Happy Birthday, Junior
Summary: Sam never follows the same routine except for one day: the day he goes to visit his son.
Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS: LA or any of the characters mentioned.
Author's Note: In "Anonymous" (2x7), Sam mentioned having "kids", plural, and Callen wasn't surprised. Since then, we have learned that he in fact only has a daughter. Here's my take on what happened. Areas in italics are flashbacks, plain text is the story's present day. Set around the start of season 2. You may need a tissue for this, just so you know.
Agent Sam Hanna knew that nothing could be kept secret forever. He and Michelle had tried – getting involved with someone you worked with was always an issue, let alone having to be undercover – but in the end they had been forced to come clean when pregnancy removed her from the field.
"I'm pregnant," she whispered, curled up beside him in the bed they had been sharing. He grinned, overjoyed by the news, and turned away from her for a moment, rummaging through the top drawer of the bedside table. When he turned back, he held a ring box in his hand.
"Well then I guess it's a good thing I already bought this."
He prided himself on being able to switch up his routine daily, taking different routes to work, choosing a variety of coffee shops and working out at a selection of gyms. Only one day stood out each year for its regularity, and ever since Agent G Callen's familial discovery, he knew it was only a matter of time before they arrived at the same moment.
He just hadn't expected it to come so soon.
"Sam?" Callen checked, unsure why his partner would be there.
"Morning, G," he greeted. They fell into step automatically, walking along the paths from the parking lot toward a specific section of the vast expanse. Both had traversed the path so many times that they could predict every bump and knew each rough patch.
"Is it just me, or are we headed the same way?" Callen asked, perplexed.
"Yup," Sam nodded, cutting off the conversation. Callen stopped.
"You wanna tell me what's going on?" he probed.
"Not really," Sam kept walking.
"Sam!" Callen called after his partner, who finally paused and turned.
"I gotta go see my son."
"Do you want to know the sex of the baby?" the doctor asked as she applied the ultrasound gel to Michelle's growing stomach. Sam took Michelle's hand and they both nodded. They watched as the doctor checked their unborn child's development.
"Congratulations," the doctor finally announced. "You're having a boy."
Callen's training in controlling his reactions failed him for the first time in years, and he balked. "You have a son?" he looked around at where they stood, the pieces slowly falling into place. "You had a son," he corrected.
"We need to get to the hospital," Michelle ordered, looking down at the blood staining the bed sheets. Sam followed her gaze, startled for an instant before his instincts kicked in. One arm swept under her legs and the other wrapped around her shoulder. He carried her the same way he had on the night of their wedding, but this time he reversed the path. He ran through the house into the garage, quickly opening the car door and laying her across the backseat. She buckled herself in while he ran around to the driver's side, waiting only for the garage door to open before he backed down the driveway and onto the road.
As they sped toward the hospital, Michelle called ahead. A team of emergency nurses met them at the doors, securing her onto a gurney and rushing back through the doors. Sam was forced to wait outside the room as doctors and nurses rushed about, too busy to stop and tell him what was happening. Finally, one of the doctors joined him in the hallway.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, sounding more sincere than most. "We did everything we could. Your wife is fine, but your son didn't make it." Sam pushed past the doctor into the room. When he saw his wife holding the stillborn child in her arms, he froze.
"We encourage parents to bond with the child," one of the nurses explained. "It helps to ease the grieving process." Sam nodded. Michelle looked up at him, her face stained with tears. He pulled a chair up to the bed and sat beside her.
"What should we call him?" he asked, fighting back the lump in his throat.
"How about Sam, after his father?" Michelle offered. Sam nodded.
"Welcome to the family, junior."
"Today's his birthday," Sam confirmed, giving Callen a moment to catch up before he walked on. Callen waited, giving Sam the time he needed to explain. "Michelle got pregnant while we were undercover. We got her out, but the intensity of the first weeks of pregnancy took its toll on the baby, and he was stillborn just weeks before he was due. We were lucky that Michelle was alright. She'll come visit him in a few weeks – on his due date – but today is my day with him." Sam stopped in front of a little grave.
"I'll give you a minute," Callen stated, walking away in search of his sister's grave. He turned back only once to see Sam kneeling, recounting all that had happened since his last visit.
"Your baby sister's growing up – I can't really call her a baby anymore, but she'll always be my little girl, just like you'll always be my boy. Your momma and I still miss you every day, but we know you're watching over us. Happy birthday, Junior."
Author's Note: I've never written anything with this tone, so please let me know what you think. Thank you so much for reading this.