The Altruistic Grumpee

By Glow60

CHAPTER 2 –Secrets

This is where I left off in the last chapter…I was able to finish it sooner so I am posting it. I hope you enjoy.

(Gibbs hands McGee a list of things DiNozzo is going to need. He asks him to collect and pack them up. As McGee heads toward the master bedroom, Gibbs turns his attention to another room. He had made a promise to Abby but he was not sure he was strong enough to keep it. Before he enters the room he stops at the doorway. The last time he was in this room he had brought a special gift to his granddaughter. He can still remember that day and hear the giggles coming from two little girls…

He had stopped at the door and smiles as he watches he granddaughters little Abby and DeeDee. The two little girls were jumping on the bed in their little fairy dresses. The moment they saw him they ran to him and pulled him toward the bed. They wanted him to jump on the bed with them.

He laughs, "NO! Your mother would kill me if I broke your bed."

The little girls both yell in unison, "Please Grandpa. PLEEEEZE."

Gibbs looks at the small bed. For a brief second he was tempted to do it just for his granddaughters but he knew he would probably end up breaking his neck trying it. He looks at the little girls and knew they were not going to give up so he decides to distract them with something else. He reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a small wrapped box and hands it to little Abby.

His mind returns to the present. He takes a deep breath as he enters the room…)

Gibbs immediately spots the promise he had made to Abby. It is a large white dollhouse that sat in the corner of little Abby's room. His granddaughter had always loved his house. She told him once that she would like to have a house like his. It was her remark that gave him the idea of what he could make her for her next birthday. He used the diagram for his own house to build it. It took him a while just to figure out how to reduce the size but he managed to do it. He made the dollhouse a little bit bigger than the normal size dollhouse. He made it in four removable sections the basement, the first and second floor and the attic. He made it that way so it would be easy to move when needed. Today he was so glad he did because there was no way McGee and he would have been able to move it. It was pretty heavy and awkward to lift.

Abby's Secrets…

Since the accident, Abby has been keeping a secret from Gibbs because she didn't want to burden him with anything. She knew he had enough to worry about. She even made her husband Burt pinky swear not to say anything to Gibbs or any of the others about what was going on in their house…

Immediately after the accident, Abby and Burt had to take their daughter DeeDee to see a grievance therapist because she was handedly the death of her best friend very well. The little girl seems to have shut down and only talk when someone speaks to her. At nights she has reoccurring nightmares of herself, instead of her mommy, running toward the accident. Each time she looks in the front seat of the car she can see her Aunt Zoe and Uncle Tony. They both are bloody and looked dead. As she looks into the back seat she can see her best friend little Abby. She screams as loud as she could for her best friend to wake up but nothing happens. Seconds later she wakes up to find herself in her mother's arms.

Abby tries to comfort her daughter but it doesn't seem to be working. Seconds later, Burt walks into the room with a pill and a glass of water. He hands it to Abby. The mother whispers to her daughter as she hands her the pill. Once the little girl has taken the medicine she drinks the glass of water. Abby holds her daughter in her arms until the little girl falls into deep sleep.

Burt watches from the doorway. He is worried about his daughter but he is also worried about his wife. He loves his wife but he knows she is trying to be strong for the family but inside he knows she is falling apart right before he eyes and there was not a damn thing he could do about it. He watches for a few seconds longer before he decides to go check on their little boy. He knows for the rest of the night his bed will be minus one person. He decides he will sleep on the couch tonight.

Abby removes her arm from her sleeping child. She covers DeeDee and hopes the medicine will let her little girl get some much needed sleep. The mother bends down and kisses her daughter on the forehead before curls up next to her child. Abby wipes the tears from her eyes before she closes them and hopes she can also get some sleep.

Abby knows she needs help but refuses to take it. She just can't seem to get the images of the crash out of her head. To everyone, she had put on a persona that she was fine and in control. Only her husband Burt knows the truth. He is there when she cries and he is there when she has her nightmares too. The nightmares had gotten so bad that Burt begs her to talk with someone. At first, Abby refuse too but it takes Burt threatening to call Gibbs before she agreed to talk with someone. So…she promises him she will talk with Sister Mary…

Abby's Secret From Gibbs End…

As Gibbs runs his hand over the structure, he remembers the conversation he had had earlier with Abby. She asked him if Tony would mind if her daughter could have little Abby's dollhouse. She mentions her daughter is going through some rough (but she doesn't tell him how bad it is). She tells him she is hoping the dollhouse might cheer her little girl up. As he is leaving he tells her he would take care of it. Before he starts up the truck he calls DiNozzo. Tony without hesitation tells Gibbs DeeDee can have the dollhouse and anything else in the room that she might want.

