Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Chapter 14
Author's Note: First of all I do apologize for the long time-out. After a nice holidays I was confronted with long working days and warm evenings, and in cases and times like that I choose the outdoor activities above screen-time.
As all of you – at least, I assume – I'm looking forward to the 13th season of my favorite series and I sure hope it'll be more than a 'love story' season since after all, it is supposed to be an action-packed series which 'follows the stories of the members of the Office of Special Projects, an undercover division of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Too bad there hardly is any undercover action any longer…
Thank you all for reading and reviewing the previous chapter. This storyline is nearly coming to an end! I hope you appreciate what is yet to come.
Kni®benrots
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Los Angeles || North Hollywood
Within two gunshots, Sam Hanna eliminated the one who was about to strike Callen again and thus kept Callen safe from getting killed. One more shot prevented Poliakoff to use her gun. Two members of the SWAT's took her gun and led her away as well.
In only a short sprint, Sam reached his partner who lie sprawled, on his stomach, on the dirty floor.
Sam muttered a curse which the others heard as well and although he heard their questions, he needed to examine first.
Blood oozed from a wound in his side, and from what Sam noticed, also from his shoulder. Who-ever attacked Callen stabbed him precisely beneath the vest and cowardly from behind.
The light-weight tactical vests left too many body parts unprotected and exactly that issue proved to be misused since it left his friend wounded. What looked even scarier was the amount of blood on Callen's head and running over his face. Sure, Sam was aware of the fact that headwounds tended to blead heavily, but it made it unwise to move his friend right now.
"We need an ambulance, Nell," he ordered. Of course he knew they needed more than one, but this order concerned their team leader and all of his team ought to hear that message, Sam figured.
With his field experience, Sam determined the stabbing wound as a non-arterial bleeding, still, he checked if there was anything around to try and stop the bleeding for now. All he had was a roll of duct tape and he knew it would work.
It reminded him for a moment of how their Jane Doe had used it as well, and a short but dark grimace appeared on his face while he pulled a part of the tape to tie the area as best as he could.
For an 'on the job injury', it would have to do. Stopping the bleeding was more important right now than worries about working less hygienic at this moment.
-"We've got some of them nearby already, Sam." Nell said.
"Last one is arrested. We seem to have it all under control!" Deeks' message sounded relieved.
Sam didn't catch the sighs from several of his co-workers but kept concentrated on Callen's situation.
-"We'll send the EMT's in immediately, Sam," Nell said.
Still, it felt it lasted more than the minutes until two members of a medical team squatted next to him and more or less ushered him aside. There was another quick examination which in Sam's opinion lasted too long. Then one of the EMT took a shaped collar which he knew was meant to immobilize the neck, and applied it, whereas a co-worker hooked Callen up to an IV-line.
Sam heaved a deep sigh.
Then the medics put Callen on a gurney and wheeled him out of the building and Sam followed them, like he'd done before in different situations.
Kensi let go of the long breath she kept so far. Her voice mirrored her feelings and she shivered when her gaze left the EMT's and was glued to the blood on the floor which she knew it was Callen's.
"How... Why does it have to be him, again?"
"Nobody else is volunteering, I guess," Deeks tried to quip, but before she or anyone else who caught his remark reacted, he shook his head and added "Sorry, that was about the worst bad joke I ever tried to make."
He shook his head. "You know, I seriously figure Callen has too many ghosts from the past and when I heard there were Romanians involved, well, I'd wished Vance had put a halt to this case. With that Comescus chasing him and wanting him dead..." He paused a moment, remembering their operation at the Black Sea. "And now, in the end, it turns out to be a dirty team leader of another agency."
"And of course a bloody mix of a Mexican human trafficking gang with Romanian blackmailers," Kensi added.
She hated it when one of them paid a such high price during a case, forgetting the many times she herself risked too much and got hurt.
"How's our agent Namazi doing by the way?" Deeks wanted to know.
Although he posed that question generally, there was only Kensi with him. Roundtree sat with Fatima and the EMT who now were looking after her injury.
-"Sam said it's a through-and-through," Nell said.
From within Ops she and Eric were used to filter the information they heard. It was the same this time, only now she was partly responsible for the raid, managed the operation though after she'd carefully talked it through with Callen and director Vance.
This was not how she expected it to be with two people of the team - of her team – hospitalized. Which meant there'd be a reduced field team for the next few weeks. In fact, she doubted if this job fit her. At this moment it certainly did not. And actually there was only one person she wished she could discuss her doubts and fears with — the one she looked up to as long as she worked with NCIS: Callen.
Whereas Kensi was still disgusted by the amount of blood on the dirty floor, Deeks' gaze went over the joined forces and the group of arrested people. He shortly caught the eye of Poliakoff and read so many emotions — hatred, triumph and defeat. Deeks was fully aware of her role in the attempt to get rid of Callen.
Then, when he lowered his gaze, he saw a screwdriver about 4,5 feet away, covered with blood. It sickened him, knowing this must've been the weapon used on Callen.
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Los Angeles || Sherman Oaks Hospital || three quarters of an hour later
"Sir?"
Sam looked up at the young and small brunette in front of him who nodded friendly though also a bit shy now she had his attention.
"You were with the detective who was brought in, am I right?"
"Agent," he corrected automatically, although it didn't matter at all. "Yes, I am, I mean, I was with him. What can you tell me, is there any news on how he's doing?"
Now she shook her head. "The nurse or the doctor will let you know as soon as they know more, that's not up to me, Sir. My responsibility is in an earlier stage, undressing patients. I removed the clothes of the patient".
A blush crawled up from her neck to her cheeks, then it disappeared again. She scraped her throat and went on. "The uhm, the agent carried a small gun near his ankle. I put it in this bag with the two cell phones and his badge. All of his clothes are considered to be ruined."
