I'm finally recovered from surgery and am going to try to get back into my stories which I'm woefully behind on. Thanks so much for your patience and support.

xxxxx

"Good morning, Deeks," Sam grinned at the detective as he made his way into Callen's house. He couldn't help but notice the dark circles under Deeks' eyes. "You look tired. Rough night?"

"Something like that," Deeks said, not returning Sam's smile.

"G give you a run for your money?"

Deeks put his hand over his mouth as he yawned and then looked back at Sam, his eyes serious.. "No, but Eddie Guthrey did."

"What?" Sam immediately felt his blood run cold. "What happened? Is G okay?"

"I'm fine, Sam," Callen said as he slowly crutched into the living room and sat down heavily on the couch.

"You don't look fine," Sam said as he stared at his partner's face, focusing on his partially closed right eye. "Did anyone take a look at you?"

"No, but I'm okay. I'll have the doctor look at it today."

"So what happened?" Sam asked.

Callen shrugged. "Long story, short...Guthrey came in, was shooting off his mouth, punched me a couple of times, threatened me, then Deeks killed him before he killed me."

Sam ran his hand over his face. "You should have called me."

"For what?" Callen asked. "It was all over with. I wasn't going to call and wake you for no reason."

"Does Hetty know?"

"I don't know," Callen replied. "Probably. We didn't tell her, but you know how she always seems to find out everything."

"Damn...trouble just seems to follow you around," Sam said to Callen before turning his attention to Deeks. "Thank you, Deeks. I'm really glad you were here."

"You're welcome," Deeks said. "I'm just sorry I didn't get in here before Guthrey messed up his face."

"It's okay," Sam said, smiling. "It gives him a rugged look. You look like a real bad ass now, G."

"You're hilarious," Callen said, but he couldn't hold back his own smile.

"Well, I'm going to head out," Deeks said, sure that Sam would have things under control. "You guys take it easy. Good luck at your doctor's appointment, Callen."

"Thanks, Deeks," Callen said, looking at him gratefully. "For everything."

"No problem. Talk to you later." With that, Deeks headed out, leaving Callen and Sam alone.

xxxxx

"I'm guessing you haven't had breakfast yet?" Sam asked.

"I'm not all that hungry right now," Callen said. He was more tired than anything. He hadn't gotten much sleep after what had happened with Guthrey and was pretty sure Deeks hadn't either.

"Well, I'm hungry," Sam stated as he headed to the kitchen. "You don't have to eat if you don't want to, but I'm having some breakfast."

"Suit yourself," Callen said, making himself comfortable on the couch. He hoped Deeks didn't have a rough day at work after getting basically no sleep the previous night. He closed his eyes and was in the process of drifting off when he smelled the tantalizing odor of Sam's French toast, his favorite. "You don't play fair," he called out, a smile on his face.

A short while later, Sam came into the living room, holding a plate of French toast in one hand and a syrup bottle in the other. "Mmm...you sure you're not hungry, G?" he asked with a grin.

Callen rolled his eyes, but smiled back at Sam. "You know, I've been in absolutely no danger of starving to death this week. I've eaten so much food, I'd be surprised if I haven't gained weight."

Sam placed the plate and syrup onto the coffee table in front of Callen. "I don't think you're in any danger of getting fat. You want coffee?"

Callen nodded. "Thanks."

Sam went back out into the kitchen and brought Callen back some coffee and then made one more trip to bring back his own breakfast. "So," he said, settling down on the couch next to his partner who had already eaten his first slice of French toast. "You sure you're okay after what happened last night?"

Callen nodded with a smirk. "You've hit me harder than that guy, Sam."

"You've never looked like that after I've hit you, G," Sam said, looking hurt.

"Come on, Sam, I'm just kidding around," Callen said, not realizing his partner would have taken what he said so literally. "I know you haven't hit me that hard. Seriously though, I'm fine. Just another couple of bumps and bruises to add to my collection. You think Hetty has catalogued our team's injuries? I'd imagine it would be quite a weighty tome."

