Someone hit my car the other day, overnight and caused a fair amount of damage (without leaving any information). I meanly decided to take it out on Callen (it's just what I do lol). Anyhow, this will only be two parts. Just a short little thing to ease my frustrations.

xxxxx

"I guess this was a wild goose chase," Deeks said as he, Callen, Kensi and Sam headed back to their cars. They had thoroughly investigated the building only to find nothing. The tip they had received had been without merit.

"Got to admit, it's kind of nice not to actually get shot at for a change," Sam said.

"I still wonder what the point was of luring us out there," Callen said as he walked over to the Challenger and began to remove his body armor.

"We still meeting at O'Sullivan's for lunch?" Deeks asked as he and Kensi started to walk towards their own vehicle. "I am going to get the lucky shamrock burger. I've been thinking about it all day."

Sam nodded as he placed his weapon in the trunk of his car. "That's the plan. We'll see you there."

Deeks was in the process of undoing his body armor when he caught sight of a vehicle moving at a high rate of speed out of the corner of his eye. His eyes widened in shock as he realized the driver of the car was making a deliberate beeline in Callen's direction. "Callen! Callen get out of there!" he screamed.

Callen turned just in time to see the vehicle's approach but not fast enough to do much about it. He tried to jump up out of the way, but was unsuccessful as the vehicle slammed into him, momentarily pinning him against the Challenger before the car backed up and sped away as Callen crumpled to the ground. Kensi quickly committed the car make, model and license plate number to memory while Deeks put a call in to Ops to get an ambulance. Sam was at his partner's side almost immediately. "G? Hey buddy can you hear me?"

Callen, white-faced and obviously in a good amount of pain, nodded. "Yeah…I hear you, Sam."

"Where are you hurt?" Sam asked, mentally noting the abnormal positioning of Callen's right leg.

"My leg," Callen said as he struggled to sit up.

"Whoa…Just lie still buddy," Sam said, gently putting his hand on Callen's chest to discourage him from trying to sit. "Ambulance will be here soon."

"How is he?" Kensi asked as she and Deeks came over to the other set of partners.

"His leg is broken," Sam said.

Deeks looked at Callen's leg and cringed. "Yeah…I think you're right about that."

"Deeks? Can you get a blanket from my trunk?" Sam asked, noting that Callen was visibly shivering.

Deeks nodded and immediately did as Sam requested, then handed him the blanket.

"Thanks Deeks," Sam said as he gently placed it over his partner's prone body. Just then he heard the sound of approaching sirens and breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't worry, G. You're going to be feeling better really soon."

xxxxx

Hetty met the team at the hospital, a look of concern on her face as she walked into the waiting room. "How is he?" she asked.

"He has a pretty badly broken leg," Sam explained. "They've brought him into surgery."

Hetty sighed heavily. "I don't understand…What happened?"

"The driver just sped right into him," Deeks said, his blue eyes filled with guilt. "I…I didn't warn him in time."

"It wasn't your fault," Deeks," Kensi said, taking his hand and squeezing it. "It all happened so fast. None of us even knew what was happening."

"Kensi's right, Deeks," Sam said, nodding in agreement. "There was nothing you could have done."

"Even so," Deeks said, shaking his head helplessly as he stared down at the floor.

"Mr. Deeks, please listen to your teammates," Hetty said to him. "The only one at fault here is the driver. Based on Ms. Blye's information, hopefully Eric and Nell will be able to track him down quickly."

Deeks nodded and the team settled down to wait for word on their stricken team leader.

xxxxx

Callen burrowed under the blankets a little more deeply as he slowly started to awaken. He'd awoken in Recovery, but had quickly fallen back to sleep again. This time, when he opened his eyes, he saw Hetty and Sam sitting beside his bed. "Hey," he said, still appearing very drowsy.

"Mr. Callen," Hetty said, as she gently patted his hand. "You really need to stop doing these things to yourself."

"Don't think it was my fault, Hetty," Callen said.

