Chapter 66

After several hours of watching Deeks sleep and feeling a little creepy about it, Sam suppressed yet another yawn. He decided some caffeine was in order and stood up. "G, I'm gonna get some coffee, you want some?"

"Please! And make it a big one! I'll keep an eye on the sleeping beauties while you're gone."

Sam chuckled and left the room. Callen looked through the connecting doors and checked that Kensi was still asleep. He heard a little sound and realized he was hearing the snort snore Deeks always teased her about and she refused to admit to. He grinned, knowing he would now be able to join his teammate in teasing her. He turned back to the bed and pulled his chair up closer. Checking the door to make sure Sam wasn't about to come back through, he started to speak softly.

"Deeks, when you wake up, we need to talk. You need to sign the damn paperwork to become an agent! I don't know if it's because you think being a cop is a big part of who you are, or if you're afraid that becoming an agent could trigger NCIS breaking up your partnership with Kensi due to your personal relationship. I just want you to know, you haven't been a cop in a very long time. You're as much a federal agent as anyone at NCIS and it's time you make it official. No one will let them break you and Kensi up. Hell, I think half the people at the Mission would walk if anyone gave even the slightest hint of it."

He smiled, as he pictured a stream of people marching up to Hetty's desk and handing over badges, guns and ids. Hell, he was pretty sure Hetty would lead the charge and, unless he was mistaken, Granger would be right behind her. He still wasn't sure how Deeks did it. He was loud and totally inappropriate at times, but people just seemed to come into his orbit and never leave.

He continued on by making the worst threat he could think of. "Don't make me sic Michelle on you. Sam agrees with me and you know Michelle does as well. Maybe we'll even get Kamran involved! I know you can't deny her anything. Now that we've gotten the people responsible for putting you here, Operation Agent Deeks is officially underway. I'll be reading the rest of the team in on it as soon as I get back to OSP." He leaned forward and whispered in his ear. "You don't stand a chance."

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Kensi stood up and stretched. She'd been sitting by his bed for so long she'd gotten stiff again. Moira had been in earlier that day to go over everything with her and she'd assured her that he was doing well, better than they'd expected, in fact. The doctor had been pleased at how well and how quickly his wounds were healing and she'd started the process of reducing the sedative, telling her that he should start to wake up soon, maybe even by evening, but warning her that he would be groggy and pretty out of it. Kensi didn't care; she just wanted to hear his voice, to be able to look into his eyes.

Craig had stopped by as well, just to visit with them and keep her company before his shift. Both had stopped in the previous evening as promised but she'd slept through their visits. Sam and Callen had left very early this morning when she'd finally woken up from the first deep and dreamless sleep she'd had since he'd been taken.

She looked closely at him, watching for any signs that he was coming around and was pleased to note that the bruises on his face were fading. They were a very odd green and yellow now but that was so much better than the black, blue and purple. The ones on his torso had been deeper and were only showing minor improvement. She reached out to touch him, something she couldn't seem to stop doing, reassuring herself each time that he was there and getting better with each passing moment. Stooping to give him yet another gentle kiss on the lips, she noticed that he didn't smell like him. He smelled like antiseptic and plastic. In short, he smelled like hospital. She missed his normal scent, the one that could make her toes curl with just a whiff.

A soft knock sounded on the door and she heard Nell's voice asking if she could come in. Kensi went to the door and opened it, glad to see her friend. Nell hugged her and held out a bag.

"What's this?"

"I figured you could use some more clean clothes. If you want, I'll take your dirty ones back to the apartment for you."

"Thanks Nell!" Kensi grabbed the bag and opened it, pleased that her friend was so thoughtful. She rummaged around to see what was in it, happy to see a couple pair of comfy yoga pants. Her hands stilled when they found a familiar t-shirt and she pulled it out.

"Nell, this isn't mine, it's Deeks's."

Nell looked at her and smiled. "I know." This was the actual purpose for her visit, although she had no plans to tell Kensi that.

