Proving Ground

Chapter 11

…

Callen was surprised by his deeply emotional reaction as he watched Sam and the medical team help Deeks onto the gurney in Hetty's back room. It wasn't just anger, although that was his primary emotion. He actually wasn't sure what those feelings were or how to explain them, not that he had to, except to himself. Hetty had squeezed his arm as she'd followed Sam and Deeks into the room, and he realized she had somehow read how affected he was by seeing his long time team member in pain and bleeding. He supposed he thought of Deeks as a friend, not that they were terribly close. Recent conversations had bordered on a rapport that had developed slowly over time, yet it still surprised him. Earlier, Deeks had sought his advice about the future, and it had left him concerned for the younger man. He didn't feel as if he'd helped him very much, but the familial gesture had touched him. Now he found himself wanting to offer him some comfort, so he moved into the room as the doctors began to work on him.

Deeks' breathing was restless and ragged, his face colorless. He moaned when the doctor cut away his bloody t-shirt and pulled it out from under him. The med team quickly put him on an IV drip, and hung a liter of blood alongside it. Callen noticed how wild his eyes were, as if he wanted to run, but when Sam gripped his leg and looked at him, he finally closed his eyes and stopped struggling. The towel Teague had wrapped around his arm was soaked with blood, but it had slowed the bleeding, and Callen felt grateful for that. When it was unwrapped and discarded, he was able to see the ugly wound and once again his anger surged. As the doctor wiped some of the blood away in order to examine the gaping hole in his arm, Deeks cried out, blowing out his breath to try and mitigate the pain. The wound was high up in the thick part of the muscle of his arm and he heard the doctor say that the bullet had gone all the way through, but had clipped a small artery on the way out.

"Can't you give him something?" he asked, agitated as he watched Deeks writhe in obvious pain, muttering his favorite curse word under his breath.

"They already injected it into his IV, G," Sam said, stepping back to stand beside him.

"Don't worry, we're putting him under," one of the nurses said as she placed a mask over Deeks' nose and mouth.

When Deeks slowly stopped moving, Callen felt some of the tension leave his body and realized he'd been clinching his fists.

"Come, Mr. Callen. Let them do their job," Hetty said softly. "Mr. Deeks is in good hands. This team worked a field hospital in Afghanistan, so they know what they're doing."

Sam put a hand on his shoulder and nodded toward the door, and after a final look at Deeks, he turned and followed Hetty out.

Mosley and her team were in the living room and they all turned as the three of them walked in. Teague looked angry and so did Mosley, so Callen wondered if they had interrupted an argument.

"How is he?" Teague's asked.

"How do you think? He's hurting," Callen huffed, noting the regret in the man's eyes.

"He'll be fine," Sam said. "Bullet went all the way through."

"How long will he be down?" Mosley asked.

"Bloody hell, Shay. He just got shot an hour ago," Teague snapped. "Even Yavuz will cut him some slack today."

"That may be true, but the men who tried to kidnap his daughter might be part of a terrorist group going after those missiles," Mosley said. "And we can't allow that to happen."

"Then why did you pull your surveillance team off?" Callen asked.

"We were overwatch," McFadden said.

"So that's it? You didn't think to put a tail on anyone leaving?" Sam asked. "You think we're the only ones thinking those guys might be after those missiles?"

"Yavuz won't take that chance. You're right. We should have kept the surveillance in case he sent someone to check on the missiles," Teague said. "He knows those people. Said they were called the Grey Wolves."

"Actually he knows them quite well. They are militant neo-fascists," Hetty said. "Miss Jones informed me he used to be one of their leaders in his younger days."

"Are you saying he's an active terrorist?" Mosley asked.

"No. He pulled away after he married," Hetty replied. "Although he apparently remains a staunch ultranationalist, there is no evidence to suggest he was part of any terrorist activities in Turkey or in Europe."

"Well, that will change if we don't stop him from getting those missiles out of the country," Mosley said.

"Did the Grey Wolves kill his wife?" Teague asked.

"Our sources have no information as to who might have killed his wife," she replied. "Or why."

"Yavuz knows. He has yet to share who exactly or why, but he might now…after what Deeks did," Teague said.

