There weren't many times when Eric remembered seeing Sam overwhelmed but that's the only word he could use to describe his teammate the moment they rushed into the cabin. His eyes moving from Deeks to Callen as he debated within himself who to help first.
"What can I do?" Eric asked softly, wanting to ease some of Sam's worry and not force him to make an impossible choice.
Eric word's drew Sam away from his own desperate thoughts, as he shook his head and went right to work. "Check on Deeks, first his pulse, then let me know if there's any more blood or reason for worry. And try to wake him up."
Eric nodded, seeing Sam run to the kitchen, grabbing the first aid kit and then kneeling in front of his partner.
Drawing in a slow breath, Eric walked towards Deeks, taking a long look at his friend, then doing his best not to panic when he saw the detective's left arm. "Sam." He eventually called in a shaky voice. "We have a problem."
Sam turned around, eyes asking the question he didn't dare voice. His thoughts already on worst case scenarios as he wondered if maybe Eric hadn't found a pulse. But then again, he didn't think Eric would sound this calm if that was the case.
"I... I think one of the branches might be..." Eric trailed off, failing to find the words to describe what he thought he was seeing.
xxxxx
"It's good to see you, big man." Callen whispered as soon as his partner kneeled down in front of him.
"It's good to see you too, G." Sam said emotionally, the minutes he had been stuck outside while his partner suffered alone, inside, having almost killed him. "Now, be honest with me. What should I treat first? How's the leg?"
"Leg's fine." Callen began to say. "Ok, maybe not fine. But it doesn't hurt as much anymore." He amended after seeing his partner's raised eyebrows.
Sam knew it wasn't fine as he could see blood had started to sip through the bandage but, at the moment, he thought Callen's ribs and lung were a more pressing concern. But before he could get to work, Eric's soft words drew his attention to the other side of the cabin.
Sam then waited expectantly for Eric's explanation. But seeing that no came, he decided to look for himself instead. "I'll be right back." He told his partner, then got up to find out what else had gone to hell.
"Damn it." Sam muttered as soon as his eyes followed what Eric was seeing.
"What's wrong?" Callen asked from his spot, still unmoving on the floor.
"A branch is... stuck in his arm." Sam tried to explain.
"Stuck as in inside his arm?" Callen cringed.
"Yeah..." Sam drew a hand down his face, trying to keep his emotions under control.
"What's wrong?" Of course, Deeks would choose that unfortunate moment to regain consciousness.
"Nice to see you awake." Sam welcomed. "And nothing's wrong."
"I know you, Sam Dawg." Deeks chuckled. "How dead am I?"
"Deeks..." Sam grumbled. "You are not dead and nobody's dying. It's just a branch a little too close to your arm." He explained vaguely.
"Oh, just that then." Deeks shrugged.
"You knew?" Sam asked incredulously.
"Of course I did, Sam. It's in my arm. But don't worry it's the same arm the bear almost bit off." He tried to joke.
"Not funny, Deeks." Eric whispered.
"Sorry." Deeks said sheepishly. "So, what now?"
"I get you both out of here." Sam said, although he sounded more doubtful than any of them had wanted.
"I can help too." Eric reminded.
"Go help Callen." Deeks directed. "I can wait." He hoped that was true, but more than anything he knew he couldn't ask Sam to choose him over his partner. In the last years working together, they had gotten closer to each other, but Deeks knew his place. And he would always be second when it came to the longstanding senior partnership.
Sam hesitated, needing to make sure Callen was really okay, but not wanting to abandon Deeks either. Not even for the time being.
"Go." Eric pushed. "I'll stay with him."
Sam nodded doubtfully and went back to work on his partner. "Okay, G. I will take a look at your abdomen. Let me know when it hurts."
"You know this doesn't work if you don't tell me when it hurts, right?" Sam prompted after Callen had groaned a few times, but never outwardly complained.
"There... and there." Callen opened up. Knowing that holding out on Sam was only taking valuable minutes away from taking care of Deeks.
"Ok. I think you have two, possibly three, cracked ribs. And you know those hurt like hell, so that's probably why you had trouble breathing. But I don't see any signs of a collapsed lung or anything like that." Sam explained, as he grabbed a fresh bandage and antiseptic and moved to Callen's leg.
