Chapter 21: Starting Over
The hospital room was quiet, and dimly lit by the setting sun, when Kensi and Deeks returned a little while later. Callen seemed to be resting peacefully. Sam was leaned back in his chair, arms folded across his chest, his eyes closed.
"I see the big guy has assumed his 'meditation' position," Deeks whispered before moving further into the room.
Kensi stopped at the bedside, and looked across at the muscular form occupying the chair on the other side of the bed. "Poor Sam," She said softly, tilting her head to one side. "He looks exhausted."
"I know I was dog-tired after sitting with him seven hours, thirteen minutes and twenty-four seconds."
"Really, Deeks? You timed it to the second?"
"You have nooo idea, Kenz. I think taking care of Callen may have been my toughest assignment… e-ver."
Kensi's was shaking her head in disbelief when she noticed the wrapped Tootsie Pop still held loosely in Callen's left hand. "I'll bet this was Nell's doings. And look," She whispered, pointing at a small origami figure that had been placed on Callen's pillow. "Sam's been at it again."
Deeks leaned down to study the orange candy wrapper design more closely. "What I don't understand is how those massive fingers can make something so intricate… so delicate."
"I know you didn't just use the word 'delicate' when referring to Sam."
Ignoring Kensi's warning, Deeks continued his close examination of the delicate creation. "Those look like wings… A duck?"
Kensi mimicked her partner's posture, leaning in close to the pillow Callen's head was resting on. "Maybe some kind of sea creature?"
"No. Definitely a duck."
With his eyes still closed, Sam said gruffly, "It's a swan."
Kensi and Deeks both startled, jumping back about a foot.
Breathing hard, the blonde Detective placed his hand over his heart. "How long have you been awake?"
Sam opened his eyes and sat up straight in his chair. "Long enough," He grunted while stretching his arms above his head.
Suddenly, Callen tensed beneath the covers and moaned softly.
Sam quickly rose to his feet and stared worriedly at his partner until G relaxed a few seconds later.
Looking down sympathetically at Callen, Kensi asked in a whisper, "Is he dreaming or in pain?"
"He's hurting. That's the fourth time he's done that in the past 25 minutes." Never taking his eyes off of G, Sam came around to the side of the bed where Deeks and Kensi were standing. "He has to go eleven more hours without anything for pain."
Kensi placed her hand on Sam's upper arm, and looked up at his troubled eyes. "You alright?"
"Yeah." Still looking at Callen, Sam shook his head slowly. "I just can't shake the thought that it's taking too long for him to pull out of this."
"I know. It's just been one thing after another."
"The guy just can't catch a break," Marty added, keeping his voice low. "I think Hetty's to the point of loading him up and taking him to the boatshed so she can doctor him herself."
"Yeah," Sam breathed out, glancing briefly at Deeks. "I've considered that myself."
Kensi lowered her hand from Sam's arm. "Sounds like a plan to me. Especially after the run-in with that psycho security guy this afternoon."
Sam's eyebrows shot up as he turned to look at the female Agent. "You heard about that?"
"We saw it. We were there when Eric uploaded the video to the office."
"So Hetty's seen it already?"
"Ooooh, yeaaah," Deeks drew out. "She didn't say a word. But she was definitely fuming. She was so ticked off that, when Kensi and I tried to leave to come up here, she marched us right back over to our desks… told us we had to finish our reports before we could leave. She is ree-ally scary when she gets like that."
Sam smiled in response to the Detective's high degree of drama. "That wasn't personal, Deeks. There are lots of nights G is still filling out reports long after we've all gone home. She just wants the paperwork done as soon as the Op is over."
"You didn't see her, Sam. Every time I looked up, there she was, off in the distance, glaring at us… like a tiny paperwork tyrant."
"Excuse me, Mr. Deeks?" Came a familiar female voice from the doorway.
"Uhh… He-tty." A fake smile spread across Marty's face. "We thought you had a conference call with Director Vance and the CIA Director about now."
"I rescheduled. Received word that Dr. Lee would be here shortly to give an update on Mr. Callen's condition."
Sam, Deeks, and Kensi exchanged smirks. Only Hetty would have the nerve to reschedule a debriefing with the heads of two Federal Agencies.
Hetty flipped on the small light above the entrance, placed her purse and a large tote bag on the couch, and walked around to the other side of the bed. She adjusted the blinds, letting in the soft amber glow of the LA sunset, and then stood silently for a moment, scanning her Lead Agent with narrowed eyes. Her eyes finally stopped at Callen's left hand. She picked up the purple sucker that had slipped from Callen's hand, and gave it a puzzled look.
