Staggering slightly, and with Sam and Callen positioning themselves protectively on either side of me to make sure I don't take another tumble (they obviously reckon I'm still dopey enough not to notice this cunning ploy) I eventually make it over to the window without any further mishap. There, far down below, Kensi is standing on the grass, holding onto Monty's lead and scanning the rows of windows, trying to work out exactly where I am. Monty is lying down, with his head on his paws and looking particularly depressed, even by his standards, which is really saying something. After a brief struggle, I manage to get the window open and lean out.
"Baby girl!"
Seeing Kensi standing down there makes me realise how much I wish she was up here beside me. I just want to hold her, and to be held by her and then I'll know that everything is alright. Why do these things keep happening to me? To us, I should say, because Kensi looks kind of strung out and I can't really begin to imagine how rough this has been on her. If it was her up here, and me down there, I reckon I'd be needing industrial quantities of valium. Only then I probably wouldn't be standing up, of course. But you get my point.
"Monty! Hey boy!" I lean out a bit further and start waving.
It's actually quite gratifying to see the way Monty jumps up and then starts looking anxiously into the air, trying to work out where the disembodied voice is coming from. Kensi, of course, spots me immediately and flashes me a huge grin, before she remembers she's supposed to be annoyed.
"Get back into bed, you idiot." Her voice floats up quite clearly in the still night air, as she crouches down beside Monty, and then points up to where I'm hanging out of the window, for his benefit.
"I bet Kensi says that to Deeks all the time," Callen says in an undertone that I'm clearly meant to hear. I ignore him, mainly because I'm gazing at Kensi like some love-struck fool. Which I am, so it's kind of par for the course.
Sam doesn't say anything, but just contents himself with reaching out and grabbing onto the waistband of my hospital-issue jammies, like I'm some little kid and might tumble out of the window if I'm not careful. Actually, he's got a point there, given that I'm standing on tip-toe, with half my upper body leaning out rather precariously into mid-air. Still, given the way the elastic is digging into my stomach, I've got a sneaking suspicion they can both see my bare butt. Good for them. I hope they enjoy the view.
"He's fine, Deeks – look at him," Kensi calls up, and Monty gives a loud bark in confirmation. "But you won't be, if you don't get that gorgeous body back into bed."
"What did I say?" Callen asks rhetorically. "She just can't stop herself. Kensi just has to look at Deeks and she immediately thinks of bed." Then he shuts the window smartly, just milliseconds after Sam has hauled me back inside and missing my nose but about a quarter of an inch. "You heard the lady – bed." Just to make sure I don't misunderstand, he actually points towards the bed, like I'm slightly lacking or something.
"How about you let me go for a pee first?"
All that leaning out of the window has made me uncomfortably aware that it has to be a good twelve hours since I last had a pee and my bladder is uncomfortably full. Added to which, it's actually quite a relief to escape from the smart remarks and into the privacy of the bathroom. But I've barely finished doing what needs to be done when there's a loud bang on the door. For crying out loud. Can't a man even pee in peace? What is wrong with these people?
"Give me a chance, will you?"
"Are you okay in there?" And that is most definitely not a male voice.
"I'm washing my hands, Kensi."
The relief in her voice is unmistakable. "Just checking."
When I open the door, she's standing there, hands on hips. I take a quick peek and discover there's no sign of either of the guys and I'm not quite sure if that is a good or a bad thing.
"Hi you." God, she looks good. But kind of angry at the same time. Now, you can call me stupid, but I kind of get the impression we're not about to have a big romantic reunion any time soon. No wonder Callen and Sam have made themselves scarce, because Hurricane Kensi is about to hit.
"Hi yourself."
Mmmm. This isn't going quite as well as I'd hoped. Perhaps it might be best to start off with a neutral subject? "Where's Monty?"
"Oh, I let him off his leash to go play on the freeway," she says sarcastically. "What the hell do you think I did with him, Deeks? Give me a little credit, will you?"
That was slightly worse than I'd anticipated. "He's in the car?" I venture, not wanting to assume anything right now.
"No- he's having a look round the cafeteria. Of course he's in the car. And before you say anything, I made sure the radio was tuned to his favourite talk show."
Okay, she's officially mad at me. Great. "I was just worried about him, that's all."
"You were worried, were you?" Kensi takes a step forward and pokes me in the chest. "You were worried?" The second jab goes right between my ribs and is really quite painful. No doubt that was entirely intentional. Kensi knows her way around the body, after all. In a technical sense, I mean, although now I come to think about it, she knows her way around my body in intimate detail, which kind of gives her an unfair advantage.
And that was definitely entirely the wrong thing for me to say, wasn't it? It seems safest to confine myself to monosyllables right now, on the grounds I might incriminate myself if I actually try to say anything more. "Uh huh."