When he was done with that, Sam rummaged in the bag until he found some menthol cream. Putting a healthy dose over the now visible bruises in the skin over Callen's ribs. Then he wrapped a bandage to hopefully slow down any swelling and keep the ribs in place. "That table sure did a number on you, buddy."
"It wasn't just the table, but the force I hit it with." Callen explained. At Sam's questioning look, he continued. "Deeks saw the tree coming down first and he pushed me out of the way. So I hit the table with a lot more force than if I had just bumped into it."
Sam closed his eyes, releasing a long breath. As if he needed any more reasons to feel guilty about delaying Deeks' care.
"Go help him, I'm okay now." Callen said, always able to read him like a book.
"I won't leave you on the floor, G." Sam said, pushing himself off the ground and holding out his hand for Callen to take. "Let me get you to the cot, then I can do that."
Callen nodded, not only needing to alleviate his partner's anguish, but also wanting the semi-comfort of the cot and some blankets over the chill and hardness of the floor.
xxxxx
"I'm sorry about all of this." Eric whispered, as soon as Sam had moved to take care of Callen.
"Not your fault, Beale." Deeks said sincerely.
"Maybe I should have stayed here when Sam went to look for the wood." Eric continued sadly.
"And do what, man?" Deeks tried to reassure, but seeing a look of hurt cross Eric's eyes, he amended. "There was nothing any of us could do. I'm glad you weren't here, so you didn't get hurt too."
"Thank you." Eric said, even if he still felt like the squeaky, faulty wheel in this wagon.
The conversation died down after that as Eric continued to keep a watchful eye over his teammate. The pain in his blue eyes making Eric's own insides hurt.
"And you did something." Eric spoke again after seeing Deeks' eyes were beginning to close. He longed to just let his friend sleep and escape the pain, but he knew he shouldn't. "I heard you pushed Callen out of the way."
"Yeah..." Deeks mumbled, his eyes closing and his head lulling to the side.
"Sam!" Eric shouted, moving a hand instantly to Deeks' wrist and sighing in relief when he felt a pulse.
"Come help me here." Sam asked, prompting Eric to rush to the senior partners' side to finish getting Callen to the cot.
It took about a minute of curses and groans, but soon enough Callen was in the coat, a warm blanket comfortably over him as his eyes began to flutter shut. "Take these first." Sam directed, giving him a bottle of water and two pain pills.
"Thank you." Callen mumbled, taking the offered pain killers and downing half the bottle of water before almost letting the other half fall to the ground. His watch was over and Sam and Eric could help Deeks now. So, closing his eyes, he finally allowed his mind to let go and his battered body to rest.
xxxxx
"Deeks? Hey, Deeks, can you wake up for me?" Sam prompted gently when he came to kneel down in front of his other injured friend.
"Sam?" Deeks barely opened his eyes, his voice coming in so soft that Sam barely heard it. "Need sleep... hurts."
"I know, brother. And I'm sorry. But I need to know exactly what hurts." Sam encouraged, trying to leave his usual authoritative tone out and just focusing on being a friend as much as a caregiver.
"Head, hurts." Deeks whispered, his eyes fluttering shut.
"Deeks. Deeks! Stay awake, please."
"Okay, 'll try, Sam Dawg." Deeks promised, a faint, tired smile gracing his lips.
Reaching for the first aid kit, Sam poured antiseptic on a gauze pad and gently began cleaning the cuts on Deeks' face. "I'm sorry." He apologized as soon as Deeks hissed upon the sting of the antiseptic.
"It's okay, Sam. You're just trying to help." Deeks said softly, trying to keep the hisses and groans to a minimum as Sam continued cleaning the cuts on his face and arms.
"Okay, I need to take the branch out. Normally I wouldn't advise this, but we don't know when we can go home, and the branch is small. I believe this is our best chance now." Sam explained, preparing himself to cause his friend even more pain.
"Sam, just do what you gotta do, I trust you." Deeks said, the sincerity of his tone shining in his eyes as much as the pain.
"It will hurt, Deeks."
"I trust you, Sam." Deeks repeated his words. And either way, he didn't think he could feel any more pain than what his head was currently experiencing. But he didn't think it would do Sam any good to hear that, so he kept the thought to himself.
