By CherylR

July 2004

Blair Sandburg took a deep breath and let out a little laugh. "God, I can’t believe how nervous I am. You’d think that I’m the one on trial the way I’m acting."

Ellison came up behind his partner and gave him an affectionate bop on the shoulder. "Hey, just one more time and then you’re done. Hang in there Chief. Do you need anything?"

"You mean besides Valium?" Blair muttered as he picked up the phone.

Jim choked on the coffee that he’d been drinking.

Blair glared at Jim then returned to his task with a sigh.

The same pre-recorded female voice came on the line. "It is Friday, July 23, 2004. This message is for jurors in the U.S. District court pool for the month of July. Remember to listen to the entire message before you make any choices…."

Blair took a deep breath and tried to control his rapid pulse. One last time. I can do this.

"…No photo-taking cell phones or photo-taking PDA’s will be allowed in the courthouse. If your name is called you must report to the courthouse no later than 8 am Monday, July 26, 2004. You must bring a photo ID for security purposes. Remember the attire for this court is business casual. That means no shorts, no jeans, no t-shirts and no hats…"

"The report time is at 8 again. These people just can’t seem to make up their minds," Blair grunted in disgust.

The voice continued. "If your name is not listed in this recording then there is no need for you to call back again. Your term of service has been completed. If your name is called, you must report to the courthouse no later than 8am, Monday, July 26, 2004." The woman’s voice finally wound down and he was presented with the same four options to choose from. "If your last name starts with A as in Adam through F as in Frank press one. If…"

This is stupid. I’m not waiting this time. I can always call back if something happens. He took a deep breath and nervously pushed the number four. Man, have I been programmed or what? Normally I don’t have a problem with breaking the rules. Why is it bothering me now?

The same voice came back on the line and said, "You have chosen names that start with S as in Sam through Z as in Zebra. If your name is called you must report to the courthouse no later than 8am Monday, July 26, 2004. Tom Saba. Judy Sam. Al Sanage. Blair Sandburg...

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

Blair tried to ease the chokehold around his neck as the sound of the helicopter got closer. Oh man, how did it all go wrong so fast…

He’d shown up at the courthouse on time Monday morning and waited with the rest of the cattle, er potential jurors in the jury assembly room. Blair had started up a conversation with the woman in the chair next to him. Nice lady, Nancy Bloom, a stay at home mom with four kids. His eyes roamed around the room. Wonder if I can get a paper out of this?

The lawyers for both sides had asked all kinds of questions from the strange to the inane and everything in between. The case was a civil trial. Two former business partners were arguing over who owned the rights and royalties to some action figure.

Blair was selected for the panel early in the process. He and the other eleven jurors and three alternates were hoping for a speedy trial. Unfortunately, the speed seemed stuck on turtle not jack rabbit. They didn’t even get through all the ‘dos and don’ts’, and the ‘what to expect’ before they were dismissed for the day. So much for the hope of it only being a one day trial.

Tuesday started off with a bang. Jim banging on the door as he tried to wake Blair up. He’d forgotten to set his alarm clock. Running late, Blair rushed his shower and nicked himself shaving. He grabbed the bagel and cream cheese his roommate handed him and managed to drop it down the front of his shirt. A few frantic minutes later, he found a clean shirt that would meet the judge’s standards for appropriate dress.

Jim offered to drop his partner off at the courthouse to help him save time. Both men hurried out the door and after they settled into the truck, Jim handed Blair a travel coffee mug full of tea and another bagel. A plain one this time. Blair took a sip of his tea and looked at his partner. "High Energy tea? You know that I’m going to have to sit still in a chair all day long don’t you?"

"Yeah, but I figured you’re already squirmy so they wouldn’t notice and," he mumbled, "this one matches your shirt."

Blair snorted and managed to spill a few drops on himself. He looked down at his shirt and then over at his Sentinel and smiled. "Thanks Big Guy, don’t know what I’d do without you."

Jim just smiled.

With five minutes to spare, Blair reported for day two of jury duty. As Jim started to drive away, he saw a woman running up to Blair. "Blair, Blair," Nancy said frantically, "Joe said that we’re going to be sequestered. What am I going to do?" Jim heard his partner’s pulse speed up. He started to brake and looked around quickly to find a parking place. "Jim," Blair whispered, "go to work. I’ll find out what’s going on and call you. I don’t want Simon to get mad at me ‘cause you’re late." He then turned and gave Nancy a quick hug. "Hey easy Nancy, Joe is one of the jurors too. Let’s find a lawyer and see what’s really going on."

~~~~

"…so it seems that Joe overheard the lawyers for a different trial. They may get sequestered, but we won’t. Our case is only supposed to take a week or two," Blair continued with a sigh.

"Hang in there Chief," Jim said as he tried to reassure his partner. We’ll still be able to talk like this on the phone during your breaks. And you’ll be home at night. It’s only going to be a few weeks, we can do that."

"I know we can," Blair sighed again and rolled his eyes. "I’ve got to go. Break time is over already. Jim, please be careful."

"I will Chief. I promise." Jim said.

~~~~

"I should’ve made him promise me to be careful," Jim muttered as he listened to the SWAT team report back on the scene inside the courthouse.

"Ellison, any word on Sandburg?" Banks asked with concern.

"We know that he’s still inside with the perp. From the witness interviews, it seems that Blair managed to talk the guy into releasing all the women and most of the spectators. Oh, and the bailiff," Jim grunted.

"Jim, it wasn’t the bailiff’s fault. It was a civil trial. How was he to know that the plaintiff was a head case in disguise? Any way, the medics said that the bullet went all the way through and he has a good chance since they were able to get him to the hospital quickly. Sandburg’s a real hero to those people," Banks motioned to the people huddled on the other side of the bus.

"He’s still inside," Jim stated. "Stuck with some head case with a gun. I want a live partner not a dead hero."

~~~~

"Come on man," Blair said nervously. "You said…"

"It doesn’t matter what I said," the man interrupted. "I’m leaving now and you’re coming with me."

Sandburg gasped as he heard the sound of a helicopter getting closer. The gunman grabbed Blair by the arm and started pulling him out the door. Suddenly, the helicopter sound faded and he heard a Scottish sounding voice say, "You. Yes, you. Stand still laddie…" Huh? What's going on?

"Hey Sandburg, get a move on or you’re going to be late for jury duty." Jim called out from the other room.

Blair tried to roll over, but he was tangled up in his bedding. After a few moments of struggle he managed to sit up and blink at his clock radio. "6:03… what day is it?" He stumbled out of bed and saw his roommate in the kitchen fixing breakfast. The radio announcer came on with a blurb as the song ended. "At that was ‘The Happiest Days of Our Lives’ from ‘The Wall’ by Pink Floyd. At this station we play the original and the live version of the song back to back. Stay tuned after the break and we will play songs from the…"

"Jim?"

"It’s Monday Chief. You need to get a move on or you’re going to be late for jury duty. Don’t want to make a bad impression on your first day."

"Oh man. I had the strangest dream…"

And so the saga continues

---

For those of you who don’t know… The song "The Happiest Days of Our Lives" by Pink Floyd starts with the sound of a helicopter getting louder and louder. After the helicopter fades, the lyrics start with… "You. Yes, you. Stand still laddie…"

This song came to mind when I started having this dream of what would/could happen to Blair at the trial. Suddenly I remembered something my husband and his dorm-mates did in college. They put the speakers up next to the window and cranked up the volume. They just played the first part of the song with the helicopter and then shut off the sound. Everyone in the room started laughing at the heads that were popping out of windows all over the quad looking for the helicopter.

Some how that mutated into poor Blair’s dream. What can I say?

Let me know how you liked this one, the next one will be coming soon. Cheryl