AN: Well, for those who may still be remotely interested in this story, I apologize for this extreme delay. With ridiculously long work hours, while dealing with a serious illness (which was recently diagnosed and is now being treated), I had completely lost the ability to focus on anything but just getting through each day. I don't mean to make this about ME; Fanfic is where we come to have fun. But I felt like I needed to let you know I never intended to leave Callen in the hospital this long, and did not want readers to get the impression they were ignored. At this point, I feel like I'm starting over. So, please know that characters and events may be a little off. My plan is to get him to where he's ready to go home before ending the story - shouldn't be too much longer.

Additional note: For those who are reading for the first time, please understand that this is basically a "plotless", rather drawn-out fic. It's just me letting the team take care of our blue-eyed "boy" while he recovers from his injuries.

Chapter 32 In there Somewhere

Hetty returned a few minutes later with, not one, but three royal blue blankets. Deeks placed two of them in the closet as directed, and Hetty and Sam covered Callen with the other.

G gazed up at Hetty gratefully, and Kensi noticed a bit of a sparkle was beginning to return to Callen's eyes; the blue blanket bringing out the familiar sapphire flecks. She had to smile, wondering to herself if Hetty demanded the nursing staff supply her with blankets that matched her lead agent's eyes.

The extra layer of warmth seemed to do the trick, because G began blinking more slowly and then closed his eyes.

When Hetty was confident Callen was resting, she stepped away from the bed and took a quick look at her wristwatch. "I'm due back at Ops for a conference call. Our little operation here in LA has been quite popular the past couple of days. It seems several Agencies are quite interested in what we know in regards to the Zamora case."

Sam came around the foot of the bed. "But we don't know anything yet," he pointed out, keeping his voice low.

"Exactly what I told Director Vance when he set this thing up. It's a colossal waste of time." Hetty retrieved her small purse and checked her phone. "Oh. I received a message from Dr. Lee. He plans to be here around 6:00 to check on Mr. Callen and update us on his condition." She dropped the little flip phone in her purse, tucked her handbag under her elbow and was heard muttering as she left the hospital room, "Looks like I may have to cut the 'Washington windbags' short."

Sam shook his head. He knew the Operations Manager would do just that.

"I'm starved," Deeks blurted out suddenly.

"Me too," Kensi said. "I skipped lunch, too. Been eyeing those Tootsie Pops Nell brought." Kensi pointed to the nook next to the closet where the gift basket was sitting. Its bright blue balloon has lost some of its 'oomph' and was now hovering only a foot above the wicker basket.

"Let's go find something to eat," Deeks suggested.

Kensi shifted her gaze from the basket of candy to Sam. "You want us to bring you back something, Sam?"

"Depends. Where are you two headed?"

"I don't know." Kensi shrugged. "Hospital cafeteria?"

Sam frowned. "I'll pass."

Deeks crinkled his face. "Naahh. No hospital food for me either. I've seen that stuff they bring Callen." Marty's eyebrows lifted. "Hey. I saw a Chinese food place a couple of blocks from here."

"Works for me," Kensi agreed. "I'll phone it in from the lobby. We can bring it back here. Sam. You in?"

Sam pulled out his wallet and handed Kensi a twenty-dollar bill. "My usual… Thanks…. Oh. And some hot tea for G," he added as the two were headed out the door.

Kensi and Deeks had been gone less than twenty minutes when Callen groaned.

Sam was immediately at the side of the bed, finding G's eyes shut tight with pain.

A few moments later, the pained expression faded and G opened his eyes; naptime was over.

Sam raised the head of the bed, pored some water, and handed the cup to Callen. "Here. Drink this, sleepy head."

G took one sip and tried to give the cup back to Sam.

"Uh uh. All of it. You haven't had anything to drink since I got back."

While Callen slowly consumed the contents of the small Styrofoam cup, Sam sensed that his partner was becoming increasingly fidgety. G was so distracted that he barely acknowledged the presence of the new nurse, Olivia, when she came by to introduce herself at the beginning of her shift.

Whether it was from the medication, the head injury, or just his huge dislike for hospitals, Callen looked as if he was ready to climb over the rails and head for the door. It wasn't long until the occasional bending and straightening of his left leg resumed. The restlessness that Kensi witnessed earlier had returned… with a vengeance.

A while later, Sam took the empty cup from Callen. "What's going on, G?" he asked, with genuine concern.

Callen did not answer. He just shook his head negatively.

At that moment, the Physical Therapist knocked and stuck his head in the door. When he saw the patient was awake, he came inside. The young man extended his arm and firmly shook Sam's hand. "H Cunningham. I'm from Physical Therapy."

