Just wanted to give a shout out to: JaniceS, Country Girl, ss171, Dramamama5, SnoopGirl69, sassyzazzi, Skippy, knirbenrots, French Fan, Petunia3116, Max and Fern 4ever, cjanff, DS2010,and throughelookingglass27 Thanks for all your nice comments for the last chapter. Also, some of you have been incredibly loyal to a story that took a lot of turns from where I first intended it to go. I really appreciate you sticking with it and reviewing these MANY chapters. As for this chapter, I've done a bit of research for it, but I'm definitely not perfect, nor do I have any psych training except a psychology 101 course many, many, many years ago lol. In any case, enjoy :)

xxxxx

Granger was waiting in the hallway outside of Callen's room when Sam arrived. "Granger, what happened?" Sam asked. "Why does G think I'm dead?"

Granger shook his head. "I don't know, Sam. I have no idea. I got here a while ago to check on him and he was unraveling. He threw a phone, insisted you were dead…maybe he was dreaming…I don't know…"

"I shouldn't have left him," Sam said, the guilt apparent on his face.

"Don't worry about that now, Sam," Granger said. "Just…he's in rough shape. Go let him know that you're okay."

Sam nodded and made his way into the room. Hetty gave him a trace of a smile. "There's someone here to see you, Mr. Callen," she said. "I think you're going to be very happy to see him."

"I don't want to see anyone," Callen said, his voice trembling as he spoke. "Make him go away."

Hetty got up and let Sam have her place beside Callen. "G? G…it's me, Sam."

Callen didn't respond. Sam looked at Hetty, unsure of what to do. "G…I'm going to take this blanket off you, okay?" When his partner didn't answer, Sam tentatively began to remove the blanket from over Callen's head. His face was buried in the pillow, but he didn't protest what Sam had done. "G?" Sam gently placed his hand on Callen's shoulder . "What's going on, buddy?"

Still nothing.

"G?"

"Go away," Callen said, his voice muted by the pillow.

"But…" Sam shook his head and looked at Hetty for guidance. She cautiously approached her agent. "Mr. Callen…Sam is here. He's alive…That's a good thing, isn't it?"

Callen slowly turned onto his side, in clear-cut pain from the movement. His face was wet from tears and his eyes were bloodshot. Looking bewildered, he stared back at Sam. "I…" he shook his head. "I saw your body…you're dead."

Sam smiled as he grabbed Callen's hand and held it tightly. "I'm not dead, partner. I'm right here. I'm alive."

"I don't understand. This makes no sense." Callen roughly pulled his hand from Sam's grasp.

Sam's smile faded quickly. This wasn't how he had expected things to go. "Somehow I thought you'd be a little happier to see me."

A knock sounded on the door and Dr. Hathaway entered, followed by another man, approximately in his early 60s. "How are you doing, Mr. Callen?" Dr. Hathaway asked, looking compassionately at his patient.

"I…I'm fine," Callen said as he lowered his eyes to the bed.

"This is Dr. Scanlon," Dr. Hathaway introduced the other doctor to Callen. "He's a psychiatrist on staff here." He then proceeded to introduce the others as well.

Dr. Scanlon greeted Granger, Hetty and Sam, then focused his attention on Callen. "It's good to meet you, Mr. Callen. I'd like to talk to you for a bit, if you don't mind."

"What if I do mind? I'm guessing I don't really have a choice in this," Callen said as he guardedly moved into a sitting position and crossed his arms across his chest. His eyes quickly swept over the room and he knew from the looks on Granger's and Hetty's faces that he didn't.

"Trust me, Mr. Callen," said Dr. Scanlon. "This will be relatively painless."

"I don't trust a lot of people, and the word relatively doesn't really inspire confidence," Callen said uneasily, "but I guess we should get this show on the road."

xxxxx

The room cleared out quickly, leaving Callen and Dr. Scanlon alone. "So…how are you doing with everything?" Dr. Scanlon asked. "A lot of bad things have happened to you in a short period of time."

"No big deal…"

"Really…" Dr. Scanlon said. "From my point of view, it would seem to be a very big deal."

