The wait was almost too much for Callen, he thought he was going to go out of his mind if he didn't hear something about Amy soon. Kensi, Deeks and Sam chatted while Callen just sat there looking at his watch every two minutes. They tried several times to engage him in conversation, but he wanted nothing to do with it. Finally, the doctor came out to talk to them just before three in the morning. Callen stood immediately praying everything went the way they'd planned. Sam, Kensi and Deeks stood behind him just as eager for the new as he was. The team had never bonded with anyone from a case before; this experience was new to all of them.
Dr. Burke looked at the eager faces staring back at him and knew by their looks neither Sam nor Deeks was Amy's husband. "I take it you never got in touch with Staff Sergeant Russell." He said to Callen.
"No, he hasn't called back. How's Amy?" he asked impatiently.
"Mrs. Russell is fine; she's on her way to recovery. We were not able to do the surgery with the laparoscopic method. Nearly half of her stomach had passed through the Hiatis, so she has an incision about that big." He said with his fingers about four or five inches apart. "We were able to get her stomach back where it belongs and cleaned out the infection. She's going to be in a good deal of pain and with have a lot of restrictions for a couple weeks. Give them about fifteen minutes to get her situated and you can go in one at a time to see her."
"Thank you doctor." Callen said shaking his hand.
"You go on in G; I'll wait until they've moved her into a room before I go in to see her." Sam told him, Kensi and Deeks agreed.
"Alright you guys, thank you for being here. It means a lot." Callen said hugging Kensi, then shaking Sam and Deeks hands.
"Not a problem, like we had anything else to do on a Saturday night." Deeks laughed.
Kensi elbowed him in the ribs. "What he means to say is that we wanted to be here for you and Amy, right Deeks."
Holding his side, Deeks said. "Yes, that's what I meant."
"Well, I still appreciate it. I'm going to go see Amy." He said walking out of the waiting room.
He followed the signs hanging from the ceiling to the recovery room. The lights were turned down low. The only lights that were on were over the nurses' station and over the beds that patients occupied. A busty woman greeted him.
"Oh, you must be that sexy federal agent that Janet was talking about." She said.
Callen turned red, shook his head and smiled. "Yeah, I guess that would be me."
"Ooh, you are a cutie, aren't you? Mrs. Russell is one lucky woman to have you protecting her." She said leading him to Amy's bed.
Amy was asleep. She had the blanket pulled to her chest and oxygen tubes in her nose. As he touched her hand, he noticed the pulse-ox monitor clipped to her index finger. The nurse closed the curtain and walked away. Callen sat in the chair next to the bed and put his hand on her forearm. Amy flinched at his touch and moved her head. She licked her lips and moved one of her legs. Callen stood so she could see him since they had her lying flat on her back. Amy blinked a couple times to clear the fog then smiled weakly at him.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" he asked leaning down and kissing her forehead.
"Mm, I don't know yet." She mumbled and dozed off again. Her eyes opened again and searched for him.
"It's okay, you can go back to sleep." He told her holding her hand with one hand and ran his fingers through her hair with the other.
Amy smiled up at him again. "I want to wake-up to your face for the rest of my life."
"In time Amy, let's get you better first." He told her.
She brought her right arm up around him pulling him close. Callen rested his head against hers and whispered, "I love you."
"I love you too, Callen." She said softly kissing his temple.
Callen sat with Amy until she was fully awake and the orderlies came to take her to her room. He walked with them to the room and stood outside while they moved her from the gurney to the bed. Sam, Kensi and Deeks joined him outside the room while he waited. When they were allowed in, Callen went in alone. Amy was sitting up more and smiling at him. He told her that Sam, Kensi and Deeks were outside and she told him to let them in.
When Sam saw her, he was relieved and went over to give her a hug. Kensi did the same, but since Deeks hadn't had much interaction with her, he just sat in the corner. They sat and talked for a while. Amy had a room facing east, so they watched the sunrise shortly after six. It was beautiful, Amy felt renewed, like she'd been given another chance at life. She had a home for her and the kids and a man who truly loved her. She watched Callen laugh and joke with the rest of his team and thanked God for allowing her to suffer through the bad things in life in order to have something good like this.
Sam announced he was headed to Amy's to meet Michelle and his daughter and would bring the kids up later in the afternoon. Kensi and Deeks went to get something to eat and rest for a while, but promised to be back that evening to visit. Amy and Callen were left alone in the room. She carefully moved over so there was enough room for him to join her on the bed. Callen lay next to her until there was a knock at the door. He answered to find Agent Wrath.
"I heard you were in the hospital causing trouble." He said as he walked in the room. He had two cups of coffee and a white paper bag with muffins in it. "Hello Ma'am, I hope you're feeling better."
"I am thank you." She said looking to Callen for an introduction.
"Amy, this is Special Agent Wrath. He works out of the office here on base. He and his team were involved in helping us get Awan that night at your house." Callen told her sitting on the edge of her bed where he could see both Amy and Wrath.
"Well, thank you for your help." She smiled and grimaced from the pain then pressed the button on her morphine drip.
"You okay?" Callen asked seeing the pain clouding her eyes.
