I had hoped that I would have this chapter out sooner but it turns out my brain stopped working on this one and threw other naughty plot bunnies at me. Also the conversation I wasn't really sure with. Anyway, enjoy the chapter and sorry for the wait. The next chapter is actually part written, 4 pages so far so it may be a mega chapter, woop.
Chapter 11- Unexpected
Gibbs hadn't meant to take as long as he had when he'd left for coffee but then he also didn't expect McGee and Kate to just be standing outside Tony's room, when he got back either. He had a bad feeling about this.
"What the hell is going on?" Gibbs ordered; both McGee and Kate had seemed deep in conversation before they flinched and spun round at the tone of Gibbs' voice. Before McGee could even stutter an answer, Kate tried to calm Gibbs, smiling a little she replied calmly.
"Don't worry Gibbs he's not on his own, his father is with him." For and moment Gibbs wanted to wipe that self satisfied smile off her face.
He was just about to explode when a crash was heard from the room. All their heads turned and they headed for the room.
Kate had been surprised at the expression Gibbs's face had changed to when she'd told him Tony's father was in there and wondered what she had done wrong this time, she'd only thought she'd been helping by letting him in. So why now, did she have a very bad feeling about letting him see Tony. When she heard the crash was also, when she realised that the blinds had been closed in the private room that held her partner.
Upon entering the room, the scene stunned them into silence. Even Gibbs' temper had quit for the moment it took to take it all in.
And they realised that Tony was hiding far more then they originally thought.
The elder DiNozzo had the younger one held to the wall by both his wrists; pain, fear and shame all evident in the younger one's eyes. Tony's struggles had stopped the moment the team had walked in but his father's words hadn't.
"You should have died, not her!" Anger and hate clear in the more imposing man's voice and eyes. Tony looked down and away from his team; he hadn't wanted them to know about his relationship with his father.
The hateful words lingered in the air like a bad smell. Driving the essence of who Tony was, further into the recesses of his mind; where it was somewhat safer. His mind flashing back to all the times after his mother's death he'd heard those exact words. Sometimes he even found himself wishing for it to be true, just so he didn't have to live with the guilt anymore.
x-X-x
All of a sudden he found himself phasing out of his new reality and back into a different hospital room, one where he'd been abandoned to recover in after…after being rescued? He must have right? He couldn't remember and it scared him. Why couldn't he remember what happened?
Then pain seared though his body, images through his mind; making his head twirl and spin.
Days and nights filled with nightmares, some even involving his father as he sat alone in the clinical white room.
He still hoped she would come back and save him from the nightmares; even if he knew she couldn't, even if he'd been told she couldn't. His young mind barely comprehended people being truly gone, sure he missed having fun with friends, but he knew he'd see them again. The possibility that there would always be something missing, something that could never come back made him feel more alone than he ever had. He didn't know what to do or how he was suppose live without a person he'd spent the majority of his time with, nor did a ten year old Tony knew what to feel.
Each time he had woken up he looked around the room hoping to find her or at least someone he knew waiting for him, after finding no one he looked towards the door expectantly, wishing someone, anyone would appear so he wasn't left to look out at the lonely stars as they twinkled through the long nights.
Nurses and Doctors came to check up on him but mostly stayed away, though he didn't know why…
x-X-x
Gibbs watched as his agent's eyes glaze over, anger brewing as he knew he could do nothing to stop his agent reliving the memory. Though, he could at least do something. In one swift movement Gibbs grabbed hold of Senior's arms and forced him away from Tony. He took a brief look at his agent and saw he hadn't moved, before he turned to hand off a handcuffed DiNozzo Senior to his two shocked agents.
"You ever lay your hands on my agent again and I will make sure there is no place for you to hide!" Gibbs shouted at a smirking older version of Tony.
When he turned back to his agent, Tony wasn't in the same place he'd seen him last.
