Blair was sitting on the couch being fussed over by both Grace and Steven when Jim arrived back at the loft. He saw the dejected look on his partner's face but asked anyway, "Did she get away?"
"Yeah, I lost her after she created a four car pile-up two blocks over. How are you doing, Sandburg?" Jim could see the bruise on his head already starting to darken.
Not wanting another mother hen checking him over, Blair waved off Jim's concern with a quick, "I'm fine. She didn't do any major damage. Just a few bruises and a major headache, nothing I can't handle. I can't believe she came after me with Steve standing right there watching."
"I can't believe she did this," Grace cried. "I'm so sorry. I thought I was protecting you all, but now I'm not sure I was right to stay away this long."
Some of the frustration Jim had been feeling since the nightmare had began started to leak through as he demanded, "Why did it take you so long to get in touch with us, Mom? Faith came to see us last October. Did you know that? How long has Faith been on the loose?"
"I'm not sure, Jimmy. She knew about you far longer than I believed if she came to visit you back in October. She only slipped up with me just after Christmas. When I learned that she was coming after you all, I reported her intentions to the authorities at the institution."
"How long, Mom?" Jim repeated.
"She was recaptured back in March in Seattle. I tried to see you then, to explain, but you weren't at home."
"So why are you here now? It's been six weeks."
"The Seattle authorities incarcerated her at a new hospital. She convinced the doctor in charge that she didn't need to be locked up in a maximum-security ward. She's escaped from the hospital two weeks later. The doctor didn't want to admit that he had made a mistake, so he tried to handle finding her with internal security."
"So she's been on the loose for almost four weeks. Don't you have any idea where she could be staying? Where would she go?" Jim pressed.
Grace shrugged her shoulders. "Normally, Faith always comes to find me, but this time I don't have any idea where she is."
Author's note: Thanks to all the members of the story arc team who worked so hard on this season's arc. For without their efforts, this story would not have been brought to life. *g*. Thank you for establishing the foundation for this story in your own contributions to the season, and helping me bring to reality the vision that each of us shared as this storyline was developed. I hope you all enjoyed the effort as much as I did.
Like this episode? Email the writer: trishbsc@aol.com
Want to comment on production? Contact Black Panther Productions: bpproductions@wildmail.com
Stay tuned next week to find out if Jim Ellison will have to choose between his family and his duty as a detective and sentinel in "Blood And Water" the season finale of The Sentinel.
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