Tony's body twitched with pain. Gibbs continued to stroke his son's cheek and try to reassure him. Just looking at Tony. Made his leg hurt. Rachel had taken the steps down to field. Figuring that the other parents wouldn't appreciate two people climbing over them. On their way down the bleachers. She fell on her knees beside Jethro. Where Brad had been before his friend helped him over to the yellow team's bench.
"Please tell me it's not as bad as it looks." Rachel begged.
"I'm worried it may actually be worse." Gibbs sighed.
"Oh Tony." Rachel sighed.
"Why is it always him?" Gibbs asked.
"I don't know Jethro." Rachel replied.
When the ambulance arrived Gibbs hopped in the back with his son. Rachel jumped in her car and followed close behind. Gibbs felt his stomach lurch as Tony was rushed back for x-rays and tests. He hated that he couldn't go back with his son. Fifteen minutes later Rachel arrived and took a seat next to her husband. Gibbs picked her hand up in his and rested the hands against his chest.
"You are Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs I assume?" A youngish doctor asked.
"Yes" Gibbs replied.
"I am Dr. Carter and I want you two to give me one good reason I should not call the police." Dr. Carter demanded.
"What do you mean?" Gibbs asked.
"You should know! When I examined this poor child. He was a mass of scars and old injuries. Any idiot could tell that it was the result of child abuse." Dr. Carter snapped.
"Tony is adopted." Gibbs replied.
"It's true Jethro found him injured and alone several months ago. His biological father abused and neglected him, his whole life. Dumping him off at hellish boarding schools and camps and when he actually cared to have the boy home. He knocked him senseless almost daily." Rachel explained.
"He also never cared to take him to the doctor." Gibbs added.
"Oh I am so sorry." Dr. Carter apologized obviously embarrassed.
"How is he now?" Rachel asked.
"You have to understand that he was a victim of severe child abuse and like Jethro said. He never got the proper treatment. So he had injuries that never healed properly." Dr. Carter explained.
"How bad is it?" Gibbs asked.
"Tony not only severely twisted his knee but he also suffered a compound fracture of the ankle and foot and broke his tibia almost in half." Dr. Carter explained.
"What do we do?" Rachel asked.
"An operating room is being prepared for him as we speak. We are going to put pins in the breaks and he will have a brace on the injured knee." Dr. Carter explained.
"Oh my poor baby." Gibbs sobbed.
"Can we see him before the surgery?" Rachel asked.
"Of course but it won't be long." Dr. Carter replied.
Jethro and Rachel walked into the cubicle where Tony was being kept. While he waited for to have his surgery. The initial adrenaline had worn off and Tony lay on the bed red-faced from the pain. He was biting his lip trying not to cry. It killed Gibbs and Rachel to see Tony in this much pain but both knew that it was too dangerous to give pain killers before surgery. Especially with Tony's tendencies to have bad reactions to pain killers and anesthesia. They had almost lost him after the surgery to repair his arm. They had put pins in his arm as well. If this kept up before long. Tony would be more pins and screws then boy.
"Hey buddy." Gibbs greeted.
"Hi Tony." Rachel added.
"Gibbs? Rachel? Why does my leg hurt?" Tony asked.
"You broke it really badly in the football game." Gibbs explained.
"We weren't supposed to tackle. Am I in trouble?" Tony asked.
"No Tony you are not in trouble. One of the boys on the yellow team went to tag you but he slipped and fell on top of you." Rachel explained.
"He's not in trouble right?" Tony asked.
"No he is not. It was an accident." Gibbs assured.
"I don't like hospitals." Tony whimpered.
"I know." Gibbs replied.
"Want to go home." Tony pleaded.
"I know but you can't yet." Rachel replied.
"Why not?" Tony asked.
"Because your leg is badly broken and you have to have surgery to fix it." Gibbs explained.
"Oh" Tony sighed.
"Don't worry you will be home soon." Rachel assured.
"When?" Tony asked.
"I don't know but soon." Rachel replied.
"Mr and Mrs. Gibbs it's time." Dr. Carter called from the doorway.
"OK Tony they are going to take you back to surgery now but we will be here when you wake-up. So don't worry." Gibbs assured.
"So don't be afraid." Rachel added.
"I'll try to be brave." Tony replied.
"You can do it you are a Gibbs." Gibbs assured.
"I am a Gibbs." Tony repeated.
Even more waiting was ahead of Gibbs and Rachel. At least this time they knew exactly what was happening. They just hoped that Tony would come through the surgery without any complications and that he would be able to walk and play with the others for at least a little of summer. Tony having to spend the whole summer laid up was going to be the hardest part of this for everybody. Just five hours earlier Gibbs and Rachel were sipping coffee and discussing preparing Tony for summer camp, how he would handle being away from them, and how they would handle him being away from them. Now they were sitting in the hospital waiting room. While he had surgery on his severely broken leg. Gibbs looked up to see a doctor come from the entrance to the regular part of the hospital towards them. A feeling of dread instantly washed over him. He was sure this meant that something had gone wrong and Tony was dead.
"I am looking for a Mr and Mrs. Jethro Gibbs." The doctor called.
"That's us." Gibbs replied nervously.
"I am Dr. Pitt from the Pulmonology department." Dr. Pitt introduced.
"Pulmonology?" Gibbs asked nervously.
"Oh I didn't mean to scare you. Tony is not in my care." Dr. Pitt assured.
"Then why the hell are you here?" Gibbs demanded.
"My son was the one who hurt your boy. Unfortunately I had to miss the game due to a work emergency but my wife called me freaking out. That Brad Junior was completely flipped out about what happened. I just wanted to know how he is. So I can hopefully make my boy feel better. I am sure you understand." Dr. Pitt explained.
"Tony knows that it was not his our BJ's fault. Your son told me his name when I was with Tony after the accident. His leg is badly broken in two places and his knee is twisted. I think he broke his foot too but he is getting pins put in as we speak." Gibbs explained.
"But he'll be OK right?" Dr. Pitt asked.
"Hopefully" Gibbs replied.
"Thank you so much. If you can update me. I am going to go and call home and tell them what you told me." Dr. Pitt replied.
A/N: How did Tony do in surgery? At least Dr. Carter believed Rachel and Gibbs and Dr. Pitt is able to comfort his son with Gibbs's news on Tony. New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading.