It had been three days since Callen had left the hospital, with every doctor telling him he should stay put - it was only the one that had recognised him and Hetty that had kept quiet. But he had patched up Callen before so he must have remembered that he wouldn't stick around for long.

Hetty had banned him from the office and forced him to 'rest' - whatever that was supposed to mean - but he had spent all his time with Kerry. The doctors had given her the all clear and let her go the same day he had walked out, so she was fine. Even if she was always fussing around him, the strange thing was Callen really didn't mind. He had contemplated shooting Sam before when he had tried to look after him after being shot, but Kerry's presence only calmed Callen and made him happy. She was staying with him for a while - although secretly, he hoped she would stay for a lot longer than that.

Callen was watching Kerry drive off down the road when he heard his phone buzz from inside; she was going home for the day to sort out the funeral and her aunt's house. Callen was going to miss her, even though she would probably be home before midnight.

Boatshed -H

The text was from Hetty and was rather direct, was something wrong? Callen was happy to be headed back to work, even if it was only the boatshed - it was where he had always felt most normal, with friends.

He arrived at the boatshed within thirty minutes, well aware that he had likely broken the speed limit a couple of times. But Hetty wasn't there, he looked in all the rooms but no one was around, even the loft was empty. Then the phone rang and it was one of the junior technical operators, where was Eric?

"Hetty would like you to wait in room one." Then she put the phone down, Callen was tempted to wait where he was but he knew better than to defy Hetty. So he took his place in the main interrogation room.

Was he in some kind of trouble? Was he being questioned? Why would Hetty want him in there?

Callen perched on the edge of the desk; his side made it too painful to sit down.

Nate and the others entered the boatshed after Callen went to wait in the interrogation room, he was really worried about how Callen was going to react but this hadn't quite been his idea. The team took their seats at the large table and sat staring at the screen as Callen paced the small room, they watched as he tried to sit down but stood back up with a wince.

"Hetty, I'm not sure if this is a good idea." Nate said, worried.

"No need to worry Mr Getz, Mr Callen will be fine." Hetty sounded certain but Nate could see the worry in her eyes. She handed him a earpiece before he went to talk to Callen, she wanted to be able to talk to Nate and hopefully keep Callen in the dark about them listening.

Nate took a deep breath before he stepped inside the room; he knew Callen wasn't going to be happy. As he had expected, the second the door closed behind him and Callen looked up, he looked momentarily confused.

"Nate? I thought Hetty…" Nate just looked at Callen, who realised what Hetty wanted and he was angry. Callen pushed past Nate and went to open the door, but Sam had locked it from the outside and he had the only key.

"Callen, why don't you take a seat?" He motioned to the chairs but Callen shook his head.

"Let me out." He growled, Nate refused. "I'm not asking Nate, let me out."

"I don't have the key Callen." Nate sat down in a chair and waited for Callen to speak.

"This isn't happening." The agent said eventually. "How many times do I have to tell you that? I don't want to talk to you! I don't need to talk to you!" Nate held his nerve, although he was pretty damn scared; Callen was furious, that much was obvious to everyone but he could also see that he was afraid of something.

"That's fine, I know you don't want a psych-evaluation and that isn't what's happening here. Quite frankly, at the moment I don't care if you want to talk to me or not, or if you need to or not. I want to ask you something and I want an honest answer." Callen glared at Nate from his position leaning on the desk and thought through it calmly.

"Fine, you ask me whatever you want. I'm not going to guarantee you any answers, but ask away." Callen folded his arms across his chest and frowned at the wooden floor, he was frustrated and annoyed but there seemed to be an element of caution in his actions.

Callen couldn't believe this, they were forcing him to talk to Nate, well he knew it wasn't going to work. He could easily out wait all of them - although Nate had seemed genuine when he said that it wasn't an evaluation. Callen waited as Nate tried to word his questions correctly.

"Have I done something to upset you?" Callen immediately looked up at Nate, he was serious. Why would he think Callen was upset with him?

"No, why?" He asked, very confused.

"When we were at the hospital, before Kerry woke up, you seemed really confused. When you looked at me, you looked conflicted and were obviously trying to figure something out. I just want you to talk to me... what did I do?" Callen remembered that, he was still trying to figure it out. But how could he say that to Nate? It would show all his insecurities that he spent every moment keeping hidden behind his mask.

"I was just confused, I'd only just woken up. It was nothing to do with you, it was nothing." But Callen should have known Nate wouldn't believe that. "It was nothing! Can I go now?"

"Callen, just talk to me about this. I don't understand." Nate pleaded, but Callen couldn't say it.

"It was nothing!" Callen roared. "How many times? I was tired! I had just been stabbed! Of course I was confused, of course I was acting weird!" Nate stepped back and looked hurt but Callen couldn't apologise to him.

"So you admit you were acting strange. You are denying it too much Callen, just explain to me why you looked at me like a stranger. That's all I want to know!"

"No! Nate, stop asking me these questions!" Callen was panicking and his heart was racing.

