Work Text:
Just before John leaves the apartment in the morning for his walk to the library, his cell phone rings.
Reese pauses to stare at the phone. It's not a number that he recognizes and his brain automatically comes up with over a hundred reasons for who has this number and what shit-storm is about to happen. He wonders if it's Finch in trouble and doing an SOS call. He decides to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Mr. Reese?" a hesitant female voice asks over the phone.
"Yes?" John pauses, "Who is this?"
"It's Veda. Leila's grandma."
Reese lets go of the breath he was inadvertently holding. And then seizes again.
"Oh. Yes. What's wrong? Is something wrong with Leila?"
"No, no no, there's nothing wrong with her. She's fine," She hastily says. The line falls silent again.
"Mrs. Cruz?" Reese asked, frowning in confusion.
"I'm calling because," Veda is hesitant to say and Reese holds his silence, waiting for her to explain herself.
"Sammy has lung cancer," she goes on to say. "The doctor caught it early enough before it's progressed."
"What does this have to do with us?" John asks, "Do you need some money?"
"Oh! No. That's not quite it," Veda rushes on, "It's just Sammy has decided to undergo chemo and I don't think that we can keep Leila on here, with all that's going to go on around. It wouldn't be good for her."
The line falls silent again.
"You want us to find someone else to look after Leila," John says at length.
Veda says hesitantly, "We know it's a lot. But we thought that we've everything that's happened and everything you've done for us, you would know who would be best to take care of Leila."
"When do you need us to come get her?" John asks, fingers clenched on his phone.
More silence.
"As soon as possible," Veda finishes quietly. "The doctor doesn't have a good prognosis. He's given Sammy 6 months at the most. We'd rather you and Mr. Finch find Leila someone now than wait and deprive her of more people that she would learn to know."
"Is an hour too soon?" John asks, already opening his apartment door and leaving the building.
"I - I've," She choked, "I've already packed most of her things."
"Alright," Reese said. "I'll be there soon."