Anthony DiNozzo, Senior had never felt so alone in his life. All his life he had been embraced by powerful people who were enticed by his natural charisma, but now there was no one around for him to impress with his charming ways. Although he would never admit it to anyone, the thought of being by himself in a hospital terrified him. He glanced at the clock and began mentally calculating the elapsed time since Tony had left to retrieve the personal items that he had requested, hoping that his return would be imminent. Much to his surprise, he found the presence of his son oddly comforting and knew that despite the obvious tension between them that Junior did seem to actually care about what happened to him.
He had always prided himself on being self sufficient; his survival had greatly depended on his ability to coerce people into doing what he wanted. Using people for his personal gain was how he managed to get by all these years and he didn’t feel an ounce of remorse for his actions. But what did he truly have to show for his life? A string of ex-wives, a son that he didn’t know, and not a penny to his name, but he still had his pride. His pride was the one thing that he could count on and he would not allow anyone, including his own flesh and blood, to take it away from him.
His son had taken the liberty to look into his finances and had seemingly become his personal crusader. He knew that the image that he had worked so long to create had been tarnished because of Tony’s curiosity and he had been angry. Unfortunately, his anger hadn’t served any purpose except for landing him in the hospital with a heart attack.
Looking at the clock again, he silently cursed when he noted that only five minutes had passed. Maybe he should have just been satisfied with what Tony could have found at the gift shop instead of sending him out for what he deemed as necessities. He was used to the finer things in life, but at the moment, he thought that he could settle for less if it meant he didn’t have to be alone.
He sighed in relief as a nurse entered his room. Quickly glancing at her name tag, he pasted a smile on his face and greeted her. “Julie. That’s a beautiful name,” he stated.
She returned his smile as she studied his heart monitor. “Thank you, Mr. DiNozzo. My husband thinks so too.”
“He’s a very lucky man.”
“I tell him that every day,” Julie playfully replied. “How are you feeling?”
“Better,” he admitted. “The pain is all but gone.”
“That’s good. It looks like your heart rate and blood pressure are stabilizing. Can I get you anything?”
“Now that you mention it,” Senior began. “I was wondering if my son said anything about how long he’ll be gone.”
“No, but I can call him for you if you need me to,” she offered.
“Do you mind?”
“Not at all. What’s his number?”
He was taken back by her question. How could he admit that he didn’t know his own son’s phone number? Thankfully, she sensed his unease and assured him that she could get Tony’s number off the admission forms.
“Thank you,” he answered. “I’m always getting his work number and cell phone number mixed up. I’m sure you understand.”
Julie nodded and gave him an understanding wink. “I know what you mean; I have days that I can’t remember my own name much less a phone number.”
Looking around the room, his gaze fell back on the nurse. “I noticed that there wasn’t a phone in here. Do you think you could bring me one so that I can speak with him directly? I’m sure you have better things to do than relay messages between me and my son.”
“Well, technically, you’re not supposed to have a phone in here so you can rest, but I’ll see what I can do.”
He took her hand and kissed it. “I appreciate it, my dear.”
“Not a problem. He probably didn’t get too far since he ran into that friend of his.”
Senior’s eyes narrowed at her revelation. “What friend?”
“I don’t know his name. He was older than your son and had silver hair and blue eyes,” Julie recalled. “He was kind of intimidating, but your son didn’t seem to act too concerned.” Patting him on the leg, she turned to leave. “I’ll be back in a minute with that phone.”
“Thank you.”
His smile quickly faded as soon as Julie left the room. He clenched his jaw as he considered the man that his son looked up to as a father. Their last encounter had resulted in a less than pleasant exchange of words between the two men. He was still angry that Agent Gibbs had presumed to tell him how to handle his son and resented the fact that the team leader was trying to interfere in what he considered to be personal family business.
