The Boy and the Bunny Part 4, PG-13
Rating: PG-13
Category: Angst, family, drama, h/c, AU
Summary: Shannon Gibbs is a pediatric nurse, and when she's asked to make a house call to a wealthy man's house, she is anything but pleased. The little boy she finds there changes her life, and her husband's, forever. Little!Tony, and Shannon is still alive.
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: The characters don't belong to me.
Warnings: Implied child abuse
A/N: Thank you so much for the amazing response to the last chapter! I’m not sure I liked how this one turned out, so definitely tell me if you think it worked. Also, the MacGyver scene described in here is totally real.
Shannon was tired when she finally came out of the ER with a wan smile on her face. Jethro could tell by the way she held herself, the slight downcast to her shoulders and the squinting that meant she had a headache. But she was smiling.
“How is he?” Jethro demanded, standing up and hugging her tightly. “What happened with his father? What’s his prognosis?”
Shannon smiled at her husband’s eager questions.
“You do care, Agent Gibbs,” she said, patting Jethro on the chest. He rolled his eyes, then grinned.
“Only a little,” he said, then grew serious again. “Really. How did it go?”
Shannon sighed. “His father is coming, said he should be here tomorrow.”
“And?” Jethro prompted. He always knew when Shannon was holding something back.
“And he probably doesn’t really like me right now.”
Jethro smiled and gave her another hug. “That’s my girl. Now how about Tony?”
“Things are a little less positive with Tony. He’s, uh, he’s going to have a long road ahead of him.”
“Talk to me,” Jethro said, leading Shannon to a couch and sitting down. Shannon settled next to him and took a long, deep breath.
“His strep throat went untreated. There are all kinds of nasty infections you can pick up, scarlet fever, rheumatic fever, but most of it’s been eradicated by proper treatments.”
“Treatments that Tony didn’t get because DiNozzo Senior couldn’t be bothered to pick up his prescriptions,” Jethro interrupted.
“Yeah,” Shannon agreed, silent for a minute. “He’s contracted a bit of pneumonia, and the rheumatic fever seemed to settle into his heart.”
“Shit,” Jethro murmured. “Is that permanent?”
“In this case, it’s likely. He’ll probably have some trouble with arthritis in his joints in the future as well. And, Jethro, he might have some hearing loss. Until he wakes up and is more coherent, we won’t know how much or if it’s permanent, but it’s probable.”
Jethro was silent, clearly trying to process everything that Shannon had told him.
“That poor kid,” he said finally. “If I ever see his father…”
“You won’t do anything stupid,” Shannon said firmly. “I know you’re pissed. Hell, I’m pissed. But we can’t be stupid about this, J.”
“I know, Shan. I just…” He trailed off and shrugged. “Tony’s already had such a crappy life, and now it just got so much more complicated, and it could have been prevented, and I feel so helpless.”
Shannon nodded; she felt the same way, but it was disheartening and strangely terrifying to hear her husband say it.
“Do you want to see him?” Shannon asked finally. “They’ve settled him in the Peds ICU.”
“Can I?” Jethro asked. He sounded surprisingly tentative.
“Of course. There’s-there’s no one else to see him right now, J, and he could use someone to talk to him, to help him-“
“I’d love to see him, Shan. Let’s go.”
Shannon watched her husband closely as they rode the elevator up to the ICU. She could tell that he was nervous though he was trying not to show it, and she marveled at how quickly this little boy had managed to make not only her, but also Jethro fall in love with him.
“He’s going to look pretty bad, J,” Shannon said, giving Jethro’s hand a squeeze. “His heartbeat’s still a little irregular and he’ll have an oxygen mask, and they still have the cooling blanket on. He’s also got a rash, but that’s a common symptom of the scarlet fever. Just remember that he’s pretty much stabilized and we’ve got him on all of the antibiotics and stuff he’ll need to recover.”
“Okay,” Jethro said, taking a deep breath. He shook his head with a smile. “Damn, I don’t know why I’m so nervous.”
“It’s okay, Jethro. I am too.”
They stepped off the elevator and walked into the ICU. Shannon knew exactly where she was going and led Jethro by the hand. They stopped in front of a room that looked like all the rest, and Shannon gave Jethro a moment to steel himself before she opened the door.