"Nell," Sam explained.
"Aahh." Hetty nodded while transferring the candy to the window sill. Turning her attention back to Callen's arm, she lifted up the loose ties that extended from the left wrist restraint. This time, her questioning look was directed at Sam.
"It wasn't me. They never tied them back to the bed after security… after he…" His voice trailed off and he let out a long breath.
"I should think not." Hetty's tone became a bit sterner. "That incident should have never happened."
The ex-SEAL lowered his head. "Hetty, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let them in here. G was just starting to come around a little. It set him back."
"Oh, Mr. Hanna. You are in no way to blame for what happened. An investigation into the matter was inevitable; two of their employees had been injured. But their tactics were unacceptable. It was more of an interrogation than an investigation. Anyone with half a brain could see that Mr. Callen had no recollection of the incident. And then shoving the photos of those injured young men in front of him when he was clearly already distressed – they crossed the line."
Sam leaned forward and placed both palms on the side rail of the bed. "G's nurse tried to warn that Stone woman that it was bad timing. She wouldn't listen." Now looking down at his partner, Sam spoke even more softly. "He just wasn't strong enough."
A few moments of silence had passed when there was a knock at the door.
Deeks, Sam, and Kensi turned around to see Dr. Lee standing just inside the partially opened door. They couldn't help but notice that he looked much more tired and stressed than when they had seen him last.
Deeks and Kensi simultaneously stepped out of the way.
Sam quickly picked up the origami swan from G's pillow, tossed it on the small table beside the bed, and joined his younger coworkers in the corner of the room.
The doctor made his way into the room, stopping a few feet from the bed. He quickly looked his patient over and then looked across the bed to where Hetty was standing. "I'm glad you are all here. Still waiting on the lab printout," He said quietly, and then briefly held up several sheets of paper he was holding in his left hand. "But I have the Radiology reports. Should we step outside so I don't wake him?"
Hetty peered over to the dimly lit corner where her team was standing. "Agent Hanna?"
Dr. Lee stepped toward the foot of the bed so that he could make eye contact with everyone in the room.
Sam folded his arms across his chest, hesitating briefly before responding. "I really don't think us talking is gonna disturb him. He'll wake up when the pain gets bad enough again."
The Doctor gave Sam a single nod. "Agent Hanna, you've been with him the last several hours?"
"Yes."
"You think his pain has increased?"
"Seems like it. The only reason he's sleeping at all is that he's completely worn out."
Anna quietly entered the room, a patient chart cradled against her chest with her left arm, and two letter-size pieces of paper in her right hand. She positioned herself beside the doctor and handed him the loose sheets of paper.
Dr. Lee turned his attention to the petite nurse. "Thanks for pulling these up for me."
"You're welcome. That should be everything."
Now looking back up at the ex-SEAL, the Doctor continued. "I asked the nurses to keep me updated and Anna's been texting me throughout the day. She said she's still having difficulty assessing Agent Callen's cognitive level because he hasn't communicated much. You work with him every day, Agent Hanna. Can you tell if he's any more oriented?"
"I think he's recognizing people now. But he's still off. He'll wake up one time and it seems like he halfway knows what's going on. And then the next time he opens his eyes, he just looks around like he's seeing everything in slow motion."
"Do you think he's still hallucinating?"
"He doesn't still think he's being tortured by the Russian Mafia, if that's what you mean."
"Nate will be relieved to hear that. He was very concerned when he found out Agent Callen was reliving some traumatic events from his past." Dr. Lee turned his head toward Hetty. "I offered to write an order for a psych consult. But according to Nate, only a Psychiatrist or Psychologist authorized by your Agency would be allowed to treat him. Nate said something to the effect of, 'Callen could talk to your guys, but then he'd have to kill 'em'."
Hetty smiled. "Since our Agent Callen has employment history with the FBI, ATF, the CIA, and a half- dozen others I am not at liberty to mention, there's just too much classified information at stake. But if you and Nate agree someone needs to see him, I'll put in a request. I just don't know how open he would be with someone new. He barely discloses any personal information to Dr. Getz."
"I'm hoping it won't be necessary to call someone in. The anxiety associated with the nightmares and flashbacks may resolve once all the medication has cleared his bloodstream."
