Okay, first of all, I deeply apologize for taking SOOOO long in updating this, but there have just been a couple of things going on here, and I hadn't been able to sit down and write this until recently. There are still some thing going on, but hopefully chapter eight won't take as long to be written/uploaded.
Also, I thank EVERYONE who reviewed, and I apologize for not naming you all one by one, but it's almost two AM here and I want to get this thing done as soon as I can. .-.
Now, on to the story:
Chapter 7-Fever
"Do you want to go back to your room?" Sam asked as he saw the teen's eyes closing. He touched the boy's shoulder, bringing his attention back to him.
G shook his head, his right hand coming up to his face to try and get the sleep out of his eyes while his left held the tiger plush tightly. He was determined to stay awake, to chase away those feelings of abandonment, and to keep John Miller as far away from him as he could.
Sam watched the actions intently. It was more than obvious that the boy was sick for sleep, and it worried him deeply how the child would react to anything that could happen, being as upset as he was.
"Please, G, you need to rest…" The man insisted, but the boy shook his head stubbornly, pleading him with his eyes not to be forced into it.
"I don't want to go in there," He began softly, looking down to his lap in shame.
Sam sighed inwardly, reaching over to massage the teen's scalp with his hand. He dug into his mind, trying to find a solution for the problem. But what to do? How do you deal with a child who must sleep, but is terrified to do so?
"Hey, you really need to sleep, buddy. What do you say if we lie down here? I promise you I will be here for as long as you need." The adult assured.
G bit his lower lip, sight shifting from one side of the room to the other before falling back on Sam. He seemed to hesitate for another second before taking a deep breath and nodding his head.
Sam smiled with relief, helping his adoptive son onto a more comfortable position in the couch, being extremely careful of the injured ribs. He then sat down next to him, leaning a bit away from him, unable to shake away the feeling that he would frighten the child if he did otherwise.
The next four hours were spent in the couch; The adult sleeping soundly, one strong arm resting on G's shoulder for comfort, while the boy stayed in a semi-conscious state, his sleep mostly intermittent through the time; he would fall asleep for a few minutes before awaking startled, wildly looking around until he remembered where he was, and kept his eyes open until the exhaustion overcame him once more. Definitely not rest, it was pure torture.
G awoke from one of his light slumbers alone. Dazed and scared, the boy sat up as fast as he could, drawing in a breath as his injured torso screamed in sudden pain. His hands tightened around the tiger as he bent down to try and quell the burning sensation.
The noise in the kitchen made him realize that he was not actually alone, and dread filled him to such extent that he was unable to move much more from his position; his hands clenching into fists as his breath caught up in his throat.
"Sam?" He hesitantly called in a small voice.
Silence overcame the room immediately, until quick steps on the hardwood floor made their way to Callen's ears. The image of the dark-skinned man hurrying towards him caused him to let out a breath in relief; he was not alone, he was not locked up, and he was not dying. He looked around, trying to figure out where exactly he was.
"Are you okay, buddy?" Asked Sam once he was in front of the child. It was only then when G realized that the man's hands were holding his face, as if he was trying for him to look at his eyes.
With his eyes finally focusing, G wearily nodded. He was lying, and he knew so, but worrying the man was not something that the boy was willing to do, not if he could help it.
The boy tiredly let go of Astra and reached up to his face, placing his hands on top of Sam's, which were way too big for him to really cover them. He got a weak hold on then and slowly removed them from his face.
Sam didn't fight to keep his hands in place; he had the boy's attention after all; instead, he simply smiled at G in an attempt to further reassure him that everything was going to be all right. The man got up from his position in the floor, and carefully helped G to his feet as well.
"Let's go have something to eat, okay? Have you had hotcakes before? Do you like them?" The agent asked as he began to guide the young boy to the kitchen, Astra once again in the teen's grip. Sam began to wonder if the plush was something like a comfort item to the younger male; the one thing that could make him feel safe.
"I tried them once before, and they tasted nice." G said. His right hand came up to Sam's sleeve, holding it as he looked back into the living room, as if making sure no one had followed them.
The pair walked into the kitchen, where Sam once again helped G into a black stool. The boy didn't take his eyes away from the hallway, almost expecting something -Or someone- to jump out at any second.
Placing some newly-made hotcakes onto two porcelain plates, Sam made his way back to the island, noticing how the tiger now was on the stool next to the boy. He placed one plate in front of G, and the other on the place he would sit; right in front of the child.
