Ok everyone, We've got the new chapter up! Not many people seemed to enjoy the last chapter, so hopefully this one's a bit better! Lots of Nell-Eric moments. Which is always good!
Don't forget, please review! We enjoy reading each and every one of them!
Disclaimer: I totally wish! Maybe it'd help me get my car repaired faster! Oh, and even though the characters Dr. Coulter and Dr. Cornwell belong to K and I, their names do not. We just looked at our bookselves, so Catherine Coulter owns her name, and well, Patricia Cornwell owns hers too! We also own Phil!
Nell awoke slowly. She glanced around the empty room. There was a knock.
"Nell? My name's Marty Deeks. Can I come in?"
"O-O-Ok..." Deeks walked in and kept his distance, not wanting to scare him.
"S-So...w-w-who are you?"
"I'm a cop. LAPD. We know each other from work."
"A-Am I a-a c-cop?"
"No. You work with the computers."
"O-Oh...A-And w-who w-were those o-other p-people?"
"The big, bald one, that's Sam. The one with short brown hair, that's Callen. Kensi was the other girl, with long brown hair. They are...cops too."
"O-Oh...a-and...and the b-blonde one? H-He w-was i-in a w-wheelchair?"
"That's your partner, Eric. He does computers with you."
"H-He looked hurt."
"He was. But he's doing fine now."
"D-Did I-I hurt him?"
"No you didn't. He wants to see you Nell."
"H-H-He was crying...I-I must have hurt him..."
"Nell...you didn't hurt him-"
"T-Then w-why w-was he c-crying? K-K-Keep h-him a-away..."
"Nell, he was only crying because he's worried about you. He wants you to be ok. He wants to protect you."
"I-I h-hurt him..."
"No you didn't."
"Y-yes I-I d-did..."
"Nell, no you didn't." Deeks promised her. Nell shook her head. "I promise you, you didn't hurt him. And you aren't going to now." Nell blinked...then gulped.
"Ok..."
Eric stood silently in the bathroom, gazing at his reflection in the mirror. He took a deep breathe and slowly exhaled, wincing at the pain in his ribs. Finally, he had a moment alone. Not that he didn't like the company of the agents, he liked having some alone time to think. It was hard to just let his mind wander when one of the team members was fussing over him and trying to make completely sure he was ok. He tenderly touched the bruising on his face, then gazed at all the cuts on his arms and legs. He was going to have a lot of scars. He paused, hearing a knock on the door. Eric rolled his eyes, it was, of course, Kensi checking up on him. Again.
"Eric, you ok?"
"I'm fine, Kens." He called back. He heard her sigh, then the sound of her feet pacing again. That woman had absolutely no patience. He went back to looking at his injuries. He moved his hospital gown and gazed at the scars covering his chest. Eric's mind snapped back to when he was tortured in that room. He remembered the pain of the knife making every single cut on his skin, then let out a small gasp. Jerking back to reality, he opened the door and painfully walked over to his bed and sat down.
"You need more painkillers?" She finally stopped pacing and sat down in a chair next to his bed.
"No, I'm good."
"Ok, if you're sure."
"Did you hear from Deeks about how Nell's doing?"
"Last I heard, she was still out." Eric nodded and sighed softly. The door opened and Deeks walked in. Kensi smiled.
"Hey."
"Hey." Deeks said. Eric looked at him.
"Is she awake?"
"Yes. Come on, road trip."
"I doubt she wants to see me."
"She's not terrified anymore. I spoke to her for awhile. She was afraid that she was the one who hurt you. And you're going to have to tell her it's not true."
"Ok." Kensi helped Eric sit in the wheelchair, then the 3 of them went to Nell's room.
Deeks knocked, then they walked in.
"Hey Nell." Kensi said gently.
"H-Hi." Deeks parked the wheelchair by the bed.
"Hi Nell..." Eric said softly, as Deeks and Kensi left.
"H-Hi..." She glanced at him. "A-Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. How are you?" He glanced her over, before gazing into her eyes.
"O-Ok I g-guess. I-I w-wish I could remember..."
"You'll get your memory back. Tell me what you want to know.."
"D-Did I d-do t-that to you?"
"No, Nell you didn't. Daumer did this to me. He was the one who hurt you too. He's dead now. He wont be able to hurt us again."
"Y-You were crying though..."
"I was worried about you. And I was upset to find out that you didn't remember anything that happened...and that you didn't remember me."
"I-I want t-to r-remember... I-I do..." She gulped. "I-I r-really do."
"I know...I know you do." He said gently. He reached over and softly grabbed her hand. Nell held his.
"W-What d-did they d-do to me?" She whispered, then looked at him. "A-And you?" Eric lightly ran his thumb over her knuckles.
"T-They beat you up for trying to protect me. They tortured me by making cuts across my skin with a knife. They came to torture me again and you refused to let them near me. They attacked you to get you away from me."
"I-I'm s-sorry..." Nell whispered.
"Not your fault. Anything else you want to know?"
"M-My b-boyfriend. P-Phil. W-Where's he? I-Is he ok?"
"She's a lot calmer now..." Kensi whispered.
"I vaguely explained some things. Not details. She thinks we are all cops." They leaned against the wall, stretching. "At least she's not completely terrified of us."
"Yea..."
"I hope she remembers."
Eric froze at the word Boyfriend.
"Um...I don't honestly know, Nell. I can...um...try to find out for you though." He couldn't believe it. She didn't remember him, but she apparently remembered some boyfriend she had years ago.
"I-I miss him." She thought back and Phil's face filled her vision. Her heart warmed just thinking about him. Eric forced a small smile on his face. He took in slow, calming breathe. He just kept reminding himself that it was temporary...but deep down...he was jealous. She remembered Phil but not him.
"Hey Kensi? Can you get my iPad from my room?" He called out.
"Yea, sure." She brought his iPad in.
"Thanks." Kensi nodded, before walking back to Deeks. Nell blinked slowly.
"He was going to take me to dinner..." She began. "He had something he wanted to tell me." She looked at Eric and gave a smile. "He's a marine. Petty Officer Phillip Newman." She gulped. "I-I want to see him...w-why isn't he here yet? S-Someone called him, right? H-He's my emergency contact."
"Actually Nell...he isn't listed as your emergency contact. I am." Eric answered softly. He looked at the results from his search, then shut his eyes, dreading what he read. He didn't want to be the one to tell her, but she deserved to know.
"Y-you are?" She whispered. "O-Oh...I-I guess h-he's o-overseas then...right?" She looked at him.
"Nell...I really don't want to be the one to tell you this..." He took a deep breath. "Phillip died, Nell. He died 6 months ago while overseas."
"N-No...Y-You're wrong! H-H-He s-said h-h-he w-was c-coming home. H-He a-always p-promises m-me t-that h-he'll c-come back...!" Nell cried, her cries becoming wails of grief, sorrow, and fright. Eric softly pulled Nell into his arms.
"I'm so sorry Nell. I really wish I was wrong." He whispered, rubbing small circles into her back. But Nell kept sobbing.
"Y-You h-have t-to b-be w-wrong..." she begged, her sobs making her body shake. "H-He c-can't be g-gone! H-He'd n-never d-do t-that to me!" Her arms wrapped around Eric, clinging to him.
"I doubt he wanted to leave you. He didn't plan on dying. When he and some of his platoon buddies were driving back to their base in Afghanistan, their vehicle was struck by a mortar. He didn't plan this Nell, he never knew it was coming."
"H-H-He w-w-was b-blown u-up?" Nell wailed. "O-O-O-Oh m-my G-G-God..." Eric held her close and brushed away her tears.
"Sh...Nell, calm down. Everything will be ok.." Nell kept sobbing, her face nestled into him, terrified and upset. He rocked her gently back and forth, murmuring softly in her ear.
"I-I m-miss him...I-I miss...me..."
"Sweetie, he will always be with you. He will always be watching over you. And you will remember those few years. It's going to all come back to you." Confidence flared in his words.
Kensi and Deeks waited, debating whether they should go in. Her cries were starting to get to them.
"We should give them a few minutes before we go in. I'm hoping Eric can get her calmed down."
