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Impeding An Investigation Bash

Chapter 12

G moaned in his sleep again, and Sam shot off the window seat to check on his partner. The Narcan intravenous infusion prescribed by the doctor now wreaked havoc in G's body, as it reversed the side effects from the narcotics in G's blood stream. Sam had listened to his partner's moaning for the past eight hours since the drug was first administered to him. The doctor estimated it would take another two days on the extra slow Narcan drip to reverse those side effects. G's body couldn't handle a normal drip rate due to severe respiratory acidosis. His labored breathing and fast and irregular heart rate were both symptoms of his respiratory acidosis and potential side effects of the Narcan. The worst side effect of Narcan was a possibility of seizures and G's body couldn't tolerate a symptom such as that. The other side effects of Narcan were drug withdrawal from the narcotics which G had ingested through the protein powder drinks. Thus the need to lower the drip rate of the Narcan and prolong recovery.

The worst of the treatment was an arterial line inserted into G's wrist to give the doctor and nurses real-time readouts of his blood gases. Despite the anesthesia injected near the site before the procedure, G screamed and swore as if he were a drunken sailor when the nurse practitioner inserted the thin needle catheter into G's left radial artery at the inner wrist. Lucky for the nurse, an orderly had restrained G prior to the procedure. No telling what he might have done if he'd been lucid and unrestrained. It was one procedure even Sam couldn't watch his partner go through. He stepped out of G's ICU cubicle during the ordeal, and yet Sam heard his partner's screams and rants from down a hallway and behind a private waiting room's closed door. Sam remembered back to a time when blood had to be drawn from a vein on his own inner wrist: the extreme pain made him nauseous and that was a vein not a deeper artery. He cringed while he thought about his partner's ordeal down the hallway. Thankfully, G's confused and semi-conscious state helped him endure the procedure better than he would have if he were aware and awake.

After the arterial line placement, the short, blond nurse removed most of the restraints except on her patient's arms. Just that act alone caused G to panic. Without the possibility of G receiving narcotics for his panic attack, Sam resorted to stroking G's face and massaging his shoulders and back until his partner calmed down. He wondered about G's reaction to the arm restraints and promised himself he'd ask his partner at a later time.

Sam returned to the window seat, after lying down he covered himself with a blanket, and closed his eyes. Thankfully, sleep came fast.

# # #

Several hours later, Sam heard G stirring and rolled over to face his partner.

"Sam," G said, his voice raspy and strained.

"Yeah, right here, man."

"I got to pee."

"Go."

"What?" He struggled to sit upright and found his arms were restrained. "I need the urinal."

"Nope, just pee."

"Damn it, Sam, get me out of this bed now!"

"Nope."

"Why?"

"You're not listening, G, just go ahead and pee."

"There's a catheter in me?" He sighed. "You know I hate those things. Who put this… thing in me?"

"An orderly."

"I need to see you."

Sam sighed and stretched, then stood and stepped up to his partner's bedside. "See me?"

"Funny, very funny."

"Wasn't supposed to be funny, G," he said, yawning. "Did you pee?"

"Yeah, I finally trusted you, but I hate these catheters."

"You and I both, now can I return to bed?"

"No, I need you."

"For what?"

"Just hold my hand, Sam, I'm scared." Tears wet his eyes.

He walked around to the other side of the bed, pulled up a chair and sat, and grasped G's hand, stroking it. "What are you scared about, sweetheart?"

"This whole… thing, damn, being here in the ICU, and this thing in my wrist and what everything means and Robert and—"

"Slow down, G, easy man, you're protected in here and you just need to concentrate on getting well."

"But Robert, damn, he found me, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he did despite our best efforts to protect you."

G squeezed his eyes shut and shivered. "Does Hetty know where he is?"

"Nope."

His eyes flew open, feigning surprise. "What?" G hoped he could pretend to maintain a sense of shock when it came to anything about Robert and what he was capable of doing. In reality though, nothing which Robert did shocked him. Now he just wished Sam would tell him what happened. On the other hand, knowing what Robert had done wouldn't solve anything. I should've never opened my mouth about this man. Never.

"No one can locate him." Sam sighed.

But I've always used whatever resources available to ascertain the whereabouts of Robert Ostermann. My only mistake was when I agreed to be protected in Hetty's state-of-the-art compound.

"The minute you become more lucid you start bitching?"

"What?" His jaw dropped.

"You must be feeling better, huh?"

"Sorry Sam, I guess, yeah, I'm bitching."

"Missing something?"

"No someone, you in my arms making love to me the other night." G smirked.

"Ah, now we're getting down to the bottom line."

"I wish you were getting at the bottom line, ah, my bottom." He winked at him.

"Well, until your doctor releases you for strenuous activities, making love to you is off limits."

"Huh?"

"Two more days on Narcan before you'll feel completely normal."

"Was I ever completely normal?" He laughed.

"Now, you sound like my partner in crime," Sam said. "I've missed our bantering."

"Me too."

# # #

After a nurse repositioned G on his right side, his arms still restrained to prevent him from disturbing the arterial line, Sam entered the room and stood by the window seat. "Hetty wants to see you, alone," he said. "I don't know what you did to piss her off this time." He noticed his partner was more alert than earlier this morning when the drip started. G's appearance was more alert compared to several hours ago.

"Nothing."

"Right, I know better," Sam said.

"Gentlemen," Hetty said, appearing in the doorway to G's ICU cubicle, "I need this room, Mr. Hanna."

"I hope you come clean, G." Sam slid past her and left his partner with the wrath of Hetty.

She crossed the room and stood gazing out the window at the overcast sky. "You know Mr. Callen, this investigation has been difficult." Hetty placed both hands on her petite hips and spun on her heels to face him. "It is complex enough without someone impeding the team's efforts by withholding information."

"I don't know anything about obstructing the investigation." G wished he could find a way to defend himself from her anger, but with his arms restrained it was impossible to move. Once repositioned on the bed, he was there for the next two hours. He couldn't hide his face, but to close his eyes and that would confirm for Hetty he was hiding information from her.

"I believe you do."

He wondered if she knew about his use of the government's information to track his perpetrator. G decided to side step Hetty's inquiries unless she asked him. "What do you mean?"

"Must I spell this out for you, Mr. Callen?"

G swallowed hard. She knew something.

"I know you're now able to think clearly."

He could read between that line. 'Stop stonewalling me.' "Yes." Still, he stalled her, hoping she'd drop it.

"Mr. Callen?" Hetty stepped up to the bedside. "Must I threaten you?"

He knew what that meant. Suspension. G hated when she used that threat, yet he deserved it this time. "I never wanted this to become a full-fledged investigation into Robert Ostermann."

"You could've stopped the investigation at any time."

"You know as well as I do, that once the wheel starts turning, it's difficult to shut it down."

"And?" Hetty glared at him. "You didn't stop it."

"No." Damn.

"Mr. Callen, come out with it, now."

"Yes, I impeded the investigation, you happy now, Hetty?"

"And you got yourself drugged by doing so."

"No, that happened, because you pressured me into staying at the secure compound."

Hetty glanced at him sideways. "Just what are you withholding from me?"

G sighed. "I, damn, I illegally used the government's computer software to track the location of Robert Ostermann." There, he finally said it. One huge weight lifted off his shoulders.

"When did you start these unauthorized searches?"

Damn, another hurtle, one which he wasn't sure he could stomach, let alone jump over. "Years ago."

"I need specifics."

"I can't tell you—"

"Won't tell me, Mr. Callen."

"All right, I won't tell you." He stared at the green, leaf brooch on her dark grey, pin striped suit. Normally, those brooches on her suits didn't captivate his mind or eyes, but right now he needed the distraction and the brooch did its job.

"Do I need to pressure you again?"

"I won't change my mind, and you can suspend me indefinitely," he said. "I don't care."

"I doubt that is true," Hetty said. "Maybe you need some time off to think about the consequences of withholding information and obstructing justice."

"What justice?" G said. "He drugged me and now I'm to blame."

"Mr. Callen, you're withholding vital information from the investigation and that is an obstruction of justice."

"Like hell it is!"

"Perhaps I need to come back later to discuss this with you." She turned to leave.

"I did it for my own safety." He lowered his voice and stared out the window, the overcast skies had now turned dark and threatened with rain. "Damn it, he raped me, found me and raped me." His eyes moistened with tears.

Without facing her agent, Hetty spoke to him. "This happened after you left the foster care system?"

"Yes."

"I understand what you did and why you did it."

"And?"

"I need your intel, Mr. Callen."

He sighed. "It's on my personal computer." At least Hetty didn't threaten him with a suspension now that she knew why he misused government resources.

"File and password?" Hetty spun around and faced him.

G sucked on his lower lip. "Damn." He sighed again. "File name, Mannoster. Password, Retro-treBo_R."

# # #

Another positioning on his left side and G was settled in for the night, well, at least for the next eight hours if he made it that long. G begged the nurse to remove the restraints from his forearms, but she refused again, telling him they stayed on until immediate read-outs of the blood gases were no longer necessary. After his ordeal with Hetty, G decided not to argue the point with the nurse. He resigned himself to wait another day before asking the nurse again, knowing if he harassed her too much Hetty would hear about it. Once a day with Hetty was enough for him right now.

Sam entered G's ICU cubicle, pulled up a chair, and sat next to his partner's bedside. He reached out and grasped G's right hand and stroked. "I'm here, sweetheart."

"But you abandoned me when Hetty came here."

"Wasn't my problem," Sam said, "but I do have a question for you."

"If it pertains to anything stressful, I'm not in the mood to answer it."

"Not in mood?"

"No."

"How about if I offer you a reward?"

"What kind of reward?"

"I cuddle with you in bed while you tell me what it means."

"That's the best offer you've made since I've been hospitalized," G said. "Now what's the catch?"

"You won't like the question."

"Damn." G sucked on his lower lip. "I wish you could promise something like removing the restraints."

"Interesting you mentioned the restraints." Sam stood and pushed his chair back into a corner. He drew the privacy curtain across the sliding glass door at the cubicle's entrance and drew another privacy curtain around the bed.

"You're serious?"

"I told you I wanted to reward you." He climbed onto G's bed and snuggled close to his backside, wrapping one arm around his lover's waist.

"The question?"

"Why did you freak out when your arms were left restrained after the arterial line was placed?"

G jerked away from Sam. "Get the hell out of my bed, asshole!"

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