Kensi searched her friend's face and saw understanding there. She put the t-shirt to her nose, closed her eyes and breathed deeply. There he was! That scent that would always bring him to her mind so vividly. Sea, sand, sun, suntan lotion and a hint of his body wash, the one she loved. Nell watched some of the tension on her friend's face fade as she buried her face in the material and just kept breathing. It took her own breath away to see the almost instant change that came over Kensi, simply due to smelling his shirt. Turning away from the oddly intimate moment, she moved over to the bed and leaned over to kiss Deeks on the forehead.

"Hey Shaggy, it's Velma. I'm so glad to see you're off the ventilator! You're looking better every day. Soon it'll be time to open your eyes and start annoying everyone. We miss you so much. Eric and I dug up some damaging info on the two prison guards and they were arrested this morning. Both admitted to passing information back and forth. One was on Parks's cell block, the other on Timmons's. They'd meet up after work and pass on whatever was given to them for the other or would meet with someone from Parks's crew on the outside. Then they'd go back to work the next day and hand over whatever they'd been given to the one they reported to. It all came down to money, once again. The arrest was pretty public, deliberately so. We're hoping that means Parks will have trouble finding people to take their place, but you know you can't stop stupid or greedy."

Most of the conversation she was having with Deeks was more for Kensi's sake. She knew her friend was listening to everything she said but wanted to give her time to compose herself. She felt Kensi's hand on her shoulder and turned, shocked to find tears in her eyes.

"Kensi? What's the matter? Everything's finally taking a turn for the better, why are you crying?" Nell pulled Kensi into another, stronger, hug even though it meant the taller woman had to bend over a little.

"They're tears of happiness, Nell. I just realized how lucky I am! Lucky to have you as a friend. I've never had any other friends who got me like you do. Most don't even know what I do for work. The last few months, with our circle of friends growing, I've realized how much I've missed out on since I became a federal agent. And he's going to be okay, he really is. I've been so worried for so long, I feel like a heavy weight is being lifted off my chest."

Nell hugged her again and was about to comment when a creaky voice sounded behind them.

"Melissa?"

Both spun around to find his eyes open and watching them. They rushed to his side and Kensi grabbed his hand.

"Hey baby! How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine! I really like what you've done with your hair."

Kensi reached up to pat her hair, knowing she still probably looked like she'd just gotten out of bed. She wondered if he was just teasing her.

"I've always loved that dress on you, baby!" She looked down at the rumpled sweat pants and t-shirt she'd slept in and laughed. Looking at Nell, she saw the confusion on her face. She grinned at her friend and turned back to Deeks.

"I know you do Justin, that's why I wear it. Now, I think you should go back to sleep."

"Okay." He said and closed his eyes.

"What was that?" Nell asked.

"He talks in his sleep, although he refuses to admit it. You're now my witness! You know what this means, don't you Nell? He's getting close to waking up for real!"

"Yeah, but why did he call you Melissa? Wait, you called him Justin! Those were your undercover names when you were pretending to be married to smoke out the Russian sleeper cell!"

"Yup. I guess he was dreaming about that time. Even though it was dangerous, it was nice too. Neither of us had anyone in our lives at that time and it was nice having someone there to talk to, to say goodnight to." Kensi said, remembering the conversation they'd been having on the couch that day before being rudely interrupted by a rock through their window. She'd always wondered where that conversation would have gone if that hadn't happened.

Nell laughed and hugged Kensi again. She couldn't wait to get back to the Mission and let everyone know what had just happened. She knew she'd be pounced on as soon as she walked through the door. She stayed and visited with them for a while and then excused herself to head into work. Hetty had told her to take her time, but she didn't want to be gone too long. The two friends hugged again as they said goodbye, Nell promising to be back and telling Kensi to let her know if she needed anything. Monty was home from the vets and staying with the Hanna family for the foreseeable future. They hadn't wanted to leave their hero dog alone at Kensi and Deeks's place while he was recovering and, unexpectedly, Sam had immediately volunteered to take him home with him. He'd said it was because the dog had saved Nell but everyone was pretty sure Monty had grown on Sam just like his owner had.

