Sorry about the delay in posting. I had a hard time getting back into this one after my surgery. I'm not exactly thrilled with this chapter, but I needed to start somewhere. Thanks for reading.

xxxxx

"Sam seems really down," Kensi said after he had left the room.

"I didn't mean to make him feel bad," Deeks stated. "I just thought…" He shook his head, appearing troubled. "Never mind."

"It's not you who made him feel bad," Kensi said, giving Deeks a hug. "It's the whole situation, everything that's happened. And now, his best friend doesn't want anything to do with him. It's bound to have an effect."

"Yeah, you're right…" Deeks said, not appearing like he particularly believed his own words.

"This is all Bart," Kensi said to Deeks, trying hard to make him believe what she was saying. "You know it is. All those games he played with us. There's no way we'd escape that without some kind of side effects. I don't think it would be humanly possible. He messed with our bodies and our minds."

Deeks nodded then sighed. "I guess this stuff isn't something you can just put behind you and move on from right away."

"No," Kensi said, shaking her head. "But eventually we will move on from it, Deeks. You know we can do it.

"Did I ever tell you just how much you mean to me?" Deeks asked, gazing lovingly at Kensi.

"I think you may have mentioned it once or twice," Kensi smiled as she cuddled against him and he wrapped his arm around her. "It isn't something I really ever tire of hearing though."

"Well then, I'll tell you again," he whispered as he tightened his hold on her. "You mean the world to me, Kensi Marie Blye. I love you more than I ever thought I could love anyone."

"And you mean the world to me as well," Kensi looked up at him as he lowered his head toward her and their lips met. "We're going to get through all of this, Deeks, the whole team...we're all going to be okay.

xxxxx

Hetty sighed as she sat by Callen's bed, watching him sleep. She really wished he would take a turn for the better. It was difficult not knowing how he was going to react each time he awoke from sleep. She became so lost in her thoughts, that she didn't even notice Callen's blue eyes were open and focused on her. "Mr. Callen," she said, unable to totally hide her surprise. "I thought you were asleep. How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess," Callen replied softly. "How are you?"

"Me? Oh I'm fine, just fine," Hetty said. "Can I get you anything? Something to eat or drink perhaps?"

Callen thought about it for a few moments but then shook his head. "No thank you."

"Did Sam go home?"

"No, Mr. Hanna stepped out for a bit. I'm sure he'll be back soon...unless you'd rather not see him?"

Callen gave Hetty a puzzled look. "Why wouldn't I want to see him?"

"Oh, I just think you look tired and might want to get some rest."

"But I just woke up."

"Yes, yes you did," Hetty said with an odd little chuckle. "Don't mind me, I guess you're not the only one who might be a bit tired."

"You should go home and get some rest," Callen said. "I'm fine by myself, Hetty. Like you said, I probably will want to get some rest soon."

"I think we should visit for a bit now, don't you?"

"Whatever you'd like," Callen said with a faint smile.

"Are you sure I can't get you something to eat?" Hetty asked. He looked very pale to her and she couldn't help but be worried about him.

"I'm really not hungry."

"Okay," Hetty said, nodding. At this point, she wasn't particularly inclined to irritate him. "Let me text Mr. Hanna and find out where he's at."

"You don't have to," Callen said. "I don't want to bother him."

"Oh, Mr. Callen...you would never be a bother to him. Trust me on that."

Callen nodded and reached for the remote control to his bed to move himself up into more of a sitting position. Then he tried to adjust the pillow to fluff it up a little bit more.

"Comfortable?" Hetty asked, smiling. Sam had been outside the hospital and was on his way up to see his partner.

"I'm good."

There was a long silence before Callen spoke up again. "How are Kensi and Deeks doing?"

"Mr. Deeks is coming along," Hetty said. "And as you can imagine, Ms. Blye is constantly by his side."

"They're lucky to have each other," Callen said, looking wistful for a moment.

"Yes, yes they are, but you have plenty of people who care about you as well. You know that, don't you?" She still had moments when she worried about him and the effect his early years still might have on him. As long ago as it was, she knew there were things in life that people were never able to totally put behind them.

"Of course," Callen said, nodding. He swallowed uneasily, feeling a sudden burst of queasiness.

"Are you alright?" Hetty asked, not missing the expression on his face and the fact that he suddenly appeared even more pale than he had been.

"I feel kind of nauseous all of a sudden," Callen admitted.

"Let me call someone. They can give you something."

Callen nodded but his stomach suddenly rebelled. "I...I think I'm going to be sick."

Hetty grabbed a basin from the top of his nightstand and he took it from her as his stomach continued to heave. Nothing came up though and he finally leaned back against the pillows appearing miserable and exhausted. "I wonder if I'm ever going to get better," he whispered.

"Of course you are, Mr. Callen," Hetty said, patting his hand. "Unfortunately, I think it's just going to take some time."

Just then, Sam entered the room, smiling. Once he saw the state of his partner though, the smile faded. "G? You okay?"

"He's feeling quite sick to his stomach again, Sam," Hetty answered when Callen failed to respond to Sam's question.

"Did you call someone?" Sam asked. He couldn't help but wonder what the hell kind of poison Bart had put into G's system and when and if it was going to wear off. Or maybe this was from the drug cocktail. In either case, both mentally and physically, the effects were brutal. He wondered how much more his friend could take.

"I just did," Hetty said, her eyes on Callen who appeared to have dozed off.

"Damn, Hetty," Sam said, pulling up the other chair in the room to sit beside her. "When is this going to end?"

"I wish I knew, Mr. Hanna," Hetty said. "I really wish I knew."

xxxxx

"Kensi!" Deeks' scream startled Kensi from her nap. She turned to Deeks and saw that he was tossing and turning fretfully in his bed, his face covered with perspiration.

"Deeks? Deeks, sweetheart, wake up," She brushed his hair back and murmured comfortingly to him until his eyes opened.

"Kensi?" He looked at her, his blue eyes filled with emotion. "Kensi? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, honey. You're the one I'm worried about. Do you want to talk about it?"

He shook his head, appearing sad and vulnerable. "No...not really…Any word on Callen?" he asked, abruptly changing the subject.

"I haven't heard anything," Kensi said, wishing she knew how to help Deeks to feel better. "Can I do anything for you? Get you something to drink, maybe?"

He shook his head silently, still appearing troubled.

"How about a sponge bath?" Kensi asked, a faint smile on her lips.

Deeks looked at her with definite interest in his eyes. "A sponge bath? Really?"

"I think that's the least I can do for you, don't you?" Kensi asked, smiling at him playfully. "Hopefully, that will help you feel better."

"It definitely couldn't hurt," Deeks said.

"Okay then. I'll be right back." Kensi opened the drawer to Deeks' nightstand and pulled out a plastic basin, then went into the bathroom where she found some liquid body soap, a washcloth, and a bottle of spray-on shampoo. She filled the basin with some warm water and then poured some soap into it. She then brought the basin over to Deeks' bedside table and soaked the washcloth in the warm water. "Oh, I should get you a clean Johnny." She went into the dresser and pulled one out of the top drawer then came and sat by Deeks on his bed. "All set?"

Deeks nodded, smiling as Kensi helped him out of the Johnny. Then she wrung out the washcloth and gently began to wash his chest. "Is the water temperature okay?"

"It's perfect, baby," he said with a contented sigh as she had him lean forward so she could wash his back. "This is really nice."

Kensi continued until she had finished the entire upper half of his body. "Umm… now what?" she asked.

"You're not just going to stop, are you?" he asked with a teasing grin.

"Well...I don't want to um...make you overly excited. I can wash your legs and feet..."

Deeks chuckled. "That's fine, baby." In all honesty, he wasn't really feeling up to any more strenuous activities anyway.

Kensi completed the sponge bath, then took the shampoo and sprayed it generously onto his scalp, then massaged it through his hair. "You want me to comb it?" she asked when she was finished.

Deeks shook his head and began to style it with his fingers. "Nah, this is good." He then smiled at her. "Thank you, Fern. I feel so much better."

"I'm glad," she said, intertwining her fingers with his. "Anything else I can do for you?"

"No, I'm good, baby. Just sit with me. That's all I need right now.

"You've got it, Deeks," Kensi said as she cuddled against him, feeling more content than she had since this whole mess had begun.

xxxxx

"I have to say, this is the most challenging case I've come across in quite some time." Dr. Carlisle stood with Sam and Hetty outside of Callen's room. "Some of his latest blood tests are beginning to normalize but others are still highly abnormal.

"So what are we talking here. Doc?" Sam asked.

"At the moment, I'm not seeing anything life threatening. For now, I guess our best strategy is to treat his symptoms as they arise. His mental status seems to be back to baseline. Hopefully, his other symptoms will follow suit.

"And if they don't?" Sam asked.

"Let's not borrow trouble, Mr. Hanna," Hetty said, placing her hand on Sam's upper arm. "For now, we'll trust that Mr. Callen will begin to feel better and hopefully can get out of this situation once and for all.