"Gun!" Sam spotted the shooter, taking aim at his partner, out of the corner of his eye. He flung himself at Callen, tackling the smaller man down to the concrete as a flurry of gunshots was fired in their direction. He pulled out his SIG, but was unable to even get off a shot, before he felt the hot pain in the right side of his chest and his whole world went black.

xxxxx

"But my mom is making two pies," Deeks said, grinning at Kensi. "Apple and pumpkin. Your mom is making a chocolate trifle and cookies? Do they even realize there are only four of us having Christmas dinner?"

"And she's making a roast…just in case…"

"Just in case what?" Deeks asked. "Just in case our turkey explodes and we are trapped by a wall of stuffing for a week?"

"Well, your mom is bringing a ham, right?"

"Oh yeah, she couldn't not bring a ham," Deeks said. "Get ready to be eating lots of leftovers…"

"Lots and lots of leftovers," Kensi said, giggling.

"So, do you think this is a wild goose chase?" Deeks focused back on their current case as he steered the car into the parking lot. They were investigating a tip on a drug cartel and were supposed to be meeting up with Callen and Sam.

"I don't know," Kensi said. "Hopefully not. You'd think people would have better things to do on Christmas Eve than lead us on a wild goose chase. I mean even the bad guys celebrate Christmas, right?" She glanced out her passenger side window and her eyes widened in horror. "Deeks! Stop the car! Now!"

Without question, Deeks slammed his foot on the brake pedal and turned to Kensi, but she was already out the car door. He looked in the direction she was running and saw their teammates on the ground. "Damn." He flung open his door and chased after Kensi as he put a call into OPS. "Eric! We need an ambulance at our location," he said. "Callen and Sam are down. I repeat, Callen and Sam are down!"

As soon as he reached their teammates, Deeks knelt on the ground beside Sam and immediately began to put pressure over the copiously bleeding chest wound. "Damn. This looks bad," he said, feeling sick at the amount of blood staining Sam's Henley. "Kens?" He looked over at his partner who was by Callen's side. "How is he?"

Kensi shook her head as she searched Callen's body for injuries. "I don't know…His head is bleeding, but it doesn't look like a bullet wound." She gently put her hand on Callen's shoulder. "Callen? Callen, can you hear me?"

Callen groaned softly when he heard Kensi's voice and put his hand to his head, his eyes still closed. "What happened?" he murmured.

"Callen? It's Kensi. Can you open your eyes for me?" Kensi pleaded softly.

It was slow going, but Callen finally managed to do as Kensi asked and got his eyes open. His gaze immediately traveled to Deeks working over his partner. "Sam!" he called out as he weakly tried to get up, fighting through a wave of dizziness, but Kensi steadfastly held him down.

"Callen no," she said. "You're hurt. You need to lie still."

"Deeks?" Callen called pleadingly to his younger team member. "What's going on? Is he okay?"

"He's hanging in there, Callen," Deeks said, trying to look positive, but unable to disguise the bleak look in his eyes.

"Kensi, I'm okay, let me up," Callen said.

"No, the EMTs are on their way."

"I don't need an EMT," Callen protested, his blue eyes filled with emotion. "I need to be with Sam."

The sounds of sirens in the distance steadily grew louder until two ambulances pulled up and the EMTs rushed to the aid of the two injured men. Callen's eyes were fixed on the men working on Sam as he basically ignored the EMT who was examining him. "Can you tell me what's going on?" he asked, but no one paid any attention to him. He then looked at Deeks and Kensi imploringly. "Can you try to find out, please?"

"How long did you lose consciousness for?" the EMT asked Callen who finally turned to look at him.

"I have no idea." Callen said.

"It couldn't have been longer than 15 or 20 minutes," Kensi told the EMT. "He was only out for a few minutes after we got here and couldn't have been out for any longer than 15 minutes beforehand." That was the last time she and Deeks had communicated with their senior team members before arriving at the scene.

Deeks came over and squatted beside Callen. "They've gotten Sam's bleeding under control," he explained softly. "They're getting him ready for transport to the hospital."

"I'm riding with my partner," Callen said to the EMT who nodded. He couldn't help staring at Deeks' hands which were covered with blood. Sam's blood.

"I'll go talk to the guys in the other ambulance," the EMT said as he got up, leaving Callen with Deeks and Kensi.

"Callen?" Kensi's tone was gentle as she spoke. "Do you remember what happened?"

"I..." Callen tore his gaze away from Deeks and thought for a few moments. "Sam yelled out there was a gun and then he tackled me out of the way. I didn't even see anyone…I guess I hit my head…I don't really remember anything else."

