A/N: Short, yes.

Disclaimer: I don't own CM.

The phone conversation floated from the lounge room to the kitchen. JJ busied herself with getting Will something to eat so that she wouldn't have to focus on her mother's words.

Sandy had offered to call ahead to the funeral home and let them know that there was a death expected in the family. Seeing JJ's eyes brim with tears at the thought, she had pulled her daughter into a hug, and without another word, told her she would take care of it.

JJ picked up the plate that held Will's favourite snack; carrot and celery with refrigerated French onion dip. Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, she carried them through to the bedroom, setting them down on Will's nightstand.

"JJ...that you?" he asked tiredly, his eyes half closed.

"Yeah," JJ replied softly, leaning down and kissing his cheek. He had gotten so pale over the past couple of weeks. What scared JJ the most was that after he'd lost the colour to his skin, the internal bleeding and bruising had left his skin a mottled purple, proving that the end was near. "Are you hungry?" she asked softly, brushing his thin hair out of his eyes.

Will turned his head to look at her. "Not really," he mumbled.

"You have to eat. At least a little," JJ insisted gently. Will shook his head slightly.

"I'm a lil' thirsty, though," he said softly. JJ put her arms around him, helping him sit up a bit, before slipping a straw into the water bottle so he could drink it relatively easily. After he'd taken a few small mouthfuls, JJ set it back down on the nightstand, before getting up beside Will and putting her arm around him. Looking up, she noticed Henry approaching the side of the bed.

"Daddy, I sit with you?" he asked. Will nodded, beckoning for him to climb up. As Henry pulled himself up, JJ noticed he was clutching tightly to his ratty stuffed panda; he'd taken to carrying it around ever since the night Will's kidneys had completely failed, and JJ couldn't remember a moment where it hadn't been in his hand.

Squeezing in between his parents, Henry absently played with the panda before looking up at Will. "Daddy, why is you purpley?" he asked innocently.

"Because of the sickness that I have...," Will replied simply, punctuating the sentence with a yawn.

"You need rest," JJ said immediately. Will shook his head, but his eyes were already drooping.

"'m...fine," he mumbled. Lifting Henry out of the way, JJ helped Will get more comfortable, draping the sheet over his already sleeping form.

"Daddy's tired," Henry said simply. JJ watched as her little boy navigated over the pillows and blankets to plant an innocent kiss on his Daddy's cheek, to whisper him a promise.

"Love you Daddy"

When JJ entered the bedroom to open the curtains and clean the bathroom, she found Will writing something on two separate envelopes. She hadn't even realised that he had been awake. Or that he'd obviously been out of bed to get the paper and pens he needed. She knew that the short walk to the desk on the other side of the room would've felt like running a fifty mile marathon for Will.

"What are you doing?" she asked softly, her voice just above a whisper as she approached the bed. Will looked up, taking her hands and gently pulling her to sit beside him. Taking the two envelopes, he pressed them into her hand.

"I want you to give this one," he started, pointing to one of the envelopes. His voice was so thin, so weak and thready...it unnerved JJ. "to Henry on his eighteenth birthday"

JJ looked down, realising that Henry was written on one envelope in Will's neat cursive. On the other one, Jennifer was written. She blinked back tears as she realised what it meant. Will knew his time was coming to an abrupt end sometime soon.

"The one for you...open that on our tenth weddin' anniversary," he said softly. JJ nodded numbly, tears spilling down her cheeks as she leaned towards him, wrapping her arms around him.

"You are the best father he could ever ask for," she whispered in his ear.

"Don't let him forget me. Please, JJ, don't let him forget," Will replied weakly, coughing slightly. JJ pressed a featherlight kiss to the joint of his jaw.

"I promise"

Helping him to lie down again, JJ was constantly wiping away her tears. Once he was asleep again (which took less than two minutes), she locked herself in the bathroom, sank down against the wall, and cried her broken heart out.