MUST READ TO UNDERSTAND!! : OK I looked up somewhere that Tony's birthday is July 19, 1968, which would make him 41. So, his sister is 25. Then I couldn't figure out McGee's birthday so I used Sean Murray's instead which is November 15, 1977 which would make him 32. If anyone knows different please tell me :D! I hate to be wrong! Also, Director Sheppard didn't die and Ziva wasn't sent away because I don't feel like dealing with those facts :P… sorry!
Chapter Two
Tony couldn't believe what had happened in the last twenty-four hours. His sister had found a dead body, she has seen the murderer fleeing the scene, and then she had been shot. Now, he was sitting in a waiting room to hear how her surgery had gone. She had fifty percent chance of survival… which meant she also had a fifty percent chance of dying. He closed his eyes tightly, and tried to block out any negative thoughts.
The light music from the speakers touched his ears, and brought forth a million memories. It was Dean Martin's Return to Me. A classic song by a classic Italian American. He and Aza had sung it once as a joke to their heritage. But they both really liked the song, and Dean Martin. He smiled and allowed a tear to slip from his eye. He had being praying non-stop since the bullet had entered her chest.
"You ok, Tony?" Came a feminine voice from above him.
He looked up and found Ziva looking down at him with concern. "Yeah, Zee. I just don't know what I'll do if she doesn't make it. She's the only family I have."
Ziva sat down next to him, and awkwardly put her arm around him. "Hey, it's ok to cry. You love her, and don't want to lose her. You're her big brother, she's you're little sister. You're all the other has."
At Ziva's words, Tony finally crumbled. He buried his head in her shoulder and cried. She turned and held him in her arms, mumbling words of condolence. She and Tony had gotten close, but she hadn't realized how close until now. She knew that Tony would never let any of the others see him like this willingly. So what did that mean for them?
Gibbs and McGee entered the waiting room, but stopped short when they saw Tony crying on Ziva's shoulder. Gibbs jerked his head towards the cafeteria, and McGee followed, grabbing Abby as she entered the room, before she could say anything.
"Wow, I never thought I would see Tony cry like that!" Abby said in amazement, as they entered the cafeteria.
"Well, Abby, he practically raised her. There's a sixteen year difference between them. He apparently helped his mother and the nannies with her. When his mom died, his dad became cold and distant, Tony took more of a roll in her life. And then when she was twelve she moved in with him, after their dad pushed her down the stairs. She lived with him until she was eighteen." Gibbs explained, and everyone looked at him questioningly. "I read his file." He replied impatiently.
"Aw, poor Tony and Aza!" Abby exclaimed suddenly.
"I don't know what I would do if that were me and Sarah in this situation. It was bad enough when she thought she had killed someone." McGee said quietly.
They shared a quiet moment but it was interrupted by a commotion outside the cafeteria. Giving the other two a look, Gibbs put his hand on his gun and made his way towards the commotion. Returning to the waiting room, they found Tony yelling at an older man, being held back by Ziva.
"Just tell me, what the hell are you doing here? You never showed that you cared before!" Tony yelled at the man, fighting against Ziva to try and get to the man.
"My daughter has been shot, why wouldn't I be here?" The man smirked coldly, and the others were shocked to learn that this man was Tony's father.
"So, what can you can with this? You haven't spoken to either of us since she moved in with me and that was twelve years ago! She doesn't need you here, it will only worsen her condition."
Mr. DiNozzo raised his eyebrow at Tony. "Really, Anthony, is all this commotion necessary? Can't a father just visit his daughter in the hospital?"
"Not after said father pushed his daughter down the stairs, Mr. DiNozzo." Gibbs interrupted. "The names Special Agent Gibbs, and I'm going to have to ask you to leave the premises."
"Pardon me?" Mr. DiNozzo looked coolly at Gibbs. "I have every right to be here."
"Seeing as how you are not on her close relative contacts list, you do not." Gibbs replied. "Now, you'll need to leave, or you will be escorted out."
Mr. DiNozzo gave one last hard stare at Tony and then angrily stormed out. Tony relaxed a little but not completely. He turned towards Gibbs. "You read my file, didn't you?"
"Yeah, I needed to understand this more." Was Gibbs' only response.
Tony nodded and sat back down in his chair. The just as suddenly he jumped back up. "Oh, shit! Cringle!" Everyone looked at him as if he had lost his mind. "It's my sister's dog. I gave him to her shortly after her husband died. He needs to be fed, and taken out definitely."
"DiNozzo, give directions and a key to McGee, he'll feed, water, and walk the dog. It'll also give him time to see if anyone has found out where she lives." McGee was looking a little appalled at the idea of dog duty but he said nothing.
Tony quickly pulled out his keys and took a tie-dyed key off, and handed it to McGee, who raised his eyebrow at the color. "She picked it out. Anyways, the food is under the kitchen sink, and he drinks bottled water." Once again everyone gave him a look. Tony rolled his eyes. "Aza has this weird aversion to tap water. She says we it has a taste and water is not supposed to have a taste. And I know what you are thinking, a dog licks its own butt so why does it care what the water tastes like but that's Aza!"
McGee snorted. "So let me guess, it also has to be refridgerated?"
"Bingo!" Tony gave a quick nod. "Oh, and while you're there, feed her pet chinchilla, Sméagol."
McGee's head jerked up at this. "Sméagol? Like in Lord of the Rings?"
Tony shrugged. "I don't know! She said she thought it was cute! Her first chinchilla, which died of a heat stroke, was named Frodo. No, clue where she gets these crazy names. She named the dog Cringle because he was a Christmas present."
"Oh, like Charles Cringle? Santa Claus?" Ziva asked.
"Um, it's Chris Cringle, but yeah, like Santa Claus."
McGee was still standing in shock. "I can't believe she names her pets after characters from Lord of the Rings."
"I told you McGee, my sis speaks geek language! She loves Harry Potter! Made go see most of them with her, and tried to convince me to read the books." He rolled his eyes. "Anyways, you might want to get going, or you'll have a present waiting from Ol' Chris Cringle." And then he laughed at his pun.
The others managed a slight chuckle, but then the doctor entered the room and the mood turned somber. "The surgery went well, and your sister is in recovery. She still requires assistance in breathing, and her condition is stable at the moment. But with these kinds of wounds, it could change any second. She's still unconscious and it may be a couple of days until she wakes up, but you can go in to see her. We've put her in a private room that has a convertible couch for a bed if you would like to stay. We figured since she was a witness to a crime she would need maximum protection."
Tony nodded and thanked the doctor. He then bid the others farewell, and followed the doctor to his sister's room. He took a deep breath to brace himself, and then opened the door. Aza looked so small in that bed, hooked to so many machines. It reminded him of when she had been pushed down the stairs. Of course, she had been twelve then, and it wasn't life threatening. This time, he could lose her. He sat down in the chair next to the bed, and carefully grasped her fingers. But he wasn't going to let her go that easily.
A/N: OK so tell me whatcha think! Please review!!
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