To Walk In My Shoes
Glow60
I want to thank everyone for their follows, favorites and especially the ones who took the time to review this story. Feedback is always welcome.
To NCIS fan & wytygr who thought this story could be a twist to some other movies, you are correct because there are some similarities between these movies that I can have some fun with.
I have started to work on the next chapter but it will probably not be posted until next weekend. I hope you enjoy…
CHAPTER 2
The Father and Son Fishing Trip….
Gibbs had hoped the next time he woke up he would be back in his own body but he could tell just by looking at his hands he was still a young boy. He was angry but there was nothing he could do about it. So he sat up and began to wipe the sleep from his eyes. He knew he had to get up because he couldn't stay in bed all day and hope he will change back to himself. Whoever or whatever did this to him was trying to teach him some kind of stupid lesson and by staying in bed he knew it wasn't going to happen.
It took Gibbs a few seconds to realize he was no longer in the same room he had gone to sleep in. This room had a big sliding glass window and it was slightly cracked open to allow a breeze to come in. He could hear what sounded like seagulls off in the distance. He also noticed the room had a funny salty smell to it. He slowly rose up out of the bed and headed toward the big window. It was still a little dark outside but he could still make out the ocean. He could also see the dark form of seagulls flying around. He knew he must be at the beach. He smiled because he had always loved the ocean. It always brought back memories of the time he spent with Shannon and Kelly. They were good times and he missed his two girls.
Gibbs decided to get dressed and check out where he is. It didn't take him long to discover there was nobody in the house so he decided to head outside and look around. Gibbs found DiNozzo's mother sitting on the front porch wrapped in several blankets. She smiled when she saw him and opened the blanket to invite him to share it with her. The mother and the son sat there for the next few minutes watching the sun as it rose.
"It beautiful…isn't it baby?"
Again it shocked Gibbs when he said, "Mommy…I told you I am not a baby anymore. I am going to be eight in two weeks."
She smiled because it was a little game they always played together, "Yes…but didn't I tell you I will still call you my baby even when you are in your late eighties?"
"Mommy…is daddy really taking me fishing today or is he just pulling my leg like he had done before?"
She laughed, "Yes, your daddy is taking you this time. He has gone to get the boat. He should be back shortly."
Gibbs moved to get up but Tony's mother stopped him. "Anthony…stay here with me for a few minutes so we can talk. I want you to know when you get back from fishing I won't be here. I have to go back to the city for a few days. Daddy and you are going to stay here and so you two can spend some time together."
Gibbs could sense something was seriously wrong. "Mommy…I want you to stay here with us?"
She shook her head and then smiled just a little, "Baby…I have to go to see the doctor again and find out why these headaches are getting worst. I am not sure how long it will take…but I promise you this…when I get back we will have a lot of fun together."
"Are you going to be okay?"
She kissed him on the forehead, "Don't you worry because the doctor will probably just give me some stronger medicine to take this time."
"Mommy, I can go with you so you won't be alone."
She smiled, "No Anthony…I want you and your daddy to spend some quality time together. You both needed it. Beside…I am not going to be alone my mother will be coming with me. Now go get your fishing gear that we bought you for your upcoming birthday. It won't be long before your daddy comes back here with the boat."
By the time Gibbs found the gear and came back outside. Gibbs found Tony's mom and dad in a very touching embrace. He could tell from the way they were both staring at each other that they were still in love. To Gibbs it seemed so strange for him to see a very younger Senior. He could see where Tony got his good looks. DiNozzo's parents were a handsome couple.
After a few seconds Gibbs felt a little awkward standing there with his fishing gear. He didn't want to interrupt their very intimate moment so he thought about heading back into the cottage but stopped when Senior finally released his wife. The father looked down at his son and smiled, "Junior are you ready?"
"Yes Dad."
"Well Junior it's time for us to leave…Tell your beautiful mom goodbye and we will see her when she gets back in a few days."