"Well, I've got news for you, Marty Deeks – I wasn't worried. Not one bit. I was perfectly fine with seeing you lying there unconscious on the sidewalk – again. It was a complete walk in the park watching you being airlifted out of Carmel and that drive back to LA with your semi-incontinent dog was possibly the best laugh I've had for years. In fact, the whole thing was so much fun, I reckon we should do it all over again."
"You're mad at me, aren't you?" Sometimes I just can't help myself. If you could get degrees in stating the blindingly obvious, I'd have graduated summa cum laude and be half-way to a PhD.
"Why on earth would I be mad at you?" Kensi has gone ominously calm now, which I know is a bad sign. They don't talk about the calm before the storm for nothing. "I mean, it's perfectly normal for someone who has just been unconscious for six hours to hang out of a widow half-naked, in the middle of the night, isn't it?" Well, she's got a point there, I've got to admit. A pretty good point too. But what else was I supposed to do? Ask Sam or Callen for a loan of one their shirts? I don't think so.
"I wanted to see you and Monty," I mumble, feeling like a little kid making excuses. "Especially you. I missed you and I wanted to see you."
Not only does that sound completely pathetic, it was probably the worst possible thing I could have chosen to say, because her face crumples completely. "I'm sorry. I wanted to be here too, only I was worried about Monty…" She sniffs loudly, and then wipes her nose on her sleeve. "I really wanted to be here when you woke up again, because I wasn't here earlier."
"You're here now," I say lamely, wondering what the hell I'm supposed to do now, because we're standing here, just staring at each other and all I can think is that it isn't supposed to be like this. "You're here and I'm fine. I didn't mean to give you a fright." And I definitely didn't mean to make her cry. Again. I can't cope with seeing Kensi cry, because it just seems all wrong.
"I know you didn't." And she looks at me and I feel like I'm falling in love with her all over again. Have I ever mentioned what incredible eyes Kensi has? They are huge, and so luminous it's as if they are full of stardust and just reflecting the mysteries of the universe right back at you. And when they are full of tears, as they are know, they just seem ever bigger and more beautiful, if that's possible. But I'm kind of prejudiced, I guess, because I think Kensi is the most amazing woman in the world and I still haven't quite figured out what she sees in me.
"I'm sorry for being such a fool." I take a step towards her, half-hesitantly, because my ribs are still kind of sore from that poke she delivered earlier.
"And I'm sorry for yelling at you." Her smile is decidedly wobbly, but it's a smile, and that has to be good.
"Come here." I hold my arms open wide and by some miracle, the next thing I know is that Kensi is pressing up against me and holding on to me so tightly it's as if she is trying to meld our two bodies together into a single entity. And I'm aware of hot tears trickling slowly down my bare chest. "Hey, don't cry."
"I'm not crying."
Okay, that's a complete lie, because the face she turns up to mine is decidedly tear-stained, but it doesn't matter, because we're fine.
"I know." I take a lot of time kissing away each single tear. "Have I told you how much I love you?"
"Not for a while."
"So how about I make that right?"
Hospital beds are sort of narrow, but if you don't mind lying together really closely, there isn't actually a problem.
"Promise me you won't do that again?" Kensi begs and then nuzzles my neck and winds her legs around mine, as if she's trying to make sure I can't escape. That's fine, because there is nowhere else I would rather be than in the hot circle of her embrace.
"Baby, I'd do anything for you. Anything at all. I don't ever want to make you cry again."
"You've got to promise. It doesn't work if you don't promise," she stays stubbornly, and I can just see the little girl she once was. She must have been adorable then, because she's irresistible now.
"You want to make it a pinky promise?" Hey, some of my best friends were girls when I was growing up. And now my best friend is also my lover and the one woman I can't live without.
Kensi nods, and we link our pinkies together.
"I promise I'm going to be with you forever."
Does that sound awfully grown-up to you? It does to me. It sounds incredibly like something a real adult would say, and that should be scary, only it isn't. I mean ever single word – most definitely. I think I've just made a huge commitment here, and you know what? It feels great. Just to make sure she understands, I wind a strand of her hair around my finger.
"There. That settles it. I'm never letting you go."
"That's why I love you," Kensi says happily. "Because you say the nicest things."
"Even if I am an idiot who keeps knocking himself out?"
"I'm willing to overlook that. Just this once. Or even both times. But don't push it, okay?"
"I promised, didn't I?"
"So you did. I guess I should make a promise too, just so we're even?"
"That would only be fair."
"Okay. I promise to love you forever. How does that sound?"
It sounds absolutely, one hundred per cent perfect. But I can't actually say that, on account of the fact I'm far too busy kissing her. Kensi just makes my day and I know I'll never be lonely now that she's in my life and in my heart. It's this simple: Kensi just fills my heart with so much joy it's like the whole world is brand new and sparkling fresh. I just feel so lucky, loving her and nothing else matter except for the fact that we are together. Only it would be good if the bed was a little bigger and if there was a lock on the door. Still, you can't have everything, and I've got so much, I really shouldn't complain.
Slushy plot bunny appears to have taken up residence in this story...