Tricky Measures Chapter 14, a ncis: los angeles fanfic

14TRICKY MEASURES

Chapter 14—Home

"Get up, bat," Callen said. When she stood up, he sat in the same space, and drew her down onto his lap. He leaned against her head. "Baby, before you go upstairs, would you consider showing the kids your staples, please?"

Anna smirked. "Sure. But, Callen. They have to be careful and not touch them."

"I get it, baby. Put your head down for now." She lay against him.

Kira frowned. "Is Mama okay?"

"Yes. She is more tired than she planned on. She also said it would be okay if you saw her staples. Nobody can touch them. Ty ponimayesh' menya?"

"Da, Papa," they all replied.

"Okay. Bat baby, you need to turn around," Callen said gently. "Can you?"

"Yes," Anna said. "I think so." She sat up straight, and wound up having to stand up first. She turned around, and then sat on his lap again. She was as pleased as Punch when she realized that she could hear his heartbeat. She snuggled him. "I'm good."

Callen laughed. "You are." He kissed her softly. "Slow, guys." He very carefully pulled her shirt out of her pants, and lifted it until he could tuck it under the bottom of her bra.

"Oh, my God, Papa!" the children exclaimed when they saw the size of the patch on her side.

"Guys, she's okay," he told them as he removed the ABD pad, several layers of gauze, and a Telfa pad, revealing the wound. "It just looks odd."

"Odd?" Anna said, taking false umbrage. "I am not odd!"

"Oh, boy," Callen said with a grin. "Stop it, okay?"

She nodded, but with a huge smirk on her face, and he knew it although he couldn't see her face.

Raisa's eyes bugged out of her head. "Wow! Mama, you got real staples in you!"

Anna smiled, but she didn't say anything.

"Mama, are you okay?" Nikolai asked. He was fascinated by the line of steel in her side, and he reached his hand out.

"I'm fine, baby," she answered, "but you cannot touch them. They do feel like train tracks, though."

"Train tracks?!" Nikolai squealed. "Oh, man."

Callen scooped him up, and put him on his lap. "No more, baby."

"Okay, Papa."

Anya asked, "Mama, do they hurt?"

"Not any more," Anna said. "The whole wound hurt for a while."

"Mama, how did you get the wound?" Kira asked.

"My car broke, and some metal sliced me," she said.

"The Mustang is broken?! Oh, no! What am I going to learn to drive in?" Kira wailed dramatically.

The family laughed.

"Kira, relax," her father said. "The car was trashed, but it's fixable."

"It is?" Anna said.

"Yes. Unless you don't want it."

"No! No, Callen! It's MY car, and I want it!" Anna yelped. "And I got something in the trunk that I need here!"

Callen bumped Nikolai off his lap, and then wrapped his arms around Anna. "It's okay, baby. I'll go get your thing during the weekend, okay?"

She nodded. "Callen, can I lie down, please?"

"Oh, God! Yes, of course," he said. "Guys, come and give Mama a kiss and hug. She has to go upstairs and go to bed now."

Nikolai jumped at the chance to fuss over his mother. He climbed up on her lap carefully, and then wrapped his arms around her neck for a moment. Then he kissed her several times.

"Okay, buddy," Callen said with a laugh. He put the little boy on the couch. "Stay here, please."

"I will, Papa," Nikolai said.

The girls took their turns to hug and kiss their mother, and they fussed over her, too.

"Guys…nuh-uh," Callen said with a smirk. "You guys are too slick for your own good!"

The children all laughed.

"Here's the deal," Callen continued. "Mama needs to rest, and so do all of you. We are all going to take a nap now. If you argue with me, I'll add two days of grounding for every time you smart mouth." He picked up each part of her bandaging, and put it in place. Then he carefully covered it with the ABD pad, making sure the tape adhered to her skin.

"Yikes, Papa!" Kira reacted.

"Kira, baby, this is very serious. Mama must rest, and she cannot be interrupted. You'll be able to visit with her later, okay?"

"Okay, Papa," she replied. She gave him a hug and then went upstairs.

"Guys, come on," Anna said. "You run up first."

"Okay, Mama!" the three yelled as they ran lickety-split up the stairs, not realizing that their mother didn't want to be knocked over as they tore up the stairs.

"Smart bat," Callen said. He kissed her.

Anna pulled herself up, and wrapped her legs around his middle.

"Whoa!" he reacted. "Are you all right?"

"Yes. I just want you to carry me."

