The Promise
"He won't wake up anymore, Jethro. It's clearly to late for him. It had been six month since he opened that letter with the powder." Donald ‘Ducky' Mallard told his long time friend Leroy Jethro Gibbs when they were all sitting at Gibbs' house. He looked over to the three other members of their group: Kate Todd, Abby Scuito and Timothy McGee.
Abby just nodded while Kate spoke up. "Ducky's right, Jethro. There is no chance in hell that he will ever wake up again. He's clinical dead. The only things from pretending him to stop breathing are the machines attached to his body. He just suffers, Jethro. You have to give him freedom."
"I know." The small voice of Jethro Gibbs could be heard. "It's just... I can't live without him, guys. I need him like the air to breathe. He is my life. I don't know what I should do without him. I can't go on knowing him dead. I just can't. Now I just have a small chance that he will open his eyes again... maybe... someday..." His voice trailed off and he began sobbing.
He was pulled into a hug immediately and buried his face into Abby's shoulder. All of them had tears running down their cheeks.
~+~+~+~+~
"Do you hear that? Do you see it? They need you. HE needs you. You can't just leave the world of the living. You have his heart and if you go, he will follow you before his time is up." A small girl said to a tall brown-haired man while they were watching the scene.
The man stayed silent for a long time before answering. "I... I don't know if I can go on like that. He will never tell me what he feels... He..."
"You're stupid, Tony." The girl smiled. "He will tell you as soon as you're awake I promise you. He needs you. I don't want him to suffer anymore. Hell, I don't want you to suffer anymore. You both need each other, don't give up."
"You've watched us?" Tony asked.
"Of course I have. Mum always calls it Jet-watching. She still loves him, Tony, but she knows that he loves you more than he ever loved her. Please make him happy, Tony. Make my Dad happy. He has suffered so much in his life. He deserves to be loved unconditionally. He deserves you."
"He deserves someone better than me, Kelly."
"You're the best he could get, Tony. You're the only one he wants. Please, Tony, please, my Dad needs you and you need my Dad. Go back and be happy with him."
"How can you be so sure that he needs me?"
"Tony!" The girl sounded desperately. "All you have to do is look and listen to him – them. They all love you. For Ducky you're a grandson, for Abby, Kate and McGee you're a big brother. They all love you wholeheartedly, Tony. Do you really want to leave your family?"
Tony just stared at the scene before him. His team-colleagues were all crying. Abby still had Gibbs in her arms, the other three were leaning on each other. "You're right", he whispered. "I just can't leave them alone, can I?"
"Hell you can't. They need you. You go back there and watch over my father."
Tony smiled. "I will."
"Tell him Mum and I still love him and that we will watch over him. And tell him that he should take his chance with you."
"I will, Kelly." He knelt down next to her and kissed her softly on her forehead. "Thank you so much, Kelly. I really appreciate it. And I promise I will never forget you and I will go to your grave with your father."
She smiled and gave him a short hug. "Be there for him", was the last he heard before the little girl disappeared.
~+~+~+~+~
Ducky's cell ringed. "Mallard!"
"Dr. Mallard, it's Dr. Pitt speaking."
"Dr. Pitt, is something wrong with Anthony?"
"Well no, not really... it's just... Hey, give me back the speaker."
Ducky was concerned and looked at his friends. "It's Bethesda. But they haven't given me information. They are fighting about the phone."
"Put it on speaker!" Gibbs ordered and Ducky just did so.
"You're still there?" A voice asked through the phone.
Ducky answered. "Yes, we are. I've put you on speaker, Dr. Pitt. The rest of Anthony's team is here too."
"I'm not Dr. Pitt, Ducky." The voice answered. "You know, this reminds me of a movie I once saw..."
"Anthony?" Ducky's voice was hoarse, quiet. This couldn't be true. This couldn't happen.
"Right in one, Ducky. Can one of you come and get me?"
Before he even ended his question, Gibbs was up and out of the room. Seconds later the engine of his car roared.
"Jethro's on his way."
~+~+~+~+~
Gibbs stormed through the entrance of Bethesda hospital and went right over to the registration. "Where's Agent DiNozzo?"
The nurse behind the counter looked up. "Hello Agent Gibbs. Agent DiNozzo should be here soon."
Gibbs just nodded. And then he started pacing. But he didn't have to wait long. Just a few minutes later the door opened and Tony went through it. He waved at the nurse behind the counter who smiled back to him and just went over to his Boss.
"Hey, Boss! It's nice of you to get me." He smiled. "How're you doing?!"
