A/N – Would you call this a milestone? I think I'll call it a milestone. Fifty chapters! I published my first story in May of this year after stumbling on this wonderful site. A site filled with stories that I wished would happen on my favorite shows, stories that showed I wasn't alone in that wishful thinking. Prior to that story, if anyone had asked, I would've said I didn't have a creative bone in my body and absolutely no imagination. I've lived cough, cough, cough years with nothing to contradict that until now. I'm still not necessarily sure I've proven myself wrong, but it's been a fun ride so far and I've made some friends along the way. Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed, made the suggestions and left prompts, that have led us to this point. It's not over yet! I'm starting to think it might never be and you know what? I'm surprisingly fine with that!
Thanks again to honus47 for reviewing and catching my mistakes!
I guess I'll take this milestone moment to once again disclaim any ownership of NCIS:LA or it's characters. RATS!
~,~,~,~
Chapter 50
The ambulance skidded to a halt in front of the emergency bay doors at Pacific Beach Medical. Medical personnel swarmed out, ready to take over from the paramedics. Randy jumped out of the driver's seat and opened the back of the rig to help his partner maneuver the gurney out. Once out, Tara completely forgot about the federal agent who had ridden with them. She raced into the hospital with the ER doctor and nurses, providing her patient's vitals and detailed information on what had gone down on the ride over. Randy turned to help Kensi out but she had already jumped down on her own and was close on the heels of the group surrounding her partner. He watched her disappear through the doors.
Sam found a parking space for the Challenger and he, Callen and Michelle piled out and headed for the emergency room entrance at a run. Granger and John were not far behind them. Randy watched them head his way, wondering if they even knew they were still wearing their vests. He supposed he should be grateful that they'd at least gotten rid of their weapons. Callen was the first to speak when they reached him.
"What the hell happened? How is he?"
Randy didn't take offense at the harsh tone, he knew these people were scared for their friend, he'd seen it time and time again. He'd learned not to take it as a personal attack. "He coded on the ride over. Based on his symptoms, Tara thinks he's bleeding internally, along with the possible punctured lung and obvious blood loss. She and Kensi brought him back. He's in good hands now." He said gently.
Callen nodded, Randy's words confirming what Kensi had told them over comms. He and Sam looked at each other, knowing the hard part was coming up, the waiting and the worrying. They would both rather be out taking on a dozen armed men than face the next few hours. Sam felt Michelle's hand slip into his and he squeezed it, looking down at her face gratefully. He found himself wondering, not for the first time in their marriage, what he would do if he were in Kensi's position. Knowing that the person he loved most in the world was fighting for their life and he was powerless to do anything but sit and wait. He could tell by the look on her face that she was thinking the same. He pulled her closer to him, needing to feel her near.
"I radioed ahead; the doctors know what they're dealing with. They'll get x-rays so they can tell where the damage to the lung is and they'll repair it. You have to know that some of the best medical personnel in California are right here, in this hospital. They'll do everything in their power to make sure Detective Deeks makes it." Randy said, trying to comfort the group in front of him. He got nods and smiles of thank you from them in return.
He nodded back and went to enter the rig when Sam grabbed him by the shoulder. "I want to thank you. You and your partner, for getting him here, alive. For doing everything in your power to make sure he has the best possible chance at survival. I want you to know we, and everyone at NCIS, appreciates it." He held out his hand.
Randy shook it and smiled and said "Just doing our jobs. Hopefully, this will be one of the success stories. You should head in and make sure Kensi is doing okay." Sam nodded and the group hurried through the doors Deeks and Kensi had disappeared through earlier. He turned back and entered the rig; it was time to do his inventory to replace whatever they had used on this run so that they would be fully stocked and ready for the next one.
Inside the hospital, the group could hear Kensi's voice and followed it. When they caught sight of her, the pace picked up. It was obvious she wanted to be somewhere she wasn't allowed and the male nurse standing in front of her was not going to let her in. The argument came into focus as they got closer.
