A/N - I feel like I keep repeating myself, but thanks to honus47 for reading and reviewing!

A/N2 - To jackie - I hope this is enough Deeks and Kensi? If not, the next one is going to be a lot more!

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Chapter 65

Sam and Callen made it to the hospital in record time. Arriving on his floor, they moved quickly down the corridor, eager to tell Kensi everything that had happened since they'd last seen her. When they got to Deeks's room, Sam knocked on the door and softly said "Kensi? It's Sam and Callen."

Kensi opened the door and let them in. Both men couldn't help but notice how drawn she was. They'd already decided on the way over that Callen would force her to go out for some air, take her somewhere for dinner while Sam stayed with Deeks. Both were also slightly apprehensive about how she was going to take the fact that everyone had kept her out of the loop. That had been a decision everyone had agreed with. She needed to keep her focus on Deeks and not what they were doing. They also hadn't wanted to get her hopes up in case things hadn't gone according to plan. Now that everything was over, they both wondered if that had been the right move. Neither was looking forward to being the ones having that particular conversation with her but, the fact that they also got to tell her it was over, outweighed the very real fear of what her reaction would be.

Callen took point. "Kens, he's safe! McGonagle is dead and Robinson is in custody. The mole at LAPD has been uncovered and arrested. Sam is going to stay with Deeks and you are going to come out to eat with me while I fill you in on everything that happened today."

"No, I can't leave him! Wait! You took them down without me? What the hell?" She advanced on the two men in front of her. Anyone watching, who didn't know Kensi, would have found it comical to watch the two federal agents, one of whom would made most grown men pause, back away from her. Callen held his hands up.

"Kens, come on, you just answered your own question. Be honest, you know there was no way you were going to leave him, even to be in on their arrests or interrogations. You would've been gone for hours. And waiting and worrying here wouldn't have done either of you any good."

Kensi thought about what he said. She knew he was right, she wouldn't have left him for that long, but it didn't mean she had to like it. She backed down but wouldn't forget. She would be having a conversation with the whole team about keeping her in the dark about this at a later date. When they least expected it, she would strike.

Feeling like the storm had passed with relatively little damage, Callen said "Now you need to come with me, you aren't going to do him any good if you grind yourself down to nothing! He's not even awake. Sam will be here and he won't let anything happen to him. You need to get out of this hospital room for a little bit."

"No, I'm not going." She paused and added. "But thank you."

"Don't you want to know how everything went down? I'm not going to tell you while we're sitting here in this room. Plus, I have a treat for you from Hetty."

Kensi looked at him, trying to gauge if he would really withhold information from her if she didn't give in and go get something to eat with him. When she realized that he meant every word he said, she gave in, albeit ungraciously.

"Ok, but no more than an hour and I want every single detail! And I want to know what kind of treat Hetty has for me! I'm still not sure if I want to forgive you guys for not at least letting me know what was going on!"

"Good, now let's go!"

She turned and walked back to the bed. Reaching out, she smoothed back the hair from Deeks's forehead and leaned down to whisper in his ear. "Hey baby, they're making me go get something to eat. Pushy couple of guys. Sam is going to stay with you for a little bit. I won't be gone long. Don't you go and do anything stupid while I'm gone, you hear me?" She kissed his cheek and stood up. Turning, she glared at Sam. "You better take good care of him, Sam or you will regret it for the rest of your life."

Sam smiled at her and reached out to pull her into a hug. "Of course I'll take good care of him Kens. And not just because you scare the bejeebers out me!"

"Bejeebers?" She said as she returned the hug, knowing that her "brothers" were simply worried about her and just trying to make sure she was okay.

"Yes, bejeebers. Now, the sooner you go, the sooner you'll be back." He pushed her towards Callen. As they went out the door, she turned to look back at the still form in the bed as the door shut between them.

Sam chuckled and pulled up a chair next to the bed. He reached out to put a hand on Deeks's forearm and squeezed gently. "How ya going, buddy? We got 'em! We got the bastards who put you here! McGonagle is dead and I'm not sorry in the least. I doubt anyone is. The only thing anyone is sorry about is that Hetty was the one who got to do it. We all wish we'd been the one. He got the drop on Granger and was about to shoot him but Hetty got him first. It was priceless! You're going to be sorry you missed it. She even said she saved Granger because we finally have him almost trained! You should have seen the look on his face. I wish I could've taken a picture to show you when you wake up. Oh, and Robinson is in custody and gave us everything."