"It doesn't matter who killed his wife. That's not our concern. What Detective Deeks did was foolhardy and irresponsible," Mosley said. "Going after armed men without a gun? If he'd been killed, it would have put the whole operation at risk."

"That's rather coldhearted even for you, Shay," Teague said.

"Mr. Deeks followed his instincts," Hetty said. "Would you have preferred he let the girl be taken? Don't you think that in itself might have led to serious consequences? We don't know how Yavuz would have reacted if Max Gentry hadn't at least tried to save his daughter."

"I do, and it wouldn't have been pretty," Teague said. "The man's a borderline sociopath, but he loves his daughter. Sadik gutted a man without even blinking for trying to kidnap her. If Deeks had failed to help her, I have no doubt he would have paid for it."

"As you would have as well, Mr. Teague," Hetty said. "This is a complicated case, with complex personalities, which is the reason I think it would be wise to have Mr. Callen and Mr. Hanna become involved. Perhaps even take the lead."

"That's not going to happen, Hetty," Mosley replied. "Teague is in charge of this operation, with McFadden as his second."

"Whether you let us in on the op or not," Callen said. "There's no way we're standing down while Deeks is in the middle of this."

"You will if I take your badges," she warned.

"No, we won't," Sam said, standing to his full height. "You might not care what happens to that man in there, but we do. Badge or no badge, we'll have his back."

"I have no problem working with them, Shay," Teague said. "This case just got a hell of a lot more thorny. We could use their expertise."

"I disagree. In fact, I believe Detective Deeks involvement is no longer necessary," Mosley said, her eyes calculating as she looked back at Teague. "You have a relationship with Yavuz now, and we have no idea how long Deeks' recovery will take. So he can simply fade from the scene, and you work the case from the inside just as we planned."

"Listen…in spite of the fact that Max Gentry saved his daughter, he could still suspect he's an agent," Callen said. "For him to suddenly disappear from the scene will only make Yavuz more suspicious..."

"Which will make me suspect as well," Teague said. "Deeks' actions gave us an opportunity to get closer to Yavuz's internal operations. He might give up more information now, and if this does involve terrorism, we might be able to secure the Tomahawk missiles, and take down a group of terrorists in the process. We could use the help, Shay."

"Excellent point, Mr. Teague," Hetty said warmly. "What do you say, Executive Assistant Director?"

"How about we split the difference?" She replied. "Lorenzo Benedetto goes back in this evening to give Yavuz an update and to see how things are laying out since the kidnap attempt, and if all is well, then Deeks can return after he recovers…if he's needed."

"And our two teams join forces," Hetty said firmly.

"I suppose it can't hurt," Mosley replied, although the look on her face made it plain that she wasn't happy about it. "I'll leave you to work out the details."

As she picked up her purse and started for the door, Callen couldn't resist a parting shot.

"Aren't you going to check in on Deeks?" He asked. "See how he's doing?"

She eyed him sharply, but her condescending smile returned. "Agent Hanna said he'd be fine. I'll take his word for it."

After she walked out, Callen turned to see how her team had reacted to her refusal to look in on her own wounded agent. When he caught Teague's eye, he saw disappointment and a hint of anger. The black man, Agent Fry, stood slowly shaking his head and looking pissed, finally shoving his way past the others as he headed for the makeshift treatment room where Deeks was. Surprisingly, McFadden followed him, his jaw rigid.

"Well that's fucked up," Keyes, the FBI agent said, looking at Teague as if he could give him an explanation.

"Guess she's not the warm fuzzy type," Perez said as he put his hand on Keyes back and pushed him toward Deeks' room.

"She's her own worse enemy sometimes," Teague said softly.

"She just lost some of their trust…loyalty too," Sam said. "Men in the field don't forget that kind of disrespect."

"You were a Navy SEAL I believe." Teague said. "No man left behind."

"Brothers in arms," he replied. "Your team might not know Deeks, but they were on overwatch…there to protect him. That made him part of their team. She should know better."

"Shay is not exactly a team player," Teague said.

"But she does like to control them," Hetty said.

"She's a power player, and expects to be obeyed," Teague remarked. "That much hasn't changed."

"Mr. Deeks tends to chafe under that kind of heavy handed approach," Hetty said. "As does most of my team."

"Deeks does seem to rub her the wrong way," he said. "She finds him flippant. She doesn't think he's serious enough about what's needed to do this job."

