Chapter 20: Reunion
Tony flipped the phone closed and put his head down. He squeezed his eyes closed and rubbed his forehead with his right hand. Jack sat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Is everything alright at home?" Jack asked
Tony shook his head and took a deep breath trying to compose himself. He proceeded to tell Jack what had transpired. Tony had just finished when Ian Calvert walked toward them holding a telephone.
"Excuse me, Jack." He said. "I know this is bad timing, Tony, but Hammond wants to debrief you now. It'll save you from doing it in person when you get home. It looks like you're going to have a lot to deal with at home, so we thought maybe it would be best to debrief you here."
Tony sighed and nodded then reached for the phone. "Brad, I'm ready."
Tony spent the next two hours going over every detail from the time he got the call from Hutchins threatening Sophie until he and the assault team got into the truck that took them back to the army base. Tony was emotionless as he relived the last few days. His intelligence training took over as he described the events as if they had happened to someone else.
By the time Tony finished, they had only about two hours before the plane would land at an airbase near LA. Tony was sure they were the longest two hours of his life. He couldn't sit still and he checked the time every few minutes.
Evan sat down next to him carrying some sandwiches and fruit that the cook at the officer's mess hall had packed for them before they left Korea. "I thought you might be hungry." Evan said handing him the food.
"Thanks," Tony said. "I guess I should be, but I'm too worried about Michelle and the baby."
"Shelley's a survivor, Tony. She always has been. She'll be fine. Whatever happens to the baby, well, you'll have to work through that together. I've seen the two of you together enough times to know that you're a team; you love each other."
Tony smiled. "I love her more than I would have ever imaged that I could love anyone. My world revolves around her."
"I'm glad she found you and the two of you've made a good life together." Evan paused and remained silent for a few moments. Tony could tell he wanted to say more so he just waited. "Tony," Evan finally said, "when you get your life settled again, I'd like to see Shelley. I'd like to talk to her. I'm a realist; I don't expect her to want me back in her life and I don't expect her to forgive me. I wouldn't even ask her to forgive me. I just want to be able to tell her that I'm sorry for hurting her. That's it, Tony, then I'll leave and be out of your life forever. Can you arrange that? Do you think she would see me?"
"I can try, Evan. I won't promise you anything but I'll talk to her. I'm probably not going to broach the subject with her right away. Right now she's so upset that she had to be sedated. I'm not going to present her with something this sensitive right now. Give me your number and I'll keep in touch."
"I can't ask for anything more, Tony. I don't want to upset her any more than she is right now either. By the same token, I don't have a lot of time. I'd like to see her before I die."
Tony and Evan sat silently for the remainder or the flight. Tony could feel his heart pound with excitement as the pilot told everyone to fasten their seatbelts for landing. A smile erupted on his face as he felt the landing gear touch the runway. The plane slowed rapidly and taxied to the hanger.
Tony's family was escorted by a young lieutenant to an area where they could watch the plane land. "Once the plane stops I'll take you out on the tarmac to see your Dad." He promised Joe and Sophie who were so excited that they couldn't stand still.
The family waited anxiously as the plane came to a stop. As promised, the lieutenant led them outside and they watched as the door opened and the steps were lowered to the tarmac below.
Tony exited the plane first and as soon as Sophie and Joe caught sight of him they took off running. As he reached the bottom step, Tony dropped to one knee and braced himself for the impact of the two children running at top speed. He knew how much it was going to hurt when they hit his broken ribs but he didn't care and took no steps to prevent it.
"Daddy! Daddy!" the two screamed in unison.
Tony reached out for them and drew them tightly to his chest. He turned his head back and forth kissing one and then the other again and again. Tears streamed down his face. "I love you guys so much. I missed you so much." He told them between kisses.
"Daddy, why are you crying?" Sophie said sounding confused. "I thought you'd be happy to be home."
Tony laughed. "I've never been happier, Pumpkin. Sometimes grown ups cry happy tears. That's what these are." He told them as he wiped away tears and kissed each of them again.
Sophie and Joe were now looking closely at their father and noticing his cuts and bruises. "Daddy, those bad men hurt you, didn't they?" Sophie asked pouting and gently touching the cut over his eye.
"Dad can take it, Sophie, he's tough." Joe told her proudly. Tony was his hero and as far as he was concerned, his father was invincible.