"You're right, G. It wasn't your fault." Sam was quick to reassure his friend.

Deeks sighed softly from his seat behind Sam and Hetty and Kensi gave him a meaningful look. "Stop," she whispered.

"So…" Callen looked at his partner, eyes filled with worry. "How…how bad is this?"

"Sorry G, you've got a long recovery ahead of you. You're looking at 8-12 weeks, best case scenario."

"Damn," Callen said, already frustrated at the thought of it.

"Don't get down, Mr. Callen," Hetty said quietly. "It could have been worse…much worse… In any case, you have different options available to you once you've begun to recover a bit."

"Hetty's right, Callen," Kensi said as she walked over to him. "I'm sure this guy wanted to do a lot worse to you then break your leg. He wanted to kill you. Just be grateful he didn't succeed. I know I am."

"Thanks, Kens," Callen replied, giving her a faint smile.

"I'm glad too," Deeks said. He wanted to say more, but he couldn't find the words, especially with all the others in the room. He'd have to wait until he had a chance to speak to Callen alone.

xxxxx

"So, do you have family support at home?" the case worker asked Callen the following day. "You're going to need help, at least for the first week or so."

Callen glanced at Sam and Hetty who were seated beside him and nodded. He knew there was no getting out of this place without accepting help. "Yeah, don't worry. I'll have plenty of help."

"He will indeed," Hetty said with a smile. "There will be no worries on that front."

"Good," the case worker said as she made some notations on her clipboard then got to her feet. "I'll notify Dr. Angelo that you're cleared for discharge and he will likely let you go tomorrow morning."

"Great," Callen said unenthusiastically as she left the room. He then sighed heavily.

"What's the matter, G?" Sam asked. "Usually you're chomping at the bit to escape the hospital."

"Isn't it obvious, Mr. Hanna?" Hetty asked after giving Callen a sympathetic look. "He's usually much more independent under such circumstances. This time, he actually is going to have to depend on our help."

"So how are we doing this?" Sam asked. "Where should he stay?"

Callen didn't even bother to give any input. He knew whatever decisions Hetty had made were going to stand no matter what he said.

"I actually think he's going to be most comfortable in his own home," Hetty answered.

Callen gave Hetty a surprised look and she smiled fondly at him. "Don't look so surprised, Mr. Callen. I'm not entirely unreasonable. Your home has only a couple of stairs at the entrance and it doesn't have anything underfoot to impede your path. I've already spoke with the team and you they will each take shifts over the following week and see how it goes. Now that you have finally decided to join the rest of the world and acquire some furniture, it should work out most nicely. I've gotten a shower chair and a few other things he may need so it should be a relatively smooth transition." She turned her eyes toward Sam. "God knows he would kill himself if he tried to get on and off your boat."

Callen smirked and Sam looked back at Hetty. "Yeah well…I wasn't taking this kind of thing into consideration when I decided to buy it. I will, however, bring him home tomorrow and take the first shift."

"Good, good," Hetty nodded approvingly. "You're the best choice to bring him home as well as bring him to appointments, at least at the beginning."

"Anything I can do," Sam said solemnly, meeting his partner's gaze who gave him a grateful nod. That was one thing he knew for sure. He'd always be there for Callen, no matter what he needed.

xxxxx

"You good?" Sam asked as Callen slowly made his way to the front door. He was obviously laboring with the use of the crutches. "Not as easy as they look are they?"

"Never thought they looked easy," Callen said. Sam kept his hand on Callen's back as he cautiously made his way up the two steps outside the entranceway. Then Sam unlocked the front door and stood aside so Callen could enter the house first.

"Bedroom?" Sam asked.

Callen quickly shook his head. "Couch." He breathlessly made his way into the living room and plopped down on the couch, relieved that he had made it there without mishap.

Sam immediately went to his friend's aid, pulling up a round leather ottoman to where Callen was sitting and putting his leg on top of it. "New ottoman?"

Callen nodded. "Hetty must have gotten it."