"Yeah, I will be in a few minutes." She said holding her breath.
"So what happened to you?" Wrath asked Amy.
After letting out the breath, she began. "I was diagnosed with a Hiatal Hernia after my youngest was born. Apparently my stomach passed up through the Hiatis and the pressure of both my esophagus and my stomach being there together, it was cutting off the circulation to my stomach. They tried to correct it with Laparoscopic surgery, but from what the doctor said when I was in recovery too much of my stomach was up there so they had to actually cut me open."
"Damn, I didn't know that could happen." He told her sympathetically.
"Neither did I." she laughed and immediately grabbed her stomach.
"So how long are you going to be in the hospital?" he asked looking from Amy to Callen.
"He said what," looking at Callen. "I'll be released tonight or tomorrow morning. Providing I don't run another fever, the incision looks good and normal bodily functions resume." She knew at that point that it was a little too much information and turned red.
Callen smiled and looked at Wrath who really didn't know how to respond.
Within a few minutes, Amy was dozing off again. Callen told her that he and agent Wrath were going to go for a walk so they didn't keep her up. Amy nodded and was in a deep sleep within minutes of them leaving. Callen asked how Awan was doing and decided to pay him a visit while Amy was asleep.
When Callen walked into Awan's room, he was watching TV. Awan noticed he was standing there and shut it off and gave him a cunning smile.
"Ah Agent Callen, I hear your friend is in residence here for a few days. I do hope it was nothing serious." He said.
"How did you hear about that?" Callen asked, suddenly worried for Amy's safety again.
"Oh you need not worry about that. Word travels fast when your agency is involved." He told him with a devious smirk.
Callen looked to Agent Wrath who shrugged his shoulders. Wrath made a mental note to investigate how he got that bit of information.
"I also heard that you got my poor friend, Rocco yesterday. Poor boy, you're responsible for making them homeless." He told Callen still with the defiant air about him.
"No, Rocco will have three hot's and a cot, his sister is being taken care of as well. I assure you they aren't losing the house and she isn't dropping out of school." Callen said thankful Kathy stepped in and offered to pay for the girl's schooling and paid the bank the monies owed to save the house from foreclosure.
"Interesting, I wonder how they're managing that." Awan said looking perplexed.
"How are you feeling?" Callen asked, not too interested in the answer.
"I'm in nowhere near the pain I was in yesterday and apparently I'm being transferred to another facility to await whatever you people think you're going to do to me." He laughed.
Callen smiled at Wrath and shook his head. "Well, I need to get going. It was good seeing you again Awan. Good luck to you, I think you're going to need it."
Callen and Wrath walked back down to Amy room and talked casually outside her door for a few minutes. "Do you want me to post someone outside her door just in case Awan gets a wild hair?"
Callen looked back at Amy door and thought about it. "I'm planning on staying here tonight, if she's still here tomorrow, yes, please."
Wrath agreed and asked Callen to let him know.
Callen went back into Amy's room and found her still asleep. He sat down next to the bed and watched her chest rhythmically rise and fall. He was so thankful it wasn't more serious than it was and looked forward to whatever the future held for them. Callen looked at his watch, it was almost eight thirty. The door opened and a nurse came in with a breakfast tray. She sat it on the table tray and wheeled it to her bedside. Amy woke when the tray crashed against the railing and shook the bed. She flinched as the pain ripped through her abdomen.
"I'm so sorry," the nurse said. "How are you feeling?"
"Not too bad." She said as the pain diminished.
"Well, they're going to take you off the IV and start you on oral pain medications. Go on and eat then I'll come back in and we'll get that IV out of your hand." She smiled and closed the door as she left the room.
Amy tried to pull herself to a more upright position, but found herself weaker than she thought. Callen was at her side to help. She smiled at him, thankful once again that he was there. She took a look at the food on the tray and offered Callen the orange juice. "That's instant heartburn, do you want it?"
He accepted it and stole a piece of bacon from the plate then kissed her and quickly walked out of arm's reach before she swatted at him. Instead, Amy laughed and offered him another piece. He declined and sat back down opening the orange juice. For a second, he remembered the Strychnine in Calke's and Auts' orange juice at the Brig. Amy watched him, trying to figure out what he was doing then remembered what he'd told her.
"Crap, I'm sorry. I didn't even think when I gave it to you. You don't have to drink it, pour it down the sink in the bathroom." She told him laughing weakly.
"No, it smells okay." He took a sip and grabbed his throat like he was choking then rolled his eyes in the back and made gurgling sounds.
Knowing the effects of Strychnine took longer to take effect, she threw a piece of toast at him. "You're an ass, you know that."
Callen laughed and threw the toast back at her. There was another knock at the door and a tall man in street clothes walked in. He looked at Callen and then Amy.
"Warrant Officer, what are you doing here?" Amy asked surprised to see him.
"I got a call from the Officer on Duty that you were in the hospital and Staff Sergeant Russell was nowhere to be found." He said looking suspiciously at Callen.
"Sir, this is Special Agent Callen with NCIS. Callen this is Rick's Warrant Officer." She said suddenly very uncomfortable.