"Weighty tome?" Sam asked, grinning. "You're starting to sound like Hetty. I think you need to get out more, buddy."

"Just saying," Callen said with a grin as he dug back into Sam's delicious homemade French toast.

xxxxx

"What happened last night?" Kensi asked as Deeks came into the house and Monty ran over to greet him.

"What? No good morning, I missed you, how are you today?" Deeks asked with a grin as he went over to the couch and sat down next to Kensi with a weary sigh.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Kensi said as she leaned in and gave him a kiss. "Good morning, now what happened last night?"

"How did you know something happened anyhow?" Deeks asked curiously. "And if you know something happened, you must know what it is."

"Hetty called me a little while ago," Kensi said. "She said Eddie Guthrey had shown up last night but that you and Callen were okay. She didn't give any other details though. So, what happened?"

"Guthrey got into the house, punched Callen around a bit. He tried to kill him, but I shot him first. Anyhow, he's dead."

"And Callen's okay?"

Deeks nodded. "Yeah, his face is a bit colorful, but he's okay."

"I can't imagine Sam was very happy about it," Kensi mused.

"Sam is fine," Deeks said. "It's not like Callen was badly hurt."

"Well, that's good," Kensi said, looking at Deeks emotionally. "It's also good that you weren't hurt and that you were able to protect Callen."

Deeks nodded. "I do wonder if Callen seriously needs to think about finding another place to live though. Guthrey was a pretty low level crook. If he can find out Callen's location, others will be able to do that too."

"I'm sure that's something Hetty will address with him when he's recovered," Kensi said, nodding. She brushed Deeks' hair back with her hand. "You look tired."

"I didn't get a whole lot of sleep," Deeks admitted. "Even so, we'd better get to work."

Kensi nodded as she got up from the couch. "Are you all set or do you need a few minutes?"

"No, I'm good," Deeks said as he reluctantly stood up and handed Kensi the keys. "I'll let you drive today."

"Oh, you'll let me?" Kensi asked, laughing. "How good of you."

"Sorry," Deeks said, smiling sheepishly. "Would you mind driving today? I'm wiped."

"Of course, I don't mind," Kensi said. "Come on. We'll stop and get you some coffee on our way in."

xxxxx

Callen sat silently beside his partner as Sam drove the Challenger in the direction of Callen's doctor's office.

"You okay?" Sam asked, glancing at Callen.

Callen nodded. "Yeah, I'm good. Why?"

"You just seem more quiet than usual," Sam stated.

Callen shrugged. "I just don't have a lot to talk about. Feel free to tell me some entertaining stories if you have any."

"No...can't say that I do," Sam said. A few years back, he would have had no shortage to the number of stories he'd had to tell. But that was back when he'd lived with his wife and children. Things were very different now.

The rest of the ride was spent relatively silently except for bit of small talk regarding the weather and sports. They arrived at the medical building a little bit early and seated themselves in the waiting room. Callen sighed heavily, memories of some of the nightmares he'd been having coming to the forefront of his thoughts. Sam looked over at him curiously. "What's up with you, G?"

"Nothing."

"Okay...you don't have to tell me."

"I just don't particularly like doctors," Callen said.

"Yeah...I know that," Sam said sympathetically. "This shouldn't be too painful though. He's just going to make sure your leg is healing properly and that should be about it."

Callen nodded, choosing not to go into the details of his dreams. Part of him knew he was being ridiculous, but there was a small part of him that was still troubled even if the thoughts he were having were totally irrational. Finally, his name was called. He grabbed his crutches, Sam wished him luck and he followed the medical assistant back behind the office doors.

xxxxx

After x-rays were obtained, Callen sat on the paper-covered exam table in a small room waiting for the doctor. Bored, he started to play a game on his cell phone which kept him distracted until he ran out of lives. He sighed and was in the process of deleting junk emails when the doctor came into the room and he quickly put his phone aside.

"Good afternoon. Should I even ask?" Dr. Fitzpatrick asked, his eyes on Callen's face. "Did you see anyone about that?"

