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Kensi woke up the next morning, cheek pressed into the blanket covering Deeks with her left hand loosely resting on his arm. The last thing she remembered was a nurse coming in to check Deeks around 3:30. She squinted at her watch; it took her eyes a few extra moments to focus on the bold seven on the small screen.
Minus the routine checks, Deeks slept through the night, much to Kensi's relief. She'd worried he'd be plagued by the pain and nausea, but apparently the medication did its job since he'd only stirred a few times. She eased away from Deeks to avoid waking him up and slipped out of the room taking her go bag with her.
Yesterday, one of the nurses had shown her a restroom usually reserved for employees. It was stocked with toiletries and had a larger sink and mirror, which the nurse had encouraged Kensi to use if needed. Fortunately it wasn't already in use at this time in the morning, so she locked herself inside.
She changed into a fresh pair of jeans and t-shirt, swiping some deodorant on as an afterthought. Balling her used clothes into a ball, she shoved them into one corner of her bag, picturing Deeks' teasing smirk.
As Kensi turned to the sink, she caught a flash of her reflection, and grimaced at what she saw. She might not have been injured, but she didn't look all that much better than Deeks. The stress and minimal sleep had taken its toll; his eyes were shadowed and a little bloodshot, her hair stringy and matted.
Grabbing a spare hair band, she pulled her hair back in a tight ponytail, then bent over the sink to splash several handfuls of cool water over her face. It didn't do much for her appearance, but she at least felt more human. She finished it up with a quick brush of her teeth before stuffing everything back into her bag, and hurriedly leaving the restroom.
It had only taken her about ten minutes, but Kensi didn't want to risk missing Deeks waking up all alone. Fortunately, he hadn't moved an inch in the time she'd been gone. He had one cheek turned into his pillow with his lips slightly parted.
Good. He needed the sleep, especially if his concussion symptoms persisted.
Ignoring the voice that told her she was being creepy and stepping way over boundaries, Kensi swept a few strands of hair out of his eyes. Then because she was this far in, she allowed herself to cup his cheek. His skin was reassuringly warm. For how physical they tended to be with each other, she'd only touched Deeks' face a few times, and in this way even more rarely.
The memory of the one time she'd kissed him, under the ruse of maintaining a cover, sprang to mind. It had been rushed and overridden by the adrenaline of the moment, yet she still remembered the softness of his lips, the slight rasp of his beard under her fingers. It left her with an aching want that she usually suppressed. Now though, he had the desperate urge to lean down and press her lips to his.
Kensi hastily pulled her hand back, curling it against her chest to prevent acting on that urge. Clearing her throat, she glanced around the room, like someone might have caught her in the moment of weakness. She didn't even have a brain injury to excuse her lapse in judgment.
Moving the chair back to what Kensi deemed a safe distance—Deeks didn't need her fondling him in his sleep—she pulled out her phone. While he slept, she checked her emails and texts.
Callen wanted yet another update, Nell wanted to know if she needed anything, and Eric let her know he'd picked up Monty and would take care of him as long as needed.
Damn, she hadn't even thought of Monty. Hopefully he hadn't missed any meals or bathroom breaks.
She sent off a short update to Callen, then texted Nell, asking if she could bring more clothes and other necessities. Even though Deeks would likely encourage her to leave, Kensi had no intention of abandoning him unless ordered to.
A heavy knock interrupted the relative quiet of the room and an aide opened the door, a tray balanced on one arm.
"Good morning, Mr. Deeks!"
Kensi rushed over to her, making a hushing gesture. "I'll take it. He's still sleeping," she whispered.
"Oh, I'm sorry," the woman apologized.
"It's ok. Thank you."
Kensi shut the door quietly, but when she turned around, she saw the damage had already been done; Deeks' legs shifted restlessly under the blankets as he started to wake up. He blinked several times, his eyebrows scrunched together in confusion briefly. Then he landed on Kensi and his eyes cleared with recognition. And maybe a touch of disappointment.
Hey," he murmured in a voice hoarse with sleep. Kensi quickly set the tray of liquids and jello to the side, hurrying over to him.
"Hey. How do you feel?"
He inhaled deeply, and stretched, his spine cracking audibly with the movement. "Better. I mean, my head still hurts, but it doesn't feel like it's going to explode anymore."
"That's good," Kensi said, feeling unaccountably awkward again. "Do you want some breakfast?"
His nostrils flared at her question and he gave the tiniest shake of his head. "Could I have some water?" he asked.
"Of course." She filled one of the little plastic cups from the pitcher on his tray, handing it over to Deeks. His hand shook as he lifted the cup to his lips, taking an experimental sip. Apparently it settled well enough, because he took a larger swallow, and sighed deeply, closing his eyes.
"Did you stay here all night?" he asked, still speaking quietly.
"Yeah."
"You didn't have to do that."
"I wouldn't leave you like that," she said, imagining him waking in the middle of the night all alone and confused. Not to mention, she wouldn't have been able to sleep anyway.
"Thanks." He gestured vaguely, adding, "For all of this. Sticking around, explaining everything."
"That's what partners do," she told him simply.
"Mm, partners." Something in his voice shifted and he opened his eyes, observing her a curious look. "How exactly does that work if I'm not an agent?"
"You're our LAPD Liaison," Kensi explained.
"That sounds made up."
Kensi almost laughed, even though she realized he hadn't meant it as a joke. "The position was created so we'd have less conflict with the LAPD." He didn't interrupt, so Kensi continued, sitting down again.
"I didn't have a partner at the time, so our boss, Hetty, paired us up. At first it was really rocky, I guess it still is sometimes—" she smiled softly. "We eventually learned to trust each other and we make a good team." That seemed an inadequate summation of everything their relationships entailed, yet she didn't know how to do it justice without veering into areas she'd rather not discuss just yet.
"It's so weird to hear you talk about me, us I guess, in the past and have no memory of it," he mused.
"It's pretty weird from my point of view too."
"Am I any good at it. Liaising?" he wondered, sounding doubtful.
"One of the best," Kensi confirmed without any hesitation. At any other time, she'd have insulted him, teased him about his ego, but now he needed honesty. He needed to trust her and himself. "You have a way of looking at cases from a different angle than anyone else would ever consider. It gets you some odd looks, but usually pays off." She paused, considering how honest to be. "You're also an amazing undercover operative."
"I go undercover?"
"Yeah, pretty often. Sometimes for longer operations and other times last-minute roles that last a few minutes or hours. You've created several unique aliases, including a homeless man named Artie, who wears a disgusting jacket."
"Ok, now you're just making stuff up," Deeks commented with a grin.
"I swear I'm not." Kensi held her hands up. "You also have several criminal aliases you've used to infiltrate various crime rings and organizations," she added. "Most importantly though, you have a way of connecting with witnesses and victims that never fails to amaze me. You're great with kids."
His expression softened at the last revelation, vulnerability in his eyes. "I've always wanted to work with kids. To help people. I like knowing that I was finally able to do that."
So he'd already become disillusioned with criminal law. He'd never gone into much detail, but she'd figured out he'd been pretty miserable with representing dangerous criminals. A question was on the tip of her tongue, but she held it back, not wanting to take advantage of Deeks' vulnerability.
"You do help a lot of people. Every single day."
He nodded, almost to himself, his eyes distant. "Do you trust me?" he asked unexpectedly. "As your partner."
"Absolutely," Kensi answered emphatically. "With my life."
A/N: Turns out an amnesiac and concussed Deeks is very open. And Kensi can't resist that.