Chapter Twenty-One
Gibbs was irritated by Ducky’s hovering and he waved a hand, quietly dismissing him. Before he left, the two had a quiet conversation and Ducky promised to call Dante at his hotel and have him come here to the hospital in two hours.
Gibbs sat back in his seat, watching the boy who had gone through unspeakable things, the man who was both a hell of an agent and a hell of a friend. A man Gibbs admired both for his convictions and his heart.
“Hell of a mess brought you to me, DiNozzo,” Gibbs commented into the silent room. He wouldn’t have it any other way. Even though so much was uncertain, Gibbs was more confident about his bond with Tony than he had been with anyone. For a long time.
He sat quietly as time ticked by, watching as Tony slept, wondering just how hellish his childhood had been. Gibbs could pull his own nightmares from his memories and it was only due to Jack’s intervention that he was okay. Somehow Tony’d managed to survive with two sick parents, and that was a damned miracle.
“Jethro?” Ducky asked, opening the door to Tony’s room a couple of hours later. “Mr. DiNozzo will be upstairs shortly. He’s in the hospital now.”
Gibbs nodded, stroking a fingertip across Tony’s clavicle. DiNozzo was sleeping more lightly now, but he wasn’t awake by any means. “I’ll be right back, Tony.” Following Ducky out, Gibbs wasn’t surprised to see Jenny and Abby hovering as well. Hell, he wouldn’t have been shocked to find Ziva and McGee there tool.
“He’s stable now,” Gibbs told the women. “You need to get back to DC soon,”
He didn’t have any illusions that Abby would listen, but this might be the push Jen needed to get back in the director’s chair where she belonged. Abby opened her mouth to protest and Gibbs shook his head. They’d deal with that later. Not now when the elevator door was opening and…
Gibbs sucked in a breath as Dante strode out, head held high, posture military tall. He looked around momentarily and then approached. “Be nice,” Gibbs warned. “Tony’s decision. We’re here to support him.”
He extended a hand to Dante, determined to make this go as comfortably for Tony as it could, and that meant Dante needed to be relaxed and not defensive.
“How is he?” Dante asked by way of a greeting.
“Sleeping, but he wants to see you. And you checked out.”
Dante nodded, giving Gibbs a small smile. “No changes yet?”
“None.” Gibbs motioned to the three people standing nearby. “Director of NCIS Jenny Shepard, Abby Sciuto, our forensic scientist, and Doctor Donald Mallard, our medical examiner.”
“And Tony’s personal doctor,” Ducky put in, crossing his arms. Dante regarded the other man and nodded, extending his hand. “I’ll tell you what I told Special Agent Gibbs, then. Thank you for taking care of Tony.” He paused, blinking rapidly. “I know that you all have been his family and I…” He looked away and then fixed his gaze on his shoes. “Thank you,” he finished in a tumultuous whisper.
Gibbs had to look away; this was hitting way too close to home for him, and the silence was deafening. He’d never been the kind of guy who had wanted to fill the silences, but the temptation to do so was almost overwhelming.
“Well, yes,” Ducky said after a few minutes of silence. “But second chances should never be squandered, and you’re being allowed that now.” Ducky ended there, but they all read the implicit threat in the words.
“Not worthy,” Dante admitted with a sigh.
“No, you’re not!”
“Abby!”
“No, Gibbs. You do not get to muzzle me, not this time!” Abby’s eyes flashed angrily and Gibbs nodded, shifting so that he was standing a little closer to Dante. She had to get this out and he knew it, but it was gonna be damned uncomfortable.
Dante lifted his head, looking in to Abby’s eyes and she seemed momentarily taken aback, probably by the fact that his eyes were the exact same shade as his son’s.
“I’m Tony’s best friend, Dante,” she said, sarcasm dripping off the older man’s name. “And I know all the things you did to him, things that would completely freak everyone in this room out. You do not get the chance to hurt him again. I will take you down if you hurt him again.”
“Abby, no threats.” Gibbs kept his voice firm. He would let this go only so far before stepping in.
“I understand,” Dante said quietly, locking his gaze on hers. “And I will hold you to that vow. Tony needs…”
“You don’t get to say what Tony needs,” Abby shot back. “Gibbs?” she asked, turning her eyes to him. Tears were threatening to spill out and he had to clench his fists so that he didn’t pull her into his arms.
“Abby?” he asked, his voice gentle.
“You take him down if he hurts Tony. You understand me? I mean it…Tony’s in this mess because…” She clapped her hand over her mouth, blinking rapidly. Gibbs knew exactly what she was going to say and it hurt like hell, but he nodded, dealing with the Dante part of the issue first.
Gibbs set his jaw firmly. He had the sense that they’d said all they dared right now, but he arched a brow at Jenny, inviting her to say her piece as well.
“The entire agency stands behind Tony, Mr. DiNozzo. We will find out who attacked him, and they will face the strictest justice.” Gibbs winced inwardly; he hadn’t expected “Director Shepard” to make her return in such a grand fashion. He’d really liked having “Jenny” around.
“And be assured that if my agent is emotionally or physically harmed by you or anyone else, the perpetrator will be dealt with. Blood is not thicker than the ties of my people and my agency.”
Gibbs had to admit that Jenny could be quite the force to be reckoned with when she went directorial.
“He understands,” Gibbs said quickly and Jenny’s eyes widened. There was going to be some explaining to do later, but right now, he had to dismiss her concerns. “Let him see Tony.”
“Is this what Tony wants?” Ducky asked softly.
“Think I’d let him in if Tony didn’t want this?” Gibbs snapped, surprised that Ducky would even ask that. When Ducky shrugged uncomfortably, Gibbs locked his gaze on the doctor until he looked away.
“Well, I suppose not, Jethro.”
Gibbs nodded, turning full attention to Dante now. “I’ll see if he’s awake. If not, you can look in and then cool your heels until he is. He’s not waking up to you at his bedside. He doesn’t need that kind of a surprise right now.”
Dante nodded. “I understand, Jethro.”
“You three stay here. Not complicating things.”
“Like they aren’t already,” Abby muttered and Gibbs put up a warning finger. He’d only let her go so far and she’d reached her limit for now.
“Enough, Abby,” Gibbs said, his voice low and firm. When he was sure Abby was handled, he turned his attention to Dante, stepping a few paces away from the team. “You look inside. You don’t walk in, you don’t approach, and you don’t say a word. Not until he’s awake and ready for you. Understand?”
Dante nodded, squaring his shoulders and exhaling slowly. Gibbs led him to Tony’s room in utter silence. There wasn’t a hell of a lot they could say right now and Gibbs knew the other man had to be facing a lot of complex emotions.
“He looks rough, but in time he’s gonna be okay,” Gibbs said, pushing the door open. He angled his body so that Dante could look inside, but not actually enter without getting past Gibbs. And that wasn’t gonna happen.
As the door opened and Tony came into view, Gibbs realized he was awake, but before he could close the door, Tony’s whole body strained toward them.
“Dad? You really came?”
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.