Forever's a long time

Chapter 16

Callen sat on the bed, his bag sitting at his feet, waiting.

He wanted to go, but Sam had ordered him to wait. He hoped he was heading home with him. After being in hospital for a month, being reassured by Sam that he was here for him. That Sam's own injuries were nearly healed and that despite what he had thought, Sam loved him. He wanted to go home, or anywhere else where he and Sam could be alone.

Not once in the entire month had he seen Granger. He had put a ban on him knowing anything about him or contacting him for anything that wasn't case or work related.

Hetty and Nate had tried, but Callen had stuck to his guns.

Even Sam had tried talking to him, even at one point ordering him, but Callen had stuck to his guns and used his safe word.

"I'm not talking, not about this Sam." Callen had told him, "I'm not saying never, just not right now, ok?"

Sam had put his hands on his lover's shoulders and looked deep into his eyes. "You will talk to me when you are ready though, right?" He asked.

Callen smiled sadly. "I will." He promised, reaching up and pulling Sam into a kiss that left them both wanting more.

"Stay here." Sam had said, "I'm getting your discharge papers and we are going home."

Callen had smiled at that word, home with Sam. No matter how temporary his time with Sam was, he was still his home and he relished in every moment of it.

He had spent the last week with Hetty going over ideas for the rebuilding of Haven. Callen had himself insisted on a bigger bedroom and a hot tub and sauna, hoping that once it was rebuilt he'd be able to take Sam there to show him the surrounding area.

The view from the top of the mountain above the cabin was the place where Callen went to recharge his soul, more than anything he wanted to share it with Sam.

Sam had taken a long time reassuring Callen that he wasn't to blame for what Nick and Bill had done to him. It took him another three days and a few sessions with Nate to prove to him that what they had was nothing like he'd had with them.

Callen still had a niggling doubt, but was trying his best to quash it, every day he spent with Sam.

Granger paced the outside of the hospital, he knew Callen was being discharged today. Hetty had let it slip. He wanted to, at least, see his son had healed. He had a lot to tell him, things he needed to explain, but Grant wasn't giving an inch, he wasn't even picking up his calls.

Every time he had tried in the last month to see him, he had been told that he was banned. He'd gone to see if Sam or Hetty could talk to Grant to make him change his mind. But his son had been adamant that he was not going to even meet with him. He even tried going through Nate offering to be available for a family therapy session. Apparently Callen's reply to that had been if he had a family that needed therapy, he would do it, but as his family was dead, he was good. Making Granger sure that he would probably never find out why his son, who had wanted so much to have a family and a father, had pushed him away.

Callen sat in the wheelchair as Sam wheeled him to the entrance to the hospital.

Finally, he stopped and Callen looked up, the look of trust on his face when he looked at Sam pulled on Granger's heart.

"Can I get up now?" He asked, barely suppressing his grin, both his joy at being released and the fact that Sam had just brushed his fingers down his jawline radiating off him like a beacon in the dark.

Sam nodded, "Cars in the lot, I'll take your bag." He picked up Callen's holdall and held his hand out for him.

For a moment Callen hesitated, but Sam gave him a knowing look and Callen smiled.