"Thank you." Sam said honestly, thinking that they had come a long way. Then without warning he ripped the bandaid, or rather, yanked the branch out of Deeks' arm. The detective screamed but thankfully lost consciousness just after.
"Should I wake him up?" Eric wondered.
"Not now, Eric. He needs a little rest." Sam said softly. "Just keep an eye on his breathing and continue checking his pulse every few minutes."
With Deeks unconscious again, Sam could better take care of his wounds. Cleaning and re-stitching his arm and clearing the blood from Deeks' head. Then putting antiseptic and antibiotic cream in the cuts and wrapping fresh bandages around both wounds. Sighing in relief when the white cloth only got partially matted with blood.
"Okay. I think we're good for now. Thank you." Sam told Eric.
Eric nodded, even though he didn't feel particularly helpful but still appreciative of Sam's words.
Sam recognized the shadow of doubt that crossed Eric's face but didn't say anything else. But seeing Eric quietly move to the room to grab a pillow to put under Deeks' head, Sam thought that his friend didn't know just how good a man he was.
xxxxx
For the next half hour, Sam and Eric continued to keep a watchful eye over their injured teammates. Knowing that for Deeks, especially, sleep wasn't good, but still wanting to allow him to escape from the pain he was feeling for at least a little while.
"What are we going to do tonight, Sam?" Eric asked after the silence had begun to unnerve him.
"We still have the tents. I can create some makeshift protection for the cabin to shield us against the cold." Sam explained, having already spent the last half hour silently debating how to go about that.
"Ok, good. Let me know how I can help."
"I will."
Then silence fell over the cabin once again.
xxxxx
"Time to wake Deeks up." Sam spoke after a while, dreading having to bring his friend back out of the comfort that sleep was giving him.
"I can do it, Sam." Eric offered, shooting Sam a shy smile when the senior team nodded gratefully.
"Deeks. Deeks, please wake up." Eric said, moving his hand to Deeks' right shoulder and carefully shaking him.
"Hmm?" Deeks started stirring, but then groaned as his injured arm bumped against something. "Where's Kensi?" He asked when his eyes finally opened.
"Kensi's not here. She's with Nell." Eric explained, not really sure if their ladies were in fact together but assuming as much.
"Working a case? Who's having their backs?" Deeks wondered.
"Deeks, no one is working a case. We're in the cabin, remember? Just you, me and Eric and Callen. Kensi and Nell are safely back in LA." Sam explained, having heard the exchange and deciding it was time to interfere.
"Yes, right. Sorry" Deeks shook his head, the action again bringing him a stab of pain. The movement also having the unintended consequence of riding Deeks' head off some of the confusion that plagued it, his eyes looking more aware and present than before.
"Are you hungry?" Sam asked, knowing that it had been a long while since breakfast and thinking that it might be good to get some food in his teammates' stomachs before getting on the task of cold-proofing the house.
"Not sure about him, but I sure am." Callen answered instead from his cot. His characteristic smirk back on his face, even as his features showed that he was still in pain.
"Okay. I will get on that. But, first, can you give me a hand so we can help Deeks get on his cot?" Sam asked, looking at Eric.
Eric nodded and together they helped Deeks get up the ground and into the cot, then as they had done with Callen, they covered him with some warm blankets. "This should be more comfortable than the floor. Sorry we don't have a real bed." Sam said, hovering over Deeks and trying to fluff his pillow to make it more comfortable.
"Sam, I'm okay. You know I've survived worse." Deeks tried to reassure everyone and also himself. "At least now I'm in the company of family and not in the hands of some psychos." He added darkly, thinking of Russians, Serbians, Mexicans and many others.
That comment sobered everyone more than a little because even if the situation was still dire, at least they were together.
Another half hour later food was ready, and the four teammates gathered around the cots to eat in silence. The dinner room table was no more so the floor and cots would have to do.
Unlike the previous nights, friendly banter didn't accompany this meal. All four men, instead, lost in their own insecurities and fears, until Callen decided to address the huge elephant in the room. "So... you did a great job patching us up, partner. And I'd hate to ruin your handy work, but if we don't do something about that." He said, pointing at the hole in the side and roof of the cabin. "We're going to freeze to death tonight."
"I will get us some makeshift cover for tonight, then tomorrow we can go about looking for help. Luckily the snow seems to have stopped." Sam explained, grateful that finally something seemed to be going their way.
