Gibbs took a sip of his bourbon as he stood back and stared at the frame of the new boat that he was building; it was like being reunited with an old friend after a long separation. He had started this latest project a couple months ago; right after Tony’s father had dropped back into his life unexpectedly. The team leader had tried to reserve his judgment on Tony DiNozzo, Sr., but after his impromptu discussion with the elder man, Gibbs had quickly learned that his assumptions were correct. DiNozzo’s father only cared about himself and Tony was simply a convenience.
It still amazed him that despite the years of neglect and estrangement, Tony wanted this man’s acceptance. If any one thing had driven home that observation, it was the fact that DiNozzo had paid his father’s bill at the hotel instead of calling him on the carpet. Later that night, Tony had told Gibbs that he couldn’t bust him because despite whoever else he may be, he was still his father. The team leader’s respect for Tony had risen yet another notch; if only his father could see what a fine man his son had become.
Tony was a good man. DiNozzo hid behind a mask so people couldn’t see his insecurities; his father was the same way. He had challenged the elder DiNozzo to take the opportunity to get to know him as an adult, but the former Marine knew his suggestion wasn’t well received. After Tony’s father left, Gibbs could easily sense that the visit had left his senior field agent reeling emotionally and it had taken a few weeks before DiNozzo was back on even ground.
Or at least Gibbs thought he was. He had recently discovered that Tony was still keeping track of his father’s accounts and sometimes supplementing them with his own money. When the team leader confronted the agent, a heated argument had occurred, leaving both men angry and frustrated. Gibbs knew that Tony was just setting himself up to be hurt again and he had vowed to do everything in his power to prevent that from happening again.
Finishing his drink, he decided to head upstairs to catch a quick nap. As he reached for the light, his cell phone rang. Gibbs held the phone at arms length until he recognized the name. It was Abby. Despite the early morning hour, he wasn’t surprised that the Goth was up; sometimes he wondered if she ever slept.
“Gibbs,” he grumbled.
“Gibbs! Gibbs! Gibbs!” Abby’s anxious chatter sent up a warning flag in his mind. “Have you talked to Tony?”
“Not since I followed him home a few hours ago. Why do you ask?”
“I was over at my friend’s house; you remember me talking about George? He’s the one that heads up our work group for the habitat for humanity houses that we…”
“Abs! What does this have to do with Tony?”
“I was getting to that, Gibbs,” she pointed out. “George has a scanner that monitors all the 911 calls and while we were getting the tools everything together for our next project, I overhead the dispatcher send out an ambulance to Tony’s address for a possible heart attack. Except for Tony’s lungs, he’s healthy; I just can’t imagine him having a heart attack. I tried to call his house and cell phone, but both of them went to his voice mail.” Abby paused for a breath. “Have you been working him too hard?”
He ignored her last jibe, knowing that Abby didn’t mean in it an accusatory manner; she would never intentionally hurt anyone’s feelings. A knot formed in the pit of his stomach as he processed what she had said. If Tony was in the hospital, he needed to be there for the young man. It was only a few months after DiNozzo had started working for him that he found out that the young agent had no one listed as his next of kin.
When the team leader had finally managed to coerce an honest reply out of Tony, he discovered that DiNozzo had believed that it would be too much of an inconvenience for his father to be notified if something happened to him. He could easily recall his frustration and DiNozzo’s apparent nonchalance; it had taken a little persuasion but he had finally managed to convince Tony to list him as his next of kin.
***flashback***
The former Marine hit the emergency stop button, bringing the elevator to an abrupt halt. He turned to face the young man standing beside him; Tony’s vibrant chatter ceased as a smile quickly replaced his expression of surprise. DiNozzo was an expert at slipping on a mask to hide his true emotions, making the world believe that he led a roguish and carefree life.
“Uh, something wrong, Boss?” Tony asked. The team leader could sense a nervous edge to DiNozzo’s voice.
“Personnel called me today.”
“Really? About what?”
“It seems that you’re ignoring the twenty or so emails that you’ve received from them.”
“Oh, well…I’ve been meaning to get back to them, but…we’ve been busy,” DiNozzo stammered. “You’ve got to admit that we haven’t had much time to…”
Gibbs eyes narrowed into his infamous glare; it completely unnerved most people but Tony was quickly learning to stand his ground. That was one of the reasons that he had wanted DiNozzo working for him. Tony DiNozzo had convictions and he stood by them, something that the team leader truly admired.
“So, you want to tell me why you haven’t listed a next of kin yet?” he pressed, cutting straight to the reason that they were having this discussion.
“I haven’t?”
He resisted the urge to head slap his probationary agent, but he opted to wait he young man out. Gibbs had quickly learned that Tony would talk when he was ready and not before, but he had also learned how to read between the lines when DiNozzo was trying to avoid talking about something that would possibly reveal an aspect of his true personality.
“No, DiNozzo; you haven’t,” Gibbs coolly stated.
“I’ll get on that right away, Boss.”
“I’m sure you will; right after you answer my question.”
“Your question?”
“Do you want me to head slap you, DiNozzo?”
Tony shook his head. “No, Boss.”
“Then tell me what the big deal is about listing your next of kin,” he demanded.
“I uh…I just forgot to fill that part out.”
Gibbs crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “Want to try again?”
The dark haired agent’s mask began to slip. His blasé attitude was replaced one of resignation and regret. “My...uh…father, well, I just usually never know where to find him and besides, if something happened to me, I don’t think he’d consider it a great loss.”
“You mean to tell me that your father wouldn’t care if you got hurt?”
Tony shrugged. “I don’t know. He never has before; not sure why he’d start now. Broke my leg in college, pretty much blew my chances at going pro, and he finally sent me a card signed by his secretary. I was shot in Peoria and I didn’t even get a card that time. Of course, I’m not sure why I expected one…he never approved of my career choice. But I was kind of thought he might send one that said I told you so”
“He didn’t want you to be a cop” Gibbs deduced.
“No, of course, he didn’t want me to be a phys ed major either. I’ve kind of always been a disappointment to him.”
Gibbs felt his anger begin to build. How could Tony’s father be anything but proud of the man standing before him? He had only known Tony for a few months, but in that time, he had come to admire and respect the young man, who had easily made the adjustment from detective to federal agent. Tony had integrity and that was something to be said for in this day and time. Although he had yet to meet DiNozzo’s father, he had already formed his own opinion of the man.
“You need to list somebody,” he insisted. “Put me down as your next of kin.”
“You?” Tony’s eyes reflected his disbelief at his suggestion.
“Yeah. Me. You got a problem with that, DiNozzo?”
Tony swallowed hard. “No problem, Boss. No problem whatsoever. I just...are you sure?”
“Have you ever known me to say something I didn’t mean?”
“No, Boss.”
“Then it’s settled.” Gibbs hit the switch to start up the elevator and pushed the button that would take them to human resources. If it hadn’t been so heart breaking, DiNozzo’s expression of utter confusion and uncertainty would have been amusing. The lift doors opened and Gibbs gestured for Tony to follow him. “No time like the present.”
Tony grabbed him by the arm just as the team leader was about to enter the personnel office. “Boss, why are you doing this? It’s not your responsibility.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, DiNozzo.” He couldn’t admit to Tony that he was beginning to think of the young man as a son. Neither of them was ready for that kind of emotional revelation, so Gibbs had decided to temporarily settle for allowing his actions to reinforce the unspoken words.
“You’re my responsibility and I take my responsibilities very seriously.”
“I know you do, Gibbs, but this is too much. I’ve gotten by all these years, I…”
“Not another word, Tony,” he warned. “Now, get in there and finish your paperwork.”
Tony opened the door and glanced back over his shoulder. “Thanks, Boss.”
Gibbs gave a rare smile as he patted the agent on the back. “You’re welcome, Tony.”
***end flashback***
“Gibbs? Are you there?” Abby’s anxious voice penetrated his thoughts. He silently chastised himself for permitting himself to drift off.
“Yeah, Abs,” he sighed. “I’m here. I’ll try and find out what’s going on.”
“Will you call me as soon as you know something?”
“I promise.”
“Pinky promise?”
“I’ll call you when I know something,” he repeated as he snapped his phone shut.
He stripped off his shirt and grabbed a fresh one out of the closet. Gibbs stared at his cell phone lying on his dresser and decided to try and call Tony’s cell phone again; although Abby couldn’t get through, he knew that DiNozzo wouldn’t dare ignore his call if he were able to answer.
