Well, this is the first time I've attempted writing anything in a few months. This idea is kind of a cliché and I'm pretty unsure of it, but it was the first time I've been inspired so I just went with it. Hopefully, it will get me back to my other stories. In any case, thanks for reading.
xxxxx
As he finally started to regain consciousness, the first thing he became aware of was the excruciating pain in his upper left leg. He groaned softly and felt someone take his hand. "Shh…don't try to move, Sam. You've lost a lot of blood," the soft, familiar voice said to him.
It took him a moment to place who was speaking as he opened his eyes feeling a combination of shock and relief. "Hidoko? I…we thought you were dead."
Hidoko shook her head and gave him a concerned smile. "I could say the same about you."
At that point, Sam began to take in his surroundings as he realized that he was in a medevac helicopter and the previous events began to come back to him. "G!" He turned his head in search of his partner and quickly found him being administered to by medical personnel. "G!" he repeated louder.
"He's being taken care of," Hidoko explained quietly. "You need to just rest right now, Sam."
"What's wrong with him?" Sam persisted. His gaze traveled and he found Kensi, sitting beside Deeks who was also being attended to. "Kens? Are you alright?"
Kensi turned to Sam, her face mapped with small cuts and abrasions. There was also a bandage on her forehead. "I'm okay, Sam," she replied. "You need to take it easy. Everything's okay."
Kensi's words didn't match her concerned expression and did nothing to reassure Sam. "Is Deeks alright?" Sam could see Deeks lying down, a pained look on his face as he was being examined.
"I'm fine, Sam," Deeks replied before Kensi had a chance to say anything. Sam didn't think Deeks looked very fine at all, but he said nothing as his attention once again returned to his partner. "Is G okay?"
"They're still evaluating him," Hidoko replied. "Try not to worry. We're going to be landing soon." Sam nodded his head, trying to stay alert to find out more about his teammates, but the pain and loss of blood got the better of him and he found himself unable to keep his eyes open any longer.
xxxxx
Hetty sighed softly as she continued to keep vigil over Callen. The team had been brought in to the medical center over 24 hours ago and he had yet to regain consciousness. She took his hand and softly began to speak to him once again in the hopes that he would begin to come around. "I had a bad feeling from the very beginning of this mission, but I had really hoped that you wouldn't feel the need to prove me right, Mr. Callen."
"Hetty?" Hetty looked up to see Sam enter the room, leaning heavily on a cane.
"Mr. Hanna, you should be in bed. Did you get permission to be roaming around the hospital?"
"How is he?" Sam asked, ignoring Hetty's question as he looked at his partner with obvious concern. Seeing G attached to various monitors, as well as a ventilator, was enough to tell him that his partner was not doing well, but he was compelled to ask the question anyway.
"The doctors will be able to tell us more when he regains consciousness," Hetty said. She refused to even voice the possibility that he might never wake up. She looked at Sam closely and could easily see that he didn't look particularly well. "Mr. Hanna, if you insist on staying here, please sit down before you fall down."
Sam didn't need to be told twice. He did as Hetty wanted and sat down in the other empty chair by Callen's bedside. "How are Kensi and Deeks?" he asked after a long silence.
"Mr. Deeks sustained a number of injuries including broken ribs and a fractured wrist. Ms. Blye is relatively unscathed except for some cuts and bruises. She was admitted for observation but is expected to be released today."
Sam nodded, glad that the injuries of the younger team members weren't life-threatening. His gaze traveled back to his partner who was pale and appeared alarmingly fragile to Sam. "If you need to take a break, I'm not going anywhere," he said.
"I'm fine right now, Mr. Hanna, thank you," Hetty said. She didn't have the heart to leave Callen yet. She was very much afraid of what could happen to him in her absence. She couldn't help but think about the time he had been shot on Venice Beach and the numerous times during that hospitalization when he had been close to death. She had been very much afraid of losing him.
"Okay, well the offer stands," Sam said with a nod although he totally understood Hetty's reluctance to leave Callen's side. He felt the same way. Realizing they might be in for a long wait, Sam made himself as comfortable as he could as he silently said a prayer that his partner and best friend would wake up soon.
xxxxx
Kensi sat by Deeks' side, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest as he slept. He had been in a lot of pain and had been heavily medicated to enable him to get some much needed rest. He suddenly moaned and moved about restlessly in his sleep. "Shh…it's okay, baby," Kensi whispered as she gently put her hand on Deeks' forehead and brushed his hair back with her fingers.
"Kensi?" he murmured, barely able to open his eyes. "Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine, Deeks," Kensi said softly. "You really need to rest. Just close your eyes and sleep."
"What about the others?" Deeks persisted as he tried to escape the effects of the heavy medication. "Are Sam and Callen okay?"
"Sam's okay," Kensi replied. "The last I heard, Callen was still unconscious."
"We…we should check on them," Deeks said. At that point he was no longer able to resist the medication effects and he quickly dropped off to sleep once again.
xxxxx
Hetty finally decided to take a short break and returned to Callen's room carrying a bag and a tray with two cups in it, which she handed off to Sam. "You need to keep up your strength if you insist on being here."
Knowing that Hetty was right, and also that refusing her would prove futile, Sam nodded. The two then sat quietly as they ate their dinner. "So," Sam began when they were finished. "You never said how we were rescued." He didn't remember anything past the rocket hit to their SUV.
"Turk was able to get some men together and got there without a moment to spare," Hetty began. "He joined forces with Hidoko on the way and they were able to rescue you."
"We really owe that guy," Sam said as he looked at Hetty. "And you too for hooking us up with him."
"I'm just sorry I wasn't able to do more to keep you safe," Hetty said, her eyes on Callen once again.
