Notes: Thanks for taking the time to look over my story.
I hadn't expected to be posting another fic so soon, but couldn't get the idea out of my head. So, since it's so short I thought I'd just post it now, rather than waiting till I start my next 'Big' fic
I have tried to keep characterisations right, but I may have slipped up here or there.
This is a follow up to my previous stories "Sacrifice" and "Redemption", and Continuation to "Revelation"
I hope you enjoy it.
I know it can be a bit uninteresting, but I value feedback, as it lets me know what people like, or don't like from my efforts. Or just so I know if you have enjoyed it in general. So I would please ask you to take a minute once you've finished reading it, to let me know what you thought.
I do NOT own NCIS:Los Angeles or any of its Characters. I'm just borrowing them
"Nope. Not Happening"
"Why?. Because I'm a woman, Because I'm not a field agent?"
"It's nothing to do with you being a woman, Nell. And while you're not a field agent, You know, and I know that you're more than capable of protecting yourself, and working in the field"
"So what is it… Why are you not okay with taking me with you"
"Do you remember telling me how you felt when I got hurt protecting you?" Nell nods her head "Well Same thing, just with the roles reversed. I don't want to see, or even think about you getting hurt. Even if I'm there with you, it would be too risky"
Nell stood, digesting what Callen had said to her, about how she could , and more importantly.. how she should respond
"Fine, if that's how you feel. I have some papers to file"
"Are we ok, though?" Callen asked, concerned
"We're fine. I'll see you later"
Callen stood and watch Nell walk away from him, round the corner and into the corridor that ran behind OPS. He couldn't help but think that this discussion wasn't really over
…..
"You know he's gonna be pissed when he sees you there"
"Even if he is, Hetty said I was to come with you. You wont get blamed, Kens"
"Uh huh. And Leonardo DiCaprio is gonna knock on my door tonight, and take me away with him" Kensi looked at her friend "Hetty didn't tell you to come did she… You asked to come"
"So what if I did. She still approved my request, and I do have the training"
"I'm not doubting your skill. If Callen said he didn't want you in the field with him, he must have had a good reason. But it's your funeral… if we're quick, you can maybe beat Deeks to the car, and you won't have to sit in the back"
…..
"Let her go" Callen almost screamed at the suspect they were trying to apprehend, as each of the agents took aim
"Drop your gun, Cops. I would really hate to have to shoot her" The suspect instructed, as he pushed his guns barrel closer to Nell's temple
Callen stared him down, watching for their suspect to flinch… But he didn't.
Instead Callen lowered his weapon, released the mag and ejected the round in the chamber, before dropping the gun to the ground and raised his hands, as if to surrender. Against his training, he instructed Sam, Kensi and Deeks to lower their weapons
"Right. We're not aiming at you any more. So release her, unharmed, and you can walk out of here, right now…" Callen said, trying to bargain for Nell
"Good deal. So I'll release her…" he said, then after a few seconds he pushed Nell towards a flight of stairs, with considerable force.
Callen froze… seeing Nell moving at slow motion towards the descending flight of stairs. When all he could do was watch her go face first down the stairs into an almost roll.
Their suspect set off, at great speed around the corner and out of sight. Callen for once, didn't know what to do, or what to say..
"Deeks, follow me… Kensi, Wait with Callen. Make sure Nell's alright" Sam instructed, taking command of the situation.
Sam and Deeks ran off, leaving Kensi to shake Callen and wake him from his frozen state
As soon as he started responding, he Pushed Kensi away from him, ordering him to go after Sam and Deeks.
He had to shout at her, to make her take off in pursuit of Sam, Deeks and their suspect. Once Kensi left, Callen quickly ran down the stairs, until he got to the bottom and fell to his knees at Nells side. Finding that she was still breathing, and had a strong pulse, Callen pulled his phone out and dialled OPS to demand Eric get paramedics sent to the scene.
"Come on Nell, wake up. Please… Wake up"
…..
"How is she?" Kensi asked Callen
"You want to get out my sight Right now, Kens" Callen managed to say, just about holding in the intense anger he felt towards the junior agent
Kensi stepped away from Callen, and sat down with Deeks at the far end of the waiting room. Deeks took her hands and said something to her, very quietly, Before she started sobbing.
Callen still didn't know what to tell Hetty or Eric. He would have to phone in and give an update. But he still didn't know much. He may have been her named emergency contact now, but he didn't know enough about her condition. The doctors were still checking her over and had scheduled an MRI for her before they wanted to say too much about her condition.
He had been going over the whole thing, looking at how he could have done things differently. The main thing would have been to simply to refuse to let Nell leave the car, even if she was there with Hetty's blessing. In a way, he understood how Nell must have felt when he had been injured. No matter how he tried to spin things, he still believed that he was largely at fault for her injuries, even if he blamed Kensi for letting Nell come with her on the manhunt.
"Mr Callen? Can I speak to you for a moment" the doctor asked as he approached.
…..
"As much as I like being held, you don't need to carry me inside. I do have crutches" Nell argued
"I thought this was better than making you walk inside" Callen replied, as he carried Nell through their front door
"G. I am perfectly capable of walking. It's just a bump to the head, and a broken leg. The doctors wouldn't have released me if I wasn't able to manage"
"Well, you don't have to manage alone. Whatever you need, I'll do, or help you with. Now, how about I order us some take-out, and I'll bring you your laptop through?" Callen said, after laying Nell out on their bed
"That sounds pretty good, Thank you"
Callen left her alone in the bedroom, as he left to order dinner and then go collect her laptop from their home office.
