Disclaimer: The Sentinel and its characters are the property of Pet Fly, Paramount, and The SciFi Channel.
Much appreciation goes to Shallan for her beta work... thank you!
Category: Humor
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Spoilers: None
Carole
"Mister Sandburg?"
"Doctor Sandburg?"
"Professor Sandburg?"
Blair Sandburg let out a sigh, rolling his eyes at the last two salutations. "I'm not here," he mumbled. "Go away."
Voices continued to clamor outside his locked office door, growing louder with each passing second.
"Mister Sandburg?"
"Doctor Sandburg?"
"Professor Sandburg?"
Dropping his forehead down to the desktop, Blair banged it on the wood a few times, before groaning, "No, no, no."
The voices became more strident, determined, impossible to ignore.
"Mister Sandburg?!"
"Doctor Sandburg?!"
"Professor Sandburg?!"
His hands over his face, Blair was seriously considering hiding under his desk until the coast was clear when the phone rang. Without thinking, he automatically picked it up. "Sandburg."
"Hey, Chief."
"Oh, man." Blair slumped in his chair dejectedly and mumbled, "Stupid, stupid, stupid."
"Uh, Chief?"
"Oh, hi, Jim."
"What's all the noise, and who's 'stupid, stupid, stupid'?"
Blair took a deep breath. "Some of my students showed up for office hours."
"I thought you cancelled office hours for this afternoon?"
"I did, but they came anyway," the young man moaned. "Man, Jim, it's Friday afternoon, I'm tired, and all I want to do is come home."
"Then give your apologies and head for home."
Blair shook his head, nervously running his fingers through his hair. "They'd tear me apart. You can't imagine what it's like around here right before finals week. I mean, listen to them!"
"MISTER SANDBURG?"
"DOCTOR SANDBURG?"
"PROFESSOR SANDBURG?"
"Do they know you're in there?"
"What do you mean?"
"Do they actually know you're in the office?"
"Well, they probably heard the phone ring one time," Blair retorted with more than a hint of self-directed sarcasm.
"Thus the 'stupid, stupid, stupid' comment?"
"Yeah." Blair sighed.
"MISTER SANDBURG?!"
"DOCTOR SANDBURG?!"
"PROFESSOR SANDBURG?!"
"Actually, Chief, I doubt they can hear anything over all the racket they're making."
"Yeah, maybe, but..." Blair's voice trailed off slowly.
"Sandburg?"
"Oh, sorry, Jim. I was thinking. Hey, I've got an idea. I'm gonna hang up, and I'll call you back."
"Okay."
Blair quickly hung up the phone, grabbed his jacket from the back of his desk chair, and made his escape.
"Ellison."
"Hi, Jim. Just wanted you to know that I'm on my way home."
"I take it you solved the problem?"
"Yeah, I'd say that."
"What did you do?"
Strolling across the grassy lawn, Blair smiled. "I, uh, I pulled an Indiana Jones."
"You what?"
"Remember the movie we watched over the weekend? Think Indiana Jones... students... office..."
"You climbed out the window?!"
"Yep," Blair confirmed, keeping an eye out for disgruntled students as he made his way toward the parking lot.
"Only you, Sandburg."
"Hey, it was the only way to get out of there in one piece. I-"
"Mister Sandburg!"
"Oops, gotta go." Blair picked up his pace. "They just found me."
"Chief?"
"Mister Sandburg!"
Blair took off at a full jog. "I'll see you in a few minutes."
"I'll have dinner ready and waiting, Indy."
"Mister Sandburg!!"
"Doctor Sandburg!!"
"Professor Sandburg!!"
The anthropologist tucked his cell phone into his jacket pocket and raced full speed for his car, a horde of students in pursuit. Safely making it to the Volvo, he got in, started the car, and pulled out of his parking space in record time.
"MISTER SANDBURG, WAIT!"
"I don't think so." With a wide smile, Mister Sandburg waved jauntily before heading for home and a well-deserved weekend.
~end~
2003
Author's note: Inspired by a scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.