Here's the next chapter. Deeks is still a very sick man and the team is finding out more of the details while dealing with their worry and guilt.
No NCIS Los Angeles is STILL not mine. If it was, I wouldn't keep leaving new episodes off the weekly air time! It's driving me crazy waiting for another new installment.
All of you have bowled me over with your reviews, favorites and follows. Thanks, thanks, thanks. Virtual hugs to all of you.
Enjoy.
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As the team stood there each deep in their own thoughts, Hetty returned to the waiting room. She had been standing just out of sight of the team and had been able to hear most of the conversation between her agents. From what she had been able to hear, it appeared Kensi and Sam had made some progress in becoming more aware of how they treated their liaison officer. She wasn't quite as sure of Mr. Callen since he normally kept most of his feelings to himself, but she had been able to watch his face and knew he had listened and taken to heart what the other two had said so she was confident he felt the same way and that all of them would resolve to do better. If she found she was wrong she was determined to take further action as needed. She was determined to keep Mr. Deeks as part of NCIS and this team. Kensi glanced up as she entered the room.
"Hetty, have you heard anything?" Kensi asked as soon as she saw the tiny woman.
"No, not yet. I've been arranging coverage for your team so that you won't get called for a case. Renko's team will be taking any cases that would normally come to you. The case load has lessened significantly so his team will be able to handle any new ones we get. I don't believe any of you are effective right now. You're all still exhausted and with Mr. Deeks incapacitated, you're down a man. As soon as we get word about him, I want you all to go home. Tomorrow you can begin catching up on the paperwork that has piled up since the beginning of this month."
"But Hetty, someone needs to be here for Deeks. He shouldn't be alone; he shouldn't wake up alone" Kensi pleaded. "What will he think if he wakes up and no one is there with him?"
Hetty stood there in silence looking at each person in turn. "Now, you're worried about him? I'm glad but what's caused the sudden change in attitude?" Hetty was playing devils' advocate and wanted to hear what they would say.
Callen spoke up. "We've all been thinking long and hard about what you said Hetty and we're ashamed of some of the things we done or not done as the case may be." He glanced at the other two and received nods of agreement. "We're going to try harder to make sure Deeks knows we consider him a valued member of this team. Part of that is to be here for him. He shouldn't wake up all alone in a hospital. He needs to know we have his back just like he always has ours. It's what we've aways done when one of us has been here and he's one of us so it's the least we can do."
"So what do you suggest Mr. Callen?" asked Hetty. She was willing to leave it up to him to come up with a solution.
"We can take turns staying with him. Someone should be here with him at all times once he's in a room. We can schedule it so that two of us are catching up on our paperwork while the other is with him. That way we'll be able to support him and get caught up at the same time. And whoever is here can keep us informed of Deeks' condition."
"I see...yes, it's a good plan Mr. Callen. Let me know the schedule you come up with. I'll also take a turn staying with Mr. Deeks. You might check with Nell and Eric to see if they would like to be included any time they're not needed in OPS." With that Hetty, sat down in a chair to wait for news from the doctor. "We should be hearing from the doctor soon." Taking her cue, they all sat down and tried to get comfortable.
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As the hours progressed, the entire team began getting restless. None of them were good at waiting around. They hadn't yet heard anything from the doctor and the longer they waited, the more worried they became. Callen was sitting in a chair looking through the old magazines provided but not processing anything he saw in them. Kensi was pacing the floor, 10 steps up then 10 steps back, over and over again. Sam had tried to meditate but after several hours he gave it up as a lost cause. He knew he couldn't sit around and do nothing while they waited for news any longer so offered to make a food run. Asking each of them in turn, he took orders on what they each wanted. Kensi didn't want anything but after Hetty spoke up "Miss Blye you need to keep your strength up," she asked for a sandwich and mineral water. Sam knew she wouldn't ask but would feel much better if he got her some of her junk food with lots of sugar in it so made sure to get some along with coffee and a sandwich for Callen, the same for himself and a sandwich for Hetty. He even got some tea for Hetty though he knew she would be able to taste the paper from the teabag. Returning to the waiting room, he passed out the food and drinks and made sure Kensi at least ate part of her sandwich before beginning to exhale the Twinkies he had brought back for her.
