Chapter 3-Doppelganger


So, here is the third chapter from this story. It will be the last update in few weeks, because I'm having exams and I have to study, plus I have to do seminary works. I'm super busy. I promise that in the next chapter there will be an explanation of the connection between Deeks and Carl if there is a connection. I still haven't decided on that matter. Sorry about the cliffhanger. For the needs of this story Deeks' mother will be dead, I know I've written in Not an Ordinary Case that she is alive, but for this story let's say she is dead. It will help me a lot with the next chapters.


It was difficult to see Carl Whitaker stand there in front of them. He was looking exactly like Deeks and was hard for all of them. They weren't prepared for another Deeks. Especially Kensi. She was so confused that she needed Deeks to wake up and tell her that the man isn't real, that she is dreaming and that when she wakes up, Carl Whitaker won't be there and Deeks will be just fine.

But, not everything was like Kensi wanted and she was forced to listen to Carl's story, with an attempt to figure out how to approach Alfredo Munoz and not scare him off. They needed him and they were going to do everything in their power to solve this case and possibly to prevent another attack on Carl Whitaker's life. This was personal now, and they were in full agent mode.

"Why don't you tell us everything from the beginning Carl." Said Callen

"What do you want to know?" Carl asked

"What the hell a man like you has to do with some lowlife like Munoz." Spit Sam

"I don't have anything to do with him. I defended his son in court. That's all."

"Who told you to defend him?"

"My contact with the cartel. He gets the order from the boss."

"We have confession from the people that were sent to kill you that Munoz ordered the hit. And that he wanted to find out if you knew something."

"Know something about what?"

"Something about the drug related deals Munoz had done in the past year."

"I don't know anything about it okay?"

"Has Chino Munoz told you anything about his father's business?"

"No."

"Nothing? Not a bit of information?"

"Nothing. He didn't tell me anything, don't you understand?"

"Look man, we're just trying to discover why our friend is in ICU because he got mixed up with you."

"I'm trying to figure that out, too."

"So, were on the same page then. You tell me that you didn't know Deeks before today."

"I didn't even know that he existed man."

"We need to figure this out Carl. In order to catch Munoz and to save your ass."

"I'm ready to help you with whatever you need."

""Good. First we need to figure out how you and Deeks are connected."

"What do you mean how we are connected?"

"You two look alike very much and we need to figure out why is that Mr. Whitaker." Hetty spoke for the first time since the two senior agents came to the hospital

"Why do you think that is? I mean I've heard stories that everyone of us has their doppelganger out there, but honestly I didn't believe in that."

"Well, you better start believing in those kinds of stories Mr. Whitaker. Because if you are not Mr. Deeks' doppelganger that means only one thing."

"You mean that we are twins?"

"Exactly."

"Oh, no, no, no."

"Oh yes Mr. Whitaker. And the quickest way to find out is to take a sample from your blood and to compare it to Mr. Deeks' blood sample."

Carl Whitaker learned that you can't say 'no' to Henrietta Lange. So he gave a blood sample for analysis and waited with them.

Callen and Sam continued their questioning after the nurse took the blood sample.

"So, you claim that you don't know anything about Munoz's business with the drugs."

"We've covered this angle of the story three times already, agent Callen and I'm tired of saying the same thing over and over again. No, no, and no. I don't know anything about Alfredo Munoz's business. No, his son didn't say a word to me. I defended him in court because it was requested form me. I took the case only because the order came form the above."

"We are aware that the cartel paid for your education. Harvard ain't cheap Carl. How's that even possible? Kid that his whole life had straight A's, had a chance to win a scholarship at Pepperdine and he did in fact, ended up with a cartel paying for his tuition at the one of the most expensive colleges in the States. I don't know, but this looks like bribe to me."

Carl Whitaker knew his stakes when he said yes, but he did it only for his family. If he didn't accept their offer then all that he had at that moment would've had gone to hell.

"Look agent Hanna, you don't know anything about the way I had to put it through life. The only reason the cartel paid for my tuition is… I can't tell you that."

"Yes, you can and yes, you will tell me Carl." Sam growled "We need to know everything in order to protect you."

"This is personal."

"It stopped being personal when you decided to defend criminals that had ties to the Molina cartel Carl."

"I didn't have much of a choice. It was because of my family. Because of my father."

"Your father what?"

"My father needed money for his business, just when I was starting college with the help of the scholarship. A friend of his told him that Alfredo Munoz had the exact same amount of money my father needed. My father went, asked for the money and he got them."

"So, Munoz was something like a loan shark."

"Yes. He gave the money to my father, but not long after he came to collect."

"But your father didn't have enough money."

"Yes."

At that point of the conversation Callen left them alone. Sam had the situation under control.

"So, how did you got into this?"

"Munoz called some of his pals at the cartel and they roughed my father pretty bad. Then, I decided to step up and defend my father. I went straight to the source."

"Munoz?"

"Nope. Straight to the head of the cartel."

"You have some balls man." Said Sam, smirking

He started to like Carl.

"What I was supposed to do agent Hanna?"

"You did right Carl. If I were you, I would've done the same thing. Go on."

"I asked him to let my father go for now. I assured him that my father will pay his debt. Then he approached me and caught me by the throat. He said that the Molinas don't forgive nor forget. He said that he has a proposition for me."

Sam could see that Carl's eyes were full with tears. He had his own demons, just like Deeks. God, those two really looked alike.

"He said that I had two options. Option number one, I will work for them. Somehow he found out that I was freshman at Pepperdine. He proposed me, that only if I agree, I would move to Cambridge and I will go to Harvard. Full tuition paid in advance."

"What was the second option?"

"The second option was in case if I said 'mo' to his first option. In that case, he was going to kill my father and my mother, slowly in front of my eyes. Then, he was going to kill me."

"Oh boy."

"I said yes. I had to. I was naïve back then agent Hanna. I believed I could save the world with just one talk."

"I know someone that has the same opinion as you do. About the world I mean."

"Detective Deeks, huh?"

"Yup. Thanks for your collaboration Carl. You stay here until you get your protection detail."

"What do you mean by protection detail?"

"I mean that you will go to one of our safe houses until all of this is cleared."

"But…"

"No 'but' Carl. Someone tried to kill you, but they missed. What makes you think that Munoz won't try again? Especially if he finds out that his people tried to kill the wrong man?"

"You are probably right."

"I'm always right." Said Sam and earned a glare from his partner that just came back

"That was pure humble brag big guy."

"G…"

Sam called few numbers and half an hour later a protection detail took Carl in a safe house.

"If Carl didn't rat Munoz out, then who did G?"

"I don't know Sam. But, I know that first thing in the morning we are going in jail?"

"What for?"

"We need to talk to Chino Munoz."

Kensi wasn't interested to listen Carl's story at all, so she slipped away once Carl opened his mouth and started answering Sam's and Callen's questions.

The only thing she cared about in that moment was the man that lied on the bed in front of her. His skin was pale. He looked exhausted. If it wasn't for the monitor beeping and the rise and fall of his chest he could've been easily mistaken for a dead guy.

"Why Deeks? Why did you have to go before us?" she was whispering afraid that he would listen to her hopeless rant.

She wasn't supposed to be in ICU, but she snuck in when no one was watching, and here she was, looking at the man she loved so much, fight for his life.

He spent 3 hours in surgery, and it was almost 2 hours after he was placed in ICU. She needed him to wake up and tell her something. To, tease her, to crack a joke like he used to do, to make fun of her eating habits…

Kensi lost count of time, and before she could even be aware of, it was night.

Suddenly, she noticed that Deeks shifted his hand a little. She rubbed her eyes unsure of what she saw. It was true. He shifted his hand again and after few seconds he slowly opened his eyes. He opened and closed his eyes few times as he was trying to figure out where he was and then he laid his eyes on worried Kensi.

"Hey there Fern."

"Hey there Deeks. How are you feeling?"

"Exhausted."

"It'll pass. I'm glad you are back." She said with a tired smile on her lips.

"It's good to be back."

"Wait a second; I need to tell the doctor that you are awake."

Kensi ran out of the door and soon the doctor and few nurses were hovering over now fully awake Deeks, checking his vitals.

The team gathered in the hall in front of the ICU waiting to hear the prognosis on their friends' recovery. The doctor was working under the pressure of four pairs of eyes.

They were tight-knit family; he realized when he saw his patient smile when he saw them. And he damn well knew that the little ninja with the glasses will make his life living hell if her Mr. Deeks was mistreated.

"Look at the light Mr. Deeks." Said the doctor "Okay, I can see that we're doing well with the concussion. You'll have a headache for a while, and you may feel dizzy, but it will pass. Now let's see your legs."

"What's wrong with them?"

"One of the puncture wounds got through a nerve that's directly connected to the center for movement. You may experience some trouble walking at first."

Deeks gasped when he heard that.

"It's nothing permanent Mr. Deeks. Everything will be fine. But, it'll take time."

Deeks' face dropped to his chest and he almost cried when he felt Kensi's firm grip on his shoulder. He appreciated the small gesture.

Kensi left the room, leaving the doctor behind, still checking on Deeks.

"How is he?" asked Sam, eager to know something about Deeks

"He is devastated."

"He is strong. He'll get through this." Said Callen with a firm voice

"He is a fighter." Said Hetty "Hell, he survived Sidorov. What makes you think that he'll give up now?"

Hetty had a point and they all nodded in agreement

The doctor left the ICU and joined the team.

"Mr. Deeks' vitals are good. And I think that his recovery will be faster than I initially thought. He'll still need help and a little physical therapy, but other than that, Mr. Deeks will be as new when he gets out of here. He knows that, too. He is transferred to a room as we speak."

"Thank you doctor."

"Can we see him?" asked Callen

"Of course."

"I'll get in first." Said Callen

Callen was always the one with the cool head in the team. He knew that the others will get too emotional when Deeks was in question and he couldn't let them. Deeks needed someone that will be tough for him. Because if Deeks could read their faces as well as Callen could, then he was going to lose it for reals.

Callen was the lone wolf, but with the years that passed Deeks was working on the walls around him, and helped him realize that "I'm a one man army" wasn't always enough. He realized that one needs to rely on someone else when life gets tough and that's what he was trying to do the last couple of years.

And look where that got him. He had a steady relationship for once in his life. It was a blind date at first, but it was worth the while. Joelle was his perfect match.

Seeing Deeks suffer wasn't on Callen's wish list, but things did happen and he needed to deal with what was happening and fast. He was the one that always found the resolution of a problem.

He felt guilty because of what happened to Deeks now, same as he felt guilty when Deeks and Sam were captured and tortured by Sidorov. Deeks told him once that he's good with that situation and that nothing that Callen could do, would've prevented the thing from happening, but Callen didn't believe him. Deeks didn't want to talk about that that was for sure. Nothing that Callen said or did could change Deeks' mind about that time of their lives, and Callen dropped that matter. But, he never forgot about it.

Deeks once told him, that the thing with Sidorov was in the past and that it should stay there.

But, Callen swore that this time he won't let Deeks to close in himself.

Callen entered in his room.

"Hey Callen."

"Hey Deeks. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fi… I'm good. The wounds sting a little, but nothing that can't be fixed."

Callen stared at Deeks for the longest time, trying to figure out how to start the conversation.

"What?" Deeks asked Callen

"Why did you go to check your luggage before us? Look what it cost you. You could've died Deeks!" Called didn't mean to yell, but it sounded that way

While Deeks was fighting with his thoughts and words the doctor delivered the results of the blood analysis to Hetty.

"The results are ready."

"And?"

"They are…"