Chapter Sixteen:

Tony was dreaming. Gibbs was standing next to him and talking softly. Then Gibbs was replaced by someone Tony couldn’t see, someone who was cursing, shouting and hurting him. The mysterious assailant hammered Tony with something like a bat. He was tied to a chair and could not move. In his dream Tony tried to remain silent, but gave way to the pain and finally screamed. Gibbs appeared again, pulled a gun from his side, and fired. When the echo of the gun subsided the pain had evaporated. And then the dream stopped.

As Tony woke he automatically flinched, anticipating the next blow. As he became more awake he realized he wasn’t in the chair anymore. His head ached and he was having trouble thinking clearly. He remembered hearing Gibbs’ voice and then a lot of jostling. He tried to put that memory in context. He had a vague memory of a surgery. That thought puzzled him, and he let it go. He tried opening his eyes, and was surprised when fuzzy images actually appeared. After having spent what seemed like an eternity blindfolded, vision was a novelty. He blinked his eyes a couple of times and things became clearer. He could see innumerable intravenous bags hanging from multiple poles. Okay, he was clearly in a hospital he told himself. Even as he had that thought, he realized a breathing tube had been inserted through his mouth and he pushed down the fear that knowledge caused. He could hear the hissing of the ventilator and several different beeping sounds. Turning his head to the left, he saw what looked like a wall of machinery, information being displayed in reds and greens on display panels, and turning to the right he saw a mirror image of the other side. He tried to lift his head to see more, but discovered that he did not have the strength. What had started out as unease when he first understood where he was began to bloom into full blown panic. Suddenly an alarm sounded shrilly. It was coming from one of the machines.

Before he had time to contemplate what that meant, he heard someone say, “So, you’re awake. That’s good. Everything is going to be fine. You need to calm down now. Your pulse rate soared through the roof; that’s why the alarm is sounding.�

Tony looked over and saw a small, blonde haired woman fiddling with one of the machines. After the alarm stopped, she turned and looked at him, a smile on her face. She stepped closer to him, putting a hand on his arm, and said, “Hi, I’m Karen Olson. I hope you don’t mind if I call you Tony. You’re at Georgetown Medical, and I’m the head nurse on this floor. I’m glad you’re awake and I get to meet you before I go off shift.� She was in her early forties and her face was open and friendly; there was a sparkle to her blue eyes. She wore bright pink scrubs striped in royal blue and a fuzzy pale blue sweater. The stripes seemed to wiggle and Tony blinked to try and clear his vision. Tony worked hard to follow what she was saying but he was having a hard time thinking clearly. “This has not been your best day. You’ve had surgery to repair some injuries you sustained. We can talk about the details when you’re feeling better. For now, what you need to know is that you are going to be fine. You just need to conserve your strength and concentrate on getting better. So that means no more panic attacks, mister,� she said teasingly.

Tony wanted her to tell him more, but he couldn’t think of a way to let her know that. Frustration was quickly replacing fear. He wanted to do something, but didn’t know what. He felt heavy, weighted down. His eyes started to close as he felt sleep claiming him. He jerked them back open, wanting to prolong the visit. Memories of how he felt when he had been held captive rushed back. He remembered how the loneliness had been almost as bad as the pain; how in a twisted way he had wanted his tormentor to return, just so that he wasn’t alone. Nurse Karen must have seen something in his eyes, for she said, “Go back to sleep. It’s okay. You’re safe now.� She said more but Tony was beginning to have difficulties focusing on her. The urge to sleep was overpowering him. Just before he fell completely asleep he heard her say, “Maybe Gibbs will be here next time you wake up.� Even though the ventilator hid most of his mouth, Karen could see a small smile form as he drifted back to sleep.

Karen looked over at the monitors and was pleased to see that Tony’s heart rate had slowed back down. She checked on his temperature and frowned because the display said 103.5. They had to get it down if he was going to get better. She knew that she would need to update Gibbs. Looking at her watch she sighed, it was eleven o’clock. She headed to the visitor’s lounge, not surprised to see him standing by the door, waiting.

“I need to talk to you before you go in to see him,� she said. At her words Gibbs could feel his chest tighten. “Tony’s temperature is not going down as quickly as we would like. I’m sure you’ve noticed the cooling blankets. We’re also administering medication. We’ll be watching this closely, as we don’t want it to put any additional strain on his heart as it tries to heal from the surgery. On the plus side, he woke up briefly. He’s undoubtedly disoriented and uncomfortable. When he first woke up his pulse rate rose to dangerous levels, but it settled down rapidly. I’m not sure how well he followed what I said to him. The fever and the medicine both hamper lucidity and being intubated will make him agitated. We need to keep him as calm as possible. Don’t go into much detail about his injuries. We don’t want to scare him. I assured him he was going to be fine. We need to keep giving him positive reinforcement.� She paused, giving herself time to gage Gibbs’ response to the news. When she couldn’t get a read on him she continued. “I go off duty at midnight. Maria Hernandez will be taking over for me. I’ll brief her on everything before I go. If Dr. Pitt gets here tonight I’ll make sure she has him speak to you. Go easy on her, she’s a nice lady. The doctor monitoring the floor tonight is Dr. Trendle. If things change and you have questions just ask to speak to him. I’ll be back at noon tomorrow. Hopefully by then Tony will be doing better. And Gibbs, you take care of yourself. Make sure you get some rest. You won’t do him any good if you run yourself into the ground.�

“Thanks Karen. I appreciate all you’ve done. I’ll be a good boy; don’t worry.�

“Well, don’t just stand here. Go on in and see him. Good night, Gibbs, I’ll see you in the morning,� she said.

This time when Gibbs got to Tony’s room there was no hesitation at the door. He was getting used to seeing Tony like this, he thought disgustedly as he walked quickly over to the bed. He immediately clasped Tony’s hand and softly spoke, “Tony, its Gibbs. I’m back for my hourly visit. Heard you were awake for a little bit. That’s good Tony. That’s real good,� and he fell silent, pleasantly surprised when Tony’s eyes slit open.

“Hey,� Gibbs said quietly. “It’s good to see your eyes.� Gibbs gave Tony’s hand a little squeeze. “Glad you could drag yourself away from your dreams for a few moments. “

Tony’s eyes opened a little wider as he tried to get them to focus. He could see someone standing by him, and he heard Gibbs’ voice. Even in his drug induced haze he knew that this wasn’t a dream. Gibbs was really there.

“. . . said you’re gonna be better before you know it. You just have to do what the doctors tell you.â€� Tony realized he had missed some of what Gibbs was saying. The details of Gibbs’ face sharpened and Tony felt an instinctual need to respond. He tried to speak, and was thwarted by the tube in his mouth. Without giving it any clear thought, he attempted to reach up, intending to remove the obstruction. His hand was prevented from moving by some unknown pressure. Irrationally he became afraid â€" fearing that he was once again bound. He glanced down. Instead of ropes, he saw Gibbs’ hand resting over his own.

“. . . be proud of McGee and Ziva.� Tony told himself to get it together. Tony sought out Gibbs eyes, desperate to communicate in some fashion. Gibbs locked eyes with him and he gave Tony a half smile. Tony concentrated on his hand encased by Gibbs’. He managed to rotate it, until their hands lay palm to palm. Using his last reserve of strength, Tony wrapped his fingers around Gibbs’ hand and softly squeezed. Then, exhausted, he closed his eyes and floated back towards sleep.

“Aw hell DiNozzo. You’re scaring the shit out of me,� Gibbs blurted, so overcome with relief knowing Tony was with it enough to acknowledge his presence with a squeeze of the hand that he had forgotten Karen’s warning. He winced and then gave himself an imaginary head slap, thinking about how that sounded. “You gotta stop doing this. I can’t take it. Gonna have a heart attack. I’m not as young as I used to be,� he said, purposely making his voice teasing and light, trying to dilute the angst in his first exclamation. As he spoke he watched Tony’s eyes cloud over and then close.

Before he knew it, ten minutes were up and he was being sent back to what he now viewed as purgatory. There was nothing to do in the waiting room but sit and worry. Gibbs hated not having something to do; that was one reason he had a partially built boat in his basement. He picked up a magazine that was on the chair next to his. Thumbing through its pages, he found nothing that interested him. He didn’t care about what movie stars had misbehaved that week, who had lost the most weight, or how some dog had saved an entire family’s life.

