AN: Thanks so much for all your very nice words and well wishes. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy :)

xxxxx

"Tony, eat," Gibbs prodded. He had been watching his senior field agent play with his food for the last five minutes and it was growing tiresome.

"Not very hungry, boss." Tony pushed the plate away and covered it again with the plastic dome. Gibbs considered making an issue out of it, but only for a moment. It was very obvious that Tony was all worked up about going to see his father. He supposed eating wasn't really a priority right now.

"Are you sure you don't want to wait on seeing your father until you're feeling better, Tony?" Gibbs asked. "He'll be in custody...he's not going anywhere."

Tony shook his head. "I just want to get this over with."

"I still think maybe you should wait..." Tony wasn't looking particularly well. Gibbs didn't want him to end up physically ill over the situation.

"I said I'm doing it," Tony snapped. "If you don't want to come that's perfectly fine, but I'm doing it today."

"I haven't changed my mind," Gibbs stated quietly. "I'm still going with you."

"I'm sorry, boss," Tony said contritely after a short silence. He knew he needed to calm himself down. It was just easier said than done.

"Its alright," Gibbs wished he could somehow magically erase all the pain Tony was going through. "So...when do you want to do this?" The waiting was making him antsy.

"I guess soon..."

Gibbs forced himself not to ask Tony yet again if he was sure he wanted to do this. He just needed to let Tony do what he had to do and support him in whatever way he could.

They sat silently. Gibbs just stared out the window while Tony tried to read a magazine. The words weren't making any sense to him though and he kept on reading the same sentence over and over again. "Let's just go now." Tony tossed the magazine aside. Waiting like this was only making it worse.

"Okay," Gibbs was both relieved and apprehensive at the same time. "I'll go get a wheelchair."

"A wheelchair? I don't need a wheelchair, boss," Tony stated adamantly.

Gibbs sighed to himself. Why did everything have to be an argument? "Its a pretty far walk. I really think we should take it."

"I'm not being wheeled into his room like a fucking invalid." Gibbs just didn't understand. He'd be at a definite disadvantage, right from the start, if he did that.

"Fine!" Gibbs growled before he could stop himself, then forced himself to speak more calmly. "How about we use the wheelchair and we'll leave it outside your father's room then?"

"Alright," Tony said softly, giving in. He knew he was acting like an ass, but he couldn't seem to stop himself.

Gibbs left the room and went in search of a wheelchair. He was getting as jittery as Tony was. He needed to do a better job of keeping himself together or he was going to be of no help whatsoever to the younger man. He found a wheelchair relatively quickly, but took his time getting back to Tony's room. He figured a few minutes alone would do each of them some good. After a few more minutes had passed, Gibbs made his way back into the room with the wheelchair. Tony was looking considerably more subdued than earlier.

"I'm really sorry, boss. Guess this whole thing has me more shook up than I'd like to admit. I shouldn't be taking it out on you though. You...you've stood by me and done more for me than anyone else ever has. I want you to know that I appreciate it, even if I don't always act like it."

"I know you do. And I know how hard this is on you." Gibbs patted Tony's shoulder reassuringly, then gave a small smile. "But trust me, DiNozzo, I'm a tough guy. I can take whatever you want to dish out."

"I know you can take it...doesn't mean you deserve it though..."

"Don't worry about it."

Tony took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I guess we should get going." He painstakingly got himself up out of bed then sat in the wheelchair without complaint. He stopped Gibbs, however, when he went to start pushing him. "Thanks, boss, but I can do it."

Gibbs nodded and allowed Tony to maneuver the wheelchair by himself, falling into step beside him as they slowly moved through the hospital corridors. Tony quickly realized that Gibbs had been right about the wheelchair. He was still getting winded fairly easily and he would have had a difficult time walking to his father's room. "Guess the wheelchair was a good idea, boss," he admitted.

Gibbs smiled faintly, but didn't say anything. He didn't think Tony really needed to hear an 'I told you so' at the moment.

Finally, they reached their destination. Tony's heart began to pound frantically as he caught sight of Jerry Ford, the agent currently standing guard outside his father's room.

