A/N - Thanks again for all the support for this story, it's amazing and encouraging.
I'm in the middle of trying to write the last couple chapters (which are still a reasonable distance away. There is quite a bit left of the story) and am having a little trouble figuring out just how to wrap everything up so since it this one just required a final polish, I decided to do that in the hopes that it will help me get into the right 'zone' to get somewhere with the writing.
There is a phone conversation in this chapter, the italics are what the person on the phone can hear but no one else can. It does get explained a little but thought I'd just add this note here to help keep it clear.
Disclaimer in Chapter one.
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Chapter 45
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Once Callen and Sam arrived at the hospital, the last part of the journey by made pushing the boundaries of the speed limit, they found their way quickly to Mary's room. Sam took care of a distraction whilst Callen slipped into the room.
Lying on the bed was woman, definitely younger than he was. Light brown hair or dark blonde hair, Callen couldn't quite decide, but it was close enough to his own to give him hope. Her eyes were closed so he couldn't see if they matched or not.
His sister? Maybe.
He wished he could figure it out, but short of having a DNA test or waiting and hoping he could find his mother he didn't have a whole lot of choice. He wasn't entirely sure he could swing a DNA test right now without a fair amount of help from Hetty and a needle. Needle... He mentally shivered at the thought, but knew he'd be willing, if it would give him answers. Maybe he would talk to Hetty.
Callen checked over her chart. He knew enough to be able to work out that Mary was critical. She'd lost a lot of blood from the bullet, taken a blow to the head and had been fairly unresponsive so far. The bullet had gone all the way through, thankfully not damaging anything vital. It was mostly the loss of blood that was the concerning factor, whether she could recover from almost being drained and what damage that would leave her with.
Callen turned quickly at the sound of the door being opened. He relaxed slightly as Sam slipped through to join him.
"How is she?" Sam asked.
Callen shook his head as he turned back to Mary. "Not looking good."
"You think she is your sister?"
"I don't know. I don't have anything to compare her to," he said as he wished he had more memories of Amy to help. "Tossing up asking Hetty for a DNA test."
Sam almost snorted in disbelief and that brought a small smile to Callen's face.
"You? Needle? Volunteer?"
"Come on, Sam. This is bigger than me not liking needles."
Sam turned serious again. "It is. I've organised some security for her. Just in case."
Callen turned back to Sam with a slight frown. "Is that what you were talking about with them out there?"
Sam nodded as his gaze slid past Callen to the woman on the bed. Callen stepped back to give Sam a better look. Maybe Sam would see something in her that he had missed.
"Yeah. They saw you slip in, had to think quick," Sam answered. "Called Hetty. She played along brilliantly. She's sending over some agents from the base here and there are two security guards outside already. I've told them we'll be in here until our replacements arrive."
Callen was once again grateful for Sam's ability to think on his feet. "At least she should be safe then, at least from whoever did this."
He turned back to Mary and glanced over the machines again, hoping to see some change that would indicate she was getting better.
"Hey, if she's anything like you, she'll pull through," Sam encouraged him.
"Yeah," Callen said, hoping that some of the fight that he had in him was actually genetic.
Sam stepped away and went to stand by the door, giving Callen some space. Callen pulled a chair up beside Mary and sat down. He hated hospitals but here he was anyway, listening to the beeping of the machines keeping her alive.
His sister? He still wasn't sure if he wanted her to be or not. Just another person in his life that could be hurt. No, he fought with himself. No. He wasn't alone anymore. He wasn't going to run. His family, his pack. If she was a part of it, he would protect her too. If she survived this.
Sam straightened up as a voice came clearly through the door.
"Don't even think about it. I'm her daughter and you will let me in there. Unless you want to be in a hospital bed yourself," said the firm and distinctively female voice.
Callen stood quickly, gun drawn but kept behind his back and glanced at Sam, who already had his gun ready and was just about to step up to the door as it flew open. Sam narrowly missed it slamming into his face. A woman walked in and Sam reached out to stop her going any further. She threw him a look and said, "Hands off unless you want to lose it."
The look and tone were similar to those from Hetty that usually had Sam quaking in his boots and doing whatever she had asked. Sam dropped his hand from her and she turned and walked over to the bed, ignoring both of them. Sam moved to follow her, tense and ready, just in case she tried something.
"Mum?" she whispered as she looked at the woman on the bed. She reached down and kissed her gently on the head before turning around to look at the two men in the room, looking at Callen for slightly longer than she did Sam
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Federal Agents," Callen replied. "Who are you?"
"Grace. Who shot my mother?" she asked, getting straight to the point.
"Don't know," Callen answered. He studied her face, tried to see if there was something of himself in her.
Grace glared at him and turned back to her mother as one of the monitors made a funny beep. She looked them over and but there were no more unusual noises. She continued to look at her mother as she asked again.
