“One Last Chance” Chapter 2
Title: “One Last Chance”
Author: AgentRez
Rating: K+
Characters: Tony, Renee, Kim, and eventually Jack
Warnings: Spoilers through 7x17, some foul language
Timeframe: Set during 7x18, but not really based on spoilers (written before the episode airs). This is how I would like to see the episode go down.
Disclaimer: If I owned the characters, I would make sure the writers did a better job of developing Tony's character this season and I wouldn't have to keep writing fanfics to fill in the blanks.
Summary: Tony makes a phone call that could save Jack's life, but does Jack want to be saved?
A few minutes later, Renee reenters the holding room holding a phone and a paper with information, which she hands to Tony.
“Her number is right here. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband, Michael Portman, who’s a resident at Jefferson Hospital. They have a one-year-old daughter named Theresa,” she tells him. Tony smiles sadly as he realizes that Kim’s daughter is named after the grandmother she would never know, and now it is unlikely she’ll ever know her grandfather either.
“Alright, thanks,” Tony says as he takes the phone. “If she does agree to come, how can she get here at this time of night?”
“Larry talked to the president. She said if Kim agrees to do this we were authorized to do whatever it takes to bring her here quickly. I talked to someone at the Philadelphia Bureau Office…if she wants to come down here they’ll send someone to pick her up and then bring her here by helicopter.”
“Alright, good. Listen, can you make sure Jack is distracted while I make this call. If for some reason she doesn’t agree to do this, I don’t want him to know about it.”
“Yeah, alright. You really think she’d say no?”
“I don’t know. As far as I know she and Jack haven’t spoken in years. I don’t know how she’s going to react, and I don’t want to take any chances.”
“Alright, I’ll go give him an update on the standoff with Starkwood,” Renee agrees. She closes the door and leaves Tony to make the call.
Tony hesitates for a minute, for reasons he can’t explain. After a minute, he takes a deep breath and dials the number. The phone rings a few times with no answer. “Damnit, Kim, pick up the phone,” Tony says to himself.
“Hello?” a male voice answers groggily on the fifth ring. Tony can hear a baby crying in the background.
“Hi, is Kim Bauer there please?” Tony asks.
“Who’s this?” her husband asks.
“My name’s Tony Almeida…I’m an old friend of her father’s. It’s important.”
“Can’t it wait until tomorrow? She just got back to sleep after the baby woke her up.”
“No, I’m sorry, it can’t.”
“Can I at least tell her what this is about?”
“Please, just put her on the line. Just tell her that it’s Tony Almeida calling and that I really need to speak to her.”
“Alright,” Michael agrees. “Kim?” he whispers, tapping his wife gently.
“Yeah?” she asks groggily.
“There’s someone on the phone for you named Tony Almeida…he says it’s urgent.”
“Tony Almeida? Are you sure?” she asks, bewildered.
“That’s what he said,” Michael says, looking even more confused than Kim.
“Did he say what it’s about?” Kim asks.
“No. Do you want me to tell him you’ll call him back in the morning?”
“No, give me the phone,” she says reluctantly. She is filled with dread as she takes the phone, knowing that Tony could only be calling her for one reason.
“Kim?” Tony asks when he hears her pick up?
“Tony? What’s going on?” she asks nervously.
Tony takes a deep breath, not sure how to begin. When he worked with Kim at CTU, there were several occasions when he had to tell her that something had happened to her father, and he had always dreaded the possibility that one day he might have to tell her that he had gotten into a situation he couldn’t get out of. He was prepared for it back then, but not now.
“I’m calling from the FBI in Washington, DC,” he begins.
“FBI? I thought you wanted everyone to think you were dead,” she says, confused.
“Yeah, well, that’s changed. I don’t have time to explain right now, and it doesn’t matter about me anyway. The reason I’m calling is because we have a situation here that we need your help with.”
“My help?” Kim asks, bewildered.
“Yeah. You heard about the plane crash and the White House attack earlier this evening, right?”
