Deeks spent a day in the hospital to get his potassium and other numbers stable, and make sure they stayed at an acceptable level, before being released home. With his latest hospital stay came a whole new set of care instructions and semi-weekly appointments for potassium infusions. Deeks wasn't exactly thrilled to find out he'd be spending even more time at the kidney care center.
He stared out the window now as Kensi drove him in for his appointment. On the surface, he'd been calm all morning, keeping any negative reactions at bay. The only signs of his true thoughts were the staccato tapping of his fingers against his thighs and the tension in his jaw.
Overall, he looked infinitely better than three days ago in the hospital. His skin wasn't gray (just pale) anymore, the darker shadows beneath his eyes had faded some, and he didn't seem quite so weak.
"You know, I don't mind staying with you," she offered. Despite her objections, after the first few sessions, he'd insisted on Kensi going home or to work after drilling him off. "Since this will be a longer one."
"Eh, I'll be fine," Deeks said with a stiff shrug. Absentmindedly, he twisted his forefinger and thumb around either wrist, wincing slightly. Kensi pulled eyes back to the road, very purposely not watching his movements. He found the muscle fatigue and aches particularly humiliating.
"Are you trying to get rid of me, Martin Deeks?" she asked, deciding to go the route of teasing instead of admitting she was a little worried about leaving him alone. He insisted he felt fine, well fine for his new baseline, but the thought of him passing was a new constant fear.
"No. I'm trying to save you from an afternoon of boredom. I'll probably sleep most of the time, anyway, and I've got my book, work, and snacks if I don't."
He reached across the consul, squeezing her hand, his fingers a familiar and reassuring pressure against hers. He winked at her, offering a playful smile that had her grinning back despite the conversation.
She took their designated exit, arriving at the frenesic center a few minutes later. Deeks grabbed his messenger bag with his supplies as she pulled up in front of the entrance, zipping up his hoodie even though it wasn't particularly chilly out today.
"I'll call if anything goes wrong," he promised, leaning over to kiss her. Kensi cupped his cheek, extending it for several seconds until someone behind them honked. Deeks pulled back with a wistful glint in his eyes. "See you later."
"See you," Kensi murmured. She watched him go, blinking against a sudden stinging behind her eyes.
When Kensi onto their street 45 minutes later, there was a blue beetle she didn't recognize parked in the driveway. Its owner became apparent as she parked alongside the beetle, and saw Nell sitting on the front porch. She hopped up, tucking a blue encased tablet into her shoulder bag, waving as she hurried over to hug Kensi.
"Nell, what are you doing here?" Kensi asked, even as she squeezed the younger woman tight.
"Uh, like I was going to leave you to read the HLA Typing results all on your own," Nell replied, putting her arm around Kensi's waist and guiding her towards the front door. "Eric would have come too, but he had to take a business call."
Kensi suppressed a sigh; she'd seen a notification in Deeks' online medical chart the day after he collapsed, but hadn't told anyone besides Nell.
"The only reason I didn't tell Deeks yet is because I don't think he needs the added stress." She unlocked the door, making a beeline for the kitchen. She needed something calming to drink. A beer sounded perfect right now, but she didn't want to get in the habit of managing her stress with alcohol. Instead, Kensi started brewing two cups of peach tea.
"Riiiight," Nell drawled from behind her, leaning her back against the opposite counter. "You know how Deeks feels about a transplant from one of us. I love the man like a brother, but damn the man is stubborn."
"Tell me about it," Kensi muttered in agreement. Said stubbornness was one of the aspects that made Deeks such a good investigator and man. It also turned out to be a thoroughly frustrating trait when it came to situations like this.
"Which is why you need to find out the results now so you have enough time to plan how to manage Deeks' reaction."
Kensi heaved a sigh, handing Nell one of the steaming mugs. She led them back out to the couch, sitting cross-legged while Nell tucked her tights-covered legs beneath her.
"We're supposed to wait to discuss this with Deeks' doctor." Despite her protest, Kensi felt her resolve wavering.
"Then why would they send them to his account?" Seeing Kensi was about to speak, Nell forged ahead, holding up a purple tipped finger. "Kensi, if Deeks is annoyed that you checked before him, it won't matter in the end. All that does matter is that he lives a long and healthy life."
Nell was right. Closing her eyes, Kensi set her tea to the side and grabbed her laptop off the coffee table. "Ok." She opened the lid, typing in her user password. Nell gave an encouraging nod. "But you cannot tell anyone else about this for now."
"Understood. Now check the damn tests already!" Nell said, getting Kensi to crack a tiny smile.
Shaking her head, Kensi logged into Deeks' medical account and pulled up the newest reports. "There's only three," Kensi murmured, opening each one and scrolling until she found the bolded results at the bottom. After a minute, she closed the laptop and sat back, pressing covering her mouth with her hand as tears flooded her eyes.
"Kensi?"
"None of them are a match," Kensi whispered, completely devastated.
"None?" Nell repeated, grabbing the laptop and opening it again while Kensi grabbed a Kleenex. "Not even a partial?"
"Mine was," Kensi said, which somehow felt ironically cruel and worse than if she'd been a complete mismatch. "Not enough to be a viable match though." A fresh wave of tears filled her eyes and her throat tightened.
"Oh Kens." Scooting closer, Nell wrapped her arms around Kensi's shoulders. "Hey, those are only your, Rountree, and Callen's results. There's still hope we'll find a match from the team. Plus, Deeks is already on the national donor list and I found a couple specialists who are doing promising experimental treatments."
"Thanks, Nell."
"Of course. We got this, lady."
Kensi chuckled wetly, pressing her damp face into Nell's shoulder.
"God, I need something stronger than tea," she said.
"Triple scoops of brownie craze it is," Nell decided, squeezing Kensi one extra time before she let go. "I'll grab my keys."
A/N: I don't know if lab results like these would be available in an online chart like this since another person is involved. Feels like it might be a HIPPA violation of some sort, but as usual, we're going to let that slide in the interest of the story.