The Warrant Officer shook Callen's hand, but was still curious as to why he was there with Amy. "Mrs. Russell, you do know that your husband is supposed to check in with the First Sergeant three times a day over the weekends, holidays and while on leave."
"Yes, I know. He hasn't been?" she asked not at all surprised that he hadn't been doing so.
"No, he hasn't. He mentioned that something happened Friday morning, but didn't elaborate. Can you tell me what happened?" he asked.
"Do you know anything about what's been going on the last week?" Callen asked.
The Warrant Officer looked surprised. "No, Staff Sergeant hasn't said anything, what is going on?"
Callen explained everything while Amy ate breakfast. She fought the urge to throw another piece of toast at Callen while he did.
When Callen was done, the Warrant Officer shook his head. He looked at Amy and asked, "You haven't seen or heard from your husband since four or five Friday morning?"
"No, I haven't. The kids called Friday night to say goodnight, but had to leave a message. Then my oldest called him from both my cell phone and hers to let him know I was sick. Agent Callen called him last night when we got to the ER and then the surgeon called him." She explained.
"You have no idea where his is?" he asked.
"I have a feeling he's staying with one of his girlfriends, but I don't know who she is or where she lives." Amy told him honestly.
The Warrant Officer shook his head. "He's still doing that shit? He was ordered to stop."
"I know he was, but he's still doing it. He left the kids and I hiding in the attic to go back to bed to text one of them. Apparently, he's been leaving early saying he's had PT, but he's been going to see them." Amy told him.
"Ma'am, if you don't mind me asking what are your plans? This information doesn't bode well for his case. I hate to see you and the children suffer anymore than you already have." He asked.
"I just found out that a friend of the family purchased my great-grandmother's house nineteen years ago. She's had it with a property management company and has been saving the money the property made. So the kids and I will be moving into the house in June after they get out of school." She told him sipping ice water.
"Does your husband know about this?"
"No, I just found out myself yesterday. I do know that my great-grandmother asked that the house be given to me twenty years after her death. It will be twenty years this November. She stated in the will that the money made by the property was not to be split if I were to divorce." She said.
Nodding his head, "Very good, when do you plan on telling your husband about your plan?"
"After I've been released and recovered, not necessarily completely." She told him looking at Callen.
The nurse came back into the room and took the empty tray to a cart waiting outside. "I'll be right back to take out that IV."
"Alright Mrs. Russell, I'll let you get some rest. If we get in touch with your husband, would you rather he didn't come to the hospital?" he asked standing.
"No, he can come see me." She said.
"Who is taking care of the children if you don't mind me asking?" he asked before he walked out of the room.
"My partner and his wife came up from San Diego to watch them. They will be bringing them up to the hospital this afternoon to see Amy." Callen told him.
"Alright. Mrs. Russell, I'm sorry about your husband, but it looks like you're in very caring and capable hands." He said before he walked out.
Sam met Michelle at Amy's right at seven. The kids were so happy so seem him. They greeted him with big hugs and huge smiles. He introduced Kathy and all six of the kids to his wife and daughter. Kathy was about to make breakfast for all the kids and invited them to stay. Kathy and the kids were full of questions about Amy for Sam and he was happy to answer them. They were all relieved that it was not as serious as it could've been. Kristy, Ricky and Jenny begged to go see Amy soon.
Michelle explained to them that visiting hours didn't start until ten o'clock, but that they would go to the florist at the main exchange to buy Amy some flowers and balloons. The kids loved the idea and ate their stacks of pancakes and scrambled eggs as fast as they could so they could go home. Kathy asked them to pick up a bouquet of flowers for Amy from her and passed him fifty dollars when the kids weren't looking. Michelle asked what kind of flowers she wanted them to get for Amy, but Kathy didn't care as long as they got them for her.
They walked the kids back over to the house an hour later, Jenny and Sam's daughter were up the stairs going on and on about Monster High and Barbie's and tea parties. Kristy asked if they minded if she showered; neither Sam nor Michelle had a problem with it. The doorbell rang and Sam recognized the boys. He called Ricky to the door and was pleased when Ricky told them he didn't want to play because they were going to go see his Mom in the hospital. Within minutes of the boys leaving, their mother and father were at the door making sure Amy was alright.
The younger two girls came down stairs dressed in play clothes, looking like their favorite Monster High characters. "Look Daddy, I'm Cleo DeNile and Jenny's Draculara."
Sam had to laugh as the two girls posed like fashion models. He acted like he had a camera and took pictures of them saying, "Come on girls, work it for the camera." Michelle laughed so hard her side hurt.
"Oh, I can't wait to tell Callen and Amy about that." Michelle said laughing.
Sam shook his head. "You really don't have to, do you?"
"It's part of being a father, honey. It's cute to see you play with the girls." She told him looking at the photos on the wall behind them.
"Oh, look at this one." Sam said leading Michelle to the photo of Amy holding Kristy upside down.
"That is so cute. Look at Ricky as a baby. He was so tiny." She said wishing they had had another baby.
"Look at this one. This is Amy's Great-grandmother's wedding picture." Sam told her pointing to the black and white photo.
"Oh my gosh. Is that the one who left the house to Amy?" Michelle asked.
