Gibbs pulled up outside of the hospital Tony was in and looked at his companion. The evening had been quiet and both men had been too involved in their own thoughts to worry about making conversation and neither had been willing to voice the fears that were welling inside of them.
The day had gone slowly as they had been searching for a break through in their case against Rossi, but there hadn't been much progress made. Kate had been able to determine that none of the staff if the ICU was at least directly linked to the man, but as they really had no real cause to search all of theirs bank accounts, any one of them could be on Rossi's pay roll.
Abby had been working hard all day, but as it was Sunday, she hadn't been able to contact Shiers's boss and so she had to wait for the next day to make the complaint of the woman. When Gibbs had told everyone to go home and get some rest, Abby'd launched herself at him and Tim and told them to tell Tony that she loves him and give him a kiss from her as she couldn't do it herself.
After the promise had been made to do just that, they'd all headed home. Once the two men had went back to Tim's place, they didn't really know what to do with themselves, so they had just sat on the sofa for some time deep in thought. At one point Gibbs had gone and made them something to eat and they had eaten in silence.
Jethro was still looking at the younger man when Tim turned tired eyes to look back into his eyes. They stared at each other for a while, neither saying anything and hesitantly McGee took the other man's hand in his and gave it a squeeze before pulling out his cell and sending a text to Maria to let her know they had arrived.
The silence in the car was tense as they waited for Maria to send back a text, telling them it would be okay to come up. Even though she had told them to wait outside of the ICU they felt it would arouse less suspicion if they waited by the car till they knew Maria could let them in.
With every passing minute the faith of the two men faltered more and more. They finally couldn't stand the heavy atmosphere in the car so they got out and leaned against the side of the car side by side.
After fifteen minutes of waiting, both men jumped as Tim's phone beeped to indicate a new message.
"She'll need ten minutes before she can come to the ICU's door" McGee told Gibbs as he sent an affirmative message back to the nurse.
Gibbs just nodded his head in acknowledgment and they made their way inside and as imperceptibly as they could, they made their way to the second floor and once there, waited outside the ICU doors.
Tim was nervous as they walked through the halls of the hospital. Around every corner he thought there would be someone stopping them from seeing Tony, finally as they stood in front of the locked sliding doors he felt a bit of the tension leave him, but it wasn't until they saw Maria through the galls that he truly let himself heel some relief.
"Sorry it took me some time to respond, we're a bit short on staff tonight so the doctor in charge of this ward has to look after another ward too. But I'm sure you're eager to see your son so follow me" The nurse turned around and began walking without waiting for a response. She'd seen the look on the men's faces and thought it best to let them see Tony first before saying anything else. She bit her bottom lip as she led them down the hall.
They walked down the long hallway until Maria stopped outside one of the rooms and made her way inside. She mad sure the two men followed her before closing the door and turning on few small lamps that wouldn't wake the now sleeping child.
Tim and Gibbs had silently followed the nurse and when they reached the door to the room they knew Tony must be in, they could hardly contain their excitement at being able to see the little boy soon . As soon as the lights were on and they could see the sleeping child, they made their way to his bedside and Tim carefully placed a hand on the baby's head and tears glistened in his eyes as he finally could lay eyes on his precious child. Gibbs stood next to him and for a while they just looked at the little boy, but when Tim's eyes found the bruise on Tony's cheek, the bulky oxygen mask over his mouth and nose and the marks visible from his neckline, he had to close his eyes and take a deep breath.
"Jethro, look what they did to him" His voice shook a bit, but he refused to let any of the tears escape that pooled in his eyes. He looked up and saw that Gibbs' eyes were suspiciously wet as well.
Gibbs kissed the side of his head before bending down to kiss Tony's forehead "Well get them Tim, they'll pay for this."
Maria watched the men and wondered for the millionth time how anyone could ever think about taking the little boy away from his fathers. It was obvious to her that both of the men loved the child deeply and the pain in their eyes as they saw the damage done was breaking her heart. She wiped away a tear that slid from her eye and cleared her throat.
"Anthony was taken of the ventilator he was hooked up to, this evening when the doctor deemed his lungs fit to handle the task of breathing on their own. He still needs the mask though and probably will for some time."
"What's the extent of the damage?" Gibbs asked in a controlled voice as he looked back down at the boy.
Maria took a deep breath and explained all the injuries "As I told you his lungs need some help, he was strangled which caused some problems, but the good news is that there is no brain damage or any other permanent trauma caused by that. As I understood he was also kept outside the night and though he had been dressed pretty warmly, the chill of the night caused him to develop a mild cold which put additional strain to his lungs. We're monitoring his closely in case he develops pneumonia, that was actually one of the reasons the doctor wanted to get rid of the vent as the longer a patient is on it, the more likely it is for pneumonia to set in, we're also giving him antibiotics to hopefully keep any further illness at bay. Other than that there are some bruising and a few minor cuts that will heal by themselves. He was a bit dehydrated, but we're giving him IV fluids" as she spoke she picked up Tony's chart she's been carrying and looked up some results before continuing.