Gibbs begins to carefully pack up the small pieces of furniture and places them gently inside the box. As he reaches for the next piece, he notices the two small porcelain dolls dress in blue and pink dresses. It reminds him when he told Zoe, Abby and Delilah his plans to build the dollhouse. All three of the mothers immediately wanted in on the birthday surprise. While he made the house and some of the furniture, the mother's planned to buy the rest of the furniture and the dolls to go with it. He grins when he remember the day Delilah found the two little four inch porcelain dolls that looked just like little Abby and DeeDee. The three mothers then got together to make matching clothes to go with the dolls. Gibbs can still remember little Abby and DeeDee jumping for joy when they saw the dollhouse and especially when they saw their very own lookalike dolls dressed in fairy dresses.

Gibbs slowly wraps the red fairy doll first and carefully places it into the box. He is okay until he picks up the blue fairy doll. As he begins to wrap the doll his hands begin to shake. He now sees flashes of his granddaughter Abby in the coffin. He tries to fight back the tears but it was a losing battle. His can now feel a sharp pain in his chest as he falls to his knees. Seconds pass the pain seems to be easing up a little. He stays on his knees until he feels someone touch his shoulder. He looks up and sees McGee. Gibbs slowly stands up and he wipes the tears from his cheeks. He really didn't want anyone to see him at his weakness. He had been trying his best to be the strong one but it wasn't working. He didn't say anything to McGee as he begins wrapping the rest of the stuff. McGee stands there for a few seconds before he heads back to Tony's room to finish packing his things.

Back at the DiNozzo's house, the truck is finally loaded and the two men are ready to leave. As Gibbs is shutting the tailgate, his cellphone rings. He answers it and is surprised that it's a call from little Tony's pediatrician. The receptionist explains to him that the doctor needs to push up the surgery to Wednesday for personal reason. If little Tony can't have his surgery on that day another doctor will have to do the surgery or they will have to postpone the surgery for a later date. Before Gibbs can say anything the woman reminds him postponing the surgery could cause further damage to the little boy's ears.

Gibbs already knew he doesn't want anyone else performing the surgery nor does he want it postponed again. He agrees to the surgery date. One problem, the surgery is going to be on the same day DiNozzo is to be released from the hospital.

When Gibbs is finished with the call he looks at McGee and explains the situation he is now in. He asks his friend if he could pick up DiNozzo on the day he is to be released from the hospital. McGee tells him not to worry he will gladly take care of it.

McGee follows the truck to Gibbs' house so they could unload all of DiNozzo's things. When they are finished they head over to Abby's house so they can setup the dollhouse. The house is empty because Abby wants it to be a surprise for her daughter. While they setup the dollhouse Abby is keeping little Tony and his dad company at the hospital. Burt takes his kids to zoo and then out to eat.

When Gibbs and McGee are finally finished setting up the dollhouse, McGee heads home. Gibbs heads to the hospital to relieve Abby. When Gibbs enters the hospital DiNozzo's room, he finds his friend alone. Tony tells Gibbs that Abby had taken his son down to the hospital cafeteria so she could get him something to eat.

Gibbs tells Tony that everything is ready for him at his house. He also tells the father about the change of date for his son's surgery and McGee will be the one who will be picking him up.

Abby's House…

Around three o'clock, Abby meets Burt and their kids in front of their house. She is both excited and a little nervous about the surprise that is waiting for their daughter DeeDee. She is worried that it might make things worst. She now wishes she had run this by her daughter's therapist first but it is too late to stop it.

While Burt carries their little boy in the house, Abby follows DeeDee to her room. She watches as her little girl opens the door and walks inside. She wishes she could see her daughter's face. She watches as her daughter walks slowly toward the dollhouse. The little girl runs her hand over it as if she doesn't believe it is there. DeeDee sees the dolls. She picks them up and turns and looks at her mother. She is on the verge of tears when she asks, "Is this for real? Is this really…really real?"

