The teen was sitting on the beach, watching the waves wash upon the sand and go back out again. He had been there since last night and now the sun was coming up over the horizon. The ocean gave young Anthony DiNozzo a sense of peace that he was not accustomed to. His life was anything but peaceful, but right now, he didn’t have a care in the world.
Laughter filled the air and Tony looked up to see a man and a young girl walking down the beach. The girl couldn’t have been more than five and the man definitely looked as if he belonged in the military. He watched with interest as the girl picked up a seashell and then called out to her father. “Daddy, what about this one?” she gleefully shouted.
If Tony had to guess, he would have bet that the girl’s father was a Marine. Of course, his hypothesis had nothing to do with the Marine Corp t-shirt the man was wearing, but he liked to assume that he would have been able to figure it out on his own.
The father took the shell from the girl and held it up to examine it. “It’s perfect, Kelly. It’ll make a beautiful necklace for mommy.”
“Maybe we could find another one and make her a matching bracelet,” she exclaimed.
“That’s a great idea.”
“I love you, daddy!”
“I love you too, Kelly.”
Shaking his head as he rolled his eyes, Tony returned his attention to the waves. They were restless, just like he was. He wished that he could just drift out to sea forever where he would never have to face the harshness of the reality that had become his life ever again.
“Beautiful morning, isn’t it?”
Tony looked up to discover the Marine standing over him. The teen shrugged and drew his knees up to his chest. “I guess so,” he mumbled.
“Mind if I sit down?” the older man asked.
“I don’t own the beach; I guess you can sit anywhere you want.”
The Marine sat down and extended his hand. “My name’s Jethro, Jethro Gibbs. What’s yours?”
Again Tony shrugged. “Does it matter?”
“I don’t guess it does, but I’d kind of like to call you something besides hey you.”
“I answer to just about anything. Bastard, son of a bitch, stupid, idiot…”
“Who calls you those names?” Jethro asked.
“Doesn’t matter.”
“It does to me.”
Tony glared at the Marine. He considered himself to be an accurate judge of character and just by looking into the eyes of Jethro Gibbs; Tony knew that this man was sincere.
“Anthony,” the boy finally whispered.
“Got a last name?”
“Yeah.”
“But you’re not going to tell me,” Gibbs deduced.
“Nope.”
“Fair enough. So, Anthony, where are your parents?”
“Mother’s dead and father’s in a business meeting.”
“I’m sorry about your mom.”
“Not your fault.”
“No, but I’m still sorry. How did she die?”
Tony stared straight ahead. Who was Jethro Gibbs and why did he care about how his mother died? This man was a stranger and Tony had learned the hard way that you didn’t involve strangers in personal family business.
“Killed herself,” he finally admitted.
“I’m sorry.”
“She was smart and got out while she could.”
“Got out of what?”
Tony tiredly grinned. “Hell.”
He flinched with the Marine placed his hand on his shoulder. “Son, do you need help? Are you in trouble?”
Jethro Gibbs wanted to help him, Tony truly believed that, but he couldn’t risk the man becoming involved in his miserable life. “No sir, I’m all right.”
“If you’re in trouble, I’d like to help,” Gibbs urged.
“No sir. Everything is fine. I’m just being a typical, rebellious teenager.”
“I don’t believe that. You don’t seem too rebellious.”
“It’s the medication.”
“What are you on medication for?” Jethro wanted to know.
“At the moment? Depression.”
“Because of your mom dying?”
“Hell no, she’s been dead for five or six years. I guess I’m on pills just because there has to be something wrong with me.”
“Why’s that, Anthony?”
“I don’t know.”
That was the truth. His father had told Tony from a young age that something was wrong with him and he had finally gotten to the point that he believed his father. The first part of his summer break had been spent in a private psych hospital under the care of his father’s private physician. He had just been out a week, when his father informed him that he would be accompanying the senior DiNozzo on a business trip. He hoped that his father would forget him like he did in Hawaii.
“Look, if you need help,” Gibbs began. “I know some people who…”
“No!” Tony snapped. “You don’t know my father.”
