Life As We Know It Chapter 17, a ncis: los angeles fanfic

Chapter 17–Random Tandem

The pace at the hospital had calmed down considerably, so Dr. Marshall decided to begin his paperwork. He was sitting at the Nurses' Station, filling out and checking everything. He found all of the necessary papers he needed to file on Callen to be filled out properly, but information was very haphazard and sketchy on Anna's papers.

He laid the forms side-by-side, determined to figure out what was bugging him so much. He went through both with a fine-toothed comb and pencil, circling the parts that weren't making sense. Then his eyes bugged out of his head. He spun around in his chair.

The Charge Nurse was filling out her paperwork, too.

"Do you know who the admitting staff was during second shift?" he asked her.

"No. I know it wasn't me," she said. "What's wrong?"

"We have a grave clerical error to fix," he growled. He held up Anna's paper. "Look at this!"

The nurse read the forms, and looked at him funny. "There's nothing written on this!" she observed. "Not even a potential plan of treatment."

Dr. Marshall nodded. "That's just IT. Ms. Kolcheck does not belong here!"

"My God! That leaves us wide open for a lawsuit!"

"You're telling me?!" He stood up. "Come with me. I want to look at the message board in her room."

The nurse's eyes opened wide. "Should you?"

"Absolutely! I want to get to the bottom of this!" He grabbed the sheaf of papers from the desk, and strode down to Anna's room with the Charge Nurse on his tail.

He knocked on the door before he opened it.

Anna was wide awake.

"Sorry to disturb you, Ms. Kolcheck," he said, standing over by the board.

"I'm fine," Anna said. She watched them out of curiosity.

With each shift change, the message boards were to be changed, replacing the information with the current staff and any updated treatment plans.

"Miss, what's your name?" Dr. Marshall asked, more confused than ever.

"Anna Kolcheck," Anna replied. "Is there a problem?"

Dr. Marshall frowned. Even the names did not match. "You're not June Mickle?"

"No," Anna said. "Why?"

"Ms. Kolcheck, we have unearthed a discrepancy with your information. We have papers, but they are incomplete. The EMT's papers are fine. The problem happened here."

"Doctor, what is the problem?" she wanted to know.

He looked her square in the eye. "You're not supposed to be here. Only Mr. Callen."

"Excuse me?" Anna gasped.

"There is no indication on the EMT forms that you had an episode of PTSD, and that only Mr. Callen did," Dr. Marshall explained.

Anna had been lying down, and she sat up abruptly. "I didn't. I got overly upset when Mr. Callen had his episode, and our boss thought it would be best if I came here with him."

"I understand that," the doctor replied. "It's not as complicated as it sounds, but it's not all that easy to fix either." He consulted her papers. "There's no treatment listed here for you."

"The nurse told me I had a therapy appointment at ten tomorrow."

The Charge Nurse nodded. She pointed to the message board. "See here, Dr. Marshall," she said.

He glanced at the whiteboard. Sure enough, June Mickle had an appointment for ten.

"Ms. Kolcheck, I must apologize for all of the misunderstandings," he continued. "In fact, I'd like to discharge you right now so you can go home."

"What?!" Anna asked. "What about Mr. Callen?"

"His paperwork is in order, so he will be staying for observation," the nurse said. "I'm very sorry for all of this mess."

"Wow," Anna sighed. "Thank you, Dr. Marshall. Can I go see Mr. Callen before I leave?"

Both the doctor and the nurse smiled. "Sure," he said. "I don't see why not, especially under these circumstances. Do you have a way to get home?"

"Yes. I'll call my husband's partner," Anna said, taking delight from her white lie.

"Okay, then," said Dr. Marshall. "The nurse will help you."

The Charge Nurse said, "Ms. Kolcheck, do you have any kind of luggage with you?"

"No. Not at all. Just my satchel, and now the bag with my clothes in it."

"Okay. Let me go find something for your feet," the nurse added. "I'll be back shortly."

"Thank you," Anna said, and she meant it.

Anna pulled out her phone, and poked Sam's number. He picked up almost immediately. She explained her predicament, and he listened in shock. He assured her that he'd be there very quickly.

A moment later, the nurse returned with a pair of slipper socks which she slid onto Anna's feet.

