Chapter Eleven
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Chapter Eleven
Callen barely stirred for the rest of the day only awakening when Sam forced him to and plied him with his overdue medication before the younger man drifted straight back to sleep.
"How's he doing?" Michelle asked her husband softly.
"He's been asleep all day" Sam responded as he twisted the top off a bottle of beer.
"I am sure that the sleep will do him good" his long term partner commented as she poured herself a glass of wine.
"He is exhausted Michelle- and he still isn't talking about the shooting" Sam sighed as he sat down beside his wife, slugging back a good portion of his beer.
"Come on Sam- you know Callen. He doesn't do sharing, if he needs to talk he will- and when that time comes you can bet your ass you will be first in line. You can't push him" she stated, knowing that her husband was still beyond worried about his injured friend.
"Can't let him run over this" Sam muttered, knowing that Callen tended to run- whether it be a change of apartment or a change of government agency he didn't stay still for very long.
"You won't let him Sam" Michelle reassured her husband with a squeeze of his shoulder before she got to her feet and headed towards the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes" she warned gently. Sam smiled at the normality of the conversation, forgetting for a moment how close he had been to life changing permanently for every one of them- and not for the better.
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"Come on G- wake up" Sam shook his friend gently. Finally the injured man stirred and with a wince sat up in the bed.
"What time is it?" he asked in confusion.
"Six- now come on man dinner is ready" Sam prompted his friend as he handed him a t-shirt.
"Six already? Sorry Sam I didn't mean to sleep so long" Callen muttered as he gingerly pulled his t-shirt on.
"No worries man, come on" Sam offered his friend a hand and carefully helped him to his feet. Steadily the two men headed downstairs and took their seats at the dinner table.
"Hey Callen" Michelle greeted with a smile, discreetly taking in the young man's appearance with a practiced eye. She wasn't overly happy with what she saw, the agent had lost a lot of weight and his skin was pale to say the least. What concerned her more than any of that was the guarded look to his beautiful blue eyes.
"Hi" he replied, he couldn't understand how he could sleep all day yet still feel exhausted.
"I have made a stew for dinner- I hope that's ok" she told him as she poured four glasses of orange juice and put one in front of each place mat. "Sam will you go and get her please" she asked with a grimace as their daughter failed to present herself for dinner.
"Thanks for putting me up Michelle" Callen uttered shyly.
"Hey it's no problem- anything for family" she replied, and felt a small weight lift from her shoulders at the obvious reaction her words brought out in the man sat beside her.
"Thank you" he muttered, his voice cracking involuntarily as he spoke.
"You are more than welcome- now eat your dinner before it gets cold" she instructed him with a smile, looking up as her husband and daughter finally joined them. Callen was grateful for the stew- he was able to eat it only using his right hand, his left arm was still stiff and difficult to fully use after the bullet had torn through his bicep. He managed a third of his portion before he had to concede defeat.
"Thank you Michelle, it was lovely" he told his hostess with a smile- wishing that his appetite hadn't abandoned him.
"No problem" she told him as she cleared up the plates, he sighed to himself- frustrated that he couldn't even offer to help to clear away the dishes.
"You want to watch TV for a while?" his partner offered, dragging him out of his reverie.
"Sure" he agreed readily- grateful for any distraction. Sam smiled as his partner carefully got to his feet and made his way slowly to the couch, easing his delicate frame down and resting his head back against the sofa. Sam picked up the remote control and selected an old western film, leaning back himself and watching the action. Callen tiredly lifted his head to watch the film with his partner- losing himself in the classic movie. He allowed the familiar words to drift over his head- losing himself in his own thoughts and memories. He had tried not to think of the day that had landed him in this situation, wanting to move on and not dwell on the pain and hurt that it invoked in him. Every time he moved his body gave him an involuntary reminder- without his mind also dragging him back those months as well.
