The
Vet Series
Part 4
Love
Bites
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Monday afternoon
Detective Jim Ellison glanced at the clock again ignoring the almost silent chortle from his partner, Detective Blair Sandburg. Ellison sighed. He couldn't recall ever wanting his shift to be over quite so badly as he did now.
He glared at his friend at the desk next to him, receiving a grin in return. Blair knew what had him so antsy and was enjoying it far too much. Jim sighed again.
He'd tried calling Dr. Jennifer Watkins at lunch, but her receptionist said she was busy with a patient and unable to get to the phone. Jim had never wished so much for a pet in his life. Then he'd have an excuse to go see the lovely veterinarian in the middle of the day and not have to wait until his shift was over.
Jim looked at the clock again and sighed. Blair lowered his head to his desk, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter. The Sentinel growled at his faithless Guide then grinned a little grin. Surely he could make it through thirty more minutes. He opened the folder on his desk and tried to concentrate.
The phone rang. "Ellison," he said into the receiver.
"Jim?"
"Jenny! I was just thinking about you," Jim said, casting a scathing look at his grinning Guide.
"Really?" Jenny replied hesitantly.
"Well, yeah. I tried to call you at lunch, didn't your receptionist tell you?" Jim asked waving a hand at Sandburg to get himself under control.
"No, but things got a little crazy after lunch. That's what I was calling about…" she trailed off, sounding tired.
"What's wrong, Jen?" Jim asked, suddenly realizing there was a catch in her voice.
"Well, I was wondering if you could pick me up."
Jim sighed in relief. "Sure, you need a ride somewhere, I get off in about thirty minutes, I'll come pick you up."
Silence. "Jenny?"
"Actually, Jim, I need a ride home," she replied in a soft, reticent voice.
Jim listened through the connection for a minute and his heart started to beat faster.
"Jenny, where are you?" he asked alarmed.
Blair sat up straight at the fear in his partner's voice.
A half sob on the line caught at Jim's heart. "I'm… at the hospital. Could you come get me?" Jenny asked, sounding more like a little girl than the competent professional she was.
"I'm leaving right now, don't go anywhere, sweetheart. I'm coming." Jim put down the receiver and grabbed his jacket. He tossed a look at Sandburg who was right beside him, concern written all over his face. "She's at the hospital."
"What happened?" Blair asked following Jim into the elevator.
"I don’t know. She sounded so…" Jim shrugged.
Blair rested his hand on Jim's shoulder. His Sentinel's eyes met his own, full of gratitude.
****
Jim rushed through the emergency room doors followed closely by Sandburg. He looked around, but did not see any signs of Jenny.
"I'll check the desk," Blair said.
Jim nodded, extending his senses to scope out the area. He hadn't known
Jenny long, but he'd already cataloged her voice, her scent and yes, even her heartbeat. He searched for that heartbeat as his
Guide came back and laid a hand on his arm. Jenny!
"They've discharged her, Jim," Blair said, knowing the Sentinel was doing his own search.
"This way, Chief." Ellison took off down the hall, heading for the main lobby. They entered the lobby and saw her sitting forlornly in a chair against the wall.
Jim focused in on the bandages covering both of her forearms. What the hell happened? He crossed the room with his shadow and knelt in front of the woman who had a firm grip on his heart.
"Jen?" he asked, gently lifting her chin with a finger.
Jenny looked into his sky blue eyes so full of concern and caring and couldn't maintain her air of self-reliance any longer. She melted into his arms and gave way to the sobs of anxiety and pain she'd been holding in. Jim held her tightly, murmuring words of comfort as she cried.
He cast a helpless glance at Blair who sat in the chair beside Jenny with one hand on her shoulder rubbing gently. Blair shrugged, his expression suggesting they just wait her out.
They didn't have to wait long. Jenny's sobs quieted and she sat with her head resting on Jim's shoulder for a few more moments, then sat back. Her face was red and splotchy from crying and tears stained her cheeks, but she seemed more in control now.
"I'm sorry. I guess it all just caught up with me," she said softly.
Jim cradled her face and wiped the tears away with his thumbs. "It's all right, sweetheart. It looks like you deserved a good cry," he said nodding at her arms. "What happened?" he shifted his hands as he moved into the other chair beside her and ended up with one on the back of her neck and the other on her knee.
Jenny snorted in self-disgust. "I got too confident. I'm just glad no one else got hurt." She shook her head staring at the bandages. Both hands appeared to be splinted and were wrapped from the palms to her elbows.