He had just tossed the magazine back, and was wondering if it was too soon to call McGee for an update, when he heard, “We’ve got to stop meeting like this Gibbs.� Gibbs looked up and there stood Dr. Pitt, looking a little worse for wear, dressed in wrinkled and stained green scrubs.

“Brad,� he acknowledged, standing and holding out his hand.

“Do I even want to know what happened this time?� Dr. Pitt asked, shaking his head a little as he shook Gibbs’ hand. “A Dr. Anderson called, saying Tony had to have surgery and was all freaked out about the Y. pestis and the possibility of pneumonia. He called back a few hours later and said Tony was running a fever. I didn’t like the sound of that and promised to come have a look. Glad I’ve got privileges here. I haven’t been in to see him yet. Figured you’d be here and could give me the lay of the land.�

“Tony got abducted and held for three days. The bastard beat the hell out of him. Tony had a tear in his aorta that they repaired surgically, a broken leg that needed operating on, bruises to other organs, and who knows what else. His heart stopped twice and they’re talking about putting him in a coma. He’s running one hell of a fever and is on a ventilator. That’s the lay of the land,� Gibbs snapped bitterly.

Pitt blinked a couple of times, digesting the information. “Well, no one can say Tony does things in halves,� he exhaled. “Guess I’d better go see what’s up. I’ll come back out and talk to you as soon as I’m done.�

“Thank,� Gibbs said and settled back down to wait as the time stretched out.

Gibbs was up and pacing. Time seemed to drag by for Gibbs and he began to get impatient. It seemed that Dr. Pitt had been in with Tony for a long time. How long does it take to read a chart and look at some machines he wondered?

“Gibbs, lets talk,� Pitt said as he came back into the lounge. He headed for a chair and sank down into it with a sigh of pleasure. Looking over at Gibbs’ impatient face he said, “You appreciate straight talk, so I’m not going to pull any punches. Tony’s oxygen levels aren’t good. That combined with the fever, points towards pneumonia. Post operative pneumonia is not uncommon, although usually it takes longer to show up. I’m wondering if Tony was already developing it before he even got to the hospital.�

“He was on a cement floor in an abandoned warehouse when we found him. It was cold and damp,� Gibbs offered, a scowl on his face. Pitt was glad he wasn’t the person who had done this to Tony.

“Well, that could certainly have done it. I’ve asked the attending to order a chest x-ray, which will probably confirm what I already know. I looked at the antibiotics they’ve been giving him and made a couple of strong suggestions. These are ones that Tony responds to more quickly. I let them know that I’ll be taking care of his pulmonary needs; I think they were relieved. I need to talk to the cardiologist in the morning. I want to know more about the tear and its repair. Cardio problems often impact breathing. I don’t like the fact that he went into arrest. The rest of the injuries are painful, but not life threatening. I don’t want them to put him into a medical coma. Although they have him heavily sedated, he does wake up occasionally. I’d like to continue being able to communicate with him. It’ll give us a better sense of what’s going on with him because I don’t think Tony is going to feel up to concealing how he really feels.�

“Appreciate you signing on, Brad,� Gibbs said. “I feel better knowing that you’re watching his back.�

“I’m going home to catch a couple of hours of sleep. Just want to check on the x-ray, but I don’t expect it to contain any surprises. I’ll talk to all his doctors in the morning and get back over here when I can. I’ll call you when I know anything. I’ve still got your number saved from last time.� Dr. Pitt pushed himself painfully back onto his feet and with a small wave, headed out the door.

Gibbs watched him leave. ‘And then there was one,’ flashed through his mind. Looking around the room he realized he was indeed alone. Everyone else had apparently gone home for the night. Standing, he walked over to the television positioned in one corner, took the controller, and clicked through the channels, looking for something to distract him for a while. Finally settling on a baseball game, he sat and prepared to wait.

The night continued like that. Brief visits with Tony, Gibbs watching over him while he slept; followed by long hours of waiting. Gibbs talked to McGee once, to learn that Cassie’s team had caught Lynch. They had taken him into custody, along with the naval officer he had been with. Gibbs’ frustration level did not improve when McGee informed him that Cassie had decided to let them cool their heels in holding rooms for the night and that she didn’t intend to question them until she and the team had gotten some sleep. Gibbs wasn’t sleeping. Tony could do nothing but sleep. He wanted answers and he wanted them yesterday!

