Callen woke Amy early Tuesday in the same fashion they had several mornings when they were in Hawaii. She'd been dreaming about it and was more than ready when he started kissing and touching her. It was a short lovemaking session, but it was the kind of toe curling sex she loved. They knew it would be the last time for at least a week. He was gently in his ways but ravaged her like there was no tomorrow. To him, there was no tomorrow only here and now.
They went downstairs together after a shower; she made him coffee and breakfast. He loved watching her work in the kitchen as much as he loved watching her when they made love. She made him four pancakes, eggs and a few slices of bacon. Amy sat with him as he ate, making sure he ate every last bite. She loved taking care of him. It was tempting to broach the subject of a baby, but she chose to let it go and not ruin the perfect morning. Before heading to work, Callen went up and said goodbye to the kids. It broke his heart when all three burst into tears and Jenny refused to let him go. She held on so tight she nearly choked him. God, he loved these kids.
"Alright, Amy." He said coming down the stairs. She had tears in her eyes. "Oh Amy, not you too?"
"I'm sorry; I'm going to miss you." She sobbed against his neck when he held her.
Fighting his own tears, he said, "I know Honey, I'm going to miss you too. I'll call as soon as we land and as often as I can until I come home. I love you."
"I love you too." She said kissing him before he walked out to the garage. It took every ounce of strength she had not to run after him. Her anxiety level was so high; she still had that feeling something was going to happen and was scared to death that it would happen to him.
Callen saw the fear in her face and walked back to her as the garage door went up. "I promise I will be careful."
Amy threw her arms around him and held him tight. "You have to, I can't lose you."
They kissed once more and she watched him pull out of the driveway. He purposely put the door down so she wouldn't stand there and watch him. Amy sat on the steps leading into the house and cried. She felt like her heart was being ripped out.
Callen watched in the rearview mirror as he drove away from the house. He didn't see Amy or the kids chasing after him and was somewhat relieved. Amy and her feelings had his anxiety level up as well. She'd been right about all of them since they'd been together. He was determined to make it back safely with all of his team members. Callen pulled into the parking lot of the mission and pulled his bags from the trunk before walking into the office. Sam was already there, sitting at his desk going through emails.
"Good morning." Callen said as he set his stuff down. "Could you do me a favor?"
"Sure, what is it?" Sam asked looking up from his laptop.
"Can you ask Michelle to check on Amy and the kids fairly often? They all had a really hard time this morning when I left and Amy's got this feeling that something's going to happen. I just want to make sure they're okay while we're gone." He said walking to get himself a cup of coffee.
"You don't even have to ask, G. Michelle has already planned on calling her at least once a day and spending the weekend with them if we aren't back yet." Sam reassured him.
"Thank you. I don't know what we'd do without you guys." He smiled as he took a sip of his coffee.
"Same goes for you guys. It's been great seeing you go from the consummate bachelor to a family man. It's been good for you, I'm happy you finally let someone in." Sam said stretching.
Kensi and Deeks arrived a few minutes later and they were all called up to Ops for a briefing before they left for the airport. It was short, but informative. Nell told them that Kahn had a nurse staying with his children while he was at work and that they should be able to question them without a problem. Callen was pleased with how well everything was coming together and hoped for a quick arrest.
The flight was short, it felt like they no sooner got up to altitude and they were already making their decent into San Jose. Callen watch out the window at the area where his wife grew up and he missed her even more. Once they landed, they took the shuttle to their rental car and headed out of the airport using the directions Amy had given them. Once they were on Central Expressway, it was smooth sailing, so much that they passed their exit. Callen quickly called Amy to see if there was another way to get to Wolfe Road other than getting back on the expressway going in the opposite direction.
"Hey Amy, we passed our exit, is there another we can use to get to where we need to go?" He quickly said seeing another exit about another mile down the road.
"Have you passed the Fair Oaks exit yet?" she asked.
"No, can we take that?" he asked.
