here alone. I promise."

Although her heartbeat was different then Sandburg's he let his senses lock on to her, needing the comfort.

***

"Simon, where's Jim's truck?" Blair questioned not really expecting an answer, but hoping for one just the same.

"I don't know, it doesn't look like he got here?"

Barely waiting for Simon to finish his sentence, he reached into the backseat and got his cell phone out of his backpack and started dialing. After several rings he held the phone away from his ear so the recorded message "The number you have dialed is not available at this time," could be heard by Simon. "Simon?"

Seeing the panic starting to build in the young observer, Banks quickly decided on a course of action. "Let's go back to town and see if he stopped on the way maybe he just has car trouble.

Or just plain trouble. Blair thought unwilling to say it out loud.

***

After several hours and a whole battery of tests, Jim was resting in a hospital bed. He knew she was coming before the soft knock on the door.

Peeking in, she whispered, "hey, Jim. You awake?"

"Yes." He was surprised at how relaxed he became with her arrival.

Andy took in the sight of the man in front of her. He had been cleaned up and his beauty was quiet apparent even through the layers of gauze and the scratches on his face and neck. "How are you? What did they say about your eyes?" She reached his side and he extended his hand in her general direction. She took his hand after she dropped his duffel bag on the floor.

"There was no damage to the eyes themselves. But I do have a concussion.

"Do they know how long the blindness will last?" She asked carefully.

"You know doctors. They won't say anything except be patient."

Hearing the worry in his voice and feeling him tighten his hold on her, Andy quickly changed the subject. "How 'bout the rest of you?" She asked, taking in the sight of the man in front of her.

"My knee's pretty banged up, but it's not broken. I have a couple of cracked ribs, but they'll heal. The doctor says I'll be sore for a while. But there's no permanent damage." The sleepy patient gave a great yawn to finish his medical report.

"Well maybe I should let you get some sleep?" She turned to leave.

"Please?" The blind man tightened his grip on her hand, unwilling to let her go. "I know I've caused you a lot of trouble but could you stay just a little longer?" He didn't care how it sounded, he just didn't want her to get away. He wanted a chance to see her. Jim was amazed at how important it was becoming that he get to know this stranger better. A woman, alone, would risk saving a man she didn't know and then care enough to check on him. She promised she wouldn't leave him alone. And she had kept her promise. He had to find out more about this remarkable woman.

Looking at the blind man, she said, "All right. Let me get a chair." Jim wouldn't let go of her hand so she had to drag the chair over with her foot. While Andy got herself settled in the chair using one hand, she asked him a question she hadn't thought to ask before. "Jim is there someone I can call for you? Someone who would be worried about you?" When she didn't get an answer she looked up and found him sound asleep.

***

Blair was frantic. The trip back into town had found nothing. Jim hadn't stopped nor had there been any signs of his truck. Blair was pacing in Simon's office. Simon had had three hours of this and had finally reached his limit. "Sandburg either sit down or get out of my office," he barked. When he saw the young man flinch and sag into one of the chairs he softened a little. "Blair, I'm just as worried about Jim as you are, but please. We have an APB out on him and his truck, it will turn up something." He hoped.

"But Simon...," his comment was interrupted when Rafe threw opened the captain's office door.

"They found Jim's truck. It was run off the road. Range Road, off of highway 26."

"What about Jim?" Blair shouted as he jumped out of the chair.

"He wasn't in it." He looked down not able to face Blair with what he had to say next.

Simon was around his desk and stood next to Blair. "What did they find, Rafe?" Simon asked carefully.

"Blood and a starred windshield." He mumbled, still not looking up.

"Blood? Jim's blood? Oh, God." Blair shuddered.

Simon guided the young man back into the chair and knelt down in front of him.

"Blair, don't do this. Getting upset is not going to help us find Jim. He wasn't in the truck. He probably got out, or someone found him."

Blair nodded, unconvinced.

