Thanks so much for the overwhelming response to the first chapter of this story. You're all so nice and I really appreciate those who took the time to review I'm sorry its taken so long to get the next part out, but hopefully things are getting better. I'm definitely writing more again these days.
xxxxx
Callen appeared to be asleep when Hetty and Sam returned to his room. They took their former seats by his bedside and silently resumed waiting. Dr. Perez checked the readings on Callen's monitors, then made a few notations on his chart. "I'll be back in a bit," he said quietly to Hetty and Sam. "Just remember not to upset him if he wakes up before I return."
It wasn't long after the doctor had left the room before Callen began to stir, moaning softly as he did so. His eyes then opened and he stared at Sam and Hetty, appearing very uneasy.
"Hello, Mr. Callen," Hetty said, smiling at him as she gently took his hand. "I'm Hetty. We've been very worried about you and are glad to see you're doing better."
Callen just stared at her, not saying a word.
"Hey, G...I'm Sam. I'm your best friend. How are you feeling?" Sam forced a smile as Callen turned his eyes toward him, but there was no recognition in them whatsoever.
"Can we get you anything?" Hetty asked, trying to get some kind of a response out of Callen, other than the eerie stare he was giving them.
Callen continued to stare at Hetty for a few more moments before he slowly shook his head.
"What's wrong, G?" Sam asked.
Callen didn't speak, but his breathing was becoming more rapid and he was obviously anxious.
"There's nothing to be scared about," Hetty said gently as she patted his hand affectionately. "We're all very good friends."
"I'm not scared," Callen snapped, finally speaking as he tugged his hand away from Hetty's grasp.
Hetty and Sam exchanged glances, unsure of how to deal with the situation. They didn't want to upset Callen any more than he already was.
"I think you should leave," Callen stated. The tone of his voice was a lot harsher than the look in his eyes, but Hetty and Sam didn't want to push him.
"We'll go, Mr. Callen," Hetty said, "but we'll be back. Perhaps then we'll be able to talk further and answer any questions you might have."
Callen was silent once again and his troubled gaze followed the pair as they left the room. He then breathed a sigh of relief as he closed his eyes to try to sleep, wanting to block out the confusion and uncertainty that surrounded him.
xxxxx
"That wasn't good," Sam said after they had left Callen alone.
"No...no it wasn't," Hetty replied, "but at least, he's improving. He's conscious and that's the most important thing at the moment. I believe the rest will come in time."
"He doesn't even want to be around us," Sam stated, clearly bothered by what had transpired with his partner.
"We're just strangers to him right now, Mr. Hanna," Hetty said. "Hopefully, as we continue to visit him, he'll become more comfortable with us and things will progress from there."
Sam ran his hand over his face. He was exhausted and was finding the whole situation difficult to deal with. Hetty looked at him thoughtfully. "Sam...you really need to get some rest. I think one night in your own bed would do wonders for you You seem to forget you're still healing yourself." Hetty gave an exaggerated look at Sam's leg to illustrate her point.
Sam pondered Hetty's suggestion for only a few moments before he shook his head. "I don't want to leave him right now."
"Even in his current state? We can't keep forcing ourselves on him if he doesn't want us there. It's not going to help matters and may make things even worse."
"You don't understand, Hetty," Sam began to explain. "When G was infected with the spiral bio weapon, he was really grateful to have me there with him, I just think…"
"Mr. Hanna," Hetty interrupted gently as she placed her hand on Sam's arm. "I understand that you want to be there for your partner, but you need to understand that he's in a very different mindset than anything we have ever seen before. Right now, I think we need to abide by Mr. Callen's wishes. If you don't want to go home for the whole night, at least go back to your boat for a few hours, take a shower, eat a good meal and get a bit of rest. Then you can return here, refreshed and with a clear mind. I will be here for him while you're gone. I'm going to go see how Mr. Deeks is doing and then I will be back here to watch over him."
Sam tried to think of a reason to debate with Hetty further, but truthfully, he knew that she was right. "Okay," he said. "I'm not going to be gone long though. I just...I don't feel right about being away from him for too long, especially if he regains his memory. He's going to wonder why he's alone."
Hetty nodded, not having the heart to say that she didn't think that was going to happen as soon as Sam was hoping. She hoped more than anything that she was wrong, but she had a feeling they were going to be in for a long and bumpy ride.
xxxxx
Hetty walked into Deeks' room, a little surprised not to see Kensi by his side. Then again, she was sure the young woman was exhausted and likely had needed to take a break. Deeks was asleep, but it didn't appear to be a peaceful sleep. Every once in a while, he would murmur something incoherently and move about fitfully, as if he was uncomfortable, even in his sleep.
Hetty went to sit down in the chair beside Deeks' bed and he immediately opened his eyes, appearing startled.
"Oh I'm very sorry, Mr. Deeks," Hetty said. "I didn't mean to wake you."
"Hetty." Deeks took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, wincing a bit at the sharp pain in his ribs. "How are you?"
"I believe it's me who should be asking you that question, isn't it?" Hetty asked.
"I'm fine," Deeks answered, not at all convincingly.