"Okay, baby." He shifted her slightly, and then he kissed her again. He put his hand at the nape of her neck and cuddled her. "I love you."

Once she was settled, he carried her upstairs and into their room. He gently placed her on their bed.

"I need to check the kids, and I'll be right back."

"Okay, Papa," she replied with a smirk.

Callen smiled at her, and then went to check on each child. He tucked them all in, and kissed them, too. He returned to his room with a smile on his face.

When he arrived, he found Anna in the exact same place he had put her. He couldn't hold back a smirk. "What's with you?"

She held out her arms, and he went over to her. She had to be content hugging him at his waist. "Nothing."

"Uh-huh," he said. "I see. Anna, do you hurt at all?"

"No, Callen." She looked up at him. "I missed you. I missed you so much."

"Okay, okay," he replied. "I missed you just as much. Come on. Let's get you comfortable." He closed the blinds and turned on the dim lamp.

She smiled at him, and then stood up, putting her arms around his neck.

"Enough, baby," he mumbled, hoping to show her by example. He took off his blazer and draped it on the foot of the bed. His shirt and pants he dropped on the floor where he was standing. Then he put on a t-shirt and sweats. After, he found a big t-shirt that he tossed at her, which resulted in a laugh.

Shaking his head, Callen unbuttoned her shirt, and then he gently slid it off, not wanting to hurt her arm. Then he helped her to wiggle out of her pants. After, her bra followed, and he slipped the big t-shirt over her head.

"You okay now, bat baby?" He brought all of their clothing over to the basket and dropped it in.

"Yes," she answered from directly behind him.

He turned around and nearly knocked her over. "Anna Kolcheck, what are you doing?!" he cried as he caught her.

She began to laugh, and he saw the humor in everything, too. He had missed her silly stuff more than he wanted to admit. He grabbed her and hugged her until she squeaked.

"Oww," she mumbled, holding her side.

"Oh, no! I'm so sorry, baby," he gasped, feeling contrite. He leaned over and kissed her staples. "I'm so sorry!"

Anna scritched his head. "I'll be okay. But I do need to lie down, please." Then she stopped short. "Callen. I have a bigger problem."

He looked at her funny. "What's that?"

"I can't snuggle you. My staples are on my left side," she moaned, starting to cry. "I need to sleep with you, touching you…"

He immediately hugged her. "It's okay. We'll do something else." He checked for the afghan, and then led her over to the big blue chair. "Baby, come on." He sat down and then drew her down onto his lap.

"No, no," she objected, flipping over so that she was straddling him. She tucked her arms in, and settled down, taking care that her ear was over his heart.

Callen got himself settled, but he wished he had something to rest his legs on. He held her close, and rubbed her back. He could feel himself relax, and he knew it was because he was holding the love of his life.

"I love you," he murmured, snuggling into her as best he could.

"I love you, too," she whispered. Very quietly, she pulled on his shirt.

Callen laughed. "Nope. Not happening. Not unless you are brave enough to lie on your left side."

Anna smiled and sat up so she could see his face. "But—"

"But nothing. Anna, let's not and say we did," he offered. "Get up."

"What?"

"Get. Up." He bumped her off his lap, and stood up. Then he picked her up and carried her over to their bed. "I promise it won't hurt, baby. You'll be fine." After he took off his shirt, he pulled off the sweats, dropping both items on the floor. He climbed into the bed, and then turned so he could face her. "It's okay, baby. I got you."

Her shirt caught on her patch, and she growled.

"Stop." He rose up on his knees and removed her shirt. He tossed it onto the floor, and then lay down, bringing her close. "It's okay. Turn onto your side, baby." He was as excited and as thrilled as she was that they were skin-to-skin.

Anna slithered up and put her head on his shoulder. He put his arm around her and held her close.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. I'm very okay now." She kissed him under his neck, and then closed her eyes. Soon she was fast asleep.

Callen was very pleased with himself for convincing her that lying on her side would be okay; he knew how worried she had been. He kissed the top of her head, and then closed his eyes. He fell sound asleep moments later.

They slept for a little while, and then Anna woke up. She scooted into the bathroom, and was very glad that it was her own. On her way out, she dropped her panties into the basket.

Callen woke up as soon as she got off the bed. He dropped his boxers on the floor, and then turned over on his side and closed his eyes.

Anna was fit to be tied, as she had wanted to sleep on top of him. Not to be deterred, she climbed on the bed and attempted to push him over onto his stomach. He resisted for a moment, and then collapsed, causing her to splat.