"His blood tests were clean and the x-rays showed that there was no broken bones or anything like that. All in all he should be fine and we'll move him into a regular room in a few days if there is no additional problems."
The two NCIS agent were horrified by everything that the boy had gone through, but at the same time they were relieved that it seemed that he would be getting better.
"Can I hold him?" Tim asked and his voice cracked a bit at the end. The need to hold his son was overwhelming, but he didn't want to hurt the boy.
The nurse bit her lip before nodding. "You can hold him, but you need to be careful of the mask and his IV so it would be best if you sat right next to the bed on the chair."
She moved forward and arranged Tim to sit so that his position was to her satisfaction. She then carefully lifted the boy who whimpered softly in his sleep, the sound muffled by the bulky mask.
"I need to check on one of our critical patients, will you be alright for a few minutes?" She really did have a patient to check, but more than that she wanted to give the men some alone time with Tony before they had to leave.
"We'll be fine" Gibbs said from where he was crouching in front of his lover and running his hand over the baby's head to sooth the still slightly whimpering child.
Neither man really paid attention to soft click of the door that signaled the nurse's leaving, both too consumed by their relief to see and touch the small child and reassure themselves of the fact that he's gonna be okay.
Tim felt himself relax for the first time since he'd returned to the porch to find Tony missing. He looked down at Jethro then at the boy in his arms and smiled slightly.
"I never would have thought I could do this, being a dad. Antonia told me I'd be great at it, but I really didn't see myself with a kid. I don't think I knew how much he means to me until when I noticed that Tony was missing and later when that CPS woman told me I'd lose him. I realized then that I can't think of life without him in it anymore." He looked back at Gibbs who was now watching him closely.
"I would do anything to make sure he's happy and safe. We need to make sure no-one takes him away from us." Though Tim's eyes were filled with tears, they were also filled with determination and love, the latter of the three directed both at the child in his arms and the man in front of him.
"We won't let him go, we'll find a way" Gibbs promised as he stood up and moved to stand behind Tim and gave him a hug.
They settled in silence both men content to just watch the little boy, they knew that there were things they needed to ask Maria and they would have to go back to work the next day and fight to keep their boy, but on that very moment they were just happy to hold the boy and revel in the fact that for the moment he was safe with them.
The men were so focused on their moment that they didn't notice Maria standing in the doorway looking at the little family. She wiped away a tear that slid from her eye and felt her guilt overwhelming her.
When she had seen the two men at the hospital earlier that day, she'd thought that bringing them to see the poor little boy, she could ease her guilty consciousness, but it wasn't enough. Everything she had said about wanting to help the little children in her ward was true and she was ashamed of the fact that she had broken her nurses vow and helped in taking the child from his father. She thought that telling Tim that he was Tony's father would bring comfort to him even though she knew that the records wouldn't be there anymore to verify anything.
She looked at the small child in Tim's arms and the look of love directed at him from the two men and felt her resolve crumble. She stepped away from the door and quietly shut it. With determination in her steps she made her way to the supply room. There was on thing she could do to make things right, she just hoped that it would be enough.
Maria gathered the supplies and made her way back to Tony's room where she quickly got in after making sure no one saw her.
Gibbs and Tim both looked up this time as she entered and they frowned when they saw the needle pack and other things in her arms.
"What's going on Maria?" Gibbs asked as he stood before his lover and Tony, shielding them from any harm.
The nurse had a few tears running down from her eyes and she looked a bit frantic as she looked at the two men.
"I'm so sorry" She said and dropped the supplies on a small table next to Tony's bed
"Why are you sorry?" McGee's eyes narrowed in suspicion as he watched the nurse.
"I- I was the one who made Mr Rossi aware of the nature of your relationship when Anthony first was a patient here. I didn't mean to do it, but it slipped out once when he asked for an update on his condition. I didn't think much of it, but he soon asked a lot of questions about you, and I tried to answer him as best as I could. " She looked up to meet the accusatory eyes of the two men and saw the disbelief and anger in them and she continued.
"I thought he was just worried about the boy and I kept him updated. A few days ago he came to me and told me he knew about the trouble I was in financially and he promised to take care of it if I agreed to help him. He asked me access to the hospital's records and I gave it to him. I only realized later that he used me to remove the evidence of you being this boy's father. Today they came by and took a sample of his blood and took it to a private laboratory and In the morning he'll get a court order so you won't be able to get near him and can't take any blood to do another paternity test."
Tim hugged Tony closer to his chest as Maria's explanation went further and Gibbs' eyes were shooting daggers at the woman.
"Why did you let us see him then if you're working for Rossi?" The anger was carefully controlled as Gibbs spoke, cause he knew if he let a little of it out, it would all come rolling from him and he didn't want to shout and wake Tony. So he clenched his teeth and balled his fists and tried to hold back his temper.
