A/N: Not much to say here, other than that this is a very short oneshot I wrote a while ago that I discovered while sorting through my notebook. It's another vague one, no names mentioned. Enjoy!
P.S. If you were wondering, the disease described is lung cancer, though it probably applies to other sicknesses too.
Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS, it belongs to Bellisarius. Please don't sue me!
She sank to the floor, sobbing violently. He was sick, very sick. What if he didn't make it? What if the doctors were wrong, and it was too late?
He came over and sat beside her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close.
"Listen," he whispered, "Here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to go far away from here. Far away so you don't have to see me like this anymore." He did look different than he used to; he appeared older than he was, he had lost excessive amounts of weight, his voice was hoarse and he coughed frequently, he radiated fever, he looked exhausted and she knew he was in pain.
"I'll call you every day, and let you know how I'm doing."
Would he sound the same, she wondered, in a strange place with strange people? Will he sound the way he used to?
Or is that man gone?
"I'll make it as easy as possible."
How easy can it really be when the person you love is going away to die?
"And lastly, when the doctor tells me the truth, I'll lie to you, because God knows the small mercies are the most important."
Her reaction lessened a bit, but she was all turmoil inside. She laid her head on his shoulder and cried softly, clinging to him as though, if she let him go, he would disappear.
And then it hit her. Why was he comforting her? He was the one with the life-threatening disease. She looked him in the eyes, opening her mouth to speak, but stopped. His eyes. They were full of emotion: confusion, guilt, angst, sorrow, despair. They told her what she needed to know. He needed her as much as she needed him.
She ran her fingers through his hair affectionately and the pulled him into a hug.
"No, you're not," she whispered in his ear.
"You're not going anywhere."
A/N: I'm not psychic, so if you want me to know what you thought, you'll have to review. Come on, that's it, it's not hard…