Gibbs opened the door to his house and gestured for Senior to enter before him. The ride home from the hospital had been quiet; the tension between them was saturated with mutual anger and detestation, prompting the two men to be satisfied with the silence. Once they had reached the team leader's home, he had retrieved the elder DiNozzo's bag and assisted the man up the stairs of his front porch; Tony's father had yet to utter a word and Gibbs had to admit that it was probably for the best. He was truly dreading the next few days, but he would do anything for Tony; his willingness to look after Senior would provide DiNozzo with a few days of rest so that he could continue recovering without the added stress of his father's presence.
He closed the door behind him as he followed Senior into the house. Stepping around Tony's father, he headed towards the guest bedroom and deposited his bags on the bed. Gibbs rejoined the older man, who was giving his place a cursory once over and judging by Senior's expression, he was not thrilled with his new living arrangements. "I put your stuff in the guest room," he informed Tony's dad. "Bathroom is across the hall and extra blankets are in the closet."
"Uh, thanks," Senior replied. "Nice place you have here, Gibbs."
The team leader realized that Senior was simply reverting to forced politeness in order to initiate conversation. Tony's father was used to a thousand dollar a night suites, complete with room service, spa treatments, and people seeing to his every whim; at Hotel Gibbs, Senior was going to be in for a rude awakening if the thought that the Marine was going cater to his every demand. His version of luxury was more along the lines of boot camp and Tony's father was due a hefty dose of reality.
"It's home," Gibbs answered.
"I guess so."
He watched Senior as he walked over to his bookshelf and began studying its contents. Gibbs figured that the other man was trying to figure out a way to alleviate the awkwardness of the situation, but the team leader wasn't buying his false platitudes and forced pleasantries.
"You can tell a lot about a man by the kind of books he has in his library," Senior stated. "I can tell that you're a man of diverse interests; you enjoy building things but yet you also seemed to be interested in history. Am I right?"
"Very perceptive, Mr. DiNozzo."
"I'm very good at reading people; it's what has kept me in the game all these years," Senior boasted.
"Really?" Gibbs bit back a sharper retort. If the man was so good at reading people, why couldn't he tell that his son needed him to be a father? Tony had spent his life trying to live up to Senior's expectations and his dad had never recognized his efforts.
"Yes, I could go on for hours about how my gift has benefitted me financially."
"Where's that money now?" His attempt at keeping his opinions to himself was short lived. The preexisting coolness between them was now dipping into the arctic range as the iciness of Senior's stare was reflected in his own gaze.
"Excuse me?" Senior asked.
"Where's that money now? Where are these financial benefits you're talking about? Last I knew, your son got hurt trying to bail out your ass; this mess that you're in is because of your so called gift at misappropriating funds," Gibbs reminded Senior. "You can't pay your hospital bills, but you don't have any problems with Tony picking up the tab. If you're so gifted, why don't you find a way to pay your own damn bills?"
"Everyone has a streak of bad luck now and then. I'll pay Tony back every dime," DiNozzo vowed.
Gibbs shook his head in disgust. "You don't get it, do you? Tony doesn't want your money! He never has!"
"Oh, I forgot," Senior growled. "You're an expert on my son. You know everything about him, don't you?"
"I know all I need to know," Gibbs shot back. "I know he's a good man and I know that I would be proud to call him son."
His steely glare followed Senior as he made his way over to the couch and sat down. "I'm not sure who I feel sorrier for, Gibbs; you or Anthony."
"What do you mean by that?" The team leader wasn't sure if he truly wanted to hear what the older man had to say. Senior had the ability to twist one's words around to justify his shortcomings and Gibbs had a feeling that he was about to witness such a feat.
"You accuse me of using my son, but you're doing the same thing. You're using Tony to replace your dead child and Tony's playing right along."
Gibbs clenched his fist. He knew what Senior was attempting to do; the man was trying to prove that he wasn't afraid to go head to head with who he perceived to be his enemy. The fact that he dared to bring up Kelly only reinforced the fact that Tony's father would stoop to any means to get what he wanted and what he wanted right now was to try and get the upper hand on the Marine. The only problem with Senior's strategy was that Gibbs wasn't impressed by the other man's tactics; if he wanted to play hardball, he would be more than willing to oblige.
"No one can take Kelly's place; if you had any kind of relationship with your son at all, you'd understand that," Gibbs coolly stated. "You'd also understand that you're about to run out of chances to get to know Tony; you're about to lose your son forever and you don't give a damn."
"You have no right to say that, Gibbs," Senior protested.
"I have every right. I'm the one that has to pick up the pieces whenever you're around."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Figure it out." The team leader struggled to tamp down the rage burning inside him. How had Tony managed to live all those years with such an infuriating man? "I'm going to start lunch," he announced.
Gibbs left Tony's dad to his own thoughts and went into his kitchen; although Senior wasn't out of his sight, at least he wasn't in the same room with him. He was truly beginning to regret his offer of letting Senior stay with him; the team leader had to remind himself once again that he was doing this for Tony and he would do anything for the younger man.
Tony hadn't been happy about the arrangement but had accepted the fact that he didn't have a choice in the matter. DiNozzo's recovery had already been hindered by the unneeded stress that had been a result of worrying about his father; his agent needed to concentrate on getting better and the only way that he would do that was if he knew that his father was being looked after. Maybe he should have volunteered McGee or Ducky to babysit Tony's father; they both seemed to have a lot more patience with Senior than he did.
He didn't hear another word out of Senior until he had lunch well under way and was waiting for his coffee to finish brewing. Tony's father slowly made his way into the kitchen and sat down at the table. Gibbs found himself praying that the man would simply keep his mouth shut, but that was obviously asking too much from fate.
"Smells good," Tony's dad said, obviously choosing his words with care.
"Not much to opening a couple cans of soup and grilling a cheese sandwich."
"It still smells good; I guess anything is better than hospital food."
The agent sighed. "Guess so."
DiNozzo cleared his throat. "I'd like to apologize for what I said earlier," Senior began. "I just want you to see things from my point of view."
"Maybe you should try looking at things from Tony's point of view."
Gibbs knew that suggestion wouldn't be well received. The scowl on Senior's face confirmed his assumption. "Tony's point of view?" the elder DiNozzo questioned.
Grateful that his coffee was done, he poured himself a cup and took a sip. "Forget it," Gibbs sighed in disgust. "That would require you to think of someone besides yourself."
"You're just full of advice, aren't you, Gibbs?"
"Yeah, too bad you don't want to listen to any of it."
Gibbs cut off the stove and dipped out a bowl of soup and then finished making the grilled cheese sandwich. He put it on the table, along with the pills that Senior was supposed to take. "Eat up while it's hot. I'll be in the basement if you need anything,"
The agent shook his head in frustration. He certainly hadn't intended on arguing with Tony's father within five minutes of walking through the door, but his plans were thwarted by Senior's callousness towards his son's self sacrificing ways. Gibbs opened the door to the basement and padded down the steps. He needed to put space between himself and Senior in order to collect his thoughts and figure out how he was going to handle living under the same roof with Tony's dad for the next several weeks.
As if on cue, his cell phone rang. A smiled danced across his lips; Gibbs wondered how long it was going to take DiNozzo to call and check up on his dad. "I haven't killed him yet," he answered.
"How many times have you thought about?" Tony asked.
"Including before we left the hospital?"
"That bad, huh?" DiNozzo sighed. "I'm sorry, Gibbs."
"It's not your fault."
Gibbs knew that he could have told DiNozzo that everything was fine, but he wasn't going to lie to Tony; he had always been honest with his senior agent, sometimes brutally so, and the young man had come to expect nothing less than the truth from him. The Marine was aware that lying was one of DiNozzo's greatest peeves and after meeting and spending time with Tony's dad, he understood why.
"I'm going to check myself out, Boss; you shouldn't have to deal with my dad. I knew this was a bad idea. I should have known that he would show his ass."
"DiNozzo!" The team leader wasn't surprised that Tony would threaten to leave against medical advice, but Gibbs wasn't about to let that happen. "You leave that hospital and I'll kick your ass! You understand me?"