"Okay." Callen wasn't sure how much warmth Sam could manage, and he wasn't looking forward to sleeping being spooned by his partner, but he didn't want to pile any more pressure on Sam.
"I might have an idea." Deeks said softly, his eyes closed, and the plate of food discarded to the side.
All eyes turned expectantly at him, but seeing no response or recognition, Sam scratched his throat loudly to call Deeks' attention back to them.
"Oh, sorry." He mumbled, seeing all eyes on him. "When I went to look for the wood the other day, I noticed another cabin on the other side of the trees. I'd say we could ask for help but it seemed pretty empty so maybe we can make ourselves at home there?" Deeks proposed.
"So, you're suggesting breaking and entering?" Sam wondered.
"Not the best look on a cop." Callen added with a smirk.
"I see it more as life or death, you know. Nothing against your survival skills, Sam, but I'd feel better about our chances if we had a nice roof over our heads." Deeks explained. "And, I think we can ask for forgiveness later, since it's not like we can ask for permission now." He added with a twinkle in his eye. Some small part of the old Deeks managing to shine through the pain he was feeling.
"Anyone opposed to that?" Sam asked, his serious demeanor back on track.
Callen and Eric shook their heads, both preferring the warmth of a cabin over their desire to stay on the good side of the law.
"Then, it's decided." Sam spoke in his usual commanding tone. "And if we get in trouble, I can pay the owner later for any damages to his cabin. Same with this one." Eyes naturally going to the side the tree had broken.
"Sam, money doesn't matter." Deeks said instantly.
"We will all contribute." Eric joined in.
"Not like you willed the tree to fall on the house or the sky to keep raining snow. Regardless of how much you want to believe you really are Father Nature." Callen added chuckling.
"Very funny." Sam said, rolling his eyes. "But thanks, guys. I appreciate it." He laughed in spite of himself, with Callen and Deeks following soon after. Callen's comment having successfully lightened the mood.
"Now what?" Eric inquired, when everyone had sobered up.
"We figure out a way to get all of us into that cabin without any more injuries." Sam responded, looking pointedly at Callen and Deeks.
xxxxx
"Okay, I think the first thing is to get these two over to the cabin," Sam said quietly to Eric. "We'll see what's there as far as furniture and supplies go and then I can come back here to get whatever we need afterwards."
Eric nodded. "Okay, that sounds good."
"Deeks?" Sam asked loudly, noting that the detective was once again on the verge of dropping off. "How far is the cabin? Where exactly are we going?" He received no answer to his question and gently shook Deeks' shoulder. "Deeks?"
"Huh?" Deeks stared up at Sam, appearing confused. "You need something?"
"The cabin, Deeks," Sam said patiently. "How far is it and more importantly, where exactly are we going?"
"Cabin?" Deeks blinked in confusion as he looked around. "We're in the cabin."
Sam shook his head. "Not this cabin, Deeks. This one is broken, remember? You mentioned another cabin?"
"Ooooh," Deeks nodded as understanding finally appeared in his eyes. "It's outside."
Eric and Sam exchanged a look. This wasn't going too well.
"Where outside?" Sam asked, trying to keep his voice even and calm.
Deeks nodded as his eyes started to close.
"Deeks!" Sam shook his shoulder, a little rougher than the first time. "Deeks, come on man. The cabin. Where is it?"
"We're in the cabin, Sam," Deeks said.
"Okay...get some rest," Sam said as he looked at Eric. "It's going to be easier to find it myself than to try to get him to guide us in his condition. I'm guessing it can't be far. I'm going to go scout around. I won't be far. Just yell if you need me." He glanced at his partner who appeared to be asleep and sighed. "You going to be okay?"
Eric nodded. "I'll be fine, Sam and I'll call you if I need you."
Sam nodded. "I'll be back soon."
xxxxx
Callen shifted in his cot and hissed as pain shot through his ribs and back. This really sucked. His eyes opened and his gaze met Eric's who was looking at him sympathetically. "I'm alright, Eric."
"Can I get you anything?" Eric asked. "You warm enough?"
"I'm good," Callen lied easily. "Where's Sam?"
"He went to look for the cabin," Eric explained. "Do you need him? He said to call if we needed anything."
