Odyssey
Chapter Four
Callen could feel the edge of the dock digging into his left shoulder. In a move born of sheer desperation he ignored the burning pain in his leg and rolled into the water. He heard a shout of surprise and fury from his assailant before he sank below the surface allowing gravity to pull him down. Bullets followed him, their deadly power blunted and aim deflected by the turbulent ocean. One grazed his ear; another gouged across his arm. The biting cold numbed the pain of his injuries. It also made it hard to think and he soon found that he was disoriented, unable to decide which way would lead back to the surface. His limbs grew heavy and his lungs burned from lack of oxygen. The strong tide pulled him away from shore while lassitude crept through his body. He was drowning and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
A strong arm halted his downward spiral before something was forced into his mouth. He was just aware enough to recognize the feel of a mouthpiece which would ultimately be attached to scuba tanks. Callen took a couple of breaths, feeling oxygen flow into his lungs. When he opened his eyes he saw Sam giving him the thumbs up sign. He nodded weakly to show that he was aware of his partner's presence. Thanks to his training Sam was completely comfortable under water. Although this wasn't Callen's favorite pastime he was no novice either. His breathing slowed to a regular rhythm and he passed the mouthpiece back.
With his leg out of commission he had to rely upon Sam to guide him. They traded the mouthpiece back and forth while Sam steered them away from danger. By the time the water became shallow enough to allow them to stand Callen was exhausted. He leant heavily on his partner, the shingle underfoot treacherous and constantly shifting. When he finally looked up he saw that they were in a small half-moon bay. A ramshackle cabin sat close to the shoreline, its condition suggesting that it had been abandoned a long time ago. The beach was deserted. The only sounds came from the waves and the seabirds.
Sam stopped to remove his mask and flippers. "Guess you did things the hard way again, G."
"Not my fault."
"How bad?" Sam got them moving again taking most of Callen's weight.
"The bullet's still in there." He felt light-headed and nauseous. "You'll have to take it out."
They reached the cabin and Sam pushed the door open. "You need a hospital."
There was no furniture and the floor was covered in a thin layer of dust. Callen eyed it dubiously. "If we go to a hospital they're more likely to take us out back and shoot us." He stretched out a hand to steady himself against the wall. "This doesn't look very sanitary."
"If I'd known you were going to get shot I'd have booked us into a five-star hotel," Sam said tartly. Quit whining and let me take a look."
Sam slit the material covering the bullet wound. "This is going to hurt."
Even with tightly gritted teeth Callen couldn't stop a moan escaping when Sam began to prod the area around the injury. After what felt like an eternity Sam finished his examination.
"We only have a basic medical kit," he said. "That means no anaesthetic."
"I thought SEALs were taught how to improvise."
"I didn't say I couldn't do it. There's just not much I can do about the pain." Sam turned his attention to the abrasion on his left arm. "That one's not too bad. At least it is won't stop you using a gun. You need to lie down for this." He lowered Callen to the floor and into a prone position on his stomach. "Stay there. I'm going outside to make a fire. It's the best I can do to sterilize the knife."
Callen rested his head on his folded arms and tried not to breath in the dirt on the floor. His thoughts strayed to Kensi and Deeks. Taban had threatened to punish Deeks and it was certain that there would be some retribution for his actions. He began to doubt the wisdom of his decision before he remembered that their abductor had only been biding his time. Staying wouldn't have helped his teammates. Even so he couldn't shake the feeling that he'd abandoned them.
"You ready?"
Callen's body jerked in surprise. He had been so lost in thought that he hadn't heard Sam come back in. "Yeah."
"I'm going to clean the area with an antiseptic wipe. It'll sting a bit."
"Okay." Callen braced himself, recognizing that he needed something to take his mind of what was about to happen. "Who set off the explosives?"
"Remote control detonation and I paid a couple of locals to shoot off some rounds. They were aiming out to sea. I couldn't risk them hitting any of you by accident."
Sam's hand pushed firmly down on his leg and he tensed in anticipation. When the tip of the knife entered his leg he couldn't hold back a scream of agony. "Shit!" He tried to squirm away from the source of the pain.
"Keep still, G." Sam's gruff tone spoke volumes. His partner was suffering just as badly.
Sam dug deeper. Callen's vision blurred and his breath came in sobbing gasps. "Please…Sam," he begged.
"Almost there. Hang on for a few more seconds. Got it."
The pressure on the back of his leg disappeared although the tension in his muscles remained. His skin was bathed in cold sweat causing him to shiver uncontrollably. "You're a bloody awful doctor," he stammered.
"And you're a dreadful patient." Sam's voice wasn't much steadier. "Stay there. I still need to finish up."
Callen gradually relaxed while Sam slathered the area with antiseptic cream, taped a pad in place and wrapped a bandage around his leg. When he was sitting up propped against the wall Sam offered him a bottle of water and two tablets.
"How do you feel?"
"Like someone just butchered my leg."
Sam grimaced. "See that's your problem, G. No gratitude."
"Next time I get to dig out the bullet. See how grateful you feel." He swallowed the pain killers. "Any news from Kensi and Deeks?"
"Not a word." Sam handed Callen an ear wig. "Get some rest. I'll make a call to Ops. There's not much else we can do until we hear from them."
"Sam. Do you think this plan's going to work?"
"Too late to worry now. If it all starts going to hell we'll pull them out ourselves."
Tbc
Caroline
May 2013