"They're color co-ordinated?" Anna asked.

The nurse laughed. "Yes. I did my very best. I'm sorry you have no clothes to put on."

"Don't worry about it."

"No, no. I must. How about we put another gown on you so that you're properly covered?"

"I can do that," Anna agreed. "Thank you."

The nurse checked the supply closet, and found a gown to put on Anna on top of the one she was already wearing, and tied it in the front. Anna paraded around, and the nurse laughed. She came to a stop in front of the older woman.

"I was serious when I asked if I could see Mr. Callen," she said.

"I understand," the nurse said. "Normally, we don't do that, but this is not a normal circumstance. Do you have all your things?"

"Yes," Anna said, hoisting the satchel onto her left shoulder. She had put the green bag inside. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," the nurse said. "Follow me. When you're ready to leave, use the call bell to have someone bring you to the Nurses' Station."

"Will do," Anna said. "Thank you again. I really appreciate this."

The nurse knocked on Callen's door, and opened it. He was sitting up, watching TV.

"Mr. Callen," she said, "someone would like a word with you."

He turned his head toward the door. "Oh, my God! Anna!"

The nurse hesitated a moment before she left.

"What brings you here, baby?" He was happy to see her.

Anna crossed to the bed, and then gave him a kiss and a big hug. She hung onto him for a few minutes.

"There's a discrepancy in my paperwork. They have to send me home," she explained, before kissing him again.

"Say what?!"

Anna pulled on him, and he got up, and gave her a proper hug.

"I didn't have a PTSD episode, so I cannot stay is what all this means," Anna said. She pushed on him slightly, and he turned around and sat down on the clunky chair. She sat on his lap and snuggled him.

"Wow. That's some discrepancy," Callen said. "How are you getting home?"

"I called Sam, and he's coming in a minute," she replied.

"That's good," he said softly. "Are you really okay?"

She leaned back on him. "Yes. I'm okay now, Callen. I wish you could come home with me; don't think I don't want you to," she said, "but I'll manage."

"You could stay with Arkady."

"No! No way!" she objected.

Callen snickered. "I know, baby. You probably should get going." She stood up, and he looked her up and down, and nodded. "I like your new outfit."

Anna laughed. She marched around, showing her ensemble off. "I even have matching footwear." She held up her foot to show off her blue tread-socks.

"Very nice," he praised. He stood up and hugged her, and then kissed her. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Anna kissed him passionately, and then reached for his call bell.

"I want to stay with you."

"I know you do, but you can't." He held her face between his hands for a moment and then kissed her forehead. "Ya tebya lyublyu, moya Anna."

"Da," she whispered, just as a rookie knocked on their door. "Ya tozhe tebya lyublyu." She gave him a quick kiss, and followed the rookie.

Callen climbed into his bed. He was glad that she didn't have to stay, but he was beginning to miss her a bit more intensely than he had been. He shut off the TV, and settled down. Before he closed his eyes, he shuffled through his phone, and found one of his favorite pictures of Anna, and put it under his pillow, and then closed his eyes. He slept soundly.

The rookie waited with Anna in the outside atrium. They did not talk much, but were comfortable together. After several minutes, Anna could hear the rumble of the Challenger.

Sam pulled up right in front of them. Anna thanked the girl for staying with her, and then she buckled herself into the car.

"Thanks, Sam," she said. "I —"

"Never mind, Anna," the big man said. "It's okay. What happened?"

"They messed up my paperwork. I did not have an episode of PTSD, so I wasn't supposed to stay anyway."

"Oh, boy!" he gasped, looking at her. "How's G?"

"He's okay, but I wish I could bring him home with me."

Sam patted her arm. "I know you do, Anna, but it's for the best. Something in him is off, and we need to find out why and what's causing it," he said. "In all the years I've worked with him, I think he might have had one episode once, many years ago, and then nothing until now."

"Thanks, Sam," she replied.

"You're welcome, Anna," he said. "You'll both be fine."

"I know."

Anna entered the quiet house, and turned on some lights. She sat up for a little while, in the kitchen, noshing on some cheese and crackers. She texted Callen to let him know she had gotten home, but did not get a response. She was pretty sure he was sleeping.

