Chapter 6
“Mmm…hello?”
“Diane it’s me.”
“Jethro? What’s going on? Why are you calling me in the middle of the night?”
“I wanted to let you know we’re moving Tony to Bethesda. He’ll be safer there.”
“You woke me up again to tell me about Tony?”
“Obviously I made a mistake. Your actions the other day were misleading.”
“Jethro, I"”
“Save it.”
Gibbs snapped the phone shut, ending the call. What would have possessed him to think that his wife actually gave a damn about Tony? Better question would be why he married a woman who so openly didn’t like his son to begin with. Gibbs looked at Tony, reclined on the gurney, eyes closed, sound asleep. It wasn’t SOP for the hospitals to do patient transfers in the middle of the night, unless it was a life or death emergency situation. However, it had been decided that it would be more discreet if Tony were moved in the early morning hours, than it would be if he were moved during the day.
Once Tony was settled into his room, Morrow stepped inside with two marines just behind him. “Gibbs these boys are here to guard Tony’s door. I’m posting another two guards at the door to the hospital, restricting any Baltimore Police Department officers from coming inside. Everyone entering and leaving the hospital must show identification. Family members of patients are being notified of this as we speak.”
Gibbs nodded. He nodded his head in greeting to the two young marines. “Just so we understand each other,” Gibbs said, “this is my son. You will protect him as if you were protecting your own family. Do you understand?”
“Yes sir!” the two marines didn’t bat an eye at the order. They’d been warned that Gibbs was a gunny. They’d been through basic training"they knew what they were dealing with. It wasn’t difficult to see the angry man hovering just beneath the surface here.
Gibbs nodded. He didn’t say anything to anyone else, merely turned around and assumed his post at Tony’s bedside. Tony was groaning in pain. The anesthesia was finally completely wearing off. They’d made the smart move to transport Tony while he was still out of it from the surgery. Nurse Tina had accompanied them in the ambulance; she’d been reluctant to let her patient go, but she understood the necessity of it.
However, now Tony was fully regaining consciousness. He was moving around more on the bed, which was causing him more pain. Gibbs rested a hand lightly on Tony’s shoulder.
“Easy Tony. I know it hurts. Gonna fix that here in just a second, alright?”
“D-dad?”
“Right here Tony. I’m right here with you.”
“D-daddy…hurts,” Tony whimpered. Gibbs hit the call button. Tony only ever sounded like that when he was deliriously sick or really injured. A nurse appeared in the doorway and was immediately stopped by the marines. Gibbs smiled. His boy would be safe here.
Two hours later, the sun was just beginning to rise. Gibbs was pacing the room, watching Tony sleep in his painkiller induced haze and wanting a cup of coffee so badly he could practically smell it. Just after sunrise, his cell phone rang.
“What have ya got for me, Abs,” he said as greeting.
“GIBBS, GIBBS, GIBBS! I tested that syringe that you sent me yesterday and you aren’t gonna believe this!”
“What, Abs,” Gibbs nearly growled at her. Lack of sleep and caffeine were beginning to cause his patience to wear thin.
“Grumpy this morning,” Abby commented mildly, “anyway, the needle that you sent me to test was a hot-shot.”
Gibbs blinked at the unexpected answer. “A what?”
“A hot-shot, Gibbs. Heroin laced with fentanyl! It’s commonly used by drug dealers when they think someone is going to turn them in. Dealers give it to undercover cops all the time! It’s usually lethal because no one typically finds the cops before it kills them. How big is the officer who almost got this shot?”
Gibbs hadn’t told anyone about Tony, except Ducky and Morrow. In his line of work, the less information people had about his personal life the better off he felt. It gave people fewer targets. He’d turned the syringe over to Abby, telling her only that a Baltimore police officer had nearly been given this shot, he was working a case with Gibbs, and Gibbs needed to know what was in the needle.
“He’s six-foot-two, ‘bout 180 pounds, Abby.”
“With a dose this big…Gibbs he would have been dead before the needle was pulled out of his arm. It was that poisonous.”
Gibbs covered his mouth with his hand. He blinked several times and looked over at Tony, reassuring himself that he was still alive.
“Call ya back Abs,” he finally said softly, the shut the phone before she could respond.
He could see Tony. Could see that he was safe. Could see that he was alright. But this was his son! Gibbs found that he couldn’t help himself. He moved to Tony’s bed and scooped his boy up in his arms, resting him against his chest and rocking him slightly. Someone tried to hurt his son…again…this time they’d nearly killed him…
Tony groaned at all the sudden movement and for a moment struggled against Gibbs, not knowing who had him.
“Easy Tony…shh…it’s me…you’re safe…oh thank God you’re safe…” Gibbs whispered.
“’s’goin’on?” Tony mumbled, snuggling against Gibbs as though he were a large teddy bear.
Gibbs laid his boy back on the bed. “Sorry,” he said contritely when he saw the lines of pain around Tony’s eyes. “I just…I’m just glad you’re alright, Tony.”
“You been actin’…weird…ev’r since…s’rg’ry…” Tony slurred.
Gibbs knew it was not the time to tell Tony what had happened in detail. But he knew Tony wouldn’t let this drop. He was acting out of character and that always bothered his boy.
“Someone from Baltimore PD tried to kill you yesterday Tony,” he said softly.
“Wha? Who? What’d I do…make them hate me so bad…”
Gibbs sat on the edge of Tony’s bed and took his son’s face in his hands. “You didn’t do anything to deserve this Tony. All you have done is the job they hired you to do. This. Is. Not. Your. Fault.”
Tony looked confused for a minute before he relaxed back against the bed. “Ok…” he whispered.
**
Tony was having some residual nightmares from the large dose of CMT he’d been given. Before he’d been released from the hospital, the doctor had given him a prescription of tranquilizers to help him rest.
Gibbs helped Tony into the house. Tony had been unsteady on his feet ever since he was attacked, and with the concussion on top of the drugs, it was a struggle just to keep him upright.
“Ok c’mon now we gotta get up the stairs; you can do it Tony, c’mon.”
Tony stopped at the bottom of the long staircase and stared up at the top. It was a long way to go.
“Can’t I just…rest on the couch?” Tony blinked his eyes tiredly. Who knew getting to go home from the hospital could be so exhausting?
Gibbs looked at Tony and saw how exhausted he looked. The couch was much closer than Tony’s bed. Gibbs nodded and turned him around. “C’mon. I’ll get you settled then see about finding you something to eat.”
He helped Tony get situated on the couch, covered him with a blanket Shannon had made, and patted him on the shoulder. “Any requests?”
“Pizza and beer?” Tony grinned as his dad swatted him lightly on the back of the head.
“Try again,” Gibbs said, fighting down the smile at his irrepressible son.
“Um…I guess just a sandwich or something. Don’t go to a lot of trouble Dad, I’m really not that hungry.”
“I’ll fix you something. Try to relax; I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”
Tony nodded and clicked on the TV. He turned the sound down low because too much noise only accelerated his headache. He could hear his dad bumping around in the kitchen and smiled at the domesticity of it. He heard a car pull into the driveway and bit back a groan. He was willing to bet that meant Diane was home. She was never glad to see him. Not even on holidays.
A moment later, the busty redhead sprang into the house, arms laden down with shopping bags and another woman trailing behind her. They were talking and laughing and being exceptionally loud and Tony cringed at the volume. Diane stopped short when she saw Tony lying on the couch.
“What the hell are you doing? Why aren’t you in bed,” Diane snapped.
“Dad told me it’d be ok for me to rest on the couch for a while,” Tony said quietly. He always felt out of place with this woman. She was beautiful to be sure, and she wasn’t much younger than Gibbs, but that made her not much older than Tony. Indeed, when Tony was seventeen and being taken in by Gibbs, his dad had only been 31 years old.
Diane looked at her friend, her face flushing with embarrassment. “Forgive my step-son,” she said, “he’s a bit of a wimp.” She cut her eyes at Tony, daring him to say anything. Tony, smartly, remained quiet and turned back to the television without comment.
“He’s a good looking boy Diane…I dunno how you keep your hands off of him,” he heard Diane’s friend comment and fought down a shudder.
“You don’t want to go near that one Stephanie,” she said, “he’s got a different woman every night of the week.”
It was a ruse of course. Tony had her (and many others) thinking he had a woman for every night of the week because that is what she wanted to think. In truth, Tony hadn’t been on but a few dates in the last few months, and those dates hadn’t ended in any sort of sexual encounter. Sure he’d had partners in the past, but it seemed he’d hit a dry spell. Then again, with women like Diane describing him…he’d never find a date again.
“Hey Diane, Stephanie,” Gibbs said as he returned from the kitchen. He carried a tray holding two plates, two mugs, and two glasses of water. “I didn’t make you all any lunch…I didn’t know you’d be home.”
“It’s alright Jethro. Stephanie and I were just leaving,” Diane said, dumping her shopping bags on the floor. She didn’t miss the way Stephanie looked at her husband.
“Have a nice afternoon ladies,” Jethro called as they both left. He noticed Tony was very quiet. “You ok?”
Tony shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. Diane just doesn’t like me and I need to just accept that.”
“What’d she say, Tony?”
“She asked me why I wasn’t upstairs in bed…why I was on the couch instead. She told her friend that I’m a wimp.” Tony wasn’t indignant. He wasn’t complaining. He actually just sounded resigned to the facts.
Gibbs looked at the front door and scowled. He hated the way Diane treated Tony. Tony, for the most part, tried to be inconspicuous whenever he came home. He cleaned up after himself, helped with the household chores, even cooked on occasion. For some reason though, Diane detested him.
“Well you aren’t a wimp. I hope you know that much.” Tony nodded. “And her friend…well I wouldn’t worry about her either,” Gibbs said softly. “You’re a good man Tony. You’re brave and you’re strong. You don’t scare easily and you look danger in the face and don’t even flinch. Don’t listen to them. Hell with them. I’m proud of you.”
Tony raised his gaze to look at his dad. “That’s all that matters to me,” he said softly, a small smile on his face.