"I just want you to tell me one thing!" Nate shouted back, getting frustrated himself.

"I wanted to know why!" Callen shouted in Nate's face, before backing away with his hands over his mouth. He had said too much, his temper had gotten the best of him again. Nate was silent, he just looked at Callen.

"Why what?" He asked gently and Callen ran his hands through his short hair, he was tired and had no energy left for arguments.

"Why you came back…" Callen whispered, hoping Nate hadn't heard, although he couldn't not have.

Nate opened his mouth and closed it again, he didn't really know what to say to Callen. "What do you mean?" He asked.

Callen sighed. "I know you were in the middle of an important case, you were supposed to fly out to the middle east that night. Why did you leave the case to come back here?" Callen looked defeated and lost as his mask started to slip, exposing the insecure man underneath.

"I came back because this is more important." Nate said.

"But it isn't; that makes no sense. Your mission would have saved lives and you came here instead."

"Callen, there were other people who are just as capable as me that could go. I sent them instead because this is more important to me. This team is and always has been my priority. That includes you. When Hetty told me that she was worried about you and that you had gone and gotten drunk, I told my boss I was coming straight here. This team is like family to me, including you Callen." Nate's words were true and he could see Callen sensed that.

"I had hoped that was why, but I couldn't ask you." Callen said.

"Why?"

"This team is the closest thing I have ever had to a family, I couldn't stand the thought that they would think I am weak. I can't help it, I never let myself get my hopes up about people caring because they always seem to let me down eventually. Hetty is the only one that never has - the team too but I haven't known them as long.

Callen couldn't believe he was even talking to Nate about this, he had broken his childhood vow. He was trusting and talking to a shrink.

"I understand that, but I promise you they don't think you are weak. They wouldn't think that whatever you asked them, whatever you said. You are their leader and they will follow you." Nate sounded very certain, Callen contained a smile as he asked Nate a question.

"How could you know? You don't know what they would think." Nate looked flustered and went quiet for a moment.

"I…uh. Well… of course they wouldn't. They are your team." He finally managed to put together.

"Oh alright." Callen smiled. "Nothing to do with the earwig then?" Nate half-smiled nervously and looked down at the ground. Callen turned and looked up into the camera with a sad and crooked smile.

"So, while you're in the sharing mood. What did you mean when you asked the others if you would see them the next day?" Callen was confused, he didn't even remember that conversation. When had he asked that?

"I…um. I was just asking if I would see them the next day." Callen held his mask firmly in place.

"Callen, do you even remember that conversation?" Nate asked, Callen knew he wouldn't leave him alone until he told the truth so he had no choice.

"No." He conceded as he eased himself into a chair, painfully. Nate came and knelt beside him with an understanding expression.

"You had suffered serious head trauma, you had a severe concussion and you were lucky to escape with only that. Callen, you don't have to talk to me but please don't lie to me. When you asked the team you sounded worried and careful, like you were afraid of something." It was only then that Callen faintly recalled the moment.

"I… I don't know how to say it." He admitted to Nate.

"Were you scared that they weren't going to come back and see you? That they would leave you alone? We saw how surprised you were each time you woke up and weren't alone, or whenever someone else walked in." Callen was defeated, Nate finally knew his biggest insecurity, that he had spent years masking from everyone that he loved. Callen nodded to Nate and put his head in his hands, his headaches were getting more and more intense and they hardly ever stopped.

"Callen? Are you alright?" Callen swatted away Nate's hand, pulling all his walls back up instantly.

"I'm fine." He hissed, sucking in a breath as he tried to stand up and his side burned in pain.

"I asked you not to lie to me Callen." Nate whispered, hurt and Callen sat back down again.

"Then I won't be talking at all Nate." Then the door swung open with Sam stood in the doorway. Nate nodded and left as Sam came over to Callen before offering his hand. "I'm not going to hold your hand Sam." Callen joked, laughing to cover the gasp he had let loose.

"Good, I'd rather you didn't. Let me help you back outside G, you can't sit here forever." Callen rolled his eyes at Sam, he would have asked Sam for help if he wasn't so proud.

"I'm fine, I'm not going home Sam. I can't stare at those walls any longer and I can't sleep anyway, can I come back to the office? I swear I'll just sit on the couch and be good." Sam laughed as his partner pulled himself to his feet with a grimace and held his hand on his good shoulder as they walked out the interrogation room. Sam held Callen's shoulder so tightly that he couldn't have fallen or slipped even if he had wanted to.

The whole team was sitting around the table waiting - save Hetty who was standing behind Deeks. Callen looked to Hetty and she knew what he wanted, what he needed.

"Mr Callen, you may come back to the office but you are not permitted to go into the field or do anything other than assist your team from Ops. Do you understand?" Callen nodded with a grateful smile and let Sam escort him to the Challenger.

Callen slept on the couch at Ops for the next couple of nights, even though he was only out for an hour or so at a time. But he wouldn't have gotten any sleep at all had he stayed at home; he couldn't even let Kerry help him sleep with her away for a few days.

He was desperate for her to come home.