"Me too..." Kensi agreed.
"I-I can't see him t-though! N-Never a-again...H-He's gone..." Nell sobbed. She shut her eyes, heartbroken.
"But he will always be in your heart." He kissed her forehead lightly.
"W-What if I-I n-never r-remember y-you?" She whimpered.
"Well, the you will just have to come to about me again. We...We will make new memories together." He smiled gently at her.
"R-Really?" She blinked up at him, her face damp with tears.
"Really." His fingers brushed over her cheeks, wiping all of her tears away.
"O-Ok..." She blinked slowly. "Thanks..." Tears still streaked her cheeks. She clung to him tighter.
"I'll always be here for you Nell. I want you to know that." He stroked her hair lightly.
"O-Ok..." She leaned to him, shutting her eyes tight. Eric hummed softly in her ear. Nell relaxed against him. She didn't know why, but she knew she could trust him and she...needed him. She felt safe in his arms. She knew he would protect her.
"Why don't you try and get some rest?" He suggested softly, still stroking her hair.
"Y-You're not leaving!" Nell said, her eyes popping open and staring at him.
"I won't leave you. I promise." He said, giving her a reassuring smile.
"O-Ok..." Nell pressed to him and shut her eyes, trying to sleep. He kissed the top of her head and held her close. After Nell finally drifted off, he shut his eyes and fell asleep, holding her.
"Doesn't sound like she's crying anymore." Kensi said.
"Yea, I think she stopped." Deeks said quietly. Kensi smiled slightly.
"That's good. I think she's starting to trust him again." She paused. "I can't imagine what it must have been like for her to wake up and not remember anything. I can't imagine waking up and not remembering you or the rest of the team." Her hand found his and gripped it softly. Deeks rubbed her hand.
"I couldn't imagine it either."
Kensi leaned to his shoulder, and Deeks smiled. Sam and Callen walked over.
"How are they?" Sam asked.
"Nell was upset for awhile. I think she's ok now." Deeks answered. He quietly opened the door and smiled, before shutting it. "They'll be fine."
2 days later
"Well Eric, I'm going to have you released today. You can go home, but with all of your stitches, I'm limiting physical activities. No heavy lifting or driving. Here's a prescription for a pain med. You can take it every 4 hours, but no more then 2 at a time. Make sure you keep eating too." Dr. Cornwell said. Eric smiled. He was glad he could finally go home. Dr. Coulter walked in.
"Nell, you're also being released today. Take it easy, and I want you to stay with someone for a few days. And you're also getting pain pills, only one every 3 hours."
"You can stay with me Nell." Eric said. Kensi glanced at Eric. She knew it would be hopeful to both of them, but having 2 injured people without anyone to help them...just didn't sound like a good idea. Sam elbowed her.
"They'll be fine." He whispered.
"I-I can go home? E-Even though I don't remember...?" Nell said anxiously.
"Actually, Dr. Coulter and I discussed it. We both believe that a home environment will be...an easier place for you to remember. It'll help." Dr. Cornwell answered. Both doctors handed out their prescriptions and removed their patient's IV's. Kensi handed each of them a bag of clothes.
"I didn't think you'd want to leave in hospital gowns."
"Thanks, Kens." Eric said.
"Thanks..." Nell slowly got changed in the bathroom. She came out wearing a pair of blue sweats and a tee-shirt. Eric changed and came out in shorts and a tee-shirt. Nell sat on the bed, waiting. She saw a bruise on her arm and winced. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to hide it. Kensi took off her leather jacket and handed it to Nell, then helped her get it over her cast.
"Thanks..." She was relieved she couldn't see the bruises.
"No problem." Kensi got out her car keys. "Ready to go?" Eric helped Nell up, and she followed him silently out to the car.
We tried to end this on a bit of a happier note, and guess what? No cliff-hanger! So... Who liked some of the Nell-Eric fluff? I know I did! I want a show of reviews to see who all liked the fluff! And maybe soon it'll be all happy fluff! Reviews are always appreciated, they help me kick K's butt in gear! We're working on Chapter 11 as I post this, so hopefully next week at the latest!
-A ...and K