A/N: Apologies for the delay in updating this story. I've been a little lost as to how to continue. However thanks to all who have read and reviewed. Your comments are appreciated – always.
Chapter 19:
Hetty returned from work and, when drinks had been made and handed out, listened intently and with some amusement as Callen recounted his day. Sam chipped in from time to time with anecdotes of their time together since his arrival.
"Hetty, thanks so much for arranging the extra fittings for the shower" said Callen. "It was heaven to have a proper shower at last" enthused Callen.
"Yeah, he took so long, I thought he'd drowned or something" added Sam, making Hetty chuckle.
"You're most welcome" she said. "I'm glad it worked for you."
"I'm glad you left the roll of cling wrap so that Sam could cover the cast" said Callen.
"What? You used the cling wrap?" asked Hetty, her face showing alarm.
Callen and Sam looked at each other and started to utter incoherent explanations and apologies. "Err, well that is, we thought…." they stuttered.
"Gentlemen, I'm joking" teased Hetty, trying to keep a straight face. "I'm sorry. I just couldn't resist it" she added, breaking into a grin.
Callen frowned at his mentor and said in mock seriousness "Hetty, you should be ashamed of yourself! Making fun of me like that, especially in my condition!"
"Yes, well, you have to admit, I got you" Hetty answered, smiling at their evident discomfort.
"Yes, you did, Hetty" said Callen grinning.
Sam looked at Callen and then Hetty and shook his head and smiled. He had rarely seen the way Hetty and Callen reacted to one another in private and was privileged to witness it, especially as it meant that his friend was on the mend.
"Now what do you want for supper?" Hetty asked. "You will stay as well, Sam?"
"Thanks, Hetty, it's very kind of you but I've got to get back as Michelle has something special laid on for Kamran to cheer her up. She's acting like she's still pretty cut up over the incident at the hospital" said Sam.
Noticing the look of concern that momentarily flashed across Callen's face, Sam added "G, she's fine, really. It's not your fault. Anyway Michelle and I think she's milking it for the attention but we're giving her the benefit of the doubt at the moment."
"Another time then Sam" said Hetty.
"Yeah, I'd like that" said Sam. He hesitated before asking "Hetty, can I bring Kamran over sometime so that she can see her Uncle Callen?"
"Of course. Why don't you all come to dinner on Sunday? Say 2pm. It will be good to see Michelle and your daughter again" invited Hetty.
"That would be lovely. Thank you, Hetty" answered Sam. "Do you want me to come over tomorrow after work, G?" asked Sam.
"Yeah, if you want" answered Callen. "It'll be good to see you but don't worry if you can't. Hetty will be here in the evening."
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow" said Sam as Hetty walked him to the door.
"Thank you Sam for being with him today. It means a lot to me and he seems happier than he's been of late" said Hetty.
"No problem, Hetty. Y'know I'd do anything for him. He's been through a lot and it'll take time. I've no doubt that he'll be driving us all to distraction before too long as he'll be anxious to get fit as soon as possible" said Sam.
"You're not wrong there" sighed Hetty, secretly not looking forward to the battle of wills that was certainly ahead. "He'll be restricted to what he can do whilst he has the cast on but once that comes off…" and she let her words tail away.
"I'm know" said Sam. "All we can do is try to keep him within his limitations. When's Gibbs coming? asked Sam.
"As soon as I deem Mr Callen is ready to go home, although Jethro can always stay here for a day or two" answered Hetty, pondering that it may be a good idea.
"It'll be good for G to have Gibbs around. They're pretty close?" asked Sam.
"Yes they are even though they rarely see each other" answered Hetty. "They used to work together back in the day and they've saved each other's lives on several occasions. Though I believe they sometimes disagree on who saved whose butt on any given time" laughed Hetty. "Like you, Jethro would do anything for Mr Callen and vice versa" added Hetty seriously.
"Then I'll be happy to leave him in Gibbs' hands" stated Sam.
"Oh, Sam, Mr Callen has a hospital appointment on Friday at 11am to have the cast removed. Would you accompany him please?" asked Hetty.
"Yeah, if we haven't got a case" said Sam.
"That goes without saying, Sam" said Hetty. "If a case rears its ugly head then we may have to think again but until then we'll work with plan A" said Hetty.