"It's okay. You did good," Kensi smiled as she patted his shoulder encouragingly, then turned to Deeks. "We really need to check out the surrounding area, Deeks."

Deeks nodded. "You're right." He turned to Callen. "We'll meet up with you guys at the hospital later."

Callen nodded. "Okay…See ya," he replied softly.

xxxxx

Upon arrival at the hospital, Callen was brought to a treatment room in the ER and his partner was rushed into emergency surgery. His vitals were taken and then he was told to wait for a doctor to examine him. He could feel himself becoming drowsy as he waited and had to keep forcing himself awake. He was in the midst of such an episode when he heard a familiar voice.

"Callen?" He looked up and saw Michelle standing at the curtained entrance to his cubicle.

"Michelle." He was surprised to see her although he knew he shouldn't have been. Of course she would be there. Where else would she be?

"Are you alright?" she asked as she stepped inside the cubicle and walked over to him.

"I'm fine," he replied, nodding. "It's Sam…" he trailed off, unsure of what he wanted to say, just knowing that Sam's condition was all he cared about.

"What happened?" Michelle asked, eyeing the bandage on Callen's head.

"I'm so sorry…"

Michelle shook her head, plainly confused. "What are you sorry about? I don't understand…"

Callen sighed heavily. "Sam saw the gunman…I didn't... I guess he was aiming at me, I don't really know. Sam shoved me out of the way and ended up taking a bullet. It should have been me…not him…" He must not have been as focused as he should have been. He should have spotted the gunman himself.

"It wasn't your fault," Michelle said, trying to reassure her husband's partner. She could see the guilt in his eyes as plain as day.

Callen took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "It's Christmas Eve…he has a family to think about… I wish he would have just shot back and not bothered pushing me out of the way…"

Michelle gently rested her hand on Callen's cheek and stared at him emotionally. "You're his family too…you know that. You're family to all of us, Callen. Anyhow, I have a strong feeling that Sam is going to be okay. You need to believe that too."

"Mr. Callen? I'm Dr. Benjamin," a tall, dark haired man wearing a white coat, with a stethoscope around his neck, entered the cubicle.

Callen turned his head to face the doctor. "I really am perfectly okay," he said, watching as the doctor pulled out a penlight.

"Well, if you don't mind, just let me do my job and check you out," Dr. Benjamin said with a chuckle. "After all, it is what they pay me to do."

"Let the doctor examine you, Callen," Michelle said, in a tone she often used with Sam or the children when she wanted them to do something they were opposed to.

"Okay, fine," Callen replied and he did his best to sit still while the doctor performed a neurological exam and asked him numerous questions to test his mental status.

"It looks like you've sustained a mild concussion," Dr. Benjamin said after he had finished examining Callen. "We'll keep you here overnight for observation and you can likely be released tomorrow morning."

Callen shook his head. "No, sorry, Doc, but that's not happening."

"Christmas Eve festivities?" the doctor asked with an understanding smile.

"No, I'm going to be staying with my partner when he comes out of surgery," Callen stated.

"Callen…I'll be right there with Sam," Michelle gently reminded him. "I'll let you know if he needs you or if there are any changes in his condition. We don't even know what his condition is…"

"I need to stay with him," Callen said adamantly.

Dr. Benjamin sighed. "Will you allow me or one of the nurses to perform a neurological check every couple of hours?" he asked.

Callen hesitated, but finally nodded. "Alright, I'll agree to that."

Michelle shook her head, but didn't say anything to contradict him. "My husband's name is Sam Hanna," she told the doctor. "I'm not sure where he'll be after surgery, but you can be sure Callen will be in the same general area."

"Thank you," Dr. Benjamin said to Michelle. He jotted down Sam's name on a small pad before turning back to Callen. "If you experience any increasing symptoms, please let me know, worsening dizziness, slurred speech, increasing confusion, nausea or vomiting…"

"I will," Callen promised.

"I'll make sure to keep a close eye on him," Michelle said.

The doctor nodded at Michelle, feeling better that she would be keeping an eye on his patient. "I hope your husband makes a full recovery," he said to her before heading out of the cubicle.

xxxxx

After the doctor left, Michelle and Callen headed to the waiting room outside the surgical suite. There, they found Hetty, Deeks and Kensi waiting for them.

"Callen!" Kensi got up from her chair and gave him a warm embrace. "Are you okay? We were worried about you."

"I'm fine, Kens," Callen said, reassuringly.

"How are you holding up, Michelle?" Hetty asked the other woman who took a seat next to her.

"I'm okay, Hetty," Michelle said.

"And the children?"