Instead Tony was sat on the floor, legs curled into his chest, eyes staring out over the top of his folded arms hiding his mouth, trying to make himself as small as possible but Gibbs didn't miss the hopeful look in Tony's eyes as he carried on staring towards the door. His anger bubbled further as red marks started to darken on Tony's wrists.
But the moment he tried to talk to his agent and got no response he wished that Ducky would come through the door his agent was intent on staring at. He had no idea what to do now, he'd been here with Tony before, but that had been just remembered pain and a picture. It hadn't been physical pain and nor had the person been standing there right in front of him. He settled himself close enough to his agent to offer some comfort when he returned to this time and place but not too close to cause such a reaction as it had the last couple of times this had happened.
He sighed; Tony had just been beginning to talk to him, to open up. Even if he had stepped out for a little while, even if Tony was still hiding things.
And now it seemed that because Kate hadn't read between the lines of the small comments Tony had made about his father that his Tony, his boy had gone two steps in the wrong direction. And he felt awful for leaving him alone, without protection. When he knew Tony needed him most.
Looking around the room briefly, Gibbs noticed that the tray that had held Tony's breakfast had been the thing that caused the crash they had heard. The sheet that had been on the bed was crumpled and lying on the cold, sterile floor. But he noticed something else too, blood drops. Only small but still there and then he remembered he hadn't gotten a good look at Tony before he'd curled in on himself.
When he turned back he saw that Tony's eyes were clearing from the blank look but not turned to ones of shame again. Gibbs sighed; the next conversation wasn't going to be easy on either of them…
x-X-x
To say Kate and McGee were surprised at Tony's fathers actions would be a major understatement. In just a few days they'd learned so much about their friend, and they wished that he hadn't had to go through any of it. The murder of his mom then the blatant disregard from his father; they also now understood why Tony was like he was. Why Tony hadn't told them. Their own families were perfect in comparison to whatever Tony's relationship was with his.
What chilled them to the bone though was how Tony had looked when they'd walked back into the room. He'd been scared, intimidated even, Tony seemed such a strong person on any other given day, but there, in that room, he'd looked like a scared ten year old. Looking in the rear view mirror at their captive; they had so many questions for the elder DiNozzo.
However, they knew that Gibbs would want to talk to him first. Though they also knew that Gibbs shouldn't be left in the same room as the guy, especially considering the expression he'd worn when they'd entered Tony's hospital room.
x-X-x
"Tony?" Gibbs asked softly when Tony seemed to have focused a little on the here and now. But he still didn't lift his head up; he merely moved his eyes so he was vaguely looking at Gibbs. Gibbs sighed internally; he seemed to be doing a lot of that recently. But he really needed the whole story this time.
"Tony, what did you remember?" Gibbs decided to steer clear of what Tony's father had said and done for now. Maybe, that would get the younger man talking, at least a little.
"Being alone in the hospital." Tony replied simply, the detachment he'd previously lost back in full force yet it was betrayed by the lost look on the younger man's face.
Finally, we're getting somewhere, Gibbs thought. Though he knew that this wasn't the main issue.
"Didn't your father come and visit?" Tony tensed at the question but answered in the same tone.
"Sure he visited, once, and that was only to blame me like you just saw." Tony's tone had however; gotten increasingly angrier as he spoke and now it felt as if he needed to get out of here so he asked his own question with calmness and such stability he really didn't feel. "When can I get out of here boss?"
Gibbs wasn't sure what to say next; the prospect that Tony had been blamed by his own father hadn't even crossed his mind until he'd entered the room and heard it himself a short while ago. He'd barely even heard Tony's question and wondered whether that was truly the best option for his agent.
"Only if the doctor says you can and you're coming back with me, you got that?" Gibbs ordered, his tone back to usual.