Abby's eyes are watering as she says, "Yes…"

The little girl looks back at the dollhouse. She holds the dolls tightly to her chest as she whispers, "Abs…I love you and miss you so much."

Late in the evening, Abby calls Gibbs and thanks him. She tells him her little girl was so pleased to see the dollhouse that she didn't want to go to bed. Both Abby and Gibbs knew the dollhouse would never replace its original owner but maybe it will help this little girl to heal somehow.

Wednesday…

It was mid morning, Gibbs is sitting in the hospital waiting for word when his grandson's surgery will be over. He puts the crossword puzzle down and looks at his watch. The surgery should have been over by now so he decides to go and find out what is taking so long. As he walks toward the door he almost bumps into one of the nurses. She smiles at him and tells him his grandson surgery is over and he is now in the recovery room. Everything went well and the doctor should be here in a few minutes to talk with him.

Meanwhile at another hospital on the other side of the city, McGee parks his SUV at the hospital's front entrance. He can see Tony and a male nurse waiting just inside the door. He steps out of his vehicle so he can open the hatch. He begins putting all of Tony's things he had accumulated during his stay at the hospital. While he is loading the SUV a male nurse helps Tony into the front passenger's seat. As soon as McGee gets behind the driver's seat, Tony asks McGee if he would mind stopping by the cemetery. He wants to see where his wife and child are buried. At first, McGee just nods but he is worried because he knows Tony is still in a lot of pain and the trip to the cemetery could be very uncomfortable for him. McGee asks him if he is sure he wants to go at this time. Tony just nods his head and never looks at him.

McGee finds the drive to the cemetery getting on his nerves. Each time he enters an intersection or gets too close to a car Tony would start yelling at him to watch out. If Tony didn't yell at him, he would brace himself as if waiting for an impact. After about the sixth time, McGee finally has had enough and pulls the SUV over. He tells Tony he understands and that he is sorry for what happen him and his family. He then tells Tony he is getting on his nerves and if he doesn't stop reacting to everything they will definitely get into a real accident.

Tony looks at McGee for a few seconds. He wants to argue but he knows his friend is right. Tony knows he is just being paranoid but he can't seem to help himself. Finally he says, "McGee…I am sorry I…"

McGee felt guilty for what he said. Finally he says, "It's…okay…Tony. I'm sorry I shouldn't have yelled at you."

Tony turns away and closes his eyes as he tries to calm himself down.

McGee takes a deep breath as he starts his SUV back up. He had expected Tony to argue with him more but is surprised when his friend doesn't.

For the next few miles it is quiet. Tony doesn't say a word until he notices a flower shop. He asks McGee if he would mind stopping and purchasing some flowers to put on both Zoe and little Abby's graves. McGee doesn't hesitate as he parks the vehicle. While McGee heads inside the flower shop, Tony stays inside the vehicle. His thoughts were lost in his memories of his wife and daughter…

Inside the store, McGee purchases two-dozen red and white roses. He then asks the florist if they might have any lilacs.

The woman smiles, "Yes…you are in luck. We just got some fresh ones in this morning. What color would you like? We have them in both purple and white."

He tells her it doesn't really matter.

She smiles, "Yes it does. The purple lilacs symbolize the first emotions of love and the white ones represent youthful innocence."

He smiles, "I…I will take a dozen of the white ones…please."

McGee could smell the strong fragrant of flowers as the florist wraps them up. He smiles because he knows little Abby would have loved them. As the florist hands him the flowers, McGee inhales the strong fragrance. His eyes water as he remembers it was something he and the little girl shared. They both love the smell of lilacs. McGee takes another whiff of the flowers. He remembers little Abby's last birthday; he had bought two lilac bushes and helped her to plant them in her backyard. Every time he came to visit them the little girl would drag him outside to see her lilacs and how they have grown. At the time he got a lot of ribbing from Tony about mess with his landscaping.

As McGee is paying the florist he notices a small stuffed animal that looks like a purple Loch Ness monster. He couldn't pass it up. He picks it up and tells the woman he wants to buy it too. She rings it up and hands it to him.