"Yes. I think Callen said she was going to go up to look at the house next weekend." Sam told her.
Michelle looked around for little ears before she asked her next question. "What do you think is going to happen with Callen and Amy?"
"I wish you could see them together." He said pulling Michelle to him by the hips. "Reminds me of us when we first met. Remember when everyone said we were sickeningly cute. Yeah, that's Amy and Callen."
Michelle reached up and kissed Sam. "It sounds like they're good for each other. With everything you say she's been through, she deserves to be happy and I can't think of anyone better than Callen. I bet he's good with the kids too. You've seen how he is with our little princess."
"He's great with the kids. I see lots of tea parties with Jenny in his future. And long nights sitting on the front porch with a shot gun waiting for Kristy's boyfriend to bring her home after a date. He'll be coaching Ricky's little league games while Amy cheers from the stands." He said half joking and half serious.
"Do you think they'll have one of their own?" Michelle asked resting her head on Sam's chest.
"I don't know. I hope they do if they stay together. Every man deserves to deal with the pregnancy cravings and a thousand pillows in the bed. Diaper changes and middle of the night feedings. First steps, first words."
"Getting peed on, pooped on and burped up on." Michelle interrupted with a laugh.
"Exactly." He said looking down at his wife. "He's going to be a good Dad. He already loves Amy and the kids. You should've seen him worrying about her during the surgery."
"I'm sure he was worried about her. We all were, Sam." She told him.
The girls came down stairs and asked for something to drink. Michelle had no idea where Amy kept anything, so she followed Sam into the kitchen. The girls took a few gulps and put the cups on the dining table then ran back up stairs to play. Kristy came downstairs and stood between the dining room and family room watching Sam and Michelle.
Michelle walked into the family room looking at two paintings on the walls. "Sam did you see these? I really like this one with the two chairs on the banks of a river."
"My Mom painted those." Kristy said.
Michelle and Sam turned to face her. "You Mom did that?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, she did that one around Christmas and the other one she finished in February. She's got one she's been working on for a while." She said going to the bakers rack to get the unfinished painting.
"Those are paint by numbers?" Michelle asked, impressed.
"Yeah, they are." Kristy told her.
"Wow, you're Mom's got a steady hand. Some of those spots are so small." Michelle said taking the painting from Kristy.
"My Mom used this super fine brush for all of the really little spots." Kristy said going to a candle holder on the bar and returning with the brush.
"Wow, I can't wait to meet your Mom. She sounds like a really special lady." Michelle said handing the brush and painting back to Kristy.
"You'll like my Mom. She's one of the nicest people you'll ever want to meet and I'm not just saying that because she's my Mom." Kristy said smiling, with tears in her eyes.
"Oh honey, it's ok." Michelle said wrapping her arms around the little blonde girl. "Your Mom is fine."
"I know I was just so scared last night. When I couldn't reach my Dad, the only other people I thought of was Callen and Sam. I couldn't find your number so I called Callen." She cried.
"You did the right thing, Kristy." Sam told her with one arm around Michelle and the other around Kristy.
"My Mom has put up with so much crap from my Dad, it makes me so mad. I wish she and Callen could get together. He makes her happy. You should've seen them last night. We brought my mattress down here and pushed the coffee table and the loveseat out of the way. We watched movies and ate pizza all night. I saw them looking at each other the way people do on the movies when they're in love. I like Callen, he actually talks to Ricky and I." she told them.
Sam and Michelle just smiled; it wasn't their place to tell them whether or not Callen and Amy were talking about getting together. "You know what, how about we go to the exchange and pick out the flowers for your Mom. Then we can go see your Mom and Callen."
"Alright, I'll go get the girls." Kristy said running up the stairs.
The girls came down stairs, Sam's daughter jumped into his arms and asked. "Daddy, can I change my name for the day?"
"What do you want to change it to?" he asked.
"I want to be Cleo for the day and can we call Jenny Draculara for the day?" she asked with all seriousness.
Sam looked and Michelle who nodded, "Yes, I crown you Cleo deNile and you Draculara." He said taking an imaginary magic wand and tapping them on the head.
"Thank you Daddy." She said giving him a hug.
"Come one Ricky, let's go." Sam yelled up the stairs.
They locked the house and stood there doing a head count, trying to figure out how they were going to get everyone there. "We can take my Mom's van." Kristy said taking the keys from Sam and opening the sliding doors with the remote. "I don't know how much gas is in it, but we should be able to get there and back."
"We can get some gas if we have to." Michelle said walking to the van.
"There's a pull down seat for Cleo if she needs it." Kristy said. "Come one Draculara, let's get you in your car seat."
Sam's daughter beamed.
"Sam, can you help me put the back seat up." Ricky asked opening the trunk.
Kristy's friends Lauren and Mikayla came running across the street asking if she could play. Kristy explained that Amy had surgery early that morning and they were on the way to see her. The girls understood. Lauren told Kristy that she was going to ask her Dad to take her up to the hospital later.
Once they were in the van, Sam asked for directions to the exchange and looked in the rearview mirror at Kristy.
"At the stop sign coming out of housing, make a left. Go down the kill to the stop light and make another left. At the first light make another left and a left into the parking lot." She told him.
