The next couple weeks saw an improvement for Deeks, at least in terms of normalcy. He still had his dialysis treatments and other appointments, but he'd taken on a more active role in the team again.
Kilbride insisted on restricting him to the mission, and strictly enforced a reduced work schedule for Deeks. Deeks accepted those limitations though, since he finally felt productive again. Plus, it helped keep his mind off his current issues more effectively than the yoga his therapist suggested.
Currently, they were dealing with a case involving the death of an army captain. On paper, Justin Fenton seemed completely by-the-book, and so far, they hadn't determined why he'd been in a random alleyway behind a condemned restaurant 30 miles from his home at the time of death.
After spending the morning interviewing family members, possible witnesses, and reviewing Fenton's background, they'd gathered in the bullpen.
"Justin's girlfriend, Maggie, had no idea why he would be so far from home the night he was murdered. She said most of his work was confidential, and as we've discovered elsewhere, Justin was a stickler for the rules," Kensi shared. She'd been working solo for most interviews, which Deeks didn't love, but at least she was partnered with one of the others when going into more dangerous situations.
"His best friend couldn't help either," Rountree added.
"Maggie didn't know of any specific enemies or work that might have resulted in her husband's death," Kensi finished.
"Alright. What about you, Deeks?" Callen prompted. "Did you find anything sketchy going on with Justin?"
Deeks rolled his desk chair, a necessary concession since standing for too long did tire him out, and grabbed his laptop.
"Justin's finances are squeaky clean. One of his cousins has some credit card debt, but there's no indication that Justin was ever involved," Deeks told them.
"So we're back to square one. Awesome," Sam grumbled.
"I wouldn't exactly say square one." Holding up a finger, Deeks grinned as he set his laptop on his knees. His chest twinged a little, and he absentmindedly rubbed his breastbone with his knuckles. "I also talked to Justin's commanding officer. He said Justin was in the middle of a long-term fraud investigation. Apparently only a few people knew what Justin's mission entailed. The official story was that he helped with managing cyber security."
"You found all that out with one phone call?" Kensi asked. He winked at her.
"You know I can be very persuasive when I want to," he said smugly. "Didn't hurt that the Colonel is an avid surfing fan. We had a nice chat about some of the famous competitions. He sent me an encrypted file with all of Justin's work so far."
"Only you, Deeks," Sam teased, but he didn't look annoyed. "Ok, well that gives us something to work with."
"Good work, Deeks," Callen added.
Deeks started to respond, but a sudden cough caught him off guard. It didn't just stop at one. He bent over, bracing his abdomen, as the coughs racked his body.
"Deeks," Kensi said, hands resting on his shoulders. He distantly heard the concern in her voice. Thankfully, it ended after a few more seconds, though it felt much longer.
He dragged in a gasping breath, leaning heavily against the chair while his vision fuzzed at the edges.
"I'm ok," he assured Kensi, who still hovered over him. She smoothed his hair back.
"Are you sure? Maybe you're getting sick."
"No, I don't think so. It's probably just a side effect from one of the medications."
"Nice," Sam commented. "Here." He tossed a bottle of water in his directions, which Deeks clumsily caught against his chest.
Deeks nodded his thanks, and downed half the bottle, suddenly extremely thirsty. His chest felt a little odd too, but that made sense since he just hacked up both lungs.
Belatedly, he realized that everyone was watching him, and he flushed, feeling oddly embarrassed. Even though they'd seen him under objectively worse circumstances, he felt particularly vulnerable.
Clearing his throat noisily, he tossed the half-empty water bottle in the air and caught it.
"So, what's your next move, now that I've laid the groundwork?" Deeks settled back in his chair, folding his hands together.
"Oh, one phone call and he thinks he's Detective of the Month," Sam scoffed. Deeks appreciated the semi-normalcy of being teased, and distraction from his latest medical theatrics.
"We're going to go back to the crime scene. Deeks, go up in OPS with Fatima and see what you can get from that file," Callen instructed.
"Got it," Deeks said with a nod, pushing out of his chair. As he stood, dizziness rocked through him, his heart gave an unnatural flutter, and he reached for something to brace himself, grasping futilely at the air.
He dropped to his knees, Kensi shouting his name the last thing before he lost consciousness.
A/N: Yeah, we're back. Deeks can't catch a break.