Sara slept soundly until Kensi woke her to take the painkillers the medic had left for her. She had no idea how much time had passed, but it was now dark.
"Sorry... I guess I was pretty tired." She apologised to Kensi, but Kensi just waved it off.
"Take your pills and you can go back to sleep in my bed. Or if you're up for it, we can talk?" She suggested gently. Sara nodded, taking the drink and pills from Kensi's hand.
"I guess I owe you some explanation..." She said quietly, but again Kensi cut her off.
"You don't owe me anything. I'm here for you, however I can help. But some background might give me a better idea of what you need." Kensi told her.
"I mean... I guess a lot of it is obvious. I fell for the wrong guy and everything I thought about myself was wrong. I thought I was too smart to let this happen to me. I thought I was stronger. I mean, your dad... He... He would be so ashamed." Sara said, tears beginning to pour down her face. Kensi reached over to grab her friend's hand, and passed her a tissue at the same time.
"Sara, he would never be ashamed of you. But he would probably demand a name and take care of the problem with a rifle... Much like I want to right now." She said. Upon seeing the panic on Sara's face, Kensi quickly added "I won't without your blessing... I want to blow the brains out of the bastard who did this to you, but I won't unless you let me." She reassured, relieved that Sara relaxed slightly. "Actually, it's not so much his brains I want to blow out..." Kensi continued with a sly grin, finally eliciting a smile. Sara had born witness to Kensi's target practice more than once, and knew she had a sadistic streak when it came to male targets. They sat in quiet for a few minutes, lost in thought, before Sara continued.
"He knew how to be charming I guess. He knew what to say and do and before I knew it I was trapped. But then I started getting sick and I was so tired... It took me a while to figure it out but I took a pregnancy test two days ago, and it was positive. I knew I had to get out... I'm sorry, I pick pocketed a phone from a drug dealer in the street, and I took cash from him to get food. Then I just walked, or ran, and hid until I was far enough away. I didn't know what to do and then this little voice in my head said you would know what to do so I messaged you and then destroyed the phone." She explained. Kensi was impressed with Sara's clear train of thought, and how far she must have dragged herself with her injuries.
"Sara, I need to know who he is. I need to know what he does, where he lives, who his contacts are. That way I can know how to keep you safe." Kensi prodded gently.
"I don't know..." Sara said, tears pooling in her eyes again. "I just called him Chris. I know he must have been into something illegal. He only used burn phones, only used cash... He doesn't have a credit card as far as I know or a bank account. And I never went to his place, he just came to mine..." She explained, feeling dumber by the second. "But he had connections. He said if I ever ran he would have his friends find me. He swore I could never get away. It's why I didn't even try until now."
"It's ok. You are safe here. Not even my colleagues can break in to this place, and they're the best of the best. I've told you, I work with ghosts. I AM a ghost." Kensi reminded her.
"I know. And you're a deadly ghost. It's why I knew if anyone could help me it was you. I never confirmed it but I suspect Chris has friends in LAPD. He never worried when I threatened to tell them, he just laughed and told me to try." She put her head in her hands as her hair fell around her, and she cried. "How could I have been so stupid?"
Kensi pushed the hair away from Sara's face and brought her face up so she made eye contact.
"This is not your fault." She said firmly. "Not. Your. Fault." Sara tried to nod but the tears continued to fall. "I think you've had enough for tonight. You and your baby need rest. Do you want anything to eat first?" She asked. Sara shook her head. "Come on, I'll help you to my room and we'll get you something clean to wear. You can shower in the morning when you're more awake."
Sara protested weakly that she could manage on her own, but Kensi quieted her with a look. When Sara stood up, she wobbled slightly, and Kensi decided to take charge. She scooped up her petite friend and carried her to her room, setting her on the bed before rummaging through her drawers. She dug through clothes for a few moments before finding what she had been searching for. She turned and tossed a teenage mutant ninja turtles tshirt to her friend, as well as a pair of track pants and an old sweater. Sara slowly and carefully pulled the clothes on and then lay down while Kensi returned to the kitchen. A few minutes later Kensi returned and set a package of crackers, some cold pizza and a can of ginger ale on the bedside table. Sara was already half asleep when Kensi carefully tucked the blanket around her. She paused for a moment, unsure if she should leave.
"Sleepover?" Sara asked quietly.
"Just like old times." Kensi replied, laying down on the bed next to her friend.
"Do you still have earplugs for me?" Sara teased. "I'm sure you haven't stopped snoring." She teased as Kensi tossed the earplugs at her.
"Last one still in the bed in the morning wins?" Kensi asked, knowing full well once Sara was asleep she would move to the floor. Unlike old times, she was not going to risk kicking her friend out of the bed.
"No cheating" Sara mumbled as she drifted off to sleep.
"Wouldn't dream of it." Kensi told her, then snorted. A smile flickered across Sara's face at the awful noise of her friend's laugh, before she was once again sound asleep.
