189Mira
Chapter 19
A/N To Linda, Mulderette, Wotumba, F4llon, countrygirluk56, Me, Miri130480, BlackBear53, Natz29: thank you so much for leaving your review with the previous chapter.
And here we are: the final chapter of this storyline. I hope you enjoyed the ride!
Disclaimer: Recognizable characters are not mine. Borrowing them is the nicest thing CBS & Shane Brennan allowed me to do. All other places and names that were used in this chapter are fictional. Whenever they resemble actual locations or persons, living are dead, this is pure coincidental.
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Kansas City Hospital || Kansas
Time was an awkward thing. Especially right now.
There was the immediate recognition, within about a millisecond. She had seen this man before or perhaps Leah and Tomas looked like him - more than a bit. The green eyes, high cheekbones, the dark-brown brows which were too broad.
'Comescu'. The very same moment, the very same millisecond perhaps, that the thought hit her mind, she'd gasped his name.
But then, although everyone's reflexes were just as fast, time seemed to pass in suddenly slow motion.
Gregg was fast. He had his gun in his hand before Mira had blinked only once. This Comescu was faster, or probably simply better prepared. How did he get past security, Mira wondered, glancing at this man while she still was laying in this hospital bed - frozen. It was as if she was watching a movie, instead of being a part of it. This happened right here, right now.
The strangely muffled puff of Comescu's gun sounded and it was as if she could follow a flash of fire which went straight to Gregg's lean upper body before it disappeared.
Time was an awkward thing. It seemed to last for minutes and minutes before she saw the FBI agent stagger back until he more or less stumbled over the bed Mira was still in. Until that moment, nothing else appeared to happen.
Then, all of a sudden, three, or probably even more, things took place in the very same seconds. Gregg Jackson toppled over and – in some sort of half twist – ended up backwards against her bed. In that same move, his gun landed on the bed as well. And while it did, Mira noticed how that strangely benumbed feeling left her all of a sudden. At the very same time, this Comescu aimed his gun once again. This time at her.
"You… you betrayed my family. Nimeni nu-mi trădează familia [nobody betrays my family]!"
o)o)o)o)o)o)o)o)o)o)o)
"Sam? You hear that?"
Despite his own optimistically sentiment since he was finally about to go home, there was the sudden worry. Of course, all kind of noises sounded in a place like this. Noises he never got used to and never wanted to hear again soon, either.
However, what he'd heard this time was different from usual. The thud, with a none defined different sound just a second before it. And from what he figured, this came from Mira's room.
"This is not good, man!" Callen mentioned.
"Jackson is with her."
To Sam, that was as quite a reassurance. The FBI agent was competent, yet, and he knew that, just as mortal as anyone else.
That was the only reply he gave, before he swiftly rose, his gun at the ready. And Callen never minded the easy going jogging set he was wearing, he was up in a matter of seconds later, determined to follow his partner.
Before he'd even left the private room where he'd been hospitalized for over a full week, there were three loud cracks. Definitely from Mira's room, and he swallowed away his sudden fear. Sure, Callen - like the others - had expected some kind of threat. But definitely from the outside. Why else were Hetty and Nell outside, checking? Why else were Gregg's FBI men outside? Nobody really saw an inside action being a real or possible option.
Yet now Callen knew he'd underestimated the power and the dedication of the Comescu family.
Sam halted and motioned to his partner to do the same. Callen was slow and far from a condition to come into action. He was panting too, and Sam heard the wheezing sound which emphasized his friend's poor shape. Still, Callen's skilled hand carried one of the standard NCIS issued handguns just like Sam did.
The scene they faced was different from anything both men expected. An older man, a physician apparently, blocked the pathway between the hospital bed and the entrance door. Shot, several times.
The same went for Gregg Jackson. The FBI agent lay on the cold, grey linoleum floor. Callen squeezed his eyes. The agent was still breathing, but bleeding heavily.
And the only person they spotted with a gun, was Mira Constanta.
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The odd first minute, everything was silent. Then came the yells and the fearful shouts and whispers. Because, after all, there were never gunshots in this hospital. Were they in danger?
Who were those men who were ready to go into another hospital room – one large, dark man, dressed in jeans and a brown, long sleeved shirt. The other one, shorter, was pale and dressed in a plain grey jogging pants and ditto shirt. But both carried guns. Definitely not good…
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She sat nearly upright in the hospital bed, one foot bent, the other forward and held the gun pointed to who-ever may enter the room.
"Drop the gun, Mira," Sam demanded in a low voice. Had she been deceiving everyone around, without them knowing it?
The woman glanced at Sam. She didn't really see him, nor Callen, still in some kind of shock, but still not lowering the gun. Callen stared at her, then at both men who were shot.
Sam repeated his demand "I said, drop the gun!"
