Till Death Do Us Part

Disclaimer: NCISLA characters belong to Shane Brennan. All original characters and this story are mine.

Chapter 25

Santa Barbara

Callen's plans for Alex to meet with Hetty went out the window when his wife's emotional state deteriorated. Alex sunk into a depression and he found himself in new territory. He'd sent a message to delay their visit as he laid beside her, unable to get her to talk to him. He and the midwife had to take her down to the neonatal unit in a wheelchair and her eyes were void of contact as she fed their son. It was Callen who had to be the one to bond with their son, as Alex rejected holding him for any longer than she had to. The midwife suggested that Callen removed all clothing on his chest and that he held Samuel, giving him skin to skin contact. They called it kangaroo care, when the women who usually came in to volunteer their time with the premature babies.

But Callen's heart broke, seeing the state that Alex was in. It was clear to him that she was suffering from depression. He'd never seen her like this, even after the trauma she'd gone through. Although she had suffered and it hung like a dark cloud over her, she brightened after she received the good news that she was in the clear. He'd read somewhere in the pregnancy book about post natal depression, but he never contemplated that Alex would be one to be affected by it. She was a strong woman, who'd faced near death and dangerous situations for her country. She was the team leader for a secret team within NCIS, which reported only to their Director.

But the woman beside him was a shell of her former self. A day ago, she appeared to be coping, even after the news of her being adopted and finding out who her mother was. The safe arrival of their son, Samuel, had brought a bright light into the mix. But after his talk with her the night before, Alex withdrew inside of herself and closed up from everyone around her. He berated himself for telling her about Hetty. He should have listened to Alex when she told him that Hetty couldn't be trusted. But he couldn't help it. He was alive because of the older woman. He looked to her like a mother, she had been the only one who really cared about him. The news that she was a Comescu had shocked him, but her actions had proved her intentions. They had so much history, he couldn't turn his back on her, and he noted the pain Hetty had been in, the worry for him, while he'd been away. More so, knowing he was with Alex.

They needed to talk face to face. But Alex's emotional state worried him to the core. She wasn't in a fit state to deal with Hetty. He clung onto the hope that Nell and Sam found Elena and brought her back to them. That she could help Alex deal with who she really was and that she wasn't a bad person. It wasn't a genetic factor, but a nurture one. And Alex had been nurtured by the Holdens, good upstanding members of the community.

He was torn. He loved Alex and he would die for her. He would do anything to help her. But he didn't know what to do. A knock on the door pulled him away from her. On the other side of the door stood Oscar. Gibbs remained back at the house with Katie, in hope they could keep Alex's condition away from her.

"We need to talk. Let's take a walk." Oscar looked into the room at his daughter and his heart was torn. Memories from ten years earlier flashed before him.

Outside the hospital, Oscar sat down on a bench seat. White rose bushes were in full bloom and scented the air. Callen joined him, his body was exhausted from dealing with his wife. He hadn't slept the night before.

"I worried that this would happen, G. Alex suffered post natal depression after she had Katie. But it wasn't just from having a new baby, it was impacted from losing you."

"But she has me this time." This was news to him, but from what he'd seen upstairs, it made sense.

"Yes, but with this other news, about her being adopted and who her mother was, has hit her harder than any of us could have envisioned. Perhaps we were wrong in hiding it from her, but until recently, we had no idea who had killed her mother and why. As far as we were concerned, Alex was in danger and we needed to protect her. If we had told her the truth and she went looking for her family, we worried about what would happen to her. But it looks like it's happened anyway. Hetty took you away, kept the two of you apart because of who she was born to. If I had known, I would have fought Hetty over it, eleven years ago."

"If Hetty had told me the truth from the beginning and not played games with me, none of the past eleven years would have happened." Anger washed over Callen from the ten years he'd lost with Alex and Katie. "She has a great deal to answer for."

"Yes she does. But that doesn't help Alex now. She needs to go on medication to help her get better. There's no other way. We watched her deteriorate after Katie was born. It was the only way to help her the last time."

"What about Samuel? She won't be able to breastfeed him if she's on them, will she?"

"Actually there's been a huge development in the drugs and there are many varieties available that she can use and continue to breastfeed."

"He needs her, Oscar. Samuel's survival depends on her. I'm doing all the bonding, but he needs Alex. We need a professional to help her. Who did she see before?"

"I agree with you. We're in luck, the shrink she saw was Dr Getz. I believe you know him?"

"Alex saw Nate?"

"Yes. Are you happy for him to come up and see her?"

"Of course. He's a good man and a good friend. I had no idea that Nate knew about Alex back then. He never said anything to me, even when we had our chats over the years. Not once did he let on that he knew about Alex." Callen turned to Oscar. "Did he know about Alex and I being married?"

"No. Your identity had been kept from Nate. But now, I wish we had told him. He might have helped persuade you to come home much earlier."

Callen stood and paced the pathway around the hospital's garden. The cottage hospital was attractive with a well groomed garden for patients and their visitors to enjoy. There were many things about living in Santa Barbara that he loved, like how well everything was well tended to.

"I regret leaving without her, Oscar. I've hurt her so much." He shook his head, the guilt still hung heavily on his shoulders. "No matter how much I try to make up for my mistakes, I'll never get those ten years back. I need to do something to help her, but I just don't know what?"

"Love her. Providing the love that you have for her, is the best medicine for her. Let me talk to her, G. I've been through this with her before. She's opened up to me in the past."

"Okay. And I'll contact Nate to come and talk with her."

"Already done. He'll be here later today."

Callen nodded. "Thanks. Nell and Sam are on their way to Argentina to find her sister, Elena. I'm hoping that she'll help Alex deal with the news of who she is."

Oscar stood beside him, his brow furrowed. "Is that wise? What if her sister is like the rest of her family? You'll all be in danger."

"Not if Elena believes us to be the Sheers family. I've thought this through. While we're undercover, it will help disguise that we're Callens. Just incase Elena has any ill feelings towards us."

Oscar pondered for a moment and nodded. "It might work. I don't think Alex is ready to talk to Hetty, although it needs to happen. Perhaps in a few weeks, once the medication has kicked in and she's feeling better."

"Will she take it? The medication."

"She did before and it helped her a great deal. Nate can prescribe her the same drug as before."

"Good. I want my wife back."

Argentina — the following day

The flight had been long and tiring for Nell and Sam, cooped up in coach until they arrived in Buenos Aires. The weather was cooler than Los Angeles as it winter for the southern hemisphere. But not too cold that it was uncomfortable. Thirteen hours stuck in the plane made Sam irritable, but Nell, although exhausted, revelled in the field trip. She'd missed the travelling since moving to Los Angeles. Memories of her time in the Southern American country returned to her in an instant and a smile crossed her face.

"Bienvenido a Argentina." [Welcome to Argentina.] Nell looked around at the familiar landscape of the airport. "Have you ever been here before, Sam?"

Sam shook his head. The difference in the woman beside him had him amazed. She was very much in her element, travelling, speaking the local language, and as he soon discovered, her love for the food. She was well rehearsed in the history of the country and the places to avoid, if you wanted to stay out of trouble. How Nell had managed to hide this side of her from them for so long had him pondering. She was good, he noted. Not just in her knowledge, but also in undercover work, which she'd been doing for years — deep cover. She was able to deceive the best in the business. Hetty still had no idea just how much Nell knew about her and why she was at OSP other than she'd been hand picked by the former spy herself.

"You obviously loved your time living here, Nell."

"I did, Sam. Very much." She showed her driver's license to the desk clerk and signed for the car rental. She led Sam on the way to pick up their car for the next week. She hoped this was all the time they needed to persuade Elena to come back with them.

Sam looked over at her, slightly unsure whether to jump into the passenger seat or demand the keys to drive. He felt more comfortable driving than riding shotgun.

"Until we get out of the capitol, it's best I drive. I know the best routes through this city."

Sam capitulated and climbed into the Jeep Wrangler. "How did you manage to get this beauty?"

The black vehicle would have been his choice and he was surprised by Nell's choice. He'd thought her to choose something more chic, than practical.

"I know the terrain and the country, Sam. When in Rome…"

"I get it. I need to trust your experience as a field agent, not as an analyst."

"Correct." It was new for Sam to take second in command along the petite woman, who was clearly more experienced in the southern part of their continent than any one else in their team.

"Hetty's underestimated you, Nell. We all have."

"Just don't tell her, she'll be peeved if she knew the truth."

"Agreed."

The drive was long, but Nell managed to get them out of the capitol without too much of a hold up and before long, they were out on the open road, heading west to the Mendoza wine area. Nell pulled into a motel in Rosario. "It's a long drive, Sam. I've booked us two rooms here for the night."

Like their plane flights, they were booked in as work colleague for a television station, as Samuel Johnston and Eleanor Muir. Nell collected their keys and pulled her luggage from the rear of the vehicle. They'd not had much chance to talk on the flight, with other passengers being within hearing, she'd planned for them to have a sleep then go over their plan.

"We'll meet in my room in five hours. Is that enough time for you to rest, Sam?"

Sam looked at his watch and nodded. "Yes, thanks." It was already late and dark, he appreciated the break. He stretched out his limbs that had seized up being cramped for so long. "How long's the drive?"

"All totalled, it's around nine and a half hours drive to Mendoza. We can stay there, it's a short drive out to where Elena lives with her family."

"What time shall we head out?"

"Five. The earlier the start, the better. The roads aren't like we're used to."

Sam nodded. He understood how it was in Central America, he had expected no less in Argentina.