"G, why don't you start eating, buddy? I'll be there in a second." Sam requested; if the night before was anything to go by, the kid still had a long way to go before he fully recovered his weight, and would probably be quite hungry until he did.
With a small affirmative sound, the boy dug onto his food. He gave small bites, as if tasting the flavor before smiling up at the man, thankful for the meal.
Sam smiled back before once again making his way to the counter, moving quite swiftly around the kitchen as he collected two glasses along with other stuff he needed. It was not until a few minutes later that the Head Agent returned to the island, leaving the glasses in their respective places.
A curious look crossed G's eyes as he stared at his glass. He looked over at Sam, who was now busy eating his own breakfast.
"What… is this?" He asked, his hand only slightly pointing at the object.
The man looked at the drink with slight confusion. It was pretty obvious that the child was not kidding in any way with his question, but to Sam it just seemed so surreal…
"It's hot chocolate, G." He replied, almost testing the words as they left his mouth.
Shock was the expression that adorned the boy's face at the statement. He leaned a bit into the table, giving the glass a closer look. He grabbed the glass, hesitation apparent in his movements. The boy brought it to his lips, and sipped slightly.
"It's good." The blond admitted, a small smile making his way to his face, contrasting with his tired eyes. "I like it."
"That's nice to know, buddy." Smiled Sam, happy that, at least, he had done something right that morning.
A knock at the front door made G jump, and tense in his seat. He drew in a breath as he looked around wildly, frantically searching for the source of the sound. It was Sam who quickly got up to approach G, placing his hands on Callen's face, inevitably forcing him to stop. He could feel the sweat under his palms as the crystal blue orbs got filled with tears.
"It's cool, buddy, it's just the door, okay?" Sam explained, taking his hands off G's face to place them on his shoulders, rubbing them gently. "Come on." He helped the blond off the stool and guided him to the couch, where the teenager sat and slumped over one of the armrests.
Once Sam had made sure that his charge was all right, he went to answer the door. He smiled when he saw who was on the other side. Kensi. Carrying two big plastic boxes with what Sam could only identify as clothing.
The man took one of the boxes with a light greeting as he entered the apartment once again, the young woman trailing behind him. They left the boxes next to the table, near to where G was resting.
"There's still one box left in the truck." Informed Kensi, eyeing the weak young boy carefully.
"I'll go get it." Sam offered. "Can you stay to keep an eye on him?"
The Senior Agent simply nodded and handed her keys to the large man, who took them and looked over to Callen, searching for any sign that he might be uncomfortable with the arrangements. Once he saw none, he asked the woman where the vehicle was and went out of the door.
Kensi bit her lip as she approached the tired body on the couch. Did the boy trust her enough not to be scared if she got that near? She silently begged for the answer to be a yes as she sat next to Callen.
When she ran her hand though the dirty blond hair, she frowned. Kensi immediately moved her hand to touch the child's forehead.
"Am I warm?" Asked a small voice that took Kensi by surprise.
She did her best not to let it show as she looked down to meet the tearing blue eyes. It was hard for Kensi to look at the poor child and not want to throw herself down the stairs for all the time they had made him wait for help. Of course, the team had had no idea that he had been kidnapped, but it made no difference in her eyes.
"Yeah," She replied softly "Are you feeling sick, sweetheart?" She continued in the same volume, not wanting to scare the blond.
"Cold." Was the simple answer she received before the front door opened, revealing Sam with another box, making his way towards them.
He left the box on top of another one, his gaze falling on the pair immediately. Overcome with worry, Sam got closer to them, crouching in front of his adoptive son.
"Hey, what's wrong? Are you okay, bud?" The man asked, turning to Kensi as if he already expected the child not to respond.
"I think he has a fever." The woman replied, rubbing the boy's back comfortingly.
Sam reached out to touch the boy's face frowning when he realized that what he had felt just a few minutes ago was actually cold sweat, and that, in fact, the white skin was warmer than usual.
"Then it's better if we cover him up with something that fits, right?" Sam stated. "Did you see if there was anything he could use that was comfortable?"
Kensi nodded, and stood up, the warmth of her being near leaving Callen. He shivered just slightly when he saw her kneel in front of the boxes and opening the lid of the one closest to her. She first removed a medium sized box followed by a few squared ones; leaving them on the table before beginning her hunt for the pajamas she had seen when the team was helping her store the garments on the containers.