It didn't take them long to reach the cemetery. McGee drives his SUV down onto a narrow pave road until he reaches the section where Zoe and little Abby are buried. McGee points to where the graves are. Tony could tell they were fairly new graves but doesn't see any headstones. When Tony questioned the missing headstones, McGee explains to the grieving husband/father the headstones will not arrive for another week or two. He tells Tony that Mary and Gibbs had picked out the headstones and they are beautiful. He tries to describe them before he realizes his friend wasn't even listening to him anymore.

McGee steps out of the car and begins removing the folding motorize wheelchair from the back of the SUV. Once he has it setup, he helps Tony into it. Tony immediately takes off and heads toward the graves while McGee grabs the flowers and runs to catch up with him. Once at the gravesite McGee hands Tony the flowers and stuff serpent. He decides to give his friend some privacy. Before he heads back to the car he tells Tony to let him know when he is ready to leave.

For the first five minutes, Tony just sits quietly staring at the graves. In his mind he had hope this was all a very bad nightmare but seeing his wife and daughter's graves reminds him it is real. He takes a deep breath as he places the flowers onto the two graves but still holds until the small stuff serpent. He looks at his wife's grave and whispers, "Zoe…(sob)…I…I am so sorry. I miss you so much."

Tony then gently places the small stuff serpent on his daughter's grave. He stares at it for a few seconds before he says, "My precious little Abby...my sweet…sweet precious little girl I…I am so sorry…I am so sorry. This shouldn't of happen to you or your mom. It…it should have been…(sob)…me instead of you two." His starts to tremble and he can't hold back the flood of tears.

McGee was trying his best not to eavesdrop on Tony's private moments but he couldn't help himself. He just couldn't keep standing there any longer while his best friend is falling apart right before he eyes. He moves quickly toward Tony and then stands in front of him waiting for him to look up at him but Tony would not make eye contact. McGee kneels down in front of him but Tony still would not look at him. Finally McGee says, "Tony…I…I can't imagine what you are going through right now. I…I'm so sorry…I don't know what I would do if I lost…my Delilah or my twins. They mean the world to me. I…I…"

McGee pauses and waits for his friend to respond to him but when Tony doesn't speak McGee continues, "Tony…I am not sure why some people die and others don't. Maybe God choose you to stay here for your son. Maybe…"

This time Tony does look at him, as he tries to wipe the tears away. The grieving man starts to laugh, "Maybe…(ha-ha)…really Tim? Is that what you believe? God choose me to stay behind for my son…(ha-ha). I…I will tell you this…if this is what God plans…he just made a very big mistake because he should have chosen my wife and my precious little girl to be here instead of me. Zoe and Abby didn't deserve to die. They should be alive and not me."

McGee was not going to listen to it, "Tony stop that…yes…Zoe and your daughter should be alive but so should you."

"But…they…died…Tim. They…(sob)…DIED and I am still here."

"Tony…your son needs you."

Tony looks at McGee, "NO! MY…LITTLE…BOY…NEEDS…BOTH…HIS…MOTHER AND HIS SISTER. A little boy…his age doesn't need this tragedy in his life. He NEEDS his mom right now…not his dad."

McGee shakes his head, "No…No…Tony…you…you are so wrong. A little boy needs both of his parents. If Zoe can't be here for him…then you need to be here for him. Tony…I am telling you this as a friend and someone who cares deeply for you and your little boy. I don't want to see anything else bad happen to either one of you. You both are going to need each other to heal."

Tony stares at his friend for a few seconds. He now feels coming here is a big mistake because he is hurting and definitely not in the mood to argue with anyone. Finally he says, "I'm tired McGee…I don't want to argue with you anymore. I want to lie down. Could you please take me to Gibbs' house."

As McGee stands up he feels like he let his friend down. He watches Tony starts up the motorize wheelchair and head toward his parked vehicle. Seconds later McGee follows behind him. He helps the injure man into front passenger's seat. As he folds the wheelchair he wishes Gibbs would have been here. He knew the older man would have known what to do or say. He wished he could have talk to him about it but these days he didn't want to burden the older man. He knows Gibbs is already doing a lot to help DiNozzo and his little boy. He didn't want to add any more to it.

