Disclaimer: The characters of "The Sentinel" belong to Pet Fly, etc and are used here without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.
Rating: Suitable for all ages
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Comfort
By MMW

If it weren’t for the fact I can nap so well, I would be bored waiting. But my waiting is over. I can hear their footsteps and voices outside. Tilting my head to the side, I try to decide if I’m awake enough to greet them at the door or if I should just stay put and let them come to me. They always do eventually.

With a long stretch, I decide I’m awake enough to greet them. As I move closer to the door, I find myself puzzling over an odor. It’s slightly familiar, and then I remember. It smells like that awful place, the hospital. I can feel my eyes widen as I recognize what that smell means. One of them is hurt.

My heart starts beating faster and I can’t stop pacing back and forth as I wait. Why are they always getting hurt? It almost seems like they enjoy it.

I don’t. I don’t like it when they’re hurt, even the small hurts. I do my best to care for them, to tend them, but there’s only so much I can do. If only I could keep them here in our apartment and never let them out, it would be better.

“And then you’re going straight to bed,” Blair announces as he opens the door.

That means it’s Jim who’s injured.

“Won’t get an argument from me,” Jim mumbles softly.

I look up and see Jim walking in on crutches. I can’t silence my distress. Two faces turn in my direction and soft smiles spread across their faces.

“We’re okay, Lily,” Blair assures, moving out of the doorway to help Jim into the apartment. “Jim just fell and twisted his knee. He needs to rest and he’ll be fine in no time.”

I look over to Jim, unsure if this is true or not. He smiles at me and I can read the pain and exhaustion in his eyes. I know just what to do, but I can’t do anything until he’s lying down.

I follow as they walk past me, wondering what mischief caused this latest injury. I wait for Blair to get Jim settled on the couch and then choose my seat. I settle carefully and stare at Jim, knowing he’ll explain what happened if I continue to stare at him.

It didn’t take long.

Jim sighed heavily. “We were on our way back to the station after lunch,” he begins, “when we caught sight of our latest suspect.”

“Who was headed in the opposite direction,” Blair inserts as he hands Jim a glass of water and a pill. I hate pills.

Jim nodded and then picked up the tale again. “So I changed direction as best I could without drawing too much attention and we followed him.”

“Straight to the firing range,” Blair supplied, seeing Jim was beginning to fade. “I called it in and everything was fine until one of his competitors shows up and they begin to get into it.”

I can feel the tension rising within me. Some people just shouldn’t be allowed in public, fortunately, Jim and Blair are there to put them in a cage where they belong.

“We were going to wait until backup came, but they began to involve innocent bystanders and we didn’t have much choice but to intervene,” Blair continued, standing as a beep sounded in the kitchen. He opened the microwave door and an amazingly tempting odor wafted out. Chicken noodle soup.

I watched as he settled the bowl of soup and some crackers on the tray, added a cup of water and brought it over. Some pills just didn’t sit well with Jim. Realizing the pill he took must be one of them, I stood up, walked over, brushed against his hand and settled on the floor beside him, allowing his hand to caress me, pleased when he smiled at me.

Blair settled the tray over Jim’s lap, reached down to supply me with his own caress and then settled back in a chair. “Anyway,” he continued, smiling as he saw my eyes riveted to the spoon Jim was dipping into the soup. “Jim jumped into the middle of things and just as he was getting them under control, a man – “

“A gorilla,” Jim corrected, taking a spoonful of soup and offering it to me. I was well pleased at the sight of a noodle and a piece of meat on the implement.

“He was large, Jim,” Blair corrected, tucking a bit of hair behind his ear, “but smaller than Joel.” Jim nodded his acquiescence to that point. “Anyway, this guy tripped over one of the other combatants and fell on Jim’s knee.”

Distressed by this news, I leaned against Jim a little harder, offering comfort.

“It was when I screamed that everyone stopped fighting,” Jim added, setting aside the tray and looking sleepy.

“Of course, that was also when our backup arrived,” Blair added, settling the tray more securely on the table as he rose. Moving to the couch, he helped Jim to his feet.

Knowing where they were headed, I climbed the stairs to Jim’s room ahead of them and settled in to wait. It had taken a long time before Jim allowed me up here. Now he seemed to actually like having me here, though trying to split my time between sleeping with Blair, sleeping with Jim and sleeping downstairs was a little trying. It made me grateful for the quiet time I had in the afternoon. Tonight, though, I would stay with Jim all night. Blair would understand.

As Blair settled Jim on the bed, he finished the last part of his tale. “He’s lucky,” Blair said softly. “The doctor said his knee’s only twisted and a few days on the crutches should be all he needs.”

I wait for Blair to finish fussing and leave. He pauses at the top of the stairs and meets my eyes. “Watch over him,” he orders before disappearing downstairs.

I leave my perch and make my way across the dim room. With little effort, I make my way to the top of the bed. Moving slowly, I make my way across the top, walking right up to Jim.

Reaching out, I let him know I’m near. His contented sigh and his hand coming to rest on my head all the encouragement I need. With a few deft movements, I curl up next to his chest where I can best hear his heart and cover my nose with my tail. I begin to purr softly, letting Jim know I’m here for him, watching over him and that he can rest.

My humans may take a lot of care and need a lot of comfort, but I’m always glad to give it to them.

End.

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