Callen shifted uncomfortably in the hard backed chairs of the waiting room. It had been three hours since Deeks and Sam had been brought in and the wait was excruciatingly long. A headache was beginning to form between his eyes and try as he might, he couldn't seem to sit still. Hetty, on the other hand, hadn't moved an inch since she sat down. There was even a few times Callen could have sworn she nodded off. He never could figure out how she stayed so calm in a crisis.

Kensi and Michelle were both pacing in front of the rows of chairs, causing a tension to grow in the room. Kensi was nervously chewing on her fingernails, while Michelle muttered to herself. The two women passed each other frequently, but seemed to be completely unaware of each other's presence. Callen looked upon the two women with sadness. He couldn't help but feel that this was his fault. He was the one that was dealing with Janvier the most and he didn't see the betrayal coming. He should have known. He should have watched the man go to the bathroom. But instead he gave him privacy and now his friends are paying for it. The thought of Sam and Deeks made Callen's fists clenched involuntarily. Janvier was going to pay… dearly.

Michelle suddenly stopped pacing and pointed a shaking finger at Hetty, "I blame you for this," she seethed.

Hetty tilted her head to the side and furrowed her brow, "I'm not sure I understand."

"You broke up the partnership. If Callen would have been there this wouldn't have happened. He would have had Sam's back!"

"What did you just say?" Kensi's eyes flared with anger as she stepped around to face Michelle.

Michelle narrowed her eyes and didn't back down, "I said your partner screwed up."

"My partner didn't screw up," Kensi growled.

"Your partner was supposed to have Sam's back. Obviously he didn't."

"Hey," Callen intervened. "We don't know what happened yet. You two need to calm down."

"Calm down?" Kensi questioned. "Do you hear what she is saying? She is blaming Deeks!"

"All I know is when Callen was partnered with Sam this never happened," Michelle retorted.

Callen turned to Hetty and gave her a pleading look, but she only sat there watching the show. Kensi bullied her way past Callen, pushing him out of the argument all together. "In case you haven't noticed Deeks didn't exactly walk away unscathed."

"So the pretty boy got a few scratches? Sam was cooked from the inside out."

Kensi took a step closer so that she and Michelle were standing nose to nose, "I would say that he had more than just a few scratches."

Michelle took a step back, "I know that he is your partner, but Sam is my husband…my partner in life. Deeks is just a playboy you work with. Sam told me all about him."

"First of all, what in the hell does Sam know about my partner?" Kensi shouted. "And secondly, are seriously going to stand there and tell me that just because I'm not married to him it means that I don't love him? That we are just friends? You know what? At least I didn't cram my tongue down the throat of the man who nearly tortured him to death." Kensi took another step closer to Michelle, and Callen placed a hand on her shoulder and tried to pull her back. She violently shrugged him away, never taking her attention off of, "Has it crossed your mind for one second that the reason you are still breathing air is because my partner didn't give you up. He went through hell to keep you safe and this is how you are going to act? Did you even see what he looked like? What they did to him?" Hot tears started streaming down Kensi's face as she fought for composure. "He might die." The words spilled out of her mouth and it was like she was hearing them for the first time, "Oh my God he might die."

Michelle's face softened, "Kensi I… I… didn't."

Kensi's knees felt weak, "Callen… he might die and I never told him…" A strangled sob cut off her sentence.

Callen pulled her into a tight embrace and the floodgates opened. "He can't leave me," she sobbed into his shoulder. "This can't be happening." Her knees gave way it was only Callen's gently lowered her to the ground. He held her trembling frame tightly and gave her the time she needed to fall apart. Kensi was always such a strong woman, but as his own tears formed he realized that even the strongest of people can sometimes need a shoulder to cry on.

Hetty glanced over at Callen and gave him a knowing look. Callen nodded his understanding as he settled in against the wall and let Kensi rest her head on his shoulder. His eyes wondered up to Michelle, who was standing there still trying to compose herself. Callen motioned with his free arm for her to sit down beside him. She wiped the trailing tears from her face and took a seat next to him, resting her head on his opposite shoulder. Michelle reached out and took Kensi's hand in her, giving it a gentle squeeze. Kensi returned the gesture. It was the unspoken apology that both women needed. Callen rested his chin on Kensi's head and within fifteen minutes all three of them had fallen into a fitful sleep. Hetty retrieved a blanket from the nurse's station and laid it across the trio. "Sleep well," she whispered softly, before walking back to her chair to keep watch over her brood.

Just as Hetty took her seat Owen Granger walked into the waiting room with two steaming cups of tea in his hands. Hetty pointed toward the sleeping members of her team and then motioned with her finger to her lips for him to be quiet. He nodded and then sat down next to Hetty, who graciously took the tea from him.

"Any word yet?" He whispered.

"No," Hetty said calmly, but Owen had known the petite woman long enough to know that though she was calm on the outside she was a mess on the inside. "But the doctor has assured me that they are both in good hands."

"This is bad Henrietta."

She took a sip of her tea and sighed, "I know."

"What do you suggest we do?"

"We have to be patient. That is the only thing we can do at the moment."

Owen snorted, "That is easier said than done."

Hetty nodded her head, but said nothing further. There was nothing left to say. Now all they could do was pray.