Callen let his breath escape slowly through his nose, then handed his gun to his partner and he stepped into the room, carefully avoiding the doctor's body. With his arm he reached for the gun, his gaze never leaving her eyes. He read horror in it, and the despair and the fear. There was no hesitation when he took the gun from his sister's hand.
Once he did, he sat down next to her and embraced his sister. It felt odd, warm, new yet also… like it should feel, okay.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed how Sam checked both men. With the doctor, he shook his head, knowing Callen understood the situation. Another doctor entered, hesitating though, but he motioned for the nurse who waited outside. "Call for more assistance," the doctor, in who Sam recognized Hoffmann, the same physician who treated Callen.
"Is he…" Mira asked. It sounded muffled since she still leaned against Callen's chest.
He caught his partner's gaze and Sam replied, after a confirmation of Hoffmann, "Jackson will be okay."
Callen felt how Mira's breath changed into short hiccups and he knew she'd started to cry. He softly rubbed her back and let her. It seemed to last for hours until her last sob sounded.
"He's a Comescu, Callen."
"Jackson?"
"Not Gregg. Of course not Gregg. The man who dressed up like a doctor. He's a Comescu. He… he took a gun — no, he had his gun all ready. And I recognized him. He — Tomas looked like him. I called his name and then… he shot Gregg. Just like that."
She swallowed several times and looked Callen in the eyes.
"You were right. I was wrong. It must've been Leah who told him about me."
"There's no 'wrong', Mira," Callen said. "Now, let's go to my room. I think we need someone to check on you."
She pretty much agreed, and he led her away from the small room which looked like a warzone right now.
"You lie down now," he told her. "I'll be right back, okay?"
"But… what if he comes back?" she asked.
Callen shook his head. "This guy will never be back, Mira. Besides, Sam and I will be right here, and so is Nell, and Hetty."
He noticed she was exhausted. "We're right around the corner. Just… try and relax."
She wouldn't, and he knew. It was so easy to say it, however so difficult to handle in the same time.
o)o)o)o)o)o)o)o)o)o)o)
He watched how Nell did the dirty job; taking pictures of the deceased man.
Then Callen addressed Sam "You didn't really think…" He cocked his head a little "I mean, the way you approached Mira, like if she were the criminal around."
"How many times we've been wrong, G? I know, not that many times. Still, feeling at ease with somebody could easily be the largest danger we deal with."
"Damn, buddy. She's my sister, right? You know that, and perhaps you even knew it for sure before I did?" Callen argued.
"Alright, alright…" Sam raised his arms. "I surrender. My mistake, G."
"Guys...," Nell interrupted. "Quit the quarrel please. There are more important things now. I've sent these photos over to Eric. If Mira's right, we need to know which Comescu we're dealing with. Who the John Doe, or the Comescu in here, really is. And I suggest someone should go and see Leah Comescu. Perhaps I'm wrong, but to me it sounds as if your plan proved to be working, Callen. But I'm so sorry about… all this."
"Right. About this Leah, I think Kensi and Deeks can go and pay her a visit," Sam said. "I'm going to ask Hetty about that." He turned and went looking for their boss.
Nell sighed deeply. "You spoke to Hoffmann, Callen? I mean, will Jackson be alright?"
She too was worried about the FBI agent whom she worked with during the past few days. Now she talked with her coworker, the lead agent, she noticed he looked tired and pale, and she remembered it was because of his health that they still were around in Kansas. She asked "And you? How're doing?"
He just shrugged and Nell continued "Look, I know you're eager to get back home. Right now, you ought-a find a place to rest. Let us do the job."
Callen knew she was sincere and she was right. It didn't mean though that he liked it. "I'll be with Mira," he said.
Much to his surprise, Hoffmann was in the room as well and he raised his hand to Callen as in a hushing motion. Then, Hoffmann gestured to him to leave the room again and once they were, Hoffmann sat down on one of the chairs.
"She's asleep, and she needs it."
"I know. It wasn't easy for her, and she isn't in the best condition as it is, right?" Callen agreed.
Hoffmann nodded. "If it was up to me, I'd keep her for at least another night in here."
"No way", Callen said. "She's with us and we're leaving tonight."
"You are?" Hoffmann raised his brows. "Well then, I suggest you take some rest too. And may I remind you that your sister went through some weeks that were quite frightening for a civilian. Wounds may heal, but for the soul healing may take so much more time."
"Now, those are such very true words, doctor Hoffmann."
The physician looked around in shock, since he never heard Hetty Lange coming near. Of course it was different from Callen. In ordinary situations, Callen would have chuckled. Not in this situation. He just nodded in confirmation, agreeing to the message Hoffmann gave and understanding what he meant.
Hetty continued "But first, I would have thought you would want to tell us more about agent Jackson's situation."
