Jimmy ended up arriving to the hospital just as Tony was following Dr. Lang back to Jake's room. He was relieved to be able to hand the girls off to his friend. Lily was disappointed about missing out on seeing Jake but Tony reminded her that he would be home in the morning. Once the girls were squared away, Tony followed Dr. Lang down a seemingly endless hallway to Jake's room. The doctor opened the door and lead Tony inside. Jake was propped up on the bed, flipping through the channels on the ancient television that hung on the wall. The pain in the child's eyes was unbearable. Tony would give just about anything to take that pain and make it his own. Jake had suffered so much in his short life, it just wasn't right.
"Hey" Tony greeted.
"Hey" Jake replied.
"How are you feeling?" Tony asked.
"Everything hurts" Jake admitted.
"You''ll be feeling better soon." Tony assured.
"Yeah, how's Vance?" Jake asked.
"I don't know, they can't say anything to anybody besides Gibbs or Ducky. They are his next of kin and medical proxies." Tony explained.
"He looked bad... real bad... almost like... almost like..." Tony stammered.
"Almost like what?" Tony asked, even though he already knew the answer.
"Never mind" Jake replied.
"Can I get you anything?" Tony asked.
"No" Jake replied.
"You want me to find you something to watch?" Tony asked.
"I don't feel like it anymore. I am tired. I think I wanna sleep." Jake replied.
"Do you want me to stay with you tonight?" Tony asked.
"No be with the girls." Jake replied.
"Alright well do you at least want me to eat with you?" Tony asked.
"My stomach hurts." Jake replied.
"Do you need a doctor?" Tony asked.
"No" Jake replied.
"Is there anything that I can do for you?" Tony asked.
"Just go get information on Vance." Jake replied.
"I will see what I can do." Tony replied.
"Thanks" Jake murmured.
Tony was not wanting to leave Jake but he was doing the only thing that Jake had asked of him. All the child wanted was to know if his friend was OK. Tony had wanted to know about Vance's condition as well and he was sure that Gibbs would be here by now. At least he hoped that he would. Jake wanted to know and, more importantly Jared and Kayla needed to know. Tony stepped out into the waiting room and found Jared and Kayla sitting on one of the couches, curled up in the arms of Lara. Gibbs was standing in the back corner talking in a hushed voice into his cellphone. Tony didn't have to hear the words to know what had happened. He stood in the doorway and waited. What he was waiting for he did not know what. After a while Gibbs finally got off the phone and made his way over to Tony.
"DiNozzo" Gibbs said, putting his hand on Tony's shoulder.
"How is he?" Tony asked.
"He's gone." Gibbs breathed.
"Oh God, did Jake see him dead?" Tony asked.
"He was alive when they took him out of the car but he was DOA by the time they brought him to the hospital." Gibbs explained.
"Shit, what happened to him?" Tony asked.
"His skull was shattered, there was nothing that could have been done. Even if he had gotten aid right away." Gibbs explained.
"What's going to happen to Jared and Kayla?" Tony asked.
"They are going to live with Leona and me. That is what Vance wanted." Gibbs explained.
"Do Jared and Kayla know?" Tony asked.
"Lara and I told them right away." Gibbs replied.
"Guess I need to tell Jake." Tony sighed.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Gibbs asked.
"Do Jared and Kayla need you now?" Tony asked.
"I think Lara has it under control." Gibbs replied.
"If you're sure." Tony replied.
"It may be easier for Jake it if comes from someone else." Gibbs replied.
"Probably true, plus I just hate breaking bad news to that kid." Tony replied.
Jake gave up on sitting up, he hurt too much to sit but lying down was even worse. He wanted to close his eyes and find that this was a terrible nightmare. He wanted to wake up in the middle of math class, just as the bell rang. He wanted to meet Jared on the car rider ramp and get into Vance's SUV. He wanted to get into the ring with Jared and deal with the frustrations from the nightmare but this wasn't a terrible dream. It was real and he had the scars to prove it. He just prayed that Vance would be OK. Jared and Kayla had already lost their mom. They did not need to lose their dad too. Being an orphan was the worst thing in the world. Even if you were in the care of a person or people who cared for you like they were their own. He pretended to be asleep when he heard the door to his room open, thinking that it was just another doctor, coming to poke and prod him, even though they knew exactly what was wrong with him. When he felt a hand resting on his shoulder, he knew that it was not a doctor but Tony.
"Jake?" Tony called.
"What?" Jake asked.
"We need to talk to you." Tony replied.
"Who's with you?" Jake asked.
"I am" Gibbs replied.
"Gibbs? Why are you here?" Jake asked.
"Jake this is going to be really hard for you to hear. So I am going to come right out and say it. Vance didn't survive the accident, I am so sorry." Gibbs explained.
"What? NO!" Jake snapped.
"Jake" Tony whispered, stroking his cheek.
"No! I don't want you! I want Vance!" Jake snapped.
A/N: How will everyone cope with the loss of Director Vance? New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading.