“Yeah, of course…”
“Well, it turns out the White House attack wasn’t the end of it. Terrorists working for a private mercenary army smuggled in a biological weapon a few hours ago. Your father and I tried to stop them, and in the process he was exposed to the virus.”
“Oh my g-d…are you telling me my father’s dead?” she asks hesitantly, afraid of the answer.
“No. Not yet. But he doesn’t have much time. He’s already showing symptoms, and the doctors give him a couple days at best.”
“What kind of symptoms?”
“Seizures, shaking, memory loss…”
“Oh my g-d…how did this happen? My father doesn’t even work for the government anymore,” she says, struggling to keep from crying.
“You know your father…he can’t just stand by and watch innocent people die. He was here in DC for the Senate hearings and when he found out there was a threat he got involved…if it wasn’t for him a lot more people would be dead right now. Listen, I know this must come as a shock to you, and I know you and your father haven’t spoken in a long time. But there’s something you might be able to do to help.”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s an experimental treatment that scientists at Ryder University have been working on. It uses stem cells from a genetically compatible donor, and family members make the best match.”
“And that can cure him from the disease?” Kim asks hopefully.
Tony sighs, wanting to give her hope and convince her that it’s worth doing this but knowing that he has to be honest with her about the chances. “Listen, I’d be lying if I said the chances were great…the doctor said it’s a long shot. Jack didn’t even want to ask you, but I didn’t think it was right for someone to call you tomorrow and tell you your father was dead without giving you the choice to do everything you could to prevent it.”
“Thanks, Tony. I’m glad you called. I haven’t spoken to my father in a long time but I don’t want him to die…if there’s something I can do I’ll do it.”
Tony is relieved to hear her say that. “I had a feeling you’d say that…we’re going to send someone over from the FBI office in Philly to pick you up…they’ll bring you to DC by helicopter. It’s up to you whether you want to bring your family, but I know Jack would like the chance to meet his granddaughter at least once.”
“I don’t understand…don’t they have to determine if I’m a match first?”
“They’ll run tests on you when you get here,” Tony explains.
“My husband’s a resident at Jefferson…he can run whatever tests we need right now,” she says. “Why don’t you get the doctor on the phone and he can tell Michael what he needs to do?”
“I figured you’d want the chance to see your father,” Tony says, bewildered. “I told you before, this treatment is a long shot…if it doesn’t work, don’t you want the chance to say goodbye?”
Kim sighs. “I haven’t spoken to my father in years, Tony…”
“I understand that. But unless this treatment works, you’re not going to get another chance. Do you really want to leave things this way between the two of you?” he asks forcefully.
Kim chokes back tears. “I…I don’t know…I don’t know if I can…”
“Listen, Kim, I know you’re angry with your father and you felt betrayed when he staged his own death. There was a time when I was as angry with him as you were, believe me.”
“What are you talking about?”
Tony takes a deep breath. “I wasn’t completely honest with you last time we spoke, alright? I wasn’t trying to find your father because I was worried about him or because I wanted his help. The truth is, I wanted revenge. I blamed him for Michelle’s death, and I resented him for being a hypocrite and not letting me take care of one of the men who was responsible for her murder.”
“So what, you wanted to hunt him down and kill him?” Kim asks, bewildered.
Tony sighs. “No…I don’t think so. That’s what I told myself at the time, but I can’t imagine I actually would have gone through with it. I just wanted to hurt him…I wanted him to know what he had done to me. Of course, after I found out he’d been captured by the Chinese, I realized he was a victim of a corrupt government just like I was. I know it sounds messed up, but my point is, no matter how much we’ve suffered for the choices your dad’s made he’s suffered worse than anyone. The reason he was exposed to the virus tonight is because he risked his life to save a guard when I told him to forget it. Now he’s dying and you’re the only one who can do anything about it.”
“I already told you I would donate whatever he needed…I just don’t know if I can see him again,” she says tearfully.
“Yes you can, and I promise you that if you don’t you’re going to regret it.” Tony takes a deep breath before continuing. “Take it from me, Kim. You don’t want to spend the rest of your life regretting things that you did or didn’t do because you were angry, alright?” Tony urges, his voice choking up a little.
