AN1: Thanks so much, as always, for your incredible support for this story. This chapter was a little bit frustrating as I ended up losing quite a bit of it due to a computer glitch and had to rewrite part of it which is never fun. In any case, here is the next part. I hope you enjoy it :)

Special Thanks: WCUGirl, Sparkiebunny, pandi19, sarahsrr, Rena-Spatz, vanishingp2000, carismum, Graphicmaker1, Gaddkzmp, NikaDex, diana teo, Meilea2010, anci2506, medicgirl, NickTonyK, Gloworm41, Space1Traveler, AZGirl, ihearttony, combatcrazy, Stroma, faldo, twomoms, NCISTIVA-FAN, GibbsGirlAbby, Tacpebs, Gibbs4Eva, TheNaggingCube, angeleyes46, godsdaughter77, jgomez921, newgal, shirik, and Detour.

xxxxx

Tony's eyes widened as he listened to Gibbs' words. He never would have dreamed Gibbs would feel like that about him. He very badly wanted to return the sentiment, to tell Gibbs that he was like a father to him, but he just couldn't do it. He didn't deserve for Gibbs to care about him that way. His real father didn't even care about him. He just wasn't worthy of having a father. He could see that Gibbs was waiting for a response. He had to say something. So he did. "Thank you, sir. I appreciate that."

Sir? What the hell? Gibbs stared back at Tony, feeling shell-shocked. Obviously he had misread this whole situation badly...very badly. Hell, DiNozzo had never spoken to him so formally, not even when they had first met. The younger man was beginning to put up impenetrable walls all around himself. "Tony? Come on, please talk to me. Tell me what's going on with you." He put his hand on Tony's shoulder and could feel his agent tense up under his touch, but he didn't let go of him.

"Nothing's going on. I'm perfectly fine," Tony stated, expressionlessly.

"Damn it, DiNozzo, I'm not dropping this," Gibbs said, just before Nurse Perky stepped back into the room. Damn. This place was busier than Grand Central Station.

"I am so sorry to have taken so long," Mr. DiNozzo," she said with a smile. "There was an emergency and I had to take care of that first."

"That's okay, don't worry about it," Tony said, watching as she poured him a cup of ice water then handed it to him. "Mmm...thanks," he said after he gratefully took a few sips.

"Are you sure there isn't anything else I can do for you?" she practically purred as she straightened out his covers.

"No thank you," Tony said politely and Gibbs knew things were definitely very off with his senior field agent. There was no way Tony could resist flirting with this pretty nurse if all was well with him.

"Okay, just buzz if you need me," she said, giving him another dazzling smile before walking out of the room.

"Well…I'm really tired...I think I'm going to get some sleep," Tony said after the nurse had closed the door behind her.

"No way, DiNozzo..."

"What does that mean?" Tony asked as he unsuccessfully tried to fluff up one of the flat pillows that were propped up behind him. "I'm tired, boss."

"Don't really care," Gibbs responded. Tony didn't look the least bit tired to him. "You can sleep after we talk. It shouldn't take long."

"You can't tell me what to do," Tony grumbled under his breath.

"Wanna bet?" Gibbs bit back a smile, glad to see Tony still had a little bit of stubbornness in him.

Tony rolled his eyes and crossed his arms across his chest defensively as he glared back at Gibbs.

"Come on, Tony," Gibbs said. "This is for your own good."

"How do you know what that is?" Tony asked. "I can decide that for myself."

"Usually I'd be tempted to agree with you," said Gibbs, "but not right now. You're not yourself."

"You said yourself that I've been through a lot, boss. "Wouldn't that have some kind of effect on me?"

"Yeah it would, Tony," Gibbs said with a sigh, "but this is much more than that."

"Whatever," Tony just shook his head and stared down at his legs. Gibbs wasn't going to give up. He knew that, but it didn't mean he had to make it easy for him.

Gibbs looked back at his sullen agent not at all sure what to say to him. He was at a loss how to handle this. He'd never seen DiNozzo acting this way. "This all has to do with your father," he finally said. It was a statement, not a question.

"No it doesn't," Tony said sharply.

"Yeah it does, Tony."

There was another long period of silence before Tony spoke again. "What do you want from me?" Tony asked with a small hitch in his voice. Gibbs couldn't help but notice how young he sounded.

"I want you to tell me what's going on up here," Gibbs said, tapping Tony's head very lightly. "I told you that you're like a son to me and you responded like I was a stranger you'd never met before. Talk to me..."

Tony said nothing...he just sat there wishing he could just disappear into thin air.

"I'm not leaving." He and DiNozzo had been through too much together for him to give up now. He would wait his agent out as long as he had to. He was pretty sure Tony would be unable to remain silent for too long.

In actuality, Tony was starting to feel a little bit sleepy. Covering his mouth with his hand as he yawned, he wondered if Gibbs would head slap him if he really was to fall asleep. Tony was unsure exactly how long the silence went on, but it seemed to stretch on endlessly. "It's all my fault," Tony finally blurted out.

"What is?" Gibbs asked.

"My father being in jail...it's my fault...

"No...it's his fault, not yours."

"He only came here because of the ransom. If it hadn't been for that, he wouldn't have gotten into trouble."