"I really think it'll help Anthony to have you close and I was selfish, I thought I could get some kind of absolution by letting you see him" Maria straightened and brought her eyes to meet them of the ex-marines
"But I know it's not enough, there's really nothing I can do to fix this, but I have to do what I can."
She took the needles and a few vials along with the other things she had brought and started to organize them on the desk so that everything was within easy reach.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Gibbs asked, he still stood blocking her access to both Tim and Tony and if she thought that he'd let her anywhere near Tony with a needle, she was sadly mistaken.
"Marco has Tony's blood sample, I know that Tony is not related to him in anyway so he'll have to fake the results if he wants to prove he's Tony's father. I'm taking a sample of his blood so you can take it with you and get it tested. I don't know id it'll help since you can't actually prove that your sample is the real one as opposed to the one Rossi has, but maybe it'll help if you somehow manage to get a warrant for DNA testing."
She looked at Gibbs for permission and after a long hesitation and silently consulting each other, both men nodded slightly and Tim laid the boy back on the cot. Both of them kept a close eye on Maria as she filled two vials efficiently with Tony's blood and afterwards placed a bandaid on the puncture site. Tony had cried when the needle had first pierced his skin, but Tim had soothed him through the whole thing and the boy had quickly settled and once it was over, he went back to sleep.
Maria labeled the vials and after packaging them for the journey handed them to McGee.
"I know what I did was wrong and I hope that everything works out for the three of you."
She watched as Gibbs and McGee said their goodbyes to their son and her heart ached as she saw the pain in their eyes as they had to leave the boy behind.
"I'll take care of him for tonight. I don't know what will happen tomorrow, but tonight he's safe" She told the men and didn't blame them when her declaration was met with two doubtful set of eyes.
"I will hunt you down myself if anything happens to him" She smiled sadly as the men left the room and she followed them to the ICU door to let them out. She watched as Gibbs pulled out his cell and heard him shout to someone to get back to work so they can run the tests on the blood before the men disappeared from view.
She watched them go and knew she had made the right decision in the end. She just hoped it wasn't too late. After she had helped Rossi, she had seen a glimpse of the madness his wife's death had caused in him and she knew he'd do anything to reach his goal. She stepped into the hall and took the phone still in her pocket and called the man.
"Mr Rossi, I just wanted to inform you that I will no longer be in your service." She didn't say more and just closed the phone against Rossi's angry shouts
Maria was quiet for the rest of her shift and didn't talk much to her co workers as the weight of her guilt still was heavy on her shoulders. Finally in the morning she did her final checks and after debriefing the morning shift of the night, she changed her clothes and started the walk home. She was just passing an alley next to the hospital when someone pulled her into the dark and narrow passage.
She looked at the man and saw Marco Rossi standing before her with a slightly dazed look on his face.
"You should really reconsider helping me, I will make it worth your while I assure you" He tried to convince the nurse.
"I will not help you destroy their lives anymore than I already have. I'm done" She turned to leave the alley, but Rossi pulled her back. She slapped Marco, trying to get him away and Scratched his cheek in the process as deeply as she could, but the man had too tight hold on her arm.
He looked in her eyes and with a grin took a knife from his pocket and placed the tip to her chest right over the spot where her heart was beating wildly. "Yeah you're done. I won't let you spoil my revenge on the little bastard that murdered my wife and the son of a bitch who fathered him. I will make them pay." With his last promise he plunged the knife in her abdomen and watched with satisfaction as the knife disappeared to the hilt in her flesh. He twisted the knife until a small trickle of blood escaped the corner of her mouth. He left the knife buried in her stomach as he let her fall to the ground and gave her a final kick to the ribs before walking away.
Maria lied on the ground bleeding from the wound and she knew she likely wouldn't survive so with her last strength she took out her cellphone and searched for McGee's number that she had saved in her contacts list. She pressed the call button and once the younger man's irritated voice came from the other end she said the words she needed to get out.
"I- f- fought him" She gasped as a wave of pain hit her and more blood came into her mouth. She heard McGee talking to someone before he told her to tell him where she was and what happened. She thought she heard him say something about them coming to her but she wasn't sure anymore. There was only one more thing to say so she gathered the last of her reserves as a tear trickled down the side of her face and a small smile touched her lips. "Absolution" the word was just a whisper, but still audible to McGee who listened with wide eyes as her phone clattered to the pavement.
TBC...
A/N: Okay now I'm convinced... my muse is definitely high with something, I think she's been smoking frogs and licking stickers again... How else would she make me write something as evil as this? *sigh* Well anyways I'm thinking a few more chapters and I'll be ready to wrap this baby up if there's no more evil twists *glares at the muse*
The third part of this series will be a series of one shots of McGee's little family and if you have suggestions or things you'd like to see, I'm welcoming ideas though I can't promise that I'll be able to write all of them in it...
Next chapter will be up... lets say Friday okay? School starts tomorrow do I won't be able to write as much as now so the updates might take me a bit longer...