The next day did not bring good news on Tony's part. He had developed pneumonia during the night and was now hooked to a ventilator. He had been moved out of the private cubicle to the main ICU floor. He had gone from serious condition from critical. Due to the change in his condition and the more public location. Tony was only permitted one visitor at a time for fifteen minutes at a time. Visits also had to be spaced out by two hours. It was hard on the people who wanted to be around him but they were understanding. All any of them wanted was for him to get better and come back to Tali.
"I knew he had problems with his lungs but I didn't think it would get this bad." Valarie whispered.
"Tony gets pneumonia fairly easy but the good news is he always bounces back." Vance assured.
"Won't this do damage to his lungs?" Jeremiah asked.
"Hopefully the effects will be minimal as they were in the past," Vance replied.
"Hopefully" Jeremiah signed back.
"Sorry I'm late. This is a nightmare." Fornell sighed as he collapsed into the chair.
"I can imagine. Hopefully it will end soon." Vance agreed.
"It's over we gathered everything. Now it's in the court's hands." Fornell explained.
"I'm glad it's over." Vance replied.
"Same here everything was pretty straight forward." Fornell replied.
"That's what IA told me. I do not know how I missed it." Vance sighed.
"They were crafty but the jig is up now and even Tony won't find a way to justify their behavior, this time." Valarie explained.
"God willing" Vance sighed.
Valarie was home with Tali. She had the next shift with Tony. She had moved into Tony's house to make the girl more comfortable. Tali kept asking when she could see Abba and when Abba would be coming home. It broke Valerie's heart knowing she could no long provide even semi definite answer. Tony had gone from doing well to critical. From being hours away from being moved from the ICU. To moved to the area for the most critical cases. He may die and then what would happen? How would Valarie tell Tali she was an orphan? She didn't even have the courage to tell her that Tony was sicker than he had been before.
"Abba!" Tali cried.
"Tali, your Abba is very sick." Valarie explained.
"How sick?" Tali asked.
"He's really, really sick. He may not get better. He may go with your Ima. I am so sorry, Tali. So, so sorry." Valarie explained holding her best friend's daughter close.
"Abba! Abba! No!" Tali screamed.
Jeremiah had taken his shift with Tony. It killed him to see his new friend looking so small. It was even worse knowing Tony was Tali's sole parent. He often worried what would become of KiKi if anything happened to him. At least he had family. Tony had Valarie and had already made arrangements for her to take Tali but that didn't mean it was easy. Tali would still be two and an orphan. He studied his friend's prone form and swore that Tony looked worse than he had when he first arrived. He looked at his watch. He still had three minutes left on the visit but could not bear to be in that room any longer.
Valarie arrived for her shift with Tony. She ached knowing that she would not get a response from Tony today. They had increased his meds and he was only minimumly responsive. She wanted him to reach for her hand and blink his eyes. He had been doing that just the day before. Now here he was just barely hanging on. She had to force back tears when she saw Tony with a tube shoved down his throat and his face as pale as a ghost. It made her sick to think that it was because of those people he was in this state. They were locked away but they could still move around and speak. They could still breathe. Tony the man who had never harmed anyone who did not deserve it. Was lying fighting for his life. Where was the justice in that? Where was the justice in any of this? Even if they went away forever. It would not undo the great damage that had been done.
"Come on, Tony. You have to fight. If you lose this battle then the bastards will win. They wanted you dead but we need you alive." Valarie pleaded.
Ed Slater shifted nervously in the chair. Yet another doctor's appointment. One of his first without Breena and Jimmy by his side. The since Jimmy and Tori died that he did not have make up a lie about where he was going. He been displaying symptoms for several months now but did not receive a formal diagnosis until after the tragedy. Just hours after the deaths of his son in law and granddaughter, he had been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. He was only in the beginning stages but had noticed a sudden and drastic change. He knew that stress could cause progression of the disease but he did not think it could happen this fast. He knew the doctors would want to prolong his life but he did not want his life prolonged. He had lost his entire family. He had nothing to live for. He would live as long as he did with only pain management and then he would return to his family. He would be reunited with his wife, daughter, son in law, and granddaughter.
"Edward Slater?" A nurse called.
"Coming" Ed sighed.
Fornell made his way into Tony's room. He was eternally grateful to Leon for offering him his shift. He gasped when he saw just how sick Tony was. It horrified him to know that his former best friend was responsible for this. Tony was immature and annonying as anything, but he was also a great man. He had done so much for NCIS during his days there. Tony had saved more and stopped more bastards than even Jethro. Yet he was treated like an immature fool. Now he was workng as a resource officer helping children. All while raising a child on his own. A tragedy had yanked the rug out from under him and yet he still fought for Tali. So why was he treated as a criminal?
"You are a good man, Tony DiNozzzo. Keep fighting." Fornell begged.
A/N: Will Tony overcome the latest hurtle? New chapter will be up soon. Thanks for reading and please review.