Callen shook his head. "It looks worse than it is."

"You're not in a lot of pain?" The doctor gently examined Callen's face, paying special attention to the area around his eye.

"No, I'm good," Callen insisted.

"Okay, if you're sure. Let's take a look at your x-rays," the doctor said, putting them up on the x-ray illuminator. "Hmm…"

Callen bit his lip nervously. "Hmm what?" he finally asked nervously.

"Oh, you seem to be healing as expected," Dr. Fitzpatrick said. "Just keep doing what you're doing."

"What about work?" Callen asked. "Can I go back?"

"Aren't you some sort of a field agent?" the doctor asked. "Isn't it better for you to recover at home? Weren't you injured in the field? I'm sure you qualify to be paid."

Callen nodded. "Yes, that's true, but I'd really like to go back to work. Obviously just for office work.

"Well, if that's what you want, I won't stand in your way," Dr. Fitzpatrick said. "There will be a number of restrictions though, keeping your leg elevated, taking sufficient rest breaks, etc."

"That's fine," Callen stated.

"Okay, I'll fill out a back to work form for you. Do you have any questions?"

"Yeah…" Callen began hesitantly. "When my leg is healed...will I be able to go back to full time field work?" Callen asked, his eyes filled with anxiety as he waited for the answer.

"I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to," the doctor said reassuringly. "You'll need to go to physical therapy to get back your strength and range of motion, but it wasn't a complicated break. Of course, nothing is ever one hundred percent certain, but I really don't anticipate any problems for you."

"Okay...thanks." A good deal of Callen's worry was instantly alleviated when he heard the doctor's answer.

The doctor proceeded to fill out the back to work form which he handed to Callen and told him to make an appointment in three weeks. Callen then headed back out to where Sam was waiting in the waiting room.

xxxxx

Hetty watched from her desk as Sam and Callen made their way to the bullpen, Sam slowing his pace considerably to walk with his partner. Once the two men were seated, she made her way over to them.

"Good morning, Mr. Hanna, Mr. Callen," she said, not looking particularly happy.

"Good morning Hetty," Sam and Callen replied in unison.

Hetty shook her head as she directed her attention to Callen. "I really don't understand this need to return to work. At the very least, you should have taken off another week.

"But you know you'd miss me, Hetty," Callen said, giving her an innocent smile.

'Don't be cheeky," Hetty said. "Do you have your doctor's note?"

Callen dug into his laptop bag which Sam had placed on his desk and pulled it out. "Here you go, signed, sealed and delivered."

"You can be sure the rest periods are going to be strictly enforced," Hetty said as she scanned the document with her eyes. She glanced down to see Callen's leg resting on the floor. "Mr. Hanna, can you please go see if you can find a stool? Your partner seems to have forgotten that he is supposed to keep his leg elevated."

"I didn't forget," Callen said defensively. "We only just got here, Hetty."

"It's no problem, G," Sam said, only too happy to escape from Hetty's penetrating gaze. "I'll go find you something."

"Good morning," Kensi said with a bright smile as she and Deeks made their way into the bullpen. "Nice to see you back, Callen."

"Thanks," Callen said, returning her smile. He was about to say he was glad someone thought so, but decided against it. "Good morning, Deeks."

"Morning, Callen. Good morning, Hetty."

Hetty sighed softly, shook her head and headed back to her office.

"Something I said?" Deeks asked, looking a bit confused as Hetty left without a word.

Callen shook his head. "No more like something I did. She's not too happy I came back to work this soon."

"Well, it's not like you're going out into the field," Kensi said.

"Feel free to explain that to her if you'd like," Callen said with a smirk.

"No...I think I'll just keep out of it," Kensi said.

"Probably a good decision," Callen said. With that, he pulled his laptop from his bag, opened it up and started working.

xxxxx

"Mr. Callen? I trust you have been taking the required rest breaks?" Hetty asked, coming into the bullpen at a little after 1 p.m.