It was at this time that Nell checked her cellphone, and found an unread message on it
Kensi: Hope you're ok, Let me know you got home
Nell: I'm fine, not that G will accept it. He seems to think I'm an invalid
Kensi: He was pretty worried
Nell: Why don't you come over when you finish tomorrow. Maybe you could even break me out of my prison cell
Nell had to wait several minutes for Kensi's next reply
Kensi: I don't think I can come see you. But I'll see you when you come back to work
Nell: Why not? What's wrong
Kensi: Nothing really. See you soon
Callen walked back in with Nell's computer and a cushion to keep Nells injured leg raised
"What's wrong with Kensi? We were just texting and she wouldn't agree to come round to see me. She says she'll see me when I go back to work"
"I don't know what's wrong with her. But maybe it's a good thing. Especially since you wouldn't have been hurt if she hadn't of brought you" Callen said coldly about his younger colleague.
"G. It's not Kensi's fault that I got hurt. It's just a risk that comes with the job. You know that. Is this you… did you say something to Kensi?!"
"Okay. I may have said something, but…"
"You go call Kensi, this minute, apologise for whatever you said. You're too close to one another to let such a stupid thing come between you" Nell demanded, after interrupting Callen
…..
About 4am a couple of days later, Nell woke up needing a drink of water. To her surprise she didn't find Callen in the bed beside her, nor was there any sign that he had been there at any time during the night.
She managed to reach her crutches and push herself on her feet, so that she could hobble though to the kitchen via the lounge in the hope that he was sat reading.
But when she found herself in the lounge, how she found him was the furthest from what she would have imagined. He was laying down on the couch, snoring, his shirt was stretched and untidy, proving that he had been sleeping in it for several hours. Most surprising was what was resting in the hand, at the end of his outstretched arm… an empty bottle of vodka that had been full and in the freezer before he hat gotten home from work yesterday.
'What could cause him to drink the full bottle by himself' She wondered to herself.
Nell moved through to the kitchen for her drink of water. Once she was done she moved through to the guest bedroom to grab a blanket to cover him with. She would deal with the reasons for his drinking, when he woke up in the morning. Until then she would sit down in his arm chair and watch over him.
…..
"There's aspirin and a glass of water on the table for you" Nell called from the kitchen, once she heard Callen start to stir. "Do you want to tell me what happened to you last night, or should I keep imagining the worst?" she added as she hobbled back into the lounge
"Don't know what you're talking about"
"Come on G. You were passed out drunk, after finishing a bottle of vodka that was unopened yesterday afternoon. I was worried when I woke up and you weren't there, and now… now I'm confused and worried about why you would have had so much to drink"
"It's nothing I can't deal with"
"Okay. If you say so, but you know that you can talk to me about anything" She finished off, and watched as he left the lounge to go get freshened up for work
…..
"… and I don't know how. I just know that something is bothering him that he won't talk with me about"
[….]
"I know that we don't always want to talk to each other about everything. But I don't want to have to watch him go down this dark road."
[….]
"So has mom or dad said anything else about their opinion of him?"
[….]
"That's not fair. Things were more than a little hectic, it's not easy to explain. Besides It wasn't his fault"
[….]
"Rachael… I don't really care what either of them think anymore. I love him, and he loves me. If my happiness isn't enough for then, I don't know what will. Anyway I've got to go. I'll give you a call at the weekend, Love you"
Nell ended the call, then fired off a quick text to Callen asking if he knew when he would be home
a few minutes later, her phone chirped.
G: Be home soon. Just stopping off to pick up some Chinese x
It was almost an hour later when Nell heard his car pull up outside.
When he walked through the door he looked shattered, and didn't look too steady on his feet. Once he leaned down to kiss her cheek, she knew why… he was stinking of drink. She managed to get herself up on her own feet (and crutches) and followed him into their kitchen
"Where were you. And don't tell me that you were picking up dinner" She asked, her voice heavy with concern
"Had a tough day, and I needed a hard drink"
"G. I know I asked you this morning, but I really need the truth from you. What's bothering you, that you feel you cant talk to me, and that you need to drink to help you cope"
Callen stared back at her, looking very unsure and uncomfortable
"I've been having a hard time. Every time that I close my eyes I can see you being pushed down those stairs. Whenever I've tried to sleep I see you at the bottom on those stairs… and it was worse than just a broken leg." When he paused to take a breath, Nell could see his lip quiver. It was then that she realised just how badly tall of this had been affecting him.
"Hey" she said, as she started moved over to him "I'm okay. I'm still here, and I'm not going anywhere" She reached one arm round him and pulled him close, before taking a step back so that she could look him in the eyes
"You have trouble sleeping, or you have trouble with any of this… just talk to me. I don't care if it's the middle of the night, okay?!" She waited for his response before making another move
Callen looked back at her and just nodded, unable to say anything without giving away his emotions
"So how about we leave dinner for now, and you come give me a hand in the
shower?" Nell suggested with a cheeky grin
…..