"And you, Mr. Teague? Having now worked with him…what's your opinion of our Mr. Deeks?"

"He's a smart ass and a cocky little twit. No question about that," he said. "But you already know that."

"Is that all you think he is?" Sam asked. "Because I made that mistake once, and he proved to me just how wrong I was."

"I read the case file," Teague said.

"When we were on comms today," Callen said. "You threw him a curve…"

"A mistake…but I recovered…"

"And he didn't panic, did he?" Sam said sharply.

"He ran with that story about Vegas without missing a step," Teague said with a slight smile. "You overheard us, but you couldn't see what I saw. I knew what he was saying was complete bollocks, but he sold the shit out of it to the point that I almost believe it. He's a damn good undercover, and I told Shay that."

"Do you think Yavuz bought it?" Callen asked.

"Completely. If he hadn't, he would have had Sadik make us disappear," Teague said. "After what Deeks did for his daughter, and contrary to what Shay wants, Yavuz won't be happy if Max Gentry bows out. He owes him."

"Of course. If he has any sense of honor he will want to repay such a debt," Hetty said.

"Probably gonna want some payback too," Sam added. "It makes sense that the Grey Wolves went after his daughter in order to trade for those Tomahawk missiles."

"Gentlemen, I believe a small war is brewing, and it's going to play out right in our own backyard," Hetty said. "I'll have Eric and Nell start searching for any known members of the Grey Wolves who might have entered the country in the past week or so."

"Sounds like a good plan," Teague said. "Now, if you will excuse me, I'd like to check on Deeks."

"I'll go with you," Callen said, and Sam followed.

After listening to Teague's comments and assessment, it seemed that the man's opinion about Deeks had changed. Callen wasn't sure he still trusted him completely, but he had defended Deeks to Mosley's face, and did seem to be legitimately concerned about him. As they reached the makeshift treatment room, three members of Mosley's team were filing out.

"Fad's taking the first watch," Keyes told Teague, surprising Callen.

"How's he doing?" Sam asked.

"Still sedated, but the doc said his vitals are good," Agent Fry offered.

"They're pumping a second liter of blood into him," Perez added. "And he's still pale as hell."

"Give us a heads up when he's awake," Fry said.

"Of course," Teague said as he pushed past them into the room, with Callen and Sam right behind him.

McFadden was sitting in the corner watching Deeks sleep when they came in. He looked troubled to Callen, and it made him concerned that something was going on with Deeks' condition.

"Is he okay?" Callen asked, walking quickly over to the doctor as he was checking his pulse. "Did something go wrong?"

"Like I told the others, he's doing well," the doctor said.

"But?" Sam said.

"Are you family?" He asked.

"Yeah, we are. Now what's wrong?" Sam asked even louder.

"I found bone chips in the wound. Without x-ray equipment I can't determine if the bullet cracked the humerus, or just grazed it."

"What else, Dr. Breschi?" Hetty asked from behind them.

"I got as many fragments as I could see, but they were tiny," he said. "If I missed any…"

"There might be complications," she said.

"It's possible one of them could move and nick an auxiliary artery," Dr. Breschi said.

"You understand why we can't check him into a hospital," Hetty said, and the doctor nodded. "So is there any other solution, other than transporting him to Camp Pendleton?"

"Any chance you could get your hands on a portable x-ray machine?" He asked with a hopeful look.

"I'll see what I can do," she said and quickly left the room.

"You think she'll come through?" McFadden asked, finally standing and joining them.

"She always does," Callen said.

"She probably has one stored in one of her warehouses," Sam said with a laugh.

"How many warehouses does she own?" Teague's asked.

"It's classified," Callen smirked. "But, if she doesn't have what the doctor needs on hand, she'll find a way to get one."

"Fuck me…that's hard core support," McFadden said, looking impressed.

"We'll watch him for a while," Callen said softly and the man took a long look at Deeks and walked out.

"I think he lost someone close to him over there," Dr. Breschi said quietly as he watched the man leave. "He's got that haunted look I've seen too often to count."

"Yeah…I know what you mean," Sam said, as he gently laid a hand on Deeks' bare arm. "He's a little warm."

"Still running a fever," Dr. Breschi acknowledged.

"How long before he wakes up?" Callen asked.