"What happened, Jenny?" Blair asked.
She looked up at him and then at Jim and sighed. "One of my patients attacked me."
"What?!" Jim exclaimed.
"I thought you had assistants to help you handle the animals?" Blair asked, trying to curb the over protective Sentinel.
"I do, but this was a very aggressive dog. And big, he just overpowered my technician. We were trying to back out of the room when the tether snapped and I got in the way." She wiggled her fingers a bit as if testing something. "I'm just glad Justin got out of the way." Jenny looked at both men again. "I hope I didn't pull you away from an important case."
"No, don't worry, we were about to head home," Jim said gently kneading the back of her neck.
"Yeah. Jim here couldn't wait for our shift to be over…"
"Junior…" Jim growled.
Blair grinned and seeing he had Jenny's attention continued unconcerned by Jim's glare. "He kept checking the clock. If you had called any later, we probably would have been at your place."
A small grin formed on Jenny's face then she yawned. "I'm sorry. The doctor gave me an injection for pain and I think it's kicking in. He said it might make me sleepy."
"Well, then," Jim said helping her to her feet, "let's get you home."
They walked out to the truck with Jim assisting a very woozy Jenny.
"Let me drive, Jim," Blair offered.
Jim nodded and tossed the keys to the truck at Blair. He lifted Jenny onto the seat careful not to bump her arms and slid in beside her. She was asleep against Jim's chest tucked under his arm before they left the parking lot.
******
They pulled up in front of the West Cascade Animal Clinic and Blair turned off the truck.
"Jen, we're home," Jim said softly touching her cheek. Dark blue eyes blinked up at him, unfocused and exhausted. "Where are your keys?"
She moved to open her purse, but the splints on her hands made the task cumbersome. "In the side pocket," she murmured gesturing with one hand.
Jim opened the purse and quickly found the keys along with two prescription bottles with today's date on the label. One was an antibiotic, the other a pain-killer. "These for your arms?"
"Hm-mm," she replied her eyes closing as she leaned back into Jim.
He smiled and looked at his partner. Blair shrugged with a smile of his own and held out his hand for the keys.
Blair opened the door and led the way back to Jenny's house behind the clinic. Jim followed carrying a groggy veterinarian. Another key unlocked that door and they were met by three very unhappy animals.
"Get back, girls," Jim said impatiently as the cats and Dreamer milled around their feet. Dreamer kept jumping up on Jim's legs threatening to throw the man off balance.
"Dreamer, off," Jenny said with more forcefulness than Jim thought her capable of at the moment. "Get back, Grey, Farli." She craned her neck and looked at Blair. "Their food is in the pantry in the kitchen. It's labeled, if you'd…"
"Sure," Blair replied heading for the kitchen or where he thought the kitchen was, he'd never actually been in it before. "Come on, girls, Dreamer, Grey, Farli. Want your dinner?" The animals followed him after a second.
Jen tucked her head back down into the side of Jim's neck. "He's so nice," she said.
Jim chuckled. "Yeah, he is. Now where is your room?"
She just lifted one hand toward the staircase not having enough energy for anything else.
"I shoulda known," Jim sighed. He carried her up the stairs and glanced into each doorway. At the end of the hall he found what had to be her room. The queen-size bed was unmade and an oversize t-shirt lay tossed across a pillow. The room smelled like Jenny and her pets.
Jim set her gently on the bed and helped her lay back. Her eyes were closed and her breathing slow and regular. The Sentinel caressed her cheek and smiled. He removed her shoes and socks then pulled the blanket up over her. He wasn't really sure if he should try to make her more comfortable.
His gaze landed on her splinted hands. How bad are her injuries? Can she
even use her hands? Damn. Jim scratched his head. Surely she has a
friend I can call to help her. A female friend.
He went downstairs and found the kitchen.
Blair had found the animal's food and watched as they all three cleaned their bowls, then disappeared into the next room. He shook his head and looked around. It was a good bet Jenny wouldn't be up to cooking for herself for a few days. He wondered if she had anything quick and easy he could whip up and leave for her.
Jim came in to find Blair searching the cabinets. "Find anything interesting, Chief?"
Sandburg grunted and closed the cabinet he'd been looking through. "Yeah, she's as bad as you are about eating healthy. It doesn't even look like she does much cooking here."
Ellison grinned and shook his head. "Anything that will do for tonight if she wakes up hungry?"
