Chapter 7
Callen woke up and felt a hand on his arm, he started, moving away, "Jack!" he exclaimed his last memory flooding back. He tried to stand up.
"Hold on…wait…" an unfamiliar voice came, Callen fought it he didn't know who this was but he needed to get his vision back and get to Jack before it was too late.
"Get off me…I gotta go." Callen pushed the person out of his way; he moved the cold towel off his head that had been covering his eyes to see Hetty, Sam, Kensi and Deeks all standing watching the paramedics try to help him.
"G, Stop you gotta let the paramedics help you, we found you passed out, did someone get in here, were you compromised?" Sam asked,
"No, I gotta go Sam." Callen pulled the blood pressure cuff off his arm and threw it to the floor. "They're taking him, I gotta stop it,"
"Callen, who's being taken?" Kensi asked, "We can help, we can fix it,"
Callen looked at the clock and sank to his knees, it was already three o'clock, two hours since they were taking Jack. "It's too late, I blew it." He got up and turned away from them walking towards the door.
"G? You called me, we got here to find you passed out on the floor, there's no sign of forced entry, you need to tell us what you know."
Callen shook his head, "I wasn't compromised, you're ok."
"G, weren't you picking up Jack today, do you need one of us to go get him?" Deeks asked looking at the time.
"Don't bother." Callen said flatly and he sat at the table his fingers opening the file and looking at the paper within, "He's gone."
"Gone?" Hetty asked shocked.
"What the hell was I thinking, thinking I could raise a child, I don't know the first thing about how a parent is supposed to behave, I don't know what it's like to be in a family situation, how was I supposed to give him that, I did him more harm than good." Callen slumped forward his head hitting the table.
"G?!" Sam went over to him waving the medic's away, "I've got him he'll be fine."
Callen laughed at that, "Fine…I've never been fine, I'm a screw up Sam, couldn't be anyone's kid and there I was thinking I had what it took to be a father."
"Callen, what's happened, what's happened to Jack," Hetty said sounding scared.
"Jack's fine, he's gonna be fine now he's away from me, I hurt him…I …they said the doctor said…I hurt him, I broke his rib…."
"They said what?!" Kensi walked over and grabbed the piece of paper from Callen's hand, "You're a good parent Callen."
Callen turned away, "No…I'm not the judge said so."
"When did this go to court?" Hetty asked looking at the paper. She turned to the screen. "Mr. Beale." She said.
Eric's face appeared on the screen, "I haven't found her yet." Eric said then saw who was listening.
"I need full court press on three people, Chantel Saunders, Steven Young and Judge Amir Shah." She said, Eric gave a curt nod and turned to the screen.
Eric looked at the screen, "Chantel Saunders, 43. Child Services worker," he picture came up on the screen.
"Who's that?" Callen asked.
"That's your child services worker, they called about 10 minutes ago, you didn't turn up to your 9am appointment," Eric told him.
"No, she sent me an email, rescheduled to 1pm." Callen said confused, "And that's not her, she was younger…"
"Eric access the boatshed camera's, who came to the boatshed?" Hetty asked.
Eric pulled up the two people who had been at the boatshed.
"Ray Parker and Simone Williams, Rogue CIA operatives,"
Callen stood up and walked to the screen, "The judge…is the paperwork valid?" He asked holding his breath.
"The judge is valid, but the paperwork wouldn't be, he's the brother of the doctor you reported." Eric tapped his keyboard and pulled up another screenshot, "He received a payment of $20,000 this morning from an offshore account."
"Who from?" Callen asked,
"Er…." Eric looked at Hetty.
"Who from!" Callen said.
"Tracey Rossetti," Eric said.
"She's dead…I know she's dead, I saw her die!" Callen looked around at the others who looked like they actually believed Eric.
"Hetty?"
"We didn't know, not for sure until just before you left the building." Hetty said.
Callen looked at the photo of Tracey taken that morning, "Where was that plane going?" he looked over at Eric as he reached for his gun.
Eric looked down and then back up at the screen. "Uzbekistan," he said.
"SHIT!" Callen turned and ran for the door, "She's got Jack."
"How do you know?" Hetty asked as Callen headed for the door.
