Chapter 4
When Hetty's phone rang, she was in the middle of making a pot of Keemun Hoa Ya A tea, a rare and exquisite tea that she enjoyed not nearly as often as she would have liked. If the call had been from someone other than one of her team, she would have ignored it, but when one of her team members called, it was always important. "Yes, Ms. Blye," she said and her expression reflected her anticipatory sip of tea, but her expression changed as soon as she heard Kensi's voice and the sirens. She sat down at her desk without her tea. The conversation continued with brief spaces of silence as Hetty listened before responding. "I'll call him right away. . . . Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank . . . No, I'll call them. . . . Don't worry about the car; we'll take care of it. . . . I'm glad you're alright. . . . Stay with her." Hetty hung up and waited a moment before she picked up the receiver again and dialed.
"Henrietta," Arkady said, "this is a surprise. I wasn't going to answer, but then I saw it was your number, and, of course, I had to take your call. Do you miss me?"
"Arkady, I have something to tell you" Hetty said quietly, and she knew that Arkady's smile had faded, "about Anna."
-scene change—
The drive to Pendleton was made in complete silence—no talking, no music. When they left Los Angeles, Sam had let Deeks know that he was available to listen, but whatever had happened with Kensi, Deeks wasn't ready to talk about it. And that was okay with Sam. Sure, Sam offered advice when asked—and even when he wasn't when it involved G—but Sam also knew when to stay quiet and wait until someone was ready. He was convinced that was one of the secrets to his happy marriage. As long as whatever had happened between them didn't affect their job performance, Sam wasn't worried. Everyone on the team had to deal with personal issues unrelated to work, but everyone had been able to do this—more often than not—in a way that hadn't put themselves or each other in unnecessary danger. Sam was sure this would be true for Kensi and Deeks this time, too, and he was sure that they would work it out. And then Hetty called and he put her on speaker.
"Mr. Hanna."
"Yea, Hetty."
"You need to return to Los Angeles,"
"We're already outside San Clemente, Hetty."
There was a brief pause before she continued. "There's been an accident. I think you should be here, Mr. Hanna."
At the mention of an accident, Deeks, who was listening, spoke up, "Is Kensi alright?"
"Yes, Mr. Deeks," Hetty said and the tension in his body drained away.
"Is it Callen?"
"No, Mr. Hanna. It's Anna, but I think it would be good for you to be here for Mr. Callen."
Sam took the next off-ramp and they were heading north in less than a minute. "Have you called Callen?"
"I've tried twice, but he's not answering. I'm going to try again."
"Arkady?"
"I've spoken with him. He's in New York, but he's flying back as soon as he can."
"We'll be there in an hour," Sam said as he punched the pedal and hit the lights.
"Drive safely, Mr. Hanna. I don't want to make calls to Michelle or Deeks' mother."
-scene change—
Callen walked into the house as his phone rang. Hetty again. This was the third time she'd called in the past 30 minutes. It had to be important.
"Hetty, are you calling to see how I'm doing because you know I'm still on leave."
"I know how you're doing, Mr. Callen, and I know you're still on leave. I'm calling because there's been an accident."
Callen stopped.
"Mr. Callen?"
"Sam?"
"No, Mr. Callen. Anna."
His chest tightened. He couldn't breathe.
"She's at the Joseph Medical Center in Burbank."
He took a breath. "Kensi's alright?"
"Yes."
"Arkady?"
"I called him first."
Callen hung up and left.
Back at OPS, Hetty looked at her receiver for a moment before setting it down and then picking it up again. "Ms. Jones, I'm leaving for a bit. If you need me, you can reach me on my cell." Hetty then stood up, walked out, and went to meet her team in Burbank.