The fishing trip turned out to be a lot better than the ones he had with his own dad. Gibbs couldn't get over how much fun he had with Tony's dad. He never could imagine Senior to be such a good boater and fisherman. Senior talked about his family and his business trips. Gibbs was surprised to find out that Senior seemed to be truly interested in anything he had to say. Gibbs was now confused because he couldn't understand why Tony complained so much about his dad. To him…Senior seemed to be a great dad. Maybe all that stuff Tony had been telling them all those years was just to get attention and have someone feeling sorry for him…
Saying goodbye is always so hard to do…
The next time Gibbs woke up, he found himself sitting in a dark hospital room. The TV was on and a movie titled "Angel With Dirty Faces" was playing. The sound was turned down very low. Gibbs could hear the soft beeping of the life support equipment and the rain hitting the window. He looked around the room and finally focused his eyes on the patient lying in the bed. It was Tony's mother and he could tell from the way she looked she was dying. He stood up and walked over to the bed and put his hand in her hand. She opened her green eyes and smiled. "Hi baby I…I see you finally woke up. Anthony…why don't you come lie down here with…with me?" She moved a little back to make room for him.
"Mom…I…I don't want to hurt you."
She padded the mattress next to her, "You won't baby…they got me on some really…good medication. Please lay…down with me? I want to be able to hold you one more time."
Gibbs lay down on the bed so he could face her. She laid her hand on his cheek. She kept looking at him as if she was trying to see inside his soul. They stayed that way until he decided to tell her something. Gibbs thought about what he would have said to his own mother if he had a chance to talk with her before she died, "Mommy…I…love you and I don't want you to go."
The heavy pain medication she had been given made her want to sleep all the time. She was doing her best to fight it because she wanted to spend her last few moments with her precious son. There were so many things she wanted to say to him but she knew there was not enough time. She smiled sadly as she rubbed his cheek, "I know baby…I know. I wish…I could see…you grow up and have a fam…family of your own. I am going to miss you so much. Baby…I want you to know I love you the moment I first…laid eyes on you. You were the…the most beau…ti…" Her green eyes stayed open but she never finished the sentence. It was only a second later; Gibbs heard the machine go off. Several nurses and a doctor come running into the room. One of nurses escorted him out into the hallway and told him to wait there until she comes for him. It was a few minutes later when she returned. She took him to the cafeteria to get him something to drink and eat.
"Anthony, can you tell me when your father is going to be coming back?"
"He told my…my mom and me that he would be back this afternoon. He…he had some business to take care of."
The nurse couldn't believe how heartless this man was. His wife was dying in the hospital and he left his eight-year-old son to be with her alone. She looked at her watch; "Okay…how about you come and stay with me at the nurses station until your father comes back for you?"
"Why can't I just stay in my mom's room? I promise I will be quiet and just sit there and watch TV. I won't bother anyone."
"Honey…I am sorry but you can't do that. Do you understand that your mother has passed away?"
Gibbs just nodded because he didn't really feel like talking.
She smiled, "Good…because you do understand we cannot let you back in her room. We are going to have to move your mother's body to another place in the hospital. The staff will need to start cleaning up the room and packing up all her things. You can stay with me until your father comes to pick you up."
The nurse just looked at the boy for a few seconds. Her heart was breaking. Earlier this morning she had overheard one of the nurses talking about how this sweet little boy had been keeping his dying mother company. When his mother was awake he would talk to her about everything under the sun. When she was sleeping he would watch TV with the sound turned down low so it would not disturbed her sleep.
She also heard another nurse talking about the boy's father. She had said the father was an uncaring jerk. He would bring the child to the hospital in the morning and drop him off so he could spend time with his mother. Sometimes the father would stay for a few hours but most of the time he would leave and not come back until late in the evening to pick up the child and take him home. Normally…children this boy's age was not allowed to stay with a terminally ill patient by themselves. They usually had to be accompanied by an adult. This boy's parents were good friends of the hospital administrator. The administrator had given them special permission so the boy could stay with his dying mother.
As Gibbs followed the nurse to the nurses' station he couldn't help but take one last look inside the room where Tony's mother had just died. He could see a couple of nurses changing the sheets and packing up her things.
It brought back so many memories of the time his mother had taken her own life. He remembered he had been in school that day and when it let out he found his dad waiting for him outside. Once they both were inside his father's truck, Jackson broke the news to him that his mother was gone. Jackson lied to him that his mother had died in her sleep. It was a little later he overheard someone in the store whispering that his mother had overdosed on sleeping pills. Gibbs decided that day he was not going to mention it to his father because he really didn't want to know the truth. He had always been a little mad at his mother for not allowing him the time to say goodbye to her. In a way, he was now was relieved to know she had gone peacefully in her sleep and did not suffer like Tony's mother did…