"He should be coming around in fifteen or twenty minutes, give or take," he replied.

Callen nodded as he looked down on Deeks. His hair was a tangled mess, and his left eye was still ringed with lavender bruising from his first run-in with Yavuz. This assignment had been rough on him, but somehow he'd managed to get close to a man with ties to a terrorist group, and who'd had an agent thrown to his death. He'd been threatened with torture and death, and yet they planned on sending him back in again.

"Maybe Mosley's right," Callen breathed out.

"About what, G?"

"Maybe Max Gentry should stay out of the op."

Callen looked up to see Teague staring at him with curiosity, and calculation as well.

"You're afraid you'll lose him," Teague stated. "I wasn't aware you were that close."

"You aren't aware of a lot of things about me or my team," Callen said, feeling the sudden itch of anger. "You're Mosley's special little elite undercover agent. Her clean up guy, right? Or maybe more. Just how close are you two? You do call her by her first name…a lot."

"Watch yourself, Agent Callen," Teague glowered at him, looking as if he was ready to explode, and Sam stepped between them.

"Cool it, G."

"Why? Mosley sent Deeks out in the cold, and warned us not to back him up," Callen ranted. "When he actually stumbled onto something big, she wanted him out of the picture. She wants Teague to run this. Why not let him?"

"Am I interrupting, gentlemen?" Hetty asked as she stood watching from the doorway.

"Your senior agent is overstepping his bounds," Teague said.

"And whose boundaries would those be, Mr. Teague?" She asked. "Yours?"

"He's made unwarranted assumptions," Teague replied tersely.

"I heard," she replied. "He can be impetuous when he has a bug up his bum, as you English might say."

"Why are we pushing them to let Deeks go back under, Hetty?" Callen asked. "What more does he need to prove? He's given them the man with the missiles. He's been pistol-whipped and shot. Mosley's doesn't want him involved, so why not let Teague go back in alone."

"A guy's trying to sleep here," Deeks said groggily.

"Hey Deeks…how you feeling?" Sam asked, smiling warmly as he rested a hand on his knee.

"Like I got shot…again," he murmured, slowly slipping back to sleep.

"Sorry everyone, but I'm going to have to ask you to take your argument outside," Dr. Breschi said. "He doesn't need the aggravation."

"You guy's fighting over me?" Deeks asked, his eyes flickering open again.

"Not anymore," the doctor said as he checked his IV. "I'm kicking them out so you can rest."

"Don't kick Kensi out…she's my fiancé," he said softly.

"Kensi's not here yet, Deeks," Sam said gently. "She's on her way up from Coronado."

"Good…I think," he mumbled. "She's gonna be mad…not supposed to get shot..."

His words were barely audible by the time he finished, and his eyes fluttered close once again.

"All of you…out," the doctor said, shooing them toward the door.

The ring from Teague's phone followed them into the living room. When he looked at it, he alerted them. "Nobody say a word. It's Yavuz."

"Signore Yavuz. This is unexpected," he answered, his alias firmly back in place. "You did not find him because I could not risk taking him to a hospital. He would not let me. Gunshot wounds are reported and that would mean the police and too many questions."

Teague locked eyes with Hetty and then Callen, his eyes wide as he put the call on speaker.

"Are you listening to me, Benedetto? I want to see him. Tonight," Yavuz demanded. "Is he in a local clinic? Tell me where."

"I'm not sure," Teague responded. "I left him with his friends."

"Find him and call me," Yavuz said, and then the line went dead.

"Bloody hell. The man's insanely angry," Teague grumbled.

"Today's events do seem to have knocked him into a tailspin," Hetty said.

"He must not have put a tracker on either one of you," Callen said. "Or the car."

"Maybe that's what he's upset about," Sam added.

"The question is…why is he so adamant about seeing Max Gentry tonight?" Hetty asked pointedly. "Is the purpose for good or for evil?"

"You think Deeks has been made?" Sam asked.

"If he has been, we'd be setting him up to be murdered if we let him meet Yavuz," Callen said.

"And if we don't, it will be suspicious," Teague said.

"Not necessarily," Callen said with a smirk. "You could always play dumb. Shouldn't be too hard for you. Just tell him you couldn't find him."