"Thanks Sam" came from the Callen and Kensi. Hetty thanked him as well "Thank you for the tea Mr. Hanna. Even though I can taste the paper, I appreciate the effort and the thought."
"Have we heard anything yet?" he asked.
"Nothing so far." Hetty glanced up and saw the doctor heading toward the room. "But I think we'll be hearing about Mr Deeks' condition in a moment," she said gesturing to the approaching doctor.
Dr. Jameson entered the room he saw the entire team standing there looking at him in anticipation. "Why don't you all sit down? I've got a lot to go over with you." As soon as everyone was seated, he began. "The MRI results are back and it confirms that Mr. Deeks has bacterial meningitis. It also shows a small brain abscess which, I believe, developed into the meningitis. Meningitis is a life-threatening infection of the protective membranes that surround the brain. A lumbar puncture was done to determine the type of bacteria causing the meningitis so we can tailor Mr. Deeks' treatment for the best results. Until we have a targeted approach, he is being treated with a broad-spectrum antibiotic and supportive care."
Kensi gasped when she heard the words "life-threatening infection" while Sam and Callen looked at each other with concern. Hetty sighed deeply and motioned for the doctor to continue.
"It's a good thing you got him to the hospital as quickly as you did. As I mentioned before, we are treating the underlying sinus infection with antibiotics through his IV line. We are also giving him oxygen as a supportive measure and steroids to help reduce the inflammation of the membranes around the brain. He's been moved to Intensive Care and I anticipate he will be there for at least 3 to 4 days barring any complications. After leaving ICU, he will probably spend close to another week in the hospital before he can go home. He will need 24-hour support once he leaves the hospital. He will be tired and too weak to be on his own. If there is no one to care for him at home, we can send him to a rehab center until he is well enough to take care of himself."
"I'll take care of him when he goes home. He's my partner. It's the least I can do." Sam and Callen looked at each other. They both knew that Kensi was feeling really guilty about the way they had been treating Deeks. Understanding passed between them and Callen piped up.
"We'll all help when he goes home. He won't have to go into a rehab center."
"You mentioned a brain abscess. What treatment are you providing for that?" Hetty asked.
"It's a very small abscess so the antibiotics he's receiving should take care of it. We're keeping an eye on it to ensure that it doesn't get any larger and that no others develop. If the abscess gets larger or more are discovered, we may have to operate, but I don't anticipate that occurring in this case."
Hetty again asked the next question the team wanted the answer to "What can we expect in the next few days? What kind of complications can occur?"
Dr. Jamison continued "Please remember that none of these are likely to occur; the incidence rate is only 1 in 4 and that's usually in people that have a combination of meningitis and septicemia which Mr. Deeks does not, but complications can include one or more of the following: hearing loss, speech problems or vision loss, which may be partial or total; problems with memory and concentration; problems with co-ordination and balance. I want to stress that even if Mr. Deeks does develop one or more of these complications, they may only be temporary and not permanent."
"Oh my God" Kensi whispered. She knew if any of these occurred and were permanent it would mean that Deeks could no longer be their liaison officer or a cop. She also knew enough about him to know that he would be devastated if he could no longer do his job. It would probably mean he would no longer be able to surf either. She was afraid he would give up if he couldn't do any of the things he loved.
"As soon as we have him settled in ICU, each of you can see him for five minutes. Hetty has requested that one of you be with him at all times while he's in ICU and the head of the hospital has granted her request. This is very unusual, but not unknown. The staff is having a comfortable chair and a cot set up in his room for the person who will be staying with him. You will all have to follow ICU protocols before you are allowed to see him."
"Thank you Dr. Jameson. My team will be taking turns staying with Mr. Deeks. He has no family other than us and we don't want him waking up alone and not knowing what's going on." Hetty replied.
"I'll come and get you as soon as he's settled. They're moving him now so it should be within the next 30 minutes." With that, Dr. Jameson left to attend to his patient.
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