"Come on, Sandburg. Let's go get Jim's truck," Simon suggested trying anything to get the kid's mind, and his, off the worst.

***

Ellison woke to the sun's rays warming him. He slowly opened his eyes, then squinted them against the brightness. Adjusting his senses, he tried again. Slowly his eyes began to focus. Seeing his large hand holding a softer, smaller one he started to remember.

Simon, Blair and Jim were going to Simon's cabin for a long weekend of fishing and no police or school work. Simon had some paperwork to finish off and Blair was doing something at the University. So it was decided that Jim would go ahead of them and get the cabin ready. He liked the idea of having some time to himself even if it meant that he would have to chop wood while doing it. He smiled as he thought. At least they weren't following him uninvited, like the last time he tried to be alone.

The smile quickly vanished as he remembered what happened next. He had gotten about half way to the cabin when a big brown van came out of nowhere and had tried to run him off the road. After several minutes of evasion the van got the better of his truck and forced him off the road. That was all he remembered until he woke up in a van of some kind, probably an RV the way things were rattling above his head, with this woman taking care of him.

The detective's eyes traveled up her arm, to her torso that was stretched from the chair to the bed, ending with long brown hair next to his hip. She slept like that all night? He chastised himself for being so selfish. Jim let go of her hand and raised it towards her head.

As soon as he let go of her hand she woke, thinking something was wrong. She groaned as her back let her know its feeling about sleeping in a chair all night.

"Good morning," he greeted as he viewed the sleepy face of the woman that had rescued him. Andy was in her late thirties and had beautiful blue eyes that twinkled as she smiled at him. Her outer beauty matched her inner beauty perfectly. Jim was glad he finally was able to see the woman that had saved him. He reached out and touched her face, letting his sight catch up to his other senses that already knew her so well.

"Morning. Hey, you can see me." She stated excitedly, when she realized Jim had touched her face without poking her in the eye.

"Yes I can." He gave her his best smile.

"Let me get a doctor."

Before he could say another word she was gone.

***

Blair and Simon were in the hospital parking lot. "Blair this is the closest hospital. It doesn't mean he has to be here. There are other hospitals. We should check the others too." Simon had his hand on the younger man's shoulder, trying to comfort him.

He shook his head. "No they would have taken him to the closest hospital unless he had no use for one."

"Sandburg. That attitude is not helpful, besides you know better then that," Banks scolded. "Get in the car we're going back to the cabin to see if Jim made it there?"

Blair saw the way the Captain was chewing nervously on his cigar and knew he was just as worried. The young man decided he didn't want to deal with an upset and ticked off Captain, so he quietly complied.

***

Jim had managed to get his jeans on but was having trouble getting the shirt around him; the tape around his ribs was making it impossible. He was still struggling when Andy entered the room.

"So they're letting you out?" Seeing his predicament, she started to help. Andy held the sleeve out so he could get his arm through. She was going to button the front but stopped to take in the very nice chest in front of her. The young woman blushed and let go of his shirt. Looking away from the beauty in front of her, she cleared her throat. "Do you want me to give you a ride home?"

"I was hoping you would?" Jim smiled at the obvious change of subject and finished buttoning his shirt.

A nurse entered pushing a wheelchair. "I'm sorry, hospital rules." Jim hobbled over to the chair and gently sat.

"Oh wait." He started for his duffel bag. But the arm of the wheelchair caught his ribs perfectly and all he could do was grunt to hide the cry of pain he wanted to release.

"Don't worry, I've got it." Andy zipped up his bag and threw it over her shoulder. "Let me go get Bessie."

"Bessie?" The sentinel questioned.

"Yes, Bessie, my RV, the one that dragged your butt up that hill." A fine butt it is too, she thought, smiling sweetly.

***

Jim refused to take any medicine and his head was pounding, which made him lose his struggle with Andy on whether or not he should sit up front or lay down in back. After much cajoling Andy got the stubborn man to lie down. Andy got in the driver's seat and asked over her shoulder, "Uh, Jim is there someone we should call and let them know you're okay?"

