Click click click
He hated this. All of it. The sharp echo of your footsteps, the rustling sounds of scrubs and the sterile smells. There was nothing good about coming to visit here. He shuddered. It always meant something bad had happened. Something had gone wrong. Badly wrong.
A nervous grin was shot at the nurse who paused to eye him curiously. The woman just shook her head and continued on with her job. His head ducked further down as he sped up.
Click click click.
Eric stopped and hesitated just out of sight of the doorway. That was Kensi's room right there. No, it was a hospital room that Kensi was in. It wasn't hers because she didn't belong here. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to go in. It was hard to see Kensi lying in a hospital bed, not able to do stuff.
Even when she got injured on a 'normal' case (for them, anyway) she was still Kensi. You know, giving people attitude, moving about, getting impatient and somewhat threatening, not letting her injury get to her. She was one of the strongest people he knew and her not doing any of those things really threw him for a loop.
She hadn't been doing that this time. She had been morose, almost depressed. And don't even talk to him about when she was in her coma. That still gave him nightmares.
"You coming in, Eric?" Kensi asked.
Ok, he didn't know if she could see him or just had 'freaky ninja senses' that Deeks always claimed she did. He looked suspiciously at the door; he was definitely not in line with it. How did she know he was there?
"Eric?"
He hesitantly peered around the door and awkwardly waved at her.
"Hi," he greeted, hovering in the doorway.
She cocked her head at him and raised an eyebrow.
"You, okay?"
Wasn't that he was supposed to ask?
"I'm good," he replied hesitantly, entering the room properly. "You?"
He could have smacked himself for that comment. Way to put your foot in your mouth, Beale!
"Oh, you know, still can't use my legs," she replied sardonically. "But other than that, all good."
"Sorry, I didn't mean-" Eric stuttered frantically with wide eyes.
Kensi's face softened and flashed him a guilty look while shaking her head.
"I'm sorry," she said genuinely, pushing herself up into a proper sitting position. "I didn't mean it like that. I've been feeling sorry for myself all day."
Eric smiled shyly at her, "Suppose it doesn't help that everyone asks how you're doing?"
She actually let out a chuckle at that. He didn't realise how much he'd missed it.
"It doesn't," she admitted and indicated that he should come in. "There's plenty of seats and I don't bite."
He gave her a doubtful look as he remembered an early case of theirs, before Deeks.
"That was one time and I apologised to Sam!" she exclaimed.
"Uh huh," he replied, pointedly picking the middle seat.
She stuck her tongue out at him. Eric sighed in relief, feeling his tension ease slightly. He didn't want it to be all sad.
"He shouldn't have stuck his thumb near my mouth," she maintained.
Eric gave her a disbelieving look but decided to move the conversation along. She could still lunge quickly.
"What do you want to do?" he asked.
"Not talk," she said resolutely. "Done enough of that today."
Sounds like someone had her session with the hospital shrink today. Not Nate, he was currently on his way here.
"Ok," Eric agreed easily and not without some measure of relief.
Talking in hospitals was definitely not one of his strong points.
"Want to go outside?" he suggested. "It's a gorgeous da-" he trailed off at Kensi's quite violent head shake.
"No," she said firmly.
Deciding not to one that rather obvious can of worms, he fell silent so he could think. What could you do in a hospital, after all?
Something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. Was that? Yes, it was!
Eric snatched the brand-new packet of cards from her bedside table.
"Go fish or poker?"
[xxxxxx]
Two hours later.
"You are such a cheat!"
"Am not!"
"I saw that, Kensi!"
Kensi pouted as he snatched at the cards she'd hidden under a fold of her blankets.
"You would so be banned from Vegas," he teased, automatically shuffling the cards again.
"Like you are," she said, giving him a look.
"That's because they frown on card counting," he said dismissively. "It's not the same thing as your blatant cheating."
"From what I heard it takes more than card counting to get banned from the entirety of Las Vegas," Kensi said pointedly.
He shook his head and smiled.
"Nope, saying nothing," he said easily.
She pouted again.
"I'll get it out of you one of these days," she swore.
Eric grinned at the familiar banter. The two of them had started at OSP around the same time, in different areas obviously. But they'd bonded over having to deal with Callen and Sam in those early days. One of the ice breakers he used was that he was banned from Vegas. But that was all he told her. She'd been trying to get the full story out of him ever since.
"Another round?" She asked hopefully.
He shook his head definitively.
"I have a better idea than watching you cheat," he teased, holding his hands out for her cards. "Wanna see a trick?"
"Sure," she replied, looking curious. "I didn't know you could do magic tricks."
"Only card ones," he admitted.
"Let's see it then," she said expectantly.
Eric cracked his knuckles and shuffled the cards the way he wanted them. Deciding to forgo his usually theatrics (he didn't have any of the streamers he usually used), Eric went through the usual motions and familiar flourishes to make the cards leap between his fingers and finished up with the perfect fan of cards.
"Wow," Kensi gasped, amazement lighting up her features. "That was awesome."
Affection for his friend bubbled up in him, happy that he could help her even in this little way.
"Looks like you guys are having all the fun," Deeks suddenly said in greeting, slapping Eric on the back.
Eric yelped in fright at the sudden contact, throwing the fanned deck into the air.
"Deeks!" Kensi complained, batting some away from her face.
Drat it, most of them were on the floor. Shooting Deeks a dark look, he got down and started picking them up. He heard a yelp from above and soon Deeks was on the floor with him.
"Sorry, man," the shaggy blond apologised.
"It's okay, we weren't playing a game anyway."
Deeks shot him a knowing look and asked, "Did you catch Kensi cheating?"
"Oh yes, not very subtle."
"Hey!" Kensi complained.
"I know, for an undercover agent you'd think she'd have better sleight of hand skills," Deeks teased.
"Poor show," Eric agreed only to feel something firm land on the back of his head. "Oof!"
He was echoed by Deeks who also added, "Your doctor said not to exert yourself Kensalina. I think that includes attacking people with pillows."
"Shut up," she advised him.
Even Eric could hear the threat in her tone. It made him shudder even though he logically knew that she could move from her bed.
"And, Eric?"
"Hmm?" he replied, only half listening as he gathered the collected cards into some semblance of a deck.
"Thank you."
Eric straightened up with his untidy pile of cards, he thought he'd got all of them, and flashed her a smile
"Anytime."
"Play another game sometime?" she asked hopefully.
"Yeah, no."
