Not a lot of reviews on that last chapter, but eh...I'm just glad someone's reading. This story is complete now, but I'll continue posting every few days until I've posted all the chapters. I don't want to overwhelm anyone by posting them all at once. I know one of the readers mentioned something about wishing they saw some kind of reaction from Eric in regards to the case and finding all those photos on Richard's computer. If I could rewrite that last chapter, I would add that in, but you see a little snippet of how he felt in this chapter.

WARNING: This story has a strict rating. It involves talk of rape and pedophilia and there may be some very mature scenes that involve them. This chapter and the next few deal with torture.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own NCIS: Los Angeles or any of it's characters.

CHAPTER 6

A short, freckle face nurse lead them back to Deeks private room. It wasn't always customary for patients to have a private room so quickly, but they usually made exceptions for police officers and those who served the city. "He's in here." She stopped at room number 103. "We've got him stable and comfortable for now. He's currently under, but he might wake in the next few hours. If you'd all like to go in and see him for a few minutes, that should be ok, but only one can stay with him."

Sam and Callen both gave each other quick glance before their eyes met on Kensi. She would be the one to stay. Her and Deeks weren't really open about their new relationship, but everyone knew about it. They knew she'd want to stay, that she'd feel obligated to stay.

"Thank you." Callen said to the nurse. He turned to Kensi. "Sam and I will just come in for a few minutes. Then we have to get back and catch up on the paperwork for today." It was late in the evening now, but the paperwork had to get done at some point.

"I completely forgot about the paperwork." Kensi replied.

"It's ok, we got it covered for now." Sam knew that her paper work could wait. Hetty would understand. And speaking of Hetty, she was no where to be seen. She hadn't even so much as called to check up on Deeks. They had no idea that she was fighting for the children.

"Are you going in?" Callen asked. Kensi seemed hesitant.

"Right, ok." She replied, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly as she pushed the door open. Deeks' bed was centered in the room, with equipment on either side connected to his body. He had an IV in one arm and a heart monitor attached to his chest. His nose was splinted and a breathing tube assisted in his breathing. He was silent and unmoving accept for the occasional twitch of his body that they noticed as he slept.

Slowly, they each approached his bed. Sam squeezed his foot gently. "Hey there Shaggy. We got your back man. Just come back to us." He said.

"If Hetty hasn't offered you a full time position yet, I'm gonna have a nice long chat with her about it." Callen added and joked. "I don't mind having to play hero, but I'm tired of doing it on your LAPD cases. You belong with your team. We'll come by and check on you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow." Sam said to Kensi as he and Callen headed for the door.

"Ok, thanks guys." She watched them walk out before focusing on Deeks again. Finding a chair and pulling it over, she sat next to his bed and took his hand. There were bruises around his wrist, probably from where he had been strapped into the chair and fought against his restraints. She looked at his chest and saw the dark bruises that riddled it, especially around his ribs. "Hey there partner. You made a promise to me and you better not break it." Tears started trickling down her cheeks. "I...I love you and I can't lose you." There, she had finally said it...those three little words that she hasn't spoken since Jack. Though Deeks and Kensi had finally admitted what they felt for one another, with Deeks telling her that he was falling in love with her on the night that tacos turned into a evening of wild, passionate love and sex, she had not used the L word yet. She hadn't been ready to use it until now and here, she wasn't even sure he could hear her. She hoped she would have the courage to say it again once he was awake.

Hetty stood in ops, watching over Eric's shoulder. "Have you found anything yet, Mr. Beale?" She asked.

Eric was busy typing away at his computer. He was having a hard time concentrating after seeing where Richard made his movies; after seeing the images and videos on that website. He couldn't imagine what his kids and the unknown kids in the videos had been through. Only a monster would do those kinds of things. "Yes, Deana Pierson has a brother in Northern California named Timothy Raynor." Eric replied, finally pulling his info up on the screen.

"Good, I want you to send his information down to my computer. It seems the relatives that Lieutenant Bates found have no interest in taking in the children." Hetty explained when she saw the curious look on Eric's face. "He said that if he can't find another relative or a family willing to take both children in, they will be separated." She thought about Callen, growing up apart from his sister and she couldn't bare the thought of anyone separating those poor children like he and his sister had been. Both of Pierson's kids had already been through enough.

Hetty made her way down to her desk and opened her laptop, reading the information Eric had found on Timothy Raynor. He was twenty-eight years old and a graduate from Stanford University. He was a lawyer who married and had one child with his wife. According to the file, Timothy and Deana had both been placed in foster care when they were children after their parents died in a car accident. Both had gone to separate homes and had never really connected again after all these years had gone by. Asking him to take in the children of his estranged sister would be a stretch, but she had to at least try.

Sighing, Hetty knew it was getting late. Calling Timothy would have to wait until the morning. She still had to check on Deeks anyways and she knew that the later she went, the more she risked the hospital staff turning her away. Sam and Callen had informed her of his condition when they had come in to finish their paperwork for the day, but she preferred to see in person.

She rose from her desk, closed her laptop, placed her favorite tea cup in it's designated spot, and headed out to her car. It didn't take her long to get to the hospital from the Mission, but the nurses tried to tell her that she would have to come back in the morning. They wouldn't even give her the room number. "Oh bugger." She cursed the nurse as she started walking out, but then caught sight of Kensi walking down the hall with a fresh coffee in her hand.

Kensi noticed Hetty almost immediately. "Hey, Hetty." She said, little emotion in her voice. She was trying to hide the worry she was emitting, but Hetty could see it clear on her face.

"Hello, Ms. Blye." Hetty replied. "The nurses wouldn't let me back to see how our Mr. Deeks is doing."