When the door shut behind their friend and they were alone again, Kensi sat by his side and picked up his hand, intertwining their fingers. "You have no idea how happy it made me to hear your voice and see your eyes open, even if you did think we were Justin and Melissa. You're getting better baby! Soon you'll be begging Moira to let you go home, I know how you are when you're in the hospital. Oh, you don't even know who Moira is! She's the doctor who's been taking care of you. She's so nice; you're going to love her. I think we might have just found another woman to join what you call our little circle of girls. I know what you're going to say, it's not so little anymore! It's not and I love it! Oh! Nell was just here and she heard you talking in your sleep! You can't deny it anymore, I have witness now."

She squeezed his hand and said "Come on Deeks, open those baby blues for me again!" His eyes remained stubbornly shut but she felt his fingers twitch in hers and she watched them like they were the most fascinating thing she'd ever seen. They'd stilled but she knew it'd happened. He was slowly coming out from under the sedation and she felt like the wait was killing her.

A couple of hours later, another knock came at the door and Laura and Meaghan popped their heads in. "Can we come in?" Laura asked.

"Of course! I'm so glad to see you guys! He sort of woke up a little earlier today. He was really still asleep but he opened his eyes and spoke to me. He's also been moving a little."

"We know, Nell called to update me on how he's doing and she mentioned it. That's why we decided to come by. Do you mind some company?"

"I, we'd, love it!"

Kensi noticed that Meaghan hadn't said a word. That was unusual for the normally talkative teen. She was staring at Deeks and frowning a little.

"What's wrong, Meaghan?"

The girl blinked and turned her head to meet Kensi's eyes. "I thought…I mean when I heard that he'd been talking….I wanted him to be awake!"

"Oh sweetie, he will be! Soon too, according to Moira. It's just going to take a little while. We have to be patient." Kensi said, conveniently forgetting that she'd been begging him to open his eyes not so long ago.

Laura put her arms around Meaghan and hugged her. Kensi swept an arm towards the bed. "Do you want to sit with him for a while? I could really use a cup of coffee and I'd appreciate it if you watched over him for me."

"Really? You sure?"

"Of course. Talk to him; tell him how you're doing, what's been going on. We're not sure he can hear us or not, but I think he does and I like to think it lets him know he's not alone."

Meaghan sat in the chair Kensi had been occupying and picked up his hand. She started to stroke it and hum a little song, one Kensi immediately recognized as the one Deeks had written for her just after they'd first met the Sheltons. It wasn't all that long ago but they'd become family so quickly; it felt like they'd known each other for years. She looked at Laura and nodded towards the door, silently asking if she'd like to join her for aforementioned coffee. Laura smiled and nodded.

"Honey, I'm going to go with Kensi to get a coffee too. Will you be okay alone here for just a little while?"

"Sure mom, I bet Kensi could use a break. Take your time."

Laura smiled at her, pleased at how mature and kind her daughter sounded. She squeezed Meaghan's shoulder and the two women left. Once the door closed behind them, Meaghan continued to hum the song to him, eventually starting to sing the words softly as she continued to stroke his hand. When the song was done, she started to talk to him.

"Marty? I really wish you were awake, there's so much I want to tell you. The first is that I love you. You're like the uncle I never got to know. I know mom had a brother who died when she was young. She never really talks about him and I've always felt that there was something more to the story. I figure she'll tell me when she's ready. She loves you too; I think you've taken a place in her heart beside him. She's so much more fun than she used to be. We get along so much better now than we used to. We're even doing mother/daughter things! Did you know she has tea with Hetty once a month? Last month they let me go with them! It was before all this happened and I was so proud to be included but, truthfully? It was kind of boring! Don't tell mom I said that!"

"Secondly, the girls all miss you! We miss you at our Saturday morning lessons. You'll be proud of us! We met last week anyway! It was more fooling around than learning anything, but I think a couple of us who've been doing it since the beginning, managed to teach a couple of the newbies a thing or two. Most importantly, no one got hurt! And Val's being quite the drama queen. She cries every time I mention your name. She knows you're hurt and in the hospital but mom and dad told everyone it was a car accident."

She paused for breath. "Oh, and Ryan and I broke up. You remember him? I brought him to Cassie and Paula's wedding. He was nice but it just wasn't there, you know? No spark. I want what you and Kensi have, what mom and dad have. I want the rest of the world to disappear just because he walks into a room. I want the room to crackle with electricity when we look at each other. I know there's someone like that out there for me. Ryan just wasn't it. We're going to stay friends but nothing more."