Suddenly turning his attention to the stack of papers he'd been holding, Dr. Lee began scanning the top page. "Let me take a look at his labs and see if we have anything going on there… White count is just slightly elevated… Sed rate is high. But a high level of inflammation is to be expected with his injuries… Electrolytes… not too far off…"
The doctor flipped the top sheet of paper to the bottom of the stack, quickly scanning the next page before looking across to Hetty. "Looks like the antibiotics and the fever have pretty much taken care of whatever infection he might have had. And the IV fluids have been effective; his electrolytes are looking good. I'd like to see his Potassium up a little, but introducing larger doses to his IV would be quite painful. We'll check it again in twenty-four hours."
Dr. Lee handed Anna the stack of papers before continuing with his explanation of Callen's test results. "The x-rays they took of his wrist today show that the fracture has not been displaced. Since everything's still in good position, I'd like to just keep him splinted for now."
Hetty let out a long breath. "That's good news considering how hard he fought this morning, and the force behind the punch to that young technician's face… And the MRI?"
"That's where we have a problem. The scans indicate he has had a small bleed in his brain."
"A bleed in his brain?" Kensi echoed softly.
"Apparently, after the initial bruising, blood continued to seep into the brain. The Radiologist called me this afternoon after he had viewed the images. He said the bleed was so small that they missed it on the tests completed the Day Agent Callen came in through the ER."
Sensing the dread that had just washed over the room, Dr. Lee paused for a moment to let the information sink in.
Hetty stepped closer to the bed and looked down at her injured Agent. She reached through the rails, and lightly placed her hand on Callen's fingers, careful to avoid the IV in his hand. "A bleed." She was unable to hide the worry in her voice. "That would explain why his condition continued to worsen after the accident on Tuesday."
"Yes, the progression of the brain injury, along with the fact that he had become so severely dehydrated. The good news is that the bleeding appears to have stopped. But we're going to take every precaution to keep him still and quiet until we know he's out of the woods."
Hetty pursed her lips and looked up at the Doctor. "You suspected there was a bleed all along. That's why you kept him sedated the first twenty-four hours."
"From everything you and your team had told me, I knew it was a strong possibility. I had hoped that the medication I ordered would help him rest, and give his brain a chance to heal. I just didn't anticipate the nightmares he experienced, while under sedation, causing even more stress. And then there was that reaction to the Theradin. It seems that our standard approach to medicine does not apply to this man; we've only succeeded in making him sicker."
"So how do we…"
Callen suddenly groaned. His body tensed for several seconds.
When Hetty felt Callen's fingers relax beneath her hand, she continued. "How do we keep him calm and quiet if the traditional medicines are not an option for him?"
"That's the million dollar question. I spent the past few hours researching alternative medications, and consulting with two of our staff Neurologists. Dr. Lindow and Dr. Patel are in agreement that his system should be clear of any medication before we introduce anything else."
"So we're basically starting over," Deeks said softly from the back of the room.
"You're correct. Except for the fact that the bleeding has stopped, and he is now better hydrated, we're back to the beginning – starting over with a new game plan. But like I said before, getting through the night without meds is going to be a little tricky. Not only will his pain increase, but there is a good chance he will experience more episodes of confusion. If at all possible, someone should stay with him tonight. He needs to have the support of someone he knows, someone who can reassure him."
"Not a problem," Sam said firmly. "He won't be left alone."
"And the new plan?" Hetty asked.
"I'd like to start him on a drug that's been out a couple of years. Florozine is administered orally; two capsules every six hours. Although many patients have reported a reduction in pain with this medication, the primary indication for prescribing Florozine is to suppress the nervous system, lessening the chance of more blood seeping into his brain. So even when his pain reaches a more tolerable level, it's imperative that he keep taking this medication until we've determined it is safe to discontinue."
All eyes went to Callen when he winced hard enough to move suddenly against the sheets.
Hetty tightened her hold of his slender fingers. "Side effects?" She asked softly.
"There are a few. About seventy-five percent of the patients report intermittent dizziness and blurred vision. Another side effect is that the patient usually becomes drowsy soon after the Florozine is administered. But because the grogginess lasts only thirty minutes or so, it should lessen the risk of forcing him into a deep, sustained sleep where he experiences those intense nightmares. And there have been no reports of hallucinations with this drug."
Hetty nodded. "Good."
"Because the Florozine lowers the body's core temperature, the most bothersome side effect is a feeling of being cold. This may vary in degrees from minute-to-minute, but will sometimes reach an extreme, bone-chilling cold for several hours at a time. Because this can be so unpleasant for the patient, this particular drug is usually only prescribed when other options have been exhausted… Oh, and I didn't find this in any of the literature, but Dr. Patel said that many of her patients experience diminished apatite while taking Florozine. So getting him to eat may become even more of a challenge than it already is."
