Hi everyone, first off, we hope everyone is managing to stay safe during these crazy times our world is living, and we hope we can provide some small distraction with our words. We also want to apologize for not updating sooner after the cliffhanger in the last chapter, but sometimes real life gets in the way, even though we'd both rather be writing. Thanks for reading and continuing to share your thoughts with us, we really appreciate the support and hope you continue to enjoy the story.
Jess.
xxxxx
Knowing that unlike Sam, he didn't have much to offer to help their teammates, Eric continued to walk all the way back towards the cabin and gingerly lowered the wood onto the ground, before going back to where Sam had dropped his pieces, and quietly picking them up. With smaller arms, it took Eric two trips, but at least he felt that he was being helpful in his own little way.
Sighing sadly, Eric sat down in the front steps of the cabin. He wished they were in a situation where technology would be useful or rather that he had been the one injured, as Callen and Deeks would be a lot more helpful in this situation. He also wished Nell was here, and Kensi too, because they would be able to keep a clear mind and only freak out after their teammates were safe. But he was different, he was the best at what he did, but only average when it came to real life. Or at least that's what he thought, even if he had been told otherwise many, many times.
"Eric come and help me." Sam's commanding voice sounded from behind, drawing Eric back to the present and away from his own self-deprecating thoughts.
"Yeah?" Eric asked softly, his eyes going wide as he took in the extent of the damage for the first time. The cabin wasn't really a cabin anymore, it was just a square of wood that offered no shelter or protection to those that inhabited it. So, even if they could somehow get to Callen and Deeks and even if by the grace of some unknown power they were still okay, it was very likely that all four of them would freeze to death once nighttime came.
"Eric!" Sam's shout startled the young tech, who realized that he had missed everything his teammate had just said. "Eric, please. I know it's hard. I'm sorry about all of these, but please, I need your help. It's just the two of us now." Sam continued in a much compassionate tone, but his desperation still visible in the frown between his eyebrows and the way he impatiently tapped his fingers against his leg.
"Okay, sorry." Eric mumbled, shaking his head and trying to gain some courage. "What do you need me to do, Sam?"
Sam visibly relaxed then, he wasn't alone anymore, and he knew together, he and Eric could get Callen and Deeks the help they needed. "I need help cutting the branch that's blocking the door."
Eric nodded in agreement and walked towards that side of the house. Seeing the damage that had been done inside for the first time, his eyes went even wider than before and his breath caught in his throat. The snow was bad enough and the bear incident even worse, but at least this cabin had been a small piece of heaven in between all the nature that seemed obsessed with messing with them. But now that was gone too, and they were truly at the mercy of nature. Right now, he thought he'd rather take their chances against some bad guys, because at least those have a conscience and the ability to reason, even if they not always acted in their favor. But the elements cared about no one, they just destroyed everything in their path.
"You good?" Sam asked, as he came to join his teammate, a hatchet in one hand and an axe in the other.
"No." Eric said simply. "But I will be. Right now, we just gotta get to them." Fixing his eyes on Callen and Deeks, Eric noticed for the first time how still they looked and his need to help them only increased.
Sam nodded, the emotion in his eyes saying all that his words couldn't. Then he signaled for Eric to take a step back before grabbing the axe with both hands and beginning to cut the branches away.
Remembering his conversation with Nell when he was packing, Eric smiled briefly before he grabbed the hatchet and began to help Sam with the smaller pieces. Maybe he wasn't as strong as the ex-Seal and his mind was his greatest asset, but his heart was much bigger than his body and he would do everything in his power to help them all get back to safety.
xxxxx
After making a concerted effort, Callen was finally able to get his breathing back under control. His eyes settled on Deeks once again and he couldn't help but be concerned about the other man's stillness. "Dee...eeks?" he croaked hoarsely. He cleared his throat and tried again, speaking more loudly and clearly the second time. "Deeks?! Deeks please, can you hear me?" He swallowed hard in dismay when his friend didn't move or respond in any way to his voice. "Damn it."
Realizing he needed to try to get to Deeks, Callen took a deep breath and made an attempt to sit up. It didn't go well. He had barely moved at all when a knife-like pain tore through his back, causing him to gasp in pain. Inadvertent tears came to his eyes which he quickly swiped away with the back of his hand. Taking another deep breath, he then tried to shift his position, hoping to ease the pain, but that only made things worse as another jolt of pain shot through him. He groaned and then realized that he couldn't seem to stop shivering. His hands and feet felt like blocks of ice. The more he thought about the cold, the worse it seemed to get. He could see blankets over near where Deeks was, but it was impossible to get to them. This really sucked. He knew he somehow needed to get to Deeks, but he had no idea how to accomplish that. He had no idea if he was even alive. The longer his friend laid there, still and unmoving, the more ominous everything seemed.
