Chapter 10

(In the room four doors down from the auction room)

"Deeks." Kensi was crying, her hands resting on both sides of Deeks's face. "Deeks, look at me." Deeks's eyes opened infinitesimally. "Deeks, do you know what Volkov gave you?"

"Dunno." He said, his eyes going unfocused. His limbs felt heavy, like gravity was suddenly too much for his muscles. He just wanted to fall into the oblivion at his finger tips.

"Deeks! Stay with me." Kensi cried, seeing him start to fade. He fought the urge to close his eyes.

"… somethin'." He mumbled, his mouth barely able to form the words.

"What?" Kensi asked leaning in so her ear was closer to his mouth.

"Injected somethin'." Deeks managed to whisper.

Kensi bolted upright, turning to look back at the inscrutable faces of Callen and Sam, who were still standing statue-like in the doorway. "He said Volkov injected something." She said, her eyes wide and horrified.

Callen jumped into action, crouching down next to Deeks and taking his pulse. He paused, counting the beats of his friend's heart. "Deeks, buddy, are you having any trouble breathing?" Callen asked, leaning in to hear the detective's answer.

"A bit." Deeks whispered, his eyes fluttering as he fought to stay awake.

Callen sat up, his eyes moving back and forth as if he was reading directly from his memory. "It looks like a bad reaction to heroin…" Callen said, his voice rough with suppressed emotions.

Kensi was clutching Deeks's hand, staring at him as he grew increasingly paler. She looked up at Sam, her voice hoarse but forceful. "Sam, make yourself useful and go get the fucking paramedics." Sam unfroze in response and took off at a dead sprint through the door into the hall.

"Keep breathing, buddy. Help's coming." Callen said, grasping Deeks's other hand. He and Kensi were waiting for what felt like an eternity, watching Deeks grow paler, his breathing grow shallower. Deeks just looked up at Kensi, finding strength to stay awake in her tear-rimmed, determined eyes.

And then from the hallway they heard the sound of a gurney being wheeled at breakneck speed along with the sound of Sam yelling "This way! In here!" After the gurney came to a screeching halt outside the door, the paramedics ran inside, kneeling next to Callen and Kensi.

Callen and Kensi quickly relayed the little information they had to the paramedics, neither taking their eyes off the detective as they spoke. They watched as the lead paramedic administered Naloxone to combat the effects of the heroin in Deeks's system. Both waited with bated breath to see if his breathing improved, neither letting go of his hand as the paramedics stood to fetch the gurney.

Sam and Callen helped the paramedics lift Deeks onto the gurney. Kensi held his hand and refused to take her eyes off of him. Then they were moving down the hallway, out through the warehouse doors, and into the back of the waiting ambulance. Kensi climbed aboard automatically, still not releasing her grip on Deeks's hand. Callen and Sam watched in silence, their faces drawn with worry, as the ambulance doors closed and the vehicle pulled away from them.

(In the ambulance)

Deeks opened his eyes, sending a loving look Kensi's way. He raised his hand to pull the breathing mask away from his face, so he could speak.

Kensi opened her mouth to protest, but Deeks spoke before she could. "I'm feeling better already, Kens."

Kensi looked hopefully at the paramedic, who nodded in response and said, "Naloxone works fast. It looks like we got it into your system in time, detective."

Kensi sighed in relief, looking back at Deeks, who was smiling faintly at her. "I'm not going anywhere, babe." He said.

Kensi laughed in relief, wiping her eyes. She reached over and helped him put the breathing mask back on. "Don't talk too much; you'll ruin the moment." She joked lightly, the cold feeling finally starting to recede from her fingers and toes, as the corners of Deeks's mouth lifted at her humor. "Just rest now. I'll be here when you wake up." Kensi said in a soothing voice, brushing Deeks's bangs out of his eyes. He fell into an exhausted slumber almost immediately. She watched him sleep, the chaos in her mind quieting to a peaceful hum.

(In Deeks's hospital room)

Kensi, Callen, and Sam were all sitting around Deeks's hospital bed when the detective came to. They were chattering lightly, the earlier tension almost completely gone from their voices. Kensi was the first to notice that Deeks was awake. "Hey, you're awake." She smiled at him.

"Looks like it." He said, smiling back. He looked at Callen and Sam. "How did it go? Did we get all the major players? Were the kids alright?"

Sam and Callen nodded in concert. "We got every last one of them." Callen grinned.

"And all the kids are fine. They're all getting new identities under Witsec protocol." Sam added.

The two men exchanged looks. Callen turned to Deeks. "Deeks, what happened with Volkov? Why did he…?" He trailed off as Deeks grimaced.

Deeks sighed, eyeing Sam with apprehension. Kensi and Callen exchanged unhappy looks, both knowing what his apprehension at speaking in front of Sam meant. Sam's brow furrowed. "What is it? What don't I know?"

Deeks began to speak, deciding he trusted Sam enough to clue him in. "I don't know how much you and Callen caught of what was going on; the auction room was pretty chaotic. But Volkov sent me into the hall to tell the guys manning the door to head outside to help keep a look out in front of the warehouse. While I was in the hall, one of the guests… sort of attacked me."

Deeks paused as all three of his teammates sputtered out alarmed queries. "What!? Why!?"

"He was completely drunk off his ass." Deeks responded, not really answering the question. "Anyhow, I talked him down and walked him back to his seat." Deeks shrugged. "It wouldn't have been a big deal, except someone told Volkov." He frowned, looking down at his sheets.

"So… what?" Sam asked, confused. Callen and Kensi were stony faced.

Deeks sighed, rubbing the back of his head where the bruise from earlier was throbbing. "So Volkov overreacted, got all upset. Did you find the guy?" He asked, changing direction suddenly.

"Yeah, he's somewhere in this hospital…" Callen answered quietly.

Deeks sighed, but nodded, unsurprised.

Sam was looking back and forth between Deeks and Callen. "Wait… I'm obviously missing something here. Why would Volkov be upset about a guest attacking one of his employees? I mean, you look fine Deeks, you said you talked him down and led him back to his seat. So… what's the big deal? Why would Volkov even care?" Sam raised his eyebrows at the silence that followed.

"Ugh, I almost wish you guys had just told him while I was sleeping. Then I wouldn't have to deal with having this conversation again." Deeks complained, moving to sit up in his bed. Kensi rushed over to help.

Once he was situated, he launched into the story of his past once more. Sam listened, his expression hardening into one of horrified disbelief the longer Deeks spoke. Sam didn't ask any questions; he only stared, his eyes flashing with anger at every mention of Volkov's name.

Deeks found it was easier to recount his story, even the painful parts, with Kensi and Callen stationed supportively to both sides of him as he spoke. When he finished, he looked up at Sam tentatively, waiting for the big man to say something.

But Sam wasn't looking at Deeks. Instead he was glaring at Callen and Kensi, his eyes flickering back and forth between the two of them. "You two knew about this and you let him go undercover anyway!? What kind of friends are you!?"

END of Chapter 10