“I would if you told me his name.”
Tony shook his head vehemently. “It’s not worth it. I’ll either make it a couple more years or I won’t.”
“You’ve got a long life…”
“Don’t!” Tony growled. “Don’t tell me how I’ve got a long life ahead of me! If this is what I’ve got to look forward to, then I might as well just walk in that ocean and never look back. I’ve managed to stay alive this long and if I can manage another couple of years, I’ll get the hell out of my father’s life and he never has to worry about me shaming his name again. I won’t…”
Tony closed his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I don’t know why I just went off like that.”
“Sounds to me like you’ve got a lot justified anger built up in you and…”
“Mr. Gibbs, I don’t need another therapist.”
“What do you need?”
“I don’t know,” the teen said.
“How about a friend?”
“You want to be my friend?”
Tony never received an answer as Kelly came running up to Gibbs. “Daddy, I think I found some shells for her bracelet! See?”
Feeling a twinge of jealousy, Tony hung his head in shame. Why should he be jealous of a little five year old girl and her dad? He barely even knew their names, they were strangers, and yet his heart ached for a father that would praise him for finding the perfect sea shell.
“They’re beautiful, princess,” Gibbs replied, kissing the top of Kelly’s head.
“Anthony!”
He jumped up at the sound of his name. Tony felt a knot form in the pit of his stomach as he turned around to see his father standing at the edge of the dune glaring at him with pure hatred.
“I gotta go.”
“Anthony, I can help you if you’ll let me,” Gibbs pleaded.
“No, you can’t, but thanks for listening.”
Tony hurried over to his father and fell into step behind him. He recognized that look; there was going to be hell to pay for disappearing and he was going to suffer the consequences for what his father would call a lack in judgment.
His thoughts turned briefly back to Jethro Gibbs and his daughter, Kelly. What would have happened if he had taken the Marine up on his offer of help? Would he have been better off or would he end up in more of a hell hole than he was in now? It didn’t matter, in a few weeks, Tony would be going to back to school and wouldn’t have to see his father until Christmas break. He just hoped that he was still alive by then.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
“Agent DiNozzo, I need you to wake up now. Tony, can you hear me?”
Tony opened his eyes, blinking them several times until he could focus on his surroundings. The agent had expected to see a sandy beach but instead he saw Dr. Marshall hovering over him. His mind was too clouded with fog to realize why she was here with him or what she was doing.
“Tony? It’s Katherine Marshall,” the doctor said. “Can you hear me?”
“Yeah,” he whispered. His throat felt like sandpaper and it pained him to swallow. “What…”
“Your ulcer perforated and you were bleeding internally. I managed to stop the bleeding and repair the damage, but you’re going to have to take it easy for a while.”
The agent truly had no idea what she had just said. His head was pounding and he felt as if he were going to throw up. As if she were able to read his mind, Katherine assured him that he was more than likely feeling the affect of the anesthesia and that she would get him something for the pain and the nausea.
He nodded and closed his eye, trying to ignore the sheer agony that he was experiencing. How had he ended up in the hospital? He had been on the beach talking to Gibbs. No, that wasn’t right. He had been talking to the ex-Marine, but they had not been at the beach. Tony doubted that Gibbs even remembered that day and it was probably for the best. He cursed under his breath, berating himself for his inability to make sense of his jumbled thoughts.
Tony’s eyes snapped back open as the memory of him and Gibbs talking outside of Jack’s store came flooding back. He struggled to sit up. “Vance,” he rasped. “Vance is gonna…”
He gasped in pain and collapsed back on the bed. His stomach was on fire; his head was pounding which further exacerbated the waves of nausea that threatened to overwhelm him. “Oh, God,” he moaned.
“That wasn’t a smart thing to do,” the doctor chastised.
“I know,” Tony grunted while he watched one of the nurses inject something in his IV.
“I’m going to go and talk to your friends and tell them you’re in recovery,” Katherine informed him. “You’re going to be here a few hours just so we can keep an eye on you, then I’m going to move you back up to ICU for a few days. Now, when I get back, I expect to hear that you were a model patient or there will be consequences. Do I make myself clear, Agent DiNozzo?”
Tony nodded. “I need to…see…Gibbs,” he said.
“Later,” she insisted.
“No…please…now…need to talk to him…”
“You are in no condition to be talking to anyone. You’re supposed to be resting.”
“Have to…talk…to him.”
“Tony, I said not now. You’ve just had major surgery and…”
“I’m not…going to…rest…until…I talk to Gibbs.”
“You can talk to him after you’re out of recovery and not before.”
Tony was no longer able to keep his eyes open. He didn’t have the strength to fight against the affects of the sedative and painkillers and he allowed himself to drift off. Before darkness claimed him, he found himself wondering if there was ever going to be a light at the end of the tunnel that didn’t belong to a train.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
He watched Anthony walk behind his father as the pair made their way back to the resort that they were staying at. Jethro Gibbs’ instincts were to follow the teen to make sure that he was going to be all right, but he had Kelly with him and he couldn’t risk her getting hurt. He felt a gentle tug on his hand. Looking down at his daughter, he smiled at the young girl.
“Who was that boy you were talking to, Daddy?” she asked.
“His name was Anthony.”
“He looked sad.”
“Yeah, he did.”
“Why was he sad?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think he gets along with his dad too well.”
“Oh. Is his dad mean to him?”
“I don’t know. I hope not.”
“Well, if his dad is mean to him, then we could just bring him home with us. It would be cool to have a big brother,” she grinned.
“It would?”
“Yeah, cause he could kill the spiders and bugs while you’re away.”
Gibbs laughed. “I thought that was your job.”
“It is,” Kelly said, “but I don’t like doing it. I just do it because mommy’s scared of spiders.”
“I see.” He shook his head in amusement. There was something about the innocence of a child that touched his heart. “Speaking of mommy, we better get back. I’m sure that she’s almost got breakfast ready for us.”
“Then after breakfast, we can make her necklace and bracelet!”
“Yep. Are you ready?”
Kelly grabbed his hand and the two of them headed back down the beach to their own hotel. As he listened to his daughter ramble on about their plans for the day, Jethro found his mind wandering back to Anthony. There was something special about that boy, but it was apparent that his father didn’t agree.
Deciding that he would take a run later on that day, he planned to make a detour to the resort that he saw Anthony and his father enter and check on the teen. His gut was screaming at him that the young man desperately needed help and he could not turn his back on Anthony.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Jethro Gibbs sat up, cursing under his breath for permitting himself to fall asleep. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to clear his mind. The ex-Marine had pushed so many memories of Kelly and Shannon to the far recesses of his mind and he couldn’t figure out why he would be dreaming of the summer that they had gone to Virginia Beach.
As he played back the memory, he realized that he wasn’t really dreaming about Kelly and Shannon; he was remembering a lonely young teenager who was crying out for help. Why had he never made the connection? That young man that he had met on the beach had been none other than Anthony DiNozzo. It sickened him to think how different Tony’s life could have been if he had only managed to go back to the resort before Tony and his dad had checked out.
“Agent Gibbs?”
The team leader stood up as Dr. Marshall entered the waiting room, mentally noting that everyone was accounted for. “How’s Tony?” he anxiously inquired.
“His ulcer had perforated resulting in internal bleeding,” she explained. “It was touch and go with his blood pressure for a while, but I did get the bleeding stopped and repaired the damage. He’s still in recovery where he’ll stay for a few more hours. Tony was having a difficult time handling the affects of the anesthesia, which is not that unusual. I’ll be moving him to ICU after that where he’ll have to stay for several days.”
“Can we see him once he gets settled in ICU?”
The physician sighed. “One at a time and only for 15 minutes at a time. You have to adhere to the ICU visiting rules.”
“But one of us has to stay with Tony at all times,” Abby interjected. “Hospitals freak him out.”
“I’m sorry. I’m not making exceptions this time,” Katherine stated. “Tony needs to rest and he doesn’t need any added stress. He lost a lot of blood and it’s going to be awhile before he’s back on his feet. I’m just doing what’s best for him.”
“No, you’re not,” Abby challenged. “You’re denying him his friends, his family.”
“I’m trying to keep him alive,” Katherine snapped.
Gibbs put his finger on Abby’s lips and shook his head. “We’ll abide by your rules. We just want to be able to see him and let him know we’re here for him.”
“He asked to speak with you Agent Gibbs, so after he’s settled in ICU, you can see him.”
“Thank you.”
After Katherine left, Gibbs turned and faced his team. “She’s right. Our top priority is Tony and what’s best for him. We’re going to get him through this and we’ll do it together.”
Knowing that his team would not question his decision, he walked over to the Director. “You’re still not off the hook. I have enough to put you away for a long time. But there’s still some missing pieces and once Tony is better, he’ll be the one to drive the final nail in your coffin. He deserves that privilege after the hell you’ve put him through.”
“I think you have it wrong, Agent Gibbs. I’m not the one DiNozzo should be worried about,” Vance said. “He has many enemies, some that he doesn’t even know about. Isn’t that right, Officer David?”
Gibbs clenched his fist, struggling to control the rage burning inside him. He glanced at Ziva, who appeared to be confused by the Director’s insinuations. “Ziva, go and try and call Ducky and let him know that Tony’s out of surgery,” he ordered.
Ziva stood her ground. “I want to know what Director Vance meant by his last comment.”
“Not now, Ziva,” Gibbs growled, his icy tone daring her to challenge him.
The team leader breathed a sigh of relief as Ziva nodded and left the room. He turned his attention back to Vance. “You will not break up my team again, do you understand me?”
“Agent Gibbs, I…”
He cut off the Director with an angry glare. His phone rang and he saw that it was McGee. Knowing that he needed to take this call in private, he quickly excused himself from the waiting room and hurried down the hall. “Gibbs,” he answered.
“Hey, Boss.”
“McGee, are you all right?” the former Marine asked.
“I’m fine, Boss. I’m here with Secretary Davenport and he wants to talk to you.”
“To me?”
“Yeah, Boss. He wants to make a deal.”
“A deal, what kind of deal?”
“I’ll let him explain it to you.”
Gibbs shook his head in frustration. “I want you to explain it to me, McGee!”
The next voice he heard was that of Secretary Davenport. “Agent Gibbs, as I was telling Agent McGee, I have a deal to offer to Agent DiNozzo and I think he’ll be more than willing to accept it. If he is reluctant, I’m sure that you can convince him to take the deal.”
“If this deal is so good, why am I going to have to convince DiNozzo to accept it?” Gibbs pressed.
“I have a way to clear Agent DiNozzo’s name and to get rid of Leon,” the SecNav announced. “Are you interested?”
“I’m listening.”
“Not over the phone. I’ll be sending Agent McGee with the details. I’ll expect Agent DiNozzo’s answer within 12 hours.”
“Tony just had surgery and is on his way to ICU as we speak, sir. I don’t think he’s going to be up to listening to any kind of deal,” Gibbs pointed out.
“12 hours,” Davenport repeated.
The line went dead and Gibbs shut his phone and slipped it back in his pocket. “Damn it.”
Images of young Anthony DiNozzo sitting on the beach began to play in his mind once again. He was still admonishing himself for not being able to make the connection between the cynical young boy and his senior agent. He had buried so many memories after Shannon and Kelly died, believing that he was keeping his heartache at bay; but what had his selfishness cost Tony?
“Well DiNozzo, I guess we have more to talk about than I thought.”
He started to head back to the waiting room when he saw Ziva standing at the other end of the hallway, talking on the phone. She was supposed to be calling Ducky but Gibbs had a feeling that she wasn’t talking to the ME. Ziva’s movements were agitated, almost frantic as she spoke in Hebrew. Gibbs had a feeling that she was talking to none other than Eli David.
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