"We never should have come on this damn trip," he said to himself, his blue eyes filled with pain and despair. He couldn't help but wonder if any of them were going to get out of this situation alive.
xxxxx
Deeks opened his eyes to see Kensi straddling his lap, one hand running down his hair as the other moved to unbuckle his belt.
"I love you." Kensi said sweetly.
"Hmm." Eyes closed, Deeks pushed forward, his lips finding Kensi's. "Love you, too." He finally said when air became scarce, forcing them to part ways.
Hands now moving to Kensi's top, Deeks was lost in the woman that he loved more than life itself until an annoying, continuous thump began to echo in their room. "Too early for the neighbors to be hammering." Deeks whined in frustration.
"Don't worry about that. Just focus on me, baby." As if to emphasize her point, Kensi pulled Deeks close and kissed him senseless once again.
"I think that can be arranged." Deeks chuckled, pushing Kensi away from him and rolling her onto her back so he could now straddle her. But as he tried to get up, his arms and legs felt heavy and for the first time he noticed the pounding headache. The throbbing on his head seemingly following the thud of the hammer beat by beat.
"Kens, I don't feel so good."
"Deeks." The pained reply surprised him, but even more that the voice wasn't Kensi's but Callen. "Deeks." It came again, louder this time. It was no longer a calling, but a plea.
"Kens, what's Callen doing in our room?" Deeks questioned, confused. Then he closed his eyes as the pain intensified and the annoying thud of the hammer seemed to be getting closer. "Kensi?"
Running a nervous hand through his hair, Deeks was surprised to feel his skin sticky. But it wasn't the familiar feeling of sweat, but still a familiar feeling, nonetheless. Opening his eyes, he gasped as his fingers came back red. But promptly closed them once again as the light in the room sent a stab of pain to his head.
Trying again to lift himself from the bed, Deeks began to gingerly struggle against the invisible force pinning him down. But soon his movements became more frantic as Callen continued to call his name, and the annoying sound kept echoing around him.
"Callen?" He asked again, wanting to know where Kensi had gone and why she wasn't talking to him.
Slightly opening his eyes again, Deeks was surprised that he was no longer in his bedroom. The room had morphed into the remains of a cabin and Deeks found himself lying on the ground, pinned down by a tree and not an invisible hand.
xxxxx
"Callen?"
Callen's eyes shut open at the voice he most longed to hear. But wanting to make sure his mind wasn't playing tricks on him, he waited to see if any more sounds followed. No other words came, but he could send movement, so tentatively, he tried. "Deeks?"
"Callen? What's going on? I was in bed with Kensi but now I'm suddenly here." Deeks questioned softly, his voice pained even as he tried to mask it.
"You don't remember?" Callen asked, concerned. At the lack of an answer, he continued. "A tree fell on the cabin. The cabin we have been staying with Sam and Eric for the last few days."
"Ok" Deeks said simply. But then he remembered Callen's question. "It's all just a lot of jumbled thoughts. I don't know what's real and what's not." He admitted.
"Did you..." Callen's question was cut short by a loud thud coming from outside. One that was noticeably louder than all the previous ones.
"Guys, are you okay?" Sam's voice came from outside the cabin. Hearing his partner, Callen breathed a sigh of relief, now feeling a little bit better about their chances.
"Yes." Callen said instantly, even if he knew that probably wasn't true. But at least his breathing had calmed down now that Deeks was awake and Sam had come back.
"Deeks?" Sam prompted, knowing that Callen was probably downplaying any injuries but still grateful to hear his voice.
But no answer came.
"Callen can you get to Deeks?" Sam wondered as he tried to push some branches to see if he could squeeze inside. But seeing that was impossible, he instead tried to climb the fallen tree so he could get a better look inside.
xxxxx
Deeks' brain was a foggy mess of memories that he couldn't place. He wasn't sure what was real and what was just a figment of his imagination. So, he tried to focus on the senior partners' voices instead.
Eyes fluttering open and shut, Deeks tried to think past the pain in his head but he could barely make out his teammates' words. Then Sam's head popped up in the open space of the broken cabin that had previously been occupied by the blue sky.
"Deeks? Are you okay?" The words barely reached him, and he nodded, but that made the pain worse, so he gingerly lifted a hand and gave Sam a thumbs up. The action looking childish and insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
Wanting to say more, Deeks tried opening his mouth, but his throat felt too dry to form any words. He wished he had some water.
"Can you move your arms and legs? Same question for you, Callen." Sam asked.
"Yes." Callen said simply, not wanting to get into how much his back hurt or the fact his breathing was beginning to come in ragged again.
Seeing Sam's expectant look, Deeks tried to move his other hand and legs. Relieved flooding him instantly when all of his limbs followed his command.
"Good." Sam said, trying to sound encouraging. "I will get down and continue cutting away the tree that's blocking the door. Just hang in there a little while longer."
Not a hammer but an axe. Understanding dawned on Deeks' eyes after hearing Sam's words and he smiled slightly because at least one thing made sense now. "I thought someone was hammering next to my house." He said, finally finding his voice.
"We are almost done." Sam promised, trying not to pay too much attention to the fact that at some point Deeks hadn't known where he was.
"Sam." Deeks spoke again before Sam had time to step away, desperation evident in his tone as his eyes stared pleadingly at his teammate. "I don't feel so good." An echo of his dream but this time reality and not a hallucination of his injured brain.
The uncharacteristic honesty worried Sam, as both of Deeks' hands went to his head and his eyes closed.
"Deeks." No answer or recognition from his younger teammate, but taking a closer look at him, Sam could see blood matting his hair and the side of his face. "Deeks!" Sam tried harder
Deeks eyes finally opened again and he stared back at Sam with pained-filled blue eyes. His head hurt and he just wanted to sleep.
"Did you hit your head?" Sam asked, remembering the mission in Mexico and Deeks' TBI.
"I don't know." Deeks shrugged. "Probably, cause it hurts like hell." Then his eyes closed again, and they didn't open no matter how much Sam called and begged.
xxxxx
"Deeks! Please." Sam continued his plea. "If you have a concussion you shouldn't be sleeping." He tried to reason, as if unconscious men were any good at that.
"Sam." Callen called from his spot on the ground. "Get back to cutting the tree. That's the best way to help us." He added softly. If it wasn't for his and Deeks' condition, he would suggest getting out through the window, but right now that didn't seem like a smart choice. And he assumed Sam had already reached the same conclusion.
"Are you really okay, G? Why aren't you getting up?"
"My back hurts." Callen said honestly. "And before, I had trouble breathing. I don't want to aggravate anything."
Sam closed his eyes and cursed at another unwanted memory of the mission in Mexico. Both senior partners recalling how Callen's desire to help and, subsequent, tumble down a hill had worsened his injuries until it almost killed him.
"Good. Just stay put, G. We will get you both out." Taking a final look at his partner and Deeks' unmoving form, Sam carefully lowered himself back to the ground.
Grabbing back the axe, he began cutting away the final branches so they could open the door.
xxxxx
"Deeks?" Callen tried calling. He could hear Sam and Eric working outside and not being one to just wait, he tried to help in the only way he could. "Marty, please wake up." He tried more desperately, hoping the uncharacteristic name would make Deeks wake up, even if only to tell him to shut up and never call him that again. But nothing happened.
For the next few minutes, Callen continued to lay helplessly on the ground. The pain on his back now echoing into his chest as the agent just tried focusing on keeping his breathing slow and steady.
"Who keeps hammering? I just want to sleep." Deeks' voice came again and Callen winced, fearing that Deeks' injury was worse than they had originally thought. Even if this time, unlike Mexico, he was managing to be awake for a brief time. But sadly, only short moments at a time.
"No one's hammering, Deeks." He explained gently, trying to keep his voice low, even as the loud thuds kept coming from outside. "It's just Sam and Eric cutting away the tree, remember?"
"Yeah, right." Deeks whispered, not sounding convinced.
"Can you stay awake for me, Deeks?" Callen asked quickly, sensing Deeks was getting close to unconsciousness again. "Please."
"Why? Head hurts... need sleep." Deeks mumbled.
"If you hit your head, then sleep is bad, Deeks. I know it's hard, but please try to stay awake." Callen pleaded.
"Okay... I..."
"And he's out again." Callen said to no one in particular, hating the situation as much as not being able to help make it better for his friends.
xxxxx
"Okay, this is enough." Sam said, throwing the axe back to the ground and using all of his body's strength to push away the last remaining piece of wood. Sensing a presence beside him, he turned around to see Eric pushing alongside him and mouthed a quiet thank you.
Slowly, the wood began to give in, and it slid over the snow until it was no longer blocking the door. Both Sam and Eric then collapsed into the snow, panting at the combined exhaustion of cutting the branches and pushing the trunk.
"Now we can finally help them." Eric whispered.
"We sure can." Sam got up and held his hand for Eric, before they opened the door and rushed inside the cabin.
xxxxx
We're sorry this chapter is not as long as we would have liked and we know this doesn't fully solve the cliffhanger from the last one, but we still wanted to update and get something out as we continue to work on the next chapter.
Thanks for reading and supporting our story. Everyone be safe and take care!