"So what's the next step?"

Callen takes a long, deep sigh at Nell's question. The pair stand outside the doorway that leads to Hetty's large hospital room, giving Hetty time alone to be checked in by doctors. Nell hasn't seen the operations manager in her state and Callen won't let her. As he looks down at the small redhead, the agent can feel his hands tremble continuously; with the hand behind his back, he states, "It's brain damage, Nell. The doctors have to meet and come with a plan."

Nell crosses her arms and narrows her eyes at the small glass that sits above the doorknob, her green eyes shining under her bangs. "I need to see her. Maybe seeing me and Eric and the others will help jog her memory."

"It's not the memory of everyone else that's the problem," Callen sighs. He takes a grip onto one of Nell's arm and pulls her over to the opposing wall. "Her words are slurring and her short term memory is shot to hell. She doesn't know Deeks."

"There has to be at least something that we can do. Anything!" Nell covers his mouth on her words ending in a squeal. She shakes her head and then looks back to the door once more. "Should we tell Kensi and Deeks?"

"We can tell them that she's awake," Callen sighs, "but when it comes to the memory loss, maybe we let that part out. He needs to focus on meeting his family and finally settling down for once." The agent ends with a weak nod and turns to walk back to the nurse's station. The redhead watches his slow, exhausted walk down the hallway, realizing that keeping the truth about Hetty's health from Kensi and Deeks will be harder than Callen realizes.


Hilo

"You don't have to do this."

Deeks rubs the longer-than-normal scruff under his chin and nods at Kensi's words. He's leaning against an oak table in one of the hospital's conference table, trying to deal with the bit of news his new brother had just dropped on him twenty minutes ago. Wyatt's grandmother- his grandmother- spotted Wyatt on the six o'clock news on a report from one of the news channels that had surrounded the safe house along with the police. And Wyatt in his glee over his brother had accidently agreed to meet her at the hospital.

"Deeks, did you hear me?" Kensi calls out. She moves around the edge of the table and stops inches away from him. "Wyatt didn't say anything about you so you don't have to be here when she comes. All she knows is that he got involved with a NCIS investigation. Sam and I can talk to her alone."

Deeks bites the inside of his cheek and shakes his head. "I know that, but…..she'll be here and with more and more family members popping out of the blue, I'd rather just rip the Band-Aid off, you know?"

"This isn't a one day thing, Deeks. This isn't something that you need to ready yourself for and then take little by little!"

"Kensi, I'm not leaving!" Deeks snaps. He softens his expression and says quietly, "I have to meet her whether I'm ready or not."

As if on cue, there's a knock on the door that causes both Kensi and Deeks to freeze. The door opens quickly and Wyatt slips into the room, wide-eyed and flustered. With a shrug and a step to the side, Wyatt states, "Get ready and just hold your ground."

Wait, what? Deeks looks to the door to see a blonde haired woman in her mid-sixties burst into the room. She drops her briefcase onto a red leather chair at the head of the table. She furiously marches across the room and stops inches away from Kensi's face. Deeks feels the air suck out of his lungs when he identifies every single physical features from the picture of his mother in this woman.

It's definitely his grandmother.

"Who the hell are you to drag my grandson into whatever the hell government crap you have?" The woman growls at Kensi. "I will take you to court-"

"You don't even know where I work-"

"Really? Wyatt told me that you're NCIS," the woman whips her head at Deeks, "Who the hell are you two?"

"Ma-Marty Deeks and Kensi Blye," Deeks stammers. It's a miracle he's able to get out anything that resembles words. "You?"

"Alleluia Matthews. I'm the attorney general of the whole damn state. Now I would like to know why my grandson got dragged into the middle of a NCIS investigation!"

Attorney general, I'm related to an attorney general, Deeks thinks in pure disbelief. He's thankful when Kensi up and states, "My name is Kensi Blye as my partner said and Wyatt assisted in saving both our lives. He was able to connect us to the police when we had been both attacked. He was in no way forced into help us and will-"

Wyatt cuts her off. "She's not telling you everything, Nana. I called the police because this woman and my brother was in danger."

Alleluia whips around to face Wyatt while Deeks lets out a gasp in disbelief and Kensi sighs in frustration. Wyatt smiles sadly and states, "I was visiting Mom's grave when I came across them at her grave. They told me that Agent Deeks is Micah and I believe them."

Alleluia scoffs, "Seriously? Two people come up to and claim to be your dead brother and you believe them?"

"Nana, take a look at him. Please."

"Fine." Alleluia crosses her arms and begins scanning Deeks from top to bottom the same way Hetty always did back in Los Angeles. There's a minute of deafening silence between the two as Alleluia walks a complete circle around the blonde haired agent before suddenly stopping in her tracks and lets out an uncharacteristic gasp.

"This isn't possible. I buried Micah with Lilane and James years ago. I remember that day down to the second- a short woman with brown hair came to the door and told me that the entire family had died in Spain. She told me that you all were dead without even a blink of pity!" Alleluia exclaims. "This isn't possible and yet I can see Lilane in you. I can see my baby girl's eyes, nose, crazy hair she had as a kid- all of it."

"The woman who you met was protecting him from the blowback of something Lilane's husband did," Kensi says, "It's a long, long story."

"I don't care. I am an analytical person- in any other case in the world, I would need DNA and the paperwork in front of me to believe something like this, but right now I don't care. I don't care about how that woman brutally lied to me or whatever brought you here- all I care about right now is my Micah being here."

As Alleliu pulls Deeks into her arms, Deeks can't help but be locked on Alleliu's words I don't care about how that woman brutally lied to us. He had expected the next few times for himself to feel a burning anger towards any mention of Hetty's lie, but in this moment as he's hugged and surrounded by family, it's an odd and uncomfortable feeling of gratefulness.