Author's notes: Hey! This is my first ever fanfiction and I'm a bit nervous since english isn't my first language and if you notice anything, a mistake, a grammatical error, contact me, I'll correct it immediately. Secondly, I'd like to dedicate this story to my friend Nina, a talented writer I recently met in the NCIS LA fandom, and I'd like to thank her for being such a sweet person and encouraging me to post this "thing". Lastly, this fanfiction takes place after Dom's death, but before Nate's departure.
PS: The title is from a song, Fire Fire, by David Michael Bennett.
Disclaimer: I obviously don't own NCIS LOS ANGELES. If I did, Nate would be the main character and Nell and Callen would be dating.
"Nate!"
He could hear her yelling but he couldn't move. Couldn't talk. Looking down he saw red seeping through his clothes.
Oh crap.
He felt himself falling but he never hit the ground. Someone caught him and was holding him.
Kensi.
"Kensi…" he had never found it so hard to talk before.
"Shh Nate, don't talk." Her voice was surprisingly calm but he knew she was scared. He wasn't supposed to get shot. This wasn't supposed to happen. Not to him.
"You're going to be okay," She whispered as the paramedics rushed over. "You're going to be okay…"
The last thing he remembered before everything went black was Kensi's voice.
She rode to the hospital with him. At first the paramedic in the back put up a fight. "Family only." But then the driver snapped that they were partners and to let her in.
His heart crashed on the way to the hospital. She never knew two minutes could last that long.
When they rushed him to surgery she was forced to stay behind. Within a matter of moments the team was at her side.
"Kensi."
She didn't respond, simply stared at the doors they had pushed him through.
"I can't…"
Callen understood. In the months they had been partners they had never been parted for longer than a night's sleep. They were a part of one another, and for her to sit without him was torture.
"Come on, Kensi," Sam said softly, guiding his friend to a seat in the waiting room.
A white light greeted him when he opened his eyes. He looked up to see a man he immediatly recognized. A man he saw died months ago.
"Dom?" he asked softly as he looked around. The room was completely white.
"No offense, but I'm not happy to see you again, Doc." Dom said.
He continued to stare at his friend. "I'm dead, aren't I?" he asked in a whisper.
"Looks that way."
He shook his head. "I can't die now, they need me!"
"It's not up to us."
"I can't leave them!" he screamed. "They need me! Kensi can't loose another partner!"
Dom nodded his head.
"That's all you had to say." The next thing he knew the room was gone.
Several hours later, the doctor made his way out of the surgery room towards Kensi.
"You're his partner?" She nodded and stood up.
"Is he…"
"We got the bullet and stopped the bleeding. But he did crash on us twice during the surgery. He's stable for the moment but we'll need to keep an eye on him."
She nodded and bit her lip. "Can I…see him?"
The doctor nodded his head. "Of course. Your partner needs a lot of support."
He looked so pale in the hospital bed with wires connected to him.
She lowered herself into the chair, wrapped her hand around Nate's and began to wait.
His vision was blurry when he opened his eyes. Looking around he was relieved to see he was in a hospital room. Feeling an unusual weight on his right hand he glanced to his left and smiled when he saw Kensi holding his hand. He stretched out his right arm and touched her hair. Her head snapped up and a look of relief washed over her face.
"Nate!"
"Hey." His voice was hoarse but she smiled at him anyway. "You've been there all night?"
"Yeah. You missed the team, they left a few hours ago but Eric said he would be back to bring you some stuff in the morning. You got us worried, Nate."
"It was that bad?" The shrink asked, surprised.
"I never saw Eric that silent before. Except when Dom- It was awful, Nate. Don't you dare ever nearly die on me again."
"I'll try." He chuckled. "But you should go home. Get some sleep."
She shook her head, her grip on his hand tightening. "No. I'm not leaving till you're better."
"But Vance-"
"He'll understand." She said, interrupting him.
His eyelids began to droop but he fought it. He had missed his team and his dream had scared him. He just wanted to lay there and see them keeping watch. He needed to know they cared. Needed to know he mattered. His body had other ideas. Soon he couldn't keep his eyelids open any longer.
"Nate?" Kensi called, hesitating.
"Yeah?" he whispered tiredly.
"I'm glad you're alive."
"Me too."