Callen shrugged, saying nothing.

"So…how are you doing with your physical symptoms?"

"I'm good."

"Are you experiencing a lot of pain?"

"Nothing I can't handle."

"How about emotionally?"

"I'm not crazy," Callen snapped.

"I'm not a big fan of that word, but even if I was, I certainly wouldn't use it to describe you."

"I know what psych consults are," Callen said, glaring at the doctor. "I'm not stupid either."

"I didn't say you were stupid," Dr. Scanlon answered calmly. "That's another word I don't particularly like."

Callen sighed wearily. "Whatever."

The doctor decided to change the direction of the conversation. "I heard you caused a bit of a scene here earlier."

"I found out my partner was dead. He…he was my best friend." Callen said. "I was upset. I believe, understandably so."

"So you must be very happy now that you know he's alive," Dr. Scanlon said.

Callen shifted his position, but remained silent.

"Aren't you? Aren't you happy he's alive?"

"He's not…" Callen whispered, his eyes filling.

"He's not alive?" Dr. Scanlon questioned carefully, keeping his expression neutral.

Callen shook his head, looking sorrowful. "No…he's not alive…"

The doctor talked to Callen for about a half hour. Callen spoke as little as he could get away with. Some questions he would answer with a word or two and others he would avoid altogether. Dr. Scanlon finally decided to end the session, seeing that his patient was getting fatigued and he wasn't really getting anywhere with him anyway. "I'll be back to see you tomorrow," he said. "Do I have your permission to speak with your superiors about our sessions?"

Callen looked at Dr. Scanlon warily. "Why? So they can fire me?"

Dr. Scanlon quickly shook his head. "No, of course not. There's nothing I've learned here that would result in you losing your job."

"Fine…you can talk to them," Callen agreed with a soft sigh.

"And your partner?"

"What about my partner…He…he's dead…"

"If he was here though, would you allow me to talk to him about what we discussed?"

Callen nodded sadly. "Yes, of course. I trusted Sam with my life. He was my brother."

xxxxx

Dr. Scanlon left Callen and went out to the small waiting room where Hetty, Granger and Sam were waiting. There was no one else in the room so they would be able to speak confidentially. "How is he?" Sam asked when the doctor approached them.

"Well, I don't believe he poses a threat to himself or others."

"Of course he doesn't," Sam said. "Unless he needs to defend himself or others…then it's a whole different story."

"He still believes you're dead," Dr. Scanlon informed Sam.

"What?" Sam asked in disbelief then he slowly shook his head. "That can't be. He saw me…I talked with him…He knows I'm alive."

"No. Although he may have seen you, he still doesn't believe it."

Hetty and Granger exchanged a concerned look as Sam sighed heavily. "That's not good," Sam said.

"Has he ever exhibited symptoms like this before?" Dr. Scanlon asked.

Hetty shook her head. "Mr. Callen has always been extremely emotionally strong under the worst of circumstances. This is very much out of the norm for him."

Sam nodded in agreement. "I've worked with him for 10 years and I've never seen him act this way."

Dr. Scanlon nodded. "That pretty much confirms what I'm thinking. I believe he is suffering from what is termed as a brief psychotic disorder. It's short term with symptoms that can last anywhere from a few hours until a month at the most. It's usually caused by such things as extreme emotional stress, an accident, illness, traumatic event or the death of a loved one. From what I've read in his records, he has undergone extreme circumstances in a very short period of time, which would be a very likely trigger for what's happened to him. There can be a variety of symptoms falling under this umbrella, including being uncooperative, physical or verbal aggression, depressed mood, hallucinations, delusions, nightmares, disorientation, poor insight, among many others. Your friend is actually exhibiting fairly mild symptoms right now compared to what could be going on with him."

"He really hasn't been himself since he was abducted and left for dead in the mine," Sam said. "I don't think he believed he was going to get out of there alive. It really seemed to do a number on him."

Dr. Scanlon nodded. "That makes sense. It was likely very traumatic for him."

"So, how is this condition treated?" Hetty asked.