From the backseat Ricky called out. "He's making another left turn!" All of the kids laughed hysterically.
Kristy's directions were perfect. They parked close to the door and went in to pick the flowers. Jenny immediately went to a table that had delicate clear glass vases shaped like swans and cats. She chose a cat vase with three Fire and Ice Roses in it. Ricky found a Peace Lily, commenting that he remembered his Mom having one when they lived with their grandparents in Northern California. Kristy picked a bouquet of Lilies in a bright red vase. Next, they picked something from Kathy. They found a very pretty bouquet of roses, lilies and baby's breath. Michelle picked a miniature topiary made from a plant similar to an Azalea. Each child picked a get well Mylar balloon and one latex balloon. They walked out with the eight balloons and five bouquets or plants.
Callen was sitting on the bed next to Amy with his arm around her neck, her head resting on his shoulder. They talked about the future and the world of possibilities open to them. They heard a commotion coming from the hall. Callen helped Amy sit forward so he could move his arm.
"Hah, I know those voices." She said smiling at Callen.
"Yeah, that would be the kids." He said excited to see them.
He leaned down and gave Amy a kiss before he went to the curtain blocking the door and pulled it back. It was a mass of balloons and flowers. Once the kids saw Amy, they went running towards her room yelling for her at the top of their lungs. Amy shook her head and buried her face in her hands. She saw Sam and his wife trailing behind walking quickly with their heads down laughing.
"Hi Callen, Ricky said leaning into him, giving him a hug with one arm. "Mommy this is for you." Ricky walked over to the window sill and placed the plant on it, then went to Amy's bedside.
"Hello my baby." She said to him reaching the best she could to give him a hug and kiss.
Jenny came running in with the cat vase over her head. She too placed it on the window sill. Callen lifted her over the railing so she could hug and kiss Amy without putting pressure on her stomach. Kristy came in and kissed Amy on the cheek before setting the flowers next to her brother's and sister's. Sam and Michelle's daughter came in carrying the eight balloons and handed them to Callen before he bent down to give her a hug. Callen tied the balloons to a chair in the corner.
"This is from Kathy and that one's from us." Sam said walking over to the window sill. "Amy, this is my wife Michelle and our daughter Cleo; for the day."
"Well hello Cleo, nice to meet you." She said shaking her hand. "Hello Michelle, I've heard so much about you."
Michelle kissed Callen on the cheek as she passed him and gave Amy a hug. "How are you feeling?"
"Better. Callen's been taking good care of me. Sam, do you want to know what he did to me?"
"G, what did you do?" Sam asked knowing by the smile on Amy's face it was good.
"Amy offered me her orange juice since it was going to give her heartburn. I opened it and thought of Calke and Auts. I guess it took Amy a couple minutes to figure it out. She told me to dump it down the drain. I took a sit and grabbed my throat, rolled my eyes into the back of my head and made a gurgling sound." He told them trying not to laugh.
"That's just wrong, G." Sam told him laughing.
"Callen, I can't believe you did that to her." Michelle said laughing. "What did you do Amy?"
"I think I threw some toast or something at him. I know I called him and ass."
Rick stepped off the elevator and walked directly to the nurses' station. He asked which room Amy was in. He was directed to the room at the end of the hall. He was furious that Amy had called the command. The charge of UA that they threatened him with was the last thing he needed since he was still waiting for whatever they were going to do with him after Maggie's call. He was stark-raving mad when he got Callen's message and knew there was something more than a friendship going on between them. He checked his phone as he walked down the hall and noticed he had a text message and stopped to read it. He smiled as his eyes scanned the words- 'Hey Baby. I had so much fun the last couple days. Are you coming back tonight? Love you XOXOXO.'
Quickly he looked around and typed his reply- 'Hey Sexy. I don't know if I'm going to be able to get away tonight. My x-wife is in the hospital and I don't know where my kids are. I'll call you when I know more.' Rick put his phone back in his pocket and walked on to Amy's room.
Sam noticed that Amy was looking out into the hall. He turned to look and saw Rick walking towards her room. He looked back at Amy who had a look of apprehension in her eyes. She quickly looked at Callen. Sam called him and pointed out the door. He looked from Sam to Amy who mouthed Rick's name. He too saw the look in Amy's eyes. Sam leaned over to Michelle and asked that she take the kids down to the cafeteria after they said hello to their father. Michelle nodded her response.
Rick heard voices in Amy's room and immediately recognized the three kids. Then he heard Callen and Sam's, sending his blood pressure through the roof. Not only had that son-of-a-bitch brought Amy to the hospital, but he was still there with her. He knocked on the door before he went in as a kind of warning. Sam and Michelle turned to look at him and moved aside so he could join them.
Ricky, Kristy and Jenny were happy to see him and ran to him. He hugged all three and stood upright again. Sam nodded to Michelle and she asked the four kids if they were either hungry or thirsty, then led them out of the room. Rick watched the woman walk away with his three children and immediately turned around, staring venomously back at Amy.
"Who's the bitch and where's she taking my kids?" he said directing his question at Callen and Sam.
