8 Hours Later
Kensi bit at the tip of her thumbnail, the rest of her nails in a similar ragged state from the last 5 hours of sitting waiting by Deeks' bedside. She was bundled up in a sweatshirt Nell had brought by and multiple blankets, but she still couldn't stop shivering.
She'd carried the boy as far as she could until a medevac had arrived, and medics took over. They'd taken charge of him first, removing his wet clothes and immediately starting a series of warming protocols, before following Kensi to retrieve Deeks. From there, they'd flown to the closest hospital with a landing pad.
The doctor who treated Deeks, diagnosed him with moderate to severe hypothermia. He'd also said Kensi had mild hypothermia and frostbite and wanted to admit her for monitoring. Kensi adamantly refused, determined to stay with Deeks no matter what.
They'd assured her Deeks would regain consciousness once his body recovered sufficiently, but all she saw was his lifeless form. It didn't help that he was surrounded by special heated blankets and an IV with warm fluids meant to safely warm him without causing further damage or throw him into cardiac arrest. In addition, he was hooked up to numerous monitors and oxygen.
This was one of the least violent injuries they'd ever experienced, which somehow made it all the more horrifying. Kensi squeezed her eyes shut for a second, remembering the stress and chaos as the medical staff rolled Deeks and the boy into the medical back, frenetically working to stabilize them.
The moment when she led the rescue team to him in the woods and they'd bundled him onto a stretcher to be airlifted to the hospital. He'd been so pale, completely unresponsive, and worst of all, so cold to the touch.
She shivered now, this time from the memory rather than the cold and wrapped her arms around her torso, like the pressure would protect her.
"I'd kill for a cup of hot chocolate." Kensi's eyes sprang open at Deeks' hoarse whisper, and she jumped out of her chair, blankets falling to the floor in her hurry to reach his bed.
"Baby," she whispered, running her fingers through his hair as he stared at her through hooded eyes, head tilted against his pillow. "Oh my god, I'm so glad you're awake."
"When I went skating with my mom, she always bought me hot chocolate," he continued, phrasing slow and disjointed. He swallowed harshly and winced. "It tasted like milky water, but it was hot and oddly comforting."
"God, why can't you just say 'hi' like a normal person?" Combing her fingers through his hair, Kensi leaned forward to kiss his forehead, grateful for his unconventional methods despite her admonishment.
"Hi." He coughed harshly a couple times and winced again. "I feel like crap."
Chuckling wetly, Kensi kissed him on the mouth, ending with her forehead pressed to his, continuing to caress his cheeks and hair. It felt good to touch him.
Deeks worked the hand without an IV free, gently cupping her neck. It didn't escape her notice how much the simple gesture taxed him, his entire arm shaking. Kensi clasped her fingers over his, adding her strength to hold his hand in place. She felt his smile on her cheek and she closed her eyes again, just enjoying the sound of his soft, steady breathing.
"Did he make it?" he asked after a couple minutes. "The little boy." His brows were furrowed with worry now because of course he was thinking of someone else even though he'd nearly died himself.
Kensi lifted her head, nodding quickly.
"Yeah, baby, you saved him. He's going to have a long road ahead, but the doctors say that you got him out in time, and we kept his core body temperature up enough that he didn't go into shock," she explained.
"Thank god." He let his head fall back again, relief crossing his features. "How did you get us out of there anyway? The last thing I remember is trying to walk back to the lodge and then…that's it."
"Um." Kensi rubbed her hands on her thighs, tears filling her eyes suddenly. "Well, you passed out and I couldn't get you to wake up, so I started carrying the boy." She paused, pressing the back of her hand to her mouth. "Oh god, Deeks, I hated leaving you there. I'm so sorry, but it's the only thing I could think to do."
"No, it was the right thing," Deeks assured her quickly, fiercely. "Getting him to safety was a priority. So you made it?"
"Uh, not quite. Turns out Nell used some of her wizardry to divert a medevac on its way back from another job."
"Oh, looks like I owe Nell a fruit basket," he joked softly as Kensi wiped at her eyes again. "Hey, you did amazing out there. You saved us."
"I'm not the one who jumped into frigid water," Kensi reminded him. "You were amazing."
"You would have done the same thing if I didn't get there first." He lifted her hand and shook it gently. "Do you know anything else about him? I bet his parents are going crazy worrying about him."
"The local police are reaching out to the community and tourists, but so far he's still unidentified." Seeing his obvious concern, she added, "Once you're both more stable, maybe we can visit him."
"I'd like that."
Kensi shivered unexpectedly and wrapped her arms more tightly around her middle.
"You cold?" Deeks asked, eyeing her abandoned blankets.
"A little. Technically I'm supposed to be resting."
"Oh, I have the perfect solution to that," he said, patting the side of his bed.
"I'm not getting in bed with you," Kensi said, trying to sound severe even though the idea sounded pretty wonderful.
"Why not? I've got all these cozy blankets."
"Deeks–"
"And I really, really need to hold you right now," he added, his voice hitching as anguish filled his eyes and she couldn't deny him. Grabbing one of the blankets from the floor, she slid into the space between Deeks and the bed rail, carefully curling around his side.
He sighed, relaxing under her touch, and let his chin rest on top of her head. A few tears leaked down her cheeks onto his chest and he wordlessly brushed them away, embracing her as much as he could with all the tubes.
The even sound of his breaths, the rise and fall of his chest was more reassuring that anything else that he was alive and would be alright, and within seconds, her eyes drifted closed.
A/N: I hope this was a satisfying end. I decided to focus on the comfort aspect instead of hashing out the whole rescue. As usual, some of the medical information may be inaccurate despite my attempts to research. Thanks for all the support for this story, as always.