"She really takes care of you, G," Sam said, smiling.

"Yeah, I know," Callen agreed. Sometimes he found it annoying, but in his present circumstances he could only find himself grateful.

"You hungry?" Sam asked. "What do you have to eat? I could make us something."

Callen shrugged. "You tell me, Sam. I'm sure Hetty stocked my kitchen will all kinds of things I don't know about it.

"Okay, sit tight," Sam said. I'll go take a look."

Sam went into his partner's kitchen and as G had said, the refrigerator was well stocked with various fresh meats and deli meats, fruits and vegetables. There were also a lot of freshly made meals in the freezer. Sam had a feeling Callen would be very well taken care of while he was recuperating. He went back into the living room to ask what his friend felt like eating and found that he was fast asleep. Sam got the throw from the top of the couch and gently covered G with it then went back into the kitchen to make them a nice lunch for whenever his partner awoke.

xxxxx

"G, will you just take a damn pain killer?" Sam snarled. Callen had awoken in a foul mood, in pain and generally miserable, refusing food, refusing help, generally just being a pain in the ass.

"Who said I was in pain?" Callen asked stubbornly.

"I'd have to be a moron not to notice," Sam retorted. "I can tell just by looking at your face, plus by the fact that you're acting worse than either of my kids did when they were having their worst days as toddlers."

"I…" Callen actually had no comeback for that, especially when he knew Sam was right. "I'm sorry, Sam. I'll take one."

Sam breathed a sigh of relief as he went into the kitchen and pulled a cold bottle of water out of the refrigerator and returned with a pill and the bottle when he handed to his partner. Callen immediately put the pill into his mouth and took a few swallows of water to wash it down. "Thanks, Sam."

Sam nodded as he looked at his partner thoughtfully. "I know this is tough for you, G…but you really need to just let us take care of you. As stubborn as you and I know you are, you can't do it yourself this time, no matter how much you may want to. If you want to go fooling around against your doctor's orders, you're only going to impede your recovery and be laid up even longer. I don't think you want that."

Sam's tone was gentle but his eyes were serious as he spoke and Callen knew he wasn't fooling around. "I know you're right, Sam," Callen said softly. "I just…this really sucks."

"I know it does, G, but there's no way to fast forward through it. You just have to get through this the best way that you can."

xxxxx

The rest of the day and night went by relatively uneventfully. The two men watched the Clippers game on t.v. and Callen tried hard to be a model patient. The next morning Sam woke up early and made some bacon, eggs and toast and the two were eating breakfast when the doorbell rang.

"That will be your relief," Callen said grinning at his partner.

"I wonder who it is," Sam asked, inwardly hoping it wasn't Nell. Not that he could imagine Callen giving her a hard time but you just never knew. He went to the front door and opened it to see Hetty on the other side. "Ah… good morning, Hetty." He smiled at the older woman, knowing full well Callen wasn't going to pull anything on her.

"Good morning, Mr. Hanna." Hetty returned Sam's smile as she stepped inside. "How is our patient doing?"

"He's in a good mood so far," Sam stated.

Hetty gave him a speculative look. "Am I correct in thinking that wasn't the case yesterday?"

Sam shrugged. "This is hard for him, Hetty. Even when he's been recuperating in the past, he never was limited like this. Hell, now he couldn't escape even if he wanted to."

"Lots of people go through such things though," Hetty said. "Some undergo them permanently."

"I know," Sam said with a nod. "I don't know if it helps him to hear stuff like that though. He's kind of caught up in his own head."

They walked out into the kitchen and Hetty greeted Callen. "Good morning, Mr. Callen. How are you doing on this fine Sunday morning?"

"I'm good, Hetty. How are you?" Callen asked. He'd kind of been hoping for Kensi or Deeks today but he should have known Hetty would be next. "You taking off?" Callen asked Sam.