"Because, that's where Jack was born, it's where she has the most rights," Callen stopped a cold feeling passed over him.
"Eric was there any more flights out of that airport today to Uzbekistan?" he asked.
Eric nodded, "Twenty minutes ago, a private plane with a family on board, a man, a woman and a boy." Eric pulled up the still of them, a woman walking ahead, a man with a firm grip on a sad looking boy."
"Jack." Kensi said.
Callen ran up the stairs of the boathouse and came down with a bag. "I'm going, Eric get me on the first flight to Uzbekistan, I don't care what sort of flight even if it's freight." He said.
"You keep a go bag here?" Deeks asked.
"I have several," Callen stood as Eric found a flight,
"There's one a 9 tonight, what name?"
Callen opened the bag to see what passport was in it, he gave a hollow laugh, "Greg Keller." He looked at the ID it was all still in date.
"I still update all your go bags Mr. Callen." Hetty said, "Give me a moment." She took out her cellphone and made a call walking out of the room."
"We'll come with you." Sam said.
"You don't need to, you guys were in the middle of a case, you need to finish that," Callen said.
"This is that case." Sam told him, "When Rossetti's body went missing we were trying to find her, we think that it is related. Young must have been the shooter, laser sight, fake blood pellet, she didn't die, and she just wanted to make you think she was dead."
Callen sat as a wave of dizziness engulfed him again.
"Callen?"
"Callen, did you take your medication this morning, the doctor said it was important to take it regularly, you lost a lot of blood the other day." Hetty said.
Callen shook his head, "I had the appointment at 9am, and then she cancelled and moved it so I didn't take them,"
Hetty picked up the blood pressure equipment and placed it on Callen's arm, "Your pressure is low. Take your medication," she handed him two tablets from a small pot on the table.
"I don't get it though, why pretend to be shot in the head?" Deeks asked.
Callen looked at them, "To get me to lose my temper, to make me doubt myself."
"I don't get it?" Deeks said.
"My mother was shot in the head in front of me when I was a child, her death was my strongest memory, I had told Tracey that once." Callen took another swig of water.
Hetty's phone beeped, "It's all arranged, we will be going to Uzbekistan, if any of you would like to get your things together we will be leaving within the hour. Mr. Deeks, if you would like to take Monty to Mr. Beale, he and Miss Jones will be looking after Hero and Monty while we are gone."
"You're coming too?" Kensi said.
Hetty walked over to a cupboard and took out a bag, "Yes I am."
"You do the many go bags too?" Deeks said amazed.
Hetty smiled, "Who do you think taught Mr. Callen."
Callen's head shot up.
"You can't come." Callen said to her.
"Mr. Callen, I can and I will be coming to rescue Jack."
"No, I won't have you in danger too." He insisted. "Please, ma…." He grabbed her hand, "Please."
Hetty looked at him, "Callen, you have been the most important thing in my life for many, many years now, then Jack came to us, he is my grandson and I will be coming, I will stay with the plane, but I need to be here."
Callen nodded as the others left to prepare.
Jack woke up as the plane came into land. "I don't know what you think you're doing, but I won't let you get away with this, my Dad'll come and get you."
"Your dad…!" Simone laughed, "Your dad fainted like a girl when he knew he'd lost, we had a court order your father was no good we have custody of you now."
Jack looked out of the window. It didn't look like the US out of there, "Where are we?"
"You are home Jack, we are in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, the land of your birth."
Jack shook his head as the plane door opened, "No…this isn't my home, Los Angeles is my home, I wanna go home I want my dad."
Jack took the seat belt off "Take me back, this isn't my home you can't make me stay." He said backing away from them.
"Jack." A woman's voice came from the open door, "This is your home now."
Jack paled and looked over at the door, "Mom?!" he breathed, "But no…I saw you die?"
Tracey shook her head and ran over to Jack stopping just short of him. "No baby, it was a ploy of your father's. I'm alive."
Jack stood staring at her as he processed all he was being told.
"Mom?" he reached out tentatively with his hand, "Mommy?" his voice broke and tears began to fall.
She pulled him into a hug, "Welcome home baby." She said holding him and flashing a smile at her companions in the plane.
