Season of Change

Disclaimer: I still own nothing, just borrowing my favorite characters.

Chapter 13

The doctor looked at the distressed agent and nodded. "Follow me," he directed her. They went down the hall and he stepped in to an empty room. Dr. Isaac turned to Kensi and waited for her to speak.

"Deeks and I are...we're...uh, he is in DC because of something I did that hurt him, Dr. Isaac. I really...uh...I really hurt him." Kensi stammered. "We're not just...well, we are...uh, were trying to be more than just partners, doctor, and I got...um...confused? Scared, maybe?" She cackled again, before continuing, "I have no idea why I did what... well, I didn't, but still -" she paused, huffing out a breath nervously. "So, yeah...not one of my proudest moments, to be sure." Kensi dropped her eyes from the doctor's acute stare.

Dr. Isaac didn't reply right away, and Kensi kept her gaze averted from the doctor's as she began to feel more awkward with each passing second.

"It's because of me, isn't it?" Kensi asked dejectedly.

Finally the doctor spoke. "Agent Blye, while whatever happened between you and your...partner may have a hand in what is causing this type of amnesia, it is not the sole reason. Please, do not blame yourself. It will not help him and surely will do nothing to make you feel better."

Kensi looked at the man again and nodded, appreciating his attempt at making her feel less guilty. "Thank you."

"What can you tell me about the detective? I suspect you know a little more about him personally than the rest of your team," he asked curiously.

She smiled slightly. "Yes, I suppose I do."

The doctor smiled, encouraged to have some insight to who the man was. "Does he have family, siblings - children?"

"No! No children. No brothers or sisters. Uh, just us," meaning herself and the team.

"Do you know anything about his childhood?" Dr. Isaac prodded.

Her eyes widened at that question. She took a deep breath and began telling the doctor what she knew of her partner's hellish time as a young boy.

Deeks had lain there for what felt like days, when in reality it had been just over 24 hours since he had been transported to the hospital. He was exhausted, both physically and mentally. The last conscious memory he had was that of a pregnant woman arguing with a man. In his hand the man held a knife. Deeks had called out to him to drop the knife as he ran to try to protect the woman. He remembers getting out of a cab with Abby before that. They were going to be having dinner with Ducky and the rest of the team. The...the team? He recalls seeing Gibbs and the others as he and Abby exited the cab. They waved at them...and...he...he just couldn't remember anything else. There's something nagging in the back of his mind. He just can't put his finger on it. Earlier when he awoke, there was a nurse tending to him. All he could think about was the woman, though. Was she safe? He started asking questions, he wanted Gibbs to assure him everything was going to be alright. When Jethro came into view Deeks was relieved. He was starting to accept that he was in a hospital, although he had no recollection of how he wound up there. All he knew for sure was that he had a raging headache and his chest hurt.

That was when he saw the MMA fighter at his bedside. DeMarco Williams, Deeks thought...what the hell is this guy doing here? He was even more surprised when the man called him by his real name. This can't be good, he thought.

He explained to Gibbs how he knew Williams. He noticed both Gibbs and Williams acted a little confused, and they confirmed that by sharing a glance before leaving the room together. Abby had tried to talk to him when they left, but she, too, seemed worried about his reaction to the big man.

Before he could think about it further he heard another familiar voice, female this time, call out to him. It was Danny's girl, Tracy...but for some reason he had his doubts about this...beautiful... woman before him. She had used his real name, too - and the look in her eyes as she stared at him was one of what? Longing? It was as if she was pleading with him with her eyes. He almost felt bad at her reaction to him calling her Tracy, it was one of shock...and something else - regret?

Quickly his attention was caught by another familiar face. The cab driver that had picked Tracy up at Zuna's house that day he had found her snooping around. This was definitely more than a coincidence. When he questioned them about Bates, all three of them had surprised, saddened looks on their faces. Then a doctor started asking him questions, and he was getting irritated, anxious - scared, because he knew his answer - or inability - to answer the last question was not what the doctor or the rest of the people in the room were wanting from him. He remembers the room spinning and then blackness surrounding him.

Deeks became aware of someone moving around him. He listened for a little while, not opening his eyes just yet. He heard the constant beep of the monitors he was hooked to. Someone was definitely in the room with him. He heard soft, receding footsteps and the unmistakeable whoosh of the door as it opened. He listened intently. When the door opened he could hear familiar voices outside the room in the hall. It was the taxi driver, DeMarco and Gibbs. They were talking about him. The door closed before he could make sense of what they were saying. He definitely heard the word amnesia, though, of that he was sure. The last thought before finally giving in to the exhaustion was that of the three familiar faces and who they were to him.

It was late in the afternoon back in Ops - Eric, Nell and Hetty were very anxiously waiting on word from Callen on Deeks' condition. Last report was that Deeks had suffered a seizure and had been sedated again. He had not been awake long enough for the doctors or team to assess his mental state.

