DOUBLE TAKE

Chapter 30

Washington — the next day

Callen woke to find Nell asleep beside him. He smiled, as he watched her nose twitch, while she slept. The sunlight was streaming through the curtains and he could hear the breakfast trolley moving towards his room. He hoped they had something worth eating today, or he was going to send Nell out searching for something good. A woman in her fifties smiled as she walked into the room. She placed two trays on the table, as she had been told Callen had a guest with him. He thanked her before she left, and was then invaded by a nurse.

"Oh good, you're awake, Mr Manning." She checked his chart before placing the blood pressure strap over his arm and began pumping. After a month of having nurses come in every few hours to check his vitals and wounds, he was fed up.

"Call me, George. You make me feel like my father." He smiled his trademark smirk, which made the woman laugh.

"You keep that up, George, you'll have all the nurses running around for you at the touch of a button." She lifted his gown and took the bandage off his wound to check it and dress it with a new one.

"But don't you already?" he asked teasingly. He really needed to get out of here. He was beginning to sound like Deeks. Not that he thought anything bad of Deeks, because he liked the Detective. He was one of the good guys, through and through, and trusted him to have Kensi's back.

"Yes, you're right, George." She finished up dressing the wound from his liver operation and pulled his gown down. "Merril will be in later to provide you with all the dietary requirement for you to follow. She's our resident dietician, so please be nice to her. It's important for you to eat well, for you to get on with your life. I'm sure you're sick of being in hospital by now."

Callen nodded. Darn! There goes my bacon and eggs, he thought. He lifted the lid on his breakfast and found porridge and fruit. This food is no good for an active grown man, who needs all the energy he can get to chase the bad guys, he shook his head. Oh yeah, he realised. I'm stuck in bed for a month, so of course I wouldn't need much.'

"I'll be back in half an hour to give you your shower, and then we can start on getting you walking around a bit. Dr McIntosh wants you moving about, so you'll be strong enough to go home in a few days."

Callen smiled at the thought of walking around. At last he was going to get moving. "Can I go and see my friend?" He thought it would be good to surprise Jackson and Charlie. He wished they had shared a room, so at least they had each other to talk to.

"You mean your colleague who arrived with you the other day?"

Callen nodded.

"That sounds like a good idea." I'll be back soon.

Callen's mood picked up with the thought of going for a walk to see Jackson and Charlie. Wow, he realised. My life is so pathetic, it's come to this—-being excited about a walk.

Nell stirred and saw Callen eating his breakfast.

"Morning, sleepy head."

She noticed the change in Callen's mood. "Morning," she replied. "You look chipper today, G."

He smiled and kissed her soft pink lips. "I get to go for a walk today. Doc wants me strong enough to get out of here in a few days. Babe, we're going home soon." He couldn't wait. Just him and Nell in her apartment, with no nurses to barge in on them.

Nell smiled at him. "Good to see you happy, G." She lifted her lid and saw she had the same breakfast as Callen. She frowned.

"I know. I was hoping for bacon and eggs," he admitted to her.