Tony returned his father’s icy gaze with his own harsh glare. He was no longer twelve years old and he refused to be intimidated by the likes of Vincent DiNozzo. Growing up, Tony always understood that he was low on his father’s list of priorities, a fact that he had come to accept over the years. It was a little disconcerting to the younger man that the very man who had wanted to deny his existence for forty years was now insisting on speaking with him.
Vincent DiNozzo was used to getting what he wanted and he had never been denied his prize. Tony knew that his father wanted something from him, but honestly, he wasn’t sure what he had to offer the man that constantly cursed his very existence.
“I think you’ll be very surprised at what I’m going to say,” Vincent claimed.
The senior agent shook his head. “I doubt it,” Tony retorted. “I’ve heard it all before and I can’t imagine that anything you have to say is worth hearing.”
“You must hear me out,” his father attempted to demand.
“Why? Why should I listen to someone who placed a contract on my life? I knew you hated me, but I never figured that you would stoop so low as to try and have me killed.”
“If you will just listen, I will explain everything.”
“You were always very good at explaining things,” Tony snapped.
“I can see that you still have a problem with authority. It’s always been one of your weaknesses.”
Tony saw Gibbs’ visibly bristle. He was grateful for the team leader’s presence, but the last thing he wanted was another confrontation between the former Marine and his father. With a slight shake of his head, Tony silently indicated that he did not need Gibbs to interfere. He could handle this; he had no choice.
“I’m sure by the end of our conversation, you’ll have covered all my other weaknesses as well.”
“I probably will, you ungrateful bastard.”
Tony grinned. “Oh, we’re already to the name calling. Hmm…too bad you can’t medicate me and send me to my room now.”
“If only it were that easy,” Vincent shot back.
“Why don’t you just say what you came to say?” Tony growled.
Vincent nodded, his arrogance stagnated the air in the tiny room. Tony wondered if there was an area big enough to contain the man’s ego.
“Very well,” the elder DiNozzo conceded.
“About a year ago, my lawyer discovered something unexpected when he was going over the finances of the estate,” Vincent began to explain. “Apparently, before your mother died, she managed to set up a trust fund for you that I knew nothing about. It was to be given to you when you married or on your 40th birthday, whichever came first. I don’t know why she set it up that way or how she did it without my knowledge, but that doesn’t matter now. Your mother was always a sneaky little drunken…”
“Don’t say it,” Tony threatened. “At least she remembered that she had a son.”
“When she was sober,” Vincent added. “I find it hard to believe that you’re defending her after all the times that she humiliated you.”
“I think you both excelled at that,” the young man said. “Why don’t you just get to the point? It’s not like you to beat around the bush.”
“You’re right, for once. Anyway, your mother did have the sense to name me as the beneficiary should something happen to you and…”
“And so that’s why you want me dead.” Tony swallowed hard, trying to control the anger that was coursing through his veins. “How much am I worth?”
Tony refused to wilt under his father’s commanding stare. “You’re not worth a damn thing,” Vincent spat. “But your trust fund is worth 17.5 million dollars.”
He gathered the sheet up in his fist, clutching it against his chest. Closing his eyes, Tony fought against the urge to throw up, knowing that that action would only cause him excruciating pain. Of course, it would be no greater than the agony tearing apart his heart. He tried not to let his father’s hurtful words affect him, but there were times that words could cause more damage than a knife or a bullet; especially to the soul.
A hand gently squeezed his shoulder. Gibbs. He knew it was Gibbs and he drew strength from the team leader’s silent support. Opening his eyes, Tony nodded his thanks to the ex-Marine. “That’s pocket change…to you,” Tony rasped, still trying to tamp down the overwhelming need to vomit.
“Yes it is, but the fact is that I need…I want that money.”
“Go to hell.”
Nonplussed, his father continued, pulling what appeared to be some kind of document out of his jacket. “I’ve taken the liberty to have my lawyer draw up a paper so that you can sign over your inheritance to me.”
