I ended up squishing two short chapters together, so I hope they flow alright. Thank you for reading - Mary

Chapter 44 – For Callen

Sam had been pacing the floor of the small hospital room for some time. Saying he was 'stressed' would be an understatement. Antonio Zamora had slipped through their fingers, once again.

Sam finally plopped down in one of the chairs, his left leg nervously bouncing up and down on the ball of his foot. He stilled for a moment, but sat there looking much like a mountain lion ready to pounce on its prey.

Deeks lifted an eyebrow at Kensi, and she answered with a shrug.

Less than two minutes later, the big SEAL was up again – pacing.

They watched him tromp to the door, turn around, then trek past the foot of the bed to the opposite wall, back to the door, then to the opposite wall, to the door…

"Sam," Kensi finally said, in a loud whisper.

He halted his movement and looked at her.

"You're going to wake him up if you keep walking by his bed," she cautioned.

Sam looked to where G was sleeping. After a moment, some of his anger and frustration seemed to melt into sympathy.

Deeks quietly moved a chair closer to the couch.

Sam followed the cue and took a seat next to where Deeks and Kensi were sitting.

It didn't take long for the tension to return, however. With his head lowered, Sam brought his arms up and pressed fisted hands against his forehead.

With his eyes trained on Sam, Deeks leaned forward in his chair, resting his forearms on his thighs. "Are you worried he'll come after your partner?" he asked, keeping his voice low.

Sam let out a long breath and lowered his hands. "Nah." He shook his head slowly. "Zamora never found out G's identity. If Hetty wasn't positive, believe me, she'd have him tucked away somewhere safe where even the 'Wonder Twins' couldn't find him." Sam's hands, once again, squeezed into fists. "I just want this guy off the streets. For good."

"I know, man" Deeks agreed. "This whole thing is messed up."

"He just destroys whatever… whoever gets in his way." Sam breathed out again, letting his shoulders and hands relax. He gazed down at the floor with sadness in his eyes. "He's murdered innocent mothers and children," he thought aloud. "Those young girls in San Diego…" Sam shook his head. "…taken from their families… what he did to Callen…" he trailed off.

Kensi reached out a hand and rested her slender fingers on Sam's knee. "We'll find him, Sam."

There was a long pause, and then Sam let out a cleansing breath, conceding with a nod.

Just at that moment, Callen jolted awake.

Sam was up and at his partner's side within seconds.

Breathing hard, Callen blinked up at the tall form standing over him.

Sam could see the fear and confusion in G's eyes. Leaning closer to the bed, he reached down with his left hand and gave Callen's right shoulder a light squeeze. "What is it, G?" he asked, half expecting his friend to respond with some Russian phrase relating to something that happened in Callen's distant past.

"He's got them!" he said between panicked breaths, as he began franticly pushing his covers away. "We have to… find them!"

Sam reached across with his right hand to grasp Callen's other shoulder, applying enough pressure so that Callen would lie still. "Find who, G?"

Callen's gaze never left Sam's face. Tears flooded his eyes as he struggled weakly against Sam's hold. "Kensi!...Nell!... He took them!"

Sam was stunned. This was a nightmare, alright. But G was dreaming in the present. "No one has them, G."

Kensi quickly appeared at Sam's side, deep concern showing in her brown eyes. "I'm right here, Callen. And Nell is in Ops. We just talked to her. We're both okay."

Callen stared up at Kensi with wide, watery eyes for a while. After a few moments, he finally began to relax, his breathing gradually becoming more normal as reality seemed to sink in.

Sam released his hold on Callen's shoulders and spread the palm of his hand across G's chest.

He held it there for several minutes, until he could feel G's racing heart start to slow. "That's it. Just relax and breathe. It was just a dream."

A short while later, Sam noticed Callen was beginning to blink more slowly. "Just close your eyes, Buddy. Everyone's alright. You can rest."

Callen's eyelids seemed to be becoming heavier by the second, until his eyes finally slid shut.

Almost half an hour later, Sam was still standing at his partner's side when Kensi's phone buzzed.

"It's Eric," she said, while hurriedly grabbing her IPad.

Sam quietly moved back to his chair beside the couch, hoping this update from Ops would be more encouraging than the last.

Eric and Nell's faces appeared on the IPad screen Kensi was holding up. "Found him!" Eric said with excitement. "Well…" he continued, with much less enthusiasm. "… we didn't find him, find him… like where he is at this exact moment… but we know where he was…"

"Eric!" Sam warned gruffly.

"Oh. Uhh… We went back and looked at our surveillance footage from the Elegante. Saturday night, there was a food delivery to Zamora's room. We couldn't make out any distinguishable markings on the bag or the delivery guy's clothes."

Like a well-practiced relay race, Nell picked up the lead. "We pulled up traffic cam footage and followed his Toyota as long as we could."

Eric grimaced. "We lost him after he got on the eastbound freeway."

Sam, Kensi, and Deeks were on the edge of their seats, waiting as patiently as they could while the 'Tech Whiz' and Analyst presented their typical, overly-detailed recount of their investigation process.