He paused in his ramblings and then continued. "You need to know. They videotaped everything and we caught Robinson bragging to you about killing Katie, Michael and their baby. We'll finally get full justice for them Deeks! He's going to jail for a very long time. We got him to roll on Timmons and Parks. Timmons is going to be very unpleasantly surprised when he finds out what additional charges we plan on filing. Hetty's going to let Kensi break the news to him, to make up for the fact that she wasn't in on the takedowns. Parks is going to be surprised as well. While he won't get any additional time, it will certainly make sure he's never eligible for parole. We got the names of the guards helping the two of them keep in touch; we'll be plugging that leak as soon as we get enough evidence to charge them. Nell and Eric are working on that right now. They send their love and will be by to see you soon. Plus we're going to mount a task force to shut down Parks's organization as Robinson named names."

Sam took a deep breath and said softly 'We all watched the tape Marty, we had to. Everyone except Kensi that is. I doubt anyone will ever want her to see that. I'm so sorry about what happened, but we're all so proud of you! In spite of everything McGonagle did to you, you refused to give him what he wanted. You stayed strong and you ended up saving my life again. You need to stop doing that! I'm never going to be able to repay you. I'd have to live forever."

Trying for a lighter note, he said "By the way, when you get out of here, we need to talk. It's time. You need to walk away from LAPD and become an agent. G's planning on a new op. One he's termed "Operation Agent Deeks". Once the dust has settled, he's going to get everyone involved. You don't stand a chance so just give in quickly and graciously. Don't make him jump through hoops, no matter how tempted you might be. When he gets cranky, I take the heat."

He looked at the silent man in the bed and sighed. When Deeks had first started with NCIS, he'd been tough on him. He'd still been determined that they would find Dom and that he would come back to them so, when Deeks sat down that first day at the desk next to him, it had felt like they were giving up. The young man had ended up being missing for months and had later died saving Sam just as he was being rescued. To this day it stung.

Over the years he'd grudgingly admitted that Deeks had skills but he'd tightly held onto those first initial reservations. Deeks was different, that was for sure. He'd come to realize, after Sidorov, that different was good. Different gave you the other side of the coin, thinking outside the box, complemented the skills the rest of them had. He'd been trying over the last couple years to let Deeks know that. He'd made an effort to let him know that he considered him a friend, a good friend. Yes, he still teased him, but Deeks gave back as good as he got. Plus, he hadn't killed him and buried the body when he and Kensi had started dating, especially when some of it had started to creep into the work place. Not too many people would be good enough for his "little sister" and he had let Deeks know that he was behind their relationship. He knew that Kensi had grown so much since they'd partnered up. Growth that he wasn't sure anyone but Deeks would have been able to foster but still, she was family to both him and Callen. He knew Deeks understood that, he'd proven it when he'd asked the two of them for permission to ask Kensi to marry him. Idly he wondered if he'd had gone ring shopping yet. A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts and he unconsciously put his hand on his gun.

"Kensi? It's Moira and Craig."

Sam smiled and stood up. He liked both the doctor and the ER nurse, plus he owed Craig for saving Deeks's life. Getting up and moving to the door, he opened it and enjoyed the looks of surprise on their faces.

"Before you say anything, G and I forced Kensi to go out to get something to eat and some fresh air."

"Thank goodness! I didn't think we'd ever pry her away from his side. It's good to see you Sam."

"Good to see you too, Moira."

Sam turned to the man standing behind the doctor and held out his hand. "Craig, again, I can't thank you enough for what you did."

"I'm just glad it worked out the way it did, Sam." He smiled at the big man as he shook his hand.

Moira moved into the room and checked on Deeks's vitals. She smiled and looked at Sam. "Actually, I'm glad Kensi isn't here. He's doing so well I want to remove the ventilator now. Craig is here to help me. Why don't you go get something to eat or drink? I'll let you know when it's done."

"I'd rather stay here, Moira, if you don't mind."

"I don't mind but...it isn't exactly pleasant to watch. You may come to wish you'd left."