"Yes, take a left onto the street when the off-ramp ends. I can't remember the name of the street. You need to make a left onto Fair Oaks and follow it a couple miles to El Camino Real. If you hit the community center, you've gone too far. Make a left onto El Camino, at the second light make a right, that's Wolfe road. You'll cross Fremont, Inverness and Homestead. Pruneridge will be your next major intersection, you'll be making a left." She explained.
"Got it, thank you, we'd be lost without you." He said laughing. "I love you and I'll call as soon as I can."
"Alright, call if you need anything else. I love you too. You guys be safe." She said before hanging up.
They pulled into the parking lot fifteen minutes later and walked into the office building, stopping at security before heading in to talk to Kahn's boss. They were escorted to his office where he was waiting for them. He had very little information for them other than the fact that he'd missed several days of work since his kids had gotten sicker. Eric Desmond told than that he was a valuable employee to the company and had never mentioned his vendetta against the military; at least not to him. Kensi and Deeks talked with several of Kahn's co-workers without raising suspicions. They merely told them that they were from the insurance company and were inquiring about his children's conditions for the lawsuit he had filed.
By three that afternoon, they had as much information as they could get from the company and decided to head up to Atherton to check into their hotel. Callen decided instead of taking the freeway, he would try driving Foothill Expressway. They made the left at Pruneridge and Wolfe going over the freeway. Amy was spot on about the mall being on the other side, but then again he never doubted her. It was a small mall, with a Sears on one side and JCPenney on the other. Callen immediately wondered if that was the JCPenney Amy and Mahri had worked at. They made a right at Steven's Creek and took that to the base of the foothills when they picked up Foothill expressway.
"Amy said her grandparent's lived back there somewhere." He said pointing off to the right as they passed Mann Drive.
"It's too bad she couldn't come with us. I would be really handy having her with us, I'm sure she knows every back road there is up here." Kensi said from the back seat.
"Yeah, me too." Callen agreed.
It was a scenic drive; they passed several shopping centers Stanford Medical Center and the Palo Alto VA. Once Foothill expressway ended, they had to get on one of the two freeways to get to their hotel. Callen put the address into the GPS navigation app on his phone and found they needed to get on the two eighty. Once they checked into their hotel and dropped off their bags, they called Ops to let them know what they learned. Hetty advised they take the evening to acquaint themselves with the area and watch Kahn's home, then question the nurses or anyone else they found at the house the following day. Callen could tell that it was going to be a very long week and it would come down to the wire when it came to getting him before their deadline.
Amy sat at the dining room table after the kids went to bed, going through the grocery store ads. Callen had been gone for almost a week already, but it felt like months. Amy was lonely, watched her phone twenty-four hours a day waiting for a call. The last time she'd heard from Callen was Tuesday when he called to let her know they'd landed and again when they'd missed their exit. She assumed they were far too busy for him to call and understood, but was still upset. Amy should've been used to it after nearly twelve years of marriage to Rick and the Marines. Three deployments under her belt with Rick, one or two weeks with Callen away should be a cake walk. The kids were missing him too. Acting out and refusing to spend any time with her what-so-ever. What little time they did spend with her was spent complaining about his absence; which only made Amy miss him more.
She was doing like she'd done for years and making a list of all the sale items so she could go through her coupon file to see how much cheaper she could get them for. In truth, they weren't hurting for money. They were able to make ends meet and then some on Callen's salary alone, yet she was still looking for a job. Amy didn't want Callen to think she was sponging off him. Even though she had the money from the house, Callen insisted she put it in savings and added her to his account. He told her that his money was hers.
Half-way through one of the ads her phone rang. Praying it was Callen, she looked at the caller ID, it was Michelle; a close consolation. "Hey Michelle, how are you."
"I'm doing okay, how are you doing?" she asked.
Amy sighed. "I'm hanging in there."
"You miss him, don't you?" Michelle asked, hearing it in Amy's voice.
"I should be used to the separations now." Amy complained.
"Honey it never gets easier. The more you love them, the more you miss them." Michelle offered.
"I know. Have you heard from Sam?" Amy asked, hopeful.
"As a matter of fact, I just got off the phone with him. If it makes you feel any better, he says Callen's wandering around like a lost puppy dog." She said, sympathetically.