Then Tony moved, his hands dropping to his sides, using them as leverage to get himself up and Gibbs noticed a split lip that had been hidden by his agent's hands. Anger raced through him again, this man had had hold of his agent roughly and obviously slapped him. This must be where the blood came from; but Tony's father had been the only one in the room. That son of a…
"DiNozzo." Gibbs growled.
The younger man jumped a little on his way up at his name being spoken like that. Then he remembered himself what he must look like.
Crap. He tried to turn away from Gibbs and started to make his way back to the bed but a hand on his arm; and turning him to face those piercing blue eyes, stopped him in his tracks.
Gibbs placed two fingers under Tony's chin, forcing him to look into his eyes, asking him not to lie to him.
"Has this happened before?"
Tony knew what he was asking but…could he tell Gibbs that, he wasn't sure but the look in Gibbs' eye was practically pleading with him to tell, to let Gibbs deal with it. The look even conveyed a safety that he hadn't felt in years.
"Once or twice." But that both knew it had been more. Tony's own eyes were asking Gibbs not to push further than he already had.
Tony felt a loss at Gibbs' touch disappearing but the short nod Gibbs gave him calmed him somewhat; he just hoped that nothing would happen to Gibbs for giving him a little detail.
Just as Tony shuffled back to his bed the doctor entered, looking at his notes.
"You'll be pleased to know Agent DiNozzo that you can be released later today as your oxygen levels seem to be back to normal, just take it easy for a few days." The doctor looked up briefly and the state of the room. "Anything I should know about." He asked looking sternly at Gibbs.
"Just a misunderstanding doc, nothing to worry about." Tony spoke up a little too brightly.
The doctor looked sceptically between them but decided to let it go and proceeded to leave the room.
A short time later a nurse came in to change the blood specked sheet and took Tony's vitals for the last time. Gibbs couldn't help himself when he smiled and rolled his eyes at Tony's flirting with the pretty blonde nurse. Tony would be fine eventually.
x-X-x
A couple of hours and cups of coffee later and Tony was signed out.
Gibbs had decided to let the elder DiNozzo stew over night; he wasn't really in the mood to play nice at the moment. The only thing he needed was to know that Tony was safe; they could work out the case tomorrow. And it wasn't as if nobody was working on the case.
Tony was dozing lazily when Gibbs stopped at a grocery store a few blocks from his house, he hadn't been shopping for actual food in a long while. Tony rubbed his eyes and they both climbed out of the car and into the store. The light of the sun having faded about an hour ago, the street light shining but not fully illuminating the parking lot in front of the store. Patches of darkness seemed menacing.
While trawling through the store, Tony had noticed a few things that he liked and asked very obnoxiously, almost childlike if he could get it, to which Gibbs had shook his head in amusement and let the boy pick at least one thing. Well, he didn't want Ducky on his case for letting Tony eat lots of junk food.
Laden with bags of food, they made their way out of the store and heading back towards Gibbs car, Tony a little way ahead of Gibbs.
All of a sudden a shadow made a b-line for Tony and Gibbs was helpless to stop his agent's fall. He hadn't even had anytime to call his Agent's name.
Dropping the bags, he ran all of the five steps ahead Tony had been but was stopped when a gun was aimed at his head.
"Move and he dies right here." A voice behind the dark ski mask sneered at Gibbs while aiming another gun at his Agent, who was still lying on the floor. Adrenaline course through his blood yet, he was frozen to the spot, should he risk it? His own gun was mere centimetres from his hand. Trying to reach the guy noticed.
"No you don't Agent Gibbs, put your hands up." Gibbs cursed and thought he saw Tony move a little. Come on Tony. Though what he expected him to do he didn't know. He supposed anything that showed he was still at least alive and coherent was good enough.
But then the next thing he knew was a blinding pain; and the darkness that had been dotted around the parking lot descended into his vision. His last thought being Damn it, knew we should have just ordered in.
TBC
I know, evil cliffy. Please review!!!!! Like I said at the start I do have the next chapter at least half written so it should not be too long before the next is out.