"Found some socks and underwear." Sam called from her side, hands searching through another box.
"'kay." The only female muttered under her breath. She searched through the many jeans, trousers, shirts and jackets until she found what she was looking for.
Kensi took out a pair of sweat pants with a blue and gray squares pattern and a blue, short-sleeved t-shirt that was thin enough not to restrict Callen's movements.
She showed them so Sam, who nodded in thanks as he took the clothes in his hands. The man stood up from his place at the floor and walked over to his young charge. He kneeled once again in front of the boy, placing the garments on his stomach in order to lift him up.
"Come here, buddy," Sam whispered to the child as the boy hid his face on his chest, one of his hands gripping his shirt loosely.
The man made a gesture with his head for Kensi to stay there as he walked over to his own bedroom, knowing the boy did not want to go to his own room. He placed G softly on his bed, and waited for a second for any sign of a negative reaction. When he saw none, he sighed.
"Can you change on your own?"
G nodded, giving the older male a very light smile. The adult dutifully turned around, giving the child some privacy.
Slowly, the teenager removed the overly large clothing from his body, swapping them for the garments meant for him; the feeling of the new fabric hugging his skin.
He informed Sam once he was done, and the man turned around once again. He eyed the clothes, just slightly big for him, which he supposed was to keep the teen comfortable. How Hetty had figured out the boy's size was out of Sam's power of understanding, Hetty made things happen, and that simple fact was what made the Agent in Charge trust the older woman with his life.
G was still looking at the clothing when he was lifted up once again, the battered boy barely felt a thing when the strong arms wrapped around him. He was much too busy weakly admiring the garments.
Sam walked back to the living room, not bothering with the clothes G had taken off, he could deal with that lately. The man placed the boy back on the sofa, where he laid down unmoving, looking at both adults.
Kensi caught Sam staring at the three boxes, obviously just noticing the amount of clothing Hetty had gotten the young teen.
"Whoa." The man breathed, making the woman chuckle slightly. She had already been unpacking a bit, separating pants from t-shirts from dressing shirts and putting them into organized piles.
"She went absolutely crazy with this, there was no stopping her. She also wants him to try on a few when you can take his to the office." The Senior Agent smirked.
The man went over to another box, opening it and beginning to take out its contents. He glanced out at his young charge from time to time, only to see him in the same position every single time; limply lying on the couch, his plush tiger over his chest. Sam also noticed how G still seemed to be fighting sleep, trying to keep his eyes as open as he could. He sighed, imagining the horrors he must have gone through to keep him up even when it was obvious he was so weak.
Besides him, he heard his companion sigh at the image of the boy. But when the woman noticed Sam was looking at her, she quickly returned to her task. Once they finished organizing the clothes they took turns taking them over to the bedroom, always making sure that someone stayed with G in case he needed them.
"Sam?" A weak voice called, when Sam was in the room about to take the last pile of clothing away, and the man was sure he wouldn't have heard it if most of his mind was occupied in figuring out what to do with the boy.
The Agent in Charge was sitting next to G on the sofa in a second. He ran a big hand through the blond hair, already slightly wet. He met G's eyes, teary and full of need, but stubborn not to let the tears flow.
"What is it, bud?"
"I'm cold." As if on cue, a strong shiver took over Callen's body, he attempted to make himself a little ball, but the pain in his ribs stopped him.
The older male brought the body close to his, trying to add some heat into the shivering figure. He looked up when he heard quiet footsteps approaching them, giving Kensi a worried glance once she was visible.
"Why don't you take him to his room? We have to put the clothes in the closet, anyway, so we can watch him." The woman suggested.
G stiffened in his protector's arms. Sam immediately began to rub the boy's back comfortingly, sometimes going up to his head to smooth down the dirty blond hair.
"Hey, it's going to be okay, G, we're all going to be there, so the bad man won't get to you." The man whispered, surprising himself by using such a childish term to describe John Miller. But it worked, because the teen became a limp bundle of muscle just a few seconds later.
Kensi went over to grab the pile of clothes and the three boxes that she had taken out of the first box she'd gone through to find pajamas. She placed the boxes on top of the pile of clothing and went to the bedroom, followed by Sam, who had picked up the boy carefully and was now cradling him to his chest.
Both Agents entered the room, Kensi going directly to where the other piles of clothing had been located while Sam went over to the bed, laying the child carefully in the bed before placing the covers on top of him.
The boy shivered a little before finally stopping, finding the warmth of the green blanket to be comforting. He finally opened his eyes once more; it was a fearful action, and he was clearly expecting for John Miller to jump out at any second to try and take him away again.
Kensi watched all the reactions with a keen eye. While the Agent in Charge was bending down to the boy's eye level to ease him, she grabbed the rectangular box she had brought with her and opened it, revealing a black DSi. She turned it on, and made sure the settings were the desired ones, at least to her knowledge of young boys. She turned it off and left in on the floor, turning to remove the plastic wrapping covering the three remaining boxes. She eyed the back of the boxes, considering which would be the most appropriate for G to use at the moment. Finally deciding for "Pokémon SoulSilver", she took the small cartridge and put it on the Gaming System.
When the woman looked up, Sam was already placing some clothes on the hangers she had brought, and the child had calmed down considerably, but was steeling glances at Sam every now and then to make sure he was still there.
She made her way up to the bed, effectively earning Sam's attention, and sat down next to G. The boy tensed, but realizing that it was her, he calmed down slightly, causing Kensi to smile a little and run her hand down the boy's hair. The woman extended the DSi to G, who looked at it and then eyed the woman with confusion.
"We bought this for you, sweetie." Even with years of training, Kensi found it hard not to tear up at the expression of pure shock that took over the child's face. Both agents just wanted to hug him and make sure nothing else happened to him.
"R-really?" G asked, just to be overtaken by a sudden cough. He whimpered with each involuntary movement, it being too much for his injured ribs.
Sam jumped slightly on the mattress so that G would be sitting between the two adults, both of them rubbing the child's back and whispering soothing words until the coughs stopped. The boy leaned heavily on Sam trying to regain his breath.
Kensi placed the gaming console on G's hand and fixed the pillow so that the boy would be able to sit up without effort. If he wasn't going to sleep, which he wasn't, she was sure, then he should at least try to do something interesting.
The boy directed a shy smile at the woman, blushing just slightly. He tried to look into her eyes, but turned away quickly. He had no idea why had been doing that lately, but the sole thought of looking at someone's eyes for more than a few seconds simply terrified him. He took a few deep breaths, fighting for the tears that were threatening to fall.
"It's all right, G, just relax." Sam said, finally letting go of the boy once he saw he was calm enough. "You just play, okay? We'll arrange your clothes."
G hesitated for a second; he knew that they wouldn't judge him, especially now that they had found out he was sick, but he simply wasn't used to people doing things like that for him. When a sudden sense of nausea took over him, he couldn't help but just nod at the adults, his tired eyes closing for a few seconds before opening slowly.
The Agents smiled slightly, and turned around, beginning to work on placing the clothes on the right hangers, which had been instructed by Hetty, and hanging them on the closet. Sam rolled his eyes at the amount of different hangers there could be, and he could feel his eyes widening when he realized that there were more clothes than those that could be hung.
Kensi turned to check on the boy, noticing that he, though utterly weary, seemed to be absorbed by the game. His eyes moved slowly across the screen, and he sometimes blinked fast as if he was trying to focus the image.
The woman sighed quietly, and plopped down on the bed next to G, causing the boy to flinch violently, backing away until the wall stopped him, his hands clenched the DS as the same time his eyes closed, wincing in both pain and fear.
Kensi immediately reacted by getting up from the bed, and apologizing while leaning in a bit to be closer to the boy, but not close enough to scare him even more. Stupid she told herself, why on Earth had she done that? She knew that the boy was on the edge, that anything could frighten him… so why?
She was taken away from her thoughts by Sam, who sat on the bed and placed the blond on his lap, lightly rocking him as he rubbed his back and whispered words to him that Kensi was unable to hear. She figured that it was working, because a few minutes later, G finally began losing up, taking deep breaths while holding tightly to the man's shirt.
"I'm really sorry, sweetie, I don't know what I was thinking." Kensi said in a soft voice. G looked at her, but did not say anything.
"Hey, come on, let's all rest, I'll make lunch, all right?" Sam suggested. He got up, bringing G along with him.
Kensi was quick to grab the DSi out of the weak grasp as the males were leaving. She fumbled with the buttons until she was able to make the menu appear and hit "SAVE", waiting for the process to stop before she turned the device off and stuffed it in a black backpack that had been in one of the boxes of clothing.
She walked to the kitchen, easily remembering the way from the last time she had been there. She found G already in a stool, leaning in the table, arms acting as a pillow, and Sam moving around the kitchen grabbing some plates and bags of what seemed to be ingredients.
