Chapter 9: Drugged

Hetty remained on the couch after witnessing Callen's nightmare. Anna had made sure she was comfortable, bringing her a pillow and another blanket. Hetty was utterly exhausted, but was unable to relax – her mind was racing. She knew from talking to Nate that the first five years of Callen's life were pretty much a blank. And she had never been quite sure how much of his remaining childhood he remembered.

But now, after what she had seen tonight, she was sure he had vivid memories of his past. Hetty wished there was a magic wand, or a secret potion, that would make him forget all of the pain and loneliness he must have felt. Yet she knew, deep down inside herself, that it was those very experiences that made her Senior Agent… Well, made him Callen.

Hetty gave up on the idea of trying to sleep when she emerged from her thoughts, finding Callen to be restless again. She pushed the blankets off and came to a sitting position.

Hetty slid her feet into her shoes that were beside the couch, stood, and stretched. She folded the blankets, and had just laid them neatly beside the pillow when Anna came into the room.

"Couldn't sleep?" The nurse asked with an understanding smile.

"No. Not tonight." Hetty brought her hands out in front of her and rubbed them together briskly.

"Would you like some something warm to drink? Coffee maybe?"

"When you get time, a cup of hot tea would be nice."

"Let me check his vitals and I'll go to the nurses' station and get some."

After recording her sleeping patient's blood pressure and pulse rate, Anna turned to Hetty and said quietly, "His heart rate is still up. He's still not resting well."

"Yes, I've noticed he's become more unsettled over the past little bit."

The nurse snapped a protective cover on an ear thermometer. When she inserted it into Callen's ear, he squirmed and weakly pushed her hand away. She furrowed her brow and used her free hand to block his hand. "He's due for another dose of Theradin soon. But I was hoping to hold off until closer till time for his MRI – there's that window of time, right after he takes it, that he sleeps more soundly."

Despite Callen's weak, unconscious attempts to move her hand away and move his head away, Anna succeeded, the second time, in getting the thermometer placed long enough to get a read-out.

"Any fever?" Hetty asked.

"No. Temperature's been normal all night."

Hetty let out a short breath through her nose. "Well, at least there's that," She said flatly.

Anna checked the IV bags and made her way to the other side of the bed. She slipped a pair of scissors from her scrub top pocket, cut, and then removed the elastic wrap from Callen's left arm from where she had drawn blood earlier.

The nurse walked toward the doorway and discarded the cotton and wrap. She looked back at Hetty. "Do you put anything in your tea?"

"No. Just plain, please."

After the nurse walked out, Hetty sat down on the couch, holding her breath, a practice she had picked up while a young agent. It helped to calm her nerves to practice something simple as such from back then. Seated, Hetty took a silent deep breath that filled her lungs, her eyes landing on Callen's face. Then she let it out through her lips. She felt haunting thoughts of the past attempting to return. Not just thoughts of his past, but, also, of hers. She had let him down. Would she ever seek forgiveness? Or would she just keep trying to take care of him without seeming to take care of him? To make good on the old promise…

Anna returned ten minutes later, carrying the setup for tea. She sat the Styrofoam cup of hot water and a wrapped teabag on the small table. "I know this isn't a proper cup for sipping tea."

"Oh, this is perfect. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Just then, Callen moaned softly and shifted slightly in bed. Both women watched with concern as his brow furrowed and then slowly relaxed.

"I don't believe it will be long until he wakes up," Hetty said quietly. "He's starting to show signs of pain."

"I think you're right. That doesn't look like a nightmare. If you think he can hang on that long, I'll postpone his pain medicine by about an hour. They just posted the MRI schedule for today. Mr. Callen is on there for 5:30 this morning. That way he will be gone for his test during the time the Theradin is the most effective."

Hetty nodded. "That sounds like a good plan."

"I'm going to cover C.J.'s patients so he can go down with Mr. Callen and assist with the transfers. We have some new Radiology techs and… Well, we just want to make sure."

Anna was interrupted by another moan. Callen grimaced before opening his eyes.

Hetty stood and walked to the side of the bed and placed her hand on his right forearm. "Mr. Callen?"

Callen looked at her with unfocused eyes but did not respond. Then, he suddenly sucked in a small breath and his eyes squeezed tight from pain. After several seconds, he released the breath he was holding and his features relaxed as he fell asleep again.

Hetty sighed, shaking her head sadly.

The young nurse laid a consoling hand on Hetty's shoulder for a moment. "Drink your tea. It will warm you up," She said softly before leaving the room.

^^^V^^^V^^^V^^^v^^^V^^^V^^^V^^^v^^^V^^^V^^^V^^^v^^^V^^^V^^^V

Anna returned forty-five minutes later with the third dose of Theradin. She found Hetty standing at the bedside and the patient looking cautiously around the room, seemingly puzzled by his surroundings.

Hetty turned and gave the nurse who came up to the bedside a concerned look. "He hasn't said a word. And I'm not sure he even knows who I am. He appears to be even more disoriented than before."

Anna bit her lower lip. "I'll have to agree. I'll make a note in the chart for the day shift to call Dr. Lee and let him know."

"You'll be getting off at 7:00?" Hetty inquired while pouring a cup of water.

"Yes. Landon is scheduled to relieve me," Anna said and then raised the head of the bed.

Hetty tried to hide her worry, but was, frankly, too exhausted to school her emotions.

Anna smiled at her softly. "I'll be back at 3:00 this afternoon… to work another double. They have a place here in the hospital where we can shower and sleep when we work compressed weekends. So I won't be far."

"I know you have to rest. You've been working for fourteen hours straight. The other two nurses have provided excellent care." Hetty turned her attention to Callen and stroked the side of his face, once, with the back of her fingers. "It's just that you have been able to break through those old, stubborn walls."

Callen squinted up at the tiny woman who had just touched his face, studying her eyes, as if trying to figure something out.

Hetty picked up the fresh cup of water and held it to Callen's mouth.

He hesitated at first, gazing up at her blankly. But when the cup was tilted so that water began trickling into his mouth, he instinctively took a drink.

"There you go." Hetty said, doubting her dazed agent could comprehend her at the moment. "Take another sip so your mouth's not so dry. It will make it easier for your medicine to go down."

Callen took another sip and began scanning the room, once again.

Hetty placed the Styrofoam cup in Anna's outstretched left hand, and took the blue capsule from the medicine cup the nurse was holding in her right. Placing her hand on Callen's lower jaw, Hetty turned his head slightly toward her and pushed the pill into his mouth.

Callen frowned at her and raised his left hand toward his mouth.

"Oh, no you don't." Hetty said, gently batting his hand away and then reaching for the cup that Anna was holding. "We're not going to go through this again, are we?" She put the cup to Callen's lips and gave him a drink. "Now, swallow."

Staying his hand, Callen continued to scowl up at Hetty, but swallowed.

"Here." Hetty raised the cup to his mouth again. "Take another drink. I don't want you fishing that thing out of your mouth in a minute." Hetty was fairly certain the capsule had gone down by the second swallow. Callen's left arm lowering to rest his hand on his stomach backed her thoughts. She looked at Anna. "I think we're good."

"Alright, then. I'm counting on the Theradin to make him sleep for a while. They should be in, within the next half hour, to take him down for the test."

"What will happen if he's too restless to lie still for the test?"

"Dr. Lee left a light sedative ordered as a precaution. But he really wanted to avoid giving it to him while on the new pain meds. The Theradin builds up in the system and doesn't mix well with other medications."

Hetty looked at Callen and sighed. "Let's hope this does the trick, then."