A/N: Two or three more chapters left. I apologize if this chapter isn't the best because I'm not exactly satisfied with it but it's what I've got. As ever, thank you for reading and leaving a review, I love feedback.
Callen squinted his eyes up at Sam, unhappy the agent was waking him from the welcomed slumber. He sent a slightly miffed look toward his partner.
"Don't give me that, G. You know I shouldn't let you sleep too long with that head wound of yours."
Callen sighed, reluctantly knowing he was right. He was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. His body still pulsed in agony and Callen had to keep trying to breathe through it while not aggravating his ribs any further.
"Deeks got the first aid kit, I'm going to look at those stab wounds, okay?" Sam warned, figured he should let Callen know what he was doing beforehand. Callen carefully nodded, mentally preparing himself.
Sam pulled back the jacket, taking a closer look at his shoulder. The bandages on the gunshot wound had regrettably been torn.
"Did you catch him?" Callen whispered, breaking the silence in the still, night air.
Sam recognized the trepidation in his voice and was quick to reassure him. "We got him, G. He's being escorted back to the US by Hetty's back up team as we speak. Eric and Nell located the men helping him as well. They were arrested a few hours ago."
Callen nodded again, relaxing a little further knowing Iverson was no longer out there.
Sam kept working, doing his best to gently clean Callen's wounds. He was concerned with the effect Iverson's return may have caused on his partner's ability to trust. Whenever his past came back to bite him, Sam always worried about the old wounds that were reopened.
Any attempt Sam was about to make of getting Callen to open up was halted with the sudden noise of a chopper. Sam stood, making his way off the porch to search the dark sky. He felt relief when spotted the medevac closing in. He turned back to the house, finding Kensi and Deeks approaching him.
"Hetty's making sure this place gets cleaned up quickly, we're all riding the chopper to a hospital in Sweden. Vance wants us out of here before morning. Guess he doesn't want to cause any international incidents with his agents running around Russia." Deeks tried.
Sam nodded. "Alright, how about you two round up all our gear, I'll go help G." The agents split up, quickly preparing to leave. Sam walked back up the porch, not surprised to find Callen's eyes once again closed.
"G, chopper's here." He patted his good shoulder, rousing the agent. Callen opened his eyes and tried to sit up, however his attempts were futile as he was too weak and it aggravated the wounds on his chest. Sam helped to carefully sit him up and grabbed the first aid kit.
At that moment, two people from the medevac approached, preparing to load Callen onto the chopper. Sam stood near as they worked, walking with them as they made their way away from the house. Kensi and Deeks met them at the chopper, the deafening noise of the blades drowning out any conversation. Quickly, they all climbed in and the nurses started working on Callen's injuries.
Callen slowly woke, noticing the bright light coming through the window. He recognized the same oversized bed, rudimentary pictures on the wall, and the lingering smell of cleaner. Hospitals were always the same, and he still hated them. He tiredly surveyed his surroundings, catching sight of his partner asleep in the chair next to him while Kensi and Deeks were both passed out on the small couch. A tiny smile formed at the sight of all his teammates sleeping in such uncomfortable positions.
He looked down, curious to see what the damage was this time. Bandages covered his chest, and on his bare skin he could make out the colorful bruising starting to appear. His ribs were wrapped as well, and a thicker bandage covered the stab and gunshot wound in his shoulder. A quick inspection confirmed he had a bandage on his leg and head as well. Overall, his pain had dulled dramatically, however he wasn't happy about being sedated.
Sam stirred in his chair, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and instinctively looking over to check on Callen. He slowly smiled when he saw the man was awake.
"Welcome back, G." Callen looked towards him. "How you holding up?"
He shrugged. "What's the short version?"
"Two broken ribs, mild concussion, lots of stiches," Sam listed, letting the nonchalance pass this time. "No infections though, thankfully."
"Yeah, well salt will do that." Callen muttered bitterly.
Sam was unsure how to respond to the casual comment about his latest ordeal, however, he was saved from any further conversation as Kensi and Deeks started to wake up. They both sat up from the awkward position they had been in on the tiny couch and quickly realized their team leader was now awake.
"Callen!" Kensi exclaimed. "How are you feeling?"
Callen didn't even know the answer to that question, however he pulled on a smile for his teammates. "I'm good, Kens. Where are we?"
"Gothenburg, Sweden. Once you're ready for travel you can be transferred back to the states," Sam supplied. Callen nodded in understanding, planning to get out of the hospital as soon as possible.