Amy smiled. "It does make me feel better."
"How are the kids?" Michelle asked.
"They miss him so much. All they do is complain about him not being here. They won't even sit and watch TV with me. Kristy and I sat down to play checkers tonight and she got frustrated and went to bed. Usually she and Callen team up against Ricky and I." Amy said with a frown.
"What are you guys doing tomorrow?" Michelle asked.
"Absolutely nothing." Amy sighed.
"How about the kids and I come up and spend the day with you guys, goof off, order pizza or something?" Michelle asked, knowing she need the time with another adult as much as Amy.
"That's the best idea I've heard all day." Amy smiled.
"Good. We'll head up there around nine. I'm going to head to bed. I'll see you tomorrow." Michelle said yawning.
"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow." Amy said and hung up.
Amy was genuinely excited. She hadn't seen the Michelle but once since the wedding and that was when she and Sam dropped off the kids Sunday afternoon. Frustrated, Amy looked at the time, closed the ad and walked out to the patio. As she sat down, she looked at the pack of cigarettes she bought the day before. If Callen knew she'd started smoking again, he'd have a fit. She stared at the pack for a while before she decided to take one out and light it. Her phone rang again, but she didn't hear it since she'd closed the door to the house. She finished her cigarette and sat out for a few more minutes enjoying the early summer evening heat.
She heard the phone ringing when she opened the door and ran to the table, it was Callen.
"Hey Honey." She smiled.
"I tried to call a few times, everything okay?" he asked with concern in his voice.
"I'm sorry I was downstairs locking up." She said hoping he bought it.
He was silent for a minute. "Where were you really at?"
"The patio." She mumbled.
"You're smoking again?" He said.
"I just miss you so much and the kids haven't been the easiest to get along with since you've been gone." She said trying not to whine.
"I'm sorry. How are you?" he asked.
In her mind's eye, she could see him lying on the bed with one arm under his head and ankles crossed. She smiled at the thought of the pose she knew so well. "I miss you so much. Like I told Michelle, I should be used to the separation."
"I miss you too." He said softly.
"How's the case going?" Amy sighed.
"It's going, we're no closer to a lead then when we got here." He told her.
"I'm sorry, Honey. I'd hoped you guys would've gotten something by now." Amy said.
"We did too. I really hope we wrap this up quick. I want to go home. As much as I like Sam, I like listening to you sleep more than him." He laughed, trying to lift her spirits.
"Oh I know the feeling. Jenny's taken over your spot in the bed. She's nice to cuddle with, but she's not you." She said smiling, Amy love cuddling with the kids.
"What about the other two, where are they sleeping?" he asked.
"Ricky's taken to sleeping on the floor and Kristy's in her room." She told him.
"Is she okay?" He asked.
"They all miss you. They do nothing but complain about you not being here. Kristy's way of dealing with you being gone is by isolating herself." Amy said, knowing the news wouldn't sit well with Callen.
"Damn it, I'm sorry. Is she at least talking to you about it?"
"Yeah, we talk about it all the time. She said it doesn't feel right without you." Amy faintly smiled.
Callen sighed. "God I hate this. I'm sorry Amy."
"Honey, we all knew you'd have to go away from time to time. I think she's worried that you won't be back for her birthday." She said.
"We're trying as hard as we can to get anything. I hope we're back in time for her birthday. I don't know who'd be more upset over me missing it, me or her." He said.
"I know. It's next week, though." Amy reminded him.
"So what have you done with yourself during the day?" he asked, trying not to think about the possibility of not being there for Kristy's birthday.
"I've been running about six miles a day. I'm looking for a job." She said flatly.
"Why are you looking for a job? We have enough money to cover all the bills and everything, right?" he asked.
"We do, but I don't want you to think I'm being lazy or anything. I want to feel like I'm contributing to the household." She admitted.
"I enjoy having you home when I come home during lunch or get off early. I won't stop you if you really want to get a job. What are you going to do if you get pregnant, quit? With all of the complications you had with the other three, I don't want you working." He told her.