***

Blair unlocked the door and stepped inside. He was tired and frustrated. Almost twenty-four hours and nothing. No ransom, no reasons why. He and Simon had gone through Jim's cases with no leads as to what could have happened to him.

So intent on going straight to bed he missed the small bundle under the afghan on the couch. As he reached the kitchen he heard it.

"Chief. Is that you?"

"Jim?" He whispered in disbelief as he sprinted for the stairs to Jim's room.

When Blair got to the top he found his partner propped up on his elbows. The young man quickly crossed the room, sat on the side of the bed, and wrapped his arms around his missing friend. "I can't believe you're alive. You're all right. Oh man."

Jim let out a small grunt when his ribs were squeezed, but returned the embrace with equal enthusiasm, using one arm to hold them upright. "Chief. I'm hardly all right, but yes I'm alive. Thanks to the lady downstairs."

Blair's mind was racing. All the anxiety of the last twenty-four hours was turning into blessed relief as he held his best friend. But the relief was quickly replaced by rage at being left to think the worst; that his partner might be lying dead on the side of the road somewhere and that he was not there to help him.

"What lady?" He pulled away.

"Andy. She's downstairs."

Blair turned and was down the stairs in a flash.

Andy was wiping the sleep out of her eyes, after waking to men's voices in the loft above, when a short man suddenly loomed over her. She gave him an awkward smile. The smile faded as it seamed to make him angrier.

"How could you? How could you not call me and let me know he was all right. That he was alive and would be all right." He shouted at the startled woman. She rose quickly from the couch and back towards the door, trying to get away from the man with the flailing arms and all the hair. "What kind of sadist would deliberately not call his partner and let him know he was all right." Her back hit the door as he continued his rage. "Didn't you think to take him to a doctor? Why didn't you at least take him to a hospital?"

"Sandburg! Stop that right now." Ellison roared from the top of the stairs.

Hearing Jim's booming voice and having the hysterical person screaming at her, she took the momentary silence to slip out the door and head for the stairs, at a run.

"Andy! Wait! Sandburg. What the hell are you doing." Jim started down the stairs but his knee gave out and he managed to fall backwards and land on his rear. "Sandburg go after her."

"I will not. You're hurt," he said going to his friend.

"She saved me."

"So. She could have called Simon or me. Instead she made us sick with worry."

"Stop it." Jim pushed him aside and continued down the stairs. He hobbled to the door and listened to Bessie's engine grow faint. His shoulders sagged and he carefully changed direction and went to the answering machine.

"Jim, go back to bed. You need to rest."

"Sandburg," Ellison growled pressing the blinking message button. A woman's voice came over the machine.

"Mr. Sandburg. My name is Andrea. I found your friend Jim. He's all right." She added quickly. "He had to spend the night at the hospital but we're on our way home now. I'm sorry I didn't call you sooner but I didn't get a chance to get your number. Please don't worry, he's okay. I promise. We'll be home..."

Blair reached over and pushed the stop button. He couldn't hear anymore. "Oh my God, what have I done? I'll go get her." He rose, from the kitchen chair he had sagged into.

"It's too late Chief. She's gone."

"We can get her back Jim, what's her name, where does she live?"

"Her name is Andy, Andrea."

"And?"

Jim rubbed his forehead, mindful of the bandage, trying anything to stop the throbbing in his head. "And I don't know. I wasn't exactly in a position to ask her her life history. I was busy recovering."

"Oh Jim, I feel terrible."

"How do you think I feel. I need to lie down." Blair tried to help but Jim refused.

"Jim, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I thought....I thought you were dead." The sentinel heard the fear and grief in his voice and could see weariness in his partner's face. He placed his arm around his young friend's shoulder and let him help him back up the stairs.

