Not sure I really feel all that great about this one. I'm going to blame it on Callen. I saw a recent episode where his eyes were so blue. Sooooo, this chapter just turned into bunch of my ramblings. All. His. Fault.
I'm thinking just a few more chapters and this story will be wrapped up. (That is, if I don't go off on another one of these rambling tangents.)
Chapter 45: Blue
When nurse Olivia returned later, an IV solution bag in one hand and the heated blanket in the other, the blonde detective and the female agent were leaving for the night. The tall, muscular agent was standing at the side of the bed while his trembling friend was doing his best not to spill hot tea from the blue mug he was drinking from.
The nurse stood still a few minutes, allowing her patient time to finish the last few sips of his tea, before spreading the warmed blanked over him. He looked up at her briefly, and in that instant, she saw both relief and gratitude in those tired, deep blue eyes. She remembered Monica mentioning something to her, the day before, about the patient in 412 having the most captivating eyes. She was so right.
Olivia had finished changing out the bag of solution and was inspecting the IV insertion site, when the shivering patient timidly glanced up at her a second time. A sudden wave of sympathy washed over her.
Olivia had been in the nursing field for nearly sixteen years. She liked to think that she was caring toward all of her patients. So, what was different about this one? Why did her heart ache with compassion each time she stepped into his hospital room? Was it merely that this man was in pain, miserably cold, and completely exhausted? Or maybe that he was so uncomfortable with being in such a condition that others were having to take care of him? Maybe both?
As she was exiting the room, it dawned on her – His eyes. Behind those striking blue eyes, there seemed to be a certain emptiness, like maybe he's searching for something; sadness, even. Olivia closed the door behind her. That's it. His eyes.
Just after eleven o'clock, Sam was spreading a folded blanket across the foot of the bed, when there was a soft knock on the door. A nurse Sam had not seen before entered the room.
She nodded politely at Sam as she approached the bed, and then smiled at Callen when she saw he was awake. "Hi. My name is Esther. I'll be taking care of you tonight."
Sam guessed Esther to be in her early sixties. Her salt and pepper hair was pulled up into a tight bun; there were faint smile lines at the outer corners of her kind, brown eyes.
Nurse Esther began attending to checking the IV tubing and the machine settings. "I've been on vacation the past two weeks, visiting the Grandchildren. My first night back, and I've been threatened by the previous shift that I'd better take good care of you. Something about the patient with pretty sapphire-blue eyes? Apparently, the same threat was passed down to her." She looked at Callen and feigned seriousness. "It was said in the most professional manner, of course."
Callen blinked quickly a few times and then looked down at the sheets. Even in the dimly lit room, Sam thought he saw a light blush on G's pale cheeks.
"Anything you need, right now? A snack? Something to drink?"
Callen looked up at the nurse with a small smile. "I'm good."
"Alrighty then. I'll be back later to check vitals. Let me know if you need something in the meantime."
When Ms. Esther had left the room, Sam poured a half cup of tea. "Here 'blue eyes.' Drink this," he teased, while handing the mug to G.
This time, Sam was sure his partner blushed.
After taking a couple of small drinks of the warm tea, Callen began studying the contents of the mug he was holding. "Did they find him?"
Sam winced internally. G had been awake for only a few minutes during the video call from Ops, and Sam had hoped he was too out-of-it to remember anything about the case. Wrong. "Find who?"
Callen looked up from his cup. "Zamora." Sam detected just a hint of irritation in his partner's voice.
"Working on it," he answered as vaguely as he thought he could get by with.
Callen pressed his lips together and frowned at the window to his left.
Sam gazed up at the ceiling for a moment, letting out a big breath. Who was he kidding? He was attempting to stonewall the master of stonewalling. He needed a diversion.
At that moment, Callen shifted uncomfortably in the bed.
Sam's brow furrowed. "What's wrong, G? You hurting?"
"No," he answered softly. Now with a slight grimace, Callen shifted again. "Need to go to the bathroom."
Not exactly the diversion Sam was looking for, but it would do. "The nurse just asked you if you needed anything. Why didn't you say something?"
