Katie Grace had been home for two weeks now and so far was settling in well with the rest of the family. He health was remaining steady and she had managed to avoid any hiccups in her homecoming. Though Tony was still extremely paranoid about her health. He had flipped out and acted way to harshly Lily came home sneezing one day after school. Thankfully it came up that she had been playing around behind a dusty shelf at Breena's and must have breathed a little in. Tony felt terrible after the incident had passed. Instead of worrying about his possibly sick child. He was concerned about possible germs infecting his other child. He hated that he had screwed up so much at being a father. Even though Gibbs assured him that all new parents made mistakes. Parenting was tough and Tony had been dealt a bad hand, suddenly being father to three children with varying problems.
On Katie's fifteenth day out of the hospital, Tony finally felt confident enough to take her out of the house. He put her in the wrap that Breena had given him and wrapped her close to his chest. Making sure that her mouth and nose were as far away from the public as possible. Even after the incident with Lily earlier in the week, he was being paranoid. Germs were a nightmare for him. If Katie got sick again she could die. Her little immune system was still so fragile and her body had endured so much. He had gone to the park with Jimmy and was standing on the boardwalk that went over a small stream. Jimmy was leaning over the edge and Tony was standing with his back to the rail.
"How have things been?" Jimmy asked.
"Busy and it will get even worse when I go back to work next week. Are you sure that Breena can handle Katie?" Tony replied.
"Her cousin's baby was born premature a few years back and she took care of him just fine and he had way more problems than Katie." Jimmy assured
"I know it's just terrifying." Tony admitted.
"I know" Jimmy assured.
"Well I've been saying it for months now." Tony recalled.
"Yes and even if you never spoke of it I would know. Because I am a father and I know how scary it can be." Jimmy explained.
"I never thought it would be this hard. Senior was pretty much the worst example of a father there is. Before I met Gibbs I used TV as an example and dad's were always. Well they cared about the kids and would be there but the mom was the one who worried over everything. Then I get these kids and I am on my own and even with Ziva it's not that simple. Are all those fifties TV dad's really that bad? If so than what family is perfect. If Ward Cleaver isn't perfect. Who is?" Tony asked.
"Nobody, Tony. No father is perfect, no mother is perfect. We all make mistakes, we all accidentally hurt our children. It is the ones who intentionally harm their children who are in the wrong. If you love your children and treat them right. Then you are a worthy father." Jimmy explained.
"Then why do I feel so worthless?" Tony asked.
"Because you are human." Jimmy replied.
"I thought that everything would be easier with Katie home but I think it may actually be harder. I have to worry about keeping her healthy and it's just another mouth to feed. Another life I am responsible for. At least in the hospital, she had nurses." Tony explained.
"One night when you needed me. I left Tori with Gibbs and went to help you. Tori was teething at the time and screaming her head off. Gibbs said that it never got easier. That the next time I got good rest I would be dead." Jimmy explained.
"That's comforting." Tony sighed.
"Sometimes you don't need comfort. Sometimes you need the truth." Jimmy replied.
Jake was riding in the passenger seat of Vance's van. Jared was in the backseat with one of his friends from school and they had just dropped Kayla off at her friend's house. The four men were heading for the boxing gym. Just as Jake and Leon did just about every day. Jared typically stayed at school and shot hoops with Danny and Jason but today Jason had a doctor's appointment and Danny wanted to try boxing. So it was four at the gym instead of two. Jake was a little nervous. Because he would be sparring with Jared, while Leon helped Danny. Jake had gone against other opponents before but Jared had been boxing since he could stand. Jake leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. He tried his best not to think about the fight. Deep breaths, take long, slow, deep breaths. That was another of Vance's lessons. Jake opened his eyes just as the van turned onto the back road that Vance tended to take to the gym. He was the first to see it. A car speeding the wrong way down the road. He tried to tell himself it was in the other lane but it was not. The vehicle was speeding right for them. He prayed that the car would switch lanes or at the very least slow down but it only got closer. Jake felt a jolt. His mind flashed back to that night. He was in the back seat with Lily and the car just came out of nowhere. He had tried to shout or maybe that was what he thought had happened. The story was always different in his head. It was never the same twice. Though for a long time he had convinced himself that there was a consistency. The other car was now tapping the front bumper. From the backseat Danny laughed. Jared punched him hard in the arm and called him an asshole. Vance tried his best to maneuver but it was too late. Jake just sat there and wished that his eyes would close but everything stopped, when it happened. The crash was deafening; the bumper and front end were smashed in like a cheap soda can and the windshield shattered throughout the car. From the backseat Danny and Jared watched in horror as Vance and Jake were violently jolted. The other boys were jolted too but not nearly as severely. The last thing Jake heard were screams from the backseat, then the world went dark and silent.
A/N: Will Jake and Vance be OK? New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading.
