A/N: So this is pretty AU, and it's something I'm new to, but I really wanted to try it, so here it goes…

xxxx

"Shannon, it's a one time thing. I know it's not exactly typical-"

"You got that right," Shannon muttered, watching as the charge nurse continued to prattle on.

"-but Mr. DiNozzo is a huge contributor to this hospital. The man practically financed the burn unit all by himself."

Shannon sighed. "That's all well and good, but why am I the one that has to deal with him?"

"He asked for our best pediatric nurse. That's you, Shannon."

"Damn it," Shannon grumbled. "I don't like this, Marcie. I can get a lot more done here, help a lot more kids."

"I know, Shannon," Marcie said, loosening up a bit. "But this guy's rich and loaded and used to getting what he wants, and he's not coming to the hospital. His kid could use your help, Shan."

Shannon knew she was being played, knew that Marcie knew her well enough to know that pulling the 'kid in need' card would get her every time. She knew it, and it still got her this time too.

"Okay, okay. Then I'm going to go head and take off. See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. See you then. And Shannon?"

Shannon turned back around.

"Whatever you do, don't piss him off."

xxxx

The DiNozzo mansion was monstrous, all turrets and high windows and towering doors. Shannon was simultaneously impressed and disgusted by the display of power. She pulled her car up to the front, only half surprised when a valet came up and asked for her keys. Shannon relented then walked up to the door, lifting the large brass knocker and letting it fall.

"Hi, my name's Shannon Gibbs. I'm here to see Mr. DiNozzo's child?" Shannon said as the door swung open. The man who opened the door nodded.

"Right this way, madam," he said, allowing her to enter before closing the door behind her. Shannon found herself in a huge foyer, an elaborate staircase stretching up to one side, a huge chandelier dangling over her head.

The butler led her up the stairs and paused outside of a door, knocking succinctly.

"Mr. DiNozzo? The nurse you requested is here."

The butler opened the door and shooed Shannon in, then bowed and walked away. Shannon was left standing in a large office with huge bookcases lining the wall and a large desk directly in front of her. The man seated at the desk, dressed sharply in a perfectly fitted suit stood up.

"Hi. My name is Anthony DiNozzo," the man said, extending his hand and flashing a smile. Shannon half-smiled in return and shook his hand. He certainly thinks of himself as a charmer.

"Shannon Gibbs. You have a sick child?"

DiNozzo sighed. "Yeah. My son, Tony. He's not been himself lately."

"Has he complained of any symptoms?"Shannon asked. "Headache, stomachache, anything like that?"

DiNozzo looked affronted. "Tony doesn't complain."

Shannon frowned at the way he said it; he wasn't just stating one of his son's characteristics, he said it as though he would be disappointed if his son had the nerve to complain. Poor kid.

"I'll take you to him now," DiNozzo said, leading Shannon out of the office. "He's in the playroom."

They walked down a long hallway to another door, less grand than the one in DiNozzo's office.

"Tony!" DiNozzo barked when they walked into the room. Shannon frowned and nearly said something, but remembered that she wasn't supposed to piss off this very important contributor to the hospital.

Those thoughts fled from her mind when she noticed the tiny form huddled on the carpet. She hurried quickly to the child's side, feeling his forehead. The little boy was burning up, blinking lethargically at her with glassy green eyes. He was only 3 or 4 years old; Shannon had been expecting an older child and couldn't imagine a boy this young that didn't complain about being ill.

"Why isn't he in bed?" Shannon demanded as she helped Tony sit upright.

"It's 3:00 in the afternoon, Mrs. Gibbs. It would be inappropriate for him to be in bed."

Shannon literally bit her tongue.

"Well, I need somewhere to examine him," she said finally, and DiNozzo nodded. "There's a billiards table just through here. It should be as good a place as any."

"That's fine," Shannon said, turning back to Tony. "Come on, baby," she whispered, scooping the thin form into her arms. "You're okay, it's okay."

"Mrs. Gibbs, please don't baby him. He does not need to be coddled."

Shannon bristled and clutched Tony closer to her, a surge of protectiveness washing over her as she held his tiny hot form.

"Mr. DiNozzo, you wanted the best pediatric nurse in the hospital. That's me. I'm the best because of how I treat the children, so if you want me to help your son, you'll let me do it the way I always do.'

DiNozzo squared his jaw, glaring at Shannon. Shannon glared back.

"This way," DiNozzo snapped finally, walking briskly back down the large hallway. Shannon followed, cradling Tony to her chest, whispering reassuringly to him. He remained listless in her arms. When they reached the room, Shannon carefully laid Tony down on the table, then started rummaging around in her bag. She wasn't even sure if DiNozzo was still there or not, and honestly, she didn't care.

"Okay sweetie, I'm going to take your temperature. This is going in your ear, okay?"

Tony nodded lethargically, his eyelids at half mast.

"There you go. It's okay," Shannon soothed as she took the reading. 102.7.

"You've got quite the temperature, baby. I'm going to listen to your heart and lungs now," she said, pulling her stethoscope out and warming it. Tony nodded again as Shannon helped him sit upright. He started to slump to one side, so she quickly put a supporting hand on his back.

"You okay?" She asked, trying to gauge the little boy's awareness. Tony nodded once again.

Shannon turned around, half-surprised to see DiNozzo there still, watching her closely. "Is he normally this quiet?"

"No. Usually he won't stop talking."