"I don't know if I'm tough or not, but everything will heal over the next few weeks and I'll be as good as new."
By now Dess had toddled over and Tony loosened his grip on Joe and Sophie so he could pick Dess up in his right arm. "Hey, Big Guy, how are you doing?" He asked as he kissed his youngest son and stood up.
Tony's mother finally stepped forward and put her arms around him. "Antonio," she whispered as she cried. "Thank God you're home. Are you going to be alright? I didn't expect you to be so badly hurt. You said on the phone that it was nothing." She pulled back a bit to get a better look at him.
"I'll be fine, Mama. I'm alive; that's more than I expected a couple of days ago." He kissed her on her forehead for emphasis.
Still holding Dess, Tony accepted a hug from his father. "I can't thank you two enough for all you've done for us." Tony told him. "Any news on Michelle or the baby?"
"Nothing new. Michelle is still sedated. The baby hasn't shown any signs of improvement." His mother told him.
Jeff DuBose stood a few feet away waiting patiently for the family to have some time together. Jeff stepped forward and put his hand on Tony's shoulder. "Tony, I'm so glad you're home. It's great to see you."
"Thanks, Jeff. Thanks for taking care of my family."
"It's the least we could do. You can spend as much time as you want with your family, then I'll take you to the hospital to be with Michelle. We've also arranged for you to see an orthopedic surgeon about your wrist. I'll give you his number. We told him what was going on and he said he'd see you at your convenience."
"Can my family be moved back to our own home tonight?" Joe and Sophie were clinging close to Tony not wanting to let him out of their sight. He smiled down at them and readjusted Dess who he had balanced on his right hip. "I think the kids are feeling a little insecure. I think they'll be happier at home."
"I wish I could say 'yes,' but we'd like to keep you at the safe house tonight. We think we've got all of Yuen's men but we need to make sure. We'll be done interrogating them by morning. We just want to make sure that there's no chance of retaliation by any of Yuen's men. The plan is to move your family home in the morning. We'll also need you to come in to CTU in the next couple of days to sign the transcript of your debrief."
Tony spent a few more minutes with his parents and children but was anxious to get to the hospital. He kissed them all goodbye and promised Joe and Sophie that he would see them in the morning, then got into the unmarked car with Jeff. As planned, Jeff left via a little known exit in order to avoid the newspaper and television reporters that were camped out in front of the airbase. The press had been given the news of Tony's rescue about an hour before the plane landed and they started setting up their equipment soon after.
Tony was grateful to avoid the press. He would eventually have to talk to them but right now all he wanted was to see his wife. He fidgeted anxiously during the twenty minute drive to the hospital. Jeff called hospital security to notify them that he and Tony were on the way. All of the media that wasn't camped out at the airbase was apparently stationed at the hospital. The word that Michelle had been admitted to the hospital and that the Almeida's now had a premature baby had found its way to the reporters who were hungry for any information they could possibly get a hold of. Just like when Tony was in Argentina, he and Michelle had again become media darlings. Sympathy for them was running high and the hospital had been overwhelmed by mail and gifts and flowers for Michelle. The hospital spokesman had spent the last day trying to keep the press at bay. He repeatedly told them that the family was requesting privacy and that when there was any new information he would tell them.
Hospital security directed Jeff to a loading dock behind the hospital. From there they whisked him into the building and to a service elevator that the members of the press didn't have access to. The security officer pressed the button for the sixth floor and the doors closed in front of them.
As soon as the doors opened Tony spotted Vanessa, who had also been brought to the service elevator by hospital security. "Tony," she called as she ran to him. She threw her arms around her older brother and hugged him tight. She felt him wince and she quickly let go. "Oh, God, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. What did those bastards do to you?" She asked as she stepped back and took stock of his injuries.
"I'll be fine, Vanessa." Tony said putting the emphasis on 'fine.' He was getting tired of everyone fussing over his injuries. "How's Michelle?"
"She was awake about a half hour ago. She knows that you're okay. She wanted to stay awake but she just couldn't. She fought it for a while but she fell back to sleep. The doctor was in and he said that the drugs should be wearing off and she should really wake up in the next hour or so. Before we go back to Michelle's room did you want to stop by the intensive care nursery and see the baby? The doctor really wants to talk to either you or Michelle and she's been too sedated."