"Right, well it's getting late I guess." Kensi said after glancing at a wall clock. "He's in room one-o-three. I'll show you."

Hetty followed behind her. "I can see that you are very worried for your partner."

"No, he's going to be fine. I mean..." Kensi's voice faltered. She stopped just a short ways from Deeks' room. "He's been tortured before and he barely made it through that. Now he's had to go through it all again and I just don't know if someone can come back from that."

"You've worked with him for several years now and I think it's safe to say you know him on a very personal level. He's strong and he'll pull through this." Hetty replied.

Kensi wasn't so sure she believed that. Deeks was strong, but he was also stubborn. He held onto things for a long time and had a hard time letting things go. She worried this would be one of those things. On top of that, she had no idea the extent of his cover identity. She had no idea what he had let that little girl do to him. She wanted to believe that he would pull through it, but even the Sidirov case had been hard on him. He spent months recovering and getting back to his old self after it.

Kensi walked a few more steps to Deeks' room. "He's here." She opened the door and led Hetty inside. "They've got him stable, but they're worried about his heart the most. They said he could wake up at any time, but he hasn't yet."

"I'm sure he will in due time." Hetty replied. Her eyes fell on the detective as he laid so lifeless in the bed before her. She could see the soft rise and fall of his chest with each breath of air that the breathing machine allowed him. She sat next to his bed in the lousy chair Kensi's sore back was all too familiar with. Hetty patted his hand. "I'm glad we could get you back safely, Mr. Deeks, but now I'm afraid the hardest part is yet to begin. Rest well and come back to us. You have a whole family here that's ready and willing to help if you need it." She stood and turned to Kensi, who was at the foot of the bed. "Try to get some rest yourself."

"I will, Hetty." Kensi replied. She waited until the older woman was out of the room before she sat back in her chair. She turned it just right so she could sit with her knees bent up into her chest so her feet were resting on the seat. She made sure she had one free hand so she could hold one of Deeks' comfortably. His hand felt cold in hers. Hell, the whole room was cold. She pulled it up and placed a gentle kiss on the back of it as she felt his body twitch.

She remembered doing all of this and more with Jack. She had never been enough to get him through all of it, through his PTSD. He left her heartbroken and afraid to love again. Here she was, finally trusting her heart with someone again and now this had to happen. Deeks had been injured before. He was even tortured before. He shut her out for a while, but after she forced herself back into his line of sight one late night with a bag of chinese food and his favorite pastry, things had gotten better. She was able to help him get through his ordeal. Hopefully, he would let her help this time as well. She realized it was different now that they were a couple, but she would put her all into this, just as she had with Jack, and pray that it was enough, that she would be enough for Deeks.

Kensi awoke the next morning when she felt Deeks' hand jerk away from hers. She tried to move her cramped legs, but a sharp pain shot through them. Deeks started moaning, so she ignored the pain and bolted upright, straightening her legs out in front of her. "Deeks?" She saw his hands going right for the breathing tube. "Hold on, Deeks." She grabbed his arms and tried to hold them down, which put him in more of a panic. His eyes shot open and she could see a look of pure terror in his eyes. She couldn't let go of his hands, fearing he would rip the tube from his throat, so she started yelling for the doctor. "Help, I need a doctor in here."

A nurse and doctor came rushing in a few moments later. The nurse took over for Kensi, holding Deeks' arms down. The doctor secured his head and pulled a small light from his pocket, waving it in front of each of his eyes. "I need you to relax, Martin." The doctor said to him. "You need to relax so we can determine if we can remove the breathing tube." Deeks tensed as the nurse held his arms securely at his sides.

"Deeks, please listen to the doctor. He just wants to help you." Kensi said in a calming voice. His eyes darted around, trying to find the face that matched the voice. It was Kensi, his Kensi. She sounded like an angel. As soon as he saw her sweet face...those mismatched brown eyes and brown hair left down and wavy, just the way he liked it, his body calmed.

The doctor looked him over and decided they could remove the tube. His breathing sounded fine and he didn't think there was a need for it anymore. Removing the tube was a quick and easy task, but it was very uncomfortable for Deeks. He felt like they were pulling a dagger up through his throat and when it was all said and done, his throat and mouth were dry and scratchy. The doctor left him with some water and told him to sip it slowly. It would help with the dry throat. He also instructed him not to talk much until his throat was feeling a bit better.

Typically, it was hard for Deeks to be so quiet, but in the current moment, he had nothing to say. He knew Kensi, the rest of the team, and his LAPD team would all have questions for him, but he dreaded having to answer them. He didn't want to talk about what happened...about the torture or about what those poor children had been through, what that little girl had to do to him, what he's done to her. Thinking about her made his chest tighten. His whole body tensed in anger.

"Deeks? What is it?" Kensi could immediately see that something was wrong. He turned his head away from her, not wanting to talk. "What ever you're thinking, you can tell me."

He tried to calm his body, but he felt his muscles tighten in pain and he let out a small whimper. His vision went hazy for a few seconds. Kensi could see a panic come over him, so she took his hand and stroked it gently. The haze left him and he focused on her again. He took in her scent and the softness of her hands. He bathed in her sweet sunshine, but it wasn't enough. The darkness he felt within him was just too much. His eyes grew heavy and he couldn't fight it any longer. The darkness took over and he was unconscious a moment later.

Kensi had so many questions for Deeks, but she didn't think he was ready to answer any of them. Instead, she just focused on being by his side and making sure he was comfortable. She wasn't surprised that he had slipped away again, but from the look she saw on his face...that panic, she worried for him. While the torture was something he had already lived through at least once in his life, the events leading up to it probably were unlike anything he's dealt with before and she wasn't all too sure what they were yet. Eventually, she would find out though.

Only a few more chapters left. Reviews are welcome. Thanks!