"Clever, Agent Callen. Insulting, but clever," he replied. "However, if he thinks I'm lying it could get me killed. We still have to find those missiles, and I'm the only one still standing."

"We have time, gentlemen," Hetty said. "This decision requires Mr. Deeks' input. He's the one at risk."

"So much for keeping him out of this," Sam said.

"I need to call Shay…Assistant Director Mosley," Teague said, looking quickly at Callen before he headed out onto the deck.

"Bet that's not gonna make her happy," McFadden suddenly said.

"No, I'm sure it won't, but her happiness is not my concern," Hetty replied. "Mr. Deeks is in rough shape, so if there is any way we can put Yavuz off tonight without compromising this operation, we need to find it."

"You're my kind of commanding officer, ma'am," McFadden said, and the other members of his team nodded their assent.

"Very kind of you to say, Agent McFadden," she replied. "Now it's well known that an army runs on its stomach, so I suggest you gentlemen head into Topanga for some dinner. I have a feeling you missed lunch. Might I suggest the Canyon Bistro. Excellent rack of lamb, and the rib eye ain't bad either. Give them this business card, and have them put it on my tab."

"I knew there was a reason I liked you, ma'am," McFadden said, smiling broadly.

"But, please take note...I will find out if you have more than one beer," she warned. "You might still be needed on overwatch later tonight, so keep your wits about you."

They all nodded and headed for the door, only to stop abruptly as Kensi slammed through it.

"Where is he?" She asked the men as they stood staring at her.

"Who, ma'am?" McFadden asked.

"Deeks."

"You're his fiancé," he said softly. "Damn. That guy is one lucky bastard…sorry about my language, ma'am."

"If he was lucky, he wouldn't have gotten shot," she snapped. "And I'm an NCIS agent, and grew up on Marine bases, so no need to apologize for being a jerk. Now where is he?"

"You can close your mouths now, men. I got this," Sam said as he shoved the agents aside. "Come on, Kens. He's just waking up."

"How bad, Sam?"

"It was a through and through, but the bullet clipped the bone," he told her as Callen gave her a hug.

"A portable x-ray machine is on its way," Hetty said. "The doctor wants to make sure he didn't miss any fragments."

"Now I understand why Deeks passed on the prostitutes," Teague said, his eyes moving over her entire body.

"For an Englishman, you really have very little tact, Mr. Teague," Hetty noted.

"Just wanted her to know her boyfriend was faithful," he replied, never taking his eyes off Kensi. "Wouldn't want her to worry."

Her jaw was rigid as she immediately got in his face. "He told me you threatened to torture him, so you're the one who should worry."

"Is that a threat?"

"Damn right it is," she replied.

"And she's quite capable of backing it up," Callen said with a smirk.

"Yeah, she can kick some serious ass," Sam added.

Teague put both hands in the air in surrender. "I'm not the enemy, Miss Blye. I'm his current partner."

"Apparently not a very good one," she said.

"It wasn't his fault Deeks got shot, Kens," Callen said. "Some men tried to kidnap Yavuz's daughter. Deeks got shot stopping them."

"I know. Hetty told me," she said, her anger slowly receding. "I need to see him."

Sam guided her back to where Deeks lay. He was more alert, and smiled broadly when he saw her.

"Hey Kens…sorry. I zigged when I should have zagged," he said, looking sheepish.

She took in the doctor and nurses and all of the equipment before she settled down beside him on the gurney. She brushed his hair back off his face and cupped his cheek, tears brimming in her eyes.

"You scared me, baby," she whispered. "What were you thinking? Hetty said you charged in unarmed."

"She's just a kid, Kens. I couldn't let them take her," he replied. "After What Sullivan did to you…I couldn't…"

"It's okay. I'm just glad you're all right," she replied, placing her hand on his chest as she looked over at the bandage on his upper arm.

"We'll be wrestling again in no time," he said with a grin. "I'll be a little weak for a while, so you won't have any trouble taking me down."

"I don't recall having any trouble taking you down before you were wounded," she replied.

"Touché, Kensilina."

"This is a lovely reunion, but we need to talk about Yavuz," Teague interrupted.

"First of all, someone needs to tell me how it is you're all here…I saw Mosley earlier," Deeks said, his smile gone. "Did she fire all of you? What did you do?"

"We decided to go rogue," Callen said lightly.

