Liam was released from the hospital that evening. Feeling utterly burned out Tony was relieved to find the family had made extra dinner for them. After everything they had been through that day cooking dinner was the least of his concerns. Even grabbing take out was too much. He was beyond relieved to have Tupperware containers of Breena's chicken potato casserole. Really it was just old fried chicken dumped with mashed potatoes but it was good and easy. Upon arriving home Tony got Tali and Liam their meals. At four Tali was able to eat on her own safely but if he looked away for a second the potatoes and chicken skin would be all over the chicken and Tali would be tearing through the house with gravy war paint. It was easier just to watch her every bite than to clean a mess later. Thankfully Tali was hungry and ate her meal pretty quickly. Tony went to grab his dinner off the counter and noticed that Liam was barely picking at his food.
"What's wrong? Do you not like the casserole? I can get you something else." Tony offered.
"It's OK" Liam assured.
"I know today was rough. Just eat what you can. I'll be up to talk to you after I get Tali to sleep." Tony explained.
"OK" Liam mumbled.
Liam ate maybe a third of his dinner and then shuffled upstairs. Aside from the embarrassment of freaking out in front of his classmates. He had promised to help Gibbs out with his woodworking. He wasn't sure where Gibbs was coming from. He didn't know if it was offered kindness or if Gibbs just wanted free labor. What he did know was that he was a major klutz. He'd hurt himself or Gibbs in no time. From down the hall he heard Tony doing Tali's bedtime routine with her. He wondered why Tony didn't do such things with him. He knew why Jeanne and Randolph ignored him at bedtime. He did not meet their standards. He recalled how they interacted with Scotty and the ridiculously over the top routine with Miracle. Of course they were the worthy children. Liam was just the mistake. The result of a failed relationship. He couldn't help but wonder if Tony had ever really tried to rescue him. Surely a federal agent was capable of more. Why did Liam get lost in the shuffle. What had he done to be such a crushing let down? Did he really belong anywhere?
Tony got Tali to bed and time came for the hard part. Talking with Liam. Tony loved his son he really did but he had no idea how to handle any of this. He was looking into finding a therapist for Liam. He had contacted Rachel and asked her. She had given him a few names along with hot-lines and websites Tony could access. The next day would be spent calling kiddie shrinks and desperately researching ways to help Liam. He loved his son he really did but he had to wonder if this was worth it. He wondered if Liam even could be helped or if the damage was already too great.
Liam crawled under the sheets and pretended to be asleep. He knew that Tony did genuinely want to talk with him but he was not ready to deal with it. For that night he just feigned sleep. Maybe in the morning he could face his issues but not now.
Gibbs settled in for the evening. Liam had been heavy on his mind all day. His heart absolutely broke for the young DiNozzo. It killed him to see Liam in such pain. He was desperate to help Liam and by extension Tony. He didn't have much to offer but he knew woodworking had helped him. Jack introduced it to him when he first started to struggle with school. Jack always said book smarts weren't everything but you had to have something to bring to the table. Woodworking was good for Jethro cause it taught Jethro to focus. It also drove home just how important math and reading were. Jethro assumed Liam knew as much already. He just needed a more exciting way to learn than from a dusty book, on a creaking desk, in a creaky chair. He needed something to grab his interests. He needed to learn from somebody who wasn't trying to teach him to read or do basic math. He needed a friend.
Tony watched as Liam slept. He turned off the light and headed down the hall. A lot needed to be said but if Liam were not thoroughly awake. It would fall on deaf ears until morning. For the night Tony cleaned up the kitchen, got himself ready for bed and headed off to his own room. As he did every night he turned on the movie channel. He soon fell into his first decent sleep in days.
Liam was able to fake sleep but actual sleep would not come to him. He walked down the hall. Tony and Tali were both sound asleep. He considered just going back to bed and praying he'd actually fall asleep but the room was claustrophobic. He headed into the living room and flipped on the movie channel. Classic movies were always fascinating to him. Jeanne forbade them but he would occasionally catch glimpses when Scotty was flipping between educational shows.
Tony woke in the morning to Tali's bed wet. Thankfully it was the result of him forgetting to take her water away at the end of the night and not from an accident. He found Liam's bed empty. He panicked until he discovered Liam sleeping on the living room floor. He woke his son up and began preparing breakfast. He was in the middle of cooking when there was a frantic pounding on the door. Tony switched off the stove and turned the pot handle towards the inside of the stove so Tali didn't burn herself. He wiped his greasy hands on his jeans and headed for the door. Standing on the other side was Jeanne.
A/N: What does Jeanne want with Tony? New chapter will be up soon. Thanks for reading and please review.