Then she cleaned up the kitchen, and went upstairs. When she got into her room, she was surprised to see their treasures still on the little table. What was most startling was Callen's box. She had never known of its existence until the night they handed the apartment keys over to Deeks. She stared at it, dying of curiosity. As much as she wanted to go through the box, she knew she could not. That kind of betrayal would destroy their relationship forever, and Anna was not going to risk losing Callen over it. But she did pick it up and hug it for a moment before she replaced it on the table, putting the little frame on top, just as Callen had done so.

She got ready for bed, and had no problem climbing into the bed on Callen's side. She snuggled deeply into the blankets, using her own pillow, and clutching his to her heart. She fell into a deep, peaceful sleep, and slept soundly until mid-morning.

When Anna awoke, it was nearly eleven o'clock, and her phone was buzzing itself into a frenzy. She poked it.

"Hello?"

"Ms. Kolcheck, this is Dr. Peters' office. You had an appointment for today at ten—" the secretary said.

"What?!" Anna reacted. Then her eyes widened in shock. "Oh, my gosh! I completely forgot!" she exclaimed. "We had a very bad day yesterday. Mr. Callen is in the hospital."

"Oh, my gosh!" the girl said. "What happened?"

"He had another episode of PTSD," Anna explained.

"Oh—!"

"Since I missed the ten o'clock appointment, do you want me to come in this afternoon, or some other day?" Anna made her way into the bathroom.

"Let me go find out. I'm going to put you on hold for a moment."

"Not a problem." She put the phone down, and then took care of herself. When she was finished, she snuggled into her bed again, although she sat up, leaning against the headboard.

"Hello?" came the girl's voice. "Dr. Peters said you can come in later today."

Anna was mildly surprised, but glad. Having something physical to do would be good for taking her mind off Callen and his situation.

"Thank you very much," she said. "I'll be there."

In the middle of the night, Callen woke up in a sweat. His mind was overactive, and he began to panic. He took a deep breath, and held it until he felt his lungs would burst. He let it out slowly, and came to realize that he wasn't at home, and that he was still in the hospital. He wasn't happy about it, but he was able to recognize why he was there.

With his unusual movements, a pair of nurses came running into his room to check on him. They saw that he was flustered, but he assured them that he was okay. He explained that he had had a bad dream, and that he was able to bring himself out of his potential episode. The nurses stayed for several long minutes, monitoring his vitals on their machines, and the numbers did return to normal.

"Will you be able to sleep again?" one girl asked.

He nodded. "Yes."

"Do you need a sleeping pill?" the other asked.

"I don't think so. If I have a problem, I will let you know," Callen replied, turning onto his side. He wished he were at home with Anna. "I'll be okay. I'm just missing my girl."

The older of the two nodded. "Yes. Okay. Call us if you need us," she said, rechecking the numbers on his machines. "You're back to normal."

"Thank you for that," he said, and he meant it.

After they left, Callen lay on his bed, on his back, studying the ceiling and looking for fun patterns, of which there were none. To help himself relax all the way, he pulled his phone out from under his pillow, and went through his entire Gallery of photographs of Anna. He finally settled on one where she was walking along the seashore. He tucked the phone in its niche, and turned onto his stomach, and closed his eyes. He slept through the night.

Anna got up and took a shower, and got herself pulled together. She fixed herself a proper breakfast, and then put in a load of laundry, remembering to add her wet clothes from the day before.

Then she found a book to read, and sat out in the sun for a little while, until it was time for her to go to her appointment. The drive was a little lonesome as she was used to driving over with Callen, but she managed. She sat in the waiting room for a few minutes before Dr. Peters called her in.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Kolcheck," Dr. Peters said. "How are you today?"

"I've been better," Anna replied, sitting down on an easy chair.

"What happened?"

"We took Callen to the hospital yesterday when he had another episode of PTSD," she explained. "I went too, but they mixed up my paperwork, and I got sent home last night."

Dr. Peters stared at her. "Whoa! That's an awful lot to deal with," she said.

Anna nodded. "It was, but the worst was watching Callen zone out again."

"Again?"

"Yes. He had had a bout early last week, too, but yesterday, it happened at work."

