Many characters are in danger heading into the 9-1-1: Lone Star series finale, but Tommy Vega has much more to worry about following the penultimate episode’s heartbreaking twist. Gina Torres has starred as Tommy in the 9-1-1: Lone Star cast since season 2, replacing Liv Tyler’s Michelle Blake as Station 126’s paramedic captain. Over the course of the TV series, Tommy has experienced many ups and downs. Unfortunately, Tommy runs into health issues in the last season of the Fox procedural drama, suggesting she might not get a happy ending.

In 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5, episode 6, “Naked Truth,” Tommy encourages Nancy Gillian to get a mammogram after she finds a lump on her breast. She goes with her friend for support and also gets checked for cancer. While Nancy learns her lump is benign, Tommy is surprised to discover she has a cancerous mass on her breast, resulting in her getting treatment and chemotherapy in later episodes. Tommy’s health battle might end in heartbreak, though, in the wake of what happened in 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5, episode 11, “Impact.”

Tommy’s Devastating News In 9-1-1: Lone Star Explained

Tommy Has An Inoperable Tumor

Tommy has been fighting cancer in 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5 since episode 6. Sadly, in the show’s penultimate hour, Tommy learns that the tumors are growing instead of shrinking. Tommy, not wanting to believe the worst, suggests that perhaps the masses are simply swelling due to the chemotherapy, which sometimes happens in very rare cases. However, the doctor reveals that it might not matter either way because Tommy has an inoperable tumor pressing against her aorta that will likely kill her.

The tumor has already started bleeding, and, as Tommy’s doctor explains, if the growth grows just one more millimeter, it will rupture. They can’t perform surgery on it because it’s too close to her heart. So, Tommy seemingly only has days to live. She calls her daughters, who are visiting their uncle, and decides not to tell them the horrible news.

After hanging up, Tommy starts sobbing before seeing her late husband, Charles, standing in her home. She believes she’s simply hallucinating, but Charles explains that he’s there to “bring her home.” Later, Tommy tells Charles that she loves him before falling asleep. The camera zooms out on Tommy, a clock ticking in the background before suddenly stopping, suggesting she dies right then and there. However, the scene is left ambiguous, and fans must wait until the 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5 ending to learn Tommy’s fate.

Can Tommy Still Have A Happy Ending In 9-1-1: Lone Star?

Gina Torres’ Character Might Not Be Dead Yet

\Following 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5, episode 11, things aren’t looking too good for Tommy. She is dying (or already has died) from cancer, and an asteroid is hurling toward the city of Austin, putting every other character in danger, too. It’s safe to say that the odds are not in Tommy’s favor. However, one more episode remains in the 9-1-1 spinoff, meaning anything can happen, including Tommy’s recovery or the rescue of Austin.

Tommy’s death in 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5 is more likely than her survival. Even if the asteroid doesn’t kill the entire population of Austin (which it most certainly won’t), Tommy’s cancer prognosis is bleak. Perhaps she was right when she said her tumor was only swelling and would soon begin to shrink, and Tommy wakes up during the 9-1-1: Lone Star series finale, ready to take on the world. Gina Torres told TVLine that Tommy appears in the last episode, after all. However, it’s not a good sign that she saw Charles — anything is possible, but not everything is probable.

What Tommy’s Tragic News Means For The 9-1-1: Lone Star Finale

Tommy’s Fate Is Up In The Air (As Is The Rest Of The Team’s)

Tommy’s fate after 9-1-1: Lone Star‘s penultimate episode could go either way, but fans should brace themselves for her death. Looking at the big picture, the stakes are high in the finale. An asteroid is headed for Austin, threatening the lives of everyone, but based on episode 11’s opening flashforward, it won’t wipe out the city (a nuclear meltdown is worrying, though). So, knowing that most of the show’s characters will survive, it’s more likely that Tommy won’t. The 9-1-1: Lone Star finale needs high stakes that pay off in the end, and, unfortunately, that would be Tommy dying.