McGee's Secret Promise To Himself…

Ever since the day of the funeral McGee had been keeping a secret to himself. It happened right after the burial services when everyone met over at Gibbs' house. There were so many people that showed up it wasn't long before they were running short on ice, food and drinks. Delilah asks her husband if he could make a trip to the store. As McGee was leaving the house he notices the basement door was slightly ajared. He worried about the small children falling down the stairs so decides to close the door. As he grabs the doorknob he hears something coming from the basement. He moves a little closer to the door so he can hear what it is. He is surprise to hear what sounds like someone crying. He peeks down into the basement. It was dark except for the light coming from the basement window. He stares at the darkness until he can make out a silhouette figure of someone sitting on the floor. He immediately knows who it is and takes a step back. He takes a deep breath as he quietly closes the door. He will give this person time and space to grieve in privacy because he knew this person would not want anyone to see him at his moment of weakness. McGee also makes a promise to himself that he would look out for this man and help him in anyway he can.

Back At The Children's Hospital…

Gibbs didn't say a word as he watches little Tony's pediatrician takes off his surgical hat and shake his hand. "Gibbs…the tubes are now in and you should notice a big improvement in your grandson's hearing. As for the tonsillectomy, the throat should heal in seven to ten days. I have already left the instructions and prescriptions at the nurse's desk. They will give you all that information when you take your grandson home. Gibbs…I have a flight to take in a few hours. I should be out of town for the next two weeks. Everything should be fine your grandson but if anything happens just contact my office and they will put you in touch with my replacement and she should be able to take care of it for you. I will stop by one more time before I leave."

After the doctor left, it was another fifteen minutes before anyone else enters the room. By this time, Gibbs was pacing. When one of the nurses walks into the room she smiles when she catches him pacing she tells the grandfather to come with her. She takes him to an empty room and tells him they will be bringing his grandson into the room shortly. After she leaves, Gibbs feels a little embarrassed that someone had caught him pacing. He always took pride in the fact that he was ex-marine sniper and can be extremely calm in all situations. Now that he was a grandfather everything changed because each one of his grandchildren meant the world to him. It drives his emotions crazy when anyone of them is sick or hurt. It nearly killed him when his little Abby died. At the time of her death, his tried his best to hide his emotions so he could be strong for everyone especially the little boy who had been placed in his care.

Thirty minutes later the grandfather's worries are finally over. He watches as the hospital staff wheels his little grandson into the room. He quietly waits as most of the staff to leave. As he moves closer to the bed he can't get over how tiny his grandson looks in that big hospital bed. He reaches out and touches the little boy's hand. Seconds later, he is staring at a pair of green eyes.

Little Tony is confused and whispers for his mommy. Before Gibbs can say anything, one of the nurses asks her little patient if he wants something cold for his throat. Little Tony nods his head. A few seconds later, she returns with a cherry popsicle.

A few minutes later little Tony's pediatrician enters the room. The doctor checks his small patient's ears, throat and vitals to make sure everything looks good. When he is satisfied, he repeats to Gibbs that the surgery had gone without any complication and that his grandson's hearing should improve immediately. He tells Gibbs that he wants to keep little Tony overnight just to make sure everything is okay and if all goes well he can take his grandson home in the morning.

As soon as the doctor left the room, Gibbs pulls out his cellphone and calls Tony. He lets the father know how the surgery went and also tells him they won't be home until tomorrow. When he is finished with the call he turns his attention back to grandson who is now sound asleep. Gibbs reaches down and kisses the little boy's forehead. He whispers how much he loves him and that he will be there when he awakes.

In was around midnight when Gibbs woke up. He went to check on his grandson and finds the little boy all sweaty. He immediately pushes the nurse's call button. When the nurse arrives she checks her little patient and tell the worried grandfather that his grandson is running a slight fever but that is normal. Before she leaves she tells him she will be back in about a half an hour to check on her patient and to give him some medication if needed.

Gibbs turns he attention back to his grandson and is surprised to see the little boy staring right at him. Gibbs smiles and asks his grandson how his feels and if he can get him something. The little boy whispers, "Grump…ee…where is my…my mommy?"

Gibbs heart broke and at that moment. He wasn't sure how to answer his little grandson. The poor child had just come out of surgery and the grandfather couldn't bring himself to tell the child that his mother is dead? Gibbs fights back the tears as he reaches down and wipes the sweat from the little boy's forehead. He finally says, "Little…little man, your mommy won't be here for a while. Why don't you get some sleep? I promise you…I will wake you when she gets here." The child closes his eyes and falls into a deep sleep.