There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that Tony valued Gibbs’ opinion and sought his approval above all others; the elder DiNozzo couldn’t remember the last time that his son worried about gaining his approval. The day that Tony announced that he was pursuing a career in law enforcement was the last time that the young man had made the effort to seek his counsel for anything and he had remained silent. That act alone had finished severing what little bond that they had ever had between them and he knew that he had no one but himself to blame.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Tony was sitting on a bench just outside the entrance of the emergency room, the younger man patiently waiting for the team leader to join him and begin his ‘interrogation.’ He had promised his Boss that he would answer any questions, but then Gibbs was going to listen to what he had to say. He knew Gibbs’ feelings regarding his father and sometimes they mirrored his own, but his desire to be accepted by his dad drove him to tamp down his frustrations and strive to be accepted by a man who seemingly could never make time for him.
The aroma of coffee brought him back to the reality of the moment as he nodded his thanks and took the cup from the former Marine. Tony welcomed the warmth of the brew and gingerly took a sip. “Thanks,” he mumbled. “I needed a little pick me up.’
“I don’t doubt it,” Gibbs agreed. “Have you even been to bed yet?”
“Not really. I hadn’t been home too long when my dad arrived.”
“Kind of an odd hour for a visit.”
Tony shrugged and then took another drink of his coffee as Gibbs sat down beside him. “He came straight from the airport. I had no idea he was back until he showed up on my doorstep.”
“So what did he want that couldn’t have waited until a decent hour?” Gibbs pressed.
Unable to meet the team leader’s questioning gaze, Tony stared at the contents of his cup. “He uh…he found out that I footed his bill and bought his ticket.”
“I take it he wasn’t too appreciative.”
Tony shook his head, vividly recalling the irate expression that his father had worn. “Nope, he was pretty pissed. Said I embarrassed him by doing that. He didn’t like the fact that I knew about his finances.”
“Does he know that you’ve been supplementing his accounts?”
He tiredly grinned at his Boss. “He does now.”
“Guess he’s not happy about that either.”
“Nope.”
“What’d he say?” Gibbs wanted to know.
He was beginning to regret telling Gibbs that he would answer his questions. “Not a whole lot,” he lied. “We argued a little, he collapsed, and here we are.”
Tony set his coffee down beside him and raked his hands through his hair. He was physically and mentally tired and the last few hours had simply added to his exhaustion. Massaging his temples in an effort to ward off the impending migraine, he waited for Gibbs to make the next move.
“You okay?” the older man gently asked.
He blew out a pent up breath and sat up, the muscles in his back protesting the slightest movement. Tony would give anything to be in his own bed right now, but his place was here by his dad’s bedside, playing the dutiful son. “I’ll be fine, Gibbs. Right now, my dad’s health is what I have to concentrate on right now.”
“You can’t keep bailing him out, Tony.”
“I know, but right now, I’m all he has. I admit that it’s not much, but…ow!” Tony winced as Gibbs whacked him on the back of the head; after all these years, couldn’t the man tell when he was working on a migraine?
“What was that for?”
“I never want to hear you shortchange yourself like that again,” Gibbs growled. “That man doesn’t know how lucky he is to have you as a son.”
He rubbed the back of his head. “Couldn’t you have found a less painful way to get your point across, Boss?”
“None that would have gotten your attention. Besides, you don’t like it when I’m nice to you.”
“Gibbs, I…”
“Tony, I just want you to be careful,” Gibbs pleaded. “I don’t want to see you hurt.”
“Gibbs, I’ll be fine,” he assured the team leader. “Believe me, when it comes to my father, I don’t expect a lot. Soon as he’s on his feet, he’ll be back to living that charmed life that he so loves.”
“What’s he going to do in the meantime?”
“What do you mean?’
“Until he’s on his feet,” Gibbs elaborated. “After he gets out of the hospital, what’s he going to do?”
“I don’t know. I guess he’ll stay with me for a while.”
“Who’s going to look after him?”
Tony bit back a sharp retort. He felt like Gibbs was trying to back him into a corner and his natural instinct was to come out fighting. Clenching his jaw, he finally replied, “Gibbs, just say what you’ve got to say. You’ve been chomping at the bit since you’ve arrived, so go ahead and get it out of your system.”
