Treasures
...
The storm had cleared out late yesterday and Deeks had called just before midnight, excited about the big surf that was predicted for the morning. She had agreed to go with him to Zuma Beach this early, only because she hadn't seen him this fired up about surfing in a long time. He was super hyper and it was hard not to smile along with him as they pulled into the beach lot. The early morning light kissed the tops of the turbulent, windblown waves that Deeks proclaimed were the best he'd seen in years and as she stepped out of the car she could hear the roar as the waves hit the beach. He practically leaped out of the car and started unloading his board, acknowledging a few diehards he knew and talking excitedly with them about breaks and wave lines and stuff she really wasn't interested in, especially this early in the morning. She grabbed a blanket and her coffee and donuts and went to find a spot to settle in and then contentedly watched as Deeks waxed his board. The air was already warm so he wasn't wearing his wetsuit this morning and she was enjoying the view, especially when the sun highlighted the muscles in his back as he worked. She had to admit the waves did look a lot bigger than she was use to seeing since she had been coming to watch him surf and she could tell he was anxious to be out there.
There were small groups of surfers gathering all along the beach, some were pros and some were regulars and some were newbies who had heard the surf reports and come out to participate in the excitement. Deeks stood and took in the scene, his eyes scanning the breaks. He reached down and ruffled Kensi's hair before attaching the leash to his board and heading down to the wave line and out into the white water. He dove in, shivering as the cold water of the Pacific swallowed him briefly. He paddled hard to reach the break, his exhilaration barely contained as the huge surf surged around him. He duck dived through a wave and came out with a huge smile on his face as he turned his board toward shore. He waited through a couple of sets before feeling the power of the swell beneath him and he raced to catch the building wave. He slipped down the face of it, right in front of the curl and he almost shouted with pure joy. As he cut back toward the top of the wave he saw a flash of red as another surfer dropped over the edge and straight into him. The kid's board hit him at the knees and he somersaulted head over heels, his board flying above him as he crashed into the heart of the wave and was tumbled under.
Kensi heard a combined shout from the onlookers and looked to see Deeks cartwheel and wipeout. She was on her feet and running toward the water as were some of his buddies. One of the surfers in the vicinity cut out of a wave and frantically searched the water, having seen how brutal the collision was. Deeks' board floated to the surface and the surfer dove underwater and pulled Deeks up for air. He was coughing up water and draped himself over his board until he could catch his breath. Kensi was ready to go in after him, until one of the men she had seen him talking to earlier stopped her, pointing to where Deeks had climbed back onto his board. He wasn't standing though and that worried her. A couple of guys helped him get back to shore and as he got close she could hear him swearing a blue streak. Two of his surfing buddies helped him limp up to the beach and sit down in the sand, where he collapsed onto his back, gripping fistfuls of sand as one of the lifeguards felt around his right knee.
"Deeks?" Kensi said as she knelt down beside him.
"Son-of-a-bitch dropped right down on top of me," Deeks was saying to the surfers gathered around him. When he finally noticed she was there, he shook his head and tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace.
"Your head's bleeding, Deeks," she said softly and took a towel that was offered and wiped some of the blood off his face.
"It's my knee I'm worried about," he managed to say through gritted teeth.
"It's not broken, man," the lifeguard said. "I think it's hyperextended though."
"Shit! Hetty's gonna kill me," Deeks moaned.
...
It was almost noon before Kensi and Deeks got to OPS. Deeks shuffled into the bullpen on crutches with a sour look on his face, prepared for the teasing he knew was coming and the dressing down he was going to get from Hetty.
"I thought you told us you knew how to surf, Deeks," Sam said, his smile beaming.
"Only on the kiddy waves, Sam," Callen said, trying not to laugh.
They got no witty comeback from Deeks and that took some of the fun out of their efforts, but that didn't stop them from razzing him. Kensi simply glared at them as she helped her partner sit down.
"Mr. Deeks? A word in my office, please," Hetty called out.
Deeks moaned and pulled himself back to his feet and grabbed his crutches, halfheartedly hobbling over to take his punishment. When he was gone, Sam looked over at Kensi and could see she was shaken by the morning's events.
"He's okay, isn't he Kens?" Sam asked quietly.
"Yeah, but it scared the hell out of me," she said. "Another surfer crashed his board straight into his legs and he cartwheeled 360 degrees in the air. His board hit him in the head when it came down and knocked him out and if another surfer hadn't pulled him out he would have drowned. One of his surfing buddies said they were amazed he wasn't hurt worse than he was. He's got a mild concussion and a hyperextended knee and has to be on crutches for two to four weeks."
"How's he dealing with it?" Callen asked.
"He's really pissed," she answered. "And he's afraid of what Hetty's gonna do to him."
Eric and Nell came into the bullpen snickering, giving notice they had something good they wanted to share.