"Was he out in the field?"

Anna shook her head. "None of us were. We were all playing basketball in the gym, and the whistle set him off."

"I see. What did you do?"

"Truthfully? I freaked out. Badly."

"What happened?"

"Dr. Peters, I was never so scared in my life! I've never seen him like that. Even last week, he wasn't that bad. We couldn't bring him out of it, so our boss called for an ambulance. And I freaked out. So, she said for me to accompany him. And I did."

"Was Mr. Callen aware of your hysteria?"

"Not at all."

"You rode in the ambulance with him?"

"Yes. My boss wanted me to go with him, and my coworker had to carry me out to it." A small smirk crossed her face.

"Did they sedate you?"

Anna shook her head. "No, they did not. They didn't even sedate him right away."

"Then what?"

"We stayed in the ER for a very long time, hanging out."

"You hung out?!"

"Dr. Peters, there is no other way to put it. We were not moved to rooms for hours on end. When some rooms were ready, we each got a room. Then the lead doctor found a huge discrepancy in my paperwork, and I got sent home."

"Wow!" said Dr. Peters. "Where is Mr. Callen now?"

"He's still there. They want to observe him for a few days."

"How do you feel about that?"

Anna scowled. "I don't like it, but I know it's necessary. Dr. Peters, he has had three bouts of PTSD in the past two weeks, and it is scaring the life out of me. Normally, he shows no signs of it."

The following morning, the nurses had a bit of a hard time waking him up in time for his therapy appointment. He came to, not very happy about being woken up.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Callen," the lead nurse said. "You have an appointment in about forty-five minutes, and you still need to have breakfast."

"I do?"

She frowned. "Please. Yes. Lunch is after one, and it's now about nine o'clock. Your appointment is at ten fifteen."

"Okay," he replied. "Thank you. Can I still order something?"

"Sure, if you do so now. Let me have your arm." She attached a blood pressure cuff to him, and the machine inflated the armband.

After a moment, it began to hiss, and she took it off. "You're okay."

Callen rubbed his arm. "That thing is bit tight."

"Sorry, but it's all we have."

He shook his head. "Don't you have the kind that they'd pump up by hand? The one with the little bulb? Please?"

"I'll have to check with the doctor," she replied, gathering up her paraphernalia. "We'll be back in the afternoon."

"That's fine," he nodded, grimacing at the thought. He picked up the menu from his bedside table, and looked at the breakfast offerings. Within a moment, he had chosen the eggs and bacon with toast, and a cup of coffee. Then he got up to freshen up.

Not too long afterward, an orderly brought him his breakfast tray, and he enjoyed every bite. He felt good, and ready for anything.

A short while later, a rookie came for him, and escorted him to his appointment.

Dr. Peters glanced at Anna's file. She looked up.

"It says here that you also suffer from PTSD," she said.

Anna bowed her head, slightly embarrassed. "Yes."

"Have you ever been hospitalized from it?"

"No."

Dr. Peters studied her patient. "Ms. Kolcheck, what made you feel embarrassed by it?"

Anna looked at her, but stayed silent. Her thoughts were in a turmoil.

"Ms. Kolcheck, what happened just now?" asked Dr. Peters who was very confused. "Are you aware that PTSD is a form of mental illness that can be treated?"

Anna shook her head. In her world, mental illness carried a very ugly stigma, and she didn't want Callen to be a part of it.

Dr. Peters continued to study Anna, and ultimately came to a conclusion.

"Ms. Kolcheck…Anna…I think we should continue this in several days. Can you come in on Thursday, around ten-thirty?"

"I think so," Anna said at last. "I'll have to clear it with my boss."

"That's fine," replied Dr. Peters. She stood up, signalling the end of the session. "Thank you."

Anna's eyes opened wide. "Thank YOU, Dr. Peters. I'm sorry I was such a dud today."

"It's okay. I'll see you on Thursday," Dr. Peters said, gently ushering her to the door. She watched Anna as she walked down the hall, and was not happy with Anna's demeanor from everything.

Callen was ready for the appointment, and he followed the aide down the hall to the therapist's office. She introduced him to the doctor, who invited Callen to join him at a table.

