Disclaimer: The Sentinel and its characters are the property of Pet Fly, UPN, Paramount, and The SciFi Channel
Carole
I don't know how Sandburg puts up with it. I mean, I know Ellison's got this protective streak when it comes to the kid, blessed protector and all that, but sometimes I think he carries it a bit too far.
Take today, for instance. A normal, busy, relatively calm day in Major Crimes. Normal, except for the fact that my best team is absent. Ellison is in Portland, attending a conference. Sandburg is at the university, giving and taking mid-terms.
When Jim called me at 12:30 this afternoon, I wasn't really surprised. He'd already called during the first two days of the conference, not to talk to me, mind you, but to check up on the kid. It didn't matter that he'd already talked to his partner, he had to check with me, too. I guess he wanted to make sure that the kid wasn't hiding something from him, you know, like a sleepless night, sore throat, cold, virus, terminal illness.
But anyway, Ellison called and said that he had just seen a news report about a robbery going down in Tacoma. One of those 'we interrupt regular programming' news reports. Building surrounded, SWAT team on the way, the whole nine yards. Not that unusual? You're right, except that Jim swore that he saw a car that looked like Sandburg's Volvo in the restaurant's parking lot.
Now, bear in mind that this wasn't just a simple robbery, but a robbery with shots fired and possible fatalities. So he immediately tried to call the kid. When there was no answer on his cell phone, he tried the loft and then Blair's office. When there was no response in either of those places, a worried Sentinel became a frantic one. He called the administrative office at Rainier and requested, no, make that demanded that someone run down to Sandburg's office, and then to his classroom. Unfortunately, the office was empty and the class had already let out.
Jim's next step? He decided to call me, his captain and good friend, thinking that I'd know where the kid was. Did I? No, and Jim's accusing tone told me that I'd just committed the crime of the century.
Of course it made no difference to Jim that Blair wasn't supposed to be in Tacoma, and with his workload, it was highly unlikely that he'd go anywhere. But you know Jim, he was convinced that Blair had driven to Tacoma, stopped for lunch at that restaurant, and got caught up in the robbery. Implausible? Yes. Impossible? Not with Sandburg's track record.
I told him that I'd find Sandburg, and then call him back. He agreed, but I knew that he was just agreeing so I'd get off the phone and he could call the airline to check on tickets and schedules.
Over-reaction on Jim's part? Totally. My reaction? Well, I... uh, okay, I admit it, so maybe I over-reacted a little bit, too. Sending three heavily-armed Major Crimes detectives out to track down a wayward anthropologist does seem a little extreme in retrospect, especially when he turned up safe and sound. I heard he was pretty surprised when the two police cars, with lights flashing and sirens sounding, pulled up to surround him while he was having a picnic lunch at the park near the university.
I managed to reach Jim, just minutes before his flight to Tacoma was scheduled to leave, and told him that Sandburg was alive and well. We both laughed about the whole thing, but it wasn't amusement that I heard in his voice. It was relief. My voice? Yeah, I heard it in mine, too.
Jim made me promise to keep a closer eye on the kid until he gets back. I know, I know, I probably took on a job that's better suited for Superman. But he is returning tomorrow, so all I have to do is get through tonight and tomorrow morning. Simple, right? Maybe, but if there's just one thing I've learned in the past few years, it's that Sandburg finds trouble and trouble finds him
I'm considering handcuffs.
~end~
February 2000