"Hetty, you did everything you could to keep us safe," Sam said. "More than anyone, you know how this job works."
"Yes, that's true," Hetty said. "But it doesn't make it any easier when you and your teammates are put in harm's way."
"We all know what we signed up for," Sam said quietly, also turning his attention to Callen.
"Even so, it didn't have to go down the way it did," Hetty stated. "The executive assistant director has a lot she's going to have to answer for."
"Well, at least we got her son back," Sam said.
"Yes, but at what cost?" Hetty asked, wondering if the man who was like a son to her was going to end up paying for this mission with his life.
xxxxx
At 3:30 a.m., Deeks awoke abruptly as a sharp dagger of pain shot through his side into his chest. "Damn," he muttered, trying to control his breathing to keep the pain at bay.
"Deeks?" Kensi got up from the empty bed she was lying on and went over to him. "Are you in pain? Do you need the nurse?"
"I'm fine," he said, his face expressionless as he spoke. "You shouldn't be here, Kensi. You should go home."
"I want to be here," Kensi said.
"It would be good for Monty if you were at the house with him," Deeks continued.
"You know Jimmy is taking good care of Monty, Deeks," Kensi said, referring to a neighborhood college student who walked the dog daily and cared for him when they were away. "I'll stop by the house tomorrow though and check on him if it will make you feel better."
Deeks didn't respond. As far as he was concerned nothing was going to make him feel better right now. Everything was messed up and he didn't know if there was any way to fix it.
"Deeks? I'll check on Monty, okay?"
"Fine, Kensi," he finally responded in a monotone. He closed his eyes and tried to even out his breathing, pretending to sleep. He was pretty sure he wasn't fooling Kensi, but he didn't want to talk to her anymore. He just didn't have the physical or the emotional capability to do so.
xxxxx
The next morning, Hetty took a break to go get breakfast for herself and Sam. "I'm sure this isn't the greatest tea or breakfast in the world," she said, handing Sam a cup and a Styrofoam container, "but I suppose it's better than nothing."
"I'm sure it's just fine, Hetty," Sam replied. "Thank you."
"You're very welcome, Mr. Hanna."
"I really wish he'd wake up," Sam said as he took a sip of his coffee and opened his breakfast container. He didn't voice his inner thoughts that the longer Callen remained unconscious, the smaller his chances were for a full recovery.
"I have a strong feeling that today is going to bring about some good news," Hetty stated.
"Well, I hope you're right," Sam said as he moved his scrambled eggs around with his fork. They didn't look particularly appetizing.
"Sam…not eating isn't going to help you and it certainly won't help your partner either," Hetty admonished lightly.
"I know," Sam said as he forced himself to eat a forkful of the rubbery concoction.
The pair then set about attempting to eat their meals. "I think we'd be best served by getting lunch somewhere outside the hospital this afternoon," Hetty said a short time later as she put aside her mostly uneaten breakfast sandwich.
Sam quickly nodded in agreement as he closed the lid on his breakfast container and sipped his coffee which, thankfully, was better than the food.
xxxxx
It was shortly after 10 a.m. when Sam noticed the first positive sign. Callen moved his head slightly and then his hand. Sam put his hand over Callen's and whispered, "G…hey buddy, can you hear me?" Callen's eyes slowly opened and almost immediately things began to go downhill. Callen looked bewildered and panicked as the reading on his heart monitor started rising at an alarming pace. Sam and Hetty both attempted to calm him, but their efforts proved futile. Medical staff arrived in the room moments later and quickly ushered Sam and Hetty out into the hallway.
"Did you see how scared he looked?" Sam asked after a few moments of silence. He couldn't help but be troubled to have seen the uncustomary fear which had been present in his best friend's eyes.
Hetty slowly shook her head. "He was likely just very confused and disoriented. I think he just needs some time to clear his head and make sense of everything that happened."
Sam nodded, but he wasn't quite sure he agreed. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he was pretty sure there was something more to the look he had seen on G's face.
After a 40-minute wait, which seemed like forever, Callen's doctor, Dr. Perez, finally came out of the room. "Can we go somewhere to speak privately?" he asked.
"Of course," Hetty replied.
"Is G okay?" Sam asked.
Dr. Perez nodded. "He's sleeping right now."
Sam and Hetty exchanged a look then followed the doctor down the hallway into a small office. He turned on the light and closed the door. "Please take a seat."
"So what's wrong with him?" Sam asked, as soon as the three were seated.
"Well…it's his memory…"
"What about it?" Hetty asked. "Does he not remember what happened to him?"
Dr. Perez shook his head. "It's not just that," he said slowly. "At the moment, he doesn't remember anything at all."
"Nothing?" Sam asked, stunned by this unexpected piece of information. "As in, he doesn't even know who he is?"
"At the time I questioned him, he didn't," Dr. Perez stated. "I believe he's suffering from post-traumatic amnesia."
"How long does that last?" Sam asked.
"There's no real way of telling," Dr. Perez replied. "I'm going to run some more tests on him, but there's a good chance they won't tell us anything. It could be very short-term or could last for hours, days, weeks, even months. Hopefully, it will just be short-term. In any case, I'd like you both to be there when he awakens again." He paused for a few moments to allow Hetty and Sam to digest what he had told them before continuing. "Also, please be aware that it's very important to remain calm and don't let him see you upset. No matter how distressing his condition may be to you, understand that its much worse for him."
"We can do that," Sam replied and Hetty nodded in agreement.
"Good," said Dr. Perez as he stood up. "Let's get back to him then and we'll see if your presence has any effect on him."
Sam and Hetty stood up as well then apprehensively headed back in the direction of Callen's room.