"Honey, are you at all concerned that I haven't gotten pregnant yet. We've been sleeping together for over a year, we haven't done anything to prevent a pregnancy and I still haven't come up pregnant." She said in a somber tone.
Callen thought for a moment. "I am a little concerned, but are we actively trying to have a baby?"
"I don't know, we've told everyone if it happens, it happens, but we really haven't talked about it. Do you want to try to have a baby?" she asked hesitantly.
"I'd like to, but Amy, if it doesn't happen, we've got Kristy, Ricky and Jenny." He told her.
"I know but they're my kids, not our kids." She said.
"No, they're ours. Biologically, they may not be mine, but I love them like they are." He admitted, his voice quivering.
After a long pause, Amy said. "I love you."
"I love you too. Yes, let's try to have a baby, but if it doesn't happen we have Kristy, Ricky and Jenny."
Amy smiled and nodded with tears in her eyes. "Alright, we'll try to have a baby."
"As much as I hate to do this, we both need to get some sleep. I miss you and the kids so much. Please give them some love for me." He said.
"I miss you too, Honey. I will give them lots of hugs and kisses for you. I love you, Callen." She sighed, wiping tears from her eyes.
"I love you too, Amy. Goodnight." He said, waiting for her response. After she said good night, he hung up.
Callen lay in bed staring at the ceiling for an hour before he finally fell asleep. He thought about the kids and sitting on the couch with them playing a game or watching TV. Thoughts and memories from their honeymoon flashed through his mind. What he wouldn't give to have Amy in his arms like he did in Hawaii. Or to be so deep within her, God he wanted her so badly.
He smiled at the thought of having a baby, though it scared him. With all three of the kids' pregnancies, Amy had gone into pre-term labor and had pre-eclampsia. All three of the kids were born premature as a result. He didn't know if he could only touch his newborn child through the sterile gloves on an incubator. Watch the tiny little infant fight for its life. He didn't know how Amy survived while Ricky was in the NICU at UCSD Medical Center before he was transferred back to the nursery at Camp Pendleton.
Callen sighed and rolled onto his side, taking the extra pillow on the bed, clutching it to his chest as if it were Amy. He closed his eyes and dreamt of Amy's scent. Within minutes, he'd drifted off to sleep.
Amy locked up downstairs before taking her pistol out of the safe and turning off the lights. At the top of the stairs, she checked the magazine and made sure there was a bullet in the chamber. She'd taken it to bed every night when he was gone and didn't want to run the risk of something happening even though Awan was long since dead. Without Callen to protect her and the kids, her pistol became her security blanket. She sat it on the banister before going in to Kristy's room. Amy whispered in her ear that Callen had called and that he loved her, then kissed her forehead and walked out of the room. She noticed the faint smile on her face when Amy mentioned Callen to her. She walked into her bedroom and did the same for Ricky and Jenny; made sure the safety was on and tucked the pistol into the holster in her pillowcase.
She turned off the light and got into bed, thinking about the conversation she and Callen just had. Amy smiled at the thought of having another baby. Prayed she had nowhere near the complications that she had with Kristy, Ricky and Jenny. It made her feel better knowing that Maggie too had similar problems carrying Rick's child. She rolled over, looked at the clock and drifted to sleep, her heart full because she'd finally gotten to talk to Callen.
Michelle and her brood arrived shortly before noon. Amy was busy clipping coupons when they came in. The kids immediately headed to the back yard to play with Kristy, Ricky and Jenny.
"So, I take it from the smile on your face that you got to talk to Callen last night." Michelle said sitting across from her.
"Yes, I did and we finally talked about having a baby." She beamed.
"Are you pregnant?" Michelle asked excitedly.
"No, not yet that I know of. He agreed that he wanted to try though." She smiled.
"Oh you two are going to make the most beautiful babies." She said smiling at her friend's elation.
Amy's phone began bouncing around the table. She looked at it, it was Toya again, and her fourth call today. She refused the call and set the phone back down. "Who was that?" Michelle asked wondering why she'd refused the call.
"It was my ex-BFF. She started calling Saturday afternoon and hasn't stopped. She's probably just trying to stir the pot." Amy said.