"Do you know why you're here, Mr. Callen?" the therapist asked.

Callen smirked. "Well, because of my PTSD for starters," he replied.

"Yes, but there's more to it than that," said the doctor. "We examine everything attached to it. Your history, your family, your mental status, how you handle problems. Lots of things, Mr. Callen."

Callen frowned. "How would my family figure into this? None of them has PTSD that I know of."

"It's just part of the profile," replied Dr. Thomas. "Do you know what set you off this time?"

"Yes. The whistle at our basketball game at work."

"How so?"

"It was shrill, and it hit me just so. Usually, the whistles have no effect on me. That day, it just hit wrong."

"What about when your girl was shot?"

Callen was startled. "Nothing. I took her to the hospital. She and I were both fine."

Dr. Thomas looked at his new patient. "Then what happened at the frame shop?"

"There was a shoot-out that day, and I saw a girl go down. Something in me reacted, and I lost it. In my brain, I thought it was Anna being shot again. My friends and coworkers tried very hard to bring me out of it, but nothing worked. They had to bring me to the hospital."

Dr. Thomas nodded. "That's all listed here. Why was it so different in the gym?"

"I don't know, Dr. Thomas. Isn't that why we're here?"

Anna drove home slowly as she was upset with herself. She wasn't happy that she had side-stepped Dr. Peters' questions, and she was very aware that the therapist was trying to help her come to terms with everything.

When she got home, she called Hetty to update her on her scheduling with the therapist, and Hetty was agreeable to it. Then she asked after Callen, and Anna was very happy to talk about him. She also told the OSP manager about the mix-up at the hospital; Hetty was mortified.

After she fixed herself a late lunch, Anna went upstairs to take a nap. She wanted to be fully rested and presentable for when she visited Callen later.

Dr. Thomas studied Callen, whose facial expression did not change. He found the man to be very mysterious, yet compelling.

"Partially, Mr. Callen. Partially," he replied. "How long have you been an agent?"

"Most of my life," Callen said, not willing to volunteer anything.

"What does that mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like."

Dr. Thomas inhaled sharply and held his breath for a moment. He exhaled slowly. "Mr. Callen, when did you become an agent?"

He glared at the therapist. He found the new therapist to be trickier than Dr. Michael was.

"When Hetty recruited me," he replied.

Dr. Thomas face-palmed himself; he couldn't help it. His new patient was incredibly frustrating, and he wasn't able to contain his ire.

"Mr. Callen," he said evenly, "how old were you when you were recruited?"

"Out of high school."

"I see," replied the therapist. "Had you started college?"

Callen shook his head. "I never went."

"I see," repeated Dr. Thomas. He changed tack. "How are you feeling right now, Mr. Callen?"

"I'm okay for the most part, Dr. Thomas," replied Callen. "A little tired, but okay."

"That's good," replied the doctor. He studied Callen. "Can you tell when an episode is coming?"

"Not really. With the shoot-out the other day, and the whistle blowing, it just happened. One minute, I was perfectly fine, and the next, I was flat on the ground, losing my mind."

"So…loud noises set you off?"

Callen looked at the other man, and frowned. He gave some serious thought to the question, and finally said, "Maybe."

On Thursday, Anna was both excited and apprehensive about her upcoming session with Dr. Peters. She knew that she had to talk about her feelings and their accompanying repercussions, yet she dreaded the idea of Callen being mentally ill. She pulled into a parking slot and sat in her car for a little while before entering the tall building.

She made her way to Dr. Peters' office. The receptionist greeted her, and then took Anna directly to the doctor.

Dr. Peters studied Anna for several minutes after she greeted her.

"Is there a problem?" Anna asked, acutely aware of the scrutiny.

Dr. Peters shook her head. "No, not at all. When you left here the other day, I was very worried about you. How are you feeling today?"

"I'm okay."

The therapist nodded. "That works. I know you're very attached to Mr. Callen, so are you okay with him being away?"

"Yes and no," Anna said truthfully. "He's been away before, but not for this."

"I see," replied the doctor. "Do you know when he will be discharged?"

"Not at all. They're keeping him for observation." Anna shifted in her chair.

"What do you think they'll learn about him?"

Anna gawked at the therapist. "What?"