For the rest of the night Gibbs just sit in a chair next to the bed. He is worried his grandson might wake up and nobody will hear him. As the hours pass, he is relieved when his grandson doesn't wake up.

It was in the early morning hours, when one of the nurses enters the room. She checks her small patient and when she is finished she tells Gibbs everything looks good. She tells him the doctor left orders that he can take his grandson home.

It was nine in the morning, when Gibb's grandson is finally released from the hospital. The little boy slept most of the way home and only wakes up when Gibbs pulls into the driveway. Gibbs smiles at his little grandson as he unbuckles the child's seatbelt. Since the child looked groggy Gibbs decides to pick him up and carry him into the house. As they enter the kitchen little Tony is surprise to see his Uncle McGee, Auntie Abby and the others waiting to welcome him home. He grins when he spots the big welcome home sign. As he tries to speak his throat reminds him how sore it is. He tries to swallow that hurts too.

Auntie Abby, who had been standing a short distance from him, asks him if he would like something cold for his throat. The little boy nods his head and was about to say something when his over protective aunt stops him by putting her finger up to his lips. "My little man…you don't have to say a word because you know your very…very favorite…Auntie Abby will always have your six. I am going to go get you a nice cold cherry popsicle. How does that sound...my little brave man?"

The little boy nods his head and can't wait for the cold treat. It was not even a minute later, when Aunt Abby returns with his popsicle. He greedily accepts it and begins to lick it. As the cold treat begins to relieve the soreness in his throat, his notices the others are smiling at him. He starts feeling uncomfortable and stops sucking on his cold treat and tries to bury his head into his Grumpee's shoulder. Gibbs stops him and tells him to look. As he looks, everyone in the room begins to move apart so they can reveal who was hiding behind them. Little Tony smiles when he sees his daddy. Gibbs places the little boy into his daddy's arm. The father and son hug each other for the longest time. Finally little Tony pushes himself back just a little. He holds his throat as he whispers, "Daddy…are you staying here with Grump…ee and me? You…you are not going back to the hos…pi…tal? You are staying with us…right?"

The father smiles and kisses the top of his son's head as he whispers that he will be staying here. For a few moments no one could take his or her eyes off the father and son. It was Gibbs who decides to draw their attention away from the two so they can have some privacy. Gibbs looks around the kitchen and sees something on the counter that catches his attention. He smiles as he calls out to Abby. He knows he can count on her to help him keep the others distracted.

When Abby hears her name she turns her attention to Gibbs, "Yes…my Silver Fox?"

"Abby…I can see your mom's famous Monkey Bread? I would love to have some of your bread along with a cup of coffee."

She smiles and nods her head as she walks toward the counter. She hands Gibbs a piece of the bread on a napkin and a cup of coffee. She then takes the rest of the cake and places in the center of the table. She tells McGee to grab the napkins. She serves each one of the children some of the monkey bread. The children take their treat and run into the living room so they can watch a movie while the adults stay in the kitchen to talk. It wasn't long before Tony wheels himself and his little boy closer to the table so they can get some of Abby's special treat.

While everyone is enjoying the cake and conversation, little Tony was drifting in and out of sleep. He is trying his best to stay awake and listen to them talk. For a brief second he imagines his mommy and sister are here. He opens his eyes and looks around the room and is very disappointed when he doesn't see them.

Tony could feel movement and looks down at his son and smiles. To him the little boy looks exhausted and he asks him if he want to go lie down on his bed. The little boy shakes his head and tells him he wants to stay with him.

The father looks into his little boy's green eyes and could tell his son had a question, "What is it my little man?"

For a few seconds the father wasn't sure if his son was going to answer him or not. Finally the little boy ask, "Daddy…can mommy and our…Sissy hear us from hea…ven?"

Tony had to fight to back the tears when he hears his son use the family pet name for his little girl. It was a nickname they had given her shortly after little Tony was born. They only used the name when they were home alone or Tony wanted to tease his little girl. Little Abby was okay with the name as long as it was only used at home…

Once the father had his emotions under control he finally answers his little boy, "Yes…they can hear us."

"Is that why no…nobod…dee is talking bout mommy and our Sissy? They don't want mommy and Sissy hearing them."

Gibbs, Abby, McGee and the others look at each other; but it was Abby who spoke up first. She walks toward the little boy and knees down in front of him. She grabs both his hand and holds them to her chest before she says, "Honey…we are so sorry…we were afraid if we mentioned your mommy or your sister it might make you cry and we didn't want to do that. We are so sorry."

Tony looks at his son and then looks at the others. He tells them that it is okay to talk about Zoe and little Abby. The hospital counselor had suggested that is would be good for both him and his son. He also tells them he wasn't sure if he himself was ready for the talk but he feels he needs to start doing it for the sake of his son. Lastly he tells them he also knows how much Zoe and little Abby had meant to them and suggests it might be good for them to talk too. Once everyone was sure it was okay they seem to have some questions to ask but they were careful about what they asked because little Tony was still in the room with them.

As usual Gibbs sits quietly listening to the conversation. He has never been more proud of Tony. The injured grieving husband/father was trying his best to keep everything together for his son and everyone else in the room. As Tony talks about his beloved Zoe and his daughter, Gibbs could see the clown in Tony slipping out just a little. Tony always uses his clown act when he was trying to hide his true feelings. Everyone in the room were smiling or laughing but they could see the hidden tears in those green eyes.

It wasn't long after little Tony closed his eyes and fall asleep. When Gibbs tries to pick the sleeping little child up, little Tony half opens his eyes and mumbles to his Grumpee that he wants to stay with his daddy. The father smiles and tells Gibbs it's okay and to leave him there. Seconds later, the little boy falls into a deep sleep.

Around eleven, everyone was starting to get hungry and they decide to order pizza. McGee and Burt volunteers to go get the pizza and any other thing they want. By this time, little Tony is fully awake so Gibbs asks his grandson what would he like to have for lunch. The little boy smiles and holds his sore throat before he says, "I...I want fri…ed chickens."

Gibbs laughs and picks his grandson up, "Little man…you just had surgery on your throat. You can't have fried chicken it could hurt your throat. How about I make you some nice warm chicken soup and you can have a popsicle or some chocolate pudding after that?"

Little Tony touches his sore throat as he demands, "No Gump…ee I…I want fri…ed chickens."

Gibbs stares at his little grandson for a few seconds. Without looking at others, he tells McGee and Burt to stop by the Colonels and pick up some fried chicken for his grandson. When the father Tony questions him about it, Gibbs smiles and tells the father not to worry about it. He will take care of it.

After McGee and Burt leave for the food run, the rest of the adults begin talking about making plans to visit Gibbs' cabin soon.

Little Tony is bored so he decides to join the children in the living room. He finds the twins playing with their toy cars on the floor. He really didn't feel like playing so he decides to join DeeDee on the couch. The little girl was watching some Disney movie. As he climbs up on the couch to join her, DeeDee turns and stares at him for a few seconds before she turns her attention back to the movie. He tries to talk with her but DeeDee just ignores him. Ever since the accident he had felt something had changed between them and didn't understand what it was. For a few seconds he looks at her but when she doesn't acknowledge him he turns his attention to the movie.

When DeeDee is sure little Tony's attention is toward the movie she slowly turns and stares him. At this moment she has nothing but hatred in her heart for him. Not even her own mother knew she had been keeping this a secret to herself. She blames the little boy for the death of her Aunt Zoe and her best friend little Abby. The hatred started right after the burial when they met over at grandpa Gibbs' house. She had overheard the adults talking. They said it was little Tony fault that her Aunt Zoe and her best friend are dead. Since that day she had nothing to do with the little boy because she now hates him.

Little Tony was watching the movie when he hears DeeDee whisper, "I hate you. Why…(sob)…did it have to be my Abby who died? It should have been you."

The little boy can't believe what he was hearing. He turns his attention toward DeeDee and stares at her. He watches as tears flowing down DeeDee's cheeks as she says, "You killed them. It should…(sob)…it should have been you. I hate you. I hate you because it should have been you."

The little girl then stands up. She stares at him for a few seconds before she runs out of the room.

The little boy sits frozen in place as he stares at the now vacated space. He is both hurt and stunned at what DeeDee had just said to him. He doesn't understand why she would accuse him of killing his mommy and his sister. Could it be that he somehow caused the accident. A lone tear runs down his cheek as he stares back at the television. He is so upset that he doesn't notice one of the twins slipping out of the room.

I hope you enjoy. I will try and post at least one chapter per week.