I am so overwhelmed by your responses to each chapter. Thanks everyone.
Chapter 15
Two days had passed since Callen had been sprung from the hospital. He was still weak but the diet of Waygu steaks Hetty had him on, had increased his iron levels tenfold. He had one more day until his undercover information would be organized and then he was going in.
Today was a good day. Callen awoke to light streaming through the window. The light exercise regime he was on was starting to make him feel stronger and more confident that he'd be able to see this through. He descended the stairs and found a pot of hot coffee waiting for him accompanied by a note scrawled in Hetty's favourite Mont Blanc pen…Don't forget your meds, don't forget to eat. Callen's face broke into a wide smile. Yes mum he found himself thinking. He poured himself a coffee and inhaled the arousing aroma, then placed some bread in the toaster, that Hetty forbade him to dismantle.
He waited patiently whilst sipping the coffee and practicing Pashto and Urdu, especially the Koran passages used in their religious services, when he heard something in the yard. He placed his coffee on the kitchen bench. He looked around and slid Hetty's carving knife out of the knife block and slowly inched towards the French doors. He waited calmly as the door opened and Callen flew into action; he grabbed the perpetrator's arm, twisting it far too high behind his back causing pain then placing the knife at the man's throat. Callen's fight or flight instinct blinded him to who the intruder was. It was only when he heard the familiar voice calling his name, that Callen released his hold and drew the knife away.
Sam spun around and came face to face with Callen. The ex-partners locked eyes for a moment without moving. Then Sam broke the trance-like stand-off by rubbing his sore arm, "Hello to you too."
Callen remained silent as he walked over to the knife block and replaced the knife, then walked over to the stool he had previously occupied and sat, grabbing his lukewarm coffee. Finally his eyes lifted. Sam couldn't get over the distant gaze in Callen's eyes. "You should know better than to creep up on me," said Callen, replacing his coffee then holding out the cup, "Want some? Italian roast."
Sam nodded, "Yeah and yeah." Callen filled the mug and placed in on the kitchen bench opposite him. Sam sat down and pulled the mug closer watching Callen drink in silence, "You're looking good G."
Callen smirked, "You too. Bit early for a visit."
Sam hated the tension. This was the first time he had laid eyes on Callen since leaving him fighting for his life at the hospital. "It's past 10…and you don't normally sleep."
"Yeah well things change," Callen's face was unreadable, "and drugs help as well."
"Maybe I should've called first," Sam confessed.
"Maybe then I would've dressed for the occasion," answered Callen smartly.
Sam huffed and pushed his mug forward, "I thought this would be easier."
"Umm, what would be easier?" asked Callen, removing the toast and placing them on a plate.
"Talking to you."
"It's been a while. We've both been through a lot," Callen said casually, whilst spreading jam on his toast and taking a bite.
"G!" Sam raised his voice slamming his hand on the bench. "Stop!"
Callen did stop and placed his toast back on the plate, his face terse with restraint. "I'm hungry. I need to eat. Why did you come Sam?"
"For exactly this…this tension, everything that has been left unsaid between us. I have so much I've got to say to you and you won't let me," said Sam, his anger and hurt totally transparent.
"I haven't been avoiding you."
"Right…sure. Well there is no more avoiding. I need to speak to you and you will listen dammit G."
There was no running away from this so Callen had to listen. He reluctantly cocked his head and placed his hands out in surrender, "You've got my attention."
"Don't be cocky." Callen scoffed. "Fine, behave like a child. Why do you always make things harder than they need to be?'
"Sam what is it? There are things I need to do and you've got a job to get back to," said Callen, backing down a fraction.
"Ok fine, I came to explain…I don't know…to reconnect G and to say thank you…there is no way I could ever express my gratitude for saving my ass and the other guys on my team. You came for me regardless of your safety, man.
You brought me back to Raina and the kids, you brought me back to my life, my friends. You brought me back to a future and I want you in it. I don't want this to be what keeps us apart G…we've been through so much and I won't let this come between us. You are my brother," whispered Sam.
