The Lone Wolf and the Detective

THE LONE WOLF AND THE DETECTIVE Chapter 15

Sam laid in the hospital bed for two days before his eyes opened again. He looked around and wasn't surprised to see Callen asleep in the armchair. With his head rested on his shoulder, he'd drifted off sometime during the night, worried.

Sam tried to lift his bed up into a more upright position, the remote was hard to reach but he got there eventually. His body betrayed him, he felt weak. He furrowed his brow, he tried to think back to everything that had happened. He remembered the warehouse and shooting at the box of explosives. He'd tried to find cover, but the shelving collapsed over him. It all came rushing back like a wild storm, pushing everything in its path along with the tidal wave. He remembered the look of fear on Callen's face when he saw all the blood pouring out of his father's body. He tried to remember what happened after that.

Callen sensing his partner was now awake, opened his eyes and scanned them over him. "About time, thought I would have to wake you up with a kiss." He smirked, pleased to see Sam's colour had returned.

"What happened to me?"

"You decided to play MacGuyver and blow up a box of explosives. You got sandwiched underneath some shelving. We thought you were okay, but you collapsed by the time we reached my grandmother's place."

"What's wrong with me?"

"You suffered some damage low on your spine, you're okay, the doctor thinks you'll be up and running around in no time. You also developed a fever, which is why you collapsed on us."

"Where are we?"

"We're in Varna, waiting for you to wake up so we can fly you to D.C. Vance wants to debrief us all in person. He wasn't happy that we went into Romania without his approval. He's been holding off the SecNav's questions. Thankfully, no one in Romania knew it was us."

"How did Vance and Porter find out?"

Callen sighed. "Granger had to call him for a team. He needed Gibbs to find my father incase his new identity didn't hold up and he was shipped back to Moscow for execution."

"How is your father?"

"I don't know."

"How long has it been?"

"Five days." Callen walked over to the window and looked out at the harbour view. The location of this particular hospital was one he liked indeed. The view was breathtaking. Strangely, he felt safe in this place. Like he was home.

"You didn't have to stay with me for that long." Sam watched his muscle tense.

"It's only been two days we've been here, Sam."

"Yeah, but I know how much you hate hospitals."

"This one feels different. And the view is something worth staying for."

"What can you see?"

"The harbour."

Sam nodded, he understood how the water soothed him. "Well I'm awake, we should get out of here and face the music."

"Not so fast." Callen turned, relief washed over him when he saw his father sitting in a wheelchair, being pushed by Ava.

"You got out, you're okay," Callen's eyes ran over his father just to make sure.

"Yes. Ava and Sal managed to convince the authorities that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and that I was a Bulgarian national. They transferred me here yesterday. Ava finally got word to Sofia and that was when we found out that you were here also."

Callen turned to Ava. "Thank you. I owe you his life."

"No, you don't, Georgi. We are family. Blood. We do anything and everything to protect each other. Just like I had to hide you and your sister in America." She stepped forward towards him. "I know you most probably hate me for drugging you and your team and for abandoning you and your sister all of those years ago. But I did what I thought was best. You are still alive, Georgi. That is a feat on its own. The Callen name can continue." She hesitated before she went on.