One ring. At least it didn’t go to voice mail.
Two rings. “Come on, pick up Tony,” he impatiently demanded.
On the third ring, Tony answered. “DiNozzo…”
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
“Are you all right?”
That was the last question that he had expected out of the team leader’s mouth. Tony hadn’t been greeted by the usual crustiness of the lead agent’s voice; instead his tone was laced with worry and it unnerved the younger man. He wasn’t sure how to truthfully answer his boss’s question so he simply settled for his standard reply that would more than likely earn him a head slap. “I’m fine, Boss.”
There was a slight pause and Tony could have sworn that he heard a sigh of relief. However, when Gibbs finally spoke, the gruffness that had been lacking earlier was present once again. “If you’re fine, DiNozzo, why is Abby calling me and telling me that she heard an ambulance being dispatched to your apartment?”
“Abby called you and said…” Tony raked his hand through his hair. “She must have been at George’s place.”
“DiNozzo!” Gibbs barked.
“I’m fine, Boss,” he assured the older man. “I’m here with my dad.”
“Your dad’s back in town?”
“Yeah.”
“How long’s he been here?”
“Just a few hours,” Tony tiredly replied. “He came to see me after his plane landed.”
“Why?”
He was not mentally or physically prepared to get into another argument with Gibbs over his father. Tony slid down the wall and sat unceremoniously on the floor. “He found out that I was responsible for footing his bill,” he tiredly admitted.
“I take it that he wasn’t too happy with you,” Gibbs assumed.
“Not really. Anyway,” he continued. “We started arguing and then he had a heart attack. He’s getting settled in his room now and he’s going to have a heart cath later on.”
“I’m on my way.”
A lump formed in Tony’s throat. “Boss, you don’t have to do that. I’m fine and…”
“What hospital?”
“George Washington, but…”
Tony muttered a curse when the line went dead. “Great. Just what I need.” He wasn’t sure that he could handle the situation with his father and the obvious resentment that Gibbs held for the ailing man, coupled with the fatigue that was already threatening to overwhelm him; maybe he should just go and check himself in on the psych ward.
“Mr. DiNozzo?”
He glanced up to see a nurse standing over him with a clipboard in hand. Tony pushed himself up off the floor, his cheeks flushing a pale crimson. “I was…um…just holding up that wall for a few minutes.”
The nurse smiled at him. “You’re not the first, Mr. DiNozzo. Over the years, there’ve been a lot of people ‘just holding up the wall’ while they were waiting to hear about their loved ones.”
Tony swallowed hard. In all his years, he had never referred to his father as a loved one; maybe because until recently, he had been convinced that his dad could barely tolerate his presence. “Uh, yeah,” he muttered. Clearing this throat in an effort to gain his composure, he quickly changed the subject. Nodding down the hall, he asked, “Can I see my father yet?”
“Yes,” she replied. “But only for a few minutes; he’s been given something to help him rest.”
“I understand.”
She handed the clip board to him. “After you visit with your father, could you please fill out these papers? It’s just the standard admission forms, medical history, insurance information and stuff like that. You can just bring it up to the nurse’s station when you’re done.”
Tony took the clip board and began to peruse the information that he was expected to know. He would muddle through it somehow, hoping that he could manage to fill in the blanks of his father’s life. “I’ll uh…get this back to you as soon as possible.”
“Thank you,” the nurse said. “Go on in and see your dad.”
Tony followed her up the hall and to his dad’s room, nodding his thanks as she continued up the hall. He quietly entered his father’s room, his eyes fixed on the man lying in the bed, attached to various monitors and IV’s. The very idea of his dad being ill was not something that he had ever considered, but now, he had no choice but to the face the reality of his dad’s possible mortality. “Dad?” he softly called out.
Senior turned to face him. “Come on in, Tony. Sit down.”
He silently obeyed and pulled a chair up next to his dad’s bedside. “How’re you feeling?”
“Better,” the older man sleepily answered. “The pain is almost gone, so that’s a definite improvement.”
“Do you need anything? Are you comfortable?”
