Gibbs parked his car outside the adult daycare facility. Taking a deep breath he climbed out and walked up the wooden ramp towards the front door. This was how life was now and he wondered if it would ever get any easier. Be a man he whispered as he opened the front door. As always Tony was sitting on the chair closest to the information desk. Holding the Mighty Mouse backpack that Abby had found for him. His smile lit up the room when he saw his boss enter. Gibbs was relived that was about the only thing about Tony that was the same after the accident.
"BOSS!" Tony cried running into his arms.
"I'm glad to see you too Tony." Gibbs said smiling and embracing his son.
"M...Made th...this f...for Probie." Tony stammered showing him a drawing. A man was pushing Delilah towards McGee who was standing at the altar of a church.
"Is this their wedding?" Gibbs asked.
"Y...Yes c...can't w...wait." Tony stammered.
"Well it's not going to be for a while. Delilah needs a few more months of rehab to get her arms nice and strong and McGee has to plan everything out." Gibbs explained.
"S...Sure she never walk again?" Tony asked.
"Tony we've talked about this." Gibbs replied.
"Oh yeah her back is hurt too bad. For doctors to fix." Tony replied sadly.
"It's alright she can keep go back to her old job and live a fairly normal life. She just needs a little more help." Gibbs explained.
"If Probie still love her. Maybe somebody love me one day?" Tony asked.
"Maybe" Gibbs replied.
It had been a little over three months since the accident that changed Gibbs and Tony's lives forever. Gibbs had sent Tony and McGee to pick up a suspect. From what Gibbs understood. When the two agents first knocked on the door. Ir was supposed to be that simple. Except it changed everything and now it seemed like nothing would ever be simple again. Tony knocked on the door and the suspect answered. He was swinging a bat. McGee was able to duck out-of-the-way but Tony. Tony took a hit to the head. He was unconscious and unresponsive by the time help arrived. When he woke up eleven days later. It was discovered that his brain injury left him at the mental age of six or seven. Senior refused to have anything to do with his disabled son. With no other living family except for one sickly uncle in Italy. It was up to Gibbs to care for his former agent. While Tony did have memories of his past life he couldn't understand why his disability was a big deal. It killed Gibbs to see how far his son had fallen but it was somewhat endearing to see his childlike innocence and happiness. While Tony would never be able to hold a real job again. He sometimes went to "work school" as Tony called it with the other "friends" (patients) from "school" (daycare). Gibbs knew that Tony called the odd jobs his daycare did work school because it was a combination or work and school. He also knew that he called the other patients at the daycare center friends because it sounded nicer than patients. Daycare was school because daycare was for babies and besides he learned stuff.
"Ha...have f...fun today Boss?" Tony asked as they drove home.
"It wasn't fun but it was good day. We didn't have any cases we just did paperwork back at the office." Gibbs explained.
"Nobody got hurt?" Tony asked.
"Nobody got hurt." Gibbs assured.
"Good I don't like it when people get hurt. I don't like bad guys." Tony replied.
"I don't either." Gibbs replied.
"Did bad guys get your daughter?" Tony asked.
"Yes" Gibbs replied.
"Will bad guys get me too?" Tony asked nervously.
"I'll protect you." Gibbs promised.
"What if you can't?" Tony asked almost crying.
"How was your day?" Gibbs asked changing the subject. Tony's attention span was so short that even one sentence would lead him away from a subject for a little while at least.
"Good. We're going to work school Friday this week." Tony replied.
"Why?" Gibbs asked.
"Cause Mrs. Higgins is sick. So we hafta wait" Tony replied.
"What's wrong with her?" Gibbs asked.
"Her husband gave her a stork and it makes her tummy sick sometimes." Tony explained.
"Oh she's pregnant." Gibbs explained.
"Yeah! Yeah! That's what it's called!" Tony cried.
"Well what if she's still sick Friday?" Gibbs asked.
"She will be. Mrs. Myer is coming instead but she has another work school tomorrow. So we hafta wait." Tony explained.
"Oh where are you going this time?" Gibbs asked.
"I dunno." Tony replied.
"Well it's actually good you aren't going to work school tomorrow." Gibbs replied.
"Why?" Tony asked.
"Because you aren't going to school remember?" Gibbs asked.
"Oh yeah I have to see the pullmallgist." Tony replied.
"Pulmonologist" Gibbs corrected.
"What's that?" Tony asked.
"A doctor that takes care of lungs." Gibbs replied.
"Oh yeah! I like Dr. Pitt! He's the same name as the actor!" Tony cried.
"Yes he is." Gibbs replied.
"I'll be back to school Sunday though?" Tony asked.
"Thursday" Gibbs corrected.
"Oh yeah! I get em mixed up! Tony cried.
"It's alright you are still learning." Gibbs assured.
"OK! I can go back Thursday right?" Tony asked.
"Yes" Gibbs assured.
"Good...Good and no hospital?" Tony asked.
"No hospital." Gibbs assured.
"Good I hate hospital." Tony replied.
"Not a lot of people do." Gibbs replied.
"I love school!" Tony cried.
"I know you do. Did anything else happen today?" Gibbs asked.
"We gotta watch Mighty Mouse. I laughed so hard my tummy hurt." Tony replied.
"That's awesome." Gibbs replied.
"Yeah! Yeah! Mighty Mouse fun!" Tony giggled.
"Well we don't have any Mighty Mouse but we do have some other movies. Would you like to watch one later." Gibbs offered.
"Alright I pick?" Tony asked.
"Of course just ask me if you need help reading." Gibbs replied.
"YAY!" Tony cried.
"Oh yeah Abby has a surprise for you next time she sees you." Gibbs replied.
"MMM" Tony mumbled.
Gibbs looked over and saw that his son had fallen asleep in the passenger seat. He couldn't help but smile. Tony really looked like a child when he slept. A few minutes later they were home. Gibbs got himself out of the car. Then walked over and gently shook Tony awake and led a half asleep Tony inside. Tony asked about the movie but ended up falling back asleep in the middle of dinner. Gibbs led him upstairs and tucked him into bed. Tony had good days and bad. Thankfully today was a good day and hopefully the smiley days as Tony called them would start to out-weigh the yucky days as Tony called them soon.
A/N: I have wanted to write a story like this for a while and have stared it two or three tines but this is the most confident I am with one. Should I continue? I mean I am working on so many other stories but I wanted start this one while I was thinking about it.