"Some soup and crackers," Blair said disgusted. "She's a doctor for heaven's sake! Yeah, yeah an animal doctor, but she should still know what this stuff'll do to you." He held up a box of Hamburger Helper and Jim laughed. His friend shook his head again and replaced the offending box. "You're hopeless, man."
"I'm sure Jenny wouldn't mind letting you cook for her any time you want, Chief. She admitted to me Saturday night that cooking was not high on her priority list. Too many other interests, things to do."
Jim cleared his throat. "Look, Blair, I'm going to stay here until she wakes up. I don't want to leave her alone with that pain-killer in her system. And I'm not really sure how much she can use her hands with those splints on either."
"I was wondering about that," Blair responded. "You want me to bring you something to eat? You haven't had dinner yet either."
"Naw, I'll just make do with some soup or something. I'll call you later when she wakes up and I can get someone over here to watch her."
"I bet Sue or one of her friends from the flyball team would come over, Jim."
"Yeah, but I don't know who she'd prefer. I… she… well, she called me, you know?"
Blair grinned and nodded. "Okay, big guy. Just give me a call and I'll come pick you up. Come lock the front door of the clinic behind me, okay?"
"Right," Jim replied, knowing Blair had let him off the hook. Sure Jenny had called Jim, but maybe that was because no one else was free to bring her home. By now surely her other friends would be off work and able to help the injured woman. But she'd asked Jim and so he was responsible. Plus he didn't want to hand over her care to someone else. He wanted to be the one she leaned on. The one she needed. Blair knew that and didn't press him.
"I'll talk to you later, Chief."
"Good night, Jim," Blair said with a wave as he headed for the truck.
Jim locked the door and went back through to the house. He wondered briefly what the clinic staff had done after the attack. Where was the dog? Had they handled rescheduling the rest of the appointments? Could Jenny trust her staff to take care of things?
He went back up the stairs to check on Jenny. She lay in the same position only now she had Dreamer stretched out on one side and Grey curled up next to her on the other side. Farli sat on the pillow beside Jen's head with her front feet tucked neatly beneath her chest.
Six eyes, two brown and four yellow tracked him as he entered the room. Jim moved slowly not wanting to disturb the animals and wake Jenny. He brushed a hand across her forehead to gauge her temperature. It seemed normal. She was still sleeping calmly. Jim went back downstairs to see what he could rustle up to eat.
***
Jim woke with a start, rose from the couch and jogged up the stairs. He entered Jenny's room to see her struggling to sit on the edge of the bed.
"Hey, hold on, let me help you," he said rounding the end of the bed and untangling her feet from the blanket.
"I need to go…" she said waving a hand toward the bathroom.
"Okay, let me help you stand up. Those drugs knocked you for a loop." He steadied her as she stood and gained her balance. Then stayed ready to catch her as she walked slowly into the bathroom.
After just a few moments and a few mumbled words the bathroom door opened. Jenny's expression was somewhere between frustration and embarrassment. "I can't get the button unhooked," she whispered not meeting Jim's eyes.
Jim realized her splinted hands made it impossible for her to undo the button on her jeans. He closed the distance between them and slowly reached for her waist. "Let me help," he said softly. She nodded, still looking down.
He unbuttoned then unzipped her jeans. "You got it from here?"
She nodded and turned to go back into the bathroom. "Thanks."
Jim smiled. He listened for just a few seconds longer to make sure she could pull her jeans down, then dialed it down, not wanting to intrude on her privacy too much. He sat on the edge of the bed and soon found Dreamer sitting beside him. He scratched behind the terrier's ear while he waited.
Jenny came out and stood by the end of the bed. She'd managed to pull her jeans back up, but not fasten them. Her shirt hung loose over her jeans. She smiled shyly at Jim still under the influence of the drugs she'd received at the hospital.
Jim smiled back. "Look Jen, I can call one of your friends to stay with you tonight…"
"No." She looked down at the floor then back up at Jim. "I'd like it… I mean… would you stay?"
She moved to sit beside him on the bed and leaned against him her head on his arm.
"Are you sure you wouldn't be more comfortable with one of your girlfriends?" Jenny's head moved back and forth against his arm in a negative fashion. "Okay, then. Are you hungry?"
She shook her head again. "Do you want to get into something more comfortable?"
Jenny giggled. Jim chuckled. "That's not what I mean and you know it." She nodded and another giggle snuck out. She was definitely feeling no pain. "Okay, sit here," Jim pushed her into a more upright position and stood. He retrieved the oversized t-shirt from the pillow and returned to the end of the bed. "Is this okay?"
