Tony had no idea what to feel; on one hand Gibbs wasn't sick but on the other Leyla was. Leyla who was the widowed mother of a six-year-old girl. He loved his daddy Gibbs but he was a grown man. Amira was just a child, who had already lost her dad and grandfather. She would have nobody left after her mom died. He had Ziva, their kids, and his team family. He had lost his mother to cancer and now he was happy that a child actually younger than him when his mom died. Was going to lose her mom because it meant that his dad was not the sick person. Senior was right he was pure garbage. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes. He tried to fight them but it was no use. His own cancer scare when he was still alone with Sadie was too much for him. He just lost it right there in Gibbs's living room. Right in front of his former boss.
"Hey what's wrong?" Gibbs asked.
"You just told me that Leyla is dying." Tony sobbed.
"I know and it's tearing me up too but I have also known you long enough to know that something else is up." Gibbs replied.
"I am a horrible person." Tony sniffed.
"Are you happy that Leyla is dying?" Gibbs asked.
"No well not really. I mean I am happy that you aren't sick but maybe it would be better because you I mean I don't need a dad but Amira needs her mom." Tony explained.
"Tony listen to me. What you are feeling is natural, when Eli David was killed and Admiral McGee was diagnosed with cancer. I was glad that it wasn't Jack. Losing a parent is never easy whether you are six years old or almost fifty-six. You are not a horrible person for being glad that I am not sick. The relief you feel is because I am healthy not because Leyla is sick and Amira may be an orphan soon and she may have lost her grandfather but she is not alone." Gibbs explained.
"What's going to happen to her?" Tony asked.
"Leyla asked me to take care of her and of course I will but along with me. She will have a two big brothers and two big sisters and a niece and some little nieces or nephews." Gibbs explained.
"I did always want a little sister. I mean I have Abby but a kid sister will be fun. Getting to watch her grow up, teach her how to drive, make sure Ziva doesn't try to teach her how to drive. Take way too may pictures at her graduation." Tony explained.
"We are an interesting family aren't we?" Gibbs asked.
"It could be a show More Modern Family, starring Tony Gibbs as himself." Tony joked.
"You" Gibbs joked lightly slapping Tony on the back of the head.
"Back to reality, Leyla whats the story with her?" Tony asked.
"She had been having headaches lately. They kind of crippled her actually but she tried to ignore it. Finally it got to the point where she had trouble walking, talking, eating, she was almost blind, and lost control of well everything. This all happened over the course of about a month so it's not like she suffered for years. She called me yesterday, she was crying and her speech was slurred but I got the basics. I rushed her to the hospital. I was at the store today when I got the call from the doctor. She is considered incompetent and I have full medical proxy and am next of kin. So I was given the diagnosis. It's a brain tumor something called Brain-Stem Glioma. There are several types and the kind she has is always fatal." Gibbs explained.
"How long does she have?" Tony asked.
"Not long, with treatments maybe a few months but without less than a month." Gibbs explained.
"Is she going to have treatment?" Tony asked.
"The doctors and I are going to talk to her tomorrow but honestly she will have no quality of life. The chemo will make her too sick and weak to function." Gibbs explained.
"But the final decision is up to her?" Tony asked.
"Yes" Gibbs replied.
"Well boss I am sorry, Leyla is a wonderful person it breaks my heart that she has to go through such a horrible illness." Tony replied.
"I know it was really hard to see her yesterday and then waiting for the call last night. Now knowing that it is something fatal and hopeless. It hurts my heart. I mean she is only a few years older than Kelly would have been. I was there to support her but I wish that I somebody to support me. As selfish as this sounds. If she didn't want to keep this secret until Amira knew. I would have told you." Gibbs explained.
"Where is Amira anyway? If Leyla is in the hospital." Tony asked.
"She is staying with neighbors for now and she doesn't know yet. So don't say anything about any of this to anyone." Gibbs replied.
"My lips are sealed." Tony replied.
"Good boy" Gibbs replied.
"I guess I need to start looking for a house." Tony replied.
"I gave you and Ziver this place." Gibbs commented.
"I know but that was when it was just you. Now you are going to have Amira and you will need a big house." Tony replied.
"Come here sit down." Gibbs replied. Tony nodded and walked over to the couch where Gibbs was now sitting. Gibbs winced slightly when Tony took that as sit on his lap but he laughed it off. He loved that boy so much.
"What is it dad?" Tony asked scooting back over to the couch.
"What I am about to tell you is something I pray you never have to understand. This house is full of memories of Shannon and Kelly and while that is nice because I love and miss them everyday. With all the memories I have here. I try to recreate what I lost. It wasn't fair to my ex wives that I tried to make them into the new Shannon. In fact despite how dysfunctional all three marriages were. Me doing that is what killed those marriages. It wasn't fair to them and it would be unfair and just plain cruel to try and make an innocent little girl who already lost both parents to try to make her into Kelly 2.0. which is what I fear I would do if I raised Amira here." Gibbs explained.
"So I guess you will be moving into Leyla's place but that is so far from here." Tony replied.
"I am not moving there either, Amira will have memories of her mom and it will be too hard for her to live there. It was too hard for me to live in the house I grew up in after my mom died. The best thing for both of us is to start fresh in a place where we have no memories or grief." Gibbs explained.
A/N: Kind of driven from the main plot but a conversation that needed to happen. New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading.