Kensi chewed on her thumbnail, eyes focused sightlessly out the window. This hospital room overlooked the rooftop of a different wing of the hospital, as well as a parking lot. A faint beeping echoed in the background, barely noticeable at this point. She couldn't believe how much time they'd spent in and out of these rooms in the last year.
They'd spent the last month preparing for today; Deeks' kidney transplant. She felt equally relieved and terrified by the idea.
"I think I saw a hawk fly by earlier," Deeks said, slurring the last couple of words a little bit. She turned around, finding him watching her with one eyebrow lowered. "Might have been a helicopter."
"I guess they really did give you the good drugs," she commented weakly. He'd been changed into a gown and prepped for surgery maybe twenty minutes ago. She knew Sam was a few rooms down, going through a similar process.
Taking the seat next to his bed, she rested her forearms on the edge of the mattress, finding herself examining Deeks' features. Over the months, she'd gotten used to the changes in his appearance. Now she let herself acknowledge just how thin and exhausted he looked. It was in the faint yellow tinge to his eyes and his unnaturally pale skin.
"Hey, do you want to build a boat?" Deeks asked, surprising a laugh out of Kensi.
"What?"
"We said we'd build a boat, yet we never did. Now we have no boat and no van."
Kensi pressed her lips together, recalling the first time he'd asked the same question, throwing it out flippantly. The reminder of everything they'd been through since that day had her swallowing back tears.
"I'll build you all the boats you want, baby," she promised. "Canoes, boathouses, paddle boats. Whatever." A tear worked its way down her cheek, and she tried to wipe it away before Deeks could see.
"Hey, hey, hey." Deeks clumsily reached for her hand, cupping it loosely against his chest. "Whatever happens, it's going to be ok, Kensalina," he assured her. Just don't run off in that boat without me."
"I'll be here waiting for you when you come out," Kensi said with a wet laugh, smoothing his hair back from his forehead. "In a few hours, you're going to come out with a shiny new kidney."
"Sounds fancy." His voice slurred a little more, and his eyes drifted closed for several seconds."
"Mrs. Deeks, we're ready to bring him down now," a nurse interrupted gently. Kensi stood and moved to the side as two additional nurses raised the rails on the bed.
"I love you," Kensi murmured, leaning over Deeks to press her lips to his.
His upper lip lifted slightly, and he brushed his fingers over her cheek, muttering.
"Love you."
"We'll be back before you know it," the head nurse told Kensi with a kindly smile. Stepping back, Kensi watched them wheel Deeks from the room. Once they were gone, she tilted her head back, staring at the ceiling in an attempt to keep the onslaught of tears at bay.
A/N: I'm not sure if you're supposed to kiss someone right before they go in for surgery, but we're gonna let it slide.