AN: Here you go, chapter 31. I can't believe how long this has gotten. Thank you all so much for your nice comments and reviews. I appreciate it so much. This chapter is a little bit cliffhangy- nothing too horrible, but just wanted to warn you.

Special Thanks: WCUGirl, Sparkiebunny, LongLashes1, vanishingp2000, NikaDex, NickTonyK, Rena-Spatz, medicgirl, Space1Traveler, Meilea2010, Mysteryfan17, Elerrina Star, AZGirl, ncismom, Gloworm41, Tiffany331, OlympicStorm, julie250, WildFire203, FDDBonney, angeleyes, combatcrazy, godsdaughter77, xenascully, BnBfanatic, faldo, anci2506, Tacpebs, newgal, Stroma, shee1, Servant05, deidi and GibbsGirlAbby. You guys are just great :)

xxxxx

Dr. Kennedy led Gibbs through the recovery area and over to Tony's bedside. The younger man had an oxygen mask placed over his face and was attached to numerous beeping monitors and other medical equipment, with tubes and wires everywhere. His complexion was exceedingly pale, even more so than it had been after Bellingham had injected him and Gibbs hadn't thought that was even possible.

"He doesn't look good," Gibbs observed, his voice barely above a whisper as he spoke. He actually found himself to be somewhat frightened by Tony's appearance. He looked exceedingly fragile, almost as if he could lose his fight to live at any moment.

"Give him some time, Agent Gibbs," Dr. Kennedy said. "He's been through quite an ordeal and has just undergone major surgery."

"I know, but..." Gibbs trailed off as he picked up Tony's hand and took it in his own, wishing that somehow, through sheer force of will, he could transfer some of his own strength to his agent.

Dr. Kennedy looked at Gibbs sympathetically then picked up Tony's chart and made a few notations in it. "I have a couple of patients I need to check on. I'll be back very soon."

Gibbs nodded and gave Dr. Kennedy an appreciative smile. He watched as the doctor left the area and then sat down in the chair that was next to Tony's bed. "Well, DiNozzo...looks like you really got yourself into some big trouble this time," he said, clasping Tony's hand tightly. "And when you're feeling better, you and I are going to have a long talk about you leaving the hospital the way you did...But for now, you just need to worry about getting well."

"I told you that you're like a son to me...and I hope you realize that I really meant it..." Gibbs continued softly. "I know you've been having a very rough time lately, and I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am about that...but, you just need to fight through this...fight with everything you've got, Tony. I'll be right by your side and will help you in whatever way I can. I promise I will..." He watched Tony closely, knowing in his head that he wouldn't be able to respond yet, but somehow still finding himself disappointed when he didn't. "You're going to be fine...I'm going to make sure of it..."

Gibbs sighed to himself, then found his eyes beginning to wander around the recovery area. There weren't a lot of patients there. A number of the beds were empty. Just as he was about to turn his attention back to Tony, he saw him...DiNozzo Sr. He appeared to be resting comfortably in a cubicle not too far from where Gibbs was sitting. He wasn't hooked up to anywhere near the amount of medical equipment that Tony was surrounded by. 'There definitely is no justice in the world,' Gibbs thought. He clenched his free hand into a very tight fist, making a great effort to stay where he was, when his first instinct was to go over and pound the man. He knew if he did so though, at the very least, he would be tossed out of the hospital and then he wouldn't be able to stay with Tony who was his number one priority right now.

"I can't believe that bastard is here," Gibbs murmured.

"Yeah, I figured you'd spot him pretty quickly." Gibbs started slightly at the unexpected voice and saw that Dr. Kennedy had returned and was standing right behind him.

"What's wrong with him?" Gibbs asked, curious in spite of himself.

"Gunshot wounds to the shoulder and to the leg," Dr. Kennedy replied. He knew he shouldn't be discussing the man's condition with Gibbs, but he figured he had a right to know after all that had happened. "He's going to be fine."

Gibbs nodded, feeling a huge lump developing in his throat. "Life isn't fair, doc..." He looked at Tony who was much too vulnerable right now and knew he had to protect him at any cost.

"No...no its not," Dr. Kennedy agreed. He had seen many heartbreaking situations over the years, but this one was definitely unique. He really did feel for Gibbs and his agent.