Sam was ready to pummel Rick, but kept his cool. "That's my wife. She's taking the kids to the cafeteria to get something to eat and drink. I figured you didn't really want them here for this conversation."
Sam offered Amy a faint smile; she nodded and smiled back thanking him. "Where have you been Rick?"
"Why the hell did you call my command? Do how much more trouble you just got me into?" he spat at Amy.
"I didn't call your command." She told him without emotion.
Rick turned to Callen. "You called them?"
"No Rick, the surgeon called the O.O.D. and the O.O.D called the Warrant Officer. Callen and I had nothing to do with it." She told him, knowing he didn't believe her.
"You lying bitch. You probably told them about what happened Friday morning too." He said through clenched teeth.
"When your Warrant Officer came by to see Amy earlier this morning, I told him." Callen announced with a smirk.
"Why didn't you tell the command what was going on at the house the past week?" Amy asked knowing he would've had to answer more of his commands questions than he wanted to.
"Why the hell does it matter? It was your fault we got involved. If you hadn't been so frigging nosey and taken pictures of them…." He told her.
"The man that came to your house Friday morning said he actually talked to you one night when you were out with another woman." Callen informed him.
Rick stood there staring at him. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't pretend like you don't know what he's talking about. I'm past the fact that you've been out screwing around. When Callen and Sam talked with him, he said he'd been watching us since we went to Kathy's the morning Annie told us that Kevin died." Amy told him wishing she still had the morphine drip.
"Yeah, I've been out with a lot of women and talked to a lot of people. I don't remember anyone specific. Still Amy if you hadn't taken those pictures you wouldn't have put the kids in danger." He told her resting himself on the foot of her bed.
"You're more the reason he came after Amy and the kids than she is, Rick." Sam told him.
"You know what; you two can just fuck off. Why are you still here anyway?" he said pushing off the bed, spinning around to face Sam and Callen.
Amy cringed in pain as the bed shook. Callen immediately asked if she was okay. Rick pushed him back as he started to walk to Amy's side. "What do you think you're doing? Stay away from my wife."
Callen grabbed his hand, squeezing and twisting it. "Then treat her like that and if you ever lay a hand on me again, I'll break it."
"G, that's enough." Sam said, snapping him back to the here and now.
Rick looked at Sam. "What the hell are you, his keeper?"
Sam sashayed up to Rick and told him in a very authoritative voice. "No, I'm his partner. If anyone's going to hurt you, it's going to be me."
"You wouldn't dare," Rick said inches from Sam's face. "I don't care how big you are. I'll take you down."
Suddenly Sam grabbed him by the shirt and roughly shoved him against the wall. Rick's head hit the wall with a loud thud. Amy tried her hardest not to laugh. Callen had to look away because he was about to laugh too.
"Look here you little bitch. You have no idea who I am and what I was before I joined NCIS. I can think of thousands of ways to kill you. Don't tempt me. I don't give a shit if you are a Staff Sergeant in the Marines. I will always out-rank you."
"Get the fuck off me." Rick spat pushing Sam off of him. "Fuck all three of you. This shit isn't over."
"I think it's time you left." Callen told him pushing him towards the door. "Amy doesn't need this right now."
Instead of going left out the door, he went right and tossed the flowers Kristy picked on the floor. "I'm taking the kids with me. When are you supposed to be released?"
Amy was in tears. "Those were from Kristy."
Rick just shrugged it off. "I asked you a question Amy. When are they releasing you?"
"Sometime tomorrow." Callen told him.
Three nurses ran to the room. They saw shards of the red vase clear into the hallway. "What the hell is going on in here?"
"I was just leaving." Rick said and walked out.
"Mrs. Russell, are you alright? Are these men bothering you?" a short Hispanic woman asked.
"It wasn't them, it was my husband." She told them doubled over in pain.
"I can leave word at the nurses' station that he's not allowed back in here if you want?" the nurse asked stepping over the flowers, water and broken glass.
"Don't worry; I don't think he'll be coming back." Amy told her, the pain waning.
"Are you okay with Rick taking the kids?" Sam asked with his phone to his ear.
"We can't stop him. They're his kids." She told him.
He stepped out of the room and let Michelle know what had happened and that Rick was on his way down to get the kids.
"Sir, can I ask you to step out for a moment while I check Mrs. Russell's stitches?" the nurse asked.
Callen nodded and smiled at Amy. "I'll be right outside."
Amy nodded and allowed the nurse to lay her back and lift her gown. "I'm sorry about the broken glass and the noise."
"Honey, don't worry about it. I think I might have another vase in one of the storage closets. Do you want me to find it for you?" she asked pulling the tape back on the gauze pad covering her incision.
"Yes, please. My daughter picked those flowers out. She's going to be devastated when she finds out what her father did." Amy said wincing through the pain as the nurse gently checked her wound.
"Is your husband physically abusive?" she asked looking up at Amy.
"No, he's never put a hand on me in that way. He's just angry that his command was contacted when we couldn't get in touch with him last night." She said.
"I'm just checking. Alright, you pulled a couple stitches. They're bleeding a little bit. I'll have the doctor come in and check them to make sure. Let me get housekeeping up here to get this broken glass picked up. We may have to wheel you out in the hall, are you going to mind?" she asked going over to a drawer for a fresh gauze pad and more tape.