Hetty took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "If you and your colleagues feel this medication will help him recover, we'll deal with the side effects. When will you know if he's out of danger?"
"We'll repeat the MRI in a couple of weeks. At that time, Dr. Patel and Dr. Lindow have agreed to go over the new scans with the Radiologist, to look for any signs of additional bleeding, and to make sure the bruising and edema have dissipated."
Sam looked toward the bed and then back at the Doctor. "Will he have to stay in bed that whole time? 'Cause once his head is clear, I don't think we'll be able to keep him down that long. G's just not good with the whole convalescing thing. "
Dr. Lee smiled. "I've sort of gotten that impression. He'll have to take it easy, but he won't be confined to the bed any longer than necessary. I'll have the nursing staff sit him on the side of the bed a couple of times tomorrow." The Doctor turned his focus to Anna. "I'll reorder the Physical Therapy to start on Monday: transfers, range of motion, strengthening, and gait training."
The nurse looked up from where she had been writing the orders in the chart. "Precautions?"
"No range of motion or strengthening to the right wrist. And weight bearing as tolerated for the right lower extremity."
Hetty released her hold of Callen's fingers and moved her hand to her side. "So he'll be up walking on Monday?"
"They'll start off slow. The therapist may even have him just stand for brief periods the first day. It will depend on what he can tolerate after being confined to…"
Callen moaned, causing everyone in the room to turn and look. With a pained look on his face, he bent his left leg and shifted some of his weight to his left hip and shoulder. The sound he made next was no louder than a soft squeak. With his jaw clinched tight, he opened his eyes slightly, and clumsily pushed the covers down with his right hand. He hissed through gritted teeth, lifted up the right side of his gown, and looked down at his now exposed side as if trying to see what was wrong.
A few seconds later, the pain subsided and he relaxed back down into the mattress. Callen blinked groggily a few times before his gaze met Hetty's eyes. He focused on her face, seemingly unaware anyone else was in the room.
Hetty stared down at the sleepy blue eyes looking up at her, trying to read if there was any hint of recognition there.
Then confusion filled Callen's eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, struggling to get the first word out. "Heh..." His voice was soft and raspy.
Callen swallowed once and tried again. "Hetty?"
Hetty's brown eyes softened as she reached out, and once again took his hand in hers. "Yes, dear. I'm right here."
"Did I do…" Callen winced.
"Did you do what?"
"What they said," He breathed out weakly. "Hurt… those boys."
Hetty squeezed Callen's fingers. "You needn't worry about that right now."
"Hetty." G's eyes searched hers. "You were there?" He whispered.
Hetty was face-to-face with a product of the Welfare system – a man who would see right through any attempt to dilute the truth. She pressed her lips together and let out a breath through her nose. "Yes. I
was there."
Callen's blue eyes darkened, suddenly clouded with unshed tears. His breathing became strained. "What's wrong with me?" He pulled his hand away from Hetty's and grabbed hold of the side rail. "Why can't… I remember?"
Hetty placed her small hand in the middle of Callen's chest. "It's going to be alright."
But Callen's breathing only became more distressed. His hand went to his uncovered side, and he squeezed his eyes shut from the pain, causing the pool of tears to roll down both sides of his face.
From the far corner of the room, Deeks took a step toward the bed, having his movement then halted by Sam's strong grip around his upper arm. When Deeks looked back and saw the tormented look in Sam's eyes, he knew that Sam was right. The urge to console Callen was overwhelming, but this was a moment that required Hetty's delicate touch.
Still holding his side, and struggling to take in air, Callen began to lightly shake his head back and forth. "What's wrong… with me?... I need out… of here… Please… don't let me… hurt anyone...", he said between gasps. G attempted to pull himself up, only to drop back down to the mattress from the intense pain.
Hetty began to rub small circles on Callen's chest. "Shhhh. It's alright."
A few moments later, Callen's breathing began to slow. He opened his eyes and blinked slowly up at Hetty, fighting to stay awake.
"That's it. Just relax. Those boys are just fine. Everyone is okay," she soothed. She moved her hand from Callen's chest, to his face. After she had gently wiped the tears from his face, she began lightly stroking his left cheekbone.
Callen's eyelids became heavier with each stroke from Hetty's tiny fingers.
"That's good. Just close your eyes. Everything's alright… We'll be right here with you… You're going to be just fine."
Complete exhaustion overtook Callen's body, and he closed his eyes.