"We didn't like the sidelines," Sam said, smiling. "Needed to get in the game, baby."

"So you are fired?" Deeks asked, his voice choked with regret.

"No, Mr. Deeks, they are not," Hetty said gently. "This is now a joint operation, with both teams involved in watching your back."

"Seriously?"

"Some of us are, Deeks," Teague said, and then looked at Callen. "You want to tell him, or should I?"

"Tell me what?"

"Yeah, what's going on?" Kensi asked as she stood up and faced them.

"Yavuz called...insisting he needs to see you tonight," Callen said calmly.

"That's not going to happen," Kensi said firmly. "He's wounded, and you just want to throw him back in there? No. Not happening."

"Kens…"

"Deeks…you can't be considering this," she argued.

"Teague? Talk to me, brother," Deeks said. "How did he sound?"

"A bit unhinged, if I'm being honest," Teague said. "I told him I didn't know where you were."

"Why didn't he call me?" Deeks asked.

"Good question. Where's the burner he gave you?"

Sam picked up his jeans from the chair where they'd been thrown, and rummaged through the pockets.

"Busted," Sam said as he held up the damaged phone.

"Probably broke when I slammed that guy to the ground. Yavuz must have been pissed when he couldn't reach me," Deeks said. "I need to call him. If I don't, he'll think I bailed."

"Or he'll finally realize you're simply wounded, and were unconscious and unable to call," Hetty reasoned.

"But we'll have to convince him of that," Teague said. "Any ideas?"

"How about a photo of me taking care of him?" Kensi said.

"No way. I don't want this guy knowing who you are," Deeks said firmly.

"Her suggestion does make sense, Deeks," Teague said before Kensi could object. "He knows about her. He knows you love her. So, it's logical that you would go to her when you've been badly hurt."

"He's right," Callen said. "Teague can call him…tell him he found you, and send him a photo. You look like hell, so that should convince him to give you a day or two."

"Maybe…" he replied.

"It's worth a shot, Mr. Deeks," Hetty said. "However, I think we'll need to do a little propping to make it convincing."

"Like what?" Sam asked.

"There's an old sofa the previous owners left in the garage," she replied. "We'll set him up there, possibly add a smidge of blood to that bandage to make it look as if it wasn't professionally treated. Miss Blye can let her hair down, and Mr. Deeks can look as weak as he actually is. No acting needed there."

"I'm starting to like you people," Teague said.

"Too bad the jury's still out on you," Sam snarked.

The doctor removed his IV, while Sam smeared a bit of blood on Deeks' bandage, causing him to hiss when he inadvertently touched the tender wound.

"Sorry, brother," Sam said softly. "You ready to give this a try?"

"No choice," he grunted.

Sam and Dr. Breschi got him to his feet, but it took him a minute before he could take any solid steps. Teague surprised them by taking his good arm across his shoulder, bearing some of his weight as they slowly walked him out and down the hall to the door to the garage. Callen had moved Hetty's car and one of the nurses had pulled the med van out. The worn blue sofa sat against the back wall, and had already been prepped with a pillow and thin blanket. Deeks groaned softly when they eased him down, the doctor lifting his legs up and covering him quickly with another blanket.

"Reminds me of my first apartment in college," Deeks quipped, flashing a grin as he laid his head back on the pillow.

"I can picture you living in a garage," Sam said.

"Or in a van down by the river," Callen added with a smile.

"Can we just get this over with so he can get back to a warm bed?" Kensi asked as she came in.

Her hair was full and tousled, and she was wearing a low cut tank top over her jeans.

"Mi casa es tu casa, Fern baby," Deeks said, trying to wink at her.

"Shut up, you idiot, and focus," she said, smiling softly as she sat down beside him.

"Can't. Head's spinning," he replied.

"Then close your eyes, Mr. Deeks, and get ready for your close up," Hetty said.

"You're not going to say lights, action, camera…are you Hetty?" Callen asked.

"Don't be a wisenheimer, Mr. Callen. That will be up to Mr. Teague," she replied.

Teague looked bemused, then shook his head and held up his phone, shooting several quick pictures as Kensi fussed over a seemingly unconscious Deeks. It was over in seconds and a text message with the picture immediately sent.

"Now, we wait," Teague said.

…

…