One: So This is Christmas...

Callie tapped her iPhone and took a deep breath, this was the call she wasn't looking forward to making. Her fingers tugged on the waistband of her scrubs as she leaned against the cafeteria window that overlooked the park. A dusting of snow, lighter than icing sugar had begun to fall and started to settle making the view as picturesque as any holiday card.

"Hey." Her husband’s husky post tour voice tingled right down to her toes.

She pressed her forehead against the glass. "Hey, how are you?" The shrill of excited children split down the line which made her chest grow tight. God sometimes this job sucked.

"Slowly regaining my bearings, I miss you." His voice was low and soft. It had been pure bad luck that she'd ended up on a double shift from hell would take her right till eight am Christmas morning, she'd barely spent a night with Jon since he'd been home from Australia. Seven hours, thirty-three minutes and forty eight seconds to be precise. He'd stepped off the plane and had been ordered straight into bed as soon as she'd heard about the torrential downpour that happened in Sydney. Like the determined showman he was he sang the entire way through it and on the plane home had shown early stages of fever and chills so she shut that down pretty quickly. Of course in addition to this, it was Christmas so it was also a major military operation organizing and slotting in families over the Christmas holiday, both of their families weren't exactly on the small side but this year they had agreed to host the entire Richards and Bongiovi clan at their home in New Jersey at night.

She was absolutely crazy but on the twenty-sixth of December she was boarding a jet to St Bart’s with her family and going to sink her toes into glorious golden sand.

"I miss you too babe. I'm so sorry I haven't been there." Jon above anyone understood that this is what their life was and they made it work. Schedules were insane between them but when it was family time, it was family time. Lights out. She just hadn't expected to be tied up this close to Christmas.

"Cal its ok, am I upset that I've been back three days and haven't made love to my wife yet? Sure. But I'll get over it."

She sighed; she missed the taste of him, the weight of him and just being with him. "I'll make it up to you. You know I always do."

He chuckled. "So when are you coming home?"

She bit her lip. "Eight am Christmas Day. We're really busy. We had a girl, Stella's age come in and she's been hit by drunk driver and she's not in a good way Jon. I've got some massive reconstruction of her insides to do so it'll be an eight hour surgery minimum. I'm heading to prep shortly." She closed her eyes as Cassidy Phillips mangled body lay flashed in front of her, her parents in hysterics as they only were crossing the road with their daughter from some last minute late night shopping when the driver came out of nowhere. He was stable with a few broken limbs but boy she was going to need a small miracle to ensure that Cassidy would end up the same way.

"Oh babe, that's awful. Do you think she'll pull through?"

She palmed the glass to her outside freedom. "I don't know, it's just gonna be so...hard."

"Well, she's got the best, don't worry about us. We'll head over to Matt's as planned ok? Don't you worry about a thing. I'll get you Christmas Day and that's all that matters. Do you at least get a break between now and the end of your shift?"

Callie looked at her watch. "OK don't forget everything is on the bottom shelf in the fridge to take up there, I'll get a couple of hours to have a nap about ten tonight and then I'll be on obs overnight and any stand-by emergency surgeries."

"Good, try and get some sleep. You've already been there eighteen hours."

"I will. I love you." She blurted it out, she was tired. Dead on her feet and she missed her family.

"I love you too Callie. Call me later."

"Jon?"

"Yes, I'll drive carefully. I promise."

She smiled. "Good. Give my love to our babies and explain why I'm doing this ok?"

"Will do, now go and do it my gorgeous doctor."

They hung up and she smiled clipping her phone back on her waistband. She couldn't wait to get home, she'd found the perfect gift for her husband who was the worst world's person to buy for as usually he just bought whatever he wanted for himself when he wanted it. He didn't believe in wish-lists, he believed in just doing it. So, she'd gone for the sentimental this year and of course they'd spoiled the kids as per usual. They tried not to so they'd learn the value of what they had to work for, but it was hopeless letting Jon Christmas shop, he always went overboard for his babies. Their babies.

She sighed and started to walk back towards the elevators up to surgical when her hip buzzed again. Seeing the home number she frowned as she answered. "Jonny?"

Her heart burst when her daughter's voice babbled onto the line. "Mommy?"

She blinked back some tears and slid into the wall of the corridor. "Hey baby girl, what's going on?" She wasn't usually this damn emotional but it had been a hell of a year and a crazy few weeks with Jon away on tour and juggling the holiday preparations, a very full work load and her children.

"Daddy told us you need to help fix another little girl."

She smiled as she heard Jon whispering in the background. "That's right, I do honey. So, I'm not going to be home until tomorrow morning. Mommy wishes she could be there tonight more than anything." Matt usually held a good Christmas Eve bash and the Bongiovi men would drink top shelf spirits and smoke a couple of cigars while the women drank schnapps and gossiped.

"It's ok Mommy. I love you."

Callie clutched her chest. "I love you too Stells. Just be good for Daddy tonight, you and your brother." God bless her husband. He seemed to know when she just needed that little something to get her through and tonight it was the sound of her kid's voices.

"Mom!" The bubbling voice of her eight year old son came on the line as there was an argument over whose turn it was.

"Yes my love."

"Daddy said to ask you if we could have ice-cream for breakfast when you get home tomorrow?"

Callie laughed, loud. "Jeesh. I can't leave any of you in charge huh? Hmmm. I suppose so. It is Christmas after all."

"Yes! She said yes Dad!" Callie checked her watch, she really needed to go and was thankful when Jon came back over the line.

She popped the elevator button. "I need to go honey. But I will tell you this much. You're so going to get laid when I get home mister."

Jon laughed. "Hell, one phone call from your kids and I'm gettin' lucky!"

"You know you what you did. I needed that." It's how they worked. Call it intuition but through the years they both seemed to always know when the other one was too proud, too strong to ask for that little something. She'd done it enough for Jon over the years and he was the only one that knew when to do it for her. Always at the most perfect moments.

"Ok, Cal, go kick some ass."

She smiled as she clicked her phone off and tucked it away as she prepared to walk into a very tough night's work. But having her family behind her was more invaluable in strength than eight hours sleep. She would see them later, but right now she was all about Cassidy Phillips and making sure she lived to see her Christmas.