"OW!" she yelled.

"Oh, damn," he replied. He turned onto his back, and then pulled her onto him. "I'm sorry, baby. I forgot—"

"I know you did, you pain in my side! Get settled!"

With a huge smirky smile filling his face, Callen did get settled onto his back. He held up his arms, and she immediately laid on top of him, settling into her niche.

She wanted to make love with him, but knew she shouldn't. She nuzzled him, and fussed over him, and teased him until he told her to stop.

"Not right now, baby," he said as he stroked her in return. "You know we're going to have to get up shortly."

"I know," she replied. "I'm just so glad to be sleeping on my own bed."

Callen laughed. He rubbed her back. "Yes…well…your bed loves you."

Then Anna kissed him until his ears wiggled. "I really love you," she said, and then she kissed him again.

He returned both kisses, and then caught her face between his hands. He stared at her for a few minutes. "You are beautiful," he said.

"You are, too," she replied. Then they both burst into laughter.

Callen glanced at his watch. "It's almost seven-thirty, so the natives will be restless when we get downstairs."

She grinned. "Yes, they will," she agreed. "But they can wait."

A loud knock sounded.

"You were saying?" Callen quipped. "Just a minute!" he shouted.

They both got up and got dressed quickly. Then they pulled their bed together, and Anna turned off the little lamp.

Callen opened the door to find all four children waiting.

"Papa, can we get more pizza?" Raisa asked.

"I don't know," he said. "What does Mama want?"

Anna stood by his side. "I think Mama wants some pizza, too."

"How about all of you go down and set the table, please, while Mama and I order the pizza?" Callen said to his squirmy children.

They raced down the stairs, and he and Anna followed at a much slower pace.

"Papa, can we get some beer, too, please?" Anna asked.

"Can you drink?"

"Yes. I finished my medicines while I was there."

"How's your head?"

"I'm okay, Callen. It doesn't hurt at all."

"Okay. Beer we'll have!"

"Mama, what's wrong with your arm?" Kira asked, noticing Anna's wound for the first time.

"I got stitches in it," Anna replied, touching her arm. Then she smirked when she realized that she had on short sleeves.

"How come?" Anya asked.

"It got cut, too, baby," Anna said.

Raisa started to cry. She got up and went over to her mother who hugged her closely. She hadn't really understood how serious the accident was until just now.

Callen spoke up. "Guys, car accidents are no joke. People get hurt, or they die. We were fortunate because Mama only needed her wounds patched up. She didn't get broken either.

"Her wounds were serious—"

"Was there any blood?" Anya said.

"Oh, yes," her mother replied. "Lots of it. That's why I had to have my arm sewn together, and my side stapled."

"Mama, what do you sew arms with?" asked Kira.

Callen smirked. "We'll show you later, baby, when I change the dressing on it."

"Callen! That's not nice!" Anna chastised. "Be fair." But she didn't say a word about the threads in her arm.

The doorbell rang, and Callen went to answer it. He accepted the three pizzas and the six of beer, and gave the delivery guy a good tip. He brought the boxes to the kitchen counter, and laid them out in a row.

"Okay, guys! Bring your plates, please," Callen announced. His family lined up, and they all chose what kind they wanted. He put his own choices on Anna's plate, and then they all sat down to enjoy their feast.

The following morning, Callen took Anya and Nikolai with him to retrieve the item from Anna's car. After putting the huge box into his own car, he talked to the lead mechanic. He found out that the Mustang was totaled, and it wouldn't be worth fixing, especially since the car was more than fifteen years old. He was very aware of how Anna would react, but it couldn't be helped.

Anya cleaned out the glove compartment, and was very surprised by what she found. She turned around so she could sit down, and then she examined all of the trinkets she found. The most surprising one was a small frame that contained a picture of her father as a very young man. The most shocking thing Anya came across was her mother's license to carry a concealed weapon. The trinkets were pretty, as were the bracelets, necklaces, and earrings made of pearls and gold and silver. Anya was very careful packing everything into the bag her father had handed her. When she was finished, she went to sit in her father's car.

Meanwhile, Callen cleaned out the trunk with Nikolai's help. They found various car repair tools and gear. Callen found more tools under the spare tire in Anna's car, and packed what would be useful. He let his son carry the very lightweight equipment to his trunk. Nikolai was very proud of being able to help his father. At last they were finished, and they both got into Callen's car.

"Papa, what are you going to do about Mama?"