***

"Andy, if this is you, I couldn't wait any longer. I'm sorry but something came up and I'll be out of town for about a two weeks. Sorry I missed you. It would be so much easier if you lived on this coast. Talk to you later. Oh, if this isn't Andy leave a message. Bye."

She pushed the off button on the phone. "I hate answering machines." Andy pulled off at the next rest stop. When she pulled into a parking space away from the other cars and campers, she was crying. Andy crawled over the hump and got a beer out of the refrigerator. "That's just great! Just friggin' great. I come all this way and something came up? You knew he would stand you up. You get your hopes up for nothing." She screamed at herself as she took a long drink from the beer. "And then you have to go butting into someone else's business. You know that no good deed shall go unpunished. Well there you have it! Happy now?" She finished the beer and threw the beer bottle into the shower with all the force she could muster. She slumped onto the bed and finished crying.

***

Simon knocked on the door to the loft. Blair slowly opened the door. "Come in Simon."

Simon was confused by the dejected look to the young man in front of him. "Where is he?"

"I'm up here." Jim called from the top of the stairs. "Simon we have to find her. She's driving an older model Winnibago, with the name Bessie on the passenger side."

"Hold on a minute. What is going on?" He watched his best detective hobble down the stairs. "Jim, maybe you should go to the hospital and get checked out?"

"I already did that. I'm fine, Simon, really." Simon helped him into a kitchen chair while Sandburg got the coffee.

"What happened?" The captain asked, accepting a coffee mug from Sandburg.

"Thanks, Chief." The sentinel noticed how quite his guide was as he sat across from the Captain. "All I remember is being run off the road by a brown paneled van. I didn't get a tag. I was too busy trying to avoid it. I didn't do such a good job as you can tell from the mess my truck is in." He smiled briefly as he remembered Andy's description of his truck and the way she tried to make him feel better. She didn't even know him.

"Jim?" The captain prompted, gently touching his arm.

"We have to find her, Captain. We have to."

"Find who?" The captain looked at Jim then to the very quite grad student.

"Andy, Andrea. She's the one that found me and got me to the hospital."

"No last name? Just Andrea?" The captain questioned.

"I'm sorry Simon. I wasn't thinking clearly. I was too busy worrying if I would ever see again. We have to find her."

"You were blind?" Sandburg questioned, rising from his seat unable to face any more.

"Yes, but it was gone by morning." The sentinel tried to lighten the implications. "It was only temporary. I'm fine now, Chief."

"I think I need something stronger." The guide went to the stove to put the kettle on.

"What is going on between you two? Sandburg you should be glad Jim's home safe."

"I am Captain. I am." He turned to watch the kettle boil.

Simon looked to Ellison for answers. "Well?" He prodded.

He looked at his guide's back and started softly. "She brought me home. Sandburg missed the message on the answering machine and overreacted." He bowed his head, remembering the last time he saw her. The frightened look on her face as she fled. "We have to find her, Simon. I didn't get a chance to thank her." He looked up from his coffee and Simon was surprised by the sadness in his friend's face.

***

The sun was just starting to go down when there was a knock on the door.

"Yes?"

"Cascade PD"

She opened the door and was immediately dragged out of the camper. A tall skinny man held her by the arms, while an older, chubby man slipped into the motor home looking for something. He came out quickly and turned his attention to their captive. "Where is Ellison? What did you do with him?"

She wasn't sure who Ellison was. 'Oh great they must want him?' "Jim?"

A fisted blow caught her in the face, splitting her lip.

"Where is he?" The man in front of her screamed.

"I took him home." The man punched her again this time in the ribs. Her knees buckled but the man behind her held her up.

"Where is home?"

The guy holding her, tighten his grip and spoke. "Don't worry Murray he lives on Prospect."

"Why?" She gasped trying to get air back in her lungs.

"We want the Professor and Ellison's in the way." Murray sneered.