G frowned up at Sam. "I didn't need to pee then," he grumbled.
Finding just a little amusement in his partner's discomfort, Sam fought back the smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "I'll call the nurse," Sam said while reaching for the nurses' call light.
"I don't need the nurse. Just help me get up," G demanded, his voice sounding tired and raspy.
Sam pressed the button.
"Why did you do that? I just said I don't need a nurse."
Taking a long, silent look at his pouty, almost whiny partner, Sam gave up on holding his smile at bay.
"What?" Callen asked, now looking even more exasperated.
Sam just shook his head and smiled.
"Sam?" G warned weakly. "Just let me get up."
"Whoa," Esther said as she was entering the room. "What's going on in here?"
Caught by surprise, Callen looked up at the nurse who was now approaching the bed. And then he immediately lowered his head.
Sam let out a small amused breath. "He needs to go the restroom. And he's insisting on getting out of bed."
The nurse flipped off the call light. "Well…" She tilted her head to the side, studying her patient for a moment. "He's been cleared to get out of bed, starting in the morning. I think a few hours early would be alright."
Esther turned on one of the overhead lights and then pressed the control button to elevate the head of the bed. "As long as you take it slow and allow your blood pressure time to adjust." She raised an eyebrow at Calen as she lowered the siderail. "Because I really think I've gotten too old to pick a grown man up out of the floor."
Esther rounded the foot of the bed to retrieve the rolling IV machine, while Sam went to work removing the mounds of blankets from his partner.
Now uncovered, Callen's shivering suddenly intensified. He immediately closed his eyes, concentrating on stifling the unwelcomed movement.
The nurse and SEAL exchanged a look.
After a long moment, Callen breathed in, opened his eyes, and slowly released the breath through gritted teeth. His eyes immediately found his partner's.
"You ready," Sam asked quietly.
G answered with a single, determined nod.
Sam and Esther helped Callen shift around and sit, so that his legs were now hanging off the side of the bed, and then they held him there when he moved to try to stand.
"What did she just tell you, G?" Sam scolded, his voice tinged more with concern than harshness. "Just hold on a minute. This happens every time we get you out of bed."
Callen pressed his lips together and averted his gaze.
With her hands still holding onto Callen's left shoulder and upper arm, the nurse grinned. "Do I detect a bit of a stubborn streak here?"
Sam huffed. "You have no idea."
"How long have you two known each other?"
Sam gave G's right shoulder a squeeze. "We've been work partners for four and a half years."
"Is that all?" Callen murmured. "Feels like much longer."
Esther smiled as she reached and grabbed the IV machine. "Alright. I think it's safe to stand now."
Callen got to his feet. And with only an occasional hand to keep him steady, he made his way across the small hospital room.
When Sam and Callen had made it through the bathroom door, Esther went over to the bed and began tidying up the sheets and blankets.
No more than a couple of minutes had passed when she heard the larger man's voice sound from the other side of the restroom door.
"That's it?! We went to all that trouble to get you up… for that?!"
Esther's hand went up to her face, firmly clasping her palm over her mouth in order to silence her laughter. She couldn't quite make out the smaller man's reply. But if she had, she was sure she would have laughed out loud.
A little while later, with her patient safely returned to bed, and snugly tucked in, Nurse Esther moved on to tend to her other patients.
Sam took a seat on the couch and closed his eyes.
Half an hour later, Sam heard Callen softly clear his throat. "You want something to drink, G?" he asked.
Callen swallowed hard and then nodded.
"Tea or juice?"
"Juice. Please," he answered hoarsely.
Sam left the room and soon returned with two containers of apple juice. He opened one and handed it to G, noticing that that his partner's shaking had lessened.
Callen took his first sip and winced a bit as he swallowed.
Sam's eyes narrowed. "Do you have a sore throat?"
"Just dry." Callen gave the big SEAL a quick glance, and then looked down at his drink. "So, do they think Zamora's still in LA?"
Sam let out a breath through his nose. Here we go. "Probably. We should know more tomorrow."
