A/N Something I haven't read about yet. I have read a lot about Deeks getting hurt and Kensi having to take care of their kids, but not much on the other way around.

Disclaimer: Nothing in the bank account, so I don't own anything from NCIS LA

I was torn. I mean really, really torn between my wants and needs as a husband and my wants and needs as a father. Kensi's eyes showed me the same arguments were ongoing in her head as well. One of us was going to have to make a decision soon.

"Remember what we talked about when I was pregnant." Apparently Kens had made the decision. "If possible, one of us would always be home at night for Hope. And tonight it is possible." I knew she didn't want me to leave, but when we found out she was pregnant we decided that we would do our utmost best to be the parents that we never had.

"Do you want me to bring her here in the morning?" It wasn't like Kens was bleeding or anything. She was just in for observation. When the bomb went off, Kens was the closest to it, and while she hadn't gotten hit by any shrapnel, the concussive force had knocked her unconscious. I clamped down on the memories of holding her limp body in the alley, weeping and pleading.

"My God no." That earned me a full power punch to the shoulder as if to show there was no reason for her to stay the night in the hospital. It had actually taken Granger threatening to put Kensi on desk duty for the next month for her to agree to be checked out. Simply because begging, pleading and demanding from her partner wasn't doing a bit of good. Not even a gallon of Rocky Road all to herself if she promised to be a good girl was making any head way. I was almost to the point of using my ultimate trump card, our daughter needing her mother, when Granger had stepped in. But ever since the whole Peter Clairmont episode, Kensi and the Assistant Director had some sort of weird father daughter relationship going on, and it had only gotten stronger after Kensi's assignment to Afghanistan. "You are an idiot. I don't want her to have nightmares. As much as I want to be at home tucking our little girl into bed, somebody decided I needed to get checked out." It was fairly obvious she was blaming me for being stuck in the hospital alone tonight. After all I was the one who got her pregnant and insisted Kensi get looked at after the incident in the alley. "Sorry Shaggy. I shouldn't be blaming you, but you're such a good target." She raised her hand to caress my cheek, and I placed a gentle kiss on her wrist. "I love you. Now get out here, get Hope from Mom, and be ready tomorrow when they say I can go home, before I change my mind and yank you into bed with me."

"Really Fern?" I couldn't help but waggle my eyebrows, because I sure couldn't wink at her. "In a hospital room? Didn't know you wanted to be walked in on like that." The look of utter mortification on Kens' face had me backtracking almost immediately. "Kidding. Just kidding Princess." I leaned down and kissed her lips. "Just so you know, I won't be able to sleep without you in bed with me as well. Love you."

*****NCIS LA*****

I pulled into my mother –in-law's driveway much later than usual. Julia opened the door even before I had got out of the SRX, and a blue eyed brunette whirlwind came tearing out of the house. "Daddy!" I knelt down to her level and my daughter Hope wrapped her arms around my neck. "Missed you."

I held her tight. This right here is tied with her mother for the most precious thing in the world for me. "Hiya Squirt. Were you a good girl for Grandma today?" Julia just smiled, though I could see the concern for her daughter in her eyes, while standing in the doorway. I knew if Hope had caused any problems Julia would have dealt with it, and then informed Kensi or me about what had happened. I once again sent a prayer of thanks upwards for my mother-in-law. If something happens, and there have been quite a few stakeouts that required Kens and I to stay out later than we would have preferred, Julia was there to watch Hope for us.

"Yes Daddy, I was very good." Hope turned her head and went full on puppy dog pout at her grandmother. If possible Julia's smile got even wider. "See Daddy, even Grandma says I was good. Can I have ice cream now please?" I couldn't help but laugh a little. Hope was definitely Kensi's daughter. "I was really good at daycare today as well." She turned her head back towards me, and had an expression that I found darn near impossible to resist when it was on her mother's face, it was just as hard to deal with on a four year old's face.

"Maybe later." I don't know who I was kidding, both Hope and Julia knew that Hope and I would be having ice cream before I put her to bed.

"Sweetie, why don't you go get your art to show your dad? I need to talk to him for a minute." Julia looked down at Hope, with just a touch of command in her voice.

"Wasn't I good Grandma?" Hope's bottom lip quivered, and I had to tamp down on the laughter. That was a full on Kensi pout right there. "No ice cream?"

"No sweetie, you were very good today." How Julia dealt with that look I had no idea. I would have rolled over and been begging for mercy by now. Maybe I needed to take lessons from Julia, might even work on Kensi.

"Otay." Hope ran back into the house. "Be right back Daddy."

"How is Kensi?" Julia cut right to the chase.

