Chapter Fourteen
Gibbs managed to stay upright through dinner, though he was largely silent, his head swimming, even though he was managing to keep his food down. Nate and Sarah worked together to try to get Tony out of his shell, with varying degrees of success. Tony was open to talking about school subjects and sports, but when the subject turned to home or family, he immediately clammed up, moving closer to Gibbs.
From what Gibbs absorbed, Tony was a good student, but he acted up because he was bored. At least that had been the initial reason for his antics. Now it was peer pressure that drove him and he was astute enough to admit it. He didn’t mind the punishments in theory, understanding that he deserved them.
Gibbs could sense that there was a lot behind why Tony acted the way he did, and most, if not all of those reasons started at home. Tony wasn’t interested"or able"to discuss his mother yet, and what Gibbs knew of his father wasn’t much at all. He needed information, but that could wait. For the moment, Tony’s overall comfort had to be his top priority.
Now that Nate and Sarah had relaxed and welcomed him into their home. Tony was responding very warmly to them, still nervous and skittish, but absorbing every morsel of attention they threw his way. And Tony was most definitely the center of their conversation.
“Given the choice, would you play football or baseball?” Nate asked over his veal. Now that Tony was more relaxed, Gibbs was pleased to see him eating gingerly but with purpose. His plat was nearly clean.
“Football. I like it and basketball the best.” Gibbs noticed that when Tony became enthusiastic, his eyes sparkled, the green becoming deeper.
“What position?”
“Running back. I’d like to be quarterback, but I’m too impulsive, I think. I have a good mind for it, but not the discipline.” He tried to smile, but it was more of a grimace. “I’m not patient, Nate.”
“You’ll grow into that,” Nate promised. “Did you know Jethro was a three sports star in high school? His football team went to the state championship twice in his high school years, didn’t it, Jethro?”
Gibbs nodded, feeling a little embarrassed. High school was only his path to the Corps, nothing more than that.
“Who was the quarterback you played against that first year, Jethro?” Gibbs had known this would come up; it was one of Nate’s favorite stories to trot out.
“Joe Montana,” Gibbs muttered.
Tony’s eyes lit up then. “So, so cool! Did you play basketball and baseball too?”
“Shortstop, and point guard,” Gibbs shot back.
“Awesome! I was first baseman, but I’m not great at baseball. Too slow for me. I’m a guard on my basketball team too…” Tony trailed off, staring at his plate of half eaten food. “I guess that’s all over, huh?”
“What do you mean?” Nate asked, signaling Gibbs that he had the conversation well in hand.
“Well, I won’t be back at my school, will I?” Tony asked, hands starting to drum a rhythm on the table. Gibbs’ hands twitched to still Tony’s fingers, but he didn’t take that step. Not yet, not with everything so new between them. He had no idea how Tony might react to even faint discipline.
“I’ll have to start over somewhere else. All new stuff…and…” Tony’s breath started hitching and he reached for his backpack, holding it close and hunching his body over it. “New clothes, new people, new…everything. And I…”
“You what?” Sarah asked, rising from her seat and coming over to stroke Tony’s hair.
“My mom…” Tony said, pressing his face against her arm.
“Where is she, honey?” Sarah asked, her voice gentle. Nate rose as well, pulling a chair over for Sarah, who sat on the other side of Tony from Gibbs, pulling the boy into a gentle embrace. Gibbs started to edge closer until Nate shook his head. “Where is your mother, Tony?”
“D-dead,” he whispered.
Gibbs had suspected as much and he looked at Nate, hoping the other man had some answers and insight. When Nate shook his head, Gibbs pressed his lips together. They needed more information, now.
“She was sick?” Sarah asked.
“How did you know? She..she..yeah.”
“You mentioned holding her hair back when she was sick,” Sarah explained, tenderly pushing a lock of Tony’s hair off his face. “How long ago did you lose her?”
“Few years.” It was clear that Tony didn’t want to be more specific yet.
“Was that when things started to get bad?”
“He got a new wife right away…and she didn’t want kids around. I was sent off to school.”
“Oh, Tony,” she whispered, kissing the top of his head. “How awful for you. A new stepmother, a new school, your father moving on so quickly.” Her eyes fixed on Jethro’s then, and he sucked in a startled breath at the parallels between him and Tony. Losing mothers so young, fathers moving on quickly. But at least Gibbs had the comfort of his surroundings and the community of Stillwater, as stifling as it was. And Uncle L.J. Gibbs had a feeling Tony didn’t have any of that structure.
Even with all the problems Gibbs had with Jackson, his father had never had an unkind word for him, nothing beyond righting teenaged wrongs and problems. His father had tried; Gibbs had been the one who had consistently put up walls. He swallowed hard, glancing at the phone, wondering if he should call Jackson…but what the hell would he say?
Having a teenager here"a boy to love and protect--was adjusting his perspective in ways Gibbs had never anticipated. He shook the thought out of his head for the moment, focusing once again on Tony’s tentative voice as the teenager began speaking again.
“I left it behind. Everything.” Tony’s voice started to break on that word and Sarah held him a little more tightly. Tony took a breath, wincing as he did so, and swallowed a sip of water before he spoke again. “All my mom’s stuff is in the attic. Pictures. I have what I could get, but there’s lots I couldn’t.” Tony motioned to the bag he was cradling.
“Will you show me a picture of your mother?” Sarah asked gently.
Tony looked up then, meeting Jethro’s eyes. “Can I Da"Jay?”
“I want to see,” he told Tony, keeping his voice as gentle as Sarah’s was. Tony unzipped the bag as Nate scooted closer as well, bringing his chair next to Jethro’s and squeezing Jethro’s arm. Gibbs watched as Tony filtered through the contents, pulling out a small photo album.
“My mom and me,” he announced, his finger shaking as he pointed to a picture of a woman and a toddler. She was a beautiful blonde with those striking green eyes of Tony’s, willowy and almost frail. While she was smiling, her body language seemed defeated.
“Can I?” Gibbs asked, wanting a closer look at the photo.
“Course you can, Dad.” Gibbs was glad to see that nobody reacted to Tony calling him dad. It was clear that Tony needed that right now.
Gibbs squeezed Tony’s hand when the teenager handed the photo album over. Gibbs showed Nate the photo, studying it carefully before handing it back to Tony, so that Sarah, who was on Tony’s other side, could take a look as well.
“She’s beautiful,” Sarah said with a wistful smile. “And look at the way she’s holding you, Tony. She loves you very much.”
“I know,” Tony said, his voice shaking. As clear as Tony’s need for a father figure was, he also had a deep-seated need for a mother figure he could trust as well. Gibbs sure as hell hoped Shannon was up for that. If she rejected Tony, it could be disastrous.
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