“All right,” the former Marine conceded. “The last time he was in town, he really did a number on you, whether you want to admit it or not. I suggested that he take the time to get to know you and he basically told me to mind my own business. You’ve bailed him out on more than one occasion and he can’t even appreciate what you’re trying to do for him. Now, he’s sick and he needs you; kind of convenient if you ask me.”
“You done?” Tony angrily inquired.
“For now.”
Pushing himself up off the bench, he began to pace. “Good. Now, it’s my turn. I’ve always been a matter of convenience to my father, so why should now be any different? The point is that he’s my dad and I can’t turn my back on him. I know you don’t like him and to tell you the truth I’m not sure that I even like him sometimes, but right now, I’m doing what I think is best.”
“What if he’s using you?”
“It won’t be the first time. Now, I’d appreciate it if you’d keep your opinions to yourself,” Tony insisted. “I can handle this.”
“I’m not questioning your ability to handle this.”
“Then what are you questioning? My ability to do my job? I thought I proved that to you the last time.”
“Tony, I…”
Tony stopped mid stride and glared at the man who had been like a father to him for several years. As he opened his mouth to issue a stern warning, his cell phone rang. Pulling it out of his pocket, he curtly answered, “DiNozzo.”
“Junior?”
“Dad? Something wrong?” he asked.
“No. I was just wondering how much longer you were going to be. I um…I guess I’m a little nervous about being in the hospital. I don’t think I’ve ever been in one,” Senior recalled. “I was out of town when you were born and…” He heard his dad nervously clear his throat. “Anyway, I…”
He turned away from Gibbs and walked a few feet up the sidewalk. It was still difficult for Tony to believe that his father feared anything, but he had learned from experience that facing death tends to put things in a different perspective. “I’ll be back in an hour or so, Dad; I got held up with uh…the paperwork. Is there anything else you can think of that you need?”
“No, I’ll suppose be fine until you get back,” his dad reluctantly conceded. “I’ll see you in a little while.”
“Bye, Dad.”
“Bye, Anthony.”
Tony slipped his phone back in his pocket. “I’ve got to go, Boss. I need to get these things for my dad and get back.”
“Tony, if you need me…”
He nodded his thanks. “I know, Boss. I know.”
His pace quickened to an easy jog as he headed towards his car. Tony ignored the growing headache as he got in his vehicle; he would deal with his own discomfort later after he made sure that his father’s needs were taken care of. Pulling out into traffic, the team leader’s words echoed in his mind. He knew that Gibbs was probably right about his father and he probably shouldn’t get his hopes up that his dad’s heart attack would bring them closer, but there was a tiny part of him that wanted nothing more than to prove the team leader wrong and show him that his dad could change. The only problem was that there was no way that he could convince Gibbs that his father could change when he didn’t believe it himself.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Jethro Gibbs watched his senior field agent peel out of the parking lot, his senior field agent clearly disconcerted by the events of the past few hours. The unexpected emotional impact of the elder DiNozzo’s visit had left Tony reeling, forcing the younger man to seek out therapy. He had been the only one to know until DiNozzo had accidently let it slip one day, but thankfully, his co-workers had elected not to pursue the subject.
DiNozzo was a private person when it came to his personal life; people saw what Tony wanted them to see and most people didn’t appreciate the glimpses that he gave them. He had learned long ago to read in between the lines regarding Tony’s past and over the years, Tony would allow him to see behind the mask that he constantly wore. Gibbs had not lied to DiNozzo’s dad when he had said that he had inherited Senior’s personality, but that was where the similarities ended.
Taking the final sip of his coffee, he threw his cup in the trash and walked back into the hospital. Gibbs’ infamous gut was trying to warn him and he wanted desperately to ignore it, but he couldn’t; not when it was Tony’s future at stake. He slipped into an elevator right before the door closed and pushed the button that would take him to the floor that housed Anthony DiNozzo, Senior. Gibbs was determined to make sure that Tony’s father understood that if he hurt his son again, there would be hell to pay.
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