"She is pissed." I glanced around to make sure a set of little ears hadn't moved faster than the speed of light. "But it's just for observation. They're just checking to make sure there are no lingering effects or something they missed."

"I figured something was up from the way you sounded when you called me." The concern was still there, but was fading. "What are you going to tell Hope?"

"That her mother is having some tests done, and needed to stay overnight at the hospital." Keeping things simple was the easiest. Hope didn't have any idea about our actual jobs, how on earth could one expect a child to understand the dark and grey shaded world of the Agents of the NCIS Office of Special Projects. "Thank you for all you have done. And I'm sorry for putting you in this position. I couldn't have been easy keeping calm around her, after I called." I am a trained detective with vast amount of undercover experience, and I know I would have a difficult time dealing with the emotions running through my head, while simultaneously keeping up the front that nothing was wrong for Hope.

"Don't be." The son-in-law mother-in-law relationship was supposed to be a strained one, but that wasn't the case for us. "You know I would never turn down time to spend time with Hope."

Just then the mini version of Sunshine came bouncing back out the front door, her back pack on and papers in her hand. "Daddy look here."

"Let me see that." The pictures of three stick figures, and two stick dogs as well, surfing, camping and generally having a good time were just what I needed after a day like today. "This is really good Squirt. We'll need to show Mommy later. You might just be famous one day."

"Where is Mommy?" Hope was looking at the SRX expectantly, while I silently cursed myself. My partner in everything in this life I have was right, I am an idiot. "Is she at home?"

"Hope, Mommy wasn't feeling well, and needed to have some tests done." Maybe I should have used one of my many nicknames for the child, as fear colored her features. I immediately reached down and picked Hope up. "Mommy is ok, Pumpkin. It's just some of those tests needed Mommy to stay overnight at the hospital. So tonight it's just you and me. A Daddy Daughter night. Sound good to you?" A quick nod of her head, and I could tell that Hope was already thinking of how to get me to agree to ice cream for supper. "Now give Grandma hug goodbye, and we'll get going home ok?" I set Hope back down and she ran over to Julia, I swear that kid has only two speeds full throttle and asleep.

As soon as I got her buckled into her car seat, we ready to go. I gave Julia Kensi's room number, as I knew she would be on the hospital to spend some time with Kensi. I knew Kensi wouldn't be alone in the hospital, Callen had most likely shown up not long after I had left. It made it a little easier to leave Kens alone, mainly due to the fact that even after all this time Kens still had some abandonment issues, just as I had some serious self-worth issues.

As we drove back to our house, I started teaching a version of the Mickey Mouse song that I had come up with back when Kensi and I were still trying to adjust to being partners. She didn't ask what the letters NCIS and LAPD stood for, but was happy just to sing along. We got home and I let Monty and Morty out into the back yard. Not long after Hope had been born, we had adopted another washed out police dog. Monty was getting up there in years, and as protective as he was when it came to Kensi and Hope, something he never did for me, we wanted another dog around for when the time came. Morty was a much younger dog, who despite doing the job of being a bomb sniffing dog wouldn't stick around after finding the bomb until commanded. I claimed it just showed his level of common sense, who in their right mind would stick around waiting for the bomb to go off, after it had been discovered. The fact that he was a yellow Labrador retriever, one of the best breeds of dogs for a family was just the icing on the cake.

Much like I had thought earlier, I did give in and Hope and I ate ice cream together. But only after I had made some macaroni and cheese for supper. I called Kensi and let Hope tell her mom all about her day. Then it was time for Hope's bath and in her PJ's and told her one of favorite bedtime stories, the one about the surfing Vampire and the cheerleading Princess. Living in LA, doesn't require a lot of imagination when it comes to creating bedtime stories. I was blatantly ripping off a tv show, and using Kensi and I in place of the lead characters. I leaned down kissed Hope on the forehead. "Goodnight Squirt. Love you. Sleep tight." I double checked to make sure that Hope had Goaty, her stuffed Bighorn Ram that Callen for some odd reason had given her. It was her favorite stuffed animal.

"Daddy, when Mommy comes home, will I have a new sister or brother?" I paused at the doorway, looking back at Hope in shock. Where does a four year old come up with stuff like that?

"Mommy just needed to be checked out by the doctors overnight. You won't have a new brother or sister. Why?" Now I was sounding like a four year old always asking why.

"Megan at daycare said her mommy stayed at the hospital and then came home with her new sister. Megan says she cries a lot and smells really funny." And that answered where Hope came up with that idea.

"Nope, Squirt. You're not going to be a big sister anytime soon." I shut the light off in her room. "Goodnight Pumpkin. See you in the morning light. Love you."

"Love you too, Daddy."