"Hey DiNozzo, Gibbs," the agent greeted with a casual wave of his hand. "Good to see you up and around, Tony. How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing okay, Jerry," Tony replied. "How are things with you?"

"Can't complain, can't complain..." He hesitated, looking at Gibbs then back at Tony. "You going in to see your father?"

Tony nodded and Gibbs answered the question with a meaningful look in his eyes. "Yeah, we have a little bit of unfinished business, Ford. Might be a good time for you to take a break."

"Oh..." Jerry looked a little bit uncertain, but after a few moments he nodded his head. "Yeah, sure..I could use a break, I guess."

"Don't worry, Ford," Gibbs said reassuringly. "Its not going to be a problem."

"Okay." Jerry was still unsure about leaving his post though. After all, everyone knew what DiNozzo's father had done to him. A little revenge would be understandable. He trusted Gibbs though. If he said it wouldn't be a problem, he would take the man at his word. "I'll be back soon," he said, giving them a brief wave and an uneasy look. He hoped he didn't end up losing his job over this.

"You sure you're ready for this?" Gibbs couldn't help asking the question one more time.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Tony answered quietly. "He wasn't at all sure, but he had come this far. He didn't think putting it off was going to make things any easier. He slowly started to get to his feet and smiled shakily at Gibbs who resisted the urge to help Tony up. Tony put his hand on the doorknob to his father's door and glanced back at Gibbs. "Let's get this show on the road."

xxxxx

DiNozzo Senior's eyes lit up with malicious delight when he saw his son enter the room, but his delight changed to exasperation when Gibbs trailed in behind his boy.

"What's the matter, Gibbs?" he growled, not even trying to hide the disdain he felt for the man. "Afraid I'll bite him?"

"I wanted him to come," Tony said calmly. "After all, you did shoot me...not once, but twice. I'd say he has reason for concern, wouldn't you?"

"I didn't mean to do that. I panicked, wasn't even thinking when I pulled the trigger. It was just temporary insanity."

"Is that what your lawyer told you to say?" Tony asked with a smirk. "If so, you'll be spending a long time in the slammer."

Senior narrowed his eyes. The boy was too insolent for his liking. Time to knock him down a few pegs. "You always were a smart ass, Junior. I didn't appreciate it when you were a child and I definitely don't appreciate it now."

"I don't really care."

Senior felt a burst of anger at his son's words, and without thinking, lunged towards him, but was stopped by the cuff attaching his wrist to the bed rail.

Tony raised an eyebrow as he unconsciously took a step backward. "Wow...you really can't help yourself, can you? Did you always want to beat the hell out of me?"

"Considering I never wanted you to begin with, yeah pretty much," Senior sneered, getting a small amount of satisfaction when he saw a brief look of hurt flash in Tony's eyes. "You were a mistake...a huge one. I made sure it would never happen again though."

"What does that mean?" Tony asked, cursing himself as he asked the question, knowing it was just what his father wanted.

Senior smiled, more than happy to answer the question. "It means I forced your mother to get her tubes tied, right after you were born. I wanted to make damn sure she never had another child."

"I don't know why you bothered," Tony stated angrily, more than a little disconcerted by his father's unexpected reply. "Its not like you ever paid any attention to me. How much trouble was it to get your staff to take care of me?"

"I gave you plenty of attention," Senior retorted.

"When? When you paraded me around, like a trained seal, in front of your colleagues? Or when you were using me as a punching bag?"

"Its called discipline, Anthony. You were a handful. It had to be done."

"I was just a little kid who missed his mother." Tony angrily swept at the tiny bit of moisture he could feel in his eyes.

"Your mother?" Senior asked as he broke into laughter. "Oh that's rich. What kind of a fantasy world are you living in? She didn't bother with you any more than I did."

"She was there for me when I was sick, when I had nightmares," Tony defended. His mother had definitely had her faults, but his life had gotten immeasurably worse after her death. His childhood, in many ways, had ended the day she died. "At least she didn't beat me."