"Come on, Tony...you didn't force him to take you out of the hospital. He didn't have to do that. He could have done what a real father would do...he could have sat with you in the hospital. Taking you out of there was not in your best interests, and what happened afterwards...there is no excuse for that..."

"You don't understand..."

"Enlighten me."

He was jealous. I wasn't being loyal to him."

"Jealous? He's not a child, Tony."

"Still... I should have..."

"Should have what?"

Tony shook his head miserably. "I don't know...something..."

Gibbs put his hand under DiNozzo's chin and tilted it upward so he could look into the younger man's eyes. "You did nothing wrong here...nothing. He hurt you. It was all him."

"He didn't mean to hurt me..."

Gibbs shook his head slowly. Tony just looked so sad and lost. "You know better than that, Tony...You're an agent...you were a cop. How many times have you heard that excuse after a crime has been committed? That the perp didn't mean to hurt someone or, god forbid, kill them..."

"He wouldn't have..."

"He hurt you, Tony...he could have killed you...I know you don't remember, but I do. I saw it and I'm sorry, but I just can't just forget it. Like I said before, you're like my own son. Nobody hurts you and gets away with it..."

"I'm not a good choice for a son, boss," Tony stated softly. "You'd be better off with McGee. He...he's really smart, a lot smarter than me. He'd be a great son for you..." Tony lowered his head, not daring to meet Gibbs'eyes, not wanting to see the disappointment in them.

Gibbs looked at Tony in dismay. It was like someone had taken a magic wand and zapped all of the self confidence and self worth right out of his senior field agent. "Tony, look at me," he ordered quietly, sighing to himself when he got no reaction whatsoever. "DiNozzo...look at me," he demanded, much louder and was rewarded with Tony lifting his head and looking back at Gibbs.

"First of all, McGee is not smarter than you," Gibbs stated. "He knows more about computers than you do, but he knows more than most people know, not just you. Hell, I don't know a damn thing about computers. Are you saying I'm stupid? Secondly, even if he was smarter, what does that have to do with anything? I care about every member of my field team, DiNozzo, but I feel a special connection with you. I didn't make a conscious decision to feel that way...its just there...Its a part of me. You mean the world to me, Tony…you are family."

Tony gave Gibbs a sideward glance as he thought back to his earlier words, about how a real father would have sat with him in the hospital, not taken him out of there. It was just what Gibbs had been doing, staying with him, taking care of him before they had been rescued. Gibbs was more of a father to him than his own father could ever hope to be. He knew his father had been selfish and that taking him from the hospital had been for his father's purposes, not out of any real desire to help Tony...or any real love for him...as much as that hurt to admit. Gibbs was right, he could have ended up dead. Even if his father hadn't attacked him, he had belonged in the hospital, not in some house his father had rented. He still felt an element of guilt though and the desire for his father's approval which he knew he was never going to get. "I...I feel that way too, boss. I...I really appreciate the way you've been taking care of me. You...you're the father I never had...you've given me much more than I deserve..."

"Not true, Tony," Gibbs said, gently rubbing the younger man's back. "You deserve that and a whole lot more. Don't be selling yourself short..."

"Okay, boss...I'll try..." He still had a hard time understanding why Gibbs felt the way he did. When your own father treated you like crap, it didn't really make you feel worthy of anyone's attention,

"Try hard, DiNozzo..." Gibbs could still see the doubt in Tony's eyes. Damn, his father had really done a job on him.

"I will..." Tony nodded and tried to hold back another yawn, but failed. The emotional conversation had left him feeling totally wiped out.

"You should get some sleep."

"Yeah, probably a good idea, boss." Tony shifted his position so that he was lying on his side, facing Gibbs.

"You still feel like some company later on?" Gibbs asked, unsure if the conversation had taken too much out of Tony for him to feel up to visitors.

"Yeah, that'd be good." He wanted to see his friends. It would make him feel more normal, plus he missed them.

"Okay. I'll call Abby and let her know. Is there anything you want them to bring you?"

"Some real food to eat?" Tony asked, looking at Gibbs beseechingly.

Gibbs hesitated as he looked back at Tony. "I don't know..."

Tony saw Gibbs' hesitation. "Aw, please, boss?"

Gibbs nodded. "I'll see if she can bring you something light."

"Thanks." Tony smiled which made Gibbs feel better. Smiles from DiNozzo were few and far between as of late.

Gibbs decided to wait until Tony was asleep before making the call to Abby and the two settled into a comfortable silence. Tony was practically asleep when he spoke again. "You know...I'm going to have to see him," he said looking at Gibbs drowsily.

"What? Who?" Gibbs could feel his heartbeat quicken, knowing full well who his agent was referring to.

"My father..." Tony replied. "I have to..."

Gibbs shook his head. "Not right now, DiNozzo...No way in hell."

"When I'm better...when I get out of here...It's something I have to do...You can't stop me boss..." Overcome with exhaustion, Tony's eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep. As Gibbs studied the younger man's sleeping form, all he wanted was to be able to protect him, to keep him out of harm's way. Tony was right...he couldn't stop him. One thing was certain though...Gibbs was going to pay a visit to DiNozzo Sr. before Tony got anywhere near the man...