Hetty had warned them what would happen if they continued to disobey her. Sam just missed the signs. Tag to "Lokhay" and "Wanted". WARNING: Spanking of adults.
Sam drove home on autopilot, Hetty's parting words replaying in his mind: This is far from over. What did that mean? He remembered the feeling in the pit of his stomach when he heard her say his name. He had joked with G, giving himself time to collect his nerves, and then with Hetty herself, hoping to diffuse the situation. Am I grounded? he'd asked with his most charming grin. Don't you dare make light of this, Mr. Hanna. The gnawing in his stomach was joined by heart palpitations. He had seen Hetty angry before. In fact, he'd seen her furious. But it had never been directed at him. Until now.
Hetty had, uncharacteristically, given the team the morning off with orders to meet at the boatshed at 1300 sharp. Sam had spent a relaxing morning in bed with Michelle, played with his daughter, and even had a cup of coffee. However, as he drove to the boatshed, he started to question the wisdom of the coffee. While he was at home with his family, he had been able to push aside the ominous warning, but as he drew nearer to the moment of seeing Hetty again, he quickly became a ball of nerves.
Not surprisingly, G's car was not parked outside the boatshed. Was G ever on time for anything? Sam got out of his car and began a slow walk across the gravel. He noticed neither Deeks' nor Kensi's cars were there either. Eric's was, and Hetty's was. He checked his watch: 1259. He tried to brush off the uneasy feeling and increasing jitteriness, but his hand shook just slightly as he opened the door.
"Right on time, Mr. Hanna," Hetty commented, predictably.
Sam opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Instead, he nodded a greeting to Eric, who nodded back solemnly then glanced pointedly at the table in the middle of the room. Sam's gaze followed Eric's. He let out the breath he'd been holding and closed his eyes momentarily. "Really, Hetty?" he asked.
Hetty pursed her lips and stared him down. "I warned you," she replied.
"Not about this!" Sam protested.
"Mr. Hanna, we will discuss this later." Her word was final, and Sam wisely held his tongue. "Mr. Beal, if you will."
"Hetty, you don't have to do this," Sam quickly interjected.
"Mr. Beal knew the consequences before he decided to disobey me," she stated as if they were talking about the weather or a horserace, and not about…well, that. "Mr. Beal," she invited again.
Eric swallowed hard, took his hands out of his wisely-chosen canvas cargo shorts with the extra thick pockets in the back, and bent over with his elbows on the table. Hetty picked up the paddle that she had placed there the night before and delivered twenty hard swats to Eric's backside. Having been in this position before, Eric knew what to expect, but, just like last time, he was surprised at how much strength and power his 4' 9" boss could wield when she had a paddle in her hands. His previous encounter with Hetty's paddle had been a brief, but painful one, owing to the fact that on that day, he had worn boardshorts, having no idea what a meeting in the boatshed with Hetty really entailed. In spite of his change in wardrobe, Hetty managed to get her point across, while Eric, determined not to cry out in front of Sam, suffered in near silence.
Sam watched the sight in front of him, horrified. He could tell Eric was hurting from his clenched fists, red face and tightly squeezed eyes. Part of him wanted to force Hetty to stop, but he held back. He wasn't quite sure why he stood there in silence and watched his friend take a hard paddling, but he did, and almost as soon as it started, it was over.
Hetty placed a hand gently on Eric's back. "We're finished, Mr. Beal."
Eric stayed in position for a few moments to catch his breath then slowly pushed himself up from the table. He took a deep breath before turning toward his boss. "I'm sorry, Hetty. I shouldn't have disobeyed you. Again."
"All is forgiven," Hetty answered kindly, and patted Eric's arm. Eric nodded, still biting his lip. "You may head back now." Eric nodded again and turned to leave. "Oh, and Mr. Beal," Hetty called after him, "leave the cameras off until Mr. Hanna and I return." Eric nodded once more then flashed a grin and a wink at Sam before disappearing through the door.