Tony crashed again during the night. He actually appeared to be doing better after they got him back, but Jimmy was not relaxing any. No matter what happened today, Tony was dying. That was known since the diagnosis came in. Jimmy was hoping and praying that Tony would keep fighting and stay around a little longer. Realistically he was sure that Tony would die. That this rally was the last good time before the end.
Tony improved but he was still suffering. He woke in a great deal of pain. It broke Jimmy's heart to see his friend screaming and crying. They gave him morphine but that only put him to sleep. It seemed cruel but Jimmy wished that Tony would die. It was killing him to see his friend suffering. Tony DiNozzo was the strongest man Jimmy knew. He never let anything get to him. Even when he was recovering from the plague. He still was worrying over Kate and Gibbs. He came back less than a month later. Now with the cancer all he could do was lie in bed and scream from the pain. What was worse was knowing that Tony would not get better. He would get worse and then he would die or he would just die.
"They are moving you out of the ICU tomorrow morning. You can start radiation up again in the morning and then they will move you back to the regular cancer floor. Once you are set up I am going to bring Tali by. I know you don't want her to see you like this but she misses you. Breena told me that she cried all night. She needs you Tony." Jimmy explained.
"Don't want her to remember me as weak." Tony rasped.
"She will not remember you as weak. Tony you are so strong right now. Dr. Heron said a weaker person would be dead. After the seizures and allergic reaction. When she learns what cancer can do to a person. She will remember you as strong." Jimmy assured.
"She deserves better." Tony rasped.
"Nobody is better than you." Jimmy insisted.
Breena hung her head over the counter, her hair covered her drooping eyes. She had not slept for a second the night before. She spent the night tossing and turning with worry over Tony. Until Tali woke in the middle of the night. She spent the rest of the night holding one screaming toddler. While her own child whined about not being able to sleep and pleaded for extra attention. By morning Breena was in a haze. Tali was unusually quiet. Just picking at the oatmeal Breena had somehow managed to prepare. Tori on the other hand was shrieking and had already thrown her oatmeal and the cereal Breena poured to replace it. The cereal flew past Breena's head.
"MOMMY! CEREAL SPILLED!" Tori screamed.
"You threw it." Breena corrected.
"Tali threw it." Tori insisted.
"Sorry" Tali apologized.
"Victoria Elizabeth Palmer I saw you throw it. Apologize to Tali and then help me clean up." Breena insisted.
"Mommy doesn't love me anymore!" Tori screamed.
"Tori I love you but you cannot act like this. I know this is confusing. I know. Just go sit quietly. I'll clean this up. Tali you can go play." Breena rambled.
"NO FAIR!" Tori snapped storming out of the kitchen.
Tony couldn't move his legs, he could barely move his arms, and he could see only shadows. The short conversation he'd had with Jimmy had worn him out. He could speak when they were able to remove the vent but his speech was slurred and weak. When he fell asleep they had to reintubate him. He had another seizure around noon. It was small but terrifying. The doctors were not very optimistic. Nobody wanted Tony to continue radiation. Well one person did. Tony. His request nothing that they do all they could to save his life. It killed Jimmy to see his friend that way. If he had not promised Tony that he would stay by his side. That he would get Tali through this ordeal. Jimmy would disappear and stay away until this was all over. Until after Tony had died and Tali was recovered. Too bad that was not an option for him.
Breena let the bedroom door shut behind her. Tali had crashed on the couch a few minutes earlier. Tori continued to run around the house having her tantrum. Jimmy had just called to say Tony had two more seizures. Tali overheard her and Breena had to explain seizures and what the horrible disease was doing to her Abba. Tori picked that moment to jump on Tali and declare that she hated her. Jimmy was crying on the phone. She hadn't slept the night before but neither had Jimmy. Tony only slept because of the drugs and him being too physically weak to do much else. She heard Tali crying in the living room and Tori taunting her. Her life was hell. She could not take much more. She had been strong for so long. She just could not anymore. She fell to the floor sobbing uncontrollably. She wished that it was her dying rather than Tony.
Tony was awake again. He was still on the vent. The doctors did not think he would come off this time. There was a good chance that Jimmy would never hear his friend's voice again. The last thing Tony had said to him before falling into a drug induced sleep was a desperate plea for help. All Jimmy could do was assure that the drugs would be working soon. That Tony would soon be free. He tried calling Breena again but she did not answer. When she called back he voice was breaking and he knew that she had been crying. He could hear Tali crying in the background and Tori screaming. According to Breena that was how her day had gone. He wished that he could be home with her but somebody had to be with Tony. He wished he could trade with her but he saw how being at the hospital had hurt her. At this point he did not know which was worse. Home with one toddler on a jealous rampage and the other broken by grief, or at the hospital watching his best friend slowly die from lung cancer.
A/N: Jimmy and Breena really need to ask for help. New chapter will be up soon. Thanks for reading and please review.