She said goodbye to Sam and closed the door after watching him drive away and went back to the lounge where Callen was waiting for her. They continued chatting for a while until Hetty got up to make dinner.
"Can I help you Hetty?" asked Callen.
"I'd like that very much" answered Hetty. ""I'm sure there's something I can find for you to do, otherwise it'll be nice to have you there while I'm working."
Hetty went to the kitchen where she was shortly joined by Callen. He sat at the table and cut up vegetables for dinner whilst Hetty prepared the meat loaf. Hetty peeled the potatoes as it was a task too hard for Callen to do one handed but once they were cooked, he mashed them.
While they worked, and through dinner, Callen asked Hetty about her day and about how the team was doing. Hetty in turn asked Callen what his plans were for the coming days and he said he would slowly build up his exercise in readiness for his proper rehabilitation which would start as soon as the cast was removed. Hetty nodded her approval. Secretively she was pleased that he was not rushing but knew that as soon as he was no longer hindered by the cast and as he grew stronger, his eagerness to get back to normal would come to the fore. Hetty hoped that Gibbs would be able to hold her boy in check and keep him to a realistic timescale.
LA was currently three hours behind DC and whilst Gibbs was similar to Callen in his nocturnal habits, Hetty was loathe to call him so late. She, therefore, made a mental note to phone Gibbs in the morning from the office. She needed to check how soon he was able to travel as she would like him to be with Callen shortly after the cast was removed.
After dinner and when all the plates and cutlery were placed in the dishwasher, Hetty and Callen went to the lounge where they relaxed. Callen laid down on the couch and looked over at Hetty who was sitting in her favourite arm chair.
Without looking up from her book, Hetty asked "What is it you want to ask?"
Callen smiled. He rarely caught Hetty off guard and she always seemed to know when he had something on his mind.
"You know I love being here. It reminds me of the old days when life was, er, less complicated. Or at least before I joined the alphabet agencies and gained enemies" he said.
Hetty looked up from her book and gazed at her son for that was how she thought of him. He had been such an unruly teenager and it had been extremely challenging, needing all her wits and patience to get him to remain with her in the early months. Once she had earned his trust, albeit somewhat limited and tentative, he settled down and became a joy to be with. Hetty was extremely proud of the man, and exceptional agent, Callen had become.
"I love having you home as well even if the circumstance is less than perfect" answered Hetty, waiting for Callen to continue,
Callen grinned although Hetty could see the pain, sadness and weariness behind his features.
"What's bothering you, son?" she asked sensing his reluctance to continue.
"You could always read me like a book, Hetty" he said with a smirk.
"Well, not always and certainly not of late" answered Hetty in a serious but gentle tone. "You've had to learn to mask your thoughts to survive when undercover. But you've always hidden your true feelings, even from me. Occasionally, I'll see a glimpse of them but that's only because I know you so well. You don't let many people see them; I imagine Gibbs and Sam are the only others beside myself."
Callen smiled sadly. "You're right. I can't afford to let others get too close; not in our business. It's too dangerous; not just for me but for them. I don't like the idea of my friends and colleagues getting hurt because of me" he added.
"Unfortunately it's a fact of life in our line of work. All we can do is try to minimise the fallout" said Hetty.
They sat in silence for a while each alone with their thoughts. Callen sat up, ran his hand through his cropped hair and sighed.
"Hetty, I overheard you talking to Sam. You don't have to worry, I'll do my best not to rush and overdo things. I want to get back to normal and be passed fit for work as soon as possible but I know it'll take time – and a lot of hard work. I've been there too often" he said sadly.
Hetty let out a sigh. "But I do worry about you. You mean the world to me and it breaks my heart to see you hurt, emotionally and physically."
She removed her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes as she did so, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall. Hetty hated to show her vulnerability even to those closest to her. She cleared her throat and continued.
"I know you're extremely good at what you do but this time it was as bad if not worse than the drive-by shooting. I really thought I'd lost you" she said with a hitch in her voice.
"You're not getting rid of me that easily" answered Callen, trying to lighten the mood. "I'm going to make sure I'm around a lot longer. You need someone to chase for the case reports and staff appraisals."
In spite of her mood, Hetty had to laugh. He always knew how to get her smiling again.
"Indeed I do" she answered. "Now I think it's time we had a nightcap to toast that fact" she said getting up and going over to the drinks cabinet.