"Of course, Hetty," Callen said, as he deliberately avoided any of his teammate's looks directed at him. He wasn't all that tired. He didn't see the point of forcing a rest break for no reason. It would just screw up his sleep at night.

"And you had lunch?"

Callen shook his head. "No, we haven't had lunch yet."

"I suggest you all take the time to eat now," Hetty stated, directing her comments to the entire team. It was obvious to all of them that it was not a request but rather an order.

"Sure, Hetty, we'll have lunch," Sam said agreeably. "Would you care to join us?"

Hetty shook her head. "I have a phone conference at 1:30. I know I can trust you to do what needs to be done though." She smiled at Sam and turned to head back to her office.

"Were you a teacher's pet in school, Sam?" Callen asked, smirking at his partner.

"Nothing wrong with getting along with management, G," Sam said, smiling. "Especially when they're only looking out for you and your colleagues."

"Well, I for one am pretty hungry," Kensi said. "Should we get something brought in or go out somewhere?" She gazed over at Callen, wondering if he'd feel like going out or if it was too much trouble.

Callen shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me. You guys can do whatever you'd like."

"Amelia's?" Deeks suggested after a brief silence. "Why don't we just get something delivered." Like his teammates, he realized Callen hadn't been taking the rest breaks he should have been taking and didn't think going out was a particularly good idea.

The rest of the team agreed, lunch was ordered and things went on nicely until a little after 3. Sam couldn't help but notice his partner kept grimacing in pain, shifting his position and his eyes looked heavy. "G, go take a break."

"What?" Callen forced his eyes open a little wider and looked over at his partner. "I'm fine."

"You haven't taken any breaks today," Sam stated. "Just do it."

"I don't need to," Callen insisted stubbornly.

"What's the big deal?" Deeks asked, backing Sam up. "Just take a 15 minute break. It's what you're supposed to be doing."

"And what you agreed to do," Sam added. "You're not going to make me involve Hetty, are you, G?"

Callen stared back at his partner but quickly realized Sam wasn't going to back down and the junior team members didn't seem to be inclined to help him out either. "Fine." He took his crutches and made his way over to the sofa where, in spite of his efforts to the contrary, he quickly fell asleep.

"Why are men so stubborn?" Kensi asked after he had left.

"I could say the same for women," Deeks said, grinning over at her.

"I'd say we all have a little bit of stubborness in us," Sam said. He then proceeded to get back to work and Deeks and Kensi followed suit.

xxxxx

Callen didn't wake up until 4:15. He returned a little sheepishly to the bullpen, but no one said anything to him and they just continued on with their day until it was time to leave. Sam glanced over at his obviously weary partner and wondered to himself why he had been so insistent on returning to work, but he supposed the answer was obvious. His former lone wolf partner wasn't really a lone wolf any longer and he did better amongst his friends than he did on his own.

xxxxx

"Tomorrow you're going to do what you're supposed to do, G," Sam stated quietly as he drove in the direction of Callen's home. "You exhausted yourself today. Not smart, buddy."

Callen opened his mouth to protest, but then didn't say anything, realizing that Sam was right. He didn't want to screw up to the point that Hetty would ban him from the office. He had agreed to certain conditions and deliberately going against them would likely only hurt himself. "You're right…"

"Seriously?" Sam asked, his lips turning into a smile. "I'm right? You feel like repeating that, G? It isn't something I hear very often from you."

"Yeah, Sam, you're right," Callen admitted wearily. "I'll do what I'm supposed to do tomorrow."

Sam looked at his friend suspiciously, but he didn't detect anything but sincerity on Callen's face. "That's good...that's the fastest way to getting yourself better and back where you want to be."

xxxxx

Hetty looked over at her team leader who was working diligently at his desk. The rest of the team was currently out investigating a crime scene. She had to admit that Callen had surprised her over the past weeks. He'd spent a lot of time up in Ops, working with and learning from Eric and Nell. She herself had also taken to showing him some advanced administrative duties which he'd done well and without complaint. He'd been regularly going to PT and was due to take his requalification tests at the end of the week. She smiled at him as he approached her desk, a small stack of papers in his hand. "I finished checking through these case files," he told her. "I fixed whatever issues I found and they all seem to be complete."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Callen," Hetty said as she took the papers from him and put them on her desk. "I appreciate you doing that for me."