As the three stood huddled in a cozy group by the Wonder Twins' desks, they heard the door to Ops slide open. They were all surprised when Assistant Director Owen Granger strolled in slowly. He was dressed in his normal light colored suit, and his face, although looking a little rough, still wore his familiar scowl.

"Owen, how are you feeling?" Hetty was the first to speak to the assistant director.

The man grimaced slightly, "Better every day. Thank you for asking. Where is Callen and the rest of the team?" He asked as he glanced around the room.

Hetty glanced at Eric and Nell before looking back to Granger. "They are in DC right now, Owen."

"Washington? What the hell for, Henrietta?" Granger asked grouchily.

"They are there for Mr. Deeks." Hetty stated without elaborating, clasping her hands in front of her.

"I'm almost afraid to ask...what is Deeks doing in DC?" Granger questioned sarcastically as he glared at the three standing before him.

Hetty sighed and turned to Eric. "Mr. Beale, would you show the assistant director what you found, please?"

Eric swallowed hard, and as he pushed his glasses up, nodded while he started tapping keys on his tablet.

"I can't watch this again," Nell declared, her voice breaking as she ran from the room.

Granger watched as the small analyst disappeared and then turned to Hetty, his brow furrowed.

"There was an incident involving our Mr. Deeks late yesterday afternoon, DC time, outside a restaurant. He had been there visiting Jethro and his team. His flight back to LA had been canceled, so he was able to join the team in a post Christmas dinner there. They were meeting at the restaurant when this occurred," Hetty narrated, pointing to the big screen.

Granger watched as the cab pulled up. He recognized Deeks and the forensic scientist from Gibbs' team when they exited, Deeks leaning back in to pay. He caught Gibbs and other members to the right. That was when he noticed the couple arguing seemingly right under the camera. He watched Deeks' reaction in the background. The detective was on a cell phone, but shoved it back towards Abby and started moving towards the couple. The assistant director hadn't noticed the knife until now, and without seeing another second of the video he knew something terrible was about to happen.

Hetty watched Owen, his eyes never leaving the screen. He did one of his little stutter step moves he does when things are getting tense or he feels something is about to happen. His jaw was clamped tight. He had removed his hands from his pockets. They were balled into fists now, clenching and releasing nervously. The video was fast approaching its horrific end. She didn't have to see the gory image of her detective sprawled there on the cold sidewalk with a knife sticking up grotesquely out of his head again. She could tell the moment it happened in the assistant director's expression of utter shock and grief, his eyes growing wide and then slowly closing as he dropped his head.

"Dear God," Granger mumbled softly. He raised his head and looked at Hetty. "So the team, they went to bring him home," he commented, more a statement than a question.

Hetty nodded, "Yes, they did. They are with him now."

"Will LAPD be handling the arrangements or are we?" Granger asked solemnly.

"Arrangements, Owen?" Hetty asked, genuinely confused.

"Arrangements for Deeks' funeral. I'm assuming LAPD will give him a proper burial since he technically is...was...one of theirs," Granger tried to explain tactfully.

"Well, let's hope by the time Mr. Deeks is in need of a funeral, he will be one of ours, Owen," Hetty proclaimed.

Granger's brow raised. "Deeks is still alive?" He asked with hope, albeit skeptically.

"Very much so, Owen. His prognosis is good. The knife missed all vital nerves and arteries. His chest wound, while it could have been much worse, was not as bad as it seemed. He has some stitches and a broken rib. Last report was that he was stable. The doctors do need to talk to him before they are fully able to assess the amount of the damage done. He unfortunately did have a seizure earlier today when he awoke, and no one was able to speak with him. As far as we know now, they are just waiting for him to wake up again," she explained, a slight smile on her face.

The assistant director smiled slightly, chuckling. "You'd think I would have learned my lesson about Deeks after what Sidorov did to him."

"I'm not sure I follow, please explain?" Hetty asked, waiting for an explanation from her assistant director.

"From the very first time I met him, I never understood what you saw in Detective Deeks. He was loud, inappropriate...just annoying as hell. But I came to realize over time that that was his strength. People naturally underestimated him, and he used that to his full advantage - even with your bunch."

Hetty smirked, a knowing glance shared between them as Granger continued.

"It wasn't until what he went through and came back from stronger than ever after what Sidorov did to him that I realized something else about the detective, Henrietta."

"And what would that be, Assistant Director Granger?" Hetty asked quizzically.

Granger turned and studied the disturbing image still displayed on the big screen. When he returned his attention to the small operations manager, he said simply, "Detective Deeks is one tough son of a bitch."

Hetty smiled brightly and nodded in appreciation at the assistant director's words. "Indeed he is, Owen, indeed he is."

TBC