“It’s not because I’m angry,” she says tearfully.
“Then what is it?” Tony asks gently.
“I was so horrible to him last time I saw him…” Kim explains, the tears beginning to fall freely now.
“So what? You think he’s angry with you or doesn’t want to see you?” Tony asks.
“You said it yourself, Tony…he didn’t want me involved.”
“That’s because he didn’t want to ask you for help. You know how Jack is…he’d sacrifice himself in a minute to save someone else but he’d never ask anyone to give up anything for him, especially not you. He’s trying to protect you, and if I go in there and tell him you’re on your way he’s going to be angry at me for calling. But deep down I know how much he wants to see you. If you’re feeling guilty about the way you treated him before, the best thing you can do to make it up to him is come to DC now and make things right with him while you still can.”
Kim hesitates. Deep down she knows Tony is right but she’s still afraid. “I tell you what. I’ll notify the branch in Philly to send someone to pick you and your family up, and I’ll go tell Jack that you’re coming. If he really doesn’t want to see you, I’ll call you back and you can turn around, alright?” Tony proposes.
Kim wrestles with it for a minute. “Come on, Kim,” Tony urges.
“Alright,” she agrees finally.
“Thank you,” Tony says, relieved. “You’re making the right decision, I promise,” he says reassuringly. “I’m going to go make arrangements, but you can reach me at 202-555-2780 if you need anything, alright?”
“Ok,” Kim agrees.
“Tony?” she says as he is about to hang up.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you…for giving me the choice,” she says.
“Yeah,” Tony acknowledges before hanging up. He calls Renee and tells her it’s a go, then gets ready to tell Jack what he just did. He knows Jack won’t be happy, but he’s more convinced than he’s been about anything in a long time that what he’s doing is right.
Hopefully everyone’s still enjoying this. I will try to have part 3 up before the next episode airs, so stay tuned. If you have a moment please drop me a line…both positive feedback and constructive criticism are welcome!
Author: AgentRez
Rating: K+
Characters: Tony, Renee, Kim, and eventually Jack
Warnings: Spoilers through 7x17, some foul language
Timeframe: Set during 7x18, but not really based on spoilers (written before the episode airs). This is how I would like to see the episode go down.
Disclaimer: If I owned the characters, I would make sure the writers did a better job of developing Tony's character this season and I wouldn't have to keep writing fanfics to fill in the blanks.
Summary: Tony makes a phone call that could save Jack's life, but does Jack want to be saved?
A few minutes later, Renee reenters the holding room holding a phone and a paper with information, which she hands to Tony.
“Her number is right here. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband, Michael Portman, who’s a resident at Jefferson Hospital. They have a one-year-old daughter named Theresa,” she tells him. Tony smiles sadly as he realizes that Kim’s daughter is named after the grandmother she would never know, and now it is unlikely she’ll ever know her grandfather either.
“Alright, thanks,” Tony says as he takes the phone. “If she does agree to come, how can she get here at this time of night?”
“Larry talked to the president. She said if Kim agrees to do this we were authorized to do whatever it takes to bring her here quickly. I talked to someone at the Philadelphia Bureau Office…if she wants to come down here they’ll send someone to pick her up and then bring her here by helicopter.”
“Alright, good. Listen, can you make sure Jack is distracted while I make this call. If for some reason she doesn’t agree to do this, I don’t want him to know about it.”
“Yeah, alright. You really think she’d say no?”
“I don’t know. As far as I know she and Jack haven’t spoken in years. I don’t know how she’s going to react, and I don’t want to take any chances.”
“Alright, I’ll go give him an update on the standoff with Starkwood,” Renee agrees. She closes the door and leaves Tony to make the call.
Tony hesitates for a minute, for reasons he can’t explain. After a minute, he takes a deep breath and dials the number. The phone rings a few times with no answer. “Damnit, Kim, pick up the phone,” Tony says to himself.