Callen looked over at Michelle, feeling even more guilty. He hadn't even asked her about Aiden and Kam.

"They're hanging in there," Michelle said. "I was going to make a gingerbread house with Kam today. Aiden is going to do that with her instead."

Hetty nodded. "He's a good boy, very much like his father."

Michelle nodded and sighed softly. "I hate all this waiting and not knowing…"

"Sam is very strong," Hetty said, patting Michelle's hand. "We have every reason to be optimistic."

Michelle nodded. "You're right. Sam's a strong man and he has an incredible will to survive."

Hetty turned toward her team's leader and eyed him with concern. "Mr. Callen? What did the doctor say about you?"

"I'm fine, Hetty," Callen replied, wanting to divert her attention off him as quickly as possible.

"Is that his opinion or yours?" she asked.

"I just have a slight concussion, that's all."

Hetty looked at Michelle for confirmation. "The doctor did want to keep him overnight, but they made a deal that he would settle for neuro checks every couple of hours."

"See that you keep that deal, Mr. Callen," Hetty said, a note of warning in her tone.

"Yes, Hetty," he replied.

As the minutes slowly ticked by, Callen tried to think as positively as those surrounding him were, but he was finding it difficult. He remained obsessively focused on the fact that Sam had basically taken a bullet for him. He wasn't sure he would ever be able to forgive himself if Sam didn't pull through.

xxxxx

"Family of Sam Hanna?" a man dressed in green surgical scrubs entered the waiting room and looked around. He appeared grim and weary. It wasn't an encouraging image, certainly not the one that any of them wanted to see.

"I'm Sam Hanna's wife," Michelle spoke up, a slight tremor in her voice as she gazed up at the doctor. "How is my husband?"

"Hello, Mrs. Hanna, I'm Dr. Gerard. Your husband came through the surgery. We removed the bullet without any complications. However, he hasn't awoken from the anesthesia, which is concerning. Would you like to come and sit with him in Recovery? It may help to have a loved one present."

"Yes, of course," Michelle got up, gave a brief smile to the assembled group of Sam's friends and followed Dr. Gerard out of the waiting room.

Callen's eyes followed Michelle as she left the room, then he slumped back against his chair looking defeated. "Damn," he muttered under his breath.

"Now, now, Mr. Callen," Hetty said softly. "Don't get discouraged. Sam came through the surgery. That is the important thing."

"The rest of it didn't sound so good to me, Hetty," Callen said, nibbling on his lower lip distractedly.

"If I remember correctly, and I'm quite sure that I do, you had a bit of a hard time coming out of anesthesia yourself when you were shot on Venice Beach," Hetty recalled. Those had been a very bleak few days before they had finally been informed that Callen was expected to survive.

"I was shot five times…it was a very long surgery…whole different situation…"

"Everybody is unique," Hetty said. "Are you saying you're not even giving your partner a chance? It's Christmas Eve, Mr. Callen. Try to have some faith…some hope…"

"Trust me, Hetty. I know very well that it's Christmas Eve. I also know that Sam and Michelle shouldn't be here." He shot Hetty a sorrowful look and she couldn't find the proper words to reassure him. She knew how important Sam was to him. She refused to even think of the effect on him if this was to have a bad outcome.

Kensi got up from her chair and went over to Callen. She sat down beside him and wrapped her arm around him. "Come on, Callen," she said softly. "Sam will be alright. I know he will. He's too stubborn not to be. It's Christmas. He's going to wake up for Michelle…for his children…for you…for all of us. You have to believe that."

"Kensi's right," Deeks chimed in. "You've got to believe Sam will get through this, Callen. You know he would never give up on you if the situation was reversed."

'If the situation was reversed.' Deeks' words reverberated in Callen's head. The situation should have been reversed. That was the whole problem. Callen leaned into Kensi, allowing her to console him. He had to admit that it did give him a modicum of comfort to do so. Exhausted, he eventually slipped into a light doze, his head resting on her shoulder.

xxxxx

A little over an hour later, Michelle returned to the waiting area. "How is he?" Callen asked. He hadn't slept for long and was once again awake and anxious.

She shook her head, blinking back tears, displaying much more vulnerability than he had ever seen in her before. "He still hasn't woken up…they're moving him to the ICU." She looked at the rest of the team. "There's a waiting room there where you can all sit if you'd like." She then turned her eyes back to Callen. "I thought…I thought you might want to come and sit with us?"

"Of course," Callen said, nodding at her gratefully. He stood up and Michelle opened up her arms as she went to him and they hugged each other tightly. "He will be okay, Michelle. He has to be…"