Tony agreed and Vanessa led the way to the waiting area outside of the intensive care nursery. The receptionist took Tony's name and after speaking with one of the nurses, directed him to enter a set of double doors. Once inside, Tony was greeted by a nurse.
"Mr. Almeida, it's nice to meet you. I heard about you on the news a few days ago." She told him as she shook his hand. "I'm Celeste, your baby's nurse. I'll take you over here to see Maria. I'm going to get Dr. Snyder; I know he wants to talk to you."
Tony followed Celeste across the room see his new daughter. He could feel his eyes fill with tears when he saw how tiny and fragile she was. He thought about their other children, they were pink, chubby infants with bright eyes. Maria's eyes were closed and her skin was dusky with a hint of blue. Like Michelle, he just wanted to hold her and at least let her know that he loved her. Instead he stared down at her as a machine breathed for her and medicines dripped slowly into her veins.
Dr. Snyder spoke to him and interrupted his thoughts. "Mr. Almeida," he said reaching out to shake hands. "I recognize you from your pictures; they're all over the news."
Tony smiled wryly. "Believe me, Doctor, I don't try to make the news, but over the last several years I've managed to be the subject of more news stories than I care to remember." He paused and looked down at Maria. "How's my daughter?"
Dr. Snyder sighed. "I wish I had good news for you, Mr. Almeida. She's not doing well. I know this is bad timing, but I have some news that's going to be difficult for you."
"More difficult than seeing my daughter like this?" Tony couldn't quite imagine that this could get any worse, but obviously it was going to.
"We discovered a few hours ago that Maria has a severe heart defect. The defect can be corrected with surgery and if she had been born full term it wouldn't be a problem. But she's too small and too weak to go to surgery right now. In fact it will be months before she's big enough for surgery."
"Are you telling me that my daughter's going to die, Doctor?" Tony asked him bluntly.
"I told your wife yesterday that she has a small chance of surviving. With the heart defect, those odds are getting smaller. Yes, Mr. Almeida, I'm telling you that you and your wife need to prepare yourselves because there is very little I can do for your daughter. I'm sorry."
Tony stared at the floor while he tried to compose himself. "How long do you expect her to live?" He asked as he looked up and met Dr. Snyder's eyes.
"I can't say for sure, anywhere from a few hours to a few days." The doctor said quietly.
Tony looked down at Maria again. "It's funny," he said his voice cracking with emotion. "We have three incredible kids at home; I guess I should be satisfied with that. I'm not sure why this hurts so much."
"It wouldn't matter if you had ten children at home. You love this one as much as the others. I wish there was more that I could do, Mr. Almeida. You and your wife have been through enough hell in the last week for an entire lifetime. I feel like I'm just adding to it."
Tony shook his head. "No, I know you've done everything that you can. Thank you." Tony reached out to shake his hand. "I should probably go and be with my wife now."
Tony thanked him again and looked wistfully at Maria. "Bye, Baby." He whispered as he turned and left the unit.
Vanessa and a CTU agent were waiting for him outside of the intensive care nursery. They walked him back to Michelle's room. The thought of seeing Michelle buoyed him. Regardless of whatever else happened, he still had Michelle. They would support each other and get through this together.
He knocked lightly on the door and in the same motion, gently pushed it open and looked in. Michelle slept quietly, her chest rising and falling slowly with each breath. His eyes again filled with tears as he caught sight of her. She was beautiful, even sound asleep in a hospital bed. Her skin was so creamy and smooth. The curve of her face and the soft red of her lips were as perfect as they had been ten years ago when she first saw her and she stole his heart.
Father Marty stood as soon as he saw Tony and crossed the room quickly. He and Tony hugged and they stepped into the hall to exchange greetings so as not to disturb Michelle. Father Marty told Tony that over the last fifteen minutes or so Michelle seemed to be stirring.
"You two need some time alone." Marty told him. "I'm going to stop and get some dinner at the coffee shop down the street, then I'm going home. If there's anything you need, call me. Anytime, Tony, day or night. I mean that, okay."
"Thanks, Marty. You've been a great friend. I understand Michelle was a little hard on you this morning…"
Father Marty interrupted him. "Don't worry about it. The stress just all got to her. I don't blame her. I knew she wasn't really angry with me; she was just angry. She deserved to be angry. She'll be fine once she sees you."
Vanessa kissed Tony goodbye and left a few minutes later. Tony slipped quietly back into the room and stood next to Michelle's bed. He noticed his wedding ring hanging from the chain on her neck and smiled. With only full function in one hand, he awkwardly loweredthe side rail on her bed so he could sit on the edge. She stretched a bit and turned her head to one side. Tony gently brushed some curls out of her face and then tenderly stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers.
Tony leaned in close. "Hey, Beautiful," he said, his face just inches from hers. "Sweetheart, I'm here. I'm home, Michelle." He kissed her lips softly. "Wake up, Honey."
Michelle stretched again and turned her head. "Tony," she murmured, her eyes still closed.
"That's right, Honey. I'm here. Wake up, Michelle." He continued to stroke her face and kiss her.
"Tony," she whispered again in a sleepy voice, her eyes still closed.
"I'm here, Michelle. I'm here. Open your eyes, Honey."
Her eyes opened slowly not quite focusing yet. Tony smiled broadly, "Hi, Sweetheart! I love you so much."
A look of recognition crossed her face. "Oh, Tony!" Michelle exclaimed. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him onto the bed with her, his face buried in her neck. "Oh God, Tony! I was so scared. I thought I'd never see you again."
Tony pulled back slightly and turned his head so he could kiss her. He quickly found her mouth and pressed his lips hard to hers. They kissed for a long time barely taking time to breathe.
They both pulled back to get their breath. "I can't believe your home, Tony. How did you get away from Yuen?"
"I didn't escape on my own. I was rescued." Tony told her as Michelle shifted position to make room for him on the bed.
Michelle watched Tony grimace as he lay down beside her. "I'm okay, Michelle." He said defensively. He wasn't sure why he was so embarrassed when anyone commented on his injuries. In some ways his ego was injured more than his body. To him, the kidnapping was due to his own failure to adequately protect himself and his family. He felt the same way years ago when Stephen Saunders kidnapped Michelle. "A couple of broken ribs and a broken wrist is all. I'll be fine." She curled against his right side and put her arm around him.
"Hammond said they weren't sending in another assault team. What made him change his mind?" She asked.
"It's a long story, Honey. Let's not talk about it now." He leaned in and kissed her again. "You're so warm. This feels so good." He remembered how cold he had been while Yuen was holding him in that root cellar. The memory made the warmth and softness of his wife even sweeter. He snuggled into her trying to find a comfortable position. They lay quietly for a long time each soaking up the warmth and softness of the other's body.
Tony finally broke the silence. "While you were sleeping I went to see baby."
Michelle closed her eyes and shook her head. "She's so tiny. I saw her this morning and she was having trouble breathing." She looked at Tony and he averted his gaze. "She's not going to make it, is she, Tony?"
Tony continued to look away. "I talked to the doctor. She has a heart defect, Michelle. They can't repair it, she's too small."
"It's my fault, Tony." Michelle said without looking at him. "I didn't love her; I didn't want her. Now she's dying. It's not fair to her. She didn't do anything wrong. Why does she have to die so I can be punished?"
"Michelle, stop! This isn't punishment." Tony said emphatically. He turned her face toward his. "Honey, this happens sometimes. We've been lucky so far. Our other kids are healthy. No one is blaming you. You're a wonderful mother, Michelle. Don't beat yourself up over this."
Michelle nodded but without conviction. "Maybe we should go and see her." Michelle suggested. Tony agreed and eased himself out of the bed. He reached out to help Michelle who was surprisingly unsteady.
"Are you okay?" He asked her as he helped her into her robe.
"I guess it's all the drugs they gave me. I still feel a little dizzy." She suddenly remembered her outburst earlier that day. She put her hand to her forehead, squeezed her eyes closed and shook her head. "Oh, God! I made such a fool of myself this morning. I said some terrible things to Father Marty. He'll probably never forgive me. I even yelled at Vanessa and she's been so wonderful to me over the last few days. She and your mother were in the delivery room with me."
"Don't worry about it, Michelle. They both understand and neither one of them took it personally. They understand how much stress you've been under." He put his arm around her waist to steady her and they walked together toward the intensive care nursery.
