Part 11

Rachel Cranston pocketed her cell phone as her determined gaze studied the expression of annoyance that now graced Anthony DiNozzo, Senior's distinguished features; it was the same look of irritation that Tony had worn the first time that they had met. The younger DiNozzo had been reluctant to talk to her at first, but their mutual connection to Kate had encouraged Tony to open up to her. There were still times that the agent attempted to downplay his feelings, but after meeting Senior, Rachel believed that she now understood Tony's tendency to hide behind the emotional mask that he often wore. It was a trait that he definitely inherited from his father and it would take a long time to break down those barriers that the younger man had erected over the years.

She knew that she was definitely going to have her work cut out for her, especially if Gibbs and his team were able to prove that Senior had purposefully drugged his own son; if that were the case, there would be a lot more issues to surface that Tony would have to face. Hoping that she wasn't borrowing trouble, Rachel temporarily pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind and remained firmly planted in front of the door, refusing to allow the older man access to Tony's apartment. The doctor realized that Senior was trying to intimidate her but she wasn't one to succumb to scare tactics; if she could handle Gibbs, then she should be able to handle anything Senior could send her way. At least, that's what she kept telling herself; time would tell if her assumptions were correct.

"What do you think you're doing, Dr. Cranston?" Senior testily inquired, clearly displeased with her interference.

"I'm waiting," she replied, knowing that her simple answer wouldn't satisfy the insufferable man.

"I assume you're waiting for Gibbs," he stated, a nervous grin danced on his lips.

"You're correct in your assumption."

The doctor easily sensed Senior's discomfort at the mention of Gibbs' name. She had already witnessed the animosity between the two men, but Rachel had a feeling that things would be getting a lot worse; Rachel just hoped that Tony wouldn't be caught in the middle of their escalating feud.

Senior cleared his throat as he gestured towards the door. "Wouldn't we be more comfortable waiting inside?"

"I don't think so. We'll just wait here."

Rachel stood her ground, silently willing Gibbs to appear. The team leader had instructed her not to let Senior out of her sight, but with Tony's father looking ready to make a hasty departure at any moment, she had a feeling that detaining him was not going to be an easy task.

She watched as the older man anxiously glanced down the hall. "I don't have time for this," he declared. "I'll just stop by the store and pick up a few things for Junior."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea," Rachel said, trying to think of something to say that would prevent Senior from leaving. She didn't want him to realize that he was suspected of drugging his son; the psychiatrist knew that she had to keep him detained until Gibbs arrived and picking a fight was currently the best idea she could come up with at the moment.

Senior glared at her, his expression now reflecting the annoyance that he was obviously feeling. "What do you mean by that?"

Rachel smiled. Senior wasn't the only one who knew how to manipulate people; he was playing right into the palm of her hand. Hopefully, she could keep him distracted for a few more minutes. "I just think that shopping for Tony isn't going to be as easy as you think. You really don't know what he likes," she pointed out.

"I'm his father! Of course I know what my son likes!"

"Really? Aren't you the one that sent him a power sander for his birthday?"

"How do you…I guess Junior told you about that," Senior deduced. "I think you've just violated some kind of doctor patient confidentiality, Dr. Cranston."

"Nope, she didn't. I told her about that."

She breathed an inward sigh of relief as Gibbs rounded the corner. "Good timing," Rachel muttered to the agent as the Marine approached them.

"Got here as fast as I could, Doc," Gibbs assured her as he unlocked Tony's door.

Rachel easily sensed Senior's disgust and aggravation with the situation he currently found himself in. She stood aside as Gibbs opened the door and gestured for Senior to enter the apartment. "Come on in, Mr. DiNozzo," the silver haired agent insisted. "I've got a few questions to ask you."

"I really don't have time," Senior began.

"You can answer them here or I can take you down to NCIS and we can talk there," Gibbs stated.

Rachel watched as Senior entered the apartment with Gibbs close behind him. She was definitely looking forward to the conversation that was about to take place; to say it was going to be interesting was a definite understatement. Closing the door behind her, Rachel walked into the living room, her gaze coming to rest on the glass that she was supposed to have retrieved.

