A/N This is the sequel to "The Secret" which is the sequel to "The Plan" so you probably need to read those first in order to understand fully. This is post Blye, K. 1&2. Hope you enjoy!
Again I own nothing. I'm just thankful I can play with these fabulous characters and make them do what I want since it seems the screen writers are reluctant to even let them kiss. So sad! (Keeping my fingers crossed for "Neighborhood Watch!)
Kensi was coming home today and Deeks was so happy he couldn't think straight. When he called Hetty to let her know, she had graciously given him the day off and told him to take care of her. It was Friday so he would have at least three days to do just that. He hoped he would be able to beg for a few more days come Monday.
They had decided to take her back to her house since it was on ground level and there were two flights of stairs at his place. He had lots of things to do to prepare for her return home. The first thing he did was stop at a nearby market to get a few groceries. She lived on take-out and didn't buy 'real food' very often. He wanted to make sure she ate healthier so she would get better faster. He unlocked the door and immediately realized the place needed airing out. It was still basically clean from Kensi's rare day of domestic inspiration but he managed to pick up a few things, opened the windows and put the bunch of flowers he had bought in water in a vase he had found on top of her fridge.
He cleaned the old take-out containers out of her fridge then put the groceries he had just bought on the now almost empty shelves. He washed and dried the few dishes in the sink and emptied the trash. Then he tackled her room and her bathroom. He changed the sheets, cleaned the bathroom and did a load of laundry. He'd already had lots of experience washing Kensi's clothes and knew exactly what settings to use for that particular load.
When he was satisfied with how it looked, he made a run to his apartment and packed a bag of his own things. He checked in with his neighbor and visited Monty for a while. He explained that he would be away for a few more days and asked if she could continue to take care of him for a little longer. She agreed happily.
Now that all the details were squared away, he drove back to the hospital to wait with Kensi until the doctor signed her release orders. She was smiling and seemed to be back to her old self. Well, almost. There were times when he could see something in her eyes that scared him. It was almost as if she wasn't there, like she had checked out temporarily. He knew they were going to have to discuss the fact that she needed to talk to someone professional about her ordeal. She had spoken with someone at the hospital but he felt she needed some ongoing regular visits in order to deal with it properly. Right now that conversation would have to wait. He wanted to keep her in the happy mood she was in at the moment.
"Hey Babe. Are you all packed up and ready to go?"
"Yep. Just twiddling my thumbs and waiting."
"I got some groceries and took them to your place, then checked in on Monty. He's having a great time but he misses you."
"Why don't you bring him to my place?"
"I might do that in a few days. Right now, I don't think you need him jumping up in your lap."
She grimaced at the thought. "You're probably right but I do miss the little mutt."
Deeks smiled and kissed her gently on the lips. "I'm so glad we are busting you out of here."
"Me too." Her eyes clouded over as she said, "I wish I could walk out of here like a normal person."
"Kens, nobody walks out of here like a normal person. Everyone leaves in a wheel chair whether they can walk or not. Hospital regulations. Besides, you will be up and running in no time. I know you Kensi Marie Blye and you don't let anything get in the way of what you want. I've experienced it firsthand more than once. Remember when I tried to hide your Twinkies?"
She grinned as she rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand. "Speaking of sugar… I need a candy bar."
"Taken care of. There is a nice fresh stash at your place."
"You are going to spoil me Marty Deeks."
"That's what I'm here for," he said as he smiled with that heart melting crooked smirk. "And don't forget that I'm your sex slave too," he grinned.
"Trust me, I haven't forgotten," she said smiling." She brought his hand to her lips and placed a soft kiss there. "It may be a while before I'm able to command my slave to do my bidding though."
He bent down and kissed her tenderly. "I know Princess, and its okay. I just want you home so I can take care of you. Will you let me do that?"
She smiled brightly and said, "Yes, if you promise to take some time and go surfing. You haven't been in since… since I've been in here."
He started to argue but was interrupted as the morning nurse came in with her release papers and asked them to wait for Dr. Parker. They waited for another twenty minutes until he finally appeared and went through a long list of do's and don'ts with them. Deeks listened carefully to them all. He was determined to do whatever it took to get Kensi back on track and back to work. He had seen what the caged and bored Kensi was like and he much preferred the 'kick ass' version.
He brought his car around to the entrance and hurried back to her room. He picked her up and carefully placed her in the wheel chair then walked beside her as the nurse wheeled her through the double doors to the car.
He was about to pick her up and put her in the car when she waved him off. She was determined to do this herself. He wasn't surprised. This was Kensi. She had to be in control of something. He handed her the crutches and thankfully she took them. Four very painful steps later she managed to turn herself to sit down. Deeks helped her carefully. She was still very sore and her ribs were the worst if you didn't count her feet. He took the crutches and placed them in the back seat then thanked the nurse as he closed Kensi's door.
He sighed and smiled as he got behind the wheel. Kensi was going home.
Hetty hoped for a quiet day at OPS. There had been too much stress and tension the last couple of weeks. As much as her team disliked paperwork, it was good for them to sit still for a while and leave the adrenaline stored away. Her thoughts kept returning to her youngest agent. Kensi had managed to survive one of the most brutal attacks she had ever had the misfortune to witness. While she seemed to be healing and improving physically, the Operations Manager couldn't help but think her mental and emotional capacities had also taken a beating. Sometimes it was harder to recover from injuries you couldn't see. Hetty had read her medical file and was sickened by what Stringer had done to her. She needed to talk to a psychologist and soon. Convincing Kensi she needed to do it was another thing entirely.
NCIS regulations required agents who had been taken hostage or had experienced other traumatic situations to undergo a psych evaluation before they could return to the field. Hetty knew she would have to make Kensi's visits to the psychologist mandatory prior to that evaluation or she would never agree to go. She had built the walls high and thick around her soul. Or at least they had been prior to the arrival of Mr. Deeks. Hetty smiled slightly at how their partnership had evolved in the last two years. She put the two of them together hoping that someday they would learn to trust each other and maybe actually become good friends. She had to admit, she never dreamed they would have become this close. They were best friends and while one was able to function without the other on the job, it was obvious they preferred to work together if at all possible.
Trust. The basic foundation for every good relationship whether it be a working partnership or a close friendship. It was especially important for couples who were in committed relationships. Her youngest team members seemed to fit into all three of these categories.
She was expecting Mr. Deeks to come by soon and tell her officially what she had figured out already. She thought he might stop by today but when he found out Kensi was being released from the hospital she decided to give him the day off. The unrestrained excitement in his voice when he had called to tell her was touching. Young love. She remembered those days and almost envied them. Almost. She had seen too much sorrow and regret between partners in her lifetime. While she wouldn't deny them their chance at happiness, she could only pray they wouldn't succumb to the pressures of this job. She would do what needed to be done to make sure Kensi dealt with her demons now so they couldn't become additional thick, impenetrable walls that could destroy her later.
They arrived at Kensi's house and parked in the driveway. Deeks jumped out and opened her door. "You want the crutches or would you prefer the 'knight in shining armor' treatment and let me carry you inside?"
She rolled her eyes with a smile on her lips, "I think I'll take the crutches if you don't mind."
"Your wish is my command m' lady," he said as he retrieved them from the back seat. "Wait here, I'll be right back." He ran to her door, unlocked it and pushed it open. He raced back to the car and helped her up. He kept his hand on her back as she slowly started hobbling to her front door.
Kensi wanted to prove she could do this to herself but the front door was further away than the remembered. Each step sent sharp jolts of pain up her legs. She didn't want to rip open her cuts and delay her recovery before she even got inside her house. About halfway to her door she turned to Deeks and said with a grimace on her face, "Is that offer still on the table?"
He gently picked her up and she let the crutches fall away. He took her inside and carefully sat her on the couch. He gently propped her feet up on the coffee table then went back out to collect her crutches and their bags from his car. Once back inside he leaned the crutches against the wall beside the couch and took their bags to her room.
He sat down next to her on the couch, careful not to get too close for fear of bumping one of her many bruises. He gave her one of his smirks and said, "This is a multiple choice question. Do you want to A. Eat a slightly early lunch, B. Eat a candy bar, C. Rest and/or take a nap, or D. All of the above?"
She smiled and said, "All of the above, but not necessarily in that order. I really need a candy bar."
He jumped up and dug through the big stash he had put away earlier and brought her a peanut butter cup. He watched as she devoured it in seconds. "Gee Fern, did you even chew it? Want some water or a soda?"
She declined both and patted the couch for him to come and sit beside her. He smiled and took his place next to her. She leaned over, slowly curled up and laid her head in his lap. She closed her eyes and said sleepily, "I've missed this, missed being close to you."
"Me too Princess. I'm so glad you're home." As he stroked her hair he looked closely at the bruises that were visible. The one on her cheekbone was still dark red but was beginning to turn green on the edges. There were several dark ones on her arms and her feet were still bandaged but not as thickly as they had been. The rest of her body had been covered by blankets or her hospital gown so he hadn't seen how many there actually were. He had seen some really bad ones on the lower part of her legs but they were covered by sweatpants at the moment. While he had been running errands this morning, she had gotten dressed and put on a button up shirt because it was easier than trying to pull a t-shirt over her head.
As he was taking inventory of her remaining injuries, he suddenly tensed at what he saw. Her shirt was gaping open just enough for him to see the dark purple edges of bruises on her left breast. The pattern looked liked fingerprints! His anger began to rise again at the thought of Stringer beating her over and over. Evidently he had inflicted pain by using means other than just his fists. The thoughts that ran through his head caused him to shudder. Kensi had drifted off to sleep but he knew they were going to have to talk about it soon. Nate was coming in on Monday. Maybe they should both talk to him about it. God knows he would never be able to forget what had happened to her and the anger he felt was scaring him more than he wanted to admit.
A/N Thanks so much for all the alerts to this series! Reviews are most welcome and rank right up there with peanut butter cups!