"Do you need anything, Callen? Should we go get the nurse?"
"No, really, I'm good guys." Suddenly, the doctor opened the door.
"Ah, Agent Callen, good to see you awake." The doctor was an older man, his gray hair mixed with dark brown. Surprisingly, the man had an American accent, but what caught Callen's attention was the use of his real name. He sent a subtle, questioning glance to Sam, not quite sure he should trust this doctor. Sam returned with a small nod.
"Don't worry, I'm an old friend of Hetty's, but you can just call me Doctor Stevens."
Callen raised his eyebrows. "You know Hetty?" he rasped, clearing his voice after it cracked from the lack of use.
Stevens smiled. "Ah, yes. We go back quite a ways. I still owed her a bottle of Scotch after all these years. She must like you a lot. When she called me last night saying she needed me to care for one of her agents, she said to consider us even." The agents all smiled, of course he knew Hetty. "She also warned me about your aversion to hospitals. I assured her you won't be leaving until it is my professional opinion that you are well enough to be discharged." The doctor spoke with a knowing look.
Callen sighed, figuring getting out of there would be harder than he thought. He just wanted to return to Los Angeles, to have some time alone to process everything. More than anything, he just wanted to move on and forget everything that happened.
"I'm just going to do a routine check-up, make sure you're doing well." He turned to Callen's teammates. "You should all go put some food in your stomachs. Cafeteria is decent enough, and this shouldn't take very long." Sam nodded to Kensi and Deeks to go on ahead without him. He had glanced over and knew Callen wasn't as good as he was letting on. He didn't want to leave him alone just yet. Besides, he had just got his best friend back after he had been missing for months. No way was he going to let him out of his sight so soon.
Kensi and Deeks exited the room, reluctant to leave Callen but feeling starved. They intended to return as soon as they were finished. Meanwhile, Doctor Stevens moved on with his evaluation, checking the equipment and Callen's injuries.
"You sustained quite a few injuries, Agent Callen. It may take some time before you have the full strength of your leg and shoulder again, however you should make a full recovery." Callen didn't respond and simply acknowledged the doctor's words. A few minutes later, the man finished up and left the room.
Sam silently observed his partner who was now looking down, being uncharacteristically quiet. Callen's hair was still longer than usual and he was paler and thinner than before. Sam noticed how the numerous bandages were a stark contrast to the dark bruising forming all over his skin. Once again, Sam cursed Iverson, Mason, and anyone else that contributed to the damage done on his partner. He could tell something was off with Callen, and whatever it was, he was trying to hide it from them. He may be able to fool his younger teammates, but Sam could see right through his façade.
"You sure you're good, G?"
He looked up. "I'm fine, Sam."
"You don't have to lie, it's just you and me now."
"I'm not," he tried. Sam gave him a look that clearly said he wasn't buying it, and Callen inwardly cursed at how well his partner knew him. He sighed and looked away, subconsciously moving his jaw back and forth. Several minutes past, and Sam patiently waited for a response.
"I don't know, Sam." He spoke so quietly that Sam had to lean closer to hear. "I just want to forget everything."
"I know you do, but you can't," he softly responded. "I know this scared you more than you'd ever admit, and that you just want to push it away, but the best thing for you is to work it out now. Don't make this worse on yourself, G." Sam paused, waiting for a response.
Callen sighed and shook his head. "I just felt so powerless," he whispered.
"Yeah, and Iverson made sure of that. He wanted to ruin you, but he failed. You were the one who beat him. As for Mason, he's dead. He can't come back. I know you can come out of this, and you're not alone in this anymore. We're all here for you G, you know that right?"
Callen finally met Sam's eyes and nodded almost immediately. It was a simple question, yet it told Sam what he needed to know. Callen's trust in them wasn't compromised because of Iverson. Sam was relieved his ordeal had at least left his fragile trust intact.
"Thanks, partner. For everything." Callen admitted.
Sam carefully patted him on the back. "Anytime, buddy. You just focus on getting better. Just give it time and don't push us away." Callen thought for a second before nodding in understanding. He still looked exhausted, and Sam figured that was enough for today.
"How about you get some more sleep. You need as much rest as you can get." Callen closed his eyes, succumbing to the tiredness he still felt. In a matter of seconds, he had fallen asleep and Sam leaned back in his chair, settling in for another long recovery.