“Hello?” a male voice answers groggily on the fifth ring. Tony can hear a baby crying in the background.
“Hi, is Kim Bauer there please?” Tony asks.
“Who’s this?” her husband asks.
“My name’s Tony Almeida…I’m an old friend of her father’s. It’s important.”
“Can’t it wait until tomorrow? She just got back to sleep after the baby woke her up.”
“No, I’m sorry, it can’t.”
“Can I at least tell her what this is about?”
“Please, just put her on the line. Just tell her that it’s Tony Almeida calling and that I really need to speak to her.”
“Alright,” Michael agrees. “Kim?” he whispers, tapping his wife gently.
“Yeah?” she asks groggily.
“There’s someone on the phone for you named Tony Almeida…he says it’s urgent.”
“Tony Almeida? Are you sure?” she asks, bewildered.
“That’s what he said,” Michael says, looking even more confused than Kim.
“Did he say what it’s about?” Kim asks.
“No. Do you want me to tell him you’ll call him back in the morning?”
“No, give me the phone,” she says reluctantly. She is filled with dread as she takes the phone, knowing that Tony could only be calling her for one reason.
“Kim?” Tony asks when he hears her pick up?
“Tony? What’s going on?” she asks nervously.
Tony takes a deep breath, not sure how to begin. When he worked with Kim at CTU, there were several occasions when he had to tell her that something had happened to her father, and he had always dreaded the possibility that one day he might have to tell her that he had gotten into a situation he couldn’t get out of. He was prepared for it back then, but not now.
“I’m calling from the FBI in Washington, DC,” he begins.
“FBI? I thought you wanted everyone to think you were dead,” she says, confused.
“Yeah, well, that’s changed. I don’t have time to explain right now, and it doesn’t matter about me anyway. The reason I’m calling is because we have a situation here that we need your help with.”
“My help?” Kim asks, bewildered.
“Yeah. You heard about the plane crash and the White House attack earlier this evening, right?”
“Yeah, of course…”
“Well, it turns out the White House attack wasn’t the end of it. Terrorists working for a private mercenary army smuggled in a biological weapon a few hours ago. Your father and I tried to stop them, and in the process he was exposed to the virus.”
“Oh my g-d…are you telling me my father’s dead?” she asks hesitantly, afraid of the answer.
“No. Not yet. But he doesn’t have much time. He’s already showing symptoms, and the doctors give him a couple days at best.”
“What kind of symptoms?”
“Seizures, shaking, memory loss…”
“Oh my g-d…how did this happen? My father doesn’t even work for the government anymore,” she says, struggling to keep from crying.
“You know your father…he can’t just stand by and watch innocent people die. He was here in DC for the Senate hearings and when he found out there was a threat he got involved…if it wasn’t for him a lot more people would be dead right now. Listen, I know this must come as a shock to you, and I know you and your father haven’t spoken in a long time. But there’s something you might be able to do to help.”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s an experimental treatment that scientists at Ryder University have been working on. It uses stem cells from a genetically compatible donor, and family members make the best match.”
“And that can cure him from the disease?” Kim asks hopefully.
Tony sighs, wanting to give her hope and convince her that it’s worth doing this but knowing that he has to be honest with her about the chances. “Listen, I’d be lying if I said the chances were great…the doctor said it’s a long shot. Jack didn’t even want to ask you, but I didn’t think it was right for someone to call you tomorrow and tell you your father was dead without giving you the choice to do everything you could to prevent it.”
“Thanks, Tony. I’m glad you called. I haven’t spoken to my father in a long time but I don’t want him to die…if there’s something I can do I’ll do it.”
Tony is relieved to hear her say that. “I had a feeling you’d say that…we’re going to send someone over from the FBI office in Philly to pick you up…they’ll bring you to DC by helicopter. It’s up to you whether you want to bring your family, but I know Jack would like the chance to meet his granddaughter at least once.”
“I don’t understand…don’t they have to determine if I’m a match first?”
“They’ll run tests on you when you get here,” Tony explains.