"There's a video of Deeks' wipeout on YouTube already," Nell reported as Eric put it up on the big plasma screen.
The video showed Deeks just as he caught the huge wave and moved expertly down the face until another surfer crashed into him, sending him flying. They all winced at the violence of the collision and there were sounds of amazement at how high he flew, and then they all waited for what they knew was coming as his board crashed down on top of him. He was underwater for quite awhile and they all let out their breath when they saw his head pop up above the surface.
"It was my first wave of the day," Deeks said from behind them.
"Hey Deeks," Eric said, slightly embarrassed.
"Your wipeout already has 22,356 hits," Nell chirped, seemingly proud of that fact for some reason.
"Good to know I'm famous for something," Deeks said as he put his head down and lurched unsteadily over to his desk and lowered himself slowly into his chair.
"The agony of defeat, Mr. Deeks," Hetty said. "People are always interested in someone's downfall, especially spectacular ones such as yours. Now go home and rest. I expect you at my house at 9 o'clock sharp. Ms. Blye can drop you off on her way to work in the morning. And bring a go bag, Mr. Deeks, you'll be staying awhile." And with that she disappeared as quietly as when she'd suddenly arrived.
Deeks sat shaking his head while the others waited to make sure that Hetty was truly gone or at least out of earshot.
"What's she got you doing, Deeks?" Callen asked with growing curiosity.
"I have to help her catalog and inventory some of her collections for the insurance company," Deeks looked strung out as he slowly said the words, like it was the worst assignment he'd ever been given.
"Do you know how many houses she owns?" Callen sat shaking his head as his eyes brightened with the knowledge of just what Deeks was in for. "And how many weird things she's collected over the years?"
"That's what you get for putting yourself in harm's way," Sam said firmly.
"It wasn't his fault, Sam," Kensi said angrily. She was still upset and couldn't forget the sudden flash of fear as she watched Deeks careening over the lip of that wave. She stole a look at him after she finished glaring at Sam and Callen, daring them to say one more thing about it. Eric and Nell quickly disappeared, knowing that Kensi was in full protective partner mode and they didn't want to piss her off any more than she already was.
"Maybe you should take a couple of surfing lessons, Deeks," Callen said with a grin. "I'm just sayin'."
"Or maybe your partner should have been out there with you," Sam said with an ever growing grin. "She could have shot the guy before he had a chance to run you down."
They noticed a small flicker of a smile playing around Deeks' lips and it only encouraged them. He was silently picturing Kensi in a hot looking wet suit patrolling the waves around him with her gun at the ready. He was trying extremely hard not to grin madly at that vision playing out in his mind.
"Yeah, Kens, how come you didn't have your partner's back out there?" Callen knew he was skating on thin ice, but he couldn't seem to help himself.
"The ocean's too cold for her in the morning," Deeks ventured with a small grin, even though he knew Kensi was close to throttling all three of them if they kept this up. But he was starting to feel a little better, now that the attention was off of him and focused on his partner.
"How can you make light of this, Deeks?" She turned toward him and directed her sudden anger at him with full force. "Those weren't kiddy waves this morning, as Callen calls them. That surf was rough and dangerous. You could have died out there."
Her fury silenced them for the moment. They all knew what she said was true, but chose not to think about that. It was easier to joke about it because it kept the reality of what might have happened at bay.
"But I didn't Kens," Deeks said softly. "It happened so fast I don't even remember hitting the water. I do remember swearing and threatening to beat the shit out of the kid who ran into me. He's the one that shouldn't have been out there, because whether you guys want to believe it or not, I'm a great surfer."
"You got a concussion when your board hit you in the head, right?" Callen asked. "Sam, I think it gave him delusions of grandeur."
"I was hoping it had knocked some sense into him, but clearly that didn't happen." Sam and Callen were grinning and pointedly ignoring Kensi, who angrily stomped out of the bullpen without a backward glance. They could hear her as she slammed the door to the gun range and then a moment later they heard the sound of rapid firing.
"You may need a ride home, Deeks," Callen said.
"I knew I was in trouble before this," Deeks said shaking his head. "But I think we just pushed her over the edge."
"Come on Deeks, I'll take you," Sam said helping him to his feet. "I'll even let you ride in the front."
"Wow, the second shocker of the day," Deeks said as he swung his crutches around his desk and followed Sam out.
When Kensi came back into the bullpen a half hour later and Callen told her Sam had driven Deeks home, he thought she was going to explode.
"Kens, are you okay?" Callen asked, finally realizing that seeing Deeks take a hit like that had seriously shaken her.
"He could have been killed, Callen," she said. "And all you guys can do is joke about it."
"Kens, we didn't mean anything," Callen said. "You know it's how we deal with this kind of stuff."
Kensi nodded, but he could see she was still upset and without another word, she walked out.
...