"Sam Hanna."

H turned his attention to the patient. "I came to see if you wanted to get up…"

"Yes," Callen answered, through gritted teeth, before the young therapist had time to finish his sentence.

The therapist hesitated before pressing the call light to inform the nurses that he was about to get "Mr. Carter" up in a chair.

Sam stared at Callen with narrowed eyes. "You sure you wanna do this, G?"

Now the Therapist's eyes narrowed; up to this point, he had not heard his patient referred to by a single-letter name.

When Callen grimaced for a moment, the therapist glanced over at Sam and then moved closer to the bedside. "We don't have to do this if you're not up to it. I just thought you might want to get up one more time before I leave for the day. You'd be up…" H looked at his watch, "Let's see… it's 3:25… You'd only be up about thirty minutes."

"I'll take it," Callen replied in a soft, but desperate tone.

"Alright." H looked up at Sam. "My tech isn't available right now. Would you mind being on standby?"

"Not a problem."

The therapist spent the next few minutes positioning the bed, readying the straight back, armchair the patient was to sit in, and lowering the side rails.

The P.T. had just rolled the IV machine around the bed when Deeks and Kensi returned with their take-out order. They placed their bags of food on the shelf beside the Tootsie Roll basket and then stood quietly out of the way.

H looked at his patient and briskly rubbed his hands together. "Ready?"

Callen focused on the Physical Therapist's eyes. Doing his best to put on a determined look, he swiped his lower lip with his tongue and nodded once.

"Then let's do this," the therapist said with a positive tone.

Sam and H pulled the blankets and sheet down to the very end of the bed.

Once again, G's left foot was bare.

Sam dug around in the blankets until he found the missing sock. He slipped the sock into place and squeezed G's cold foot. "There. You kick this thing off again and I'm gonna duct tape it to your ankle."

Attempting to refrain from smiling, the therapist quickly turned away from Sam. It didn't help though, because what he saw when he faced the other way, was Deeks and Kensi both chuckling at hearing the 'big guy's' empty threat.

Callen, who had begun to shiver just a little, seemed to have simply ignored his partner. It was obvious he only had one thing on his mind; getting out of the bed and to the chair his eyes were now trained on.

The therapist helped Callen sit up on the edge of the bed while Sam stood close by, ready to assist.

"Remember, when you stand up, use me to take the weight off that right leg. And don't try to walk until your head is clear."

As soon as G stood, he shuddered, causing his knees to go weak and buckle.

The therapist caught Callen under his armpits, preventing him from falling to the floor. "Do you want to lay back down?"

Still trembling slightly, G slowly straightened his knees and stood up taller. He closed his eyes and shook his head negatively.

H looked at Sam, who was now standing only inches away and with right palm against his partner's back.

"OK, Mr. Carter. Take as long as you need."

Callen waited until his shivering was mostly under control. But only two small steps away from the bed, his right leg gave way. He found himself, once again, being held up by the P.T., but this time with the right side of his face planted against the therapist's chest.

When Callen had begun to catch his breath, he cut his eyes to the left, as if trying to look behind him. "Sam?" came his muffled voice, from a mouth that was practically buried in the young therapist's scrub top. "So help me… if you give me a wedgie…" he warned softly.

Sam, obviously puzzled, looked for feedback from the therapist.

H peered over his patient's shoulder, down to where the big ex-SEAL had a death grip on the waistband of the back of Callen's pajama pants.

Sam visually followed the signal down to G's lower back, and then his eyes met those of the therapist. With an apologetic expression, he released the elastic that he wasn't even aware he was holding on to.

A few moments passed before Callen convinced his uncooperative legs to move. Leaning heavily on the physical therapist, he finally made it to the chair (surprisingly, without receiving an inadvertent "wedgie" from partner.)

Sam and H both knelt down in front of Callen, trying to get a read on him since his eyes were now shut tight.

"Don't hold your breath," the therapist quietly instructed. "That's it."

Callen seemed to be a bit uncomfortable, maybe even embarrassed when he opened his eyes and found two huge guys, with concern in their eyes, hovering so close. Erasing as much expression from his face as he could, G looked both men in the eyes and breathed out his signature, "I'm good."

Sam grinned and patted his partner on the Knee before rising to his feet. "Of course you are." As irritating as it had always been to the ex-SEAL that G was so prone to shutting down his expression of thoughts and emotions, Sam was glad, under the circumstance, that his friend was regaining some of what made him… well… him. Thankfully, traces of G Callen were in there somewhere.