"Mmm, that'll be good. Am I allowed to drink?" Callen asked.
"Oh, I don't think a small scotch will do any harm. I've always believed a single malt was beneficial to one's wellbeing" Hetty answered as she handed Callen a tumbler of Glenfiddich 12 year old malt whisky.
"Thanks" said Callen. "To survival. And family and friends" he said raising his glass in a toast.
"To survival and family and friends – past and present" added Hetty.
Callen took a sip of the amber liquid and savoured its smoothness. "You have excellent taste, Hetty" he commented.
"Yes, I do even if I do say so myself" answered Hetty, sipping her own drink.
They spent the rest of the evening in companionable silence until Callen decided to retire to his room. Still sore from his injuries, he took a while to get up and went to Hetty and gave her a hug and a kiss goodnight.
"See you in the morning, Hetty. Sleep tight" he said.
"You too" answered Hetty as she watched him walk slowly with the aid of the crutches to the stairs.
Callen stood at the foot of the stairs contemplating whether he should attempt to climb them. He would dearly love to sleep in his old bed but decided that perhaps the stairs was a step too far, after all it was only his second day out of hospital. Turning he headed instead to the downstairs cloakroom where he cleaned his teeth and got himself ready for bed.
As he entered the lounge again, Hetty asked worriedly "Is there something wrong?"
"No, I think I'll sleep down here again tonight. It's extremely comfortable and I don't think I should attempt the stairs just yet" said Callen.
Hetty breathed a sigh of relief as she thought Callen had a problem. "That's fine. Like I said you can do whatever you want and I meant it; it's your home. I'll pack up and go to bed so not to disturb you" she said.
"You don't have to Hetty. I'm fine with you staying here if you're not ready to go up yet" he said. "Will you read to me?" he asked and Hetty did so until he fell asleep.
Hetty pulled the blanket over Callen and bent and kissed him lightly on the forehead. Callen murmered in his sleep but did not wake. Hetty smiled and made her way upstairs.
The next couple of days followed the same routine with Hetty going off to work leaving Callen to spend his day exercising gently by walking round the garden with the aid of the crutches and relaxing by the pool reading a book. Sam called round most days and spent a couple of hours with his partner and best friend until Hetty returned home.
On Friday morning just as she was preparing to leave for work, Hetty said to Callen "Remember you have an appointment this morning at 11am to have your arm checked and hopefully get the cast removed. Unfortunately I can't take you but Sam will come and collect you to accompany you to the hospital. Will you phone me and let me know what the verdict is?"
"Course I will, Hetty. I hope the cast can come off. It's really driving me nuts; just being unable to use the arm properly is one thing but the itching is getting really bad" said Callen, trying to get his fingers under the cast to scratch his arm.
"Well I believe that's a good sign, it means it's healing" countered Hetty. "I'll see you tonight but don't forget to call me."
"Go! Go!" said Callen good humouredly, shooing her out of the door. "Have a good day."
Later that morning there was a knock at the door and Callen got up and slowly made his way to answer it.
"Hey, Sam" said Callen in greeting when he opened the door to his best friend. "Come in, I won't be long."
Callen turned and walked away leaving Sam to enter the house and close the door.
"G!" said Sam excitedly. "You're walking without the crutches!"
"Yeah, it's been a couple of days now since I last used them. If I take it real slow I can manage to walk round the garden. I can even go upstairs but I've got to hang onto the banisters and rest after a couple of steps" Callen explained.
Callen got his things together and accompanied Sam out to the car. Callen locked up the house and then got into the passenger seat.
"All set?" asked Sam and at Callen's nod drove off. En route to the hospital they chatted.
"If the cast comes off, I'll start proper training on Monday with the medical team" said Callen "and depending on how that goes, Hetty will consider getting Gibbs out here."
"That's good news" answered Sam. "You must be looking forward to seeing him again."
"Yeah I am" said Callen hesitantly "but you know me, I think I don't need any help; that I can manage on my own."
"No kidding! You're real stubborn in that respect" chuckled Sam.
At the hospital Sam stopped at the main entrance allowing Callen to get out.
"I'll park the car and catch up with you, G" said Sam.
Callen raised his hand in acknowledgement and Sam watched Callen's slow progress up the steps until he disappeared in through the automatic doors. Sam drove away to find a parking place and caught up with Callen whilst he was waiting at the elevator which would take him to floor where the Doctor's office was located.