They were just a few steps down the hall when they saw Dr. Snyder. "Mr. and Mrs. Almeida," he said, "I was on my way to talk to you."
"Good news, I hope." Michelle said optimistically.
Dr. Snyder looked down and shook his head. "I wish I had good news. I wanted you to come and see your baby. Her heart is getting weaker and weaker and I thought you would like to spend some time with her." They all knew that the end of the sentence was 'before she dies' but the doctor left it unsaid. "We've moved her into a private family area so you can have some quiet time alone with her. If there are any family members or clergy you want to have with you, they're welcome to join you."
Dr. Snyder led them into a softly lit room. The room was a strange dichotomy of home and hospital. There was overstuffed furniture and fussy window treatments but all of the hospital equipment was there, too. Maria lay in a small bassinette still connected to all of the tubes and monitors. The monitor above her beeped in time with the erratic rhythm of her heart and the ventilator that was breathing for her made a hissing sound as it forced air into her lungs. Celeste was tucking a small pink blanket around Maria doing her best to hide all of the tubes and wires. She pulled a rocking chair close to the bassinette and asked Michelle if she wanted to sit down.
Michelle sat down while Tony stood behind her, his hand on her shoulder. "Would it be okay if I held her? I'd like her to know how much we love her." She asked looking back and forth from the nurse to the doctor.
"Of course," Dr. Snyder told her. He lifted the baby from the bassinette and set her into Michelle's waiting arms taking care not to disturb any of the tubes or wires. Tony knelt down next to Michelle and held Maria's tiny hand between his thumb and forefinger.
"We'll leave you alone." Dr. Snyder told them. "If you need to speak with me, pick up the phone over there. It rings the nurses' station and they'll find me."
Tony and Michelle thanked him absently and continued to stare at their child. They cooed quietly at her and told her they loved her. Tony called Father Marty and asked him to come back to the hospital to baptize Maria. Tony and Michelle watched as he poured a drop of Holy Water on Maria's head. Michelle remembered her other children screaming when Father Marty did the same thing to them but Maria never moved.
Periodically one or the other of them would look up at the heart monitor and notice that it was slower and more erratic than before. As her heartbeat continued to slow Tony leaned down and kissed Maria's forehead. "Sweet Pea," he whispered, "Mommy and Daddy will love you forever. We'll never forget the time we spent with you; it will always be precious to us and so will you."
They watched the monitor as the heartbeat finally stopped. Michelle leaned into Tony and they held Maria between them. The monitor alarm sounded at the nurses' station and Dr. Snyder was alerted. He came quickly into the room and gently pressed a stethoscope to Maria's chest. He was so tall that he almost had to bend in half to reach her. Tony and Michelle watched him expectantly. He seemed to listen forever before he stood to his full height and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry." He whispered confirming what Tony and Michelle already knew. Silently he took the ventilator tubing from Maria's mouth and removed all of the monitor leads and IV lines while Michelle continued to hold her. He gently tucked the pink blanket back around her. "I'll leave you alone. Take as much time as you want."
Michelle stood up and lifted the baby up so that Maria's cheek rested against her own. Tony walked behind her and put his arms around her. They stood like that for a long time before Tony finally let go and stepped in front of Michelle. "Honey, it's time to go."
"Oh, no Tony." She said, her voice quivering. "No, don't make me leave her. I can't…I can't do it. I can't leave her here."
"Michelle," Tony said in his most gentle tone. "We have three kids at home who need us. We can't help Maria any more. I'm not asking you to forget her. I'm asking you to consider Sophie and Joe and Dess. They've been through more in the last few days than children their age should have to go through and they need us. We have to go home and take care of them."
Michelle bit her lower lip as tears streamed down her face. She kissed Maria again and Tony took Maria from her. He kissed her and laid her tenderly in the bassinette. Tony and Michelle stood hand in hand for a moment saying their final goodbyes and then turned and left the room.
I hope all of you who were waiting for the reunion weren't disappointed. I have about one more chapter (or possibly one chapter and an epilogue) to go. With Christmas just a couple of days away I'm not sure when I will get that finished but I'll do it as soon as possible.
By the way, thanks to all of you reviewers. Before submitting this chapter I had 99 reviews! That's almost 30 more than I got for either of my other stories. THANK YOU!!! You guys are awesome.