Chapter 10

He pressed the heel of his palms on his forehead as a sudden force of headache hit him. He knew it was caused by the stress he was facing at the moment. And he really needs to calm down and let go of the negative energy. Rubbing his temples in circular motion, he took a deep breath trying to calm himself down.

The knock on the door distracted him from his calming process. He was still battling whether to face Gibbs and McGee or not. Part of him wanted to talk to them. To do as Beth and Ian told him to do, sharing the pain with them. But part of him wanted to be alone and sort this mess out first. There was so many things that he needed to think about first. His job at NCIS, his dad, the team and other stuffs in his life.

"Tony dear. Open up please. I just wanted to talk to you. Just me." Beth's soothing voice was convincing him to open the door. He got up slowly and with careful steps made his way to the door. He opened up a little and leaned against the frame. Beth looked at him worriedly upon seeing the strained look on his face.

"Are you okay, dear?" she asked while guiding Tony back to the bed. Tony just nodded slowly as he took a seat back on the bed.

"Just a little headache. Probably from the anxiety." He smiled trying to reassure Beth. She sat next to Tony and rubbed his back in circular motion.

"My dear boy. I'm so sorry for bringing them to you. If only I knew that you would react this way, I would never let them see you in the first place."

"No, no, Beth. None of this is your fault. It's my fault as much as theirs. I'm sorry for reacting that way. I guessed I wasn't ready to face them." Tony said as he let out a big sigh. Beth is not to blame in this situation. In fact Tony felt guilty that because of him, Beth had to face all this drama. He was the one to be blamed in the first place for taking off just like that. He knew he caused his teammates to worry about him and that led them to take the action they're taking. And his been causing troubles to Beth and Ian since the first time he met them. And it's only been three days.

"May I say something, Tony?" Tony looked at Beth's face and nodded wordlessly. "I know it's hard for you to do this. But as I said a few nights ago, I've been in your place. And trust me dear, you are gonna need them to pull through this. I suggest you clear up your mind and talk with them. Now I'm not forcing you, I'm not trying to influence you. I just think that for them to go through such measures to find you, you must be that important to them." Beth finished her sentence, got up from the bed, kissed Tony's head and left the bedroom leaving Tony alone with his thoughts.

Tony slammed his body on the bed and covered his head with both his hand. He let out another big sigh. He knew sooner or later, he's gonna have to face Gibbs and McGee. Knowing them, there is no way they're going to leave before they got the chance to talk to him. Hitting his head lightly with his fist, he thought back about what Beth said earlier. About how the team made an effort to find him and finding out about his situation. He knew they're the only concerned about him. He got up again, took a deep breath and head towards the door. With his hand on the knob, he prayed for the strength to face his boss and his junior agent.

"Boss, do you think we're doing the right thing? I mean, he looked pissed off." McGee said to Gibbs as he paced aimlessly in the living room. Gibbs just ignored McGee as he didn't have the answer to the question. Were they doing the right thing? Hell, he didn't know. He still cannot forget the sound of hurt in Tony's voice earlier. How he wished he could make all the pain and fears disappear.

All of a sudden McGee went stoic as he saw Tony heading towards them both. He wiped the sweat on his face nervously and took a seat next to Gibbs. Upon seeing McGee's reaction, Gibbs looked up and saw Tony taking a seat in front of them. It's only three days but his senior agent looked as if he's been aging for years. The pain in his eyes, the wrinkle on his forehead and the pale complexion of his skin, it just portrayed how much Tony is hurting, physically and emotionally.

"Sorry for earlier. I sort of lost it." Tony was the first to break the silence.

"Not your fault. We totally understand your reaction. We're the ones who're supposed to say sorry for not respecting your wish." McGee answered trying to clear the situation.

"You okay, DiNozzo? Why'd you just leave like that?" Gibbs never took his eyes of Tony.

"Do I look okay, Boss? Do you think I'm okay?" he raised his voice before he rubbed his face. "I'm sorry. Lost it. Again." He sighed heavily. Gibbs and McGee just kept quite. They knew Tony had a lot to say and they didn't want to interrupt him.

"Truth is, I'm not okay, okay? I just found out that I only have six months to live. Six freaking months. I'm starting to feel weak. I cannot do anything properly anymore. I cannot sleep without taking the pain pills; I cannot eat without throwing them all up again. I'm sorry that I left. I'm scared okay. I'm scared to die. I'm scared of feeling helpless every single day!"

Tony buried his face in his arms. A couple of tears escaped his eyes. Saying all that out loud to his team just made it feel much real and it took all his strength to admit it. Gibbs got up from his seat and sat next to Tony. He lifted up Tony's face and looked at him straight in the eyes.

"Hey. I know you're scared. I know that you're feeling helpless. That's why we're here. To help you through it." Gibbs told him not able to mask the concern in his voice. He hugged Tony and ruffled his hair lightly. A couple more tears escaped Tony's eyes as McGee took his turn to hug Tony and comfort him.

"It's okay Tony. We're gonna figure this out together. All of us." McGee said as he patted Tony on the back.

In the back, Beth was smiling with tears running down her cheeks as Ian hugged her tightly while they watch the confrontation between the three people.

"Aw… Don't you just love happy endings, my darling?" Ian laughed lightly and kissed Beth's head. Yup. He does love happy endings.

…

A/N: I'm extremely sorry for the lack of update. Been busy running around as I'm in the process of opening up a boutique.

A couple more chapters before this story comes to an end. Will try my best to update more as soon as possible.

Again, thank you for the follows, favs and reviews. Sorry can't reply them one by one. I love each and everyone of you for the positivity. Much love.