Jen nodded and tried to start unbuttoning her shirt. She met with little success and Jim gently moved her arms down so he could finish the job. Keep your mind on business here, Ellison. She's in no shape to fulfill your fantasies at the moment. He unbuttoned the last button and eased one sleeve off over one bandaged arm, then the other.
She sat there in her bra and unbuttoned jeans with her eyes closed almost asleep. Jim pulled the t-shirt over her head giving her some cover before he unfastened her bra and eased it off. He guided her arms into the sleeves of the night shirt then helped her stand so he could ease her jeans down off her hips. The t-shirt fell to mid-thigh. Jenny sat back down and Jim pulled her jeans off the rest of the way.
He stood staring at her for a minute trying to compose himself. She had offered no resistance to his ministrations. Maybe it was the medication, but there had to be a lot of trust there, too. The medication just made her sleepy, it couldn't tear down her sense of self-preservation. She trusted him not to take advantage. Although at the moment he wasn't so sure that trust was warranted.
"Come on," he said gruffly, "let's get you into bed, then." He helped her get situated under the covers again and started to leave the room.
"Jim?"
"Yeah, Jenny?"
"Stay with me?" she asked sleepily.
"Jen. I don’t think…"
"Please." She watched him with those dark blue eyes until he nodded drawn to her like a siren.
Jim climbed onto the bed displacing Farli from her spot on the pillow. He lay down on top of the blanket and punched his pillow until he was comfortable. Jenny scooted over and snuggled next to him as best she could. With her bandages she had to stay on her back. Jim put his arm around her so her head was resting on it. They both closed their eyes and were asleep before the animals could get comfortable around them.
****
Tuesday
Jim woke to a loud purring by his left ear. He opened his eyes and saw Grey sitting beside his head. The big yellow eyes blinked and the purring got louder. Jim winced and turned down his hearing a notch. "That's quite some motor you've got there, cat." Grey continued to purr, watching him closely.
The Sentinel took a look around, Jenny was still sleeping next to him, one bandaged arm tucked between them while the other rested on his stomach. She had somehow managed to curl up halfway on her side against him. Her head resting on his chest. Dreamer was stretched out full length on the other side of Jenny and Farli had curled up on a pile of clothes on the floor.
Light streamed in through the curtains and the clock on the night stand said
it was almost
"What?" Jim asked the trio.
"Breakfast," Jenny mumbled from the bed.
Jim looked up and saw that she had rolled onto her stomach, capturing a pillow with both hands to rest her head on. Jenny seemed to have fallen back asleep.
"Well, come on, then, I think I know where your food is." He started downstairs and heard the pitter patter of the animals behind him. Before he reached the bottom, Farli had raced past and skidded around the corner.
In the kitchen, Jim opened the pantry and scooped out the appropriate food for the cats and Dreamer. The dog however had other ideas. Dreamer stood by the back door. Jim watched for a second as she looked at the door and then at him, then back at the door. "Oh, sorry," he said realizing the dog wanted out. He opened the door and Dreamer raced into the yard.
Jim shook his head. He'd never had a pet of his own. His father had not allowed it. Animals didn't belong in the house. It was pretty obvious Jenny didn't feel that way. In fact, she seemed to have integrated them into her life just as other people would children.
Dreamer trotted back through the open door, glancing up at Jim as she
passed. The dog seemed to have accepted his presence in her house. Jim grinned,
closed the door and leaned against it as he watched the animals eat. Funny how
easily he'd recognized the dog's territory. I wonder what chance I would
have had with Jenny if Dreamer hadn't accepted me?
A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts and Jim strode quickly to the front of the house. Probably Blair, wondering why I haven't called. He opened the door and was surprised to see a young woman about Jenny's height with dark hair and the most startling green eyes. He looked closer and realized she wore colored contacts.
She fidgeted under his scrutiny and cleared her throat. "Uh, is Dr. J here?"
Jim nodded. "She's still asleep." He grinned trying to put the young woman at ease. She couldn't be more than twenty or twenty-one. "I'm Detective Ellison. I brought her home from the hospital last night."
Recognition flashed in her eyes. "Oh! You called yesterday."
"Right."
"Well, I just came over to let her know we rescheduled her appointments for today and to see how she was doing. I'm Melissa, by the way. And tell her that Rose, that's our office manager, has everything under control. Dr. J just needs to let us know when she can see patients or if she needs us to hire a relief vet."