Hoffmann nodded. "He will be alright. Right now he's in surgery."
"Keep us in the loop, will you." The adrenaline left his body right now and Callen felt utterly tired as he leaned back in the chair.
Hetty sent him a short smile and closed her eyes for the briefest moment as an agreement.
"Let me walk with you, Mr. Hoffmann. There are some things that need to be discussed."
Hetty counted on Sam to stay around. As ever. Just a few more hours. By now, she had taken every precaution that was needed.
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Lanfranco Street, Los Angeles || Three weeks later
Like before, Callen came walking to the front door, only this time joined by Sam.
"I'm glad to have you in here," Mira said. She opened the door further to let them in.
Despite her cheerful welcome, Callen noticed she was nervous too. He embraced her, still surprised by the plain and simple comfort he felt doing this. Still, he was worried about her. She definitely lost weight and there were dark circles around her eyes. Worse than some days before. He could ask her again how she slept, and if there were nightmares, and how she was doing. But Mira would probably ignore his questions. Stubborn – like he was. It ran in the family.
He sighed deeply, then asked her in a soft voice "You've seen Garrison this week?" Callen still had difficulties calling Garrison 'father'.
Mira shook her head. "Only on the day we arrived in here and your boss took him to see us. There's just..." She sighed deeply and continued "you. This is some kind of prison, actually. With four wardens, well, US Marshalls in fact, one inside and three out. I even need to tell them when I plan my bathroom visits."
It sounded nearly funny but Callen understood it never was.
From the small kitchen, Sam interrupted. "Is it what I think it is that smells so good in here, Mira?"
"I don't know. It's a kind of casserole, like my mãmicã made. She called it tochitarã. Thought you might like it."
Sam sighed deeply. So many times when Callen had joined his family for dinner, Michelle had prepared casseroles. Michelle loved to make them, and Sam loved to eat them. And Michelle had thought Callen was fond of them. Then he snorted, remembering Callen's confession once that he really didn't like them. "Sounds and smells mouthwatering, Mira."
Callen pouted shortly and nodded to Sam's words. "What he says, Mira."
Sam started chuckling, and Mira shook her head. It was something she definitely missed, this bantering between both friends.
"You'll have to wait another ten minutes though," she said. "And before you're gonna ask – none of the Marshalls is joining us. All four of them will be watching whatever there is to watch."
She shrugged, then gestured at the couch which nearly filled the whole living room,
Sam waited until Callen sat down and joined him.
"So… you're back at work?" Mira wanted to know.
Callen rested back in the comfortable couch and he nodded as a confirmation. Sam smiled, watching his friend. It was good to see his partner like this. Softer, but never distracted or less determined.
It was Sam who responded. "He is back indeed, more or less".
Until now, Callen wasn't too sure how much time it would take for him to be really able to do the things he wanted to do. His days were filled with PT and too much paperwork at their office. Sure, he had joined Sam during some stakeouts and interrogations. It wasn't the real thing, yet, but he was glad to be up and running. He left Sam's boat where he'd been recovering most of the time and returned to his own house.
He decided to change the subject. "Hetty wanted us to hand you this," Callen said, motioning to a box of the size of a shoebox which Sam hat put next to him. He was rather curious about the box which Hetty put in the back of his car.
Her blue eyes lit up and she opened it immediately. "Ah," she said. There were magazines and some books she took out of the box, checked them and put them on the small coffee table.
"Lonely Planet," Sam recognized. He took one of the books, a travel guide. "Middle Americas… And South Africa. Vietnam. All yours?" he asked, checking the different destinations and publishers.
She simply nodded. "At least some of the articles in the magazine. The guides, yes, I wrote them. There's hours and hours of work in this. I guess this bunch of paper is also the reason why Michael left. And actually, I was working on a series of articles of one of the more obvious ways to travel through the States, by using a motorhome." Mira fell silent.
Callen gazed at his younger sister. There was a life she lived which he hardly knew of. "You traveled a lot?"
"Sure did. It's my job, but above that, it's something I really love to do. A way of life, I suppose."
There was a beep from the small kitchen and she got up. "Dinner's ready," she said, optimistically changing the subject once again.
The three of them sat down and enjoyed eating together and the food as well. To Sam, it was good to be with his friend and partner; good to see how Callen was more relaxed than he usually was. Not only that, the same went for him. Too many nights he spent alone on his boat and missed his wife more than before.
When she put the empty dishes on the kitchen counter, Mira asked "So, about this situation… Any chance you can tell me something on how it's going?"
Callen licked his lips. The situation Mira was talking about was the threat of the Comescu family. It should be 'his' situation as well, but then Mira had come up with the best distraction which enabled him to be around. He glanced at Sam, who hummed a bit.
"We shouldn't talk about it. But then… Our team is still working on it."
She sighed heavily. "So, I'm locked up for the time being. I get it."
"Look… we know this is not the perfect situation right now, Mira, We know it's not your choice but what I really want is to have you safe, you know."
"Safe. From what possible dangers then?"
Callen glanced at Sam, then he got up as well. He gently touched her hand and said, softer than usually, "Comescus. Really, I don't want them to be after you. Give us a few days more, will you?"
It was him who wiped away the single tear from her cheek and she recognized his pain and anger and perhaps more, his fear, in his eyes at the same time. They'd fight this, together, but without having to worry about her at this very same time, and she understood. No matter that this… this place she had to stay put in, sucked, Mira was still astonished how safe she felt with her big brother around.
"I get it."
A dessert, some drinks, an hour and good talks later, Sam got up. He noticed how tired she looked and decided it was better to leave her to get some sleep.
"Calling in the night watchers," he tried as a light message. Besides, it would be best if Mira and Callen got a chance to have a short moment for themselves.
"Thanks, for all." He hugged the younger woman and left.
"Why would he thank me?" Mira asked curiously once she heard the door close again.
"Simply because it kept him from another night alone in a cold boat." Callen got on his feet as well and sent her a warm smile. "Same goes for me. Thanks, sis. It may or may not have felt anything special to you, but it does to me. There's so much we need to learn from one another. I'm grateful that we're both in here. It's incredible how — …and I always was the one without any known relatives. Yet here we are."
It got her all teary again, and he hugged her dearly. "See you soon," he finally said. She nodded and replied, repeating his words "See you soon. Bro."
Callen chuckled, then left once he noticed the guy Michael entered through the door, politely greeting them.
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Lanfranco Street, Los Angeles || Two weeks later
This was so much better, Callen figured. He felt relieved too. True, for Mira it must be different. Her friend would be out of sight for a whole while. He realized it would be difficult to her, even though Mira had agreed that justice needed to be done.
He halted his Mercedes in front of the place and stared ahead for some time.
He'd visited his sister as often as possible, yet this was the first time he felt confident to simply step out of his car in front of the house, knowing the guards had left and all should be safe indeed.
Time for a more relaxed session, and so he'd called and invited her for a simple lunch.
Then he got out, walked the small path to her door and noticed it was already slightly open.
"Mira?!" He reached for his gun, not too sure what to expect.
"She's nearly ready! Come on in," a male voice came from the kitchen.
A smile appeared on his face. Not what he expected, but heck, Callen liked the idea. "Gregg... man, how're doing?"
He tucked away his gun the minute he recognized the FBI agent.
"Fine, actually," Gregg Jackson said. He looked okay indeed, with a healthy tan on his face and bare lower arms as he shook hands with Callen. "You look much better too, Callen."
He chuckled on this remark. "So… Mira…"
"Got her number from that little lady who mothers all of you."
He should have known: Hetty.
Mira showed up. "Ready to go. You too?" she asked Callen.
He raised his brows and grinned. "Sure. What about, ehm, him?"
She sighed and smiled back. "Him. Well… Gregg arrived some days ago in Los Angeles. "
Gregg scraped his throat and said "Maybe you should tell him first, Mira."
"Tell me what?" Callen wanted to know.
"A new assignment," Gregg said with grin.
"Let me guess. Los Angeles?"
Now Mira started to laugh out loud. "Not him. Or well, perhaps... No big bro. Actually, it's me who got a new assignment. A new guide, spotting the best destinations around the Black Sea: the Caucasus, Western Asia and Eastern Europe."
She was so enthusiastic and truth be told, he was proud of his younger sister. She'd seen many parts of the world which weren't the best parts to visit for the regular visitor. If it were him to decide, he would perhaps give her an advice she wouldn't appreciate. Simply because that one country, that one region, where the Callen family was fated to end. Never mind that Mira and he were still around — he didn't know if there were any of the Comescus around. It is why Callen decided he would avoid Constanta and Eforie for ever and ever.
Mira probably read some of his doubts. "Gregg in here decided he needed a vacation. So he's joining me, Callen. We'll be alright."
There were sparkles in his clear blue eyes now. Definitely not what he'd expected but he liked it. He liked to see her happy. It made him realize what the priorities in life were. Faith, family, and then everything else.
"We were going to have lunch, Mira and I. So, why don't you come along, Gregg. Got the feeling there's a whole new adventurous life ahead for you. We've got lots to discuss then."
So, this was the final chapter of this storyline. Let's imagine how Mira and Gregg will have their own life to live, and Callen has his own - knowing there's family, no matter where or how.
Thank you all for reading. Of course, reviews are welcome, whenever you feel like leaving any!
Greetz,
Richtsje
Kni®benrots