Andy thought they would let her go, now that they knew where he was. She was wrong. The man holding her started dragging her towards a large brown van. She was concentrating on keeping herself upright when her captors spotted a police cruiser coming their way. The skinny man panicked and let go of her arms just long enough to give her a hard shove. The momentum of the shove and her weakened knees sent her sprawling over a small hedge and down an embankment. A big bush broke her fall when she hit the bottom, but it effectively hid the unconscious woman. The two men quickly got into their van and drove away.

The policemen in the cruiser were busy discovering the missing Winnibago, with the name Bessie on the passenger side; they thought nothing of the van exiting the rest stop.

***

"I didn't get a chance to say good bye." Jim spoke sadly into his cup of coffee.

"Jim, I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

Hearing the sadness in his guide's voice, Jim looked up and gave his partner's arm a reassuring pat. "It's okay Chief, we'll find her.

The sadness never left the sentinel's eyes. The Captain had never seen his detective so upset. What had happened? Who was this woman? Simon was distracted from his thoughts when his pocket started to ring. "Banks," he listened.

So did the sentinel. Jim got up, heading for the door and his coat.

"Yeah got it. Be there in ten." Simon closed the phone and stood. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Simon, we have to find her. I need to find her." He tried to put his coat on too quickly and groaned. Blair was at his side and gently helped him. "Thanks Chief. You coming?"

"Sure Jim, I want to apologize."

***

Simon had barely stopped the car, when Jim got out and scanned the area. Even in the growing darkness, the sentinel knew, if she were close he would be able to find her. Letting his hearing find her heartbeat, the heartbeat that had kept him calm in the hospital, he slowly turned and found the missing heartbeat

It was about a hundred yards from the motor home. The tall detective hobbled over to the hedge and using his sentinel sight spotted the unconscious woman under some bushes. He gingerly stepped over the bushes and slowly made his way down the embankment. Jim's knee would not allow him to kneel down so he carefully sat next to the bush. He gently pulled her out from under the branches and turning her over pulled her into his lap. Even without his heightened senses he could feel how cold she was without a coat, he started to unbutton his coat when Blair reached down and touched his hand.

"Jim, let me." He took off his coat. Jim saw the sorrow in his guide's face as he gently wrapped the coat around the small woman. The gesture from his always-cold friend was heart warming.

As the warm material touched her skin, her eyes snapped open. Seeing the man with the hair in front of her again she tried to get away. "Please. No. I didn't..." The rest of her apology was cut short by a moan when her movements to escape caused her battered body to protest.

"Sandburg," Simon put a hand on the observer's shoulder.

Sandburg rose and let the Captain stoop in front of the frightened woman. Banks took a moment to study the woman in his detective's arms. She was smaller than he had imagined. How the hell did she get him up that hill and into her RV? Why would she? "Miss? We need to get you to a hospital. Can you make it?" Banks knew she would not be able to but thought giving her the option would be for the best. She had her arms wrapped around her middle and her eyes were squeezed shut against the pain. Her lip was bleeding and she had several scrapes on her face from the bush she landed in. "Miss?" He tried to get her attention by gently touching her shoulder. She jerked from his touch, letting out a small cry at the movement.

"Andy. It's Jim can you hear me?" Jim was carefully cradling her against his chest while gently rubbing her arm.

"Jim?" She stirred in his arms. "Jim?"

"I'm right here. You're safe," he cooed.

She opened her eyes to find a big black man kneeling in front of her. She started to back away from him and found a strange softness at her back.

"It's all right. He's a friend," the sentinel assured her.

"I'm Simon Banks. I'm here to help you." He gave her one of his best smiles. She relaxed a bit at the gentle smile on the handsome man. "Miss, we need to get you to a hospital. Let me help you." He stood and went to her side and knelt again. She watched him intently. He slid his arm under her legs. Then moved to slide his arm between them. She started to panic.

Jim felt her tense and tried to comfort her. "Shh. It's all right he's trying to help. I can't lift you with my ribs taped. I can barely get a shirt on, remember?" His voice smiled at the memory of the woman blushing. He felt her relax a bit and released his hold on her. Simon lifted her with ease.