At the mention of brother Callen froze as a sarcastic smirk started to appear. "A brother huh? A brother that you leave behind…TO DIE!" said Callen finally showing emotion. Sam had hit a nerve. "I was running to rendezvous with you, then Hussein stopped me. I improvised to make sure you would all get out. I knew the risk I was running. I KNEW that there'd be a chance that I would die there and I was ok with that. But I thought you'd do the same for me. The moment I saw you driving away I… the moment I felt the hot searing bullet rip into my flesh, I gave up. I wanted to be in that Humvee with you but I wasn't. The SEALs had won again. Again you picked someone else over me. I picked myself up and crawled away, while people were shooting and screaming and dying. Then came the patriots. The explosion threw me for metres into the air. The shrapnel ripped into my skin and the fire…the fire was everywhere and you were with you team. That's twice you left, twice YOU walked away from our partnership. I don't care whether I lived or died…my life is dispensable Sam. But my loyalty and my friendship isn't… and what hurts is that you seem to think they are," finished Callen, trying to calm his breathing. Suddenly he felt light-headed and started swaying on the chair as his head started to slump.
Sam noticed the decline in Callen's resolve and noticed his distress, knocking over his stool he ran to Callen's side, "G…G?"
Callen breathed deeply and shook his head, focusing on Sam's familiar face and pushing him away, "I'm good…"
"You can't go undercover tomorrow," said Sam still holding onto Callen.
Callen shrugged Sam's hands off, "This needs to be done. I am the only one that can do this. You wanna start making amends, well from where I stand, you've got two choices; you can have my back on this or you can leave. Your choice? But you choose wrong and there is no going back."
"Ok…I'll have your back. I get that my actions hurt you…and just for the record, I ordered them to wait. I did wait for you but I had to make a leader's decision. I had to get them to safety or else your efforts and maybe your sacrifice would've been in vain. We started coming under fire and I told them to go. I never stopped looking back and then I saw you running round the corner of the bunker but it was too late to go back. The last thing I saw was you standing there alone and worse then that, you taking that shot and going down. It killed me. For months that's all I saw; when I was asleep, when I was awake, when I watched TV, when I talked to Nate…you were always on my mind and that damn image of you falling to the ground and me not being there to catch you. I am so sorry G…so sorry," finished Sam so tightly wound. He needed to get out before he'd explode. Callen sat still and quiet, avoiding the big man. "Before I go…just remember, I didn't ask you to come and save me."
Sam gave Callen one last glare and stormed out. Callen sat despondent and inert at the realization that Sam was right. Sam didn't ask Callen to risk his life to save his. Callen chose to embark on the assignment; it had been his own free will. He didn't have the right to blame Sam, he didn't have the right to resent him his freedom yet that's what he was doing. Instead of rejoicing the fact that they were both alive and fairly unscathed, he was brooding and blaming Sam for something he had no control over. Sam did everything right. He was their commanding officer and his loyalty was to them at that time. However it did not lessen Callen's hurt. He hoped in time it would lessen and fade into the past, but now it was raw and it was a throbbing open wound.
He glanced at his watch and noticed that Sam's visit had taken the entire morning. Kensi was picking him up at noon. He jumped into the shower and he allowed the water to ease the muscle tension in his neck, as he scrubbed his weary body. Drying off he heard the doorbell. He moved over to the intercom, "Yeah."
"Callen it's Kensi. You ready?" she asked spritely.
"Just getting dressed. Come in I won't be long." He buzzed her in and he got dressed. He pulled on a pair of dark blue jeans and a light blue polo, then gave his hair a scrub with the towel. He couldn't shave. He needed the wispy beard that had grown over the weeks. Grabbing his essentials, he descended the stairs to find Kensi finishing the remainder of his toast.
"Gee I love this, what is it…probably some exotic fruit found in the remotest regions of the Amazon," she said licking his fingers looking up at him.
Callen smiled and this time it reached his eyes. She stood there transfixed. He was simply amazing. Here was a man who had risked his life to save his friend and men who besmirched him; a man who had survived death in a god-forsaken place, traveled across the world thinking he was someone else, laid in a hospital bed for days and then resurrected himself as G. Callen…front cover of GQ.
"The marmalade…it's quince. Nothing exotic Kens," he added watching her stare. "Something wrong?"
He had caught her staring and she was embarrassed, "No!" She jumped, "No. You look great."
"You're lying."
"Bit thinner than usual but great Callen…anything thing better than when we found you," said Kensi turning sullen.
"Yeah…" He had thanked her before, over and over but it never seemed enough. He was quiet for a moment when Kensi moved closer, seeking a more personal interaction. "Sam said he was coming over. Did he?"
Callen turned his head and his blue eyes connected with hers and she felt like fainting, "He did."
She waited for him to continue, "And? Did you guys kiss and make up?"
