A/N: Here's another chapter.
I do NOT own
Please read and review.
PS. A big thank you to all of you who faithfully review, I cannot express how much it means to me. And to those of you who share your personal stories I do not feel worthy but I am so utterly touched by your honesty and courage. I hope to PM most of you this week to thank you each more properly. Hope you all have a great weekend.
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Tony awoke in a haze. He was lying in a hospital bed not at all sure how he got there. He saw his husband asleep in a recliner next to the bed.
"Jethro?" He whispered.
Gibbs awoke with a start. "Tony? You alright?"
"Yeah, I think so. Bad headache though. How'd I get here?"
"You don't remember?"
"I just remember puking… a lot."
"Yeah you sure did." Gibbs seemed hesitant.
"What's going on Jethro?" Tony looked at him pointedly.
Gibbs looked down at his feet as if he wished they would take him away.
"You were feeling pretty bad; you were dehydrated and you spiked a fever. So I brought you here."
"And?" Tony knew that wasn't all of it.
"And—you had a seizure."
Tony gulped at that his words failing him.
"A seizure?" he finally asked.
"Yeah."
Tony's mind was reeling. What did it mean?
"What caused the seizure?"
Gibbs was about to answer when Dr. Cavanaugh came in, a big smile on his face.
"Oh good Tony you're awake! How are you feeling?"
"Better, I think."
"Good, good." The doctor mumbled in reply as he looked over Tony's chart.
Gibbs was irritated by the light hearted tone of the doctor and he soon let him know it.
"What's so good about this situation?" he barked.
The doctor looked up from the chart a smirk on his face.
"Oh I don't know. Just the fact that Tony's seizure was caused by his fever and not from metastases to his brain. And it looks like the chemo is holding back the progression of the disease. So I don't know about you but that seems pretty damn good to me."
The two men stared at Cavanaugh in shock.
"W—what?" Tony stammered.
"Yeah, what?!" Gibbs said.
"Well, here's the situation: Tony has a bit of pneumonia, not good but not too bad either. He spiked a fever and that is what caused his seizure. We're treating his pneumonia and getting his counts where we'd like them and then resuming the chemo, which appears to be doing its job."
Gibbs and Tony stared at Cavanaugh open mouthed and stunned.
"Is that all you can do? Stare at me agape?" Cavanaugh chuckled.
Just then Gibbs did something totally uncharacteristic, he smiled.
Tony finally found words and said, "So the chemo's working?"
"Yep."
Tears sprang into Tony's eyes but he valiantly fought them back.
Gibbs ever the skeptic asked, "What exactly does that mean?"
"It means that Tony is responding to first line treatment, which in turn means that he has more time than we hoped."
"More time?"
"Yes, I can't say how much more but I can tell you that he has more and that after his last round of chemo, barring any unforeseen issues, he will have a better quality of time."
"Jethro?"
"Yeah, Tone?"
"Did you hear what he said?"
"I did."
"Well then get your ass over here and kiss me."
"Can I?" Gibbs queried the doctor.
"Sure, why not." Cavanaugh beamed.
Gibbs came to Tony and planted a sweet but intense kiss on Tony's chapped lips. Cavanaugh quietly left them.
Gibbs pulled back from the kiss leaving his hands cupped around Tony's too thin face, and stared at him.
"God, I love you so much." Gibbs said fiercely.
"I love you too Jethro, so much." Tony was more subdued.
"What's wrong Tone?" Gibbs asked.
"Nothing, I'm just so happy." His tender smile filled Gibbs with joy.
"Me too…" Gibbs whispered as he began to kiss Tony again.
McGee walked into Abby's silent lab, to find her staring at the phone.
"Hey Abby what's up?" The lack of music and Abby's strange quiet concerned Tim.
"That was Gibbs." She said absently.
McGee felt his stomach land around his feet.
"Oh God, what's wrong?"
The fear in McGee's voice shook Abby from her reverie.
"Oh no Timmy! It's good! It's so, so, good!"
McGee looked at her quizzically. "Then why are you acting so weird?"
"I don't know, I guess I'm afraid to be happy." She mumbled.
"Since when is Abby Sciuto afraid of being happy?"
"Since my best friend is dying…I guess."
"Oh Abby, I'm sorry." Tim hugged her. "Now why don't you tell me the good news, I sure could use some."
"The chemo is working." She whispered.
"What? Did you just say the chemo is working?" To say that Tim was shocked was an understatement. It was hard to shift gears from accepting Tony's imminent death to all this hope that was now rushing in to him.
Abby beamed and hugged Tim enthusiastically. "Yep, it's working!"
An awestruck "wow" was all McGee could manage.