"Do you have any children?" Gibbs asked, shifting his gaze from Tony to the doctor.

Dr. Kennedy nodded, his eyes lighting up. "Yes I do, six-year-old twins, a boy and a girl."

Gibbs couldn't help feeling a twinge of envy towards this man whose children would be safely at home, tucked into their beds at this hour. "You're a lucky man...and I'm sure you can understand how I feel...If anyone was to threaten their safety, I imagine you'd go to whatever lengths you had to in order to protect them..."

"You're right. I would." The doctor nodded and Gibbs continued.

"Tony is like a son to me, doc. He has gone through way too much and I will not see him hurt anymore. I don't want that monster anywhere near him. I don't want him to get even a glimpse of my agent. If he can't be transferred out of this area immediately, then I want Tony to be. He's already tried to kill him twice...He's not going to get a third crack at him."

"I'll speak to his doctor. I'll see if we can arrange to have his father transferred out of here," Dr. Kennedy said. Even though he knew Senior would be physically unable to go after Tony in his current condition, he didn't say that. He could totally understand Agent Gibbs' concerns and wasn't about to invalidate them after all these men had been through.

Dr. Kennedy hurried off and Gibbs was once again left to his vigil. A short time later, Dr. Kennedy approached, accompanied by another physician. Just from the expression on the other doctor's face, Gibbs knew he wasn't going to make things easy.

"Agent Gibbs, this is Dr. Bill Sanders." The apologetic look on Dr. Kennedy's face told him all he needed to know.

Gibbs held out his hand in an attempted handshake, which was rebuffed by Dr. Sanders. "Agent Gibbs, I hear you're trying to dictate patient care," Dr. Sanders began. "Well, I can assure you that though your methods may work at the FBI..."

"NCIS," Gibbs interrupted, thinking how appropriate it was that a dirtbag like Senior would have a prick for a doctor..

"Whatever...I don't really care if you work for the President of the United States. As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, while your methods may work for you at your agency, you have no authority in this hospital and I will not have you endangering my patients based on your little whims."

"I'm not trying to be difficult here," Gibbs said, trying to control his anger. "I just want to protect..."

"Yes, I know, protect your agent. Well I want to protect my patient too. All patients have equal rights at this hospital, Gibbs. Just because you are federal agents doesn't give you special privileges."

"Come on, Bill...you don't have to get nasty about it. I explained the situation to you..." Dr. Kennedy tried to intervene,

"You explained one side of the story, Adam. The other side of the story has yet to be delivered."

Gibbs was seething. This guy was a pompous jackass. "Have you not seen any of the news reports or read the papers?" he asked, his blue eyes fierce and stormy. Your patient kidnapped my agent and put him through hell. As far as I can see, his side of the story is pretty clearcut."

"I don't see it that way at all. Agent Gibbs." Dr. Sanders remained cool and unperturbed under Gibbs' fierce gaze. "The media can be very manipulative. They twist and turn everything around to suit their purposes. Surely you're aware of that. In this case, I see a father who wanted to get his son out from under the control of a boss who seems to have some kind of a God complex."

"And what about the two bullet holes in Tony? Just another act by his loving father?"

"I'm not a cop or an attorney...as far as I'm concerned anyone could have shot your agent. My concern is the two bullet holes in MY patient."

"Fine." Gibbs realized this doctor was not going to give in. He stood up and angrily drew the curtain around Tony's bed, effectively shielding it from his father. "I trust this won't be a problem?" he asked, directing his gaze at Dr. Kennedy.

"No...it won't be a problem at all," Dr. Kennedy replied as he turned towards Dr. Sanders. "Come on, Bill."

Dr. Sanders smirked smugly, pleased that the agent had been put in his place. "Yes, I need to check on Mr. DiNozzo. He should be waking up soon."

"Wow...that guy is a real piece of work," Gibbs said softly to Tony after the two doctors had departed, leaving them alone once again. "I'm glad Kennedy is your doctor." He realized that perhaps he had been overstepping boundaries, demanding to have Senior moved, but Sanders didn't have to be so obnoxious about it.

Another hour went by and the only interruptions were the recovery nurses who periodically entered the cubicle to check on Tony. "Lots of pretty nurses here," Gibbs commented. "You might want to think about waking up so you can see for yourself."

