Season of Change

Disclaimer: I own nothing, just borrowing my favorite characters.

Chapter 9

Sam drove the three of them to the airport in his Challenger. It was a quiet ride filled with awkward glances. Callen was riding shotgun as usual, with Kensi crammed into the small backseat of the muscle car. She now understood why Deeks had complained in the past about Sam's car, the backseat was not fit for an adult. She was relieved when they finally arrived. They met up with Jimmy - the same pilot who had flown Deeks out to DC just days earlier - and his co-pilot, Pete. Callen made a mental note to ask Hetty why they had never heard of Jimmy before. Having a private jet at one's disposal could be quite advantageous, he thought to himself. Jimmy was saddened to learn of the detective's current condition. He had taken a liking to Deeks in their few short hours together and hoped he would make a full recovery. The agents stowed their go bags and settled in for the flight.

Sam and Callen sat at the rear of the cabin, while Kensi had chosen a single seat up closer to the front of the jet. They were about two hours into the flight when Callen finally said something to Sam.

"Are you going to go talk to her?" He asked quietly, not wanting Kensi to overhear their conversation.

Sam, who had been right on the edge of falling asleep, glanced to his partner, raising an eyebrow. "I have nothing to say to her right now, G."

Callen's stare was stern. "Are you sure about that, Sam?"

"You're serious?" Sam asked incredulously, now turning to face him.

"Sam, whatever is going on between Kensi and Deeks is none of our business...unless, of course, it changes how they work as a team."

"Yeah, but G, Deeks is in the hospital fighting for his life because of her. If she..." Sam started, but Callen cut him off.

"Deeks is in the hospital because he did what Deeks does. You said it yourself. He can't shut off who he is away from the job. He was protecting somebody who needed protecting. If not in DC then maybe in LA. Or maybe in Mammoth had he gone there. Besides, Sam, you really have no right to be upset with her," Callen pointed out.

Sam cringed at the comment. His partner was right and he knew it.

Callen continued, "Kensi can be tough on Deeks, there's no doubt about that. But that is how they have been since day one. It works for them somehow. You know that either one of them would die for the other at this point. They've always acted more like a couple than partners. Maybe they're figuring that part out right now, the personal side of it...but they have had each other's backs for years. The level of trust they have built may even rival ours, partner," Callen smirked, trying to lighten the mood.

Sam chuckled, letting his eyes drop to the floor for a moment.

Sam glanced towards the spot where Kensi sat, her back to them. He turned back to Callen, "You're right, G. I owe her an apology," he nodded in agreement.

Callen smiled, leaning his head back against the headrest and closing his eyes. He held his fist up to his partner and waited for Sam to fist bump him. Sam obliged before standing and walking to the front. Callen opened his eyes long enough to see his partner sit down next to Kensi before letting them fall shut again, drifting off into a restful sleep.


The doctors in charge of working on Deeks' head wound stood in awe as they looked at the x-rays of the detective's skull again. The knife ran from the left side of his skull to his lower right jawbone. The jawbone had stopped the knife from going any further. After an intense operation that with the slightest slip could have caused the detective to bleed to death, the knife was removed. Miraculously it had missed his optical nerve, passing just behind it. It had missed the nerves that control his sense of taste and smell, also. All indications were that there would be no adverse effects. The doctors agreed that the fact the detective had been unconscious and unaware of the knife in his head was probably what saved him from doing further damage. He still had a nasty bump on the back of his head from the initial fall, which led to a severe concussion, and then there was the bullet wound to the chest. Thankfully, it had been a small caliber round that had hit directly on a rib and deflected off, doing more damage to his chest than internally. The rib was broken by the impact, but the bullet didn't damage any organs. The detective was sedated and resting in a room.

Gibbs, along with Abby and the rest of the team, all sat in the waiting room. They had been there for hours before a doctor approached them.

"I assume you are all waiting for word on Martin Deeks?" He asked tiredly.

