Sisters for Life - Tiva

***Moving***

"We have to do something about Cassie," Ziva said one night as she lay in bed. Cassie had been home for two weeks now.

"What do you mean?" Tony asked, taking his place next to her.

Ziva sat up and looked straight at him. "Don't tell me you can't see it.. She can't get up the stairs. We have to carry her anytime she wants to go from her room to the kitchen or back. She can't reach things. She's getting frustrated. I've heard her crying in the tub at night when she thinks we're downstairs. We can't ignore the toll this is taking on her... and Sam. She's trying so hard to help her sister but they're the same size, it's not like she can do anything physically... We can't do this anymore, Tony.. they can't do this anymore."

Tony shifted, sitting up in the bed a bit more. "What do you think we should do?"

"I.. I don't know.." ziva sighed, defeated. But we have to do something.. fast."

~~~~~~~

"Sam," Cassie whispered. "Sam!"

"What?" Sam moaned as she stirred in her bed across the room from her sister's.

"I need to use the restroom... I can't on my own," Cassie said. Sam could hear the frustration at the edge of her voice.

"Alright, I'm coming." Sam got out of bed and made her way to help her sister. The clock said it was three in the morning. And that was just the beginning of the routine.

~~~

"Here, let me get that for you," Sam said as she grabbed the shirt that Cassie was trying to get from her closet.

"No, I got it," Cassie protested, to no avail. Sam still grabbed it for her. Cassie rolled away from her sister, irritated.

"Cass, I was just helping."

"Well, don't!" Cassie snapped. She put on the shirt, then moved to pants. Getting dressed was the most frustrating part of the day for the girls. Cassie refused help, but she couldn't do it by herself.

After the frustrating charade, they continued preparing for the day. Even the simplest tasks, like brushing teeth, were difficult for Cassie. She couldn't reach the cabinet to grab her toothbrush or toothpaste. She could hardly reach the sink, or lean over to spit out the excess. It always ended in frustration.

The next obstacle of the morning was not just getting breakfast, but getting TO breakfast. Cassie went to the edge of the stairs and stared down them. On several occasions, she'd tried to get down them on her own, slowly and carefully. Those attempts only ended in creating new bruises on both herself and others in her way.

"Don't jump," Tony called as he hurried down the hallway to her. "I'm coming to help."

Tony lifted Cassie out of the wheelchair, carried her downstairs, then returned later with the wheelchair. This happened every morning, and Cassie complained... every. morning.

"Sorry, Dad," She apologized for the fifth time.

"Don't be sorry, Cassie. I'm happy to help."

She shrugged her shoulders and took another bite of her food. There wasn't as much conversation as before. Sam didn't talk about sports, since she thought it was disrespectful.

The morning trudged on. Summer days were long and tedious for the girls. Tony and Ziva would have to leave for work, but not before making sure Cassie had everything she needed from upstairs, as Sam wouldn't be able to transport Cassie up and down the stairs.

And so the routine continued, day after day.

~~~~~

"Oh crap!" Cassie exclaimed as her book dropped with a thud. She reached down to pick it up, but was inches away. Sam jumped up to help. Cassie shoved her hand away.

"Let me help," Sam pleaded.

"I can do it!" Cassie yelled. "Stop!"

Sam grabbed the book and stood up, "No, you stop! I'm sick of you not letting me help you!"

"I don't need your help!" Cassie snapped.

"Yes, you do! Stop lying to yourself! What you're doing, it's.. it's selfish!"

The dispute between them grew louder and more intense, inevitably drawing Tony and Ziva to figure out what was happening.

"What's going on in here?" Tony asked. Ziva was right behind him.

Cassie was crying in frustration, so Sam answered. "She won't let me help her when she obviously needs it!"

"I don't need- your help!" Cassie cried. "I can do it myself!"

Tony and Ziva glanced at each other. They had to do something.. now. Ziva took Cassie's hand and tried to calm her down.

Tony sat on the couch and called Sam to sit next to him, "We need to talk.. all of us."

~~~~~~

Once everyone had calmed down to a rational level, Tony started.

"Okay. I think we all can see it's pretty obvious that something needs to be done."

"Yeah," Cassie said, arms folded, "Y'all need to stay out of my way."

"No," Tony said, trying to keep the calm. "Something needs to be done all over, including with you, Cassie?"

"What did I  do?" Cassie whined.

"It doesn't matter," Ziva cut in. "The point is that this isn't working. Can any of us honestly say we're happy?"

Both girls shook their heads and looked downwards towards their hands.

"Then," Tony continued, "I suggest we do something."

"What can we do?" Sam asked.

"We could move..." The suggestion came from Cassie.

"What?" Tony asked. Obviously, the idea had occurred to him, but he doubted they'd be happy with it, much less offer it.

Sam shrugged her shoulders. "We could move.. Not far. Just to another house that's easier for Cassie. Easier for us... You said it, mom. We aren't happy here... So maybe we could move."

Cassie raised her eyebrows. Ziva studied her face to see if she liked the idea. It seemed to work for everyone, but no one said anything.

"Well," Ziva finally broke the silence. "I think that sounds like a good idea.. How about, tomorrow, I'll talk to a realtor, and we can go look at some houses next week?"

Cassie nodded, "I like that."

Sam smiled. She liked the idea of Moving, too.