Jim watched her with a slight smile on his face. He'd thought Sandburg was the master at talking without breathing, but Melissa could certainly give him a run for his money. She wound down and Jim nodded at her.
"Okay, I'll tell her when she wakes up. Are you going to be in the clinic all day?"
Melissa shrugged. "Depends on what Dr. J says when she gets up. I'll be here until then at least." She smiled and turned to leave. "Thanks for taking care of her. I'll see you later."
"Okay, Melissa," Jim replied closing the door. He went quickly to the phone, remembering that he needed to call Blair. Cell phone's probably the best bet. Jim dialed the number.
"Sandburg," his Guide's voice said through the phone line.
"Hey, it's me," Jim replied.
"Hey, Jim, how's Jenny?"
"Still asleep. Her receptionist came by and they seem to have the business covered. I just want to wait until Jen wakes up before I leave. Can you cover for me with Simon?"
Jim could almost hear the grin on Blair's face. "Sure, Jim, but you know I'm gonna have to tell him what's going on."
Jim sighed, but wasn't really upset. "I know, Chief. I guess I was just hoping to keep it between us for a while. I'm not really too anxious to fend off all the "oo's" and "ah's" down at the station, you know?"
"Come on, Jim. You know the teasing is only ‘cause we love you, man."
He chuckled. "I know, Chief. Go ahead, let him know what's up. I'll face the music when I get in."
"You need me to pick you up later?
"Naw, I'll catch a cab."
"Okay. Gotta go, here comes Simon."
"Bye, Chief."
Jim hung up the phone with a smile. He really didn't mind Simon knowing
about Jenny. He was actually looking forward to introducing them. His smile
widened. Heck, I'm even looking forward to the ribbing the guys are going to
give me.
**********
Jenny opened her eyes. Light filled the bedroom. What time is it? She started to roll over when the cumbersome bandages on her arms reminded her of the previous day's events. Damn. Better get up and check on things. Wait, didn't Jim bring me home? Last night was a little foggy, but she remembered asking… no, telling him to feed the girls this morning. "Jim?" she called softly, more to herself than for any response.
She shook her head and levered herself into a sitting position. I really want to take a shower, but then I'll have to rewrap these bandages. She huffed in disappointment then turned her head toward the bedroom door in surprise.
Jenny heard footsteps coming quickly up the stairs and then on the landing. Jim poked his head through the door, smiling when he saw her.
"Hey, sleepy head. How are you feeling?" he asked coming to sit on the bed beside her.
"Jim. I wasn't sure you were still here," Jenny replied, had he heard her soft call?
"What, I was going to leave you here alone, all drugged up?" he asked, a crooked grin on his face.
She smiled back. "Thank you. I guess I could have called someone else. Justin drove me to the hospital, but I needed him to get back to the clinic and help Rose close things down. I… You were the first person I thought of to call." Jenny looked at him uncertainly.
Jim started to take her hands in his then settled for brushing her hair away from her face. "I'm glad you called."
Jen smiled shyly, then cleared her throat when the silence between them got a little too intense. "I would dearly love to take a shower, but," she raised her arms, "I can't rewrap these by myself."
"No problem. I'm sticking around until you're set this morning, already have Sandburg tap dancing for me with my boss," he grinned wickedly.
Jenny chuckled. "Blair's a good friend," she said, almost as a question.
"He's my best friend, my partner and my brother," Jim replied seriously. "Blair's my family."
She returned his gaze unwaveringly as she realized what his words meant. He was committed to his partner and that commitment was not going to change. Jim might give his heart to her eventually, but it already belonged to Blair. She would have to share this man's life with his partner.
Jenny wasn't really sure what to make of the two men's relationship. She'd seen that they were close, like brothers in the way they teased and cared for each other, but it seemed so much more than that. Not that it matters, I never wanted to be in a relationship where I was joined at the hip. I have my friends and family and interests, Jim has his and his just happens to include Blair. If we do end up together, those people we love will be part of both our lives. I like Blair and I don't mind sharing my time with Jim with him.
She smiled at Jim and saw him see the acceptance in her eyes. He smiled back, a broad, happy smile that transformed his face. Jenny leaned forward and kissed him on that smile, he returned the kiss and caressed her cheek as they sat back.
"Let's get you showered and those arms rewrapped, okay? I do have to show up at work sometime today."
