Chapter Twelve
Gibbs and Tony sat in silence as the doctors and Nate conversed. Sarah seemed ill at ease about it all and Gibbs had to squelch his guilt over bringing all of this to their home. He watched as Sarah moved around the room, tension obvious in the set of her shoulders. She was upset that this had been brought to her living room.
Even though Gibbs felt badly about her stress level, he didn’t feel guilty. In reality, Gibbs hadn’t done anything except befriend Tony. The set of circumstances had just happened, one thing after another, and now it was a part of his in-laws’ life. But he wasn’t changing any of it; he was going to be on Tony’s six. Someone needed to be, and he really genuinely cared about the teenager. Tony was family now and Gibbs wished he knew how to make that clear to the adults in the room.
Nate nodded suddenly and one of the men went to the phone, calling someone. Gibbs watched in silence as Nate conversed quietly with Sarah and then came closer. “We have a friend, someone who enjoys a challenge. We’re going to have him set everything up.”
“Then what?” Gibbs asked quietly.
“Then we get you both in for tests, Jethro. You and Tony get examined in as safe an atmosphere as we can engineer. Then we all come back here and let Sarah work her culinary magic on us.”
Gibbs watched as Nate met his wife’s eyes and they shared a little smile. It was an intimate moment that he wished he could have with Shannon right now. They’d been so bogged down in his injuries and reassuring Kelly for weeks now. Maybe this change would do his wife and daughter good. Someone new in the family to love and care for, a young man who could help out around the house, who could be a rock for Kelly and Shannon when Gibbs was on deployment.
Gibbs blinked a few times, realizing he was thinking about a future he had no right indulging in right now. Not yet. It wouldn’t do him any good to have this hope if things weren’t going to work out. He turned instead to Tony, wanting the young man to have as much input as possible in this decision.
“That okay with you, Tony?” Gibbs asked.
“I don’t have to leave, do I? I can stay here with you?”
Nate met Gibbs’ eyes and Gibbs tried to remain calm. His in-laws had their concerns and he understood them, but they had to remember that Tony was only a boy and abandoning him was not an option. There was no way Gibbs was going to let him fend for himself. Gibbs knew that Nate and Sarah couldn’t live with themselves if they forced Tony out and that was not going to happen.
It was simply not going to happen.
“You will stay with me,” Gibbs said firmly, a clear challenge to Nate in his eyes. The older man gave Gibbs a penetrating look before nodding. Gibbs had won this battle. There was a softening in his father-in-law’s expression and Gibbs hoped Nate was wavering. He was a man who nurtured as much as Sarah did, and Gibbs had a feeling Nate would come around before his wife would. Sarah and Shannon were the two most stubborn redheads Gibbs knew. This side of Kelly.
“Were you comfortable in the guestroom?” Nate asked quietly. Gibbs knew Nate would much rather have one of them on the couch and the other in the room, but that wasn’t happening either. Tony needed security and support, not to be left to his own thoughts in a strange home.
“We’ll be fine there,” Gibbs replied. They were so exhausted that sharing the single room wouldn’t be a problem.
“Together?” Nate asked and there was a thread of confusion and wariness in his voice.
“Together,” Gibbs replied firmly.
“Jethro, are you…” Nate didn’t seem to know what to say and Gibbs locked eyes with the older man, reading the question and the uncertainty in the older man’s eyes.
“Positive, Nate. We’ll be okay. If we’re uncomfortable, one of us will hang out in Kelly’s room.”
“Arrangements will have to be made for tomorrow,” Nate warned quietly. There was no getting around that. There was no other option but for Gibbs to share the bed with his wife.
Gibbs gave a very slight nod, wincing as agony tore through his skull. “You have the pull-out sofa in the den. Tony will be comfortable there after he settles in and it isn’t noisy at all.”
“That will work. We’ll have a full house.” It was clear Nate was putting on a cheery outlook, but it felt false.
“But not tonight?” Tony asked quickly, a hopeful tone in his voice.