He felt like sliding out of his chair and onto the floor as his dad’s gazed narrowed; that all too familiar glare made him feel like he was twelve years old again, waiting to be dressed down again for being a disappointment to his father. “You seem anxious, Anthony,” Senior stated. “Is something wrong?”
“No,” he replied. “I’m just worried about you; I want to make sure you’re comfortable before I leave. I know that you more than likely have some things that you want me to get for you and I thought that while you were resting, I could…”
Tony’s mouth felt like he had just swallowed sand. “And I’m rambling. I’m sorry; I should let you rest.”
“You can’t get any rest in a hospital.”
“That’s for sure,” Tony chuckled. “I remember when I was sick with the plague and…” He stopped abruptly. “You don’t want to hear about that. That was a long time ago.”
This time it was his father’s cheeks that were flushing with embarrassment. He knew better than to call attention to what his dad would label as a moment of weakness, but that moment was almost nonexistent as Senior slipped his mask firmly back in place. “So, Junior; what’s with the clipboard? Writing a report?”
Tony shook his head. “No, it’s your admission paperwork. The nurse asked me to fill it out, but I’m not sure that I can answer all the questions.”
“Really? Anything I can help you with?”
“I think I can do most of it. I can call Dr. Akers for your medical history if I need to and then I think I can figure out the rest.”
“About my insurance. I don’t…”
“Have any,” Tony finished. “I kind of figured that out when you said you couldn’t pay. Don’t worry about it; I’ve got it covered.”
“How?”
“Like I said, don’t worry about it, Dad. All you need to do is get better so you can start leading that charmed life again.” Tony grabbed up the notepad on his father’s nightstand. “So, what do you need me to bring you?”
“I’ve already started formulating a list in my mind. I guess you know me better than I realized,” Senior quipped.
“I have a feeling that before all this over, that we’re both going to be in for an eye opening experience.”
Tony jotted down the items that his father was requesting; he was instructed on everything from who to call to what kind of toothbrush he wanted. After several minutes of dictating, his father began to drift off to sleep. Tony quickly penned a note to his dad telling him that he would be back as soon as possible and then left the room.
He sat down in the waiting area and filled out what information he could, making a note that he would contact his father’s family physician and have his medical records sent. When he got to the information sheet regarding payment, he quickly signed his name on the line for the responsible party, realizing that he could possibly be dooming himself to financial ruin. He wouldn’t be able to add his father to his own insurance because the heart attack would be viewed as a pre-existing condition. “Like father, like son,” he whispered.
“Tony?”
The senior agent glanced up to discover Gibbs standing over him. He quickly turned the clip board over and stood up. “Hey, Boss. You got here fast.”
“So, what’s going on?”
“My dad’s resting. I was just getting ready to run and get a few things for him.”
“Let’s go. I’m driving.”
“Gibbs, I…”
For the second time in the past thirty minutes, he’d been silenced by steely glare. “All right,” he conceded. “Let me just give this to the nurse and I’ll be ready to go.”
Tony handed the clipboard to the nurse, who politely thanked him, and then he joined Gibbs in the elevator. He hoped that the team leader would resist the urge to stop the car and start pressing him for details; besides tying up the hospital’s elevator, he knew he wasn’t ready for the confrontation that he knew was coming.
Gibbs remained silent, obviously waiting for Tony to make the first move; he had seen the team leader use this tactic before and he bristled at the thought of it being used on him. He wasn’t a criminal and part of him resented being treated like one.
He looked straight ahead; his voice was tight as he struggled to remain in control of his emotions. Tony couldn’t believe that he was about to challenge the team leader, his mentor, the man that he had looked up to for nearly ten years. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions, Gibbs and I will answer them to the best of my ability; but then you’re going to listen to what I have to say. Is it a deal?”
“You trying to bargain with me, DiNozzo?” Gibbs asked.
“Nope. Just telling you how it’s going to be.” He turned to look at Gibbs and extended his hand. “Deal?”
Tony saw Gibbs try and suppress a slight smile as he shook his hand. It wasn’t often when he challenged the ex-Marine, but when he did, he always believed he was justified in doing so. “Deal.”
Satisfied, Tony leaned against the wall of the elevator, arms crossed as he took a silent defensive stance, mentally preparing for the onslaught of questions. “All right. Fire away…”
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.