"No, that's fine. Again, I'm so sorry for the mess." Amy sighed, trying not to cry again.
"Like I said, don't worry about it. We were all getting bored out there anyway. We needed a little excitement." She smiled warmly. "Okay, good as new. If you need anything, my name is Connie. Oh, by the way, the shorter guy that was in here. Is he single, he's hot?"
Amy laughed and quickly regretted it. "Yeah, he's kind of single. I know he's talking to someone."
"Damn. The good ones are always taken." She laughed and walked out the door, looked at Sam and Callen and told them. "You can go back in now."
"Are you okay?" Callen asked walking to Amy's bedside.
"Yeah, just pulled the stitches a little, they're bleeding, but not badly. I'm sorry about Rick." She said trying to get comfortable again.
"Don't worry about it." Sam answered first.
"I didn't think his visit would go well." Callen admitted.
Connie returned with another nurse. They unlocked the brakes on the bed and moved her out into the hall as the custodian went into her room to clean up. Once they had her situated out of the way of traffic, Connie ran back to the desk to get the vase. She held it up for Amy to see as she walked past to get the flowers.
Rick tried to calm himself the best he could as he rode the elevator down to the cafeteria. He couldn't believe Sam manhandled him like that. But he had a plan. Neither Sam nor Callen would ever come near Amy or the kids again, if he had anything to do with it. He found Michelle and the four kids sitting at a table by the windows. The kids each had a plate with a burger and fries in front of them, with a jug of chocolate milk on the side. Michelle was watching for him, hoping he didn't cause a scene like he had upstairs.
Jenny was the first of the kids to see him walking up. Rick was all smiles. Michelle wanted to hit him on site. He grabbed a chair from an empty table and sat at the other end of the table, next to Jenny. He told them that they were going to head home after they were done eating. None of the kids took the news well. They whined and complained that they'd just gotten there and wanted to spend more time with Amy. Rick took a deep breath and told them they'd go say goodbye before they left.
Michelle asked him if he was going to need Jenny's car seat and he nodded that he would. Sam had the key and she worried about another confrontation. She decided that she'd get the keys from Sam and walk out to the van with him. When the kids had eaten and drank their fill, they cleared the table and walked to the elevator. Jenny asked to be carried, but Rick refused. Michelle gave him a dirty look behind his back. She quickly texted Sam to warn him that they were on their way up.
Amy felt like taking a walk, so she flagged Connie down. Connie went to the linen closet and grabbed a robe and a pair of socks. When she returned, she helped Amy swing her legs over the bed and put the socks on her frigidly cold feet. Then Callen and Connie helped Amy ease off the bed and helped her put the robe on. She was warned not to move too fast and to stop is she was in too much pain. With Sam on one side and Callen on the other, they walked past the nurses' station and headed towards a large sitting room at the end of the hall. Amy was leaning into Callen for support. Pain ripped through her abdomen with every step she took. Callen and Sam were nice enough to stop every few feet to allow Amy to rest.
Rick, Michelle and the kids stepped off the elevator and looked towards Amy's room. Jenny went running down the hall and stopped in the doorway when she saw the man sweeping up the broken glass. She turned around with a panicked look on her face. Then saw Amy, Callen and Sam at the end of the hall. Michelle looked behind them and immediately walked to Sam. Sam saw her coming out of the corner of his eye and unclipped the keys from his belt loop, holding them out for her.
Rick saw Amy in Callen's arms and tasted blood. Jenny ran to them but Callen stopped her before she ran into Amy. Rick balled his fists when Callen picked her up. He told Kristy and Ricky to go say goodbye to their mother while he waited at the elevator.
Amy leaned against the wall and gave the kids hugs and kisses. Jenny started to cry when Callen put her down and told her to go back to Rick. Ricky and Kristy clearly didn't want to go with Rick either, but Callen was helpless. It broke his heart so see them crying the way they were. He looked at Amy who was crying too. He wanted so much to wipe away the tears and hold her, but refused while Rick stood there glaring at them. Michelle walked back to Rick and disappeared into the elevator. Amy, Callen and Sam resumed their trek to the sitting room.
When Michelle and their daughter returned fifteen minutes later, Michelle told them that Rick was not happy that they brought Amy's van to the hospital. The group walked back to Amy's room and got her back into bed. A few minutes later, the three said their goodbyes.
Amy let out a ragged breath and looked at Callen. "You look tired." She told him.
"I'm fine. How are you doing?" he asked leaning over the railing.
"Tired, sore, aggravated." She looked at the flowers Kristy gave her and shook her head. "That was such a pretty vase. I can't believe he did that."
"I'm sorry. I'm glad it was just the vase." He told her brushing her hair off her face.
"I'm not looking forward to going home tomorrow." She told him looking into his blue eyes.
"I need to call Hetty, see if I can have tomorrow off." He told her.
"I'll be fine, you should just go home tonight." She smiled the most genuine fake smile she could.
"No, Awan knows you're here. Even though he's got guards watching him, I don't want to risk it." He told her.