The frown on G's face spoke volumes; he wasn't too impressed with that abbreviated answer. But Sam hoped it would, at least, get them through the night. The last thing he wanted was for his partner to start worrying himself sick again. G's mind needed to be clear so he could rest and heal up.
Callen finished off his drink and then gave Sam a confused look when he was handed the second container of juice.
"Drink it. Remember? You slept all afternoon. Need to catch up."
After just a moment of hesitation, Callen complied.
When Sam had taken the second empty container, G began gazing toward the window. "What time is it?"
Sam glanced at his watch. "It's 12:22 am… Do you know what day it is?"
Without a word, G turned his head and gave his partner a disgruntled look.
"I'm serious, G. Do you?"
Callen's lips pressed together to form a tight line and then turned his head back toward the window.
That's a 'no'.
"It's Tuesday night," Sam explained patiently. "Well… technically, Wednesday morning since it's after midnight. Do you know where you are?"
Callen released a small exasperated breath. "LA."
"What building?"
"A hospital," Callen answered with narrowed eyes.
"Close enough. Do you remember what happened? Why you're in here?"
G gave Sam another look. He was definitely agitated. "Sam! Why are asking me all these questions?"
"Because, for the past week, you barely knew your own name, or even what planet you were on. You were hallucinating and going all 'kung fu' on us."
Callen looked stunned for a few seconds. He glanced up, flashing his partner a remorseful look, and then lowered his head as if ashamed.
Sam closed his eyes. He felt his stomach twist in knots, immediately wishing he could take back his words.
After forcing out a breath, Sam opened his eyes, took hold of the siderail with both hands, and bent forward toward Callen. "Sorry, G. I didn't mean for that to come out like that. It's just… between the concussion, the fever, your reaction to the drugs they were giving you… well... I've been worried about you. I just want you to be oriented so you can get out of this place… I need my partner back."
With his head still lowered, G sat in silence for several long moments.
"I don't know," Callen finally said, speaking so softly that Sam almost missed it.
Sam's brow furrowed. He leaned in just a little closer to the bed. "You don't know what, G?" he asked, keeping his tone gentle.
After another delay, Callen hesitantly blinked up at his partner, and then averted his gaze. "What happened."
Sam felt his gut tighten, again. Just as he had suspected, his partner had been concealing the fact that he was still experiencing periodic lapses in memory; he was losing pieces of information that he had already been given. Not good.
Sam moved a chair over next to the bed, sat down, and patiently recounted what had taken place on Tuesday of the previous week. He explained how, with Eric and Nell's assistance, the FBI solved the case, and Sherman Sykes had been located and was now in custody.
Callen remained impassive, practically motionless, as Sam summarized last week's events. He didn't even bat an eye when Sam described the sniper shot that had barely missed him. Was he covering for the fact that he was still drawing a blank? Maybe he was just tired.
"Do you need anything?" Sam asked, when he had given his friend some time to process.
"I'm okay," he answered quietly.
"You cold?"
G finally made eye contact with his partner. "Not so much."
"Good. There's still some of Hetty's tea if you…"
There was a knock at the door and Nurse Esther rolled a vital signs machine into the room. "Good morning gentlemen," she greeted.
"Morning," Sam responded as he stood and moved his chair out of the way.
When she had positioned the machine next to the bed, the nurse turned to Sam. "I'll be a few minutes." She reached in her scrub pocket, pulled out a plastic bottle, and held it up for Sam to see. "They just delivered his protein shakes," she said, placing the bottle on the small table. "Going to see how much success we have after I take his vital signs. So, this would be a good time if you need to take a break."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. I made him the last one on my rounds to check vitals. I'll stay with him until you get back."
Sam nodded once at the nurse. "Thank you." After giving his partner a lingering look, he exited the room.
Esther applied the thermometer cover and held the digital thermometer up in front of Callen. "I'm sure you know the drill, by now."
Callen obediently parted his lips enough that the nurse could place the probe under his tongue.
When she was finished recording his temperature, blood pressure and pulse, the nurse unscrewed the top off the protein drink. She opened up the drawer to the small table beside the bed, and took a peek. "Let me grab some straws off the medication cart. It's just right outside the door."