The room itself was brightly painted, with a mural of zoo animals on one wall. The blinds were open so that sunlight streamed into the room, brightly lighting the chair in the corner and the single bed in the center of the room. In the single bed in the center of the room, lay Tony. He was covered in a loose sheet, on top of which lay the cooling blanket. There was an oxygen mask settled over his nose and mouth, and his face and neck was a mottled red and purple.
“Aw, hey little guy,” Jethro said, crossing the room and pulling the chair directly next to Tony’s bed. “You look better, buddy. Probably still feel pretty bad though, huh?”
Shannon watched as Jethro tucked his hand around Tony’s tiny one, careful of the IVs that were protruding from it, as he sat and just talked to him, told him about his job, about Abby and Tim and Ziva and Kate, about Ducky and his mother and Palmer, about his favorite football team. Something about the scene was painful to see, twisted something inside of Shannon’s stomach until it ached.
“J,” Shannon said, hating to interrupt the intimate moment. Jethro turned around.
“I’ve got to go back to work. I’ve talked to Tony’s doctor, and he’s allowing you to stay here with him, okay?”
“Okay. Good. Have a good day, Shan, and try not to worry too much.”
Shannon smiled and nodded.
“I’ll try. I’ll come by in a couple of hours. And don’t forget to take care of yourself. Get some lunch.”
“Okay. Tony and I will be fine, Shan.”
“I know. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
xxxx
Jethro wasn’t much of a talker. He preferred to act, to get stuff done and let his actions speak for themselves. Talking to Tony though, seemed to come naturally. He didn’t know what he was saying half of the time wasn’t even sure if Tony could hear him, just knew that talking might, in some small way, help the struggling boy in front of him, and he would do whatever he could to increase Tony’s chances.
“…so MacGyver turns the coffin into a jet ski and gets away from his captors. A jet ski! I mean, I respect MacGyver as a man, but that was just ridiculous. Shannon laughed so hard that she snorted soda out of her nose. Have you ever seen MacGyver, buddy? You might like it. Or maybe you’re more of a Magnum man. We’ll have to watch them sometime, let you decide for yourself, huh?”
Tony didn’t answer, but Jethro was almost certain he felt the small hand in his twitch slightly.
“Magnum, huh? I should’ve known you would like his mustache. Shannon says his mustache is sexy, wants me to grow one, but I think I would look terrible. What do you think?”
This time, Tony remained still.
“That’s okay, it doesn’t hurt my feelings. I know it would look bad.”
Jethro was completely startled when someone behind him cleared his throat. He turned around to find a well-dressed man in what appeared to be an expensive looking suit and realized suddenly that he was gritting his teeth. This must be Senior.
“Hi, I’m Anthony DiNozzo, Tony’s father. Who are you?” The man asked amiably, but Gibbs wasn’t stupid, and he could feel the tension underlying the man’s words.
“My name’s Jethro Gibbs. I was here when Maria brought your son in. I’ve been keeping him company.”
“Oh.”
There was an awkward silence that Jethro suspected wasn’t helped by his overwhelming desire to punch the man in front of him. His bandaged hand ached and he found himself clenching his fists.
“Is there a problem?” DiNozzo asked.
“No,” Gibbs forced out, plastering a smile on his face.
“Then could I have some time alone with my son?”
Hell no. “Sure.”
“Thanks.”
Gibbs stepped out of the room, breathing deeply and steadily in an attempt to calm himself. He really had no right to say anything to the man, had no right to stand like a guard at Tony’s door. Besides, DiNozzo was too worried about his image to try anything in the hospital, and he wasn’t stupid for all that he was a bastard.
With a sigh and more reluctance than he thought possible, Jethro went to get some lunch.
xxxx
“Shannon, did you want to explain Tony’s injuries to his father?” Marcie asked, coming up to Shannon as she filled out some paperwork.
“Why would I want to?”
“You’ve dealt with DiNozzo before, and you’ve been with Tony since this thing started.”
“I’m not his doctor, Marcie. That’s Randy’s job.”
“No. But you care about this little boy,” Marcie said, then leant in closer to Shannon. “And between you and me, Tony’s doctor is a little too in awe of DiNozzo. I know you’ll tell it like it is.”
“Randy doesn’t mind?”
“He’s scared shitless at the thought of talking to him. Tony’s long-term prognosis isn’t exactly a good one.”
Shannon sighed. She knew it would take all of her willpower to tell him without losing her temper, but she would do it.
“He’s here?”