"I don't believe you. Who the hell shot my mother?" Grace asked again, in the same tone as when she had told Sam hands off earlier, though there was a note of distress underlying it.
"It's the truth. We don't know who," Sam reiterated.
"But you have some idea who it was or that she is in danger. Because if you didn't there wouldn't be security outside nor would you be in here," Grace surmised fairly accurately. "Unless, of course, you are the ones who did it and you are here to finish the job."
Callen saw her hand move to underneath her jacket at the back and reached for his gun again when he saw she had one tucked into the back of her jeans. But she didn't reach for it. Instead she pulled something out of her pocket, turned around and threw it at him. Callen caught it easily, gathering that she didn't actually think they were the bad guys since the gun was still tucked away. He looked at the I.D in his hands quickly before looking back to her, she spoke again.
"I don't give a damn how classified this is, I swear neither of you will work again unless you tell me who you are and why you are in my mother's room," Grace demanded, looking straight at Callen and confidently held his gaze.
The I.D said Grace Johnstone. Twenty seven. But that couldn't be right. Neither could the fact that she had some very official looking FBI identification that said she had an extremely high level of clearance. It couldn't possibly be real; which also meant she was bluffing about making sure they wouldn't work again.
Callen showed Sam the I.D and Sam raised his eyebrows just slightly. Enough for Callen to pick up on and know Sam had the same doubts as he did. Callen decided to play along and let her think they believed her.
"We don't know. We came to talk to your mother and father about something," Callen paused as the tears pooled in her eyes and fell, so quickly that Grace seemed shocked. "I'm sorry about your father," he said gently.
Grace nodded as she swiped at the tears. "Keep going," she ordered.
"We were informed of the shooting before we got to their home and came straight here. We've organised security because we don't know who it was who did this, or whether they are done," Sam said.
Grace nodded. "Now tell me where you are from."
"NCIS."
Grace frowned. "Navy?"
Callen nodded.
Grace opened her mouth to further question them but at a sound from the bed she turned quickly.
"Grace?" came a weak and very faint voice from the bed.
"Mum?" Grace replied, her voice breathless and hopeful.
"You shouldn't be here," Mary said softly, worry filling her voice.
"What do you mean? Who did this?" Grace asked desperately. Callen and Sam moved closer to make sure they didn't miss anything.
"Your father," came the barely audible reply.
"What? Dad? But he couldn't." Grace stopped as her mother shook her head.
"Not Owen. Your real father. His men. You have to-" Mary coughed and moaned in pain. The beeps on the machines went a little crazy.
"Mum, stop," Grace begged. "You have to get better." She bent down and stroked her mother's hair to try and calm her down.
"No, you have to run," Mary said. Sam and Callen exchanged glances at this, both wondering about the desperation in Mary's tone, which grew as she continued. "You and your grandmother. He knows about you. He knows everything. Tell her, tell her he knows everything. She'll understand."
"I don't -"
"I know. Please run. Now." Mary's eyes fluttered closed, the beeps slowed down and settled as she slipped into unconsciousness.
"What did she mean? Your father?" Callen asked.
Grace ignored him and walked out the door. Callen followed, after giving Sam orders to stay put; to protect Mary.
Callen watched as Grace stood next to the wall across the hall, her forehead against it. He didn't approach, just waited to see what she would do next. He saw her shoulders rise and fall as she took a couple of calming breaths before she straightened up and pulled out her phone to call someone.
"Grandma," Grace said, a sob breaking her voice.
"Grace? What is it?"
"It's Mum, she's in hospital … and Dad... he's ... he's dead."
"What? Darling, where? I'll come to you."
Callen stepped closer in an attempt to hear the other end of the conversation.
"You can't," Grace said with a shake of her head. "She said it was my father. She said he knew everything; that you would understand."
There was silence on the phone.
"Grandma? Please, what's going on?" Grace almost sobbed again.
Callen couldn't hear the responses and was getting frustrated.
"Grace, listen to me carefully. You know what you need to do. You remember right? How to run? How to hide?"
"Yes, but-"
"No buts. Go. I'll find you, like we planned. Just go now."
"But she's still –"
"We can't wait until she's better, Grace. You need to go now. Before it's too late for you. Please tell me you understand."
Grace nodded. "I understand."
"I love you, Grace. I will see you soon."
"I'll see you soon. Love you too."
Callen stepped back away from her, having gotten quite close during the conversation, though still frustrated that he only had one side of it.
Grace hung up, pulled the small memory card out of her phone before she turned it off. She slipped the card into her handbag as she looked to the door of the room her mother was lying in.
"I'm sorry, Grandma. I can't," she whispered causing Callen to frown, the confusion growing in his mind. He had no idea what had just gone on with the phone call, but he had a strong sense that it wasn't good. Grace turned and walked away from the room.
"Where are you going?" Callen called out to her, as he followed. Grace turned back to face him, he could see the pain on her face; pain and determination.