Jenny laughed. "Sometimes it pays to be my own boss."
Jim chuckled. "Yeah. Here let me unwrap these," he said reaching for her arms. "By the way, Melissa came by earlier. They rescheduled your appointments and just need to know what you want to do."
"Good. I'll have to go down and see what we have on the books. I may have to hire someone to cover for me. I certainly won't be doing any surgeries for a while."
Jim had finished removing one bandage and the splint. He turned her arm
gently using his sight and smell to inspect the wounds. "How bad is
it?" he asked. No sign of infection, but a lot of swelling.
She grimaced seeing the bruising and puncture wounds on her hand and forearm. "The doctor doesn't think there's any nerve damage. Nothing was broken. But there's so much bruising and some of the bites were close to major tendons and ligaments. He wants me to keep them immobilized for four or five days to make sure I don't stress something."
He finished unwrapping the other arm and inspected it as well. Jim could see punctures that indicated the dog had made repeated attacks. It looked like three separate bites, two on her left arm and one on her right hand. One of the worst punctures was dead center on her left wrist on the inside of her arm. A butterfly bandage held the wound closed.
Jenny frowned as Jim ran a light finger over the wound. "Can't suture bite wounds," she said surveying the damage herself. "I can't believe this happened."
Jim looked up at her and caught her chin with his fingers. "It'll be okay. Why don't you shower and I'll fix you something for breakfast. Then I can wrap your arms and we can both get to work."
"Okay. Thanks."
Jim helped Jenny off the bed and left the room as she stood there thinking about what she could wear. Nothing too difficult. Sweat pants and a t-shirt seem to be the dress of the day. She turned quickly to tell Jim not to go overboard on breakfast, but he was gone. "Darn, I hope he doesn’t make anything too heavy. Toast and orange juice are about all I can handle right now."
Jenny got her clothes together and turned on the water to the shower, setting the temperature to just above luke warm. Her injuries stung with the heat and she ended up turning the water to a colder setting.
She shivered as she rinsed the shampoo out of her hair. "I hate the
cold," Jenny said to herself. Sometimes I wonder why I ever moved away
from
Jim Ellison was pretty amazing. You mean it's amazing that he seems to
find you attractive? Well, yeah. But I mean I only met him two weeks ago and
already he's gone out of his way to help me. Only two weeks? Wow it seems
longer. Feels like I've known him for years. And he came to see us run! Okay,
so Blair encouraged the visit, but he came! That was so great, I still can't
believe it.
Jenny turned off the water and toweled off as her train of thought continued. I can't even begin to admit how much it's hurt in the past when I asked friends or family to come share an event in my life and they didn't show. Not that they ever promised, but to say you'll try and not really mean it… Jim came. A sloppy smile covered her face as she dressed gingerly.
She ran a quick comb through her damp, short hair and started downstairs with the splints in hand. "I think my bag has some bandage material in it," she mumbled to herself. "Now where did I leave it? Right, it's in the library."
She was way-laid at the bottom of the stairs by Dreamer. The little terrier bounced at her feet wanting attention. Jenny held her arms up to avoid getting bumped. "Off! Dreamer, sit," she commanded. Dreamer sat, her tail wagging eagerly. Jenny knelt and gently petted the dog on her back.
"Sorry, kiddo, can't do too much right now. Did you get your breakfast already? Do you need to go outside?"
When the dog just continued to sit enjoying the attention, Jenny realized that Jim must have already taken care of the animals for her. She smiled. The dog didn't accept many people and it usually took some time for her to be comfortable with those she did.
"Come on, bug, let's go find Jim." Jenny stood and headed for the kitchen. She entered the room, then realized she'd forgotten to stop and get her medical bag. "Jim, I'll be right back…"
Jenny took a second look at the kitchen table. A plate with a couple slices of toast, along with a glass of orange juice sat in front of an empty chair. Her medical bag sat on one end of the table with supplies for bandaging her arms spread out neatly beside it.
Jim looked up from his own slice of toast and motioned for her to sit as he finished chewing.
She joined him at the table a frown of concentration on her face.
"Hope this is okay. I wasn't sure how hungry you'd be. I know those antibiotics can wreak havoc with your appetite," Jim explained quickly. A little too quickly.
Jenny shook her head. "No, this is perfect." She smiled up at him. "Actually it's just what I wanted."
They finished eating and Jim applied antibiotic cream to the wounds and wrapped her arms.
"That feel okay?" he asked lightly holding her fingers.