"Need help, Sam?" She asked, keeping her volume low. She just wouldn't forgive herself if she scared G anymore.
The man turned, stopping his movements for a second. He shook his head and motioned for the woman to take a seat, then he returned to his cooking.
Okaaay… That had been weird, at least in Kensi's mind, but she shook her head and obeyed; there were times when Sam was simply a mystery for her, and with everything that was going on, she wouldn't be surprised if everything was due to stress.
The Senior Agent moved to the stool next to Callen and sat on it. She realized that she actually felt tired, no matter how strange it sounded, and it was nice to be sitting on such a comfortable chair. Glancing down at the boy, Kensi thought he was asleep, considering just how calmed he looked. She reached out, and fixed the neck of the shirt, which had been sliding off his shoulder a little, causing G to move his head, looking at her from just above his arm.
"Hey." The child whispered, his eye closing as he spoke, only to open again a second later.
Kensi smiled at him, feeling that she was forgiven. It didn't stop her from feeling guilty about what she had done, but at least G didn't blame her… or was a little delusional at the moment. The woman rubbed the boy's back gently until a plate with a simple sandwich was placed in front of him, followed closely by something a little more elaborated for herself and Sam, who had just sat across from G.
The man tapped G's head with a finger, and the boy slowly raised his head, rubbing left eye with his hand. Sam pushed the plate a little more towards the teenager, watching closely as the boy grabbed one half of the sandwich and gave it a little, hesitant bite.
Callen swallowed before taking the top slice of bread off the sandwich to analyze its contents. He began to take off the tomatoes and lettuce, giving his adoptive father a cautious glance to see if he didn't mind. When the man nodded at him, he finished taking the things off, leaving them aside, and placed the slice of bread back on top of the ham before giving it another bite.
Although Sam smiled at the antics, Kensi looked at him with a slight frown, to which the Agent in Charge waved his hand a little, silently telling her that he would explain later.
G had to control himself not to fall off the stool. His head was spinning; whether it was from the pain of his injured ribs and knee or the fever, he did not know. He felt that he was going to throw up at any second, and his eyes were watering terribly, but he forced himself not to show any more than what he had already. Men don't cry, ya little pussy! One of his foster fathers had told him one day when he was six.
At the front yard of a large house, Callen was playing with a plastic bottle he had found, using it as a football. He had seen his foster brothers playing, but like they didn't let him touch their things, he had found something which he could use just like that.
He was playing alone, since most of the neighbors were much older than him and those who weren't were not allowed to play with him. He had no idea why, but at that moment he didn't particularly minded. He had a toy, and he was going to play with it, accompanied or by himself.
He placed the bottle on the ground, preparing for a kick like those he had seen on the television when his foster family was watching a game.
G backed away a few steps, and looked up. In his childish mind, he imagined the goal, right there, in the middle of the street, at a height he thought he could reach with his strength.
He looked at the bottle, making sure it wasn't lost in-between the grass, and began running, he kicked it with all his strength, sending it to the middle of the street, however, it went a little below from where the boy had pictured the yellow limits of the goal.
Disappointed, the small boy looked back at the house, making sure no one was watching him before sadly walking to fetch his new-found toy. His steps were slow and heavy, and he kept his eyes on the ground as he went.
Finally arriving to where the bottle was, he bent down to pick it up, looking through the transparent plastic as he held it between his little hands. How could he have missed? He had watched closely how the players kicked, so why couldn't he kick like them?
A sudden screak filled his ears and he looked up, his sight being filled with nothing more than a bright light. Something dark flew across the light a second before he closed his eyes. And then he was flying.
G's back hit the concrete, hard, but his head had been covered by something soft, yet strong at the same time. He could feel warmth on top of him, which has, strangely, becoming heavier and heavier.
There was a yell, and the weight lifted. The boy tried to open his eyes, but the pain in his back was just too much. Large hands were on him, trying to feel if anything had broken.
"Hey, kid." A strange voice called. Callen could hear it, but he didn't reply. "You okay?"
A tear escaped from G's eye, followed closely by a sob. He brought his hands up to his face as he cried, and tried to clean the tears, to no avail. He moved his right hand to try to touch his back, the crying becoming harder.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't see him there, he came out of nowhere!" Exclaimed a woman. Callen didn't recognize her, but he could hear the fear in her voice.