"Uhmstonstirnurse..." Tony muttered unintelligibly as he began to stir.

Gibbs brightened considerably as Tony's green eyes slowly opened and focused on him. "Hey, DiNozzo...welcome back." Gibbs said, squeezing his hand encouragingly and giving him a heartfelt smile.

Tony stared at Gibbs groggily as he tried to process where he was and what had happened to him, but the details were very mirky. He finally gave up trying to figure that out and licked his lips which felt parched and dry. "Th..Thir...thirsty..." He managed to get the word out, surprised by how much of an effort it took him to do so.

Gibbs pressed the call button for the nurse who arrived almost immediately and smiled when she saw that Tony was awake. "Hello there, Mr. DiNozzo, its nice to see you with your eyes open.. How are you feeling? Can I get you something?"

Tony looked a little dumbfounded and looked to Gibbs who frowned slightly, disturbed by Tony's seeming inability to answer the nurse's questions. "He said he was thirsty," Gibbs said after a few moments of silence.

The nurse nodded as she finished taking Tony's temperature and recorded it on his chart. "He can't have anything to drink, but I'll get him some ice chips. I'll be right back."

"Tony? Are you doing okay?" Gibbs asked after the nurse had gone.

Tony, whose eyelids had already been starting to shut, looked at Gibbs and nodded sleepily.

The nurse came back into the cubicle. She was carrying a small cupful of ice chips and was accompanied by Dr. Kennedy. "I heard you were awake, Tony," Dr. Kennedy gave a friendly smile to his patient. "How are you feeling?"

Tony hesitated slightly before answering. "O...okay."

"Good." He glanced at the readings on the monitors and at the notes on Tony's chart. "I see you're running a slight fever, but that's not unexpected. Are you in a lot of pain?"

Tony paused then shook his head. "No...I'm okay."

The nurse approached to spoon feed some ice chips to Tony and Gibbs beckoned to Dr. Kennedy.

"I'm so terribly sorry about how Dr. Sanders acted earlier, Agent Gibbs," Dr. Kennedy said apologetically. "The man can be an ass, but I never expected him to behave like that."

Gibbs shook his head. "No need to apologize. It wasn't your fault. And you don't have to keep addressing me so formally. I think we're going to be seeing a lot of each other. Jethro or Gibbs is just fine."

Dr. Kennedy nodded. "Okay, Jethro. The same goes for me. You can just call me Adam.

"So, Adam... Tony seems a little bit off to me since he woke up," Gibbs said, taking care to keep his voice low so that Tony wouldn't overhear him.

"Off how?"

"Just a little bit zoned out, seems confused. He's slow to respond to questions."

"I'm pretty sure that's just from the anesthesia," the doctor explained. "He doesn't even look like he's fully awake yet. I wouldn't worry."

"Guess I'm overreacting a little bit." Gibbs grinned sheepishly.

"Hey, after what you've seen him go through, I don't blame you a bit. You're entitled to overreact. Now we're going to monitor him for a little while longer down here and then I'll arrange to have him transferred to the surgical ICU. Visiting procedures are stricter there"

Gibbs started to protest but Dr. Kennedy held up his hand. "I'll clear it so that you can stay with him as much as you like. But, I'm warning you, it won't be very comfortable for you. You're going to need to take some breaks away from there. You need to worry about yourself as well as Tony."

"I'll do what I have to do," Gibbs said gruffly.

Dr. Kennedy nodded. Gibbs was certainly stubborn, no doubt about it. "Okay then...I'll be back soon. Tony, you take it easy."

"I'll just leave these ice chips," the nurse said to Gibbs. "If he wants more, just give him one at a time."

Gibbs nodded and watched as the medical personnel left the cubicle. "You want any more ice chips, Tony?" he asked.

Tony shook his head wearily. He really just wanted to go back to sleep. Just then, there was a disturbance elsewhere in the ward. Gibbs' awareness heightened, but he kept his attention focused on Tony. Then came the sound of yelling. "Where is my son? Tell me! Anthony! Where are you?"

Tony looked shell shocked as he heard the sound of his father's voice and it triggered the memories of what had happened to him. His heartbeat sped up significantly and he gave Gibbs a panicked look. His father had shot him and now he was coming after him again...