I sent Kensi a quick text saying I loved her, and knowing how lonely the bed was going to be, just went and crashed on the couch.

*****NCIS LA*****

I must have dozed off sometime during the early morning hours because I awoke to having a diminutive version of a starfish draped over my chest. Like mother, like daughter. I wished Kens was here, I positive that a picture of us on the couch right now would be the new background on her phone. Unfortunately Kens wasn't home yet, and it was time to get up. This was not going to be pleasant. Hope was just as much of a morning person as was her mother, which is to say not all. Luckily I could pick our daughter up a lot easier when lying flat on my back on the couch, as opposed to my partner.

Hope started grumbling as soon as I sat up. I moved around just enough to lay her back down and reached down to softly brush the hair from her face. "Time to start waking up Princess." Her eyes screwed up even tighter as I reached and tickled her nose. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Ice cweam." Yep she was definitely Kensi's child.

"Nope, not going to happen."

"Twinkies?" Hope had yet to open her eyes, but her voice was losing its sleepiness.

"How about chocolate chip pancakes?" I knew that would get a positive response at the way Hope's eyes lit up just like her mother's at the thought of Yummy Yummy Heartattack. "I start making breakfast if you go and start getting ready." Yes she was only four, but she needed to start learning how to do some things on her own. Both Kens and I struggled with trying her to give Hope everything we never had as children, while still instilling a sense of independence.

Before I started off on the pancakes I sent a text to Kensi, saying I loved her, I missed her and we would be calling her on the way to daycare so Hope could talk to her. The rest of the morning went by fairly quickly. There was a slight meltdown of someone missing Mommy, but after the phone call it went by far more smoothly then I thought it would. By the time I dropped Hope off, she was already talking about what she and her friends were going to do today.

I swung by the hospital to drop off a dozen donuts for Kensi. Her face positively started beaming when she saw the Twinkie I had placed on top. I gave her a far too quick of a kiss, and told her I would be waiting for her phone call. Pacific Beach Medical doesn't discharge patients until 1:00pm, and Granger was wanting a debrief this morning. I promised that her reports would just be needing a signature by the time she got back to the Mission.

By the time I made it in, I was the last one there. But for once nobody gave me grief, and Sam had even gotten me a cup of my coffee, just the way I liked it. After a few questions on how we were doing, Callen had spent the night with Kens, keeping her company, she absolutely hated being alone in the hospital, we did our debrief and sat down to file reports. Since we were currently down a team member, unless an extreme emergency came up, no cases or missions were going to be handed down to us. It seemed like forever before my phone rang with the best fifty dollars I have ever spent. Heck I would have paid Eric over a hundred dollars to get Kens' voice saying "I am TOO your type." It was the honest truth.

I told Kens I was on my way, and that I loved her. Sam and Callen were grinning at the cheesiness in my voice. Making some flippant comment that I really didn't have to put much effort into, I headed over to Granger's desk and informed my superior that I was leaving for the day. He simply nodded, I swear the man only has one facial expression. I sure wouldn't want to play poker with him. I was out the door and on the way to pick up Kens from the hospital, though I had a stop to make first.

*****NCIS LA*****

"Hi Mommy!" Kensi winced in anticipation of the impact of a flying four year old rushing to hug her. I however got the patented Bad Ass Blye Glare for daring to bring Hope with me to pick Kens up from the hospital.

"Come here Baby Girl, I missed you so much." Kensi just held Hope like her life depended on it. "Did you miss me?"

"Uh huh. Daddy tries." Great now I was about to get ganged up by two extremely bossy brunettes and I couldn't be any happier.

"I am sure he did." Kensi stood up and kissed me. There something about her now, that wasn't there this morning. "I have got some news for you and Daddy. You are going to be a big sister."

Hope looked shocked and then turned her head towards me. "Daddy you lied."

The look on my face sent and Hope's words sent Kensi into hysterics. I thought she was going to drop Hope she was laughing so hard. However my thoughts were racing in other directions. Like the last week and a half of Hope's pregnancy, and then the two months she had stayed in the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit due to her size. How I had almost lost both of them. Kens looked into my eyes, and immediately sobered. "Hey Deeks, Shaggy. It will be alright. We know what to look for this time, and my body is a lot more adjusted to yours." Had I said something like that around Hope, I would have gotten a punch in the arm or the chest. "We'll figure it out, we always do." Her speaking the words that had become our unofficial family motto soothed the raging memories in my mind.

I leaned forward, ignoring the shiver down Kens' spine as I whispered in her ear. "Next time you have questions about if I got you pregnant, can you just pee on a stick or something? As opposed to getting shot or blown up? "

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