While she was earnestly talking to him, she hadn't noticed her mom and Kensi had returned. They'd heard the last part about Ryan and the two women shared a look. Their girl was growing up! They both stepped quietly out into the hall and made noise like they were just approaching the door and then came back in. Meaghan was sitting quietly, holding his hand and none the wiser that they'd heard her.

Laura and Meaghan stayed for a while and they caught up. John was in Washington but sent his love to both of them. One of Laura's committees had tried to kick her off, saying she'd become too plebian and was a distraction. Laura had channeled her best southern belle and told the women off in such a way that they'd begged her forgiveness and asked her to stay. All three of them laughed hysterically as Laura recounted the story, doing each woman's voice in an exaggerated way.

When they left, Kensi found it was too quiet and she started to feel a little lonely. That didn't last long as there was another knock on the door within the hour. This time it was Cassie and Paula. They both admitted that Laura had called them. They wanted to see him for themselves. Almost as disappointed as Meaghan that he wasn't awake, the two women stayed and kept Kensi company. They showed her pictures from the wedding and honeymoon that they hadn't had the chance to share with anyone yet. They both talked to him, telling him how much they missed him and that he had to get well soon. Telling him that they had news to share with him, news neither one would share with Kensi until he was awake too.

Soon after they left, Michelle showed up. More than anyone, she knew what Kensi was going through. She was able to offer more than a shoulder to cry on, she was proof that this could be survived and that they would be able to move on.

"How did you do it, Michelle? When you were still an active agent working with Sam? Knowing that, at any moment, one of you could be hurt or worse, die."

"I won't lie and say it gets any easier Kensi. It's hard. The hardest thing you will ever do until you have children and find a whole new level of worries to think about. But, it's worth it! Worth every moment of worry, every moment of fear, because there are so many more moments of love and happiness. You just have to remember what your life was like before him. Were you happy? I know you love your job; I'm sure you would've told anyone who asked that you were happy and fulfilled. Can you look back on how you felt then and how you feel now that you two are together, and say that you don't see the difference?"

"No, I can't. But the thought of losing him? It makes me freeze up inside. When he was missing and I didn't know if he was alive or dead? All I could think about was finding him. Once we did and we didn't know if he'd survive his injuries? I wasn't sure I wanted to survive if he didn't. Now that he's getting better? All I want is to be able to talk to him, hold him, nothing else matters. Is it right that one man can have that much of an impact on my life?"

"Oh sweetie, yes! It's called love. I need you to promise me something though? If something ever does happen to him and you're feeling like you don't want to go on without him, please, please talk to me or to Sam. To your mom. Don't do anything stupid?"

Kensi smiled tremulously at her. "Yes, of course, I will. Thanks, Michelle. It's good to know what I'm feeling isn't abnormal, that you understand what I've been going through."

Michelle hugged her and said "I'm glad. I hope I can count on you for the same if anything ever happens to Sam. I have our kids but he's the love of my life. I can't imagine it without him in it."

The two women shared a smile and turned to look at Deeks. His nose was twitching and Kensi started to laugh, happier than the small motion should have made her. Michelle looked at her questioningly and she just shook her head, not wanting to share that little tidbit about him that was all hers. They talked some more, sharing their worries and Michelle made Kensi feel more positive about the future. They'd be able to do this, others had paved the way and they had a built in support system of those who had gone before. Michelle finally got up to leave, kissing him on the forehead and hugging Kensi one last time.

After the door closed behind her, Kensi turned to him and said "I think that might just be the tip of the iceberg, baby. The word is out that you're waking up! I expect the hospital will want to install a revolving door to this room!"

She had no sooner finished saying the words when someone else knocked on the door.

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A/N – thanks to evelynmarie1 for the idea of having Deeks talk in his sleep as he starts to come out from under the sedation. I thought it would be fun if he was thinking about the time they spent pretending to be a married couple, ostrich burgers aside.

A/N 2 - the beginning of this chapter, where Callen has his own talk with Deeks, was not in the original version. Yellowcallalily gave me the idea! Thanks!