Jenny nodded. "Thanks again, Jim. For everything." They both stood and Jenny tiptoed to place a kiss on his cheek. Jim leaned down as she dropped back to stand flat footed on the floor. He met her lips again with his and got caught up in the taste of her.
She sighed breathlessly as the kiss ended and leaned in to rest her head on Jim's chest. "I wish we could just stay here," she whispered.
Jim ran his fingers through her hair. It was still slightly damp. He felt a pleasurable shiver make its way down Jenny's back. "Me too. I can come back tonight if you want."
Jen nodded. She backed up to look into his sky blue eyes. "Maybe you could bring some take out?" He grinned and nodded. "And invite Blair too, if you want."
Jim's eyes sparkled as his grin widened into a smile. He kissed her again. They broke the embrace reluctantly and arm in arm walked through to the clinic.
"I can get one of my staff to drop you by the station, I don't need all of them here this morning."
"That's okay, I can call a cab."
Jenny shook her head. "Nonsense." She strode ahead of Jim through the clinic. "Rose!"
Jim grinned. She sounded like a cross between Sandburg and Rhonda. Jenny returned quickly with a young man in tow.
"Jim, this is Justin. He's going to take you where you need to go."
Justin appeared to be in his early to mid twenties. He was a little taller than Sandburg, in good shape and as dark skinned as Simon although his hair was not cropped as short. He held out his hand and Jim shook it in return.
"I'll call you later, Jen?"
"Okay, Jim. And thanks again."
"You're welcome," he grinned, wishing he could kiss her good-bye.
Jenny returned his grin wryly, knowing what he was thinking. She touched her lips and watched his grin grow.
"Bye," he said roughly, following Justin out.
***
As they drove, Jim caught Justin taking quick peeks at him. The Sentinel hid his grin.
Finally, Justin got up the nerve to say something. "Uh, I just wanted to, uh, thank you for taking care of Dr. J like that."
"No problem. She's very special."
"Yeah. Um, she's a good lady, you know? I feel really bad that she got hurt. I was supposed to be helping her hold that dog." Justin frowned, his anger at himself clear on his face.
"From what Jen… Dr. Watkins told me, Justin, there was nothing you could have done. You kept it together and helped get her to the hospital. That's what she needed you to do. She's not upset with you," Jim shook his head bemused. "In fact, it's herself she's angry at. I think maybe you can help her realize that it wasn't anyone's fault, not yours and not hers."
Justin seemed to be listening intently as he drove. Jim continued. "The only one that should be blamed here is the owner. They're responsible for allowing that animal to become so dangerous in the first place."
The young man nodded. "I reported the attack to Animal Control. They'll evaluate the dog and determine what happens to him." He grimaced. "I hate to see an animal put to sleep for mistakes the owner made, but when they're that big and aggressive… Sometimes it's the only safe thing to do."
Jim grunted. "I never really thought working at a vet's office could be so dangerous."
Justin chuckled. "It's not usually. But we're working with animals, they don’t understand why we're holding them still and doing things to them. Dogs and cats may be domesticated, but they still have instincts. Fight or flight, you know? This dog just learned that fighting got results."
They pulled up in front of the station and Justin turned to face Jim. "Be good to her," he said cryptically.
Jim smiled reassuringly. "I will. Thanks for the ride."
"See ya," Justin said as Jim got out of the car and closed the door.
****
A smile made it's way onto Jim's face and stayed there all the way up to the locker room, through his shower and as he changed into his spare clothes. It didn't even waver as he walked into the bullpen and met his partner's questioning gaze.
"How's Jenny?" Blair asked by way of greeting his friend.
"Much better," Jim replied, the smile still firmly in place.
Blair found himself smiling in return. Maybe smiling is contagious. Or at least Jim's is contagious to me. "That's good, man. I wasn't sure what those bandages were covering up."
"Bite wounds, bruising and swelling, but the doctor seemed to think nothing permanent."
"That's good."
Jim nodded and turned at the sound of Simon coming toward them. Banks came to a silent stop, regarded Jim's smiling face for a split second before responding in kind.
Blair bit his lip to keep from laughing.
"So, Jim," Simon said through his smile, "you plan to leave early and come in late every day, now?"
"If you'll approve it, Captain," Ellison said, his smile changing to a knowing grin.
Banks shook his head and forced an unconvincing frown. "Like your hours aren't weird enough as it is, Ellison. Just don't wimp out and make your partner tell me next time."