He nodded while he took the bag from her. "Those can be replaced. Thank you."
With the mentioned items, he sat down again. As long as he had no idea how serious the wounds were it was useless calling in the others. Meanwhile, he wondered if it was a matter of indecision Callen had experienced.
He blew out a breath, irritated because, in the end, he never saw this coming.
Was he lured away from Callen?
Had Callen been too careless, perhaps even reckless? Sam doubted it, his partner showed a natural suspicion and something must have surprised him. Only the man himself knew what that was, but to Sam it was frustrating. Especially after their conversation the two of them had on their way to the warehouse. Only a few hours ago Sam had felt relieved that he told Callen how he wanted to go back working like they had done in the previous ten years.
Yet, here he was, unable to relax as worries about their way of working spooked his mind. How many times had he laughed Callen's remarks away about never reaching retirement because bullets came faster than time? It shouldn't be this way.
Frustrated he balled his hands into fists.
Over half an hour later, a young woman stood in the waiting area and looked around. Several faces waited in expectation.
"Relatives of mister Callen?"
Sam got on his feet, knowing from several sessions in several hospitals that no private information would be shared where other listeners were. Still, he read the surprise in the woman's eyes.
Once the two of them entered a small room with the same hideous plastic chairs, she introduced herself "Jacklyn Daley, surgeon."
Sam did the same and mentioned the relation between him and Callen.
The surgeon shove her hair behind her ears, then let her hands rest on its armrest. "That explains a lot," she said. "You see, I noticed his scars and a very recent wound."
"Yeah. That." He scraped his throat and wondered if he needed to explain. He shrugged a little but before he made a decision, Daley took over.
"Agent Hanna, there's no need to explain. I'm not berating or criticize anything. My job is to try and save lives. In this case, rest assured, that's not a problem. Your colleague will survive."
With a soft smile she noticed the relief on the large and strong man opposite of her.
"Was it your idea to try and stop the bleeding by taping it?"
"Field experience," Sam stated.
"Well done. I suppose you noticed that despite of that, he lost quite a lot of blood. Since my colleagues of the medical team of Cedars Sinai Medical Center apparently treated this man before, it was easy to find his blood type. Right now, his body is thirsty enough to accept a certain amount."
She mostly tried to keep her comments as light as she could but now she leaned her chin in her hand, frustrated. "He was stabbed in the shoulder and lower in the back. Although I wasn't there, my assumption is he was surprised by that and tried to defend himself."
Slowly, Sam nodded "Without sharing too many details, I suppose you're right. A co-worker of mine found a screwdriver which most obviously was the weapon that was used for it."
"We've got him on antibiotics too."
"Wait…" Sam interrupted. He's quite allergic to some of those and tends to get very sick from other ones."
The surgeon looked up and mentally made a note. "We'll see to it that it'll be checked and changed as soon as possible." She quickly typed an order in a phone while she kept talking. "The lowest wound partly covered the sutures of the other wound. Of which, by the way, some stitches broke before the wound got a chance to heal at all."
Her eyes caught his dark browns and she knew it wasn't up to her to judge this man or her patient. She continued. "Then there's another matter, because there's the serious blows or jolts on his head that does have me worried. The skull bone is, though only slightly, fractured. Because of that, we'll keep mister Callen under surveillance in the Intensive Care unit."
She didn't add that this was to check any pressure within the skull and, if necessary, make sure any excess of fluid was made possible. She figured that this man, like the patient himself was too, was aware of risks like that.
"No visitors allowed at the IC?" Sam asked.
She shook her head. "One at the time. If you want to you can sit with him." She let go of a short chuckle. "Then again, I guess he won't notice who is around. Once I, or the physician who's on duty, assess his situation as stable enough, we'll move him to a high or medium care unit. Let's assume that'll be tomorrow around noon."
With a hum and a nod, Sam uttered that he understood the situation.
"He'll be alright, mister Hanna. As long as you give it some time." The surgeon glanced at her watch and Sam understood she had more than one patient only to take care for. So he didn't feel the need to tell her that Callen wasn't a model patient at all. He got up on his feet before she did and extended his hand. She did the same. He took her smaller hand, shook it and said "Thank you. Thanks for your time and your care."
"A nurse will guide you to his room in a moment, agent Hanna." She nodded another greet and left the room, leaving the door open.
Awaiting the nurse she mentioned, Sam called the office and let Nell know in fewer words how the situation was and asked her to let the others know.
Several minutes later he took a seat in the dimly lit room. The regular beeps immediately worked on his nerves and he let his gaze go over tubes and a monitor, before he finally blowing the air out and rested his eyes on his friend. He knew of Callen's wounds and especially hated way his head was dressed with a lot of gauze, under which was a bandage that already showed dark dots turning into pink because of the blood underneath it.
Sam softly muttered "Damn G. Why are we here, why again..." He stopped, knowing Callen wasn't able to hear him and that he was more or less talking to himself.
It just happened. It was part of the job. In the end, the lives of agents were collateral, especially when in raids like these. Still, he would never get used to that idea.
Especially not now his friend finally found love in his life and should have more careless times spend with Anna.
Anna, who was somewhere, doing her thing, but he hadn't been able to reach her so far. So here he was, sitting with his best friend, whereas it should be Anna who should be holding his hands.
TBC
All his life he's been told
He'll be nothing when he's old
All the kicks and all the blows
He won't ever let it show
'Cause he's stronger than you know
A heart of steel starts to grow
When you've been fighting for it all your life
You've been struggling to make things right
That's how a superhero learns to fly
Every day, every hour
Turn the pain into power
[The Script – Superheroes]