Marcie nodded. “He’s with Tony.”
“Okay.”
Shannon walked to Tony’s room, taking a deep breath as she steeled herself to tell DiNozzo what the situation was. She was only partly surprised to find Jethro eating lunch in the waiting room, eyes trained on the door to Tony’s room.
“Hey,” Shannon said as she walked by.
“Hi,” Jethro answered, wiping his mouth. “You going to check on him?”
“I’m going to go tell Senior how Tony’s doing.”
Jethro was quiet for a minute. “Don’t lose your temper.”
“I won’t,” Shannon said.
“It’s harder than you think,” Jethro murmured. “I almost decked him in Tony’s room.”
“I know, J. I’ll be okay.”
“Okay. I’ll be out here if you need to take a minute or something.”
“Thanks, Jethro. I’ll be fine.”
She knocked lightly at the door and stepped into the room. DiNozzo was sitting in the chair that Jethro had been in, arm crossed over his chest. He looked like he was inspecting his son; he certainly wasn’t offering any comfort in the form of words or physical contact.
“Mr. DiNozzo?”
“Mrs. Gibbs. I can’t say I expected to see you again.”
“I’m here to discuss Tony’s prognosis with you, Mr. DiNozzo.”
“His prognosis? That doesn’t sound good.”
“It would be better, Mr. DINozzo, if he’d gotten the care that I prescribed for him. He came into the ER severely dehydrated and with some serious complications.”
“Yes, you mentioned rheumatic fever over the phone yesterday.”
“Unfortunately, yes. Rheumatic fever can have some serious effects. Tony’s heart has been damaged by the fever, and it’s likely that that’s something he’ll have to deal with permanently; it’s still slightly enlarged and having a bit of arrhythmia, irregular heartbeats, but he’s doing much better than he was. He’s on oxygen because he’s showing signs of some mild pneumonia, but that could have been much worse. In the future, it’s also likely that he’ll suffer from arthritis in his joints, and it’s possible that he’s suffered some hearing loss. At this point, we don’t know how much or if it’s permanent or not.”
DiNozzo was silent for a second, clenching his jaw.
“So you’re saying that Tony might be deaf?”
“It’s possible that he’s partially or fully deaf, yes.”
“And the heart problems?”
“Likely permanent, though they may not be severe.”
“Arthritis? As a child?”
“Yes. It can be very debilitating, but with anti-inflammatory drugs and physical therapy, it can be dealt with.”
DiNozzo was quiet again.
“Can I be alone with my son, please?”
“Of course. I’ve brought some pamphlets that will help explain Tony’s diagnosis and potential complications, but if you have any further questions feel free to ask me or Tony’s doctor.”
DiNozzo nodded numbly, accepting the pamphlets without comment, and Shannon left him alone.
“How’d you do?” Jethro asked as she walked out.
“I kept my temper amazingly well.”
“How’d he take it?”
Shannon shrugged. “He didn’t say much.”
Jethro frowned. “I hope he’s ready to give Tony as much love as he’s going to need.”
“Me too,” Shannon said with a frown. “Me too.”
As it turned out, DiNozzo wasn’t ready. Not at all.
“Mrs. Gibbs?” He asked, walking up to the nurse’s desk. Shannon looked up from the chart she was studying.
“Yeah. Did you have a question? Is Tony okay?”
“Oh, he’s fine. I just, uh, needed to let you, well, the hospital, know something.”
Shannon frowned. She’d never seen Anthony DiNozzo out of sorts before, but the man was clearly nervous.
“Okay,” she said, setting the chart aside. “What can I do for you?”
“I’m terminating my parental rights.”
Shannon’s jaw dropped.
“You’re what?”
“I’m terminat-“
“I heard you. What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” Shannon demanded.
“I can’t do this,” DiNozzo answered. “I can’t raise a damaged kid.”
“A damaged kid? He’s still a little boy, Mr. DiNozzo, one who needs to be cared for and loved. He’s going to have some extra issues, but that’s no reason to abandon him!”
“Mrs. Gibbs, I’ve talked to my lawyer. He’ll be bringing the appropriate paperwork, and then I’ll do what I need to. I assure you, this is entirely legal.”
“Legal or not, this isn’t right,” Shannon hissed. “You’re a real bastard, you know that?”