She met Gibbs' stoic gaze as she acknowledged his verbal instructions with a barely perceptible nod. The doctor walked to the kitchen to find a plastic bag as Gibbs took a glove and picked up the glass. After trying a few drawers, Rachel found a bag and went back to the living room to collect the glass. Sealing the bag, she took it and leaned against the door, making sure that the bag was firmly in her grasp; she didn't want to take the chance of something happening to the potential evidence.

"What's going on here?" Tony's father demanded to know.

"I was just about to ask you the same question," Gibbs coolly answered.

The battle of wills was about to begin and Rachel knew beyond a shadow of doubt that Gibbs would emerge the victor. The team leader was fiercely protective of Tony and his commitment to the younger man was something was something that no one dared to challenge. She recalled several conversations with Kate about the unusual relationship between Tony and Gibbs, prompting Rachel to wonder if perhaps her sister had been a little jealous of the familial bond between the two men. Of course, over time, Kate had come to feel like she had belonged to the dysfunctional family; her death had left a gaping hole in the lives of Gibbs and Tony and even after all these years, it was obvious that they still missed her.

Now, Senior was about to discover firsthand the consequences of hurting someone close to Gibbs. Rachel saw the fire and determination in the agent's eyes; she couldn't help but wonder if Tony's father had any idea of the storm that was about to be unleashed.

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Tony was supposed to be resting, but his mind refused to allow him any respite. The fog that had been clouding his thoughts was barely beginning to dissipate as he attempted to figure out exactly why he was in the hospital. The nagging cough that plagued him allowed him to deduce that he was probably working on a case of pneumonia, but that didn't explain why he had felt like he was floating in a state of nothingness. He was hoping to get answers from Brad and Ducky when they came in to check on him, providing he could stay awake that long.

Ignoring the slight tremor in his hand, he pressed the button on the control that was attached to the railing and raised the head of his bed, hoping that he would be able to stay a little more alert as well as breathe easier. Tony despised feeling so weak; he wished that he was at home where he could be alone as he nursed himself back to health. Obviously, that idea +hadn't worked so well, or he wouldn't be in the hospital.

He started to try and recall the last conversation that he had with Gibbs. The team leader had been asking him a few questions about his dad and then he had been surrounded by Ducky and Brad, chastising Gibbs for upsetting him. He didn't remember the Marine saying anything that would cause him distress, but it was obvious his memory was spotty at best. The ailing man wished that Gibbs was still here; the agent would definitely tell him what was going on and wouldn't try and sugarcoat the truth.

Tony was brought out of his musings as Ducky and Brad entered his room; perhaps now, he would get a few answers. He realized that the answers might not as be forthcoming as they would if Gibbs were here, but he would get them one way or another.

"Anthony," Ducky greeted. "You look a little better."

"Just keep telling me that," he wheezed. "Maybe I'll eventually believe it."

"It's going to take some time," Brad informed him. "I've got you on some antibiotics so you should start feeling better in a day or two."

Tony nodded. "Hope so."

He could sense that Ducky and Brad had more to say, so he took the burden of awkwardness from them and asked, "What's on your mind?"

Ducky pulled up a chair and sat beside him while Brad remained standing at the foot of his bed. A uneasy feeling began to creep upon him as he wondered if he were ready to handle what his friends were going to tell him. "When we found you and brought you in, you were almost completely unresponsive," the ME began.

Of course he didn't remember coming to the hospital; that was one of those dark spots in his memory. "I guess that explains…why I'm having trouble remembering things."

"Partially."

"What do you mean?" Tony pressed.

He didn't miss the silent exchange between the two physicians and Ducky's almost imperceptible nod to the other doctor, granting him silent permission to continue with an explanation.

"We did some tests and found a combination of drugs in your system," Brad stated.

It took a few seconds for Tony to process what Brad had said. "Drugs?"

"Yes. Mostly Elavil and Ativan; it was a fairly high dose, which caused your unresponsiveness."