"Yeah. Work tomorrow. Gotta do laundry and stuff." He couldn't help but feel a little sorry for his partner. Callen looked like an abandoned puppy. "You'll be fine, G," he said smiling. "You know where to reach me if you want to talk. I'll try to get out to see you during the week. In any case, I'll be here on Friday for your ortho appointment."

"Don't worry about your partner. He'll ll be fine. Run along Mr. Hanna. Mr. Callen is in very good hands."

"See ya, G," Sam said.

"Bye, Sam…thanks for everything." Callen watched as Sam headed out and then turned to Hetty.

"So Mr. Callen," Hetty said as she took a seat at the kitchen table while he finished his breakfast. "How are you feeling today?"

"I'm good," Callen said, no longer particularly hungry, but deciding not eating would likely bring about circumstances he might not like. He quickly ate the rest of his breakfast as Hetty quietly watched him.

"So…what's on the agenda for today? Perhaps a shower?"

Callen quickly shook his head. "I think I'll wait for Deeks or Eric to be here for that. I um…I might need some help."

Hetty just nodded. "Okay then, let me wash these breakfast dishes and we'll figure something out." She cleared the table, then brought the dishes to the sink and proceeded to quickly wash and dry them.

"By the way, Hetty," Callen said as he quietly watched her. "Thank you for all the food and the ottoman."

"You're very welcome," Hetty said, turning to smile at him. "I want things to be as easy as possible for you while you're recovering."

"Well, they definitely help," Callen said.

"That's good to hear," Hetty said as she dried the last dish and turned her attention back to him. "Now, where would you like to go?"

"I guess the living room," he said with a shrug. He'd been spending most of his time there. It was where his laptop and the television were, which provided the most distraction for him.

"Alright, is there anything I can do for you?" Hetty asked.

"No, I'm good," Callen said. The house wasn't all that big and he was getting better at maneuvering about the space. He reached for his crutches and made his way from the kitchen to the living room relatively easily. He then sat down, lifted his leg onto the ottoman and made himself as comfortable as he could.

They started to watch a movie on t.v. but Callen quickly got bored and fell asleep. Hetty watched him with a faint smile on her face. If anything, her boy would be catching up on years' worth of lost sleep, at least in the beginning stages of his recuperation.

xxxxx

As Hetty had suspected, Callen had been a model patient for her throughout the day, taking his meds as instructed and not voicing any complaints at all. She almost wished he would complain about something, but she knew she had him too well trained for that. She could tell he was bored though and wished she could think of a way to entertain him. Nothing really came to mind though. She hoped his teammates would be more successful during the week.

At about 5:30 in the afternoon, Callen awoke to a familiar, delicious scent permeating the house. "Pot roast?" he asked Hetty who was sitting on a chair in his living room reading.

"I know it's one of your favorites," Hetty said, smiling at him.

"Comfort food," he said, returning her smile.

"Well, I'd say you're in need of a bit of comforting, wouldn't you?" Hetty asked. "It will be ready in another hour. Do you need anything?"

Callen shook his head. "No thanks, Hetty. I'm good."

"I know you're bored," Hetty said, "but I think things may be a bit better for you tomorrow."

"Yeah?" Callen looked at her with interest. "Who is going to be here tomorrow, Deeks?"

Hetty chuckled. "You'll just have to wait and see."

xxxxx

The next morning, Callen was still asleep when his next guest arrived. Hetty had been watching out the front window so as to avoid the ringing of the doorbell which she knew would awaken him. "Good morning, Mr. Beale," Hetty said, opening the door as he arrived.

"Good morning, Hetty," Eric said, looking a bit nervous. "Are you that eager to escape?" He'd never spent this much time alone with Callen before and was not sure what to expect.

Hetty chuckled. "Don't be silly. Mr. Callen is still sleeping. I didn't want the doorbell to wake him." She looked at the bags in Eric's arms approvingly. "Good, good. I see you brought what we discussed."

"I hope you're right about it," Eric said, appearing doubtful.

"I'm quite sure that I am," Hetty said, assuring him. "I will now leave Mr. Callen in your capable hands."