Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.
Chapter 8
"I guess now it is just us, G." Sam was adamant to stay with his partner and tried to make himself comfortable in the orange plastic chair. He knew Callen was likely to suffer from nightmares as he usually didn't react well to sedation and he wanted to have his back – now at least.
Well into the night Callen started tossing and turning in his sleep. "I tried, … let him down", Callen mumbled. Sam was worried for what he heard, he had made his partner feel that way. "Sam... gone... no trusting."
"I am right here, G. I've got your back." Sam said soothingly. "I do trust you. I will not go away. Everything will be fine." Sam tried to comfort his partner. His voice seemed to have a calming effect on Callen who settled down again, peacefully. The same episode repeated itself several times during the night with Sam soothing Callen while having a bad dream.
In the morning Sam felt emotionally drained and worried sick. Sam's voicing of his lack of trust had obviously hit his partner hard and Sam was desperate to make up for it, somehow. Nothing changed until lunchtime and when Hetty came into the room she found him all worked up and pacing up and down. "Mr Hanna, is everything all right? How was the night?" Hetty sensed that something was amiss. "Hetty, I did him wrong." Sam sighed. "Now he can't even find the rest he needs because he worries about our partnership."
"Why, Mr Hanna, sit down and tell me about it before your pacing attracts the nurses." Hetty pulled up a chair next to him. Sam sat down reluctantly. "What is bothering you so, Mr Hanna." Hetty waited patiently.
"I let him down, Hetty. I yelled at him being so angry that I didn't even check on him. I threw in his face that he was unreliable, that I didn't trust him any more to have my back, I left him alone." Sam got all worked up at voicing what had transpired.
"Oh Mr Hanna", Hetty looked at him sadly. "That is quite a severe situation. I have to ask you that: do you still feel you can't trust your partner?" "Of course not, Hetty! I was just so cross he wouldn't let me in. G is the best partner and friend I could have. He managed to pull off a herculean stunt there, Hetty!" Hetty nodded "I guessed so, Mr Hanna. Now we just need to make sure Mr Callen realizes that as well."
Callen was confused, his foggy senses only returning slowly. He felt his side sting dully and could smell disinfectant. He had to be in hospital. But what had happened? He heard Sam's voice getting louder "...that he was unreliable, ...I didn't trust him any more, ...I left him." Callen became painfully aware of why he was in hospital: the case, Garcia, he was stabbed, Sam was nearly shot. Sam, his brother, his friend had left him because he couldn't trust him any more. Callen groaned as this truth hit him hard.
Sam and Hetty heard Callen move and moan. "Callen, can you hear me buddy?" Sam tried to encourage his friend. But Callen stayed unresponsive.
Callen heard Sam addressing him but he decided to let himself slip into oblivion again - this was too much to handle right now, it hurt too badly.