"That was quick" said Callen somewhat surprised.
"Yeah, I was lucky. Someone drove out of a slot on the ground floor. You won't have too far to walk once we're finished here" answered Sam.
The elevator arrived and after allowing the passengers to exit, the two friends get in and rode up to the fourth floor. Callen announced himself to the receptionist who asked them to take seats as the doctor was running a little behind his schedule.
They did not have long to wait before Dr Grant came out to greet them.
"Callen, Sam, it's good to see you again" said Michael. "How are you doing?" he asked Callen, walking with him into the office, leaving Sam to wait outside.
"I'm good, Michael" answered Callen. "It's been slow and I've had some bad days but all things considered, I think I'm doing okay. I don't need the crutches any more" he said.
"So I see" answered Dr Grant. "That's good news. Hetty says you're dong well" he added.
Callen rolled his eyes. Was nothing sacred? However he knew Hetty was worried about him and that she would give her godson a report on how his patient was progressing.
"I might have know she'd be reporting my progress to you" Callen said smiling.
"She cares very much about you and she worries about you. Hetty is just pleased that you're getting through this" said Michael, justifying Hetty's actions.
"I know" said Callen. "Hey, when can this cast come off?" he asked.
"I want an x-ray so that I can see how well it's healed and then I'll determine whether it can be removed" said Michael.
"Okay, but I hope it's healed as it's driving me crazy" said Callen.
Michael and Callen discussed how he was feeling and how he was coping with his injuries until an orderly came to take him to the x-ray department. Once a couple of x-rays were taken, the orderly accompanied Callen back to Dr Grant's office, where they continued their conversation. They were interrupted by a knock on the door and a technician handed Dr Grant an envelope which contained Callen's x-rays. Dr Grant thanked the technician and opened the envelope and put the x-rays onto the light board. Switching it on, images of Callen's injured arm was revealed. Dr Grant examined them closely.
"What's the verdict?" asked Callen anxiously.
"Good" said Michael enthusiastically. "I'm really pleased with the way it's healed. I was concerned that we'd have to break it again and put a plate and screws in to mend it."
Callen looked aghast at the suggestion but asked "What about the cast?"
Michael turned and looked at Callen. "It can come off!" he announced.
Callen beamed at the news. "When?"
"Today, now in fact. I'll get a nurse to remove it then I just want to examine your arm before I sign you off from that particular injury at least" said Michael.
Callen returned to Dr Grant's office once the cast had been removed and Michael examined his arm. Satisfied that everything was as it should be, Dr Grant said "You're good to go, Callen. Take it easy for the next few days and don't overdo the lifting with that arm. You will need to build up the muscle again gradually but doing gentle exercises and light weights. I understand you'll be starting your rehabilitation in earnest next week and I'm sure the physio will guide you in what's needed but in the mean time, here are a couple of exercises that you can do" said Michael, handing Callen a sheet depicting diagrams of moves.
Callen was flexing his fingers and looking at the scar on his arm when Dr Grant added "The scar will fade and you will probably find it aches at first but that'll disappear once you get stronger. If you have any worries, don't hesitate to call me."
"Thanks Michael" said Callen shaking the doctor's hand warmly.
Callen went outside to Sam who was waiting patiently for his friend and held up his left arm for Sam to see.
"No cast!" said Callen.
"So I see" said Sam. "Now I suppose you're going to go all out to get fit?"
"Sam, I'm disappointed. I'd thought you'd give me more credit" said Callen grinning.
"Yeah, well, I know you G. You don't do anything by halves! You're likely to put yourself back in hospital by overdoing it" said Sam, with a worried look on his face.
"Yeah, I know but I promised Hetty I wouldn't and I intend to keep that promise. I may need help though" he added, laughing.
Sam shook his head at his friend and they made their way back to the car. Once in the car, Callen took out his phone and dialled Hetty's number.
"Mr Callen, what's the verdict?" she asked without preamble.
"I'm cast free" Callen answered.
Hetty smiled as she could hear the joy in Callen's voice. "That is good news, Mr Callen. I'll see you later on at home."
"Yes, you will Hetty" answered Callen grinning and Sam smiled as well at his partner's obvious jubilation at no longer being hindered by the cast.