He laughed at her choice of words, "I don't know." He walked away towards the door. She ran up to him and gripped his arm and stopped him.
"What do you mean, you don't know? You need to fix this thing between you and Sam, Callen?" Kensi pushed.
"Simple as that huh? At the moment it just seems too hard," he glared at her, his eyes full of pain and regret.
"You don't mean that," she stated fiercely.
"Yeah, I do. Sam told me his side of the story and I told him mine. There are issues Kensi that need time to sort out. I get what Sam said, I truly do. I can't do it now. I need time that's all I'm saying," said Callen calmly.
"You need time, ok…that's understandable. But just remember a brotherhood, a partnership like the one you share with Sam is rare. Don't let it die Callen…don't let it slip through your fingers," said an emotional Kensi.
"I know."
"Ok, we better get you to OPS or else Hetty won't be happy."
Callen stopped in his tracks and Kensi did too, worried that he was feeling unwell, "You ok?"
"Yeah…promise me one thing?" asked Callen. Kensi nodded.
"Easy on the accelerator and brake combo. This is a clean shirt," said Callen keeping a straight face.
She got the joke and it warmed her heart, "Funny…good to see you didn't injure your funny bone." They walked out laughing. It was a good start to the day.
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Callen walked into OPS and he suddenly felt at home. It had been a couple of months since he'd been back. His colleagues greeted him warmly and enthusiastically. He welcomed all their greetings and well wishes. He smiled profusely promising them all a drink. He climbed the stairs with Kensi at his heels. She couldn't help but feel protective of her hero. She had seen him at his worst and she vowed it would never happen again, regardless of how naïve that sounded.
The moment he stepped into the Ops centre the team froze. The man standing in front of them wasn't the Callen they remembered. He was thin and gaunt, sporting a beard, longer hair and a tired and drained look. Regardless looking like death warmed over, his presence sparked joy and hope. Eric greeted him with a slap on the shoulder, then by Nell who hugged him fiercely, a smile and a wink from Deeks and a raised eyebrow from Hetty, who shifted her gaze from Callen over to Sam. Sam nodded his head in acknowledgement and Callen responded in kind. "Mr. Callen good to have you among the living and gracing the Ops centre again," announced Hetty, resulting in various forms of yelps and whoas. He just smiled. "Eric if you please, we need to update Mr. Callen on the new developments."
"Shah Haklemi has started gathering young men who are sympathetic to his cause and what he calls retribution for the massacre at Wana by the American government. He is very clever and has disguised the meetings as simple social gatherings. From the large number that attend, he has chosen an elite conclave. That's all the intel we've managed to get. He is smart and very suspicious. Everything is extremely low tech and information is passed on by word of mouth. They will die before they give up their brothers," concluded Eric, sheepishly looking at Callen.
"So what's the plan?' asked Callen business as usual.
"We need you to resume your alias and demand to see Shah Haklemi…make noise Mr. Callen. Tell him who you are and that you worked closely with Raza. Tell him what you saw and demand passionately that you are given the honour to seek vengeance. Once you discover the day and the place of their planned attack, we will take you out and storm their rat's hole. That's the plan," explained a rather inflamed Hetty. "Does anyone have any questions? No?" Everyone was silent as they shook their heads. "Well then, it's a go. Mr. Callen and Mr. Hanna a word."
Callen moved towards Hetty and felt Sam by his side. It felt good and it felt safe. She looked at her boys up and down and grinned. "What's so funny?" asked a perplexed Sam.
"Not funny, Mr. Hanna more along the lines of heart-warming, delightful, inspiring, hopeful," answered Hetty. "I have my best and brightest together where they belong to fight another day."
Callen couldn't help but smirk at the old lady's sentimentality, whilst Sam burst out laughing. She placed her tiny yet strong hangs on theirs and said, eyeing them willfully, "Words of wisdom…in order to rebuild a broken house, one needs to tear it down, strip it naked and only then, when the foundations are exposed, one can start rebuilding brick by brick." She patted their arms and left, leaving Callen and Sam alone.
Callen was the first one to break the ice. "I never got to say thank you for coming to get me. Must've been hard going back there," said Callen staring right at Sam.
"You don't need to thank me G…I said I'll always have your back. I get what Hetty said. We will rebuild this," him motioned between them, "and it will be stronger."
Callen nodded. Sam turned to leave when Callen's voice stopped him, "You'll have my back during this op." He needed Sam's reassurance.
"Every damn step of the way G…every damn step."
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