But the pain on his back was unbearable! He twitched awkwardly, trying to get off it, screaming out in pain.
"What's goin' on here?" Yelled the booming voice of the person whom he feared greatly.
"Uh, he was on the street, sir, he was almost run by a car." The stranger male asked again.
"I'm sorry, sir, the boy was running, and I didn't see him!"
The fight continued for a while, though he knew that his foster father only wanted to get out of there and go back to his house without any trouble.
After what seemed like hours the woman finally left, seemingly pleased that no one was going to sue her or anything of the sort. A rough hand pulled G up, and shook him, making him cry out in pain before he opened his eyes. Teary blue orbs first met surprised green ones, and he recognized the teen boy as the neighbor from across the street.
He didn't couldn't see anything else before his foster father violently pulled him home. G cried and screamed all the way there, just like any other six-year-old would have done.
Callen was thrown on the floor, not even a second going by before he was attacked with yells from the older male. In the end, though he didn't really hear at the time, he was punished without eating for the next two days.
"And stop cryin', boy! Men don't cry, ya little pussy!"
G shook his head slightly, if anything, it just made his pain worsen, that simple thought. He barely registered that the adults had finished eating, though he hadn't touched his own food after the third bite.
The teen got up along with the other two people, his face contorting onto one of pain at the movements. Barely noticing Kensi and Sam moving, G walked forward with his eyes closed.
His foot got caught in the chair Kensi had just occupied, and he quickly tried to reach for the table to stop his fall, unsuccessfully. Callen's arm collided against the back of the chair, and he closed his eyes once again. He fell to the ground with a cry of pain, making himself into a little ball to try and stop the sensation, only increasing it with his movements.
"Don't, cry" He thought to himself bitterly as one tear escaped his eye. This just seemed to perforate the obstructed hole in a pipe, because the next thing the adults knew was that the young orphan was bawling his eyes out, sprawled on the floor and unmoving.
Sam practically flew to G's side. He knew, by experience, that a pain like that was truly unbearable, and combined with the feverish state the boy was in, the Agent in Charge could understand perfectly. In fact, he would have been surprised if he, himself, had not shed a few tears like that.
While the man tried to move Callen out of the floor without causing him even more pain, the teen scolded himself mentally for showing tears in front of Kensi. He had to be strong, that's what they'd always taught him, and he got ashamed that he had broken the number one rule he had set upon himself when he was still very young.
"It's okay, buddy, it's fine, it'll be over in a minute." Sam told him as he finally managed for Callen to sit on his legs. It was not true, of course, but he had to tell G something and he wasn't about to tell him to shut up, since he knew it would only make matters worse. G already had feelings of abandonment that had bottled up throughout the years, and if him, the one he now trusted, were to tell him such a thing, the boy's trust would probably end up permanently damaged.
And Sam didn't want that.
He smiled gratefully at Kensi when the bottle of painkillers crossed his line of vision, and he saw up to see her holding it to his face. Sam took out the dose with one hand, since the lid had been helpfully removed by the Senior Agent, and shook G's body a little.
A sob stopped midway up Callen's throat. He attempted to clean the tears, clear his throat, or even to stop crying, all of it unsuccessfully. He couldn't really see at all, because his eyelids refused to cooperate with him, but he could, barely, hear Sam's voice telling him to open his mouth. He obeyed. Slowly. Painfully. But he obeyed, and he felt the pills making their way through his mouth, his throat, and he was almost sure he felt them fall cleanly in his stomach.
"Don't." Muttered the boy, sounding more like a pained whimper than an actual word. "Don't let me sleep."
Sam was beginning to understand the terrible panic his young charge was suffering. He remembered being tortured, he remembered how much it had cost him to trust anyone, to sleep peacefully once again… and he was an adult when it had happened to him. He imagined it must have been much worse as a kid.
But he knew the boy was sick. Both physically and mentally exhausted, and that would not only cause trouble for him but would also bring more problems to the boy.
"Please, G, just have a nap, in my bed, if you want to, I promise you I will check your room thoroughly and sit in the hall just where I can see you."
There was a weak shake of the head from G's part, while he tried to hide his crying face from the woman in the room. Sam tightened the hold around him, holding him close and caressing his back as reassuringly as he could.
It was just hard. Sam wanted to make everything better, but how do you do that when you can't truly reach someone to protect them? When you can only hold them and wish, and pray, and beg for them to get better as soon as they can?