"Hmm…" Hetty didn't contradict him, but she didn't believe him for a second.
"How's Callen?" Deeks asked.
"Well, he is definitely improving," Hetty said. "He's regained consciousness which is a very good sign, but..."
Deeks looked at Hetty suspiciously. "But what?
Hetty sighed softly. "Unfortunately, at the moment, Mr. Callen is suffering from amnesia."
Deeks' eyes widened in disbelief. "Amnesia? Seriously?" That was one thing he hadn't expected to hear. "How bad? I mean, total amnesia, like he doesn't know who anyone is?"
Hetty nodded. "That's exactly what I mean. At least he doesn't know who Sam and I are."
"Wow…" Deeks took a few moments to digest this newest bit of information. "I wonder if he'll know who I am? Maybe I can say something to jog his memory."
"Well, his doctor says that we shouldn't do anything to upset him," Hetty said. "So when you are able to go and see him, you'll need to be very careful with what you say."
"I wouldn't say anything to upset him," Deeks said, a bit annoyed at what he felt was an insinuation that he would.
"Hmm…" Hetty decided a change in subject was in order. "Are you comfortable enough?" she asked. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
Deeks shook his head. "I'm good. I don't need anything, thanks."
Hetty studied him for a few moments. He was obviously unhappy although she wasn't sure why. "Are you sure you're not in too much pain? I can call somebody for you."
Deeks shook his head again. "I said I was good, Hetty."
There was a long silence between them before Hetty spoke again. "I'm surprised that Ms. Blye isn't with you. Is she off taking a break?"
Deeks nervously bit his lip and didn't meet Hetty's eyes. He definitely wasn't going to talk about his and Kensi's relationship with her. "She went to the house to check on Monty. She'll probably be back soon." Or maybe she wouldn't be. Things were far from normal between them.
"Well, I know that Monty will be very happy to see her," Hetty said. "I'm sure he misses both of you."
"I miss him too," Deeks said, a hint of sadness in his blue eyes.
"Well, you'll be able to see him very soon. Speaking of which, is there any word on when you might be released from the hospital?"
"As far as I'm concerned, I should be able to leave now, but I think they're making me stay at least until tomorrow," Deeks replied, unable to hide his discouragement at having to spend another night in the hospital.
"A decision I agree with," Hetty said. "I see no reason for you to go rushing home, although I know Ms. Blye would prove to be quite a capable nurse." Hetty gave Deeks a smile which he didn't return. "Is there something you'd like to talk about?" Hetty could see that there was something seriously troubling the young detective and she wanted to help him if she could. "Or if you don't want to speak to me, perhaps I should call Ms. B…"
"No!" Deeks snapped quickly, interrupting her. "I don't want you to call Kensi. Just let her rest...please just keep out of it, Hetty. Please."
"All right," Hetty answered calmly, not wanting the situation to escalate any further. Hopefully, whatever the problem was, which she now strongly suspected was between him and Ms. Blye, it would be resolved quickly. "I'll leave you alone so you can get some rest. I'm only a phone call away if you need me."
"Thank you," Deeks said, nodding his head. "I...I appreciate that, Hetty."
"It's no problem at all." Hetty smiled kindly at Deeks and gently patted his hand. "You get some rest dear and feel better."
Deeks nodded again, watching as Hetty left the room then he tried to get comfortable on the bed. Feeling better sounded like such a simple request, but he knew it was anything but that.
xxxxx
Callen managed to fall asleep, but not for too long. When he awoke, he was relieved to find himself alone, but he still had no memories at all of who he was or what his life was like. He saw the remote control to the television set attached to the rail of his bed and turned on the t.v. He then began slowly and methodically scanning through the channels. He finally settled on a shopping show and began watching the overly perky saleswoman who was talking about all the features of a high end laptop computer.
"Do you need a new computer, Callen?" Kensi asked, smiling as she entered his room. "I'm sure Hetty would be more than happy to get you one. It's so good to see you with your eyes open." She walked over to Callen and pulled him into a gentle hug, but almost immediately she felt him tense up in her arms so she let him go. "What's the matter? Did I hurt you?"
"Who are you?" Callen blurted out, staring at her like she was some kind of a monster.
"Who am I?" Kensi asked as she realized something was very wrong. "Callen, it's me, Kensi...you don't recognize me?"
He pulled the covers up more tightly around his chest as if he was shielding himself from her. Kensi just looked at him, unsure of what to do or what to say. Finally, she spoke up. "We...we work together. We're very good friends. We've known each other for a long time."
Callen said nothing. He was tired of these people coming in and making him feel like he was some kind of an animal on display in the zoo.
"Callen?"
He finally spoke, frustrated and fed up with the whole situation. "You may know me, but I don't know you. As far as I'm concerned, you're just a stranger. I really don't want you here. You need to leave." He proceeded to glare at her, making it very obvious that she was not welcome.
Unsure of his diagnosis and what exactly was going on with him medically, Kensi decided to abide by his wishes. "All right...I'll go," she said softly. "You take care of yourself, Callen. I'll see you soon." Kensi then headed out, more worried than ever about the state of their team, which was currently in shambles.