"Well maybe she should have. Maybe then you wouldn't have turned out to be such a sorry excuse for a man."

Gibbs had managed to remain silent until this point, his hands held in tightly clenched fists, but he had reached his limit. He gave Tony a questioning look, practically begging him with his eyes for permission to speak. Tony nodded, almost imperceptibly, but it was all Gibbs needed. "Who the hell do you think you are? You beat up on an innocent child and now you shot him for no reason at all. What the hell does that make you? As I see it, you're the only sorry excuse for a man in this room. I couldn't be more proud of Tony. He's more of a man than you'll ever be."

Tony gave Gibbs a grateful smile, the man's words giving him a small bit of comfort even in the midst of the situation he was faced with. The fact that Gibbs was proud of him meant the world to him.

"What's the matter, Anthony?" Senior taunted. "You need big, bad Gibbs to fight your battles for you? Couldn't even face your own father by yourself? Needed him to hold your hand?"

"You're not," Tony said softly.

"I'm not what?" Senior asked, baffled.

"My father. You're not my father."

"What the hell are you going on about now? Of course I'm your father."

"No," Tony shook his head. "Not anymore. You've lost the right to call me your son. I'm done with you."

Senior chuckled, but there was a look of barely disguised apprehension in his eyes. "You don't mean that."

"Yes I do. This is it. I'm not taking your shit anymore. You won't be seeing me again, except in a courtroom. Let's get out of here," he said, turning to Gibbs.

"You don't mean that!" Senior repeated, much louder this time. "You think Gibbs is going to stick by you? You're his employee, that's all. You piss him off and he'll abandon you. We're blood, Junior. You can't just walk away from me."

"Gibbs is more of a father to me than you ever were," Tony said, his eyes blazing furiously as he walked over to stand right next to Senior's bedside. "He is my father. Not you."

"You just wait, Anthony. He'll disappoint you one day and when he does it will feel a thousand times worse than anything I've ever done to you. He'll leave you and you'll have no one. He doesn't care about you, not really. You're not his son!"

"And you care about me? You tried to kill me. You wanted me dead. You don't know a damn thing about how Gibbs feels about me. You couldn't understand it if you tried." An anger like nothing he had ever felt before began to pulse through Tony's veins and he cocked his fist, wanting nothing more than to pound this man who had abused him so badly.

"That's right! Hit me, Junior! Hit me!" Senior goaded, his eyes bright with anticipation. "You know you want to. You'll see how good it feels. Do it! Make me proud."

Make him proud? What the hell... Tony's anger deflated as quickly as it had erupted. He let his fist drop harmlessly to his side as he stared at Senior in shock. "Make you proud?" he asked. "That's what you want?"

"Yes, yes!" Senior urged eagerly, his face flushed with excitement. "It's all I've ever wanted from you, to fight back, but you never even tried...not once, not one time did you fight back..."

"I..." Tony was unsuccessfully trying to wrap his head around what Senior was saying. He had never really realized just how twisted this man was. "You...you wanted me to try to fight you? I was just a little boy...how could I have?" Was he serious? He'd been about the size of his father's leg. The man would have crushed him.

"You should have tried. It was all I ever wanted from you. If you had struck back just once. It would have shown that you were just like me...but you never did. You were just so weak...so impossibly weak... Crying...walking around with stuffed animals...How could I have ever been proud of someone like that?"

The words hurt. Even though he knew this man was a nutcase, even though he'd beaten him, sometimes mercilessly, even though he'd tried to kill him, they still hurt. "I...I need to get out of here." Tony suddenly felt sick to his stomach and was pale and shaky as he turned towards Gibbs beseechingly. "We need to leave now."

Having heard more than enough himself, Gibbs was more than happy to comply. He put his arm around the emotionally drained younger man to support him and they headed for the door. Senior began to scream uncontrollably. "Don't you dare walk away from me, you little bastard. I am your father, Anthony! Don't you dare disrespect me like this. Get back here and show me what you've got. For once in your sorry life get back here and make me proud!"

He continued on, ranting and screaming like a madman, even after the door had closed and they were gone from his sight.