She moaned loudly as she was lifted.

"Sorry. We'll get you to the hospital as soon as possible." He stopped talking to concentrate on getting his bundle to safety.

Behind him, Blair helped Jim to his feet. Jim put his arm around Blair's shoulders after seeing the way they sagged with guilt and cold. He knew what Blair was feeling and tried to comfort him in the only way he knew how, through touch.

"It's my fault, Jim, if I hadn't frightened her out of the loft they wouldn't have hurt her."

"It's going to be all right. We found her. She's going to be fine."

As they reached to top of the embankment, the sentinel saw the figure in his captain's arms go limp. The detective called to his captain, urgency in his voice. "Simon put her in the camper. It's warm in there, there's a bed."

***

Pulling away from the curb, Bessie swayed slightly. The movement caused the unconscious woman to gasp awake. "Jim?"

"Right here. You're going to be okay. We're on our way to the hospital." A slight squeeze on her hand accompanied the calm voice.

"No Jim, the men, they wanted something." Her free hand slowly rose to hold her aching head. "They wanted to know where you were." She let out a moan when she felt the damage to her face. "Jim?"

"Shh, be still. I'm right here."

"Jim. They wanted you..." Her voice trailed off as her eyes closed against the tears. "Jim. I didn't tell them, they already knew." Her eyes opened wide with panic.

"Knew what?" The captain asked softly.

Her gaze followed the voice to come to rest on the handsome black man at the foot of her bed. "They knew where he lived." She turned back to "Jim they wanted you out of the way." Her strength ebbed and her eyes closed again.

"Andy? Did they tell you why they wanted me out of the way? Andy?"

With her eyes still closed she slowly nodded. Her voice barely a whisper. "They wanted the Professor?" Her strength was depleted and the warmth of the RV blanketed her in sleep.

"What? What did she say." Blair called from the driver's seat.

"Nothing Chief. She passed out." Jim looked at his boss. Simon had heard. He'd heard everything.

What could a grad student be involved with that would make someone risk taking out a police officer? Simon wondered.

***

"She's quite a lady." Simon commented as he handed his detective a cup of coffee.

"Yes sir, she is," Jim agreed with a wide yawn.

Banks noticed his friend's appearance for the first time. "Jim, maybe you should go home and get some rest. You look beat."

"Not until I know she's all right." He yawned again. "She stayed with me, it's the least I can do for her. After all, getting involved with me got her into this."

"She's not going to be alone. I'll stay with her," Banks offered. "Jim you're exhausted. You can't protect Sandburg if you're exhausted. Go on, I'll stay with her." Seeing that his officer wasn't moving, he continued. "I can make it an order, Detective."

Jim knew he would not win this argument and knew his captain was right. He was exhausted and was still recovering from his injuries.

Blair had been pacing back and forth in the waiting area, mumbling under his breath.

"Sandburg, would you stop that and take your partner home. We have a patrol car outside waiting.

The sentinel slowly rose and hobbled towards the exit. "Simon. Tell her," he paused looking for the words, "tell her."

"I will, Jim. I will." The captain smiled knowingly.

"Chief, you coming?"

"Right behind you, big guy."

***

The young woman woke in the hospital, when the nurse touched her wrist to get her pulse.

"Where am I?" She questioned drowsily.

"You're in the hospital," the nurse smiled.

"Jim?"

"Jim?" The nurse questioned.

"Is Jim here?"

"No I'm sorry there isn't anyone here." The nurse stated sadly. She hated it when a patient woke up confused and there were no loved ones around to comfort them. "But I'm here with you." She added hopefully, giving the young woman her best smile.

"Am I badly broken? Everything seams to hurt."

"No, you're going to be fine. You just got banged up a bit." The nurse gently pushed the hair away from her forehead. "Just rest. You'll feel better in the morning."

"Thanks." Andy slurred as she fell into a peaceful sleep.

***

Continue on to Part Two...