“Bastard or not, I’ve made my decision. Good day, Mrs. Gibbs,” DiNozzo said, then walked away. Shannon stared after him, open mouthed and filled with more hatred and fury than she’d ever experienced before.
xxxx
Jethro saw the whole thing, and unlike his wife, he was spurred into action instead of stunned. He followed DiNozzo out into the parking garage and waited until the man was opening the door to make his move. He gripped DiNozzo by the shoulder and spun him around, shoving him up against the car.
“What the hell?” DiNozzo barked. Gibbs shook his head.
“You son of a bitch,” he hissed, breathing heavily. “How in the hell can you just abandon your son? He needs you, damn it! Did you hear how ill he is? And you’re abandoning him, ripping out the only life he’s known, taking away the only parent he remembers. You’re going to kill him, DiNozzo.”
DiNozzo’s nostrils flared in anger as Gibbs glared down at him.
“I don’t give a damn what you say to me, Gibbs. I can’t, and I won’t take care of a cripple. I-“
He was cut off by a blow to the face, one that snapped his head to the side. He wiped a trickle of blood from his split lip as Gibbs shook his hand out.
“You’ve made a serious mistake, Gibbs,” DiNozzo spat. “And a powerful enemy.”
Jethro laughed bitterly. “I’m not the one who’s made the mistake, DiNozzo. You just threw away the best thing that ever happened to you.”
“What would you know about it?” DINozzo demanded, but Gibbs was already walking away. “You’ll regret crossing me, Gibbs! Do you hear me?”
Jethro continued walking, fury racing through his veins.
His hand was exploding in pain by the time he got back into the hospital, but he was numb to it, shaking with anger and despair, panic at the thought of Tony deteriorating further.
“Mr. Gibbs,” someone said. Gibbs turned around, chest heaving with emotion.
“Maria?” He said, frowning. The woman was crying, tears streaming down her face.
“I have to leave,” she said. “I must go back.”
He realized what she was saying. DiNozzo was still her employer, and he wasn’t going to allow her to stay with Tony.
“Please, give this back to him,” she said, holding something out with a trembling hand. Jethro took it numbly. It was the stuffed bunny that Tony had clutched so fiercely.
“Thank you,” Maria said, wiping away her tears. “Thank you.”
And then she was gone, and Jethro was left alone with the bunny and his growing hopelessness.
Category: Angst, family, drama, h/c, AU
Summary: Shannon Gibbs is a pediatric nurse, and when she's asked to make a house call to a wealthy man's house, she is anything but pleased. The little boy she finds there changes her life, and her husband's, forever. Little!Tony, and Shannon is still alive.
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: The characters don't belong to me.
Warnings: Implied child abuse
A/N: Thank you so much for the amazing response to the last chapter! I’m not sure I liked how this one turned out, so definitely tell me if you think it worked. Also, the MacGyver scene described in here is totally real.
Shannon was tired when she finally came out of the ER with a wan smile on her face. Jethro could tell by the way she held herself, the slight downcast to her shoulders and the squinting that meant she had a headache. But she was smiling.
“How is he?” Jethro demanded, standing up and hugging her tightly. “What happened with his father? What’s his prognosis?”
Shannon smiled at her husband’s eager questions.
“You do care, Agent Gibbs,” she said, patting Jethro on the chest. He rolled his eyes, then grinned.
“Only a little,” he said, then grew serious again. “Really. How did it go?”
Shannon sighed. “His father is coming, said he should be here tomorrow.”
“And?” Jethro prompted. He always knew when Shannon was holding something back.
“And he probably doesn’t really like me right now.”
Jethro smiled and gave her another hug. “That’s my girl. Now how about Tony?”
“Things are a little less positive with Tony. He’s, uh, he’s going to have a long road ahead of him.”
“Talk to me,” Jethro said, leading Shannon to a couch and sitting down. Shannon settled next to him and took a long, deep breath.
“His strep throat went untreated. There are all kinds of nasty infections you can pick up, scarlet fever, rheumatic fever, but most of it’s been eradicated by proper treatments.”
“Treatments that Tony didn’t get because DiNozzo Senior couldn’t be bothered to pick up his prescriptions,” Jethro interrupted.
“Yeah,” Shannon agreed, silent for a minute. “He’s contracted a bit of pneumonia, and the rheumatic fever seemed to settle into his heart.”
“Shit,” Jethro murmured. “Is that permanent?”