“Not tonight. You’re safe with me,” Gibbs assured.
“With all of us, Jethro,” Nate added. “Ducky’s the best at these sorts of things.”
“Ducky?” Gibbs asked, unable to hide his skepticism.
“Just a nickname, Jethro. Ducky is a doctor who has worked all over the world. He’s a bridge partner and is very discreet. And he loves the idea of intrigue. He’ll find this quite an adventure.”
“Nate, it’s Tony’s life and safety, not a damned adventure,” Gibbs burst out.
“I didn’t mean it like that, Son,” Nate replied, squeezing Gibbs’ shoulder gently. “If anything, it prepares him to be ready for anything. He’s had a great deal of adventures and is used to thinking on his feet. That doesn’t mean he’ll take the situation any more lightly for his experiences. It means he is an even more valuable friend to us.”
Nate nodded slightly, meeting Gibbs’ gaze steadily. Nate was always his own stabilizing force and Gibbs allowed the older man’s calmness and sense of control to leech into him. It wasn’t easy, as much as Gibbs trusted Nate. Giving up control wasn’t easy for him, even to someone he respected as much as Shannon’s father. And now that Gibbs had Tony to look after, the stakes were even higher.
“Trust me, Jethro,” Nate said quietly. “You both need help and you know it.” His hand brushed gently over the back of Gibbs’ head, cupping his neck gently. “You need the help, Son. We will make sure Tony stays safe.”
“Do you promise?” Tony asked suddenly. Gibbs turned his head slowly to meet the younger man’s eyes. Tony looked from Gibbs to Nate and Nate brought his free hand over, stroking through Tony’s hair and then resting his hand gently on Tony’s head. Gibbs was torn between wanting to growl possessively and relief rushing through him, natural protectiveness warring with the hope that Nate was accepting Tony as a member of the family.
“I promise, Tony. I don’t understand this bond you have with Jethro, but there is no way I’ll put you in danger, Son.”
Gibbs flinched at the word and Tony stiffened for a second before he relaxed, turning to look at Gibbs, Nate’s hands and comforting touch linking them. “Jay?” Tony asked, his voice shaking slightly.
“Tony, he’s family. He’ll keep you safe. You have his vow, and you have my promise.” Gibbs flicked a gaze over to Nate, encouraging him to reply with a look rather than a nod.
Nate knelt in front of Tony, removing his hand from Gibbs’ neck with a gentle squeeze. He rested both hands on Tony’s knees, looking up at the boy. “Tony…” he sighed and shook his head. “I don’t think I want to know what you’ve been through, but that is over. You’re safe here. Even though we don’t understand, we’ll never hurt you. You are as safe with me as you are with, Jethro. I will stay with you while Jethro is undergoing tests. You won’t be alone.”
Tony chewed on his lip before nodding, a barely there movement of the head.
“As far as anyone at the hospital is concerned, you’re Tony Gibbs,” Nate continued. “Jethro’s son from a previous relationship. The police will not be involved unless or until you decide you want to speak with them.”
“I don’t I…I can’t. My father…Jay?”
Gibbs tucked Tony gently under an arm. “You don’t have to. I want the bastard to pay, but not if it puts you in danger, Tony.” He looked at Nate, giving him a garetful look. Nate had gone far beyond what Gibbs would have expected of his father-in-law, and while he knew things wouldn’t be necessarily smooth sailing from here on out, at least they had Tony on firmer ground.
“Thanks. I…I just want it to stop, Jay.”
“What happens now, Nate?” Gibbs asked, his question drowned out by the doorbell. He watched as Nate strode into the front entryway and opened the door, the two doctors drifting over. Gibbs couldn’t see the newcomer, but he registered a classy Scottish accent, mellowed by time in other countries.
After a few minutes, the group broke apart and a compact man in a polka dotted bow tie came over. “You’re Nathaniel’s Jethro, aren’t you? And this must be your boy Tony. I’m Doctor Donald Mallard, but everyone calls me Ducky. Now, shall we get you boys patched up?”
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