Sam couldn't help the sideward glances that he kept sending his partner's way, he was unable to hide the concern that still overtook him when it came to his best friend. Callen was not showing any emotion- he was drifting through his recovery and ignoring the mental pain that it had undoubtedly caused him and continued to do so. The big man sighed to himself as his friend continued to stare blankly at the screen- clearly not concentrating on the traditional western that filled the television.
"You good man? You can head up if you want?" Sam offered, recognising his friend's exhaustion despite his obvious attempts to hide it.
"Na I'm good- I want to stay up a while" Callen responded, his eyes never leaving the screen in front of him. Sam nodded, willing to allow his friend whatever made him feel comfortable. The two men returned to silence as the film progressed, the cowboys drinking beer in a bar and watching women, before heading out, intercepted by another group as they did so. As gun shots filled the air as the film continued, Callen visibly jumped- his arms tensing and the slight bit of colour that had made its way back to his face disappeared. His breath began to quicken as puffs of air were dragged in frantically. Sam reached for the remote quickly changing channel as he took in his friend's panic.
"Easy G- come on man breath through it" Sam soothed the younger man stroking his back as Callen desperately tried to draw in a normal breath. He looked up as Michelle stepped into the room, having heard the film cut off she came to check on the boys. She quickly assessed what was happening and dashed to the kitchen and returned a split second later with a paper bag- handing it to her husband without a word. "Easy Callen, just breath partner, come on" he urged his friend as his worry increased. Callen could feel nothing other than an overwhelming sense of terror- he couldn't function beyond the panic that coursed through his every being as he couldn't escape the feeling of the lead tearing through his body. The banging filling his ears as agony ripped through his chest and his legs could no longer hold him up. The sounds of screaming filled the air, but disappeared into the distance and suddenly all he could hear was his own breathing and his heart pounding in his chest.
As his partner continued to be unable to pull himself back to the present day Sam's concern grew- if he couldn't get through to his friend soon it would be a trip back to the ER, and neither of them wanted that to happen. Finally his friend started to settle down, his chest losing the worrying heave as he managed to drag in a breath.
"That's it partner" Sam soothed softly as he held his partner's neck gently.
"Sam?" Callen questioned, confusion marring his clear blue eyes as he failed to register where he was.
"I'm here G, just concentrate on breathing- everything else will come" Sam stated, not liking his friend's pallor one bit.
"Gonna be sick" Callen muttered suddenly as his face took on a green hue. Sam's seal reflexes came to the rescue as he managed to get the trash can under his partner's face just as the retching started. Sam winced as his friend vomited the little that he had managed to eat that day, only moving his head back when he was certain that even the dry heaves had finished.
"You done?" Sam asked quietly, knowing that his partner would hate to be so vulnerable.
"Sorry Sam" Callen whispered as he rested his head back against the sofa, neither man commenting on the tear tracks that marred the pale face. His arm wrapped protectively around his torso as each of his bullet wounds made themselves known, he lacked the energy to even move.
"Nothing to be sorry for G- come on, let's get you up stairs" Sam stated, making it clear in his tone that he meant what he said.
"Good here" Callen responded, unable to face the prospect of moving as his body continued to hurt beyond measure.
"Take your meds and rest for a while- then I'll help you to bed" Sam offered as he handed his friend the assortment of tablets and a bottle of water. Callen did as he was told- testament to the pain he was in. He sipped gingerly at the water, dreading any more nausea. After a few moments he reached out to Sam and allowed the larger man to haul him to his feet. Slowly the two men made it up the stairs and into the guest bedroom where Callen simply slumped onto the bed, his head resting wearily on the pillows as Sam draped a blanket over him. "Get some sleep G- holler if you need anything" Sam commented as he switched off the light. He stepped out of the room and leant against the wall- suddenly exhausted at the latest setback his friend had suffered.
Callen closed his eyes- the sound of gunshots reverberating in his head, haunting him as rest eluded him. Tears leaked from his closed lids as his heart sped up, the fear and pain as fresh as it was just a couple of months ago.
End Chapter Eleven
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