“And why would I do that?” Tony asked.
“Because you don’t want the money,” Vincent coolly replied. “You don’t want anything that has to do with the DiNozzo fortune.”
“Maybe it’s because that your fortune was made at the expense of my childhood,” he countered.
Vincent shoved the document in front of his face. “Do you need a pen?”
“I’m not signing it over to you,” Tony stated.
“Why not?”
The agent started to laugh. “I can’t believe you have the nerve to ask me that,” he seethed. “After the heel you’ve put me through, you expect me to sigh over 17.5 million dollars to you? I thought you were a smarter business man than that.”
“Oh, but I am,” Vincent declared.
“Really?”
“Yes. I know the details of the offer that Secretary Davenport made to you and I must say that if I were you, I’d take the deal.”
“You’re not me.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Anyway,” the elder man continued. “He asked me to nullify the contract and I agreed to speak with Eli David regarding this issue on the condition that I could speak to you. I’m prepared to sweeten the deal and relive you of the burden of having that tainted money. We all go home happy. You may even be able to live with yourself.”
“I doubt it.”
“Hear me out, Anthony.”
“When you sign over the money to me, I will be using it to…”
“To what? To help fund one of SecNav’s secret projects? Maybe you’ll be using it to help cover up the names of the people on that damn list that will evidently cause a political upheaval when it gets out. You wouldn’t want that to happen, would you? Oh, wait a minute, you had some friends on that list, didn’t you?”
“That’s enough!’ Vincent roared. “I am not playing games with you, Anthony! You will sign that money over to me or your friends will pay the consequences. My connections go higher than Secretary Davenport and…”
Tony rubbed a hand over his face. “Get out,” he mumbled.
“Not until I have the money.”
He glared at the older man. “I’m tired of being threatened and I’m tired of talking to you. I’ve got a lot on my plate right now and there’s no room for you and your pathetic lies. Get out!” Tony shouted, hoping that he managed to sound stronger than he felt.
He watched as Gibbs took a step towards his father. The team leader always had his six, just like a father should. “You heard him,” Gibbs said.
“This is none of your concern, Agent Gibbs. I’m not through…”
“Yes, you are,” the former sniper pointed out. “Now leave.”
“You’ll be sorry, Anthony,” Vincent warned.
Tony didn’t bother hiding the weariness in his voice. “I’ve heard that before.”
“Leave or I’ll make you leave,” Gibbs vowed.
The two men watched as Vincent DiNozzo tucked the paper back in his pocket and picked up his coat. “You’re making a huge mistake, Anthony,” he stated. “A huge mistake.”
“Won’t be the first time,” Tony assured him.
Tony breathed a sigh of relief when his father was out of his sight. He began to chuckle; a tired smile taking up permanent residence on his face.
“Care to tell me what’s so funny, DiNozzo?” Gibbs inquired.
“Some things never change. It’s always about the money,” he sighed. “I just didn’t have the heart to tell him that there isn’t any money.”
A confused expression spread across the team leader’s face. “What?”
“She wasn’t quite the lush that my father took her for,” Tony continued to explain. “Truthfully, she just drank when he was around; not that I blame her.”
“Were you and your mom close?”
“No, but most of the time she tolerated me. My mom sat the whole thing up as a way to get back at my dad. After she died, we had the reading of her will, I got a letter that she had left me; my father just assumed that it was a bunch of garbage about how sorry she was that she screwed up my life and he was pretty much right. But she also wrote about this elaborate scheme she had in place to give Vincent a taste of his own medicine.” Tony pinched the bridge of his nose. “She always did have to have the last word.”
“So, why didn’t you tell him that there wasn’t any money?” Gibbs wanted to know.
Tony shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess part of me wanted to see him beg like I used to; but I should have known better. Vincentio DiNozzo doesn’t beg. He simply takes and he never gives back anything in return.”
“Tony, I’m sorry.”
He suddenly began to retch, unable to control the nausea that had been plaguing him since his father’s arrival. Tony didn’t offer any resistance as Gibbs helped him onto his side as he vomited onto the bed sheets. Dr. Marshall was not going to be happy with him.
Tony wasn’t sure when Gibbs had managed to call for help, but within seconds, two nurses were hovering over him as he continued to heave. He cried out in pain, as waves of agony assaulted him.
“Just breathe, Tony,” encouraged the nurse. “The pain should be easing up in just a few minutes. Breathe through it.”
“Sorry, Boss,” he muttered.
“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for, Tony,” Gibbs assured him.
Before Tony could answer, the nurse asked Gibbs to step out so they could clean him up. “Let him stay,” DiNozzo gasped.
“I won’t get in the way,” the team leader promised.
“Let him stay,” Dr. Katherine Marshall instructed as she entered the room.
“Crap,” Tony whispered. “We’re up that creek, Boss.”
“I just don’t want him disappearing before I chew him a new one,” the doctor stated as she began to help the nurses clean him up.
A moan escaped Tony’s lips despite the nurses’ attempts not to cause him any discomfort during their ministrations. He started to protest when he heard Kate order one of them to give him something for pain and for nausea, but was cut off by the physician’s unrelenting stare.
“I don’t want to hear one word out of you,” Kate warned.
“But…”
“I mean it Tony,” she angrily repeated.
Even though he hated the way that the painkillers made him feel, Tony found himself hoping that they would take effect before Kate delivered yet another lecture about his health. He would prefer to go to sleep and never wake up, but that apparently wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.
“I warned you about this,” she continued. “Are you trying to kill yourself?”
Tony stared at her, his face void of emotion, but she managed to somehow know what he was thinking. The only problem was that Gibbs knew as well. They finally figured out that he was truly insane and now they were faced with the dilemma of what to do with him.
“I guess that answers my question,” Kate said, sparing a concerned glance at Gibbs.
“I’m just tired,” Tony muttered, knowing that his despondent tone did nothing to reassure Kate.
“You’ve evidently had quite a day. I want you to rest and I’ll be back in a few minutes to check on you.”
Tony nodded as he closed his eyes, unable to fight the effects of the drugs that he had been given. As he started to doze, he heard Kate asking Gibbs to join her outside of the room. There was no doubt that they were going to talk about him and didn’t want him overhearing their conversation.
He was grateful to find that he was actually alone for a few minutes. Tony still hadn’t reached a decision about the SecNav’s offer before his father had entered the picture. His eyes snapped open, knowing that he could not go to sleep until he reached a decision. He took his hand and raked it through his hair. “God, I hate my life.”
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
“What the hell are you trying to do him?” Katherine Marshall wanted to know. Angry did not even begin to describe what she was feeling.
“You don’t understand what’s at stake,” Gibbs tried to explain.
“What’s at stake? I’ll tell you what’s at stake, Agent Gibbs. Tony’s life is at stake.”
“I’m aware of that,” Gibbs snapped. “But you’ve got to understand that his soul is at stake as well.”
Blowing out a frustrated breath, she forced herself to calm down. “No more visitors. I don’t care if the President of the United States wants to see him, it’s not happening. One person may stay with him and only one person. Do I make myself clear?”
She was surprised that the former Marine seemed to be struggling to keep his composure. “It’s not what you think.”
“I don’t care. My main concern is for Tony. I want to see him walk out of her on his own feet, not on a gurney on the way to the morgue. Right now, I’m not sure that Tony even wants to get better. I see it in his eyes; he wants to die and I think you see it as well.”
Gibbs swallowed hard. “I’ve seen that look before, many years ago.”
“Then you better do something about it. He needs help and so far he’s not getting it from his friends.”
She was taken back when Gibbs expression hardened and he took a menacing step towards her. “Are you finished?” he asked.
“Well…”
“Good,” he growled. “Because I have a few things I need to say to you.”
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.