A second later he was enveloped into a big and tight hug. Tony let himself be pulled into the arms of his boss. He smiled. "You're okay?"
Gibbs looked down at him. "I should be the one to ask you this question, Tony."
"I'm okay. Hungry, thirsty and a bit tired, but okay. Can we go home now? I want to see the others, want to eat a pizza and drink a beer."
"You're allowed to drink alcohol?"
"No, but I don't care..."
"But I care. There is no way in hell that I will you risk your life in any way!"
"You have to. I'm still working at NCIS, Boss. And I won't stop. I love my job."
"I won't stop you." He smiled. "Come on now. Let's get you home."
"Yeah. I like that." He kissed Gibbs on the cheek. "And I would like to stay with you, Jethro. I need you."
Gibbs was petrified. He just looked at Tony as if he had two heads. Tony took a step back and sighed. "I'm sorry, Boss. I shouldn't have said that. Forget it. Just bring me to my apartment and leave me there."
Gibbs shook himself out of his shock. He stepped over to Tony and took his face into his hands. He smiled, a true smile. "I won't leave you alone, Tony. Never, never again." He leant forward and sighed as his lips made contact with DiNozzo's.
The kiss was short and sweet. It just lasted a few seconds before Gibbs pulled back. He leaned his forehead against Tony's and smiled again. "I love you, Anthony Michael DiNozzo and I will never leave you. You're the love of my life."
He was rewarded with the brightest smile he had ever seen on Tony's face. Tony pressed his lips against Gibbs'. It was just a peck. "I love you too, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. And now take me home, I want to be out of this thing."
Gibbs laughed and pulled Tony towards his car.
~+~+~+~+~
It was a few weeks later. Gibbs and Tony had settled in their new life. Work was much easier. Tony was back and everything was alright again.
Gibbs said on the passenger's seat in Tony's car. "Where are we going, Love?"
"I've made a promise, Jet, and I intend to hold it."
"To whom?"
"You will see!"
He drove on and on. After two hours he stopped the car in front of the graveyard. Gibbs recognized it at once. He tensed. "What are we doing here, DiNozzo?" He asked cooly.
"Just wait and see!" He took Gibbs' hand and pulled him toward the entrance. He just followed his instincts and came to a halt in front of Kelly Gibbs' grave. Next to it lied Shannon Gibbs – Jethro's ex-wife.
"What are we doing here?" Gibbs asked again, with every second he was more pissed.
Tony just smiled at him, gave him a kiss on the cheek and knelt down in front of Kelly's grave. "Hey, Kelly! I promised you to go to your grave with your Dad. As you can see, we're together now. I really, really love him so much. Thanks for helping me noticing. I don't think I would have chosen life over death if it weren't for you. I hope we will see each other again, but I also hope it will not be so soon. I like my life as it is now and I like to be with your father. Send your Mum my regards. I love you, Kelly."
He stood up again. Gibbs just watched him with a question in his eyes. Tony smiled. "She brought me back to life. She has convinced me to come back. And I had to promise her to take care of you. She and Shannon miss you very much. They still love you."
"Tony..." Gibbs whispered before he pulled his lover into the most affectionately kiss they ever shared.
Life was good and it would only get better from now on.
The End
The Promise by Kaos
Story Notes:
First: English isn’t my native language, since I’m German. So I probably made a LOT of mistakes in this ^.^. Second: I’m no doctor and I know nothing about medicine... so this won’t be authentic... and I certainly know that you can't just get up when you've been into a coma for six month... call it poetic license... *grin* But I have thought about it for longer that Tony just recovered from the plague, I mean, it was pneumonic plague o.o Third: I really needed a birthday FF for Yuna, since she didn’t get the one she was supposed to be getting last year. ^.^ So Happy Birthday ^^
Author's Chapter Notes:
What if Tony hasn’t obeyed Gibbs’ direct order? What if he hadn’t died but isn’t really living? What if he fell into a deep coma with no real chance of waking up ever again?
Chapter End Notes:
First: English isn’t my native language, since I’m German. So I probably made a LOT of mistakes in this ^.^. Second: I’m no doctor and I know nothing about medicine... so this won’t be authentic... and I certainly know that you can't just get up when you've been into a coma for six month... call it poetic license... *grin* But I have thought about it for longer that Tony just recovered from the plague, I mean, it was pneumonic plague o.o Third: I really needed a birthday FF for Yuna, since she didn’t get the one she was supposed to be getting last year. ^.^ So Happy Birthday ^^