"No," Callen answered quickly, his eyes then going to Deeks. "How's Deeks doing?"
"He's kind of out of it," Eric said, appearing disheartened. "I don't think he's doing so good."
Callen sighed. This trip sure wasn't like anything they ever could have imagined. "He'll be okay," he said, needing to say it for his own sake as well as Eric's, even though he had absolutely no idea if that was the case or not.
A sudden gust of wind blew through the cabin. "Damn," Callen said, unsuccessfully trying to bury himself further underneath the covers. "It's freezing in here."
Eric raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, deciding that calling out Callen on his supposedly being warm enough just moments ago wouldn't be particularly smart on his part.
Callen moved again and inadvertently grimaced. This was hitting way too close to Mexico except that had been hot weather and sand whereas this was freezing cold weather and who knew how much snow. The only good thing this time was that they weren't being hunted down by maniacs trying to kill them. "Do you think you should wake Deeks up?" he asked.
Eric shook his head. "He fell back asleep right before you woke up. I don't need to wake him yet."
"Okay," Callen said, still appearing troubled but taking Eric at his word. "When do you think Sam will be back?"
"Right now," Sam said quickly coming in through the cabin's door and slamming it shut behind him. "The cabin is really close. I just didn't see it at first because I was going in the wrong direction. Even though the snow stopped, it's still really blowing and drifting out there."
"That sounds fun," Callen said unenthusiastically.
"It's the price we pay for warmth and a solid roof over our heads, buddy," Sam said. "We can stay here if you'd rather."
Callen didn't respond. Both men knew staying there was not an option.
"It'll be okay, G," Sam said with a smile. "It's not far and there's a nice reward once we get there. I already broke in and it seems like it might even be a bit nicer than this place."
"It's fine, Sam," Callen said. "Let's get this show on the road."
xxxxx
"Just take it slow and easy, Deeks," Sam urged encouragingly. "We're almost there." He'd been torn over who to help, Deeks or his partner, but had opted for Deeks, just in case he passed out and Sam needed to catch and carry him. He glanced over at Callen who seemed to be doing okay but his face showed obvious pain and Sam knew he was hiding his true feelings big time. "You hanging in there, G?"
"I'm fine, Sam," Callen said wearily. He was mostly just fighting an urge to sink into the white blanket of snow and fall asleep, but he knew that wasn't very clear thinking. His eyes brightened though when seemingly out of nowhere, the other, intact cabin appeared in front of them.
"Let's get inside," Sam instructed, practically dragging Deeks in through the front door. He helped him over to the couch and sat him down, then helped Callen as well, who appeared to be on the verge of collapsing. "Good job guys. We made it."
"Look, Sam. Firewood," Eric pointed at a good-sized stack of firewood next to the fireplace.
"That's perfect," Sam said, his sudden grin seeming to cover his face. It was one less thing he had to do. He then set to work building the fire and soon it was blazing and crackling merrily. He glanced over at the men on the couch and both Deeks and Callen appeared to be asleep. Eric was sitting on one of the four wooden chairs which he had dragged away from the table and placed next to the sofa so he could closely watch the two sleeping men.
"I'm going to make a trip back to the cabin and get our supplies," Sam said to Eric. "I'll just be a few minutes."
"I could go for you," Eric said. "It's not that much stuff, Sam."
Sam hesitated but then shook his head. "Thanks, Eric. I think it would be good for you to just stay here though. I won't be long."
Sam was in the process of putting his jacket back on when he heard a rhythmic chant. "Ooo - eeeee - hoo! Yooo - ho! Ooo - eeeee - hoo! Yooo - ho!"
"Deeks?"
"Ooo - eeeee - hoo! Yooo - ho! Ooo - eeeee - hoo! Yooo - ho!"
"Deeks? Are you okay?" Sam asked as he went and squatted next to the other man.
"It's the song pounding in my head, Sam-Dawg," Deeks said.
"Why does it sound familiar?" Sam asked, turning to Eric.
"It's the chant of the wicked witch's guards in The Wizard of Oz," Eric replied.
"Oh yeah," Sam recalled the song. "Deeks?"
"Kensi is Dorothy!" Deeks called out excitedly. "She would look so cute in the Dorothy dress, wouldn't she? I'm going to buy her one when we get home."
