Thanks, as always, for your kind words and support of this story. It's super late so I'm just going to post this and get to bed. :)
xxxxx
The nurse quickly returned with a pitcher of ice water and some plastic cups which she placed on Callen's bedside table. "Don't drink it too quickly," she instructed with a soft smile as she used a syringe to begin to inject some medicine into Callen's IV. "You don't want to upset your stomach." Callen's eyes widened as he eyed her nervously and his heart and respiratory rates began rising. "Are you okay?" The nurse asked with concern as she finished injecting the medication.
Callen nodded. "Yes…yes, I'm good," he said, forcing himself to regulate his breathing and settle his nerves.
The nurse noted that his vital signs were normalizing and seemed satisfied. "Okay, you know how to get me if you need anything."
Callen nodded silently and Sam thanked her as she left the room.
"G? What was that about?" Sam asked his partner, his tone quietly concerned.
Callen shook his head, fighting the urge to play with the blanket again. He was pretty sure Sam already thought he was losing it and doing things like that would only confirm his suspicions. "I don't know," he finally whispered.
"Come on, man…something spooked you."
"I…it just reminded me of when I was abducted…" he said, nervously gnawing his lower lip. "Alyssa drugged me through the IV…It's not a big deal."
Sam nodded, realizing all of this was a very big deal whether his partner wanted to admit it or not. "Why don't you drink some water," he suggested as he picked up the pitcher and poured some of the icy liquid into a cup and handed it to Callen. "Might make you feel better."
Callen gripped the cup tightly, afraid that his hand would start shaking and he would drop it, but he was able to keep it steady. He took a small sip of water and then repeated it. The cool liquid felt really good as it soothed his parched, dry throat. "That's good," he said as he took another sip then placed the cup on the tray. He could feel himself rapidly beginning to tire but he was desperately trying to fight against sleep.
"You should get some rest, G," Sam said softly, noting his partner's heavy lidded eyes. He could see how worn out he was.
"I'm not tired."
Sam smiled. At that moment, his partner reminded him of Kamran when she was stubbornly fighting against going to bed. "Come on, get some sleep. I'll be right here when you wake up."
Callen shook his head. "No. I'm not tired," he insisted again as his monitor readings began to rise, cluing Sam in that this was more than his partner being stubborn.
"Why don't you want to sleep?" Sam asked softly,
"I told you. I'll sleep when I need to."
Sam shook his head. "If your vitals keep rising like this, you're going to be setting off all kinds of alarms," he said. "I've got to say, these monitors are kind of like a lie detector, G…they tell me all kinds of things about you."
"I'm not a liar," Callen snapped.
"I'm sorry," Sam agreed. "That was a bad choice of words. I know you're not a liar. You're just omitting certain things. I can see how tired you are, buddy…I really wish you'd tell me why you don't want to sleep."
"Fine, I'll tell you," Callen answered, a hitch in his voice, knowing Sam wasn't going to let it drop and he was too drained to even attempt to fight him. "When…when I was in the mine, sometimes I would sleep and have dreams and I would think that everything was okay, but then I'd wake up and…and I'd be back trapped in the darkness. I…I don't want that to happen…I just…I don't think I could take it," he ended shakily.
"Oh, G…" Sam's eyes were sad as he reached for his partner and gently pulled him in against his chest. "I promise you…this is real. You feel me, right? You're not going to wake up back in that cave. I wish I could make you trust me." He gently rubbed Callen's back wanting to make his partner believe his words.
"I do trust you, Sam," Callen said softly. "I just…I don't trust that this is really happening…" He couldn't help but find the gentle rubbing on his back to be very soothing. At one point, he tried to pull out of Sam's arms with a half-hearted effort, thinking he was a pretty poor excuse for a team leader. However, Sam didn't let him go and gradually he found himself feeling safe and more and more powerless to fight against the fatigue that was overtaking him.
Finally, Sam felt his partner's body go limp and his breathing even out and he knew he was asleep. "You've still got that magic touch, Hanna," Sam murmured, lowering his sick and exhausted partner back against the pillows. It was a method he had used with both his children in the past when they were ill or just terribly overtired. It had always worked like a charm. Sam was glad to see that it still did.
He sat and watched over Callen for a few minutes, ensuring that he was sleeping easily before pulling out his cell phone. He wanted to call Hetty and let her know that G had regained consciousness, but he didn't want to take a chance on waking his partner and he refused to leave him alone after promising he'd be there when he awoke. Instead, he settled on sending her a text. He was pretty sure they'd be seeing her soon.
xxxxx
Kensi was curled up on the sofa, staring out the window when Deeks re-entered their hotel suite. "Hey baby," he said, walking over to her and bending down to press a light kiss on her lips. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay. I had a very lazy day." Kensi smiled as he sat down next to her and she shifted her position so that she was snuggled up next to him.
"Everyone needs a lazy day now and then," he said, returning her smile. "It's good for you, especially after all that's been happening."
"How's Callen?"
"He actually regained consciousness when I was there," Deeks said, putting his arm around Kensi and absently playing with her hair.
"Really? Oh that's wonderful news," Kensi said. "Sam must be really relieved."
"He is," Deeks said, nodding solemnly.
Kensi tilted her head to look up at him and noted the serious look on his face. "You don't look very happy. Is there something you're not telling me?" she asked apprehensively.
"What? No," Deeks quickly shook his head, then shrugged. "It's just…Callen was so emotional…he seemed really scared and… lost I guess is the best way to put it…"
"Well…that's probably only natural," Kensi said. "Look at all he's been through. I'm sure it's going to take time for him to recover."
