Jack just laid on the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling, hoping that if he stayed like this, he wouldn't think, because he knew if he did, he would lose his temper and start beating up on himself again for letting a suspect get away. He sat there for what seemed like years to him, but he knew it could only be a few minutes. He looked up at the clock. It was about 5:30pm now. He tried to take a deep breath to calm himself, but the bullet wounds in his side and stomach wouldn't let him, as pain tore through his body.
Early that morning, he had been given the assignment of bringing in a suspect, Matt Hendelson. He had worked in the drug cartel with Ramon and Hector Salazar, and was possibly going to take over the brothers business. The man posed no immediate danger, but CTU was taking a precautionary measure. Jack, wanting to hurry and get the job done had accidentally walked out of CTU without a vest, and when he realized he didn't have one, figured he didn't need one, since it was going to be such and easy job. But when jack got there, there was more security then he was alerted to, so he was seen. Hendelson ran. Jack perused him for a while, and thought he lost him, but then he jumped out from behind a corner and punched Jack in the eye, not having a gun. Jack, then chased him some more, finally cornering him, but when the man noticed he didn't have a vest on, Hendelson now having found a gun, shot at him, hitting him in the stomach twice, and his right side once. He had called for medical, and Hendelson had gotten away. Jack had been brought back to CTU, and he had had to have emergency surgery because of the gunshot wounds, and now had been given him what felt like morphine. He looked at the clock on his wall, it read about 5:28.
Just then, Jack heard the rush of air as some one opened the door to his room. He tried to see who it was, but the darkness of the room, coupled with his black eye, made it very difficult. Only when the figure sat down on the bed with him did he know it was Tony. The two sat there in silence for a while, both men lost in there own thought. Tony looked over at Jack, and Jack, sensing the eyes on him, looked back. Jack looked in Tony's eyes, and saw something.
"What happened?"
"What do you mean?"
"Tony, something's wrong, what is it"
"Jack...I want to tell you, but the doctors say I should wait, but I think you should know, but I don't..."
"Damnit Tony, just tell me"
"It's about Chase... and Kim"
Tony saw Jack's eyes fill with fear, and then dread as he thought about what could have happened to his daughter and her husband.
"Today Kim and Chase decided to take Angela and leave LA to go see Chase's parents..."
Tony cleared his throat.
"They got on the highway, but there was a lot of traffic, so they got off, and decided to take some back roads. They were on a one lane highway, and they were making a corner and..." Tony had to stop again, this time putting his hand on Jack's shoulder.
"There was a truck coming around the other way, and he couldn't see them, and he was going really fast and..."
Jack looked at Tony, desperately wanting an answer to the question on his mind, but not wanting one at all.
"Are they...?" he couldn't manage to utter the last word.
"Ya… they are" Tony said a gently as he could, desperately not wanting any of this to be true, not wanting to have to be the one telling jack this, not wanting to be the one to do this to him.
"All... of them...?" He questioned, knowing the answer, unable to hide the shakiness in his voice.
"Ya Jack, I'm so sorry"
Jack sat their for a moment
"Even Angela?"
"Ya Jack" Tony said tears staring to well up in his eyes as he saw Jack start to fall apart.
Tears stared to roll down jacks face as he though about is daughter, his granddaughter, and Chase.
He tried to hide his tears from Tony as he turned away, but Tony put a soft but firm grip on his shoulder, turning Jack towards him. Jack kept his head down, causing Tony to put a hand on Jack's face, gently pulling it up towards him.
"Hey...Jack...look at me."
As Jack looked up at him, Tony saw all the pain in his now redden water blue eyes, which cause his eyes to tear up more, and the lump in his throat to be come bigger. He couldn't stand to see Jack like this. It killed him to see him so upset, he just wished he could make it all go away, all the pain, and suffering Jack had gone through. Hell, he wished it was him instead.
"Baby..." Tony moved his hand on Jack's face to the back of his neck, pulling Jack towards his shoulder.
As soon as Jack face was in the crook of Tony's neck, he couldn't hold back his sobs any longer. Jack gave in. He let the sobs rack his frame, even as the pain from his side tore threw him because of it. Tony whispered little nothings into his ear, and ran a soothing hand up and down his back, while his other hand held Jack to him.
"Shhhhhh...it's okay Jack... get it all out...shhhhh...let it all out baby, I know, I know"
Tony pressed a kiss in to Jack's hair as he clawed at his back like a little child, balling up Tony's shirt in his hands, sobs still pouring out of him. Tony rocked Jack in his arms, still trying to comfort him.
"I know Jack, I know, it's all gonna get better, I promise, I has to, it just has to..." Tony said, desperately hoping that he was right, that it all would get better. It had to, even if it was just for Jack's sake. Terri's death, Audrey's death, and now Kim and what little bit of a family he had, all dead, it just had to get better for him.
Jack's sobs had started to subside, being replaced with shaky breaths. Jack looked up at Tony.
"Stay here with me?" he said sheepishly
"'Course"
Tony then got up onto the right side of the bed, so he was facing the other man, and carefully draped an arm over him. Tony put his head against Jack's chest and listens to Jack's heartbeat. It was one of the most comforting sounds in the world to him. It was proof to him that Jack was really here. That it was all real. That he was safe, if only for the moment. Tony waited until Jack breathing had slowed, telling Tony that he was asleep. Tony picked up his head, wishing he didn't have to leave him, and gently kissed him on the forehead.
"I'll be back soon baby. I promise" he whispered.
Tony got up of the bed, trying not to disturb Jack. He quietly walked over to the door, slowly opened it, and exited the room. He quickly looked back over his shoulder at the sleeping man. Tony sighed to himself. At least now Jack could have some peace. He found one of Jack's nurses and told her that if Jack woke up and asked where he was to tell him that he had gotten assigned to take over Jack's assignment, and would be back as soon as he could.