Tsunami

Disclaimer: NCISLA characters belong to Shane Brennan. All original characters and this story are mine.

Chapter 2

Will Rogers State Beach

Callen ran the distance along the water's edge, trying to clear his mind of the memory that haunted him and the emotions that threatened to destroy him. They'd had taken over his dreams and instead of having a restful sleep next to his wife, he'd barely slept two hours. The bags under his eyes sagged, showing the strain of his meeting with his father, the day before. It was one thing to find out who his father was, but for him to turn up out of the blue at their house when he was about to marry Savannah, was another. But then his father's admission, that he had tried to adopt him, had been the last straw. Memories of when he was nine had long been pushed aside to the deepest part of his memory, that he'd finally after years of practise, managed to lock them away. He'd thought they would be lost forever, but they had so easily returned to the forefront of his mind. It rattled him.

He'd started at the northern end of the beach and was nearing the Santa Monica Pier, when his cell rang.

"George, where are you?" He heard the worry in his wife's voice. Barely married a day and he'd already left.

"I'm in the middle of a run. I'll be back once I return to the car."

"Are you okay?" He heard her voice soften, she understood him better than he did himself, sometimes.

"I'm not sure." He'd learned months earlier the importance to drop the barriers around his heart, when it came to Savannah. If he closed her off, she was good at breaking them down anyway.

"Your father was here earlier. He really wants to see you."

"He saw me yesterday, Sav. He can go home now."

"You're not being fair on him. He's suffered too, you know. Would you care if he suffered another stroke from the stress of you refusing to see him?"

"That's not fair, Sav. What happened in the past, you have no idea..."

"Tell me. So I can understand."

He wiped the sweat from his brow with the bottom of his t-shirt. "I'm not sure I can."

Savannah sighed. "I'll be down in the Special Care nursery, you can find me there."

He disconnected the call and sat on the soft white sand. He stared out at the waves, taking in the soothing sound of them crashing onto the shore. A gentle breeze sent a shiver across his skin, cooling his body from his run.

He took in a deep breath and slowly released it. 'Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.' That famous quote from Forest Gump had always meant so much to him, after all that he'd endured in his life. Mostly he found the foul tasting chocolates, not the delicious ones that he wished for. Other children, good children were given them instead. He was given the ones no one wanted and after a while, he'd accepted them as what he deserved. Until Hetty entered his life. Since then, so much had changed. He'd been given a chance of making a difference. Fighting for good for his country. Saving the innocent and taking down the bad guys. He had sunk his life into his work, it was what had kept him going, not having a family. Then he'd met some people along the way that had mattered. They had become family and now, he was where he was happiest. Hetty again had saved him. Provided a partner who looked out for him and saw him as a brother. Sam Hanna was a rare breed, like Hetty. They'd seen past his faults and tried hard, and fought for him. A tear escaped and he quickly wiped it away. They had fought for him, when his own father hadn't. Every thought and emotion returned to that point.

He watched a family carry their gear onto the beach for an outing. The children were small and he thought about him and Savannah doing the same thing with her children and the twins when they were older. Little legs waddling on the sand, trying to keep their balance as they help carry a bucket down to the water's edge. The mother fussed over her children, as the father laid out the towels and umbrella on the sand. His heart squeezed tight inside his chest. So much he'd missed out on. It just wasn't fair. He needed to get away from them, from the reminder of what he'd missed out on. He headed back north on the beach, to where he'd parked his car. As his feet pounded on the wet sand, he became determined to change things with his own children. He would fight for them. Each and every time something bad came their way, he would fight.

Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre

Savannah looked up with a smile across her face as she fed Samuel on the breast. She'd already fed Nathan and now Amy held her nephew in her arms.

Callen entered and washed his hands, before he walked over to them. Watching Savannah with Samuel melted his heart. His beautiful wife feeding one of their sons was one of the most beautiful things he'd witnessed in his life. What a mother did for her children because she loved them, was still very much a foreign thing for Callen. But his love grew deeper for his wife at the birth of their sons. Not only had she given him a son, but two, was also something that Callen was trying to get his head around. Two beautiful sons that had his fair hair and cerulean eyes. He didn't feel like he'd deserved either. He gently kissed Savannah on the temple and sat down next to her. He watched Samuel suck and he traced his hairline with the tip of his finger. His son grabbed his little finger with his tiny ones and held on tight. His son was not letting him go. His heart grew with a new feeling of being wanted. His own son wanted him there with him. How much he'd wanted the same. He mentally scolded himself for not fighting with all that he had, to give his father a chance when he was nine. Why hadn't he seen the love in Baxter's eyes? Seen the effects of what had happened to him, tear at his father?