"Wimp out?" Jim asked with feigned disbelief. "Me? I was busy helping a damsel in distress. Ask Sandburg. I didn't have time to call."
"Right," Simon drawled.
Blair laughed out loud then. They'd drawn a crowd, Joel, H, Megan, Rafe and Rhonda all stood around their desks.
"So, Jim," Megan asked, "when do we get to meet this new sheila?"
"Yeah, Jim," H interrupted, "and why didn't you tell us about her sooner?"
Jim cast a questioning glance at Sandburg who only raised his hands defensively, a large grin plastered on his face. The Sentinel sighed, surprised that his own grin was back in place.
"Well, I only met her about two weeks ago. And I've only seen her four times since then, so am I supposed to fill out a report or something every time I meet someone new?" he pinned each of his interrogators with a fake glare.
Simon decided to rescue Jim at that point, before things got out of hand. "Okay, people, back to work. We can drill Jim on his love life on our own time." He caught Jim's eye to let him know he wanted more information himself. Jim smiled and nodded.
Everyone headed back to their desks. And they all had smiles on their faces.
***********
Jenny sat in front of her computer and waited for the server to connect. The day had been fairly quiet. She'd talked to a few people about their sick pets, referred those that needed immediate attention to a vet across town and rescheduled those that could wait. A relief vet had been hired for the rest of the week and now Jenny was looking for some answers.
She'd overheard her staff talking about Jim. Not unexpected. Jenny hadn't
dated anyone seriously in the last few years, but it was one word that stuck in
her head, triggering a memory that wouldn't quite surface. Sentinel.
Why does that sound so familiar? Other than the fact that it's a heartworm preventative for dogs, that is. She typed the word into the search engine and got the sites for the preventative. Hundreds of other sites came up on the list as well, but none of the descriptions rang a bell.
Jenny raised her eyebrows thoughtfully and changed the search to include James Ellison and Cascade. Several dozen links were now listed on the screen. She browsed them and chose the one from the Cascade Herald.
She read through the article twice, then sat back. Heightened
senses? Jenny remembered her surprise that Jim had prepared exactly what
she wanted for breakfast and also found her medical bag earlier. Did I say
that out loud? She had a bad habit of talking to herself when she was
alone. Could he have heard me all the way from the kitchen?
Jim had also shown up just after she woke. A memory of Jim running his hands
over the leg of an injured dog at the flyball
tournament came forward. He knew it wasn't broken or fractured just by
touching it. I couldn't tell for sure.
Another memory, this time of Blair saying, "feet, not inches," while Jim was watching the dogs passing in the lane. Jenny recalled being curious at the time, but had been side tracked and forgotten about the incident. Later, Jim had taken over calling the passes for Dreamer's team and even Angie had to admit he was good at it.
Enhanced vision? Touch? Hearing? Is Jim a…
Sentinel? She looked back at the article, it wasn't much more than media
hype. No solid information. Jenny pulled up a few of the other sites, but none
of them said much more than that a Sentinel had genetically enhanced,
heightened senses. The rest was pure
Blair's name was mentioned in one of the articles so she changed the search parameters again to include Blair Sandburg.
This time she found the article covering his press conference. Jenny vaguely recalled hearing about it several years ago, but had never seen the tape. She tended to have little time nowadays for TV.
There was one other article that focused on an early paper written by Sandburg about Sentinels. The paper was reproduced word for word in the article. It spoke of an ancient tradition of genetically enhanced watchmen who served their tribes by using their heightened senses. These watchmen or Sentinels protected the tribe by warning of attacks from warring neighbors, finding the trail of game, watching the weather and much more. Modern day examples of heightened senses could be found. Smell, taste, sight. Usually only one or two senses at a time, but Sandburg's paper spoke of the possibility of someone with all five enhanced senses.
Jim? Jenny disconnected from the online provider and shut off the
computer. What, if anything, would that mean if he was a Sentinel? She frowned.
It's pretty cool actually. But it doesn't change the fact that I… I really like
him. Don’t go out on a limb here, Watkins. Don't admit that it may be more than
"like." Jenny shook her head. I just met him.
And I'd sure like to get to know him better. She picked up the phone and awkwardly dialed the number with her bandaged hand.
"Jim? How about Chinese?…Okay, I'll see you soon… And bring Blair too… Bye." Jenny hung up the phone with a dreamy smile on her face.
To be continued.
Comments are always welcome, please let me know what you think. Judy