“In this case, it’s likely. He’ll probably have some trouble with arthritis in his joints in the future as well. And, Jethro, he might have some hearing loss. Until he wakes up and is more coherent, we won’t know how much or if it’s permanent, but it’s probable.”
Jethro was silent, clearly trying to process everything that Shannon had told him.
“That poor kid,” he said finally. “If I ever see his father…”
“You won’t do anything stupid,” Shannon said firmly. “I know you’re pissed. Hell, I’m pissed. But we can’t be stupid about this, J.”
“I know, Shan. I just…” He trailed off and shrugged. “Tony’s already had such a crappy life, and now it just got so much more complicated, and it could have been prevented, and I feel so helpless.”
Shannon nodded; she felt the same way, but it was disheartening and strangely terrifying to hear her husband say it.
“Do you want to see him?” Shannon asked finally. “They’ve settled him in the Peds ICU.”
“Can I?” Jethro asked. He sounded surprisingly tentative.
“Of course. There’s-there’s no one else to see him right now, J, and he could use someone to talk to him, to help him-“
“I’d love to see him, Shan. Let’s go.”
Shannon watched her husband closely as they rode the elevator up to the ICU. She could tell that he was nervous though he was trying not to show it, and she marveled at how quickly this little boy had managed to make not only her, but also Jethro fall in love with him.
“He’s going to look pretty bad, J,” Shannon said, giving Jethro’s hand a squeeze. “His heartbeat’s still a little irregular and he’ll have an oxygen mask, and they still have the cooling blanket on. He’s also got a rash, but that’s a common symptom of the scarlet fever. Just remember that he’s pretty much stabilized and we’ve got him on all of the antibiotics and stuff he’ll need to recover.”
“Okay,” Jethro said, taking a deep breath. He shook his head with a smile. “Damn, I don’t know why I’m so nervous.”
“It’s okay, Jethro. I am too.”
They stepped off the elevator and walked into the ICU. Shannon knew exactly where she was going and led Jethro by the hand. They stopped in front of a room that looked like all the rest, and Shannon gave Jethro a moment to steel himself before she opened the door.
The room itself was brightly painted, with a mural of zoo animals on one wall. The blinds were open so that sunlight streamed into the room, brightly lighting the chair in the corner and the single bed in the center of the room. In the single bed in the center of the room, lay Tony. He was covered in a loose sheet, on top of which lay the cooling blanket. There was an oxygen mask settled over his nose and mouth, and his face and neck was a mottled red and purple.
“Aw, hey little guy,” Jethro said, crossing the room and pulling the chair directly next to Tony’s bed. “You look better, buddy. Probably still feel pretty bad though, huh?”
Shannon watched as Jethro tucked his hand around Tony’s tiny one, careful of the IVs that were protruding from it, as he sat and just talked to him, told him about his job, about Abby and Tim and Ziva and Kate, about Ducky and his mother and Palmer, about his favorite football team. Something about the scene was painful to see, twisted something inside of Shannon’s stomach until it ached.
“J,” Shannon said, hating to interrupt the intimate moment. Jethro turned around.
“I’ve got to go back to work. I’ve talked to Tony’s doctor, and he’s allowing you to stay here with him, okay?”
“Okay. Good. Have a good day, Shan, and try not to worry too much.”
Shannon smiled and nodded.
“I’ll try. I’ll come by in a couple of hours. And don’t forget to take care of yourself. Get some lunch.”
“Okay. Tony and I will be fine, Shan.”
“I know. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
xxxx
Jethro wasn’t much of a talker. He preferred to act, to get stuff done and let his actions speak for themselves. Talking to Tony though, seemed to come naturally. He didn’t know what he was saying half of the time wasn’t even sure if Tony could hear him, just knew that talking might, in some small way, help the struggling boy in front of him, and he would do whatever he could to increase Tony’s chances.
“…so MacGyver turns the coffin into a jet ski and gets away from his captors. A jet ski! I mean, I respect MacGyver as a man, but that was just ridiculous. Shannon laughed so hard that she snorted soda out of her nose. Have you ever seen MacGyver, buddy? You might like it. Or maybe you’re more of a Magnum man. We’ll have to watch them sometime, let you decide for yourself, huh?”
Tony didn’t answer, but Jethro was almost certain he felt the small hand in his twitch slightly.
“Magnum, huh? I should’ve known you would like his mustache. Shannon says his mustache is sexy, wants me to grow one, but I think I would look terrible. What do you think?”