“My husband’s a resident at Jefferson…he can run whatever tests we need right now,” she says. “Why don’t you get the doctor on the phone and he can tell Michael what he needs to do?”
“I figured you’d want the chance to see your father,” Tony says, bewildered. “I told you before, this treatment is a long shot…if it doesn’t work, don’t you want the chance to say goodbye?”
Kim sighs. “I haven’t spoken to my father in years, Tony…”
“I understand that. But unless this treatment works, you’re not going to get another chance. Do you really want to leave things this way between the two of you?” he asks forcefully.
Kim chokes back tears. “I…I don’t know…I don’t know if I can…”
“Listen, Kim, I know you’re angry with your father and you felt betrayed when he staged his own death. There was a time when I was as angry with him as you were, believe me.”
“What are you talking about?”
Tony takes a deep breath. “I wasn’t completely honest with you last time we spoke, alright? I wasn’t trying to find your father because I was worried about him or because I wanted his help. The truth is, I wanted revenge. I blamed him for Michelle’s death, and I resented him for being a hypocrite and not letting me take care of one of the men who was responsible for her murder.”
“So what, you wanted to hunt him down and kill him?” Kim asks, bewildered.
Tony sighs. “No…I don’t think so. That’s what I told myself at the time, but I can’t imagine I actually would have gone through with it. I just wanted to hurt him…I wanted him to know what he had done to me. Of course, after I found out he’d been captured by the Chinese, I realized he was a victim of a corrupt government just like I was. I know it sounds messed up, but my point is, no matter how much we’ve suffered for the choices your dad’s made he’s suffered worse than anyone. The reason he was exposed to the virus tonight is because he risked his life to save a guard when I told him to forget it. Now he’s dying and you’re the only one who can do anything about it.”
“I already told you I would donate whatever he needed…I just don’t know if I can see him again,” she says tearfully.
“Yes you can, and I promise you that if you don’t you’re going to regret it.” Tony takes a deep breath before continuing. “Take it from me, Kim. You don’t want to spend the rest of your life regretting things that you did or didn’t do because you were angry, alright?” Tony urges, his voice choking up a little.
“It’s not because I’m angry,” she says tearfully.
“Then what is it?” Tony asks gently.
“I was so horrible to him last time I saw him…” Kim explains, the tears beginning to fall freely now.
“So what? You think he’s angry with you or doesn’t want to see you?” Tony asks.
“You said it yourself, Tony…he didn’t want me involved.”
“That’s because he didn’t want to ask you for help. You know how Jack is…he’d sacrifice himself in a minute to save someone else but he’d never ask anyone to give up anything for him, especially not you. He’s trying to protect you, and if I go in there and tell him you’re on your way he’s going to be angry at me for calling. But deep down I know how much he wants to see you. If you’re feeling guilty about the way you treated him before, the best thing you can do to make it up to him is come to DC now and make things right with him while you still can.”
Kim hesitates. Deep down she knows Tony is right but she’s still afraid. “I tell you what. I’ll notify the branch in Philly to send someone to pick you and your family up, and I’ll go tell Jack that you’re coming. If he really doesn’t want to see you, I’ll call you back and you can turn around, alright?” Tony proposes.
Kim wrestles with it for a minute. “Come on, Kim,” Tony urges.
“Alright,” she agrees finally.
“Thank you,” Tony says, relieved. “You’re making the right decision, I promise,” he says reassuringly. “I’m going to go make arrangements, but you can reach me at 202-555-2780 if you need anything, alright?”
“Ok,” Kim agrees.
“Tony?” she says as he is about to hang up.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you…for giving me the choice,” she says.
“Yeah,” Tony acknowledges before hanging up. He calls Renee and tells her it’s a go, then gets ready to tell Jack what he just did. He knows Jack won’t be happy, but he’s more convinced than he’s been about anything in a long time that what he’s doing is right.
Hopefully everyone’s still enjoying this. I will try to have part 3 up before the next episode airs, so stay tuned. If you have a moment please drop me a line…both positive feedback and constructive criticism are welcome!