"I don't know, Anya. We can get her a new car for about forty-five or fifty thousand dollars, but to fix the Mustang, it will cost more than twenty. It's not worth it," he replied.

"Oh, man," she said.

"Oh, man, for sure," Callen said. "Would you guys like some smoothies?"

"Yes, please, Papa!" shouted Nikolai. He loved smoothies, especially strawberry ones.

Callen and Anya laughed. He drove over to a nearby convenience store, and they all went into the store. He was very aware that his children were hovering in the toy department, but he didn't say anything until he was ready to check out.

"Guys, sometimes being slick is good. Take your toys, but you also have to find something that Kira and Raisa will like."

Anya stopped short. "You knew?"

"Of course I did. I am your papa, and I know things!"

She laughed. "Nikolai, who do you want to get a prize for?"

"I get for Kira," he said, picking up a huge pack of pink gum and some baseball cards for her.

Anya poked around for a toy for Raisa, and finally settled on a glamour kit that had every kind of makeup in it that a kid would love.

Callen brought all of the children's goodies to the checkout counter. Then he had the clerk make six smoothies all together, and he paid for everything all at once.

"Guys, get settled, please," he said, placing the carry-all on the front seat. After the two were buckled in, he put the goodies bag between them. "Please don't mess with the bag, okay?"

"Okay, Papa," both children replied.

"Papa, can we drink our smoothies now?" Anya asked.

"Sure. Try not to spill them, please."

"We won't," promised Nikolai.

Anna was half asleep on the couch with Kira and Raisa on either side of her.

"Mama, can we watch movies?" Raisa asked.

With her eyes closed, Anna replied, "As long as they are suitable for your age."

Kira almost choked with laughter. "I told you she'd say No."

Raisa grumped and slouched. "I don't see why. We aren't babies."

"Well, for one, I don't want to. Those movies are gross," answered Kira.

"Why not?" Raisa nagged.

"Raisa, don't be so dense! I am not a grown-up, and I do not want to watch grown-up movies!"

Anna smiled, but she didn't say a word. She wanted to know what Raisa's comeback would be.

"I still don't see why," Raisa whined.

Kira sat up straight. "So you want to see naked men and naked women having sex? I sure as hell do not!"

Raisa looked at her. "Naked?"

"Yep," said her mother. She hid a smirk. "Raisa, I think the three of you need to learn more about human bodies."

Kira's eyes almost flew out of her head. "Oh, no, Mama! No way!"

"Naked?" repeated Raisa. "Like with no clothes on?"

"Yep," said her mother.

Raisa stared at her. "You mean you and Papa see each other NAKED?!" She was appalled.

"You tell me!" Anna replied, bursting into laughter.

Kira laughed, too, but she also covered her face with a pillow.

Anna took the remote from Raisa, and turned on the TV. Then she scrolled to the Parental Controls, and made sure that all access to adult programming was blocked from children.

Raisa scowled because she liked taking sneak peeks at adult programming, and Kira laughed in relief.

At last, Anna chose Walt Disney's "Pinocchio." She turned on the movie, and brought her girls close so she could hold them.

Kira had her head on her mother's shoulder. "Hey, Mama! Your heart sounds like Papa's!"

Anna laughed. "It's supposed to, baby. Yours sounds the same way."

"It does?" Kira's curiosity was piqued. She realized that she might learn something in the Anatomy part of her Health class.

"Yep," said her mother. She kissed both girls. "Let's watch." She restarted the movie, and they were all more focused.

"Papa, what about the big, big box?" Nikolai asked as he carried in the bag of tools.

"It's okay for now, baby. We'll get it after we have lunch."

"Papa! What about the smoothies?" Anya asked.

"Nothing. We're going to drink them anyway, and have lunch anyway, even though it's very late," he answered, putting the carry-all on the dining room table. Then he looked around and found the rest of his family sleeping on the couch. He walked around until he was in front of Anna before he kissed her.

She was very aware that he had returned home, so she put her arms up and drew him down, and kissed him again.

Kira watched them. "Mama, why do you kiss him?"

Anna grinned. "Because I love him, and because I like it."

"Eww?"

"Nope. Not at all. When it stops being eww, then I'll know you're old enough to kiss somebody." Anna hugged her daughter. "Having somebody to love the way Papa and I love each other is a whole new way of having fun."

"Fun?"

"Oh, yes, baby, but not today. We'll talk about it some other day."

Kira kissed her mother's cheek. "Okay, Mama."

"Guys, come on. Get up!" said Callen. "Lunch awaits!"