This time, Tony remained still.
“That’s okay, it doesn’t hurt my feelings. I know it would look bad.”
Jethro was completely startled when someone behind him cleared his throat. He turned around to find a well-dressed man in what appeared to be an expensive looking suit and realized suddenly that he was gritting his teeth. This must be Senior.
“Hi, I’m Anthony DiNozzo, Tony’s father. Who are you?” The man asked amiably, but Gibbs wasn’t stupid, and he could feel the tension underlying the man’s words.
“My name’s Jethro Gibbs. I was here when Maria brought your son in. I’ve been keeping him company.”
“Oh.”
There was an awkward silence that Jethro suspected wasn’t helped by his overwhelming desire to punch the man in front of him. His bandaged hand ached and he found himself clenching his fists.
“Is there a problem?” DiNozzo asked.
“No,” Gibbs forced out, plastering a smile on his face.
“Then could I have some time alone with my son?”
Hell no. “Sure.”
“Thanks.”
Gibbs stepped out of the room, breathing deeply and steadily in an attempt to calm himself. He really had no right to say anything to the man, had no right to stand like a guard at Tony’s door. Besides, DiNozzo was too worried about his image to try anything in the hospital, and he wasn’t stupid for all that he was a bastard.
With a sigh and more reluctance than he thought possible, Jethro went to get some lunch.
xxxx
“Shannon, did you want to explain Tony’s injuries to his father?” Marcie asked, coming up to Shannon as she filled out some paperwork.
“Why would I want to?”
“You’ve dealt with DiNozzo before, and you’ve been with Tony since this thing started.”
“I’m not his doctor, Marcie. That’s Randy’s job.”
“No. But you care about this little boy,” Marcie said, then leant in closer to Shannon. “And between you and me, Tony’s doctor is a little too in awe of DiNozzo. I know you’ll tell it like it is.”
“Randy doesn’t mind?”
“He’s scared shitless at the thought of talking to him. Tony’s long-term prognosis isn’t exactly a good one.”
Shannon sighed. She knew it would take all of her willpower to tell him without losing her temper, but she would do it.
“He’s here?”
Marcie nodded. “He’s with Tony.”
“Okay.”
Shannon walked to Tony’s room, taking a deep breath as she steeled herself to tell DiNozzo what the situation was. She was only partly surprised to find Jethro eating lunch in the waiting room, eyes trained on the door to Tony’s room.
“Hey,” Shannon said as she walked by.
“Hi,” Jethro answered, wiping his mouth. “You going to check on him?”
“I’m going to go tell Senior how Tony’s doing.”
Jethro was quiet for a minute. “Don’t lose your temper.”
“I won’t,” Shannon said.
“It’s harder than you think,” Jethro murmured. “I almost decked him in Tony’s room.”
“I know, J. I’ll be okay.”
“Okay. I’ll be out here if you need to take a minute or something.”
“Thanks, Jethro. I’ll be fine.”
She knocked lightly at the door and stepped into the room. DiNozzo was sitting in the chair that Jethro had been in, arm crossed over his chest. He looked like he was inspecting his son; he certainly wasn’t offering any comfort in the form of words or physical contact.
“Mr. DiNozzo?”
“Mrs. Gibbs. I can’t say I expected to see you again.”
“I’m here to discuss Tony’s prognosis with you, Mr. DiNozzo.”
“His prognosis? That doesn’t sound good.”
“It would be better, Mr. DINozzo, if he’d gotten the care that I prescribed for him. He came into the ER severely dehydrated and with some serious complications.”
“Yes, you mentioned rheumatic fever over the phone yesterday.”
“Unfortunately, yes. Rheumatic fever can have some serious effects. Tony’s heart has been damaged by the fever, and it’s likely that that’s something he’ll have to deal with permanently; it’s still slightly enlarged and having a bit of arrhythmia, irregular heartbeats, but he’s doing much better than he was. He’s on oxygen because he’s showing signs of some mild pneumonia, but that could have been much worse. In the future, it’s also likely that he’ll suffer from arthritis in his joints, and it’s possible that he’s suffered some hearing loss. At this point, we don’t know how much or if it’s permanent or not.”
DiNozzo was silent for a second, clenching his jaw.
“So you’re saying that Tony might be deaf?”
“It’s possible that he’s partially or fully deaf, yes.”
“And the heart problems?”
“Likely permanent, though they may not be severe.”
“Arthritis? As a child?”
“Yes. It can be very debilitating, but with anti-inflammatory drugs and physical therapy, it can be dealt with.”
DiNozzo was quiet again.
“Can I be alone with my son, please?”
“Of course. I’ve brought some pamphlets that will help explain Tony’s diagnosis and potential complications, but if you have any further questions feel free to ask me or Tony’s doctor.”
DiNozzo nodded numbly, accepting the pamphlets without comment, and Shannon left him alone.
“How’d you do?” Jethro asked as she walked out.
“I kept my temper amazingly well.”
“How’d he take it?”
Shannon shrugged. “He didn’t say much.”
Jethro frowned. “I hope he’s ready to give Tony as much love as he’s going to need.”
“Me too,” Shannon said with a frown. “Me too.”
As it turned out, DiNozzo wasn’t ready. Not at all.
“Mrs. Gibbs?” He asked, walking up to the nurse’s desk. Shannon looked up from the chart she was studying.
“Yeah. Did you have a question? Is Tony okay?”
“Oh, he’s fine. I just, uh, needed to let you, well, the hospital, know something.”
Shannon frowned. She’d never seen Anthony DiNozzo out of sorts before, but the man was clearly nervous.
“Okay,” she said, setting the chart aside. “What can I do for you?”
“I’m terminating my parental rights.”
Shannon’s jaw dropped.
“You’re what?”
“I’m terminat-“
“I heard you. What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” Shannon demanded.
“I can’t do this,” DiNozzo answered. “I can’t raise a damaged kid.”
“A damaged kid? He’s still a little boy, Mr. DiNozzo, one who needs to be cared for and loved. He’s going to have some extra issues, but that’s no reason to abandon him!”
“Mrs. Gibbs, I’ve talked to my lawyer. He’ll be bringing the appropriate paperwork, and then I’ll do what I need to. I assure you, this is entirely legal.”
“Legal or not, this isn’t right,” Shannon hissed. “You’re a real bastard, you know that?”
“Bastard or not, I’ve made my decision. Good day, Mrs. Gibbs,” DiNozzo said, then walked away. Shannon stared after him, open mouthed and filled with more hatred and fury than she’d ever experienced before.
xxxx
Jethro saw the whole thing, and unlike his wife, he was spurred into action instead of stunned. He followed DiNozzo out into the parking garage and waited until the man was opening the door to make his move. He gripped DiNozzo by the shoulder and spun him around, shoving him up against the car.
“What the hell?” DiNozzo barked. Gibbs shook his head.
“You son of a bitch,” he hissed, breathing heavily. “How in the hell can you just abandon your son? He needs you, damn it! Did you hear how ill he is? And you’re abandoning him, ripping out the only life he’s known, taking away the only parent he remembers. You’re going to kill him, DiNozzo.”
DiNozzo’s nostrils flared in anger as Gibbs glared down at him.
“I don’t give a damn what you say to me, Gibbs. I can’t, and I won’t take care of a cripple. I-“
He was cut off by a blow to the face, one that snapped his head to the side. He wiped a trickle of blood from his split lip as Gibbs shook his hand out.
“You’ve made a serious mistake, Gibbs,” DiNozzo spat. “And a powerful enemy.”
Jethro laughed bitterly. “I’m not the one who’s made the mistake, DiNozzo. You just threw away the best thing that ever happened to you.”
“What would you know about it?” DINozzo demanded, but Gibbs was already walking away. “You’ll regret crossing me, Gibbs! Do you hear me?”
Jethro continued walking, fury racing through his veins.
His hand was exploding in pain by the time he got back into the hospital, but he was numb to it, shaking with anger and despair, panic at the thought of Tony deteriorating further.
“Mr. Gibbs,” someone said. Gibbs turned around, chest heaving with emotion.
“Maria?” He said, frowning. The woman was crying, tears streaming down her face.
“I have to leave,” she said. “I must go back.”
He realized what she was saying. DiNozzo was still her employer, and he wasn’t going to allow her to stay with Tony.
“Please, give this back to him,” she said, holding something out with a trembling hand. Jethro took it numbly. It was the stuffed bunny that Tony had clutched so fiercely.
“Thank you,” Maria said, wiping away her tears. “Thank you.”
And then she was gone, and Jethro was left alone with the bunny and his growing hopelessness.