"Yeah…yeah, I know. I just felt really bad for him. I didn't really even know what to say to him."
"I'm sure just you being there was good for him," Kensi said softly. "It showed him how much you care. That's what Callen needs right now. He just needs us to be there for him, to let him know that we love him and we'll help him through this."
"You're right," said Deeks nodding, but he still looked gloomy.
"Did you eat anything?" Kensi asked, wanting to brighten his mood. "Are you hungry?"
"Yeah…yeah I actually could eat," Deeks said. The fullness from their big breakfast had finally worn off. "We could have an early dinner. You want to order room service again?"
Kensi shook her head, her eyes sparkling. "Let's go to the hotel restaurant. "
Deeks raised an eyebrow as he gazed at Kensi who was clad in a white, fluffy hotel robe. "Um…not that I have anything against that look. In fact, I think it's pretty cute, you kind of look like a bunny, but I don't know if it's appropriate for the hotel dining room."
"I'll change," Kensi said. "Unless you'd rather stay here? That's fine too, Deeks. Are you tired?"
"I am tired," Deeks admitted, then smiled, "but not too tired to take an elevator down to the restaurant."
"Okay, I'm going to go change," Kensi said as she reached for her crutches.
"I'll help you," Deeks said as he started to get up.
Kensi put her hand on his chest, stopping him. "You stay here," she said. "I'll call you if I need you."
"Okay," Deeks watched her leave then leaned his head back against the sofa and closed his eyes. He felt like he could sleep for a week.
xxxxx
Hetty quietly made her way into Callen's room in the ICU. She stood by Callen's bedside and just watched him, sleeping quietly, his breathing soft and easy. It did her heart good to see her boy asleep without being on the ventilator. He looked much more peaceful this way. After a few minutes, she stepped away from the bed and gave Sam a faint smile as she sat down in the chair by him "So, how is he doing, Sam?" she whispered, not wanting to wake Callen.
Sam glanced at his partner, ensuring he was still asleep before leaning down towards Hetty, clasping his hands in front of him. "He's a mess, Hetty," Sam said quietly. "He doesn't really even know what's reality and what's not. I'm trying to help him, but I don't even know how."
"If anyone can help him, it's you, Sam," Hetty said, as she reached for Sam's clasped hands and gently patted them. "Everyone has deep seated fears that can greatly affect them."
"Yeah, well this one I can relate to as you know," Sam admitted. It was nothing he liked to think about, but he realized he might have to revisit that experience in order to help Callen. Although their experiences were entirely different, there were enough similarities for him to have a good frame of reference to what Callen could be going through. "It's hard to even put into words how something like that can make you feel. It's nothing that I'll ever be able to forget."
"He's very lucky to have you in his corner," Hetty said softly.
"You know what he means to me, Hetty," Sam said. "I'd do anything to protect him and keep him safe."
They both turned their heads towards Callen's bed when he stirred and moaned softly, shifting about on the bed before he opened his eyes and focused his eyes first on Sam. "Guess you were right," he said, a trace of a smile on his lips. "Still here."
Sam grasped his friend's hand and squeezed it firmly before letting it go. "I hope you know you can always trust me, buddy."
Callen nodded then turned his gaze towards Hetty who had gotten up and walked over to him. "Good to see you, Hetty," he said, his eyes filled with emotion. "Wasn't sure I'd ever get that chance again."
"I'm very glad to have you back, Grisha," she said softly. "I can't begin to express how worried we were about you and how happy we are that you are on the road to recovery."
At that moment, a young nurse's aide came into the room carrying a tray with a covered plate on it. She gave the group a shy smile as she placed it on Callen's bedside table and then left without a word. "Guess this is your dinner, G," Sam said as he removed the domed cover from the plate to peer at the contents underneath. "Well…not really much of a dinner, but I guess you've got to start somewhere."
Callen looked at the tray and found the contents to be unappealing. There was broth, orange gelatin, tea and ginger ale, none of which interested him. "I'm not really hungry anyway," he said. He pretty much felt like crap. Food was the last thing on his mind.
Hetty and Sam exchanged a concerned look. "You've got to start eating, G," Sam said, shaking his head. "You're not going to regain your strength and get better if you don't. Then you'll never get out of this place."
Callen remained silent, not really up to debating the issue.
"If you are too weak to feed yourself, Mr. Callen," Hetty began as she picked up the spoon and held it towards the broth, "I would be more than happy to feed you."
"I can feed myself, Hetty," Callen said, glaring at her as he took the spoon out of her hand. He proceeded to dip it into the broth and then swallowed a spoonful of the liquid. "It doesn't even taste like anything," he grumbled, taking a second spoonful.
"You'll be back on regular food before you know it," Hetty said, satisfied that he was at least attempting to help himself. "Every journey begins with one small step." She glanced over at Sam who was attempting to hold back a smile and then she returned to her seat, feeling very satisfied as her boy continued to eat.
xxxxx
Granger sat at the hotel bar, slowly nursing a beer. He had decided to get a quiet drink before going to the hospital. Henrietta had let him know that Callen was awake and he wanted to see if he could provide any useful information, perhaps about where his assailants were headed. He tilted back his head, draining the last bit of beer from the mug and was about to stand up to leave when his cell phone rang. "Granger," he said as he pressed the answer button and held the phone to his ear. "Really?" he smiled into the phone. "I want him transferred here to a local police precinct. Notify me when he'll be here and where he'll be. Thank you." He smiled again and slipped the cell phone into the pocket of his jacked as he stood up. Agent Anderson had been arrested. They had finally caught a break.