Sam lay on the couch with five month old Sloane, three year old Oliver and six year old Gideon. He sat up carefully - Maddie was asleep in the other room. He checked his watch, wondering where Michael and Fiona were, when his phone rang. Looking at the number, he saw it was Mike.
"Mikey where…"
"Mr Axe?"
"Who is this?"
"I'm calling from Jackson Memorial Hospital on behalf of Michael Westen, would you be able to come and pick him up?"
"What's going on? Is Fiona there too?"
"I'm not authorized to give out patient information. Mister Westen just asked for you to come get him." And with that she hung up.
Sam stared at the phone for a second, before going to wake Maddie up. He quietly opened the door, saying, "Maddie, Maddie."
She slowly woke up, looking at Sam. "What's wrong?"
"Hospital just called, Mike's okay, but I think maybe something happened to Fiona. I'm going down there, will you keep an eye on the kids?"
"They're my grandkids, Sam, of course I will." Maddie got up, putting on a robe and lighting a cigarette out of habit, then putting it out.
As they walked back out, Oliver woke up, his eyes running over to him. "Where are you going? Where's mommy and daddy?"
"I'm going to bring them home."
Oliver, being the oldest, knew something was wrong, and hugged Sam. Sam hugged him back, before leaning back to look him in the eye and saying, "I'll be back soon. Go lay back down with the others so they don't wake up. Be good for Grandma."
Oliver nodded, going to the couch. Sam hugged Maddie once more before leaving. He drove to the hospital and walked inside - looking around he went up to the front desk, asking the receptionist, "I got a call to pick up Michael Westen. Can you tell me what happened?"
"Right this way sir. We can't give out any information, other than he gave us your number and asked for you to come down." The receptionist led him to a room.
"He's in there." The receptionist left, going back out front.
Sam nodded his thanks, and softly knocked and slowly opened the door. Michael was curled up on the bed. "Mikey."
Michael shifted slightly at the sound of Sam's voice, but didn't look up right away. His arms were wrapped around his knees, and his face was pale, drawn tight with exhaustion or something worse. Sam stepped closer, keeping his voice low. "Mikey, what happened? Where's Fi?"
Michael finally lifted his head, his eyes bloodshot and hollow.
"She's… she's gone, Sam." His voice cracked on the last word, and he let out a shuddering breath.
Sam froze, his chest tightening.
"Gone? What do you mean? Is she—" He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.
Michael swallowed hard and looked down, his hands trembling.
"It was supposed to be a simple op. We were ambushed. I… I tried to get her out, but—" His voice broke completely, and he shook his head, unable to continue.
Sam sat down beside him, wrapping an arm around him. Michael leaned his head on his shoulder, and they sat there in silence until Michael started to panic, "How…am I… with the kids. Where are they?"
"They are still at Maddie's. I've been with them since you two left until the hospital called me an hour ago."
Michael exhaled shakily, though his body remained tense.
"Let's get back to your mom's." Sam gave his shoulder a firm squeeze. "The kids need you. And honestly, you need them too. We'll get through this, one step at a time."
Michael nodded weakly, his voice barely audible as he whispered, "Thanks… for everything."
"Anything for you Mikey."
An hour later, Michael and Sam walked through the door quietly. The boys were asleep on the couch and Sloane was asleep in the makeshift crib. Michael went to his old room and Sam made his way to the guest. As Sam approached the door he heard, "Sam?"
He turned and saw Michael had stopped, watching the three kids sleep. Sam slowly made his way back over, watching them also.
"How am I going to do this?"
"One day at a time." Sam put a hand on his shoulder squeezing it. "Go to bed, Mikey, they'll be up and about in no time."
The next morning, Michael woke up to the sound of all three kids and Sam attempting to be quiet. He slowly got up, walking into the kitchen. Michael looked around for them, finding Gideon and Oliver watching TV in the dark. He walked toward the kitchen, lingering in the doorway for a moment, his heart aching at the sight. Sam holding Sloane in the kitchen, attempting to fix breakfast. It was the kind of scene Fi should have been a part of.
The air felt both too quiet and too full, her absence cutting through the warmth like a he stepped forward, Sloane spotted him immediately, her face lighting up as she stretched her arms out toward him, babbling in her tiny voice. Sam turned, catching the movement, and smiled faintly.
"She's been keeping me company," Sam said softly, his tone measured, careful not to shatter the fragile calm of the moment.
Michael managed a small smile, stepping closer and taking Sloane from Sam's arms. She nestled into his chest, her soft coos grounding him in a way nothing else could.
"Thanks for… stepping in," Michael murmured, his voice raw.
"Anything you need, Mikey," Sam replied simply, turning back to the stove. "You don't have to do this alone."
Michael settled Sloane on his hip, gently bouncing her as he leaned against the counter.
"I think we'll be just fine, won't we, baby girl?"
Sloane responded with a happy squeal, grabbing Michael's nose with her tiny hand. Sam glanced over at them, his expression softening despite himself.
"You two make quite the team," he said quietly.
Michael looked up, meeting Sam's eyes for a moment before turning his attention back to Sloane.
"Yeah," he said, his voice just as soft. "We do."
The moment lingered between them, before Sam turned back to the pancakes with a small smile, and Michael shifted his focus to keeping Sloane entertained. After breakfast, Sam took the kids to clean up while Michael tidied up the kitchen.
Maddie came in, seeing the aftermath. "Where's the kids, honey?"
"Sam took them to get cleaned up," Michael said.
"He's still here?"
"Yeah, he stayed in Nate's old room, while I slept in mine."
Gideon and Oliver came running back, both hugging Maddie, Sam was carrying Sloane, her tiny fist clutching his shirt in a cute outfit Sam had found. Her big eyes darted around the room before settling on Maddie, and she let out a small coo.
"All cleaned up," Sam said softly, shifting Sloane so she rested more comfortably in his arms. He glanced at Maddie, offering a polite smile before looking back at Michael.
Maddie turned to Sam, her eyebrows raising slightly as she nodded toward the baby. "You've gotten good at that."
"I've always been good with kids," Sam shrugged.
Maddie nodded and watched as Michael took Sloane from Sam. As Michael stepped closer, their arms brushed, lingering just slightly.
"I was thinking of taking her and the boys to the park for a bit. Get them out of the house for a while," Michael said.
Maddie raised an eyebrow, glancing at Sloane.
"The boys, sure. But isn't she a little young for the park?"
"Not for the fresh air," Sam chimed in, giving Sloane a small smile.
"She might like it. And if she doesn't, I'll bring her back."
Maddie looked between the two men, her lips pressing into a thin line before she sighed. "Alright. But don't let them wear you out."
Michael smiled faintly. "We'll be fine."
As Maddie turned to leave, she paused and leaned closer to Michael, her voice low. "Just be careful, Michael. You've got a lot on your plate."
Michael frowned slightly. "Mom—"
"I mean it," she said, cutting him off gently.
"You're grieving. So is he, you a girlfriend, him a close friend. Don't make things harder than they need to be."
Michael glanced toward Sam, who was softly humming to Sloane as he adjusted her blanket. He exhaled and nodded. "I hear you."
Maddie gave him a knowing look before walking out. Michael stood there for a moment, lost in thought, until Sam's voice broke the silence.
"What were you two talking about?" Sam asked.
Michael reached for Sloane, and Sam smiled as she snuggled up to him.