Ducky appeared in the visitors’ lounge at 7:30 a.m. He was dressed in a tweed jacket, light blue shirt and burgundy patterned bow tie. Over one arm he had slung his coat, and he was carrying an overnight bag, an extremely large thermos, and a paper bag. He eased the overnight bag to the floor and handed the paper bag to Gibbs.

“There’s a breakfast sandwich in the bag. Eat it up and I’ll give you this thermos filled with your usual swill to wash it down with,� he said in lieu of a standard greeting. “I put a shaving kit, clean clothes and a sundry other toiletries in the overnighter.�

Taking in Gibbs’ appearance, bloodshot eyes encircled by dark rings, a five o’clock shadow, and rumpled clothing, he asked,�Did you get any sleep after I left?�

“Pitt came by last night and confirmed that Tony has pneumonia,� Gibbs replied, avoiding answering Ducky’s question, not wanting a long winded lecture. “He assigned himself to Tony’s case and ordered a series of antibiotics he used on Tony before. They seem to be helping; the nurse told me that Tony’s temperature had dropped a couple of degrees and that the doctor was pleased. Brad went home for the night and said he’d be back sometime today.�

“Well, that seems a bit more promising. How does Tony seem to you?�

“He’s been waking up a bit occasionally. I don’t know how aware he is, but he seems to respond when I talk to him.�

“How would he dare not,� Ducky teased Gibbs. Then he gestured to the sandwich and urged Gibbs to eat. “And how is the lovely Nurse Karen? What does she have to say about Tony? Nurses usually have a better read on patients then doctors. They spend more time with them.�

“She’s off duty. She’ll be back at noon.�

“Has Abby been here, yet?� Ducky asked, and when Gibbs shook his head, he added, “Well it’s just a matter of time, I would suspect.�

“I’d better go to the restroom and get cleaned up then, while I can. I’m hoping Dr. Anderson will be doing rounds soon. Keep an eye out Duck.�

“By all means, Jethro,� Ducky answered.

Once in the bathroom, Gibbs opened the overnight bag and pulled out his soap, tooth brush and paste, and shaving equipment. In short order he was feeling more human. Changing into the clean, navy blue polo and grey sweater Ducky had packed completed his transformation. Stuffing his discarded clothing and grooming supplies back in the bag, he headed for the lounge.

Rounding the corner Gibbs knew that Abby had arrived. He could hear her before he even saw her; her voice raised in an animated discussion with Ducky on why she needed to see Tony. When he saw her he came to a complete stop. Apparently Abby had dressed to impress. She was wearing her usual knee high, buckled platform boots, but that was where the familiar stopped. Her skirt was an elaborate creation of pink and black tulle, rather like a gothic tutu. She had topped that with a dark pink satin corselet edged in black rhinestones over the top of a long sleeved, black bodysuit. Her hands were incased in black lace, fingerless gloves and her neck was draped in multiple chains of various lengths and weights sporadically trimmed with gothic crosses. Atop her head perched a shiny black top hat, draped in net and festooned with feathers. But what made the outfit truly astounding was the set of purple, red and black chiffon fairy wings sprouting from her back. At the moment she was jumping up and down in front of Ducky and the bounce of the wings made her appear ready to take flight.

“Abs, if DiNozzo woke up and saw you he might think the angel of death had descended,� Gibbs growled.

“Gibbs,� Abby screamed, spun on her heels and rushed over to hug him, causing him to duck his head to avoid being slapped in the face by an errant wing. Now that he could see her face, he realized that mascara was melting down her cheeks. “I’ve been so worried about Tony. I got up at five this morning and just sat in my apartment drinking caf-pows, waiting until I could come here. Ducky says Tony has pneumonia. It isn’t fair, Gibbs. Tony doesn’t deserve this. I want to see him. I need to see him with my own eyes to really know that he’s alive.�

As she spoke Gibbs looked through her wings and saw that everyone in the room was staring open mouthed at her. “Calm down Abs. You can’t go see him in this state. “He pulled a handkerchief from his pants pocket and wiped at the dripping mascara. “I’ll let you but you need to put on a brave face. The nurse warned that we need to keep Tony calm. That means no hugging, squeezing or squealing. He’s heavily sedated Abby. I’m not sure how much he understands, but he does respond to quiet, friendly voices.�

“I’m just going to tell him what he means to me. Nothing difficult. I want him to know that we are all here for him. I brought him Bert; I want him to remember he’s special to us.�

Gibbs glanced over, and sure enough, the flatulent stuffed hippo was sitting on a chair, waiting to be assigned to guard duty. “Visitation will be in just a couple of minutes, Abs. They’ll let you stay for ten minutes,� and even as he spoke the nurse arrived to shepherd people into the unit.

Nurse Maria, Karen’s night replacement, was a small Hispanic woman in her early sixties with a serious face. She took one look at Abby and her eyes rounded into enormous saucers.

“She is here to see Tony,� Gibbs informed her.

Nurse Maria just nodded. Finally, after clearing her throat, she found her voice and managed, “I know that usually we only let one person in at a time, but perhaps you would like to accompany her,� addressing Gibbs.

He smirked and nodded, secretly suspecting that Nurse Maria did not trust leaving Abby alone in the room with a helpless DiNozzo. “We’ll be back in a bit, Duck. Will you still be here?�

“I will wait for Abigail and then accompany her to headquarters. I have two guests waiting for me in autopsy so I really must leave when her visit is concluded.�

“Understood Ducky,� Gibbs said, turning to follow Abby in.

Abby, her arms wrapped around Bert, was in the process of telling Nurse Maria about the myriad germs she had found on a marine who had died on an ICU floor and had been sent to NCIS because they had suspected poisoning. She seemed completely oblivious to the fact that it was an entirely one-sided conversation, as Maria again seemed not to know what to say. Finally they reached Tony’s room and Maria hastened away.

Abby rushed to the side of the bed. Without hesitation she placed a hand on Tony’s face, softly letting him know that she was there. “You need to get better soon so that we can have a movie night. I just got the DVD copy of The Wrestler and have been waiting to watch it with you. “

Tony could hear someone talking to him again. For a moment he was confused because it didn’t sound like Gibbs, and yet the voice was almost as familiar. “. . . movie night.� He slowly realized it must be Abby. Slowly, he forced his eyes open and found Abby staring at him, her face just inches above his own.

“You’re awake,� she gushed. “I knew I would be just the cure you needed. Hey there Tony Boy,� and she bent even closer and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I brought you someone to keep you company,� and she produced Bert from behind her and placed him by his side.

Tony turned his head to look at the hippo. His right hand moved very slowly over to the toy, and then Gibbs and Abby were gifted with the sound of Bert passing gas.

“Oh Tony,� Abby exclaimed, clearly pleased by the sign that Tony knew who she was and seemed to still have a sense of humor. “I knew you were going to get better. Just make sure you do it quickly, mister.�

Tony held her gaze to a second, and then his eyes seemed to droop. He forced them open and scanned the room. When he saw Gibbs standing at the foot of the bed, his eyes stilled. His right hand rose up from the bed and gave a weak, but clear wave. Gibbs smiled at him and nodded slowly. Then Tony’s eyes closed and Gibbs knew the visit was effectively over. He let Abby babble away at Tony for the next several minutes, but Gibbs knew that Tony didn’t hear her. That was okay with him. There was something reassuring about listening to Abby’s stream of conscious ramblings to Tony. He had witnessed the same thing innumerable times in Abby’s lab. For the first time in twenty four hours, Gibbs began to truly think that things might just be alright.

When the visit was over they headed back to the lounge to say their goodbyes. Ducky looked hard at Gibbs and said, “I take it the visit went well.�

“You have ESP now, Ducky?� Gibbs asked.

“No, but I do have eyes. You look much more relaxed Jethro.�

“Tony seemed a bit more aware this time Ducky. It was good to see.�

“Yes, I can see that. Well, I really do need to head to work. Come along Abigail; you can come see Tony again later,� and he drew Abby to him and headed to the door. Just before he stepped out he turned back to Gibbs and said, “Remember Jethro, of all ills that one endures, hope is a cheap and universal cure.� Then he waved, leaving Gibbs with his new found hope.