Abby jumped up and ran to him, waving her hands frantically. "Yes! How is Marty? Is he still alive? Will he be okay? Can we see him?" She bombarded him with questions, getting right in his face.

The doctor took a step back, holding up a hand.

Gibbs called out to his overenthusiastic scientist. "Abs, give the man some space," he smiled at her.

Abby stood there a moment. "You're right, Gibbs. Sorry doctor," she said politely, impatiently waiting for an update.

"My name is Dr. Isaac. Your friend is out of surgery. He is suffering from a blow to the back of his head. His chest wound was fortunately not near as serious as it could have been. He does have a broken rib and several stitches. The knife wound" he began, pausing when he noticed his audience tense up at the mention of it, "the knife wound, while looking very serious, after removal and observation the prognosis looks promising. His sense of sight, smell and taste should all be intact. The blade missed the nerves, so we remain hopeful that is the case. Brain injuries can be tricky, though, and it depends on the patient. We will have to wait for Mr. Deeks to wake up before we'll know the full extent of the damage. He'll be very sore, and of course, we'll have to keep an eye out for infection. Your friend is a very lucky man. He is currently sedated and resting. We'll keep him for several days for observational purposes. He should be able to go home by the end of the week barring any setbacks."

Abby being Abby, launched herself at the doctor, wrapping him up in a tight hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! That is great news! Now can we see him?" She asked excitedly.

Dr. Isaac smiled. "He's not awake and won't be for quite some time. You can visit him if you'll remain quiet and calm. He is in room 302."

"Thanks, Doc," Gibbs nodded as the team headed off down the hall.

"One more thing you should know," the doctor started, waiting for someone to turn around and acknowledge they were listening. When Gibbs did that, the doctor continued, "Due to his head injury from the fall, mixed with the meds in his system, it is possible when he awakes that he'll be suffering from temporary retrograde amnesia," Dr. Isaac warned.

"Got it. Thanks." Gibbs nodded and turned to catch up with the others. "Hey, Abs...Doc says Deeks may have temporary retrograde amnesia when he wakes up." He stared at her.

She looked at him, confused. "Okay. Why are you looking at me that way, Gibbs?"

Gibbs chuckled, "What is it? I know what amnesia is. What's the rest of it mean?"

Abby smiled. "Oh! Well, just like it says, Gibbs, temporary obviously means it won't last, the retrograde part just means that Marty may not remember anything prior to or during his, um...injury. If it was antero..."

"Good enough, Abs, I get it." Gibbs put a finger to her lips to stop her, smiling as he did.


Kensi was lost in thought as the jet screamed across the sky, taking her closer and closer to her partner. She didn't notice Sam sit down next to her and when he spoke, she flinched.

"How are you holding up, Kensi?" Sam asked, realizing he had startled her.

She glared at him. "Seriously? What do you care, Sam?"

Sam felt guilty that she had taken that tone with him. He moved to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder but she shied away from him. He held his hand up, sorry she had reacted to him in that way.

"Hey, listen...I know what I said back in Ops was uncalled for. I am in no position to pass down judgment on anyone and their treatment of Deeks. I owe you an apology. I am truly sorry for talking to you and about you like that."

Kensi continued staring at him, but the look on her face softened some at Sam's admission.

"Look, Kensi, I don't expect you to forgive me right this second or act like I never said anything. I understand it will take some time to deal with. I don't know what happened between you and Deeks and I really don't care as long as you two are happy. Just know that I'm here for you...and for Deeks. I owe him for what he did for me. That is a debt I'll never fully be able to repay."

Sam moved to get up but Kensi reached out and grabbed his arm. "Sam," she said, her voice breaking slightly. "Thank you." She let go of him. He smiled softly, nodding, and then walked back to where he had been sitting next to Callen. He leaned his head back and it wasn't long before he, too, had drifted off.

