I know that I have been slow with the updates to all of my stories. I am in the middle of moving and I have work as well. They have been taking up a lot of my time. On top of it all, I have been dealing with depression and just haven't felt much like writing. The updates will probably be slow depending on how I am feeling and how the moving is going. So please stick with me and I will try and do the best I can.
Thank you to beautybells for being my beta for this story. I really do appreciate your help.
Brad walked up to Fornell, Gibbs and Allison.
"Tony is waking up. I want you to wait about 15 minutes before speaking to him about whatever the reason it is that the FBI is standing guard outside his hospital room. I would also like to be present at that time, too," Brad announced.
"Why do you need to be present, while we question our suspect?" Tobias snapped.
"Talk Tobias! Not question. You want to get to the truth? Then you need to not be the bastard everyone is always accusing me of," Gibbs growled.
"I simply want to be present as a doctor to monitor Tony's vital signs. If I see that the conversation is getting to be more than he can handle, I will put a stop to it," Brad answered
Fornell stopped and thought about what this doctor was saying, plus cursing the fact that the lawyer was there to making his life miserable. "Fine, but unless his health is spiraling out of control, you stay out of it."
"Agreed."
Brad lead them into Tony's room. The agent was still fighting to wake up. His head is tossing back and forth. He seemed to be caught up in a nightmare and one he may never wake up from.
Gibbs immediately walked to Tony's side. The gruff man put one hand on Tony's forehead and the other one on his arm. Tony began to calm down at the mere touch. Something that caught everyone off guard considering what he had recently been through; but it showed just how much Tony's subconscious trusted Gibbs. No matter what.
Then, slowly, the man's eyes began to open. He blinked and Gibbs quickly removed his hands. Tony tried to sit up, but Gibbs pushed him gently back down. Brad checked his vitals.
"Welcome back to the land of living," Brad teased.
"I would never have left the land of the living; if you hadn't sedated me," Tony answered.
"Tony, we need to talk about what happened between you and your father. I am going to be here the whole time. Allison Hart is going to act as your lawyer to protect your best interest. Brad is going to make sure that our discussion isn't going to be too much for your health to handle," Gibbs assured his senior field agent.
Tony slowly nodded.
"They are going to wait 15 minutes before they start. That way you are fully awake and completely aware of your surroundings," Brad informed.
15 minutes later
"Are you ready to begin?" Gibbs asked.
"I suppose."
"Okay, Agent DiNozzo," Fornell began, "when was the first time you went to your father's hotel suite?"
"It was about 4 days ago. He called me at work to let me know he was in town and that he wanted to see me. I spent the rest of the day trying to decide if I should go. In the end, I did," Tony said easily.
"Why did you go?" Allison asks.
"I hadn't seen him in a long time. Since I was a child. So I was surprised to hear from him. As I was going back and forth to whether or not I should I see him. The idea that he was dying occurred to me. I started thinking that must be why he called me. I finally decided that for my own peace of mind I would go and see what he wanted."
"How did it go?" Gibbs asked concerned.
"In the beginning the tension was very thick, but manageable. He asked me to fix him a drink, so I did- A Macallan 18, three fingers and one ice, if that matters at all. He looked at me all surprised. 'You remembered,' he had said. I had so wanted to roll my eyes at that comment. Of course I remembered, if there is any drink I will never forget how to make, it is that one. I have been making it since I was 6. I couldn't read yet and I was already mixing alcohol!"Tony hissed irritated, before continuing, "after he finished the drink was when things changed. He came at me with fists flying. I hadn't brought my gun, and he was huge. When he was done, he told me to leave and demanded to see me tomorrow. It hurt a little, so when I left that I just went home and went to bed." Gibbs snorted a little. Of course DiNozzo would downplay his injuries.
"Why didn't you call me or come to my house?" Gibbs asked gruffly. He knew, of course. Tony would never admit weakness to his boss like that. Never the less, Gibbs wished that his agent would learn that not everything had to be done alone.
"Why did you go back, if you knew he would hurt you again?" Sacks asked.
"This was between him and me. Always between him and me. According to him, it was nobody else's business but ours. If I didn't do what he wanted, he would not only hurt me, but those around me. I wasn't going to risk anything happening to them because I was being selfish." Tony answered not looking anyone in the eye. Jeeze, the drugs he was being given was starting to kick in- Tony was giving up much more information than he normally would. Gibbs noticed that, too, but said nothing.
"Tony, what happened after the first day?" Allison asked.
"The same thing. I would fix him a drink, he would attack me and after he was through with me, I would go home. It was like that every day including yesterday. I may have fixed him a drink, putting my fingerprints on the bottle and the glass, but I didn't know there was arsenic in it." Tony answered in a monotone defeated voice, "But I did give him the drink. This is all my fault. I killed him, I killed my father."
Tony broke down as the last sentence hit him.
Gibbs sat down next to Tony. He wants to rub his back, to comfort him; but he doesn't want to risk hurting him. The doctors had cleaned up his back and stitched up the cuts; but it will take time for it to heal.
"Tony, listen to me. You are not at fault. You didn't know. I know that you didn't do it. You're too good, too much of a man, to kill him that way," Gibbs whispered in his ear. It was the truth: Tony wouldn't kill anyone in cold blood like that.
"Alright, everyone but Gibbs out. Mr. DiNozzo will still be here tomorrow, but he has had enough for today," Brad ordered.
Allison waited for the FBI agents to leave, before she left. She made a vow to herself: No matter what happened in the investigation, she would make sure that her client would never see the inside of a jail cell; not even temporarily; not even for a day. He had been through enough hell to last a lifetime.