"I understand, but I'd really rather stay here. The last thing I need to have happen is for Kensi to find out I left him alone, even for a few minutes." He winked at her.

Laughing she said "I totally understand. She can be pretty scary when she wants to be."

"You have no idea." Sam said as he turned and moved out of their way, thinking of the earlier conversation when Kensi found out what they'd been doing without her. He leaned against the wall and watched them work on Deeks. He winced as they pulled the tube out of his friend's throat as gently as possible. He swallowed hard and would swear his own throat hurt.

When it was done, Moira replaced the ventilator with a nasal cannula. She carefully monitored his vitals, prepared to intubate him again should he exhibit any kind of distress. When a few minutes passed with no change, she turned and smiled at Sam. "He's doing well! He's breathing fine and his wounds are healing nicely. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to reduce his sedation dosage. We'll do it gradually and, in a day or so, he should start to wake up."

For the first time in days, Sam felt the weight on his shoulders lift a little. He looked at Deeks and thought how much better he looked already, now that the tube was gone. He couldn't wait for Kensi to come back and see him. He looked up to find Moira and Craig smiling gently at him and realized he had zoned out, staring at Deeks. He cleared his throat a little and said what he'd just been thinking. "He looks better already."

"Yes, it's amazing how removing the tube makes everyone feel so much better, not just the patient." She looked at her watch and said "I've got to get a move on. Tell Kensi I'll stop in later to see how they're both doing?"

"Sure thing. Thanks again Doc!"

Craig turned to leave with Moira, adding his vow to be back later for a visit. Left alone in the room again, Sam realized how quiet it was without the sound of the machine breathing for him. He sat back down and waited for their partners to return. He didn't have long to wait. A soft knock at the door was followed by Callen announcing them as the door opened. Kensi was first through, her eyes immediately going to Deeks. They widened when she took in the absence of the tube and she quick stepped to the bed.

"They took it out! Oh Sam, Callen, he looks so much better!" She leaned over and kissed him on the lips for the first time in days.

"That's not all Kens! Moira said she's going to start reducing his sedation tomorrow as he's healing so well! She says he may start waking up within a day or so. She's going to stop back in later to talk to you. Craig was here too, he said he'd stop by later as well."

Kensi's eyes filled with tears, a sure sign to the two men that she was exhausted. The two partners exchanged a look behind her back and Callen nodded. Moving to her side, he looked down at Deeks and found himself agreeing that the man did, indeed, look better. Of course, he wasn't sure that that was saying much. He put his hand on Kensi's shoulder and said "Why don't you lay down for a bit. Sam and I would like to sit with him for a little while."

"I want to stay with him." She ruined her statement by yawning widely. Her tummy was full with the first decent food she'd eaten in what felt like forever and her eyes were heavy. Add to that the relief that he was no longer in danger from Robinson or McGonagle and she was pretty much swaying on her feet.

"Come on Kens, there's a perfectly good bed in the other room that's not being used. You can go lie down and still hear and see everything. We'll leave the connecting door open. If anything happens, we'll come get you immediately."

"You promise?"

Sam held up his hand and said "Cross our hearts." as he made an X over his chest.

Kensi chuckled and looked back down at Deeks. He was safe now and she could really use the sleep. She leaned down and kissed him on the lips again and paused. She pressed her lips against his again and would swear that he kissed her back. Pulling back a little, she could see that he hadn't moved. She must be more tired than she thought. She moved over to Callen and gave him a hug, following it up with a hug for Sam. She shuffled into the other room and fell onto the bed, fully dressed and was out like a light in moments. Sam followed her into the room and watched her as she slept. Reaching down, he pulled the blanket that was folded at the bottom of the bed out from under her feet and gently placed it over her. She murmured Deeks's name in her sleep and rolled over onto her side, one hand tucking under her cheek and the other grabbing the blanket and pulling it up to her chin. Sam smiled down at her. She looked so young when she was asleep; it was hard to remember she was a skilled and dangerous federal agent. He patted her on the shoulder and went back to talk with his partner and watch over hers.

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A/N – I know I said he'd be waking up soon but this got away from me. At least we got to spend time with him and he will wake up in the next chapter, I promise (she said with her fingers crossed behind her back).