"Well, instead of wondering, why don't you just answer it and see what she wants?" Michelle suggested.
"I have nothing to say to her. There is nothing she could tell me that would possibly benefit me in any way." Amy said.
The subject was officially dropped. Amy cleared the table and the two went out to watch the kids. It was a beautiful day, not too hot for June. Michelle and Amy talked for a while before the kids decided they wanted to go do something outside the house. They put all the kids in the van and just pointed it in a direction, where ever they stopped was where they went.
Toya called four more times while they were out. Once they'd returned to the house, she called again. With Michelle by her side, she answered the fifth time she called.
"Toya, honestly what is so damn important that you're trying so hard to get a hold of me?" She snapped into the phone.
"I know I'm the last person you want to talk to, but I thought I'd warn you. Maggie's coming into town for the Fourth of July and wants to show up at your house." She said quickly praying Amy didn't hang up on her.
"Well gee; I wonder where she'd get my address from. I appreciate your concern, but I'm pretty sure you're doing this with some sort of ulterior motive. I'm not scared of her or you. Stop calling me and stay the hell away from my kids and I." she said and hung up.
Michelle waited a few minutes for her to calm down before asking what had happened. "Alright, spill it."
"Apparently Maggie's coming out to California to kick my ass for some stupid bullshit. She's probably just pissed off since she's not getting child support from Rick." She told her.
"Isn't she some sort of psychotic bitch or something? I'm a little worried, you're not?" Michelle asked.
Amy laughed. "No, I'm not afraid of her. I've got my little friend that I'll shove up her nose if I have to. I just hope the guys are back if and when she does show up."
"Oh yes, you and your little friend." Michelle laughed. "I've got one of those too."
Again, they forgot all about Toya and Maggie and opened a bottle of while after dinner. The kid were playing in the back, so they sat on the patio until they came in to watch TV. After the kids went to bed, they opened a second bottle and laughed the night away. Had Callen and Sam been there, they would've been more than a little angry as the women were sharing their deepest darkest secrets about life in the bedroom.
Michelle and the kids stayed through Monday and headed home that night. Amy had so much fun. While she still thought about Callen if was a much needed distraction, even the kids were happy. Amy worried the longer she went without hearing from Callen that he wouldn't make it back in time for Kristy's birthday. She called Lauren's parents to tell them she still wanted Lauren at the house even if Callen wasn't back. Fortunately, they understood and agreed. All three kids fell asleep in her bed while they watched a movie. She watched them sleeping soundly and cuddled with each of them before pushing the dog and cat off the bed to find a spot for her to sleep.
Toya parked and took all five kids into the terminal and waited for Maggie in baggage claim. She was honestly dreading her visit. Relieved that Amy listened to what she had to say, she didn't think Amy took her seriously. Toya admitted to herself and her husband that she missed Amy and would take every negative thing she'd said or done back just to be able to talk to Amy like they used to. Maggie stood at the top of the escalator with Emily in her arms and yelled out her name. She looked up and tried to smile the best she could. Before she knew it, Maggie was right in front of her hugging her. Secretly, she hated her and would hurt her if she did anything to Amy.
"I'm here, let the party begin!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. The other passengers gave her weird looks and she cussed them out for it.
Toya looked at her oldest daughter who was shaking her head. She knew it was going to be a long visit.
"So, did you find the bitch's address for me?" Maggie asked.
"No, I wasn't able to find it." She lied.
"Well, we're just going to have to try a little harder, won't we?" She laughed.
"Whatever you say, Maggie." She said taking Emily so Maggie could get the bags.
Once she had the bags, they walked out to her van and hit the fifteen for Murrieta.
"We've got two day to get him." Callen said as they met for breakfast the morning of the first.
"We will G, stop worrying. We'll get home for Kristy's party even if we're a couple hours late." Sam said.
"We're so close; I think we'll get him tonight or tomorrow." Kensi said.
"I hope so." Callen said sipping his coffee. He picked at his breakfast.
"What's wrong, you don't like your breakfast?" Sam asked.
"Not really, Amy makes better pancakes, from scratch none of this mix crap. Her eggs taste better and she never burns the bacon." He complained.
The other three smiled. They had to get Kahn; none of them knew how much longer they could take Callen's melancholy. They listened as he continued complaining.
"Even the coffee sucks. Amy's is strong, this stuff tastes like water." He said looking into the mug.
"We get it G; you miss Amy and the kids. Not to mention Amy's cooking and coffee." Sam laughed.
Callen glared at him. "You guys done yet?"
When they continued eating he left the table to pay the bill and called Ops to see if they had any new information. They didn't.
He wanted to call Amy, but knew he'd take his anger out on her and didn't want to do that. So he waited for them in the car. When they finally came out twenty minutes later, Callen was fit to be tied. They headed to Kahn's house in Atherton to keep watch because the house keeper said he had a meeting there today. Callen hoped they hadn't missed it.
As luck would have it they didn't, fifteen minutes after they arrived a car pulled into the drive and three men got out. Deeks snapped photos of them and sent them to Eric for identification. They turned out to be the men they were looking for. While the team had been in the house last week, Kensi and Deeks snuck off and planted cameras in several of the rooms including Kahn's study. Callen opened his lap top and set it on the dash so they could watch the meeting.
The men just sat in the study talking. Finally after thirty minutes, they got something useful. The men discussed their plan to serve food at one of the concession stands at Del Mar beach on Camp Pendleton. They were going to poison whatever they were serving with the strychnine left over from Awan's debacle at the Red Lobster in Oceanside. That was all they needed to hear. Callen was on the phone with Ops and was given the order to move in.
They suited up and with the assistance of Atherton Police Department, they entered the property. Callen, Sam and several Atherton PD officers went in through the front while Kensi, Deeks and a few of the officers went in through back. Once they were in the house, they cleared the rooms one by one until they got to the study. None of them appeared to be armed, but they entered with caution.
"Federal Agents, keep your hands where we can see them." Callen yelled when they entered the room.
Kahn sat stunned behind his desk. The other three sat motionless. "Kahn, you son of a bitch, you set us up." One of them yelled across the desk.
"I did not, I'm outraged by this. I had no idea. You're the ones who killed that worthless excuse of a man Awan?" He asked accusingly.
"That would be correct." Callen said with a smirk as he pulled him to his feet and put flex-cuffs on him. Sam and the other did the same with his three guests.
The four suspects were turned over to Atherton PD and they were done. Callen called Ops to let Hetty know that Kahn was in custody. She told them that their flight wasn't until early Wednesday morning. It didn't sit well with any of them, but knew it was the best Nell could do. She had check flights out of San Francisco and Oakland, but could find nothing any sooner. Once they were back at the hotel, resting, Callen called Amy.
"Do you want the good news or the bad news?" he asked when she answered.
"Give me the bad." She answered bracing herself for the absolutely worst.
"I'll be home Wednesday morning." He said with lightness to him.
"That's supposed to be the bad news?" Amy laughed.
"Yeah, that's as bad as it gets right now. We got him without incident and everyone's safe." He said smiling.
"I won't tell Kristy you're coming home." Amy promised.
"Thank you. I want to surprise her." He said. "Since we've got a free day, I'm going to stop by your parent's house tomorrow. Say hi, see how your Mom's doing." He told her.
"I doubt she'll tell you anything, but it's worth a try." She said.
"So I've been thinking about what we talked about earlier." He smiled.
"What we were talking about earlier? You mean having a baby?" she asked.
"Yes, having a baby. When was your last period?" he asked.
"The week before the wedding, we won't know if I'm pregnant for another week or so." She smiled at his excitement.
"I hope you are, I know you worked so hard to lose all that weight, but I can't wait to see you glowing with a little baby bump." He laughed.
"Neither can I." she admitted.
"I love you." He said.
"I love you too." She told him.
"I'm going to get going. I'll call you tomorrow after I talk with your parent's." he said.
"Alright honey, I miss you." She said and hung up.
Callen looked at the phone and smiled. He'd forgotten Sam was in the room while he was on the phone. Sam had an ear to ear grin on his face. Callen tried to ignore him.
"Did I hear you right? You and Amy are trying to get pregnant?" Sam asked.
Callen smiled. "Yeah we are, we're hoping she's already pregnant but won't know for another couple weeks."
"Good luck. I hope you guys don't have a hard time getting pregnant." Sam said.
The next morning, Callen left after breakfast and headed down two eighty towards Sunnyvale. He took the exit Amy said to; Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road and drove into town. He passed several shopping centers and Fremont High School. It was a nice looking school and he wondered if Amy had gone to school there. He'd have to ask her parents. Callen went straight past the Safeway onto Sunnyvale Avenue and crossed over El Camino Real. Within two minutes, he was pulling up in front of Amy's childhood home.
It was a small house with blue trim around the windows. There was a large hibiscus between the two front windows and flowerbeds around the patch of grass. He touched the lamp post in the corner of the yard before he went up to the door and rang the doorbell. Callen stood at the door waiting for a few minutes. Amy's Mom answered the door.
"Callen, what are you doing here?" Where are Amy and the kids?" she asked surprised to see him.
"I was up here on a case and had a day before we head back down south, so I figured I'd come by and say hi." He smiled.
"Well, come on in." Carole smiled opening the screen for him and ushered the two big dogs to the family room. "Both of you go, leave your uncle alone."
"Amy didn't say anything about you guys having dogs." He said as the black one gave him a sniff.
"They're her sister's dogs. So are you going to make it home in time for Kristy's birthday?" she said locking the gate between the kitchen and family room.
"Yes, we'll probably get to the house around ten or eleven. Amy already knows and promised not to say anything to Kristy." He smiled.
"Joe, Callen's here." She called to the back yard.
"Be right there." Joe called back.
"Can I get you something to drink?" Carole asked huffing and puffing.
"No, please just have a seat and relax." He told her.
"Thank you." She smiled taking a seat. "This treatment is really taking a lot out of me this time."
"Is this for the Colon, Lung or Breast cancer?" Callen asked.
"This is the maintenance treatment for the Colon cancer. I've had all of the treatments I can for the lung cancer and they aren't worried about the breast cancer until the tumor gets bigger. Right now, I'm sitting at stage four. They said originally when I was diagnosed with the Colon cancer that I'd get five years. Well, six years and four more diagnoses later, I honestly don't think I have much more time left." She told him in a somber tone.
"Does Amy know?" Callen asked.
"She does. I know she thinks there's been another diagnosis, but there hasn't. I'm just trying to figure out how much longer I want to subject myself to the Chemo and Radiation. I can't live forever and my quality of life is steadily declining. I wanted to live long enough to see Amy get married to the right man and now I have. It would be wonderful if you two would give me another grandchild before I die." She smiled with tears in her eyes.
"Amy and I have been talking about having a baby." He told her with a smile.
"Well, I hope you don't have any problems conceiving." Carole smiled.
Joe came walking in from the back yard. "Hey Callen, how are you?"
Callen stood and shook his father-in-law's hand. "Not bad Joe, my team and I were up here the last week working on a case. Thought I'd take the opportunity to swing by and say hi."
"Well, I'm glad you did." Joe smiled and sat at the table with them.
Callen stayed for a few hours talking with Amy's parents. He found out that the JCPenney Amy worked at was one that was there in Sunnyvale for a short period of time and that she in fact went to Fremont High School. He said his goodbye to her parent's and the dogs just as Amy's sister and her family got home. He apologized that he could stay longer and fought the traffic back up to Atherton. It didn't please him to learn that Amy's mother was on the verge of stopping her cancer treatment. He feared that she would stop if and when they had a baby. As much as he wanted Amy pregnant now, he hoped she wasn't in an attempt to keep her Mom around a while longer.
He arrived at the hotel in enough time to join Sam, Kensi and Deeks for dinner. When he and Sam returned to their room for the night, he told Sam what Amy's Mom said. Sam hoped that Carole would reconsider stopping treatment, but understood how painful the treatments could be. They went to bed with the hope that their travel plans happened without problems and Kristy would be very surprised when they arrived at the house for her party.