The two ate for a while in companionable silence before Gibbs spoke. “I know it may be early to ask…but have you given any thought to where you want to go to work after you leave BPD?”
Tony took a bite of his sandwich and chewed it thoughtfully. “Not really. I wanna stay close to DC because I like being close to you, but I don’t know if any departments are hiring or not. Do you think there is any agency out there who would even consider me after all the shit I’ve caused at BPD?”
“HEY!” Gibbs’ sharp tone surprised Tony. “You didn’t do anything wrong! You hear me? You didn’t cause any shit at BPD…you just stepped in it, that’s all.”
Tony couldn’t help but laugh at his dad for that comment. “I did do that, didn’t I,” he laughed.
Gibbs joined him in laughter. “Yeah, you did.”
**
Tobias Fornell let out a long sigh and rolled over to his back. The beautiful woman next to him let out her own contented sigh. He looked over at her and smiled. He tried to rationalize that this wouldn’t burn any bridges. No one needed to know. He kissed her softly and brushed a strand of hair from her face. Then he rose from the bed, pulled on his pants and grabbed his badge. He went around the room collecting the rest of his clothes and shoes and belongings, leaving no trace of where he’d been.
“Gotta run now Shelley. Can’t stay today. Working a hot case.”
“You law men are all the same,” she drawled at him. “All work and no play makes Toby a dull boy,” she purred, as she ran a finger seductively up his chest. He smiled at her and kissed her again.
“Friend of mine’s kid was attacked last weekend working a drug bust. We’re still lookin’ for the supplier. The supplier is after my friend’s kid now. Keep makin attempts on his life. Shame, too. He’s a nice kid, only just turned twenty-seven last week. My friend says the hospital’s letting him out today. So I need to get with the program and figure out how to keep the kid safe once he’s at home, and we have to figure out who it is that’s trying to kill him. I have to go.”
Shelley smiled and nodded. She knew all of this already. Jethro was keeping her well informed on what was going on with him and his son Tony. She knew they were releasing Tony from the hospital. She knew all she had to do was wait for her opportunity. This time there would be no death threats. That was becoming too obvious. No, this time there would be something much worse. This time she would destroy the father’s faith in the son. Once that was done…well then she could do as she pleased.
**
That evening Diane sat down next to Tony on the couch. Tony scooted over to the other end to make sure she had enough room, and to make sure she didn’t misinterpret…anything.
“So Tony,” Diane started, “what did those guys do to you last weekend?”
Tony glanced across the room at Gibbs who was reading a book on building glued lapstrake wooden boats. Gibbs glanced up over the top of his book and gave Tony a silent look. He could tell if he wanted to, or not. Gibbs would back him either way.
“I was uh…given some drugs…they held me down and gave me the shot…the reaction was pretty bad. I broke my wrist by pulling it out of the bracelet on my handcuffs.”
Diane smirked. “Why were you handcuffed with your own handcuffs? You do know those are supposed to go on the criminals right?” She laughed.
Tony frowned. “I was undercover. They made me. They figured out I was a cop. I was attacked by more than one person and held down. I didn’t have a lot of control over what happened Diane.”
“Seems like a rookie mistake to me to be cuffed with your own cuffs! What’d they do, hold you at gun point with your own gun too,” she taunted.
“Yes,” Tony whispered, fighting down the shudder as the memory of what happened played through his mind. “I’m goin to bed,” he said quietly, quickly making his way out of the room.
Immediately Gibbs and Diane were at each other’s throats. “What the hell is your problem with him,” he roared. “I told you he’d been attacked"why’d you have to bring it all back up for him? Huh? Don’t you know a cop’s worst nightmare is being killed with your own duty weapon? And it was his partner who did this to him! Do you have no soul? Those were terrible things to say!”
Diane narrowed her eyes at him. “I always knew he was a useless worthless boy! Now he tells us he’s using drugs?! And you"you just let him get away with it, knowing full well that next he’ll start stealing from us, selling our possessions, taking our money"and you’d just let him get away with it! I swear it’s like that boy walks on water with you! What if he attacks us? Huh? What if he does something to me?! What would you do? Whose side would you take then, Jethro?”
Gibbs shook his head. “You are unbelievable,” he said quietly. “I’m not going to even grace those comments with a response. You obviously haven’t heard a word either of us said. You need to find another place to stay Diane. This isn’t working out.”
Diane got right up in Jethro’s face. “I’ll be out of the house by the end of the week,” she bit out. “You ignorant bastard.”
At the top of the stairs, Tony heard the argument, leaning his back against the wall. He hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but once he heard them start, he heard his name, and he knew that this time, it would be his fault if Diane left. He heard Gibbs tell her she needed to find somewhere else to go and closed his eyes briefly. Silently he walked to his room and closed the door. He just seemed to continuously ruin his father’s life.
TBC…
Chapter End Notes:
Warning: Discussion of drugs in this chapter. Disturbing content. Unfortunately the combination discussed between Gibbs and Abby here is true"this is a real concoction; people really do give this to other people, and people really do die from it.