"Well, Dr. Hathaway and I have spoken at length and as Mr. Callen is still exhibiting symptoms from the sepsis, release from the hospital is not yet an option. We'll see how he does over the next few days. Hopefully, he's going to stay put, with no more field trips. He needs to rest, to eat, to regain his strength without any more drama or anything happening to him."

"I can assure you, he won't be going on any more field trips," Granger commented gruffly. "And the perpetrators are behind bars. They won't be bothering him."

"We'll make sure he's safe," said Hetty.

Dr. Scanlon continued. "Well, that's a definite plus. Drug therapy could be initiated, but I'm reluctant to start that right now, unless his symptoms are exacerbated or prolonged. I will continue to talk with him and suggest you do the same. In the long term, it may benefit him to have sessions with a licensed psychologist, but that's nothing we need to address at the moment." He turned to Sam. "I think it's extremely important for you, especially, to be there for him as much as you can. You seem to be very important to him."

"Of course," Sam said earnestly as he nodded. "He's important to me as well. I'll do whatever it takes to get G better."

Dr. Scanlon smiled. "I can see that he has a lot of support. That will be helpful."

"What if his symptoms persist beyond the one month mark?" Hetty asked.

"I'd prefer not to even think about that possibility at the moment," Dr. Scanlon said. "Better not to borrow trouble. Let's just take it day-by-day for the time being and cross other bridges if we get to them."

xxxxx

"Hey Sam…" Deeks greeted the agent who was sitting in the waiting area by Callen's room. "How's Callen doing?"

Sam shook his head, offering a faint smile to Kensi who leaned her crutches against a chair and sat down next to him. "He still thinks I'm dead."

Deeks and Kensi exchanged a glance. "You haven't talked to him yet?" Deeks asked.

"Oh I've talked to him," Sam said with a sigh.

"But…" Kensi began, looking perplexed.

"The doctor says he has some kind of psychotic disorder, supposedly temporary," Sam explained. "I just don't know. Hetty and Granger are in with him now. "

"So, you talked to him, but he still doesn't believe you're alive?" Deeks asked, still struggling to understand what he was being told.

"Yep."

"That doesn't make sense, Sam," Kensi said. "Did he just ignore you?"

"No. He talked to me, but the doctor said he still thinks I'm dead."

"Maybe the doctor got it wrong," Kensi said. "When Granger and Hetty come out, the three of us will go in there. We'll straighten Callen out."

"We can try," said Sam glumly, but he didn't look particularly optimistic.

Deeks sat next to Kensi and the three made idle small talk until Hetty and Granger came out of Callen's room a short while later.

"Hello Mr. Deeks, Ms. Blye," Hetty said, greeting the two junior team members. "How are the two of you doing today?"

"We're good, Hetty," Deeks replied. "How's Callen?"

"He's asleep right now," Hetty told them.

"Does he still think Sam is dead?" Kensi asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Granger said, joining in the conversation. "He seems rather adamant about it."

"I'm still not getting this," Deeks said. "It's absurd, especially for Callen of all people."

"Psychiatric disorders do not discriminate," Hetty said. "Mr. Callen has gone through a great deal and unfortunately, it has had a bigger effect on him than we could have imagined."

"Well, that sucks," Deeks said.

"Indeed it does, Mr. Deeks," remarked Hetty, unable to hold back a bit of a smile at Deeks' words, "but he has a very good support system. Hopefully, he will get through this."

"I'm going to go in there now," Sam said as he stood up. "I want to be there when he wakes up. Maybe it will help."

"Do you want me and Kensi to go with you, Sam?" Deeks asked.

"I don't know… I wonder if Its better for me to be alone with him at first…"

"Alright…we'll wait for you here. Just let us know when you want us to come in."

Sam nodded. "Thanks…I'll do that…"

xxxxx

While sitting by Callen's bedside, Sam began to research his partner's condition on Callen's laptop. He read the symptoms repeatedly, odd or uncharacteristic behavior, false ideas, hearing and seeing things that weren't real… At least Callen wasn't experiencing strange speech or language. Sam took heart when he read most people had a good outcome, but then began to experience doubt when he read about possible complications including violence and suicide. "You've got to get through this, partner," Sam whispered, looking at his friend with great concern.

Sam had been in Callen's room for about an hour when his partner began to stir. Sam unconsciously held his breath, making no move to talk to or touch Callen. Finally, his eyes opened and he stared at Sam, looking extremely unsettled. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then closed it and continued to stare. After what seemed to be a very long time, but probably was only a couple of minutes, Sam could not keep silent any longer. "Aren't you going to say anything?" he asked.

"You…you're alive?" Callen asked tremulously.

Sam breathed a sigh of relief as he took Callen's hand and squeezed it firmly. "Yes, I'm alive, buddy. I'm right here."

"I…" Callen shook his head, looking extremely troubled. "But…"

"You must have been dreaming, G." Sam didn't want to mention the possibility that he might have been hallucinating. "I'm sure that it seemed very real to you. But, I'm alive and I'm okay. I promise you I am."

Callen's eyes began to tear up and he quickly squeezed them closed although a few tears managed to escape and trickle down his cheeks. "I…I believed it, Sam," he said as he opened his eyes again and focused them back on his partner, his breathing beginning to quicken. "I believed that you were dead…you…you looked so bad."

"Come on, G. Don't give in to this okay? Slow your breathing, calm yourself down. Everything's going to be okay. I promise you. It was not real."

Callen nodded as he focused on what Sam was saying and made a conscious effort to control his breathing. He then looked around for some water, but he didn't see any. "I'm really thirst. Can…can I have some water?" he asked as he licked his lips which were parched.

"Yeah…I'll be right back." Sam rushed out of the room to the vending machine where he got a bottle of water. He didn't want to waste time going to the kitchen to get a pitcher. He was afraid he would return to Callen's room only to have his partner refusing to believe he was alive once again.

Sam returned to Callen's bedside and was happy to see him sitting up and appearing more composed. He silently handed him the bottle of water. "Thanks," Callen said as he twisted off the cover and took a long sip.

"No problem."

"So…Callen began, his eyes zeroing in on Sam's, "that shrink never said what's wrong with me. Do you know?"

"G…I really don't think I should be talking to you about this." Sam didn't want to get into this with him, not when he seemed a little better.

"Tell me."

"You should talk to the doctor."

"You're afraid to tell me. I know something is wrong. I…I just don't feel like myself."

"I'm not afraid. There isn't anything to be afraid of. I just want to make sure you get correct information."

"So…this is how it ends," Callen said softly as he hung his head. "After all these years as an agent…it was Jonathan Page who caused my downfall."

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked. "This isn't your downfall. It's just temporary. You're going to be alright."

"No I'm not, Sam," Callen said despondently. "This shouldn't have gotten to me this way. I…I've never been mentally weak like this before. I'm supposed to be the team leader. I guess that'll be your job now."

"G…listen to me," Sam stated emphatically. "You are NOT weak. For God's sake, take a minute and think about all you've gone through. You got stabbed on a plane, then the plane crashed, your wound got infected, you got kidnapped from the hospital, beat up and left in a cave to die, developed sepsis, got punched around again, then trapped in a fire… You really think you should be able to just brush this off and go on with your life as if nothing happened?"

Callen shrugged.

"Well you can't. It's going to take time, but you're going to be alright, partner. We're all here for you. Trust me on this."

"Granger's going to fire me," Callen whispered. "He's been looking for an excuse for years…Now he finally has one…"

"That's just not true." Sam shook his head as he stared at his partner who was usually so self-assured and confident, now subdued and basically a shadow of his former self. "Let me help you, G…" he pleaded softly.

"Do you mind leaving me alone for a while, Sam?" Callen asked as he laid down on the bed and huddled on his side. "I'd just like to be alone…"

Sam looked at Callen, feeling helpless, not knowing how to cope with this partner who was nothing like the partner and best friend he had worked with for the last 10 years. "I'll leave you alone for now, G," he said as he got up and slowly began to walk towards the door. "But you're not getting rid of me that easily. I'll be back soon."