He was surprised to see Jake sitting up in Gibbs' lap and listening intently as Gibbs read him a book.
Not wanting to disturb the pair he slipped in and sat waiting until Jake looked up at him.
"Hi Daddy," He said his voice a bit stronger.
Hearing his son's voice made Callen's heart soar, he was going to be ok.
"You enjoying the story Jake?" Callen asked.
Jake nodded and smiled carefully as his face still hurt where it was bruised.
"Daddy, this is Mr. Gibbs...he said he was a friend and he has a badge like a policeman. Is it ok if I listen...he was reading The Gruffalo...it's about nice monsters." he rambled.
Callen laughed and walked over picking his son up and kissing him on the head.
"Oh I need to introduce you to Mr. Gibbs." He sat back down with Jake on his knee on the edge of the hospital bed. "Jake Callen, this is Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Also known as Uncle Gibbs." he grinned.
Jake looked up at him quizzically. "Daddy, you got my name wrong?" He looked sad and Callen turned him to face him.
"Jake?"
"I waited a long time to get my name back, the bad man said that my name was Marty... I don't want another name Daddy."
Callen smiled, "Jake...we moved away when you were little and I changed our name, your father remember the policeman in your story? He gave you the name Jake and when I became your daddy I gave you the name Callen, but then we moved and I gave you the name Carter, but Callen is our real name."
Jake sat there, his bottom lip sucked in slightly as he thought about what he daddy said.
He gave a short nod and turned around his blond hair getting caught over his face. He brushed it back and turned to Gibbs holding out his hand.
"Uncle Gibbs....I'm Jake Callen, Me's to pleat you!" he said somberly.
Gibbs suppressed an urge to smile, "Pleased to meet you Jake Callen."
Jake smiled shyly and turned back to Callen. "Can Uncle Gibbs read me more stories?" he asked.
"Maybe later." Callen replied, "We have to pack your things Jake."
Jake looked confused, "Why?"
"Well, I thought maybe you'd want to go home."
Jake climbed off his dad's lap, leaving one hand holding onto his pants and looked up at him.
"Daddy?"
Callen nodded and waited.
"When we go home, do we have to change our names again? I like your face when people call you Callen, you smile more and have less crinkles on your head."
"Crinkles?" Callen asked leaning down to his son as Jake reached his hand up and touched Callen's forehead.
"Crinkles....there..." he clarified.
Callen lifted him up and hugged him carefully not wanting to hurt any bruises that were still healing.
"Jake Callen, I love you and you may be Jake Callen for as long as you need to be, but I know of two people who have been very worried about you and will be pleased to see you if we go home."
"Uncle Bert and Auntie Wanda!" He grinned. "And my bike!" he clapped and grabbed his bag and Sully. "We go now daddy?"
Callen nodded, "Soon, I just have to get some medicine for you from the doctor and sign some forms."
Jake turned to Gibbs, "Will you come too Uncle Gibbs. I can show you my room, it's like my bed, Daddy made it, it's awesome!" he grinned.
Gibbs looked at Callen, "I suppose you need a ride back." he said.
"You don't have a car Gibbs, you were picked up by Sam remember?"
Gibbs nodded, "Yeah but I rented a car when the doctor came in earlier and said Jake was going to be discharged. Figured you'd want a ride home."
Callen nodded, "Thanks Jethro, I really didn't want Sam to take me back." Truth be told Callen had figured on seeing if he could get a bus then a cab and was mentally counting his savings.
He wanted to get Jake and leave before Sam came back.
He had no idea how he was going to tell him he wasn't coming back to NCIS. He didn't even know if his house was still in Los Angeles. Hetty had brought the property and had paid the mortgage outright so he only had to pay her back. But leaving five years ago he had defaulted on the loan. He had assumed that she had sold the house and recouped her money. However there was no way he was going to ask her or owe her anything ever again. He was done owing people.
He took fifty dollars out of his pocket and handed it to Gibbs, Let me know if I owe you anymore, that should cover the gas.
Gibbs knew exactly what Callen was doing nodded and put the money in his pocket without a word vowing to leave it at Callen's home somewhere.
Sam and Kensi stood outside the two way mirror in Deek's room and watched as the doctors examined him.
"Do you think we'll ever get him back?" Kensi asked she had driven non stop down to the hospital as soon as Nell had called her and told her that they had Deeks. Sam had been in the parking lot seeing Nell off in a Taxi back to the mission as she arrived.
"I hope so." Sam said, "Deeks was a good man, this...thing isn't who he's meant to be." he winced as Max let out a long stream of obscenities as the doctor injected him and pulled on the restraints, threatening to kill anyone within earshot.
"I am hoping that maybe I can get through to him." Nate replied. "I can't start work with him for a few weeks, the doctors need to get him steadied on his new medication and they want to do some brain scans, then I should be able to get some sessions in. Callen his adamant that Deeks is in there somewhere it's just a case of prying him out and helping him find his way home.
Kensi looked hopeful, "You'll be able to help him? We'll get our partner's back?"
Nate shook his head, "I'm not sure about that for either of you. Deeks committed crimes as Max, mentally he is not responsible, but morally...Kens, he may still have to go to trial, you will have to prepare yourself for that. As for Callen...he's left the hospital with Jake. He's going to call me when I can work with Jake, but he's made it clear he's got no intention of going back to NCIS again. In fact he wouldn't be working with me if I hadn't argued to still be Jake's therapist. He doesn't want anything at all to do with Hetty."
"Why not?" Kensi asked.
Sam shook his head, "I know why, but I don't know if Callen knows the whole story. I talked to Hetty earlier."
Nate looked up interested in what Sam was saying. "Can you tell me?" he asked.
Sam nodded and all three moved to a group of chairs in the waiting room.
"Hetty was worried when she saw Callen back at the diner. He had been neglecting himself and he had the same distrusting look that he had when he was 15 and she first met him."
Kensi looked interested she had no idea that Callen and Hetty had known each other for that long.
"When Hetty first took Callen home he was distrustful and scared, apparently where he had been before had been awful, some detention center I think." Sam said, Callen had told him some as well but not the full story.
Nate nodded listening intently.
"Callen was seriously injured and he had lost his trust in the team and everyone. Hetty knew that to get Jake back that Callen needed to trust someone. So she set it up that he would hate her and trust me, Gibbs and Nell."
"So she really wanted to help Callen?" Nate asked astonished.
Sam nodded, "I think she went the wrong way about it, and I understand why he hates her now but they need to talk. He needs to realize that she was trying her best to help him."
"I'll talk to him, but I'm not sure right now he's going to change his mind."
"Well I'll talk to him, I mean he'll have gone home won't he?"
Nate nodded. "Gibbs is going back to Phelan with him."
"Phelan? Why is he going there?" Sam asked.
"Because it's their home. He's taking Jake back to the place he is most familiar with."
"But he's coming back to Los Angeles isn't he?" Kensi asked.
Nate shrugged, "I don't know Kens."