Nell tilted her head slightly toward the Tech Operator beside her. "Eric here, had the idea to Google the top ten Burmese restaurants in LA. We narrowed those down to the three located East of the hotel, the direction the delivery guy was headed. Nothing Sunday. Then…"

"Bingo!" Eric cut in. "Monday at 5:13, we see Zamora and three of his men enter Daw Yee, on Sunset Boulevard. Then, again earlier tonight at 5:27. Callen was right! He does have a 'thing' for mohinga."

Kensi's brow furrowed "Do we know where Zamora went after he left the restaurant?"

"That would be a 'no'," Nell answered with regret in her tone. "When we first see them, they are on foot, walking up the sidewalk toward Daw Yee's. And when they leave, they walk around the corner and we don't see them again. They must have parked on Parkman Avenue where, unfortunately, there are no traffic cameras. And we have no idea what they're driving since their rentals have not moved from the hotel parking garage."

Sam let out a breath. "But we can't be sure he'll go back there."

"No," Eric scrunched his nose. "It's a longshot. But it's more than we had before."

"Yeah," Deeks interjected. "We basically had nada."

"You're right," Eric agreed. "But like we've said before, Zamora tends to lay low until his big operations are complete. So, we don't expect him to be on the move until after the exchange in San Diego." Eric held up a hand, displaying crossed fingers. "We're hoping he'll slip up and go to the same restaurant tomorrow night."

"So, what's the plan?" Kensi asked, sounding eager to do something.

"Hetty's downstairs working on it," Eric explained. "But Daw Yee opens again tomorrow at 5:00 pm. She said she needs all three of you on this, since we're a man down. We'll message you when we know what time she wants you here tomorrow afternoon."

Sam turned his head and gazed thoughtfully toward his sleeping partner.

"Hetty will send an agent to stay with him, Sam," Nell said, answering the unspoken question. "She said to assure you, Callen won't be left up there alone."

The room fell silent for quite a while after the video call ended with Ops. Time seemed to stand still for Kensi, Deeks, and Sam, as they sat motionless, suspended in their thoughts.

If Zamora doesn't go back to the restaurant, he may disappear… again. But maybe he will go back to the same place tomorrow night. If he does, we'll be ready for him… Those poor girls from Mexico who were kidnapped. They must be so scared right now. If the San Diego team isn't successful in extracting them, they'll become someone's property… Zamora - what kind of person sits down at a restaurant to enjoy a meal, knowing girls, they are responsible for kidnapping, are about to be turned into sex-slaves?... Coldhearted… Pure evil… He kills anyone who gets in his way – and finds some sort of sick pleasure in murdering the innocent… Callen… Even after all these years, he's still haunted by what Zamora did to him. We have to stop this animal… for Callen…

A soft tap on the door interrupted the silence.

Deeks, Sam, and Kensi's heads snapped up.

It was Nurse Olivia. "I need to check his vitals," she said quietly. "Is he sleeping?"

Sam rose to his feet and walked toward the bed. A light sense of guilt crept into his chest when he saw that his partner was awake. Sam felt a little better when he reached the bed and could tell Callen was still in that 'I just woke up' phase where he hadn't quite figured out where he was, or what was going on.

But when Sam got closer, the guilt rushed back.

G was shivering and not covered up very well. The blankets were still, somewhat, in disarray from the earlier nightmare episode.

Olivia rolled the vital signs machine to the other side of the bed. While the thermometer was taking a reading, she put the blood pressure cuff on her patient's upper arm. "Oh, my heavens!" she exclaimed, reaching down and grasping his left hand. "You are freezing cold."

Sam went to work straightening the blankets. "Are your socks still on, G?"

Callen shrugged. " 'on't know," he mumbled from around the thermometer in his mouth.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Sam moved to the foot of the bed and slid his hand in under the covers.

"Can' 'eel my feet," he mumbled. Callen lifted his head off the pillow, his puffy eyes trying their best to peer down to the foot of the bed. "What are you doing?" he asked irritably, as the thermometer was removed from his mouth.

Deeks and Kensi looked at each other with contorted faces, trying hard to refrain from smiling.

Sam didn't look so amused. "Making sure your socks haven't sipped off again, Grumpy."

"Well?" G inquired, still frowning down at the intrusion.

"Still on," Sam reported as he gave the socked left foot a little squeeze. His eyes immediately narrowed. "No wonder you can't feel your feet. They're like popsicles."

"That's because it's about to snow in here," G grumbled.

"Snow, G?" Sam chuckled.

"Yes, snow." Now glaring at his partner, the trained, undercover agent looked more like a tired, cranky adolescent. "I wasn't this cold when I did those two months in Siberia back in the nineties."

Kensi and Deeks were now shaking with silent laughter.

Olivia also had a smile on her face as she finished recording vital signs and began assisting Sam with the blankets. When she was satisfied that the covers were tucked snugly around her patient, she schooled her features and addressed Callen. "Dr. Lee should be here in twenty minutes or so. There's a late surgery on the schedule for tonight. So, when the doctor has finished with your exam, I'll go down to the O.R. and pull another blanket from the warmer."