Shannon frowned. "Deep breath," she said, nodding as Tony complied. "Again? Good. I'm going to feel your neck now, okay?"

Shannon moved to put her hands on Tony's neck, but the little boy flinched away, eyes wide. Shannon swore under her breath.

"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I'll be extra gentle, okay?"

"Okay," Tony croaked finally, but his little body was still tense, and his eyes were wide with fear as Shannon felt along his lymph nodes. Definitely enlarged. That wasn't what bothered her most though, Tony actually seemed frightened of her. Alarms were going off in her head.

"Can you open your mouth really big for me?"

Tony complied silently, lower lip trembling and tears leaking from beneath his tightly closed eyelids. Tony's throat was red and inflamed, dotted with white sores. Shannon quickly took a swab and swept it across his throat, wincing inwardly when Tony let out a whimper.

"Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry. Your throat's probably pretty sore, isn't it?" Shannon said gently, reaching up and lightly brushing away the tears that were streaming down Tony's cheeks. She was startled when DiNozzo strode across the room in two steps, painfully gripping Tony's arm.

"Anthony! What have I said to you about crying?"

Tony sniffled and looked down. "Di-DiNozzos don't c-cry," he stuttered, gnawing lightly on his bottom lip.

"That's correct. Apologize to Mrs. Gibbs."

"Mr. DiNozzo, I don't think that's nece-"

"Anthony. Now."

Tony continued looking down at the floor, sniffling quietly. "I-I'm sorry," he stuttered.

"Tony, look at me," Shannon said gently, cupping Tony's chin in one hand. "It is completely okay. Sometimes, things hurt very badly, and then it's okay to cry. Okay? I'm not mad at you, or disappointed. You've been a very brave boy."

She knew that DiNozzo was probably bristling with anger, glaring at her as she contradicted him, but she honestly didn't give a damn.

"I'm going to give you some medicine for your throat and to get your fever down, and hopefully you'll be feeling a little bit better soon, okay? Open up, kiddo."

Tony complied, opening his mouth and grimacing slightly as he chewed and swallowed.

"Tastes gross, huh?" Shannon said, making a face. Tony gave a shy smile, and Shannon felt something swell in her chest. He had a luminous smile, one that seemed to take up his whole face and just radiate.

"You know what?" Shannon asked, reaching into her bag. "You've been really brave, and you ate all that yucky medicine that I gave you. I have something special for you." She'd spotted the rabbit in the hospital gift shop and picked it up on a whim on her way out. She pulled it out of her bag and held it out to Tony.

Tony shook his head slowly, eyes wide with longing. "No, th-thank you."

"Aw, come on now, Tony. You don't want this bunny to be lonely, do you?"

"N-no," Tony answered tentatively, looking at her with a slightly confused expression.

"This bunny needs a good home to go to, with a good little boy. I don't have a good little boy at my home. Would you take care of it for me?"

Tony hesitated a minute longer, watching her curiously, then nodded.

"Thank y-you," he whispered, clutching the rabbit to his chest and gracing Shannon with that beautiful smile again.

"You're welcome, Tony. Now, how about we get you in bed so you can rest, huh?" Shannon said, looking purposely at DiNozzo. She almost wished he would say something, but he just stood stiffly and led her out of the room. Shannon held Tony's warm little hand in hers, watching him closely. The little boy had the stuffed rabbit still clasped to his chest, and he was walking dazedly. Halfway down the hallway, he stumbled and fell to his hands and knees, breathing heavily and clearly trying not to cry. Shannon picked him up and tucked him close, trying not to notice how tightly he clung to her shirt, or how he buried his face in her shoulder.

DiNozzo made a noise under his breath, but Shannon ignored it, walking into Tony's bedroom. It was a good-sized room, and it was neat and tidy, nothing out of place. It took Shannon a second to realize that there wasn't a single toy visible in the room, no stuffed animals or toy cars or picture books. No wonder Tony liked the bunny so much.

"There you go, Tony," Shannon whispered as she lowered the thin boy to the bed. "That's good, huh?" She pulled the covers up and tucked them around Tony and his bunny, watching as the little boy blinked slowly, nestling into the covers before drifting off to sleep.

"Can we speak outside?" Shannon asked once she was sure Tony was sleeping. DiNozzo nodded curtly.

"I think that Tony has strep throat. I've taken a swab to have tested, and should it come back positive I'll have a prescription called in. In the mean time, get him to drink as many fluids as you can- it'll be painful, but we don't want him getting dehydrated. Bring him in if he starts showing additional symptoms like a rash, or if his fever gets too high. If this doesn't clear up within the next week or so, you'll want to get him checked out again."

DiNozzo took a deep breath, then let it out slowly.

"I'll let Maria know."

"Maria?" Shannon asked. She was unaware that Tony's mother was still alive.

"Tony's nanny. I have business to attend to this week, so Maria will be taking care of him."

Shannon very nearly said something very unladylike, but managed to tamp down her emotions.

"Well. Okay. Umm….is there anything else?"

DiNozzo looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze.

"No, Mrs. Gibbs. I think you've done quite enough here today," he said finally. Shannon clenched her fists, then consciously released them. Deep breath. Okay.

"Right. I hope Tony gets better soon, and I'll call with that prescription."

"Thank you. The butler will see you out."

Shannon nodded and walked away, down the towering staircase, across the massive entryway, and out the door. She managed to drive off the DiNozzo property before she pulled over, buried her head in her arms, and sobbed.