Kensi looked at the pair, wanting to intervene but knowing it will be fruitless. Besides, even if she could help, she would always be there, so it was better if she just allowed the males to work things out. While the two stubbornly continued with the discussion, the woman placed all the dishes in the sink and washed them. She left them there, however, because she knew just how OCD Sam got about the dishes and movie boxes being in order and she wasn't quite sure where those belonged.
After twenty minutes of crying, G had finally calmed down and accepted to try and sleep as long as Sam kept his promise. Sam was sure it was more out of the effect of the drugs rather than G wanting to do it, but not thinking twice about it, he carefully pulled Callen up with him as he stood (he had now seen how the boy reacted to pain, and he did not like it at all).
Swiftly, Sam and Kensi began walking towards the man's room, the Agent in Charge feeling G's head fall in defeat against his shoulder just seconds before the blankets were moved so that he could place the small body on it.
The man covered the teen with the blankets and sighed in relief just a little, since he at least knows G will sleep for a little while.
"Is he always this nervous, Sam?" A female voice behind him whispers.
He nodded, because what else could he say to that? G was always nervous, and it frightened him to no end just thinking about what might be happening in the boy's head. It seemed a terrible place to be, at the moment.
The pair wordlessly walks back to G's room, and while Sam checks the place, just like he told G he would, he couldn't help but feeling stupid looking under the bed like he was looking for monsters.
"You are, man, you are." He told himself.
The adults continued to fold the clothing that didn't fit in the closet and sorting them into piles, leaving them in the floor right next to the closet space. There would be a need for drawers very soon. It was just then that Sam noticed Kensi grabbing some clothes while she stuffed them in a black backpack that hung from her shoulder.
Feeling the stare piercing the top of her head, Kensi looked up just slightly. "It's an emergency pack."
Emergency Pack? Sam rolled his eyes at the sudden cautious attitude, but he had to smile, because, in the end, not only he was doing the same thing, but he truly appreciated his friend's effort to help G.
A pained yell interrupted the conversation. Sam was fast to spring into action, running to his room with no doubt in his mind that the one screaming had been G.
He saw Callen looking wildly around the room, tears once again streaming down his face while he hugged himself , like the two thin arms were his shield to the world. The moment Sam was there, he grabbed the boy and hugged him with all the strength he dared to.
"He was here, Sam, he's not gone, please believe me." The man hears, and the volume was so quiet that he was sure that if he had not been hugging him as hard, he would have not heard such a tiny voice.
"I know, I believe you, G, but I'm here. Kensi's here. We'll protect you." Sam assured the boy, the hold tightening. "I'll protect you, son."
Thankfully, the episode did not last as long as the previous one, and G. Callen was calm enough within a few minutes. The boy still didn't let go of the man's shirt, and Sam kept both protective arms around him, just in case G needed them there.
It was only then that Kensi dared to go into the room, handing the boy the plush tiger he seemed to treasure, although she was not sure why. G immediately reached for it, although he seemed somewhat hesitant to actually grab it; he stared at his hand for a few seconds, a grimace adorning his face, before finally touching it and bringing up to his chest, where the plush simply seemed to belong.
There were a few minutes spent in silence before Kensi noticed the hour. Claiming she had to leave, she began to walk towards the door, Sam, still holding Callen following her in silence.
As she was leaving, she thought she finally understood a little of what Sam's tone over the phone had been all about, and she forgot about the annoyed she had been at him for calling like that, since she would have probably done the same thing. She got into her car, still reflecting about the topic, and drove off.
Immediately after the door closed, Sam placed G on the couch and sat down on the edge, reclining it enough for him to be comfortable. He looked over at his charge, who, if possible, looked even more worn and tired than before; the sweaty clothes, the pale skin glittering with the same liquid, dark bags that were beginning to form under his eyes.
Sam grabbed a cushion that was next to him and placed it on his lap.
"Come on, G, lay you head here and lets both go to sleep, all right?"
The teen simply doesn't have the strength to argue, and slowly, still clutching Astra to his chest, he leans down, placing his head on the offered cushion and immediately closing his eyes, sleeping taking over both males as they finally get a bit of decent sleep.
Ah, there we go. Those are almost 12 pages on word, so I guess it was at least worth the wait. Hopefully?
Also, the idea for this chapter was angelprincesslilac, although I did change it a bit from what she told me, with luck she's like the vision and approach I gave the chapter.
Question: What is your favorite vehicle?