"Yes, she would," Sam said calmly. "Eric? I'm going to go grab the cots from the other room, watch them?"
"You've got it," Eric said.
Sam dragged one cot into the main room and then another one. "Deeks? Come on. Why don't you lie down over here?"
"You're the lion!" Deeks said. "Sam is the lion!"
"The Cowardly Lion?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, no. You're not a coward, but you are the lion."
"I hated the flying monkeys," Eric said. "They always scared me to death."
"The flying monkeys were evil," Deeks agreed. "No one liked them."
"So, can I be the scarecrow?" Eric asked, getting into the spirit of things.
Deeks considered that then sighed. "Well, Dorothy likes the scarecrow the best, so I have to be the scarecrow. But you can be scarecrow number two because you can dance."
"There isn't a scarecrow number two," Callen said grumpily. He had just awoken and the combination of his pain and what he considered to be a ridiculous conversation were taking their toll. "Eric is the tin man."
"That's where you're wrong!" Deeks shouted exuberantly. "You, my friend, Callen, are the tin man. You are stiff and sore and need some oil for your aches and pains. Sam! Get the oil can."
"Oh my God," Callen said, and closed his eyes, trying to block the conversation out of his head.
"Do the scarecrow dance, Eric!" Deeks said. "Dance man, dance!"
"Come on, Deeks. You need to lie down," Sam said as he reached for Deeks and finally got him to his feet. He then proceeded to half walk - half drag him over to one of the cots and finally got Deeks settled. "Get some rest." Sam covered Deeks with some warm blankets and finally Deeks closed his eyes.
"I really want Kensi-Dorothy," Deeks murmured, just before falling asleep.
"Yeah, I know you do," Sam said quietly. "I know you do." He turned away from Deeks and put his jacket back on. "Eric, I'm going to head back over and get our supplies. I'll be back in a few."
"Okay, Sam," Eric said, watching as the other man left the cabin, closing the door behind him.
True to his word, Sam got back very quickly and put their diminishing supplies away. He then went over and took on the couch next to his partner. Even though Callen's eyes were closed, he still appeared pale and tense. It was obvious to Sam that he was awake. "G? G, come on buddy. I know you're not sleeping."
Callen opened his eyes and looked back at Sam. "I'm fine, Sam."
"I know you're not," Sam said, feeling more than a little bit guilty that he had arranged this trip, which was now a total nightmare, and resulted in two of his best friends being hurt so badly.
"It's not like I'm going to die," Callen said. "You need to keep an eye on Deeks. Head injuries are serious."
"I'm worried about you too. I can tell you're in pain, G."
"I can take a little pain, Sam. Anyhow, it's not that bad."
Sam sighed, knowing they were just going to go around in circles if they continued the conversation. "Come on, let's get you into bed."
Callen nodded, not denying that he needed Sam's help. Leaning heavily on his partner, Callen managed to get over to the cot with a minimum of difficulty, doing an admirable job of hiding his pain.
"You need anything?" Sam asked, tucking the blankets around Callen.
"I'm good, Sam... thanks."
"Okay, get some sleep, then." Sam said quietly, sitting with Callen until his breathing evened out and Sam knew he was asleep. He then stood up and went into the other room, dragging the third cot back into the room for Eric.
"Thanks Sam," Eric said. "I could have gotten that."
"I know you could have," Sam said with a nod. "Just get some rest. Tomorrow, we need to figure some things out. We can't stay here indefinitely, and we can't count on anyone coming here to find us. We really need to get these two some medical attention."
Eric nodded. He knew Sam was right. They needed to get help and definitely sooner rather than later. "Are you sure you don't want the cot?" he asked.
Sam chuckled. "Are you kidding me? I'm likely to fall right through it."
"Okay...good night, Sam."
"Good night, Eric." Sam sat, watching over the little group of men for a long time, trying hard to think of the best solution to their problem. He woke Deeks twice, just making sure that he was still responsive. Both times, Deeks responded appropriately enough to his questions and was able to fall asleep quickly. Finally, unable to keep awake any longer. Sam too, fell asleep.
xxxxx
Thanks everyone for reading and sharing this journey with us. We hope everyone is staying safe and healthy and wish you all a good and restful weekend.