He was still confused by the revelation. "I don't take either of those. I…"

"I know," Brad assured him. "I know how you are about medication; why do you think you've got an IV? That's the most sure fired way I know of to make sure you take your antibiotic."

Ignoring his doctor's barb, Tony carefully considered the Brad's words. "Then how did…" As realization dawned upon the sick agent, he raked his hand through his hair. "I was drugged? But how?"

"We think that your juice was drugged," Ducky stated. "At least that's the conclusion that Dr. Cranston and Gibbs have come to; they are at your apartment gathering the evidence."

"My juice? I don't even…keep juice. I…"

Tony couldn't believe what he was hearing. He could vaguely recall his father bringing him some juice and he remembered drinking a glass upon his dad's insistence, hoping that it would satisfy Senior and he would leave. Surely, his father wouldn't have drugged him. Tony pushed these thoughts from his mind; he and his dad didn't always see eye to eye, but he couldn't believe that his old man would stoop so low as to drug him. What could he have possibly done to warrant his own father drugging him? No! It had to be a bad batch of juice; that was the only plausible explanation.

"Anthony? Are you all right?" Ducky gently inquired.

"Yeah," he reluctantly answered. "I guess…Gibbs will take it to Abby and she'll find out it was a bad carton. Right?"

"Tony, we think your father…"

"No!" he barked. Tony regretted using such a sharp tone with the ME, but at the moment, he wasn't sure he could deal with the possibility of what Ducky was about to suggest. "I can't accept that…not right now."

Thankfully, the elderly physician understood. Ducky squeezed his shoulder and soothed, "All right, my boy. We'll give you some time. You just rest now."

Tony nodded as he closed his eyes, hoping that Brad and Ducky would take the hint and leave. He had always known that his dad was manipulative and was used to getting his own way, no matter who he hurt in process; Senior only did things for self-gratification and Tony wasn't sure how drugging his son would be beneficial to his dad. Surely, his father drew the line somewhere, but then again, Tony's gut told him otherwise.

He knew that he wasn't going to find out anything lying in the hospital, so that only left him with one option; unfortunately, he wasn't sure that he had the strength to walk out of the hospital. Tony quickly decided that he would try and rest for a couple of hours and then see how he felt; then, he would try and figure out what the hell was going on.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Gibbs gestured for Tony's father to have a seat. He wondered if the elder DiNozzo had any idea how much restraint he was currently demonstrating; personally, Gibbs wanted to pound the arrogant bastard into the ground for what he had allegedly done to his own son. The team leader had given Rachel time to gather the glass to take to Abby for processing, but given the obvious nervous twitch in Senior's eye, Gibbs had already established the man's guilt.

"Something wrong, Mr. DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, his bitter tone reflecting the anger that was churning inside of him.

"I uh…I'm just anxious to go see Tony," Senior answered. "You're wasting my time."

The Marine visibly bristled at DiNozzo's indignant response. "Well, then let's get down to business." Gibbs planted himself in front of Senior, his steely gaze studying the man's now stoic features. "You know Tony's in the hospital," he began.

Senior crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair. "Yes. I've been trying to get there to see him, but you and the good doctor seemed determined to keep me from my son's side."

"You can drop the charade," the team leader growled. "You're not worried about Tony; you're worried that whatever dirty little secret you're trying to hide will be exposed."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Gibbs."

"Of course you don't."

Never taking his eyes off of Senior, he addressed Rachel, who was still standing by the door. "Make sure you get the carton out of the refrigerator and go ahead and take it and the glass to Abby." Although he knew that the scientist was more than thorough, he added, "Be sure she dusts for prints."

"I'm on it," Rachel declared. "I'll call you as soon as we know anything."

He grinned as Senior's expression now betrayed the panic that was obviously beginning to overwhelm him. It was evident that the older man was clearly worried about something and Gibbs was going to find out what that something was. "What's wrong, Mr. DiNozzo? Is there something that you need to get off your chest?"