"It's no problem, Hetty. What would you like me to do next?"

Hetty thought for a few moments. There really wasn't anything pressing that needed to be done and she strongly suspected he was getting bored with the constant flow of paperwork. "Why don't you go practice your shooting or work out at the gym," she suggested. "You'll be taking your tests in a few days. Best to be prepared."

"Thanks, Hetty," Callen said, smiling at the unexpected break from desk duty.

"After lunch. If I'm not mistaken, your team has returned and it looks like they've brought lunch back with them."

Callen turned and smiled to see that his team had just made their way back into the bullpen, carrying food and drinks. He headed over to meet them. "How'd it go?" he asked as he sat down behind his desk.

"We have the twins checking into a few people for us," Sam said as he handed Callen a wrapped sandwich and a drink. "How are things here?"

Callen shrugged. "Not too exciting. Just finished up checking over a bunch of cases."

"Wow, Callen. You're turning into a regular Hetty," Deeks said with a grin. "Granted, a male version with a bit more height, but still..."

Callen rolled his eyes as he hungrily bit into his sandwich. "Thanks for bringing back lunch," he said after he had swallowed what was in his mouth. He glanced over at Sam. "You want to shoot with me after we eat? Hetty said I can practice for my requalifying tests."

"Sure, G," Sam said with a smile. He was glad to see his partner doing so well and had no doubt that he would pass his tests with flying colors.

xxxxx

"So, today's the day," Sam said, as Callen got into the Challenger and fastened his seatbelt. "You nervous?"

Callen shook his head then glanced at his partner, a faint smile on his lips. "No, why? Do you think I should be?"

"Of course not," Sam said as he pulled out of Callen's driveway. "Just wondering."

"I'm good, Sam." He was confident that he was going to ace the tests. His shooting was at least as good, if not better, than the last time he had tested and to his relief, his leg was almost as good as new. It had taken a bit longer than the original estimate of 8 to 12 weeks, 17 weeks to be exact, for him to regain the strength, flexibility and range of motion necessary to return to work. His leg ached a bit on rainy days, but luckily those were at a minimum in Southern California.

Sam smiled at his partner. "Yeah, G...I think you are."

xxxxx

"You worried about Callen?" Deeks asked, glancing over at Sam. It was a slow day. They didn't have an active case and even their paperwork was caught up.

Sam shook his head "No, he'll do fine."

Kensi nodded her agreement from across the bullpen. "I'm sure he'll pass with flying colors."

"It's been a long time coming though," Sam stated. At times, he knew Callen had had some doubts and if he was honest about it, he had too, but he'd watched his partner train and knew he was more than ready to return to active field duty.

"He worked hard," Deeks commented. Although he no longer felt guilty about what had happened, he'd still be glad when Callen was officially cleared for duty and back with the team.

Sam nodded and was about to say more when Callen entered the bullpen. From the smile on his partner's face, there was no need to ask if he had passed his testing.

"Congratulations, Callen." Kensi stood up and gave him a warm hug.

"Thanks Kens," Callen said, returning her embrace.

"Welcome back," Deeks said, smiling over at him.

"Good to have you back, G."

"Thanks, guys…and I mean thanks for everything. I'd like for us to all go out Friday night, my treat. Hetty, Eric and Nell as well. Just my little way of thanking you for all you've done." The team had been incredibly supportive throughout his recovery and he appreciated it more than he could say.

"That's really not necessary…" Kensi began.

"But, of course we accept," Deeks finished with a grin.

"And I will be happy to attend also," Hetty said, suddenly appearing in the bullpen. "But for now, there's a case. All of you head up to ops and welcome back, Mr. Callen."

"Thank you, Hetty." Callen smiled at the operations manager and then hurried after his teammates who were already heading upstairs. It really was good to be back.