"I need to be in there! I need to see him!"
"Ma'am, you need to calm down! You can't go back there. The doctors are working on him and they don't need you in the way!"
"I don't care! You let me in and you let me in now! I'm a federal agent and he's my partner! Now, get…out…of….my….way!"
"No!"
Sam reached her just as her arm came up, ready to punch out the obstacle that stood between her and Deeks. He grabbed it as she swung and pulled her around. "Kensi! You need to let them do their job! I know it sucks, but you need to step back, now!"
Kensi glared up at him and they stared at each other. Eventually, she sagged as she realized Sam was right. There was nothing she could do to help and she might even hinder the doctors as they worked to save Deeks's life. "Sam? What am I going to do if…?"
Sam interrupted her. "You'll do what we all do, Kens. You'll be strong and you'll get through it, with all of us by your side. But don't think like that. He's alive, he's in good hands and he'll pull through." He looked down at her. "He's too stubborn and annoying to die on us. He has too many good years of aggravating me and Callen ahead of him to give up now!" He smiled gently at her, willing her to smile back. When she did, albeit weakly, he was relieved. Distraught Kensi was taking a back seat to logical Kensi. He looked up at the nurse who was still watching them warily. "Waiting room?" Sam asked him.
The man pointed to the right and said "Down that corridor, first door on your left." He looked at Kensi and his face softened. "As soon as we know anything, I promise you, I'll come out and let you know. We'll all do everything in our power to make sure your partner survives." Kensi nodded and looked at him apologetically. He just nodded and smiled, turning to head back into where the action was going on, confident that her friends and obvious teammates, based on the matching Kevlar vests, would keep her under control.
The group ushered her towards the indicated waiting room. Once inside, they all stopped, not sure if they should sit or just start the worried pacing now. Michelle made her decision and went to Kensi's side, grabbing her hand and guiding her to a waiting couch. She sat down and pulled Kensi down beside her, wrapping her arms around her friend. Kensi leaned into her touch, taking comfort from the woman who knew better than anyone what she was going through. Sam had been hurt on the job more than once and Michelle had been the loved one waiting for the life or death sentence to walk through the door. The men gathered off to the side and began quietly discussing the events of the last two days and how the next few would play out. One thing was unanimously agreed on; whoever was behind this would be caught and punished, no matter how long it took. Unspoken was the idea that it may not be the legal system doing the punishment.
The door to the waiting room opened and Talia entered along with Agent Leary. Talia warily eyed Kensi sitting on the couch with Michelle, unsure if she would be welcome but unable to stay away. She went over to the men to get an update on Deeks, Cheryl close on her heels. Kensi watched from the safety of Michelle's arms, unable to hear the quiet conversation that ensued although she didn't need to, she knew what, or rather, who, it was about. She watched as Sam undoubtedly filled the other woman in on what had happened in the ambulance, the exam room and Deeks's current condition. She watched as the blood drained from her face and her knees buckled. She watched as Sam reached out and caught her. Pulling out of Michelle's embrace, she stood up and headed towards them, her eyes only on Talia. The men watched her approach with concern, hoping this didn't devolve into a cat fight right here and now. They'd seen the two women's interaction when it came to Deeks, and it usually wasn't pretty, bloodshed had even followed on more than one occasion. Talia looked up and saw Kensi coming. She straightened and waited.
Kensi paused a few feet away. Talia walked away from the group and faced her. Talia respected this tough woman in front of her and felt they could have been friends under different circumstances. She waited to see what Kensi would do. What happened next stunned her. Kensi opened her arms to her. Without thinking, she walked right into them. The two women clung to each other for a few moments, their shared fear for the man they both loved forging a bond.
Kensi pulled back a little and placed her forehead against Talia's. Sam and Callen watched in amazement, both of them noting the striking resemblance between the two women. Both tall, slender, beautiful, deadly brunettes and both in love with their LAPD teammate. They could easily pass for sisters.
"He's annoying." said Kensi.
"Scruffy." was Talia's reply.
"Inappropriate."
"Cocky."
"Smart."
"Kind."
"Gentle."
"Compassionate."
"Caring."
"Generous."
"Loyal."
"Yours." Talia whispered.
"Mine." Kensi agreed. "And I'm his. We're each other's." She pulled away and looked Talia in the eye. She saw the pain there. The same pain that she was knew was in hers. "You love him." It was a statement of fact, not a question.
"Yes, but too late. I never stood a chance with him. I knew that from the first moment I partnered with him when you were gone. I threw more than a few hints out there that I was interested and he completely ignored them. I knew there was someone. Then I saw you two together and I knew how it was. You have to know I fought it, it wasn't planned. This isn't what I wanted."
"I know. It wasn't what I wanted either. I fought it for years, hard. He just gets under your skin and makes himself important to you. The next thing you know he's the most necessary thing in your life, like air."
Talia opened her mouth to respond when the door to the room opened, all eyes turned to see who it was, no one breathing, hoping it would be good news. They all huffed out a sigh of disappointment when it turned out to be Hetty, Nell and Eric. The three newcomers stopped dead just inside the door, taking in the sight of Talia and Kensi holding each other. The two women shared a small smile and stepped away from each other, the moment broken.
Nell blinked away her surprise and went up to her friend, pulling her into a hug. "How's he doing Kensi? Have you heard anything?" Kensi just shook her head no.
Eric came up behind Nell and placed his hand on her shoulder. "No news is good news, right? At least, for now?"
Kensi smiled at him and said "Yes, Eric. No news is good news." but her smile didn't reach her eyes.
Hetty noted this and approached her agent. "How are you holding up, Miss. Blye?"
"I'm doing as well as can be expected Hetty. I don't know what to do, how to make it better. I feel so helpless!"
Hetty reached out and put her hand on Kensi's forearm, knowing exactly how the young woman felt. She, herself, had been in this position more times than she wanted to count. Worried about someone she cared about. Someone whose fate hung in the balance with not a damn thing she could do about it. She squeezed and said "We're all here for you and Mr. Deeks, Kensi. Whatever you need, just ask." Kensi stared at her, not sure how she felt about the use of her first name. Hetty only did that in specific circumstances and she didn't know how to take it. Her eyes flicked up once more when the door opened again. Again, she was disappointed when Laura and Meaghan walked in.
She tried to put on a good face and found herself comforting a shaking Meaghan. The young girl had made a beeline for Kensi and was holding on for dear life, her slender frame shaking as she sobbed into Kensi's shoulder. Eventually it started to get to her and Laura saw it.
Coming over, she pulled her daughter away from Kensi and into her own arms. "Come over here with your dad and me, Meaghan. Let's let Kensi alone for a moment." Kensi's eyes met Laura's and she silently thanked her. "I called the rest of the gang as soon as I hung up from John. Joelle, Cassie and Paula will be here as soon as possible. Cindy and Chris are going to try to get a baby sitter. If they can't, they'll bring L.C. with them."
Kensi smiled at Laura's use of the nickname Deeks had bestowed on Cindy and Chris's small son. The smile wavered as the unbidden thought entered her head that he may never give anyone a cheesy nickname ever again. Laura caught the shift and said sternly "Don't! Don't you dare go there!" Kensi breathed deep and nodded.
The door opened again and she was resigned to it being anyone other than the doctor with news. When the words "Family of Detective Deeks?" were heard, everyone surged forward to surround her, prepared to help if the news was bad. The same nurse that prevented Kensi from following Deeks stood there, making good on his promise that he would keep the group informed.
"He's on his way up to surgery. They've located the position of the tear in his lung. They also have a good idea of where he's bleeding internally and will repair both. I'm sorry I don't have any additional news. His surgeon is one of the best at his job, she'll do everything possible to pull the detective through but you have to be prepared. He coded once in the ambulance and again in the exam room. He's still with us but I can't give you a positive prognosis. It's going to be a wait and see."