"You were only a child, George." Hetty's words echoed inside his head. "No one should have expected you to know the difference of your father's anger, from 'at you,' to 'for you.' After all you'd been through, it's not surprising that you feared him."

Callen shuddered as he tried to push the thoughts to the back of his head and focus on now. "Daddy's not going anywhere, Samuel. You hold on tight, I'm right here."

A tear fell down Savannah's cheek, as Callen's words entered her heart. She knew he was struggling from the day before, but she was determined to be there for him.

Callen gently brushed her tear away and stared into her green eyes. "I'm sorry if you were worrying about me, Sav. I needed time to think." He captured her lips with his and savoured her taste. "I love you, Sav. More now than ever, you've given me a family. Two beautiful sons. I'll never let anything happen to any of you."

"I know that, George." She lifted Samuel up onto her shoulder to burp him. "You haven't held Nathan since last night, do you want to hold him now?"

"I have, early this morning. I couldn't sleep." He looked over at his sister as she bonded with their other son.

"Did you get any sleep at all?" Savannah saw the shadows under his eyes and she continued to worry about him.

"A little." He swallowed hard and took Nathan from Amy. "Hey little man. Daddy's back. Now let me tell you a story about your Uncle Nate. Once upon a time, he was out at a bar with his friends. It was karaoke night and he was determined to sing a Back Street Boys' songs. But Daddy tried to save him from the embarrassment. But Uncle Nate refused and he got so drunk that he totally embarrassed himself in front of everyone at the bar, singing one of their songs. Now when you're older and Uncle Nate tries to get you to sing a boy band song, I want you to shake your head firmly and say, 'NO.'"

Savannah laughed, she'd heard the story before, how Nate got drunk and sung the Back Street Boys song. Callen had ensured that she knew all the funny stories of Nate's while he worked at OSP. "Somehow I don't think Nate would dare to try and persuade our sons to sing one of their songs, George. He'd be too scared that you'd harm him for it."

"So he should." Callen grinned over to her and for a moment, all his haunted memories vanished.

Savannah laughed and his face beamed over to her. She was beautiful and she took his breath away. Finally, after a forty year wait, he had his turn at normality. Living the American Dream of a beautiful wife and children. There was hope for him to coach little league one day, to watch his sons grow and teach them everything that there was to learn.

Amy smiled and nodded her head over to Savannah. How far both her brother and Savannah had come in such a short time. Both had suffered too many losses and now they had the chance of having their happy ever after. The boys drifted off to sleep and Amy saw her opportunity to steal her brother away for a walk and a talk. She hoped that she might change his heart and meet with their father. They went with Savannah back up to her room and stayed for a while, but soon Savannah drifted off to sleep and Amy finally had her chance with him. They tiptoed out of the room, closing the door behind them. "Let's get some coffee. You look tired, George."

Callen nodded and followed, he relished the time alone with his sister. It was a rarity these days, especially after Robert and their sons return. But he was happy for her and accepted what he could get with her. They found a cafe tucked around the corner from the medical centre and entered. They ordered and sat in a quiet corner.

"Dad looked disappointed that you weren't here this morning."

"I don't know what he was expecting, Amy. I'm surprised that you've been so welcoming, after all he's done. He deserted us when we needed him. We were little, defenceless. If you hadn't had Granger step in like he had, you wouldn't even be alive today. Don't forget that, Amy."

She knew that he was right, but still, she felt the need to reconnect with their father. "It's not healthy to hold onto the hurt, you know. You need to let go, if not for his sake, your own. It's tearing at you on the inside, please, give him a chance."

"I did once. He let me down. I needed him then. I don't now." He took a sip of his coffee, scanning the cafe for danger. It was a habit he'd continued since he could remember, way before he became a Federal Agent.

"Why won't you tell me what happened? When Dad tried to adopt you." She watched a myriad of emotions flash across his face, before he could hide them.

"You don't want to go there, Amy. It wasn't a good time in my life." She saw his muscles flex in his arms and shoulders.

"Maybe you need to talk to someone about it. Like Nate, for instance. You know him well."

Callen shook his head. "No." He was more forceful in his response than he'd intended on being, but he couldn't help himself.

"I know it's been tough for you, but isn't it time to put the past behind you and focus on now?"

A cynical laugh escaped his throat. "I'm trying, but everyone keeps brining up the past."

It was a battle that Amy could see that she was going to lose. Her brother was broken and from what she gathered, the time their father had entered his life, things were pretty bad. It worried her, because he'd only been nine at the time. She would have to speak with their father, perhaps he could shed a light on the matter.