"I thought they would've taken him away by now." She told him trying to move over so he could sit next to her.
"Why don't you try to get some sleep." He told her putting the rail down, and then sitting next to her.
"Mmm," she moaned as he put his arm around her and pulled her close. Within minutes, her eyes were closed and she was asleep. A few minutes later, Callen was asleep too.
Callen woke with a start, disoriented. He looked around the room he felt Amy next to him on the bed and remembered the events of the last twelve hours. Callen looked at his watch and saw that it was almost three in the afternoon. Amy took a deep breath and looked over at him. He leaned over and kissed her temple.
"How did you sleep?" he asked.
"Good, how about you? I woke up about an hour ago and saw you were asleep." She smiled bringing her hand up to touch his face.
There was a knock at the door. Callen moved his arm and stood. Dr. Burke walked in with a smile. "Well, I heard you guys had some excitement up here."
Amy rolled her eyes and gave a light laugh. "If you want to call it that."
"Let's check out your incision, Connie said you pulled a few stitches." He said lifting Amy's gown.
"Do you need me to step out?" Callen asked walking towards the door.
"No, no you're fine." He said waving at Callen to stay.
Callen stood at the end of the bed watching the doctor as he peeled the gauze pad back. His eyes drifted higher and he caught a glimpse of the bottom of her breast. His eyes met Amy's and he gave her a lusty smile. Amy smiled and shook her head.
"Yeah, you pulled more than just a few, but it looks like they're going to be okay. Are you going to be okay leaving the bandage off for a while? The incision site is weeping a little." He said looking up at Amy.
"No, that's fine." She said.
"The doctor smiled and leaned on the edge of the bed. I'm not going to think about sending you home until tomorrow night. Connie said you were in a great deal of pain when you went for a walk."
"I'm thinking it was a little too soon for a stroll." Amy smiled.
"Especially after your husband's visit. I'm also concerned about sending you home to him. Is there any place else you can go instead of home?" he asked.
"She and the children can come stay with me." A voice came from the door, Hetty's.
"Ma'am, who might you be?" The doctor said towering at least three feet over her.
"Henrietta Lange. I'm a close friend of Mrs. Russell's and Special Agent Callen's." she said shaking this hand.
"Hello Hetty, good to see you." Amy said.
"How are you doing, dear? Sam called and told me about Richard's visit. I have to agree with the doctor. I don't think you should go home as long as he's there." She said standing next to Callen.
"If I don't go home, I think it's just going to make the situation worse." Amy told them.
"Ultimately, it's up to you, Mrs. Russell. I have to advise you against it." Dr. Burke said.
"I don't know, we'll see when you discharge me." Amy said.
"Alright Mrs. Russell. I'm off here in a little while, I'll be back in tomorrow afternoon. Dr. Smith will be in later to introduce himself and check on those stitches." He said shaking Amy's hand, then Callen's and finally Hetty's.
"I'm glad you're here, Hetty. Agent Wrath was here this morning, we stopped by Awan's room and somehow he found out that Amy's here. I'm concerned that he might try something." He said.
Hetty stopped him. "Yes Mr. Callen, you can stay with Amy until she's discharged. I would like an agent posted at the door as well."
"Wrath already offered one of his agents." He told her.
"Well, it looks like you're loved." Hetty said looking at the flowers on the windowsill and the balloons in the corner.
"Sam and Michelle took the kids out to get them." She smiled. Amy looked down the hall and saw Kensi and Deeks walking towards her room with more flowers. "Kensi and Marty just got off the elevator."
Hetty peeked around the curtain and smiled as they walked in the room. "Hello Mr. Deeks, Ms. Blye."
"Hetty, we didn't expect to see you here." Kensi said walking to Amy, giving her a hug.
"Thank you Kensi, you didn't have to bring anything." Amy smiled.
"I wanted to. I bought a bottle of wine too, but I don't think you're ready for that yet." She laughed.
"Nope, in a couple weeks, though. Hi Marty, you know I don't bite. You don't have to stay away from me like that."
"I just, you know we don't know each other very well and I don't want to piss off Callen." He laughed and tapped Callen in the stomach.
"Just go give her a hug or something. Damn Deeks." Callen said pushing him towards the bed.
The four talked for an hour before Hetty excused herself. Callen had gone out and asked for two more chairs so everyone could sit down. By five thirty, Connie was bringing Amy's dinner tray in.
"Good Lord, these men that come see you. They just keep getting cuter and cuter. I think I'm going to bring my dinner in here just to enjoy the eye candy." She laughed giving Deeks the once over.
"Connie, I can introduce you to him if you like. You might be able to actually touch him…" Amy joked.
Connie turned around and gave Amy a sly smile. "I like how you think."
"Connie, this is Officer Marty Deeks and his partner Special Agent Blye."
Deeks stood and offered his hand. "Nice to meet you nurse Connie."
"Damn. I'm so jealous. Mrs. Russell." She laughed as she shook Deeks' hand. "Let me get back to work. I'll be back later."
Deeks watch her walk out of the room, enjoying the sway of her hips and her tight ass. Kensi smacked him in the back of the head.
"What? She's cute." He said sitting back down.