Callen's team members could not help but notice the apprehensive look that took over their shivering leader's features at the mention of the impending exam.

G had relaxed and was, once again, looking utterly exhausted by the time the Doctor and Nurse Olivia entered the room, just after nine o'clock.

"How are you feeling?" Dr. Lee addressed Callen, after greeting Sam, Deeks, and Kensi.

Callen's uneasiness quickly resurfaced. He looked up at the doctor who was standing to his right. "I'm okay," he reported softly, shifting slightly in the bed. "I'm ready to go home."

With a slight smile, Dr. Lee shook his head. "Not just yet, Mr. Callen. Still shooting for the weekend." The Doctor's expression turned more serious. "What's your pain been like, today?"

"Not bad," Callen answered hesitantly, turning his head and glancing briefly at the nurse who had just stationed herself beside the bed, to his left.

Using his pen light, the doctor checked the patient's eyes for pupil responses, and then removed the stethoscope that had been draped across the back of his neck. "Let's see how those lungs sound today." Dr. Lee placed the earpieces of the stethoscope in his ears, and he and Olivia worked together to pull the covers to just below the patient's waist.

Callen shuddered hard.

The Doctor wrinkled his nose a little. "Sorry. We'll get you covered back up in just a minute."

G looked even more uncomfortable now that his gray t-shirt was being pulled up to his upper chest. And when the cold stethoscope made contact with his skin, an involuntary gasp escaped.

"Take a deep breath for me?" the Doctor requested, with a look of concentration on his face. "Another?" he repeated. Checking all quadrants of the patient's chest, each breath became more shallow, and shakier than the last.

Callen squeezed his eyes shut as the intense shivering caused his chest to feel constricted, making it difficult to take in air.

Dr. Lee removed the stethoscope from his ears, and began gently, and methodically, pressing on the patient's ribs and stomach area. Even with Callen practically holding his breath, no one missed the wince when the Doctor pressed on Callen's right side.

"Your lungs sound clear," the doctor reported, as he pulled Callen's shirt back in place, and he and Olivia brought the sheet and multiple blankets back over the patient's shivering body. "I read the P.T. report and the therapist said you did very well today. Starting tomorrow, you can walk here in your room whenever feel up to it, as long as someone is with you. Just make sure you sit for a while before standing, and stand a little while before walking; your blood pressure is still low. The therapist is going to come by and leave the cane, in case you need it."

G showed very little change in expression from where he lay, still trying to stop the shaking and gain control of his breathing.

Olivia looked up from where she was taking notes. "Do you still want him to go down to Ortho tomorrow, Dr. Lee?"

"Oh, yeah. Thanks for the reminder. I'd like to get that wrist casted tomorrow. And… Uh… I think it'd be okay for him to take a shower in the morning. Someone just needs to be close by… Anyone have questions or concerns?"

Sam took a step closer to the bedside. "I do, Dr. Lee. He usually sleeps a little while after he takes his medicine. But today, he slept all afternoon and a good part of the evening."

"I noticed that in the nurses' notes. I don't think we need to be concerned at this point. He was up in a chair for most of the morning. And he did more walking than we had anticipated. I'm thinking he might have just expended a lot of energy." With an eyebrow raised, Dr. Lee turned his attention to the patient. "And until he starts eating, he'll probably continue to run out of steam."

Callen averted his gaze.

Dr. Lee looked across to the nurse. "Why don't we start supplementing his meals with shakes. Except for what he's getting intravenously, his calorie intake is basically nonexistent." The doctor looked down at the patient, who was still trying his best to ignore the 'dietary conversation'. "And he's not going to build muscle strength unless he consumes some protein."

Callen pressed his lips together to form a line. It was subtle, but Sam caught it easily. It was the same look he had seen hundreds of times when he was telling G something he didn't want to hear.

Olivia added to the notes she was taking. "Got it. I'll get these orders in."

After a pause, Dr. Lee put both hands on the bed rails, and leaned closer to the patient. "Mr. Callen."

G flinched. And then with lips slightly parted, his tired, blue eyes met those of the Doctor.

"I'm giving you more leeway, starting in the morning. Like I said earlier, you can take a shower, get up and walk when you feel like it. But don't do anything stupid," he cautioned. "Remember, contrary to what Nate has told me, you're not Superman."

There was an ever so slight lift in one corner of Callen's mouth.

"Listen to your body. When you need to rest… rest. And take it slow. You've come a long way in a short time. The last thing we need is for you to fall and break another bone, or hit your head."

Callen gave a small nod.

Dr. Lee stood straight and turned toward Sam, Kensi and Deeks. "Well? I'm going to make a phone call before I head home. Your little boss will have my hide if I don't give her an immediate, full report."

Sam chuckled. "I'm sure she would."

"And no one wants to endure the wrath of Henrietta Lange," Deeks said with a smile.

Kensi grinned at her Senior Agent from across the room. "I know that's right. She's more than just a little protective."

Despite the lighthearted words being passed around, they all knew this to be true: Hetty would do anything for her orphan boy… for Callen.