Within seconds, Esther was back with a handful of straws to restock the drawer. She opened one and placed it in the protein shake bottle. "Here you go," she said, handing the container to Callen. "There's no rush. But I do need you to finish it."
Callen just sat, staring at the bottle as if it contained some kind of dangerous liquid.
The nurse cleared her throat to get his attention, and Callen looked over to where she stood beside him.
"But I would like for you to finish before my shift ends in…" Esther looked at her wristwatch. "… approximately six hours."
Callen gave her a half-smirk before taking his first sip.
Sam returned to the room a while later. After setting a new bottle of water on the couch, he stood for a moment, studying his partner.
G looked even more exhausted than when he had left. He was holding a protein shake. His nose was scrunched just a little; very similar to his 'carsick look.'
"What kind of face is that, G?" he finally asked.
Nurse Esther looked at Sam, from where she was standing on the other side of the bed, and then her gaze fell to Callen. "Apparently, your friend is not too fond of the supplemental drink the doctor ordered."
Sam moved closer to the bedside. "He's not too fond of anything right now. Is he drinking it?"
"Hmmm. Sipping. Very, very slowly," the nurse answered, smiling at her patient who was now frowning down at the shake.
Sam stiffened. "G?"
"In his defense," Esther added, "I did tell him to take his time."
Sam shifted his weight to his left leg, and then tilted his head to one side. "Stop messing around, G. Just drink the stuff."
Callen tiredly lifted an eyebrow at Sam, his hand immediately coming up to investigate the small bandage covering the gash on his forehead. "You drink it."
Sam huffed at his disgruntled partner while simultaneously lightly batting G's hand away from the head wound. "No thanks. I'm not the one withering away to nothing."
After a few more sips, Callen handed the, almost empty, bottle to the nurse.
"Good," she said while rounding the foot of the bed. "The more of those you can get down, the faster you'll get your strength back."
"Yeah, G," Sam chucked. "At this rate, you'll be ready for a wrestling match with Nell by the end of next week."
Callen blinked sleepily up at Sam. "You'll have to admit, Sam, Nell's a tough girl."
"Pfft. Yeah, but she only weighs… what… like ninety pounds."
Esther was grinning until she glanced at her watch. "Oh! It's a few minutes after one." She tossed the protein drink container in the trash, stepped out into the hall, and returned just a short time later.
Callen didn't miss the small medicine cup she was holding as she approached the bed. He looked up at the nurse, then back at her hand, his eyes widening with a flash of panic.
Concern showing on his face, Sam let out a breath. He knew the medication was necessary, but he hated it for G. This was probably the warmest his partner had been in two days.
Callen began breathing a little faster. He turned his face away from the nurse, lightly shaking his head.
Sam quickly made his way around to the other side of the bed. After exchanging a worried look with Nurse Esther, he placed a heavy hand on G's shoulder.
Callen looked up at Sam with watery eyes. "Sam, make her to leave," he pleaded softly. "I can't do this anymore."
"Yes, you can," he encouraged, giving his friend's shoulder a firm squeeze. "It wasn't too long ago that I watched you get shot full of bullets. You made it through that, G… and you can make it through this."
Callen looked down at the foot of the bed. He sat for a few seconds, blinking slowly, his left thumb rubbing against his index finger.
Sam squeezed G's shoulder again. "I know you hate how this medicine makes you feel. But you have to take it. Don't give Ms. Esther here a hard time. She's just doing her job."
Finally, Callen let out a shaky breath. With his lips slightly parted, he slowly turned his head to look at the awaiting capsules, then raised his moist blue eyes to the nurse. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
"Oh, baby." Esther gently patted Callen's splinted hand. "You have nothing to be sorry for. Here." One at a time, the nurse placed the capsules in the patient's mouth, each followed by a drink of water to wash it down.
Noticing how tired her patient had become, Nurse Esther patted his hand again. "Hopefully you'll be able to get some rest. I'll be back in an hour to check in on you. But just press the call light if you need anything."
As soon as Esther left the room, still picturing her patient's teary, blue eyes, she felt her heart squeeze with compassion.