"But Gibbs," Tony began to protest.
"I can handle your dad."
"I don't doubt that; it's just that you shouldn't have to. He's my problem."
"Tony…" His tone was bit harsher than he intended but he had to get Tony's attention. "I got this. Trust me."
"I do, Boss. More than anyone," Tony stated.
Gibbs appreciated the conviction of DiNozzo's words. The trust between them had almost been instantaneous, but it had taken awhile for Tony to completely accept the fact that Gibbs wasn't going to walk away from him. It had taken the lead agent a long time to help Tony overcome the insecurities he had as a young agent; however, thanks to the reappearance of his father, those insecurities were rearing their ugly heads once again.
"I know, Tony," he quietly replied. "Don't worry about your dad; I've got your six on this."
"You always have my six."
"And you've got mine." He leaned against his workbench and took a sip of his coffee. "How're you feeling, Tony?" Gibbs asked, his concern for his friend utmost on his mind.
"I'm okay. Still kind of weak, but it's better than the alternative."
The team leader couldn't agree more. This latest incident had added several years to his life; the image of Tony's bloody and battered body was something that would remain with him for years. "I'll be back over later tonight to check on you."
"You don't have to, Boss. You've got your hands full."
"I'm gonna have Fornell come over this evening and stay for a while."
"Fornell?" Tony pressed. "I'm guessing you have an ulterior motive."
Gibbs shrugged, despite the fact that Tony couldn't see him. "Maybe."
"You're hoping that Fornell can convince my dad to testify."
"Tobias can be very persuasive when he has to be," Gibbs pointed out.
"You're a devious man, Gibbs. You're a devious man."
"So I've been told."
The team leader fondly reflected on the day that he unofficially hired the former Baltimore detective; that had been one of the smartest moves that he had made in his history at NCIS.
There were days that he wished for simpler times, when it was the two of them; together, they had formed the foundation of NCIS' most prestigious team and their experiences had made them into the men they were today.
"I want you to take it easy," Gibbs instructed.
"Are you bringing pizza when you come?"
"I might be able to smuggle one in," he mused. "I'll see you later."
"I'll be waiting."
Gibbs hung up and then quickly dialed Fornell's number. It was a good thing that Tobias owed him several favors; his friend would not be happy about being a glorified babysitter, but Gibbs knew that Fornell wouldn't pass up the opportunity to get Brewer behind bars and Tony's dad could possibly hold the key that would get the criminal off the streets for a long time. It was time for Senior to step up to the plate; he just hoped that the old man didn't strike out.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Tony blew out a long breath and laid his head back against his pillow. The nurses had helped him back to his bed a while ago after he had complained of feeling lightheaded and nauseated. It probably hadn't been a great idea to ask Gibbs to bring him pizza, but he needed to have something seem normal in his life and insisting on pizza was as about as normal as he could get right now.
If he were honest with himself, his life had been anything but normal since the reemergence of his father. Tony had gotten used to the idea of his dad not being around; he had found someone more suitable to serve as his father figure and had been content with the familial relationship that he and Gibbs had formed. Now that his dad was around, things were somewhat strained between him and the rest of his team because he was worried that Senior would turn his friends against him.
With the exception of Gibbs, his teammates always thought that he had been exaggerating about his father' s exploits, but they only saw what his dad wanted them to see. Senior was quite the con man when he needed to be, which unfortunately, was a trait that he had definitely inherited from his old man. Maybe one of these days, the others would understand why Tony was the way he was. However, for now, his father's presence had placed him between a rock and a hard place and he had no idea how to escape from the conundrum that his life had become.
A knock at the door forced him back to the present moment, obliterating the self pitying thoughts that were threatening to overwhelm him. A tiny smile formed on his dry lips as he recognized his visitor. "Hey, Ducky; come on in."
The kindhearted ME entered the room. Tony easily recognized the look of surprise on Ducky's face upon seeing his injuries for the first time. "I actually look a lot better now," he quipped, hoping to alleviate the awkward tension that was now present.
"Forgive me for staring, Anthony. I just wasn't expecting…well, I'm not sure what I was expecting," Ducky admitted.
