It was a miserable night for the Palmer family. Eddie was in a great deal of pain and even after being drugged into oblivion with pain killers. There was still no relief. He cried until he eventually passed out from the pain. He wanted his parents to comfort him but touch was too painful. All Jimmy and Breena could do was stand by completely helpless. The seizures began at dawn and they were horrific. Worse than any the boy had suffered before. Thankfully they did not last long, but Eddie was unresponsive after the last episode. His body had become cold and his eyes were rolled back. He was alive but very weak, and his body was not responding. Feeds had been stopped the night before. All Eddie had done was aspirate and vomit. He was no longer using the bathroom or responding. The end was near.
"We cannot have your friends over. I don't want anybody here. I just want family." Breena explained.
"But they all already made the plans to come over. It isn't easy in their line of work and Tony had to find a sitter for Tali." Jimmy insisted.
"I don't care about any of them or THEIR plans. It is OUR son who is dying. It is OUR business and OUR lives!" Breena ranted.
"I'll make the call." Jimmy sighed.
"GOOD!" Breena spat.
Jimmy called everybody and let them know what was going on. For the most part everybody was understanding and sympathetic. Abby was angry at first but he heard Ziva talking harshly in the background and then Abby apologized for her behavior. Jimmy did say they would try to arrange another day "If things changed." Even though he knew there would be no change. The signs were not there. Eddie was not going to bounce back this time. Even if he did rally. Jimmy doubted it would last long enough to arrange a visit. Eddie's hospice nurse Mary, confirmed what Breena said. Unexpected visitors, even family were the last thing the Palmer's needed. It wasn't good for Eddie and it was even worse for Breena and him.
"I called and told everybody we couldn't have visitors today." Jimmy announced.
"You didn't reschedule right?" Breena demanded.
"No, all I said was that if there was any change I would let them know." Jimmy explained.
"Well now they'll be calling every five minutes to see if there's any change!" Breena snapped.
"I told them not to call us and that I would probably have my phone off." Jimmy clarified.
"Good! I am glad you are actually taking this seriously!" Breena spat.
Tony knew as soon as Jimmy called him. Actually his fears were far worse than what Jimmy actually said. He was terrified that Eddie had died and that's why he received the call during work hours. It came as a relief to know that Eddie was simply doing poorly and that Breena did not want any visitors. The relief was temporary, because Tony soon realized that if Eddie were too sick for even planned visits. That his time was brief. It was hard for Tony not to take off of work and go collect his children school and daycare. Just spend the rest of the day as a family but that was what could happen. Tony knew he would be missing a lot of work in the coming months. Ziva's pregnancy was healthy but Tony wanted to attend as many of the appointments as possible.
"Did Jimmy call you?" Tony asked Ziva. Most of the teams were on lunch break and the couple had met up in the break-room.
"Yes he wanted to make sure we both got the memo." Ziva replied.
"Sad isn't it?" Tony asked.
"Tragic" Ziva replied.
Jimmy and Breena called Ed and had him bring Tori back to their home. The family had now gathered around Eddie's bed. There was no change since that morning. No change good or bad. They had given Eddie his last dose of morphine about an hour ago. That had eased him slightly but he remained frail and unresponsive.
"We need to say goodbye." Breena announced.
"Are you sure? I mean he could rally." Ed reminded.
"At this point it is highly unlikely." Jimmy explained.
The family took turns with their goodbyes. Breena went first, while Ed and Jimmy took Tori to the kitchen. Breena took a seat on her son's bed and picked up his hand. He did not shriek in pain as he had the night before. That was a small relief.
"Eddie, I love you so much. You are my first child, you made me a mom. I was so excited to hold you for the first time. This is not how it should be. You should be teasing your sister and driving us crazy. None of this is fair. I love you and I will never forget you." Breena told her son.
After Breena had said her goodbye. She went to the kitchen and Jimmy entered the living room. Jimmy took the seat Breena had previously occupied. He was not so strong. He could not hold his son's hand. He could barely look at him. He was crying before he even begun to speak.
"Eddie you were the best son. I love you so much. It should be me and not you. I will make sure that your siblings know you." Jimmy said.
After Jimmy's goodbye it was Ed's turn. Jimmy stepped into the kitchen and pulled Breena into a tight hug. While Ed entered the living room. He stood beside the bed and focused on the child's hands. This was painful for him. He was an old man and still working five days a week. Eddie was four and had been sick his entire life. There was no justice.
"You were my first grandchild, my first grandson, and you were my namesake, I loved you so much. I love you so much. You and your sister are the best things in the world to me. I love you." Ed spoke.
Night had fallen and the Palmer's had allowed Tori to say her last goodbyes. The toddler did not understand the gravity of the situation and simply patted her brother's back and called for him to wake up. The same way that Breena woke her up and had woken Eddie when he was well. Now the entire family had gathered around the room. They knew it would happen that night.
It happened just after three in the morning. The event was peaceful. It was not like a death in the movies. Eddie did not retch in pain or convulse, nor did he wake up and give a last goodbye. Everything just sort of stopped. Jimmy and Breena had signed a DNR when Eddie first got sick, there was no question there. Mary simply called the time of death and asked the Palmer's what they wanted. They wanted to spend time with their son, so that's what they did. They sat and held him until morning. Breena was hysterical and Jimmy did not know what to do. Ed cried silent tears and Tori did not understand. The one thing they had in common is that nobody knew what to do or what to say.
A/N: How will the family cope? How is Jimmy really feeling that his family was excluded from the end of Eddie's life? New chapter will be up soon. Thanks for reading and please review.