"I have a murderer to kill," Grace replied before she turned and continued walking away quickly.
Callen followed her down the corridor. He put his hand on her shoulder to stop her. Grace spun around and had his hand in a vice like grip quickly.
"Try and stop me again and you won't be here as a visitor," Grace warned. Callen put his hands up in a sign of surrender after she let him go.
"Sorry, just wanted to talk before you go," Callen said.
"Why?" Grace asked suspiciously.
"She said your father did this? Do you know where to find him?" Callen asked.
He watched as she took a deep breath and he saw the pain flash in her eyes.
"I wish I didn't. But yes, I know where he is," Grace said as she turned and walked away again. As she passed by a bin, she ditched the phone. Callen frowned at her actions wondering just what she was up to. His thoughts drifted to Sam and Annabel.
Sam was stuck in the room waiting for the agents Hetty had organized, but they weren't here and would probably be a little while yet. Sam wasn't going to be happy that Callen was about to take off on his own. Callen knew he wouldn't be letting Grace out of his sight. Whatever was happening with her, he was sure was big and most likely dangerous. He felt in his pocket for his phone and almost groaned when he realised he didn't have one. They'd borrowed Nate's and Sam had it. The fact that he had the car keys was really going to put him in Sam's bad books.
Callen caught up with Grace as she found her car and pulled out her keys. As she was about to unlock the door, he quickly plucked the keys out of her hand. Grace spun around and looked at him. He stepped back slightly at her look. No wonder Sam had let her go earlier in the hospital room. She could definitely pull off scary and intimidating.
"You seriously want to end up in there in a bed of your own don't you?" Grace reached for her keys which Callen kept away from her.
"You always this nice?" Callen asked.
"Usually I'm an angel. I don't take kindly to people messing with my family," Grace replied.
"Fair enough, neither do I. I'm not trying to stop you, I'm just going to drive," Callen told her. Sam was going to kill him. He didn't want to think about what Annabel would do to him when she found out he'd left Sam.
"You think you're coming with me?" Grace asked with a lift of an eyebrow. Callen was sure that look was familiar.
"Yep," Callen said, his answer full of a confidence he wasn't entirely sure he felt.
"You think I am going to get in a car with a strange guy whose name I don't even know, let alone anything else about him? I'm not stupid."
Callen watched as Grace looked him over carefully. A look he knew was one of assessment; most likely considering how to get her keys back.
"Name's Graham. Shall we go?" At least that was what the I.D said that he'd grabbed out of the car before going inside. His spare I.D, the one he'd never used that was his emergency one.
"Last name?" she asked.
Cartwright? Carling? Damn, he didn't usually forget like this.
"Not important," Callen replied, when he couldn't figure it out. Her eyes narrowed at him.
"Liar," Grace said. Callen didn't respond to that and just waited. After a moment she continued. "Why do you want to come?"
"I want to get this guy too," Callen told her.
"Not as much as I do, and I can do this much better alone." Grace reached for her keys, which again, Callen kept out of her reach.
"You'd be surprised at how much I want him," Callen said seriously.
It wasn't hard, considering everything that had happened in the last two weeks, to come to a reasonable conclusion that this was connected. Which meant that if they could find who did this to Mary they just might get more of a lead on who was after him. There was the possibility that they were one and the same, which probably meant going with Grace was more dangerous than he'd first thought when he'd followed her. Whoever this guy was had hurt his family, at least that was the way it felt. He was sure that somehow Mary and Grace were connected to him and he just had to figure out how.
"Fine, go find him yourself," Grace said, as she made another attempt to get the keys. "I'm doing this my way, you do it yours."
"My way is with you," Callen told her. "Look, your dad has just been killed by your father. Your mother may or may not make it and whatever that conversation was on the phone has left you rattled. If you really think you are in a fit state to drive or dish out revenge single handedly, then get the keys off me and go. If you can," Callen challenged her as he put the keys in his pocket and hoped he wouldn't actually regret what he had just tempted her to do.
Grace looked at him and for a moment, contemplated making sure he ended up in the emergency room. She was confident of her abilities, though she did know that she wasn't invincible. Her grandmother had taken no chances when it came to making sure she could defend herself. Whether that translated to attack she wasn't quite sure, she'd never had reason to test that idea out. But there was only one man she wanted to hurt right now and she focused all of that rage on him, not on the one in front of her.
"Fine, but I give the orders," Grace said as she walked around to the passenger's side.
"Fine, but I reserve to right to ignore them," Callen replied, as he got in the driver's seat and started the car. He was quite relieved that things had gone better than he had expected.
Callen looked across at her. "Where to?" he asked.
"Airport," Grace said before she looked out the window away from him.
"Yes Ma'am," Callen said as he pulled out of the car park and sent a mental apology to Sam whilst he wondered what Hetty would say to Sam when he eventually called her.
