Chapter 23
AN: Sorry this update took so long. I think my muse went on a little vacation on this story. But at any rate, she's back and ready to go. FYI: I am technologically challenged when it come to the webcam stuff, so if it sounds wrong, it most likely is. ENJOY!
Tony sat down at his computer desk in his apartment and powered up his computer. He needed to speak to his daughter. He had not seen her since Christmas, but had keep up regular correspondence, via email and IM. He checked to see if Olivia was online. He clicked on a link and her face filled the screen.
Tony smiled a tired smile. It had been a rough day, a bad case and he needed to just talk to his daughter. Tony now understood Gibbs' moodiness when it came to cases involving children. Every case, boy, girl, no matter what age, had to remind him of Kelly, because all Tony could think about were the pictures he had seen of Olivia when she was about the same age.
Olivia noticed her dad's mood. She was immediately concerned. "Are you okay, Dad? What's wrong?"
Tony shook his head. "Bad case today, Baby Girl, involving a kid. Can't say much."
"Oh," Olivia said. "…I'm so sorry. That has got to be rough."
Tony nodded.
"How old….?" Olivia asked, unsure she even wanted the answer.
Tony sighed. "He was 6. Dad's a sailor."
Olivia waited, unsure if she should, or even wanted to ask the question.
"He died, pushed down the stairs." Tony said, answering her question.
"And you chose this as your profession…?" Olivia asked. "You really wanted to do this?" Olivia questioned Tony, seeing the pain and anguish he was going through.
Tony nodded. "Most of the time, even with the death I deal with everyday, a person does a bad thing, he pays for it..." Tony replied. "…sometimes with his life. I know that sounds cold and callous, but that is just how things are, sort of 'you reap what you sow' type deal. And that's the justice in it all. That is the consequences for those actions." Tony shook his head. "But a child…." These things never used to bother him this much before he found out about Olivia, he realized.
"So…innocent." Olivia said.
Tony nodded. "Exactly, and it just reminds me…." Tony stopped himself suddenly. He had told Olivia little about the abuse he had endured as a child. Mostly he had told her he had been spanked a lot. And that he got sent to his room, without supper. But he never really went without supper, unbeknownst to his parents, the nanny or the cook always brought him food to his room and took care of cleaning up the evidence. He had not told her about the beatings, the broken arm, all the really bad stuff.
The surprise and suspicion were evident on Olivia's face. "You didn't tell me everything, did you?"
Tony fell silent, and his silence told her all she needed to know.
"What did that bastard do to you?" Olivia demanded.
Tony shook his head.
"What did he do?" Olivia asked again, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Baby, I'm sorry." Tony started. "I didn't contact you to upset you. I just wanted to see you, hear your voice."
"You didn't do anything. Your jackass of a father did." Olivia stated.
"You really need to learn to be more direct, Baby Girl." Tony stated. "Learn to speak you mind."
Tony's attempt at breaking the tension worked. Olivia smiled and laughed. But she didn't let it go.
"What happened?" Olivia asked, wiping her eyes.
Tony nodded. "I was 9. I had gone into his office. He…I knew not to go in there. But he kept a model airplane on top of a tall cabinet he had in there. He knew I liked it. He…I would always ask if I could play with it, and he would always say no. But one day, he was gone. I thought he wouldn't be back for hours. I sneaked into his office and pushed his office chair up to the front of the cabinet and climbed up. I was just going to take it down, play with it and put it back up. He would never have known. But he caught me. And when I jumped out of the chair the back of it struck the glass that was in the door of the cabinet and broke it. I ran out of the room and he ran after me. Screaming, cursing at me, and calling me every name in the book. I got to the top of the stairs, and started down. He caught up with me, grabbed me by the arm ,and the next thing I knew I woke up in the hospital with my left arm in a cast."
"Unbelievable." Olivia said after a moment of stunned silence. "What charges…?"
Tony shook his head. "No charges. Nobody looked for or at child abuse in those days. It was not taken as seriously as it is today." Tony paused. "And don't forget…Senior's loaded."
"That's criminal!" Olivia stated, referring to Tony's inference of paying people off.
"That is the life of the fabulously wealthy." Tony explained. "If you have enough money to pay the right people off, you can get away with anything."
"I'm so sorry for that," Olivia repeated, shaking her head. "…and I am sorry about today."
Tony nodded. He didn't want Olivia to hear his voice shake. He tried to compose himself. "It just never used to bother me this much…."
"You have a daughter now, too." Olivia answered. "You can kind of understand what a parent would go through."
"Is that it, oh wise one?" Tony asked, managing a smile.
"It is." Olivia answered.
"I love you, Baby Girl." Tony stated. "Talking with you helped. It helped a lot."
"I'm glad, and I love you too, Daddy." Olivia was about to sign off, then she remembered. "Isn't it somebody's birthday today?"
Tony nodded, understanding immediately. He then closed down the session and logged off his computer. He grabbed his keys and headed out the door.
TBC
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