Several hours and one refueling stop later, Jimmy and Pete had landed the jet south of DC in Alexandria. As promised by the director, a chopper was waiting and they were flown directly to the hospital. Once inside, they were directed to the floor Deeks was on where they met with the head nurse on night shift, Ruth. She had been briefed on who these people were to Deeks and to give them full access to anything they needed.

"Martin Deeks is in Room 302. He is heavily sedated and not expected to wake up any time soon," the nurse explained.

Callen asked about his condition. "Ruth, what can you tell us about Deeks' injuries?"

Kensi began to panic at this question, knowing the news may very well be something she was not ready to hear. Sam was anxious, as well. They all hoped their shaggy haired teammate would be able to make a full recovery.

Ruth, anticipating they would ask what shape he was in, had a copy of his file with her. "Mr. Deeks is suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. Mostly superficial damage, the bullet was a small caliber. It broke a rib and for the most part, that was it. No damage to any organs. The wound did require stitches to close it. He has a concussion sustained when he fell. He lost consciousness and has yet to regain it. The most serious looking of his wounds, the knife to his left temple, has been removed. He was in surgery for almost three hours," she looked up from the chart. "Your friend must live a charmed life," Ruth commented.

"Why do you say that?" Sam asked cautiously.

Callen and Kensi looked at the nurse attentively.

Ruth, sensing that these people were very worried about their friend, quickly finished her thought. "He is very, very lucky to be alive. What's even more unbelievable is that there appears to be no permanent damage. The blade missed every nerve that could have cost him his sight, smell and taste, not to mention arteries that could have led him to bleed out quickly. We won't know anything for sure until Mr. Deeks wakes up, though, but it looks promising. He'll be here under observation for several days, but indications are he should make a full recovery," she explained, smiling when she was done.

Kensi was immediately in tears, sobs overtaking her. All the fear, guilt and tension that had been building - from that night she had backed out of the trip to hearing Deeks get injured over the phone and then watching the video of it to sitting on that jet for the long flight across the US worried that Deeks wouldn't be himself anymore - all released at once at Nurse Ruth's words.

Callen smiled at Sam, the big man shaking his head in wonder at what they had just been told. Callen then looked to Kensi as she tried to gain control of her emotions. When she finally wiped the last of her tears from her face, he grinned at her.

"What did I tell you, Kens?" Callen said with a smug look on his face.

She glared back at him, but there was no malice in her look. In fact, a small grin was growing at the corners of her mouth. "Shut up," she chuckled as he hugged her.

"Come on, let's go find his room," Sam suggested to them.

Ruth offered directions and added, "Special Agent Gibbs and his team are with him now. I'm sure they'll be glad to see you."

The three were surprised to find out Gibbs' whole team had come to stay with the detective. It was well past midnight now here on the east coast and they assumed Deeks was alone. They quickly made their way through the halls until they came upon Room 302. It was a private room. The door was closed but did have a window. Callen, Sam and Kensi stopped short of opening the door. Any thoughts they may have had about Deeks being alone in some strange hospital clear across the country from them were put to rest when they observed the scene through the window.

Nurse Ruth had not been exaggerating when she said Gibbs' team was there. Gibbs was standing to the left of Deeks' bed, his left arm in a sling. He just stood there looking at the detective, concern showing on his face. Agent DiNozzo sat in a chair next to where Gibbs stood, his head leaned back, apparently napping. At the foot of the bed stood McGee and Bishop. On Deeks' right side was Abby. She was leaning on the side of the bed, her left hand holding Deeks' right. Callen and Sam smiled at each other at the sight before them. Kensi, however, was not happy to see Abby being so affectionate with her partner. When Abby reached out with her right hand and lightly brushed a lock of Deeks' hair up off his forehead the guys had to keep her from barging in and confronting the scientist.

"Easy there, Kens. Abby is like that with everyone. You have nothing to worry about." Callen promised her.

Kensi blew out a breath. "Of course," she said with her best fake smile.

TBC

Author's note: A big thank you to bookdiva for encouragement and guidance, especially on this chapter. You rock!