"I uh…"

Gibbs didn't give the other man time to formulate a response. The team leader was not going to give Senior the luxury of time so that he could come up with yet another lie. "It's time to come clean, Mr. DiNozzo. Let's start with a simple question." Gibbs leaned over Tony's father, purposefully invading the other man's personal space. "Did you drug Tony?"

"That's preposterous!" Senior exclaimed. Gibbs didn't miss the fact that the elder DiNozzo was doing his best to disguise the nervousness that he was now experiencing. "What kind of man do you take me for?"

"I don't think you want me to answer that," Gibbs retorted. "I just want you to answer the question. I have a feeling that when Abby runs those prints, that at least one of them will belong to you."

"Of course my prints will be on the glass. Junior asked me to pour him some juice and I did." A fabricated grin danced on Senior's lips. "It's something that any father would do."

"Tony doesn't keep juice in his refrigerator; in fact, he doesn't even really like it."

"Well, he wanted it and asked me to pick him up some, so I did," Senior reasoned.

Gibbs knew that Tony's dad was trying to cover his tracks. "So did you put the drugs in it before or after you got here?"

Senior bristled at Gibbs' accusation. "I told you that I didn't drug my son! Unless you have proof that says otherwise, I demand that you cease this interrogation and let me go so I can visit Tony in the hospital!"

Tony's father was fuming, but Gibbs refused to back down. "You're not going anywhere! If I have to, I can cuff you and take you to NCIS."

"On what charges?"

"Attempted murder of a federal officer."

Senior shot up from his seat and pushed past Gibbs. "Now, you're going too far! I didn't try to kill my son!"

Gibbs blocked his path, his patience waning as Senior continued to deny drugging Tony. "Then what were you trying to do?"

The wall that Gibbs had been chipping away at was beginning to crumble. Senior's eyes now bore a mixture of anger and regret, prompting the Marine to wonder if Tony's father was actually capable of feeling any remorse. He had Senior backed in a corner and Gibbs didn't have any reservations about taking a sledgehammer to finish breaking down that so called wall that DiNozzo's dad was trying to hide behind.

"Don't make me ask you again," he warned. "What were you trying to do?"

"I was trying to protect him!" Senior blurted out.

"So you drugged him?"

"I don't want him to remember! He doesn't need to remember!"

Gibbs took a step back and stared at Senior in disbelief. All the pieces were beginning to fall into place and he didn't like the picture that was being created; his gut churned as he considered his next words. "What do you mean he doesn't need to remember?" he demanded to know. "Does this have anything to do with Adam?"

He was an expert at reading people and judging by the clenched jaw that Tony's father now sported, he had hit the proverbial nail on the head. The team leader knew that he had thrown the gauntlet and that Senior was going to have to come clean, whether he wanted to or not.

"Adam is none of your concern!" Senior roared.

Tony's father tempted to push past Gibbs once again, but in one swift movement, the Marine had him pinned against the wall. The only thing preventing him from literally tearing Senior limb from limb was the fact that he held the answers to his questions and those answers would hopefully allow him to help Tony.

"Who is Adam?" Gibbs' menacing tone reflected his own anger that was welling up inside him. "Who is Adam?"

The knot in his stomach pulled tighter when Senior confirmed his fears with his biting words. "Adam was his brother!"

It had been the answer Gibbs had been expecting all along, but to hear Senior utter the words still troubled him deeply. "What did you say?" he growled, part of him still hoping that he had been wrong.

"Adam was Tony's brother and he…was my son," Senior said, the flame of rage suddenly going out of his eyes.

Gibbs released Senior and pushed him towards the couch. Tony's father had a lot of explaining to do and he knew that he wasn't going to like what the older man had to say. "Sit down and start talking," he ordered. "And you better not leave anything out."

Happy New Year! Hope everyone had an awesome holiday/Christmas season! I became the mother of an Eagle Scout in December; my son earned his Eagle Scout and I am so proud. Anyway, December was very busy, but I finally got a nice break with the kids, but they hogged the computer, so it took a while to get my updates ready! Anyway, hope you enjoy them! Thanks for your patience and loyalty.