"It doesn't matter. I'm doing a lot better."
"Really, Anthony? You think I would come and see you without conferring with your doctor? I know better than to listen to your self assessment whenever you're ill or injured. Quite frankly, you're lucky to be alive."
"I'm okay, Ducky; just tired. I can't seem to shake this fever and it kind of leaves me wiped out."
He watched Ducky maneuver the chair he had recently vacated, finally taking a seat beside him. "You've had a lot to deal with not only physically, but mentally and emotionally," the doctor reminded him.
"Tell me about it," he mumbled.
"You can't keep all this bottled up, Anthony."
"I know. Actually, you missed it earlier; I told off my dad. I have to admit it was kind of refreshing."
"Perhaps you should do it more often then," Ducky teased.
"Maybe I will," Tony conceded. "I just don't want him to cause any problems for Gibbs."
"I think Jethro can handle your father."
"I know. I guess maybe I'm kind of nervous about what my dad will say; he likes bringing up my many faults."
Ducky patted his good arm. "My boy, do you really think that Gibbs is going to listen to a word that your father has to say?"
Tony shook his head. "No."
"Then stop worrying about your father and concentrate on getting better."
"I'll try."
"Do or do not, there is no try."
The dark-haired man grinned at the Star Wars reference; the fact that it came from Ducky made it even more meaningful. "Nice, Ducky. Never pictured you as a Star Wars kind of guy."
"Chalk it up to a guilty pleasure. While science fiction may not interest me, history certainly does and as I'm sure you are well aware, the entire series is a collage of important historic events."
Tony tried to repress the chuckle that wanted to escape. "Does McGee know?"
"No."
The two men laughed and Tony realized how good it felt to laugh; it was something he had not been able to do since his dad's arrival and subsequent health issues. "You're secret's safe with me," he assured the ME.
"Thank you, Anthony."
A sharp pain forced a gasp from his lips, immediately forcing Ducky to his feet. "Tony? Are you all right?"
He braced his ribs, instantly regretting his previous actions. However, the moment of joy had been worth it and he owed a big thanks to Ducky for momentarily making him forget about his problems. Not trusting himself to speak, he graced the physician with a curt nod and then reached for the remote that would lower the head of his bead.
"Let me get that for you," Ducky insisted. "Is it time for your pain medicine?"
"Don't want it," Tony mumbled.
"But you need it. It's okay to ask for help, Tony. You have a lot of people who have your best interests in mind. Let us take care of you for a while."
He wondered if any of the team knew how hard it was for him to relinquish the role of protector. Tony considered himself to be the man on the front lines, always looking out for his team that stood behind him; it never mattered what happened to him as long as his team was all right. His sometimes careless behavior had earned him more than one well deserved head slap and as a result, had made him a little more appreciative of his own life. However, he would not hesitate to lay down his life for any one of his team; they were his family and he would do anything to protect his family.
Tony closed his eyes as he listened to Ducky call the nurse and request his pain medication. He didn't pay attention to the conversation between the ME and the nurse and only vaguely acknowledged his friend when he informed the agent that he would be right back. DiNozzo heard Ducky mumble something about inept doctors and then he found himself alone.
It was only a couple of seconds before he heard footsteps coming across the room. Tony knew by the sound of the footfalls, that it wasn't Ducky now standing over him. He opened his eyes to discover Sam Brewer standing over his bed. Tony reached for the remote but Brewer quickly grabbed it from him.
"What the hell do you want?" he demanded to know, uncertain if he wanted to discover the answer.
The agent watched Brewer as he moved to the end of the bed; he refused to show anything but stoic resolve in front of the man who had been ultimately responsible for him being in the hospital. He met his nemesis' steely gaze as the criminal chillingly replied, "We need to have another talk."
Don't worry…it's not what you think! At least I don't think it's what you think it is. Sorry for the delay in posting; I did try and make it a little longer to make up for the length of time between updates. Just a note than I'm working as fast as I can on the next update for OTF…I know many of you are anxiously awaiting it and I promise, the next chapter will be early next week.
Everyone have a great weekend! Thanks again for all your support and encouragement! You guys are the greatest!