Warmnights

Callen takes a sip of his beer and looks in the direction of the hallway once again. He knows that he shouldn't be that worried because the woman that is currently sleeping in her bedroom is perfectly capable of calling him if she needs anything. He knows this but he can't help but worry. It's something that he can't control when it comes to her.

It has been three weeks since that day in which he had held a barely-alive Kensi on his arms, three weeks since she had fought so hard for her life. The doctors had agreed to release her five days ago under the warning that there had to be someone with her all the time. Her stitches are still fragile and she is not capable of moving around for too long or too fast.

They take shifts in taking care of her but Callen wouldn't mind doing that on his own. Renko has insisted though so he agrees. Renko stays with her during the day and Callen stays with her during the night.

Callen takes another sip of his cold beer and sighs. He has the feeling that her fragile condition is not the only reason why the doctors had warned them that she couldn't be alone yet. Her constant nightmares are something that keeps him awake most of the nights, even the ones he had spent with her in the hospital.

He knows why she has them…he can't say that he hasn't had them too. The sigh of her bleeding and losing her consciousness in his arms is something that doesn't let him sleep through the night. Callen stays awake sometimes, sitting on a chair in her bedroom watching her sleep.

He knows that it is probably a little creepy but the gentle rise and fall of her chest make him see that she is alive and that is all he needs to stay calm. Besides, she knows what he does and has told him that she is more than okay with that. She has told him that it makes her feel safer. Callen knows how hard it has been for her to admit that.

Kensi is a strong and independent woman. Admitting that she doesn't feel safe unless he is there is a huge step for her and something that he knows that it is hard for her to do. It's the first time he realizes just how much she trusts him and that makes him feel happy. Renko had warned him that trust is not something that she takes lightly and knowing that she has let him in is enough to make him smile.

There are nights in which he sleeps and the nightmares come back. In those nights he needs to make sure that she is there, needs to make sure that she is still breathing and that there is no blood pouring out of her stomach.

Tonight is different, though.

He is not sure if what he is feeling is just because of the warm weather or if it is because of the way that her long tanned legs look when lit by the moonlight. One way or another, he knows that he needs to cool down before getting back inside of the room.

Callen stays there for a few minutes, enjoying his cold beer, and just when he's about to get back to the bedroom, Kensi walks in the living room slowly because she can't walk too fast. There are days in which getting up without help is a huge effort to her but they can see that she's getting better every single day.

He gets up from the couch and walks to her. G looks into her eyes and is able to tell that she has had another nightmare, even though she has a soft smile on her face.

Kensi wraps her arms around his waist and hugs him, resting her head on his chest. Callen hugs her back because he knows that, even though she is not one for physical contact, she needs him to comfort her and he would never deny her that.

They stay like that for a few seconds but she pulls back after that. Callen notices that she winces a bit when he lets go of her because that means that she has to stand on her own again, without any kind of support.

It doesn't last long. Kensi smiles and takes his hand, guiding him to the door of the kitchen that leads to a garden. She walks slowly to ease the pain a little bit and Callen wants nothing more than to take it all away from her…he doesn't want her to ever know what pain feels like but he knows that it is a bit late of that.

They reach the garden and she smiles as soon as she feels the cool air hitting her face. Callen understands what she wants but he knows that standing for too long will soon become too painful for her. He guides her to a chair and sits on it, pulling her slowly to his lap. She sits sideways and rests her head on his shoulder while he wraps his arms around her waist, being careful not to touch her wound.

They stay in silence for a few seconds and she is the one that breaks it. Her voice is no louder than a whisper but she doesn't need to speak any louder than that because he can hear her.

"My parents divorced when I was only two years old. My father was killed when I was 15 years old. I have a brother but it has been years since I've last spoken to him." Kensi lifts her head from his shoulder and sees the confused look on his face.

"You said that you wanted to know more about me. I'm not ready to tell you everything but this much I am. That is a short summary of my past. My way to thank you for what you have been doing for me for the past few weeks…"

Callen smiles and kissed her forehead, making her rest it on his shoulder once again. He is not ready to admit how good it feels to have her like that, on his arms without worrying about anything else. For now, he is happy that she has shared a bit of her painful past with him. It helps him to understand a lot of things about the beautiful woman that is slowly falling asleep in his arms.

G knows that this is a big step for her and decides to tell her about his past too, even though he is almost sure that she already knows the most important things about it after reading his file. He's about to open his mouth to speak but when he looks down, he closes it again and smiles.

Kensi is asleep and he knows that she needs to rest. He takes her in his arms and walks to her bedroom, laying her on her bed. He is about to go and sit on the chair by her bed when her hand grabs his arm.

"Can you hold me, please?" Callen hears her soft whisper and kisses her forehead before getting in bed next to her and wrapping his arms around her.

He would never deny her anything.

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Hi! Once again, I'm not Sarah.

I'm Andrew and I'm just writing this to inform you all that my dear twin is recovering from a trip to the emergency room. She broke her wrist yesterday and she is currently unable to write. Don't worry, though…she already has the next few chapters ready to post so I'll do it for her.

Anyway, let her know what you think about this chapter because even though she can't write, she can read and I'm sure that your reviews will make her happy.

See you in a few days,

Andrew