“Do you need anything else, Agent DiNozzo?”
Tony tiredly smiled at the nurse as she glanced at the monitor one final time making sure that his vital signs were stable. After Gibbs had left, Rachel had entered the room, syringe in hand, ready to send him into the sweet arms of Morpheus. He welcomed the relief from the physical pain; the pounding in his skull was quickly dulling to a low roar, allowing his mind to begin to process the events of the past few hours.
“I’m fine,” he sighed. “Thanks, Rachel.”
“All right. Get some rest,” she instructed. “You’ve had enough excitement for one day.”
“Truthfully, I’ve had enough excitement lately to last me for a lifetime,” Tony wearily quipped.
“No argument there.”
Rachel placed the call button within his reach. “Just call me if you need me.”
“Does this ring your home phone too?” he asked. “I might need someone to look in on me or wipe my fevered brow.”
She returned his brow. It was good to know that he had completely lost his touch when it came to the opposite sex.
“You don’t have a fever and no, it doesn’t ring my house,” she answered. “But if you put as much energy into getting well as you do flirting, then maybe you’ll get my home number.”
“That’s the best incentive I’ve heard yet. You wouldn’t be leading me on, would you?”
Shaking her head in amusement, Rachel left him alone. Laying his head back against his pillow, he listened to the rhythmic beeping of the machines as the sound threatened to lull him to sleep. However, Tony wasn’t ready to sleep; he wanted to enjoy the fact that he was alone. There was no one making demands of him, no one make a fuss over him, and no one trying to tell him that everything would be all right. He appreciated the efforts of his team mates; they had his six, but he still wasn’t convinced that he deserved such loyalty.
He knew that his few moments of tranquility would not last for much longer. Gibbs was sending Abby to stay with him and she would be fussing over him and telling him that the mess that had become his life would be straightened out in no time. Abby was an eternal optimist and he loved her for always being able to see the silver lining in the darkest of clouds. He also adored her for the fact the she would not expect any more out of him than he was willing to give. She understood him better than he understood himself at times.
As if on cue, Abby bounced into his room, her vibrant smile reminding him that despite everything that had happened, she was still his friend.
“Hey, Abs,” he slurred.
“Tony! You’re still awake!” she excitedly cried out.
The agent nodded as he stifled a yawn. “Yep. Don’t know for how long though.”
“It doesn’t matter. Whenever you want to go to sleep, just close your eyes.”
“Okay.”
“I mean it, Tony. Whenever you want to go to sleep, you let me know. Gibbs told me I had to let you rest and I promised that I would. After all, you need your sleep and…”
“And what, Abs?” Tony pressed.
He was taken by surprise as she carefully hugged him and planted a kiss on his cheek. “I’m so proud of you, Tony.”
“Uh, thanks,” he mumbled. “For what?”
“For doing the right thing,” she replied. “I never doubted you would do the right thing because you have this incredible sense of right and wrong and you always want to see justice done. I know that you could have taken the so called easy way out, but you didn’t. Not that you ever do anything the easy way,” Abby blurted out.
A look of panic was etched in her porcelain features. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”
Tony took Abby’s hand in his and squeezed it. “Thanks, Abby.”
“You know I meant every word, except for that last part about you not doing things the easy way.”
“I know. Of course, Gibbs would probably agree with you.”
The agent sheepishly grinned as she placed yet another kiss on top of his forehead. Tony knew he was now sporting a daunting shade of ‘midnight lust’ just below his hairline and on his cheek, but that was fine by him. He found it oddly comforting. It reminded him of something a mother would do to console a child after a terrifying nightmare; not necessarily his mother, but a mother who wasn’t afraid to be affectionate towards her child for fear it would tarnish her image.
The sound of the chair scraping the floor pulled him out of his reverie. Tony watched as Abby placed the chair as close as she could to the bed and made herself comfortable. “Speaking of Gibbs; did you guys talk?”
“Yeah. Some.”
“And?”
“We cleared the air, I guess.” He yawned once again, struggling to keep his eyes open.
“You can tell me all about it when you wake up. Right now, you better get some sleep.”
He nodded as his eyes began to close. “Stay close,” he whispered.
“Always,” Abby promised.
His lids became heavy and for the first time in a long time, he greeted sleep with open arms. Although the next few weeks were going to be difficult, he figured that it would be nothing compared to the last several months. He had survived to fight another day.
Tony had not been at peace with himself for a long time. He wasn’t sure if the serenity he was experiencing now was due to the fact that he had made what he believed to be the right decision, or if it was the simple fact that he was no longer fighting against the effect of the sedatives. Only time would tell.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Gibbs paced the length of the small waiting room, his impatience reaching a new level as he continued to hold for the Secretary of the Navy. Although he had only been waiting a couple of minutes, the team leader had no intention of wasting any more of his time than necessary. If Davenport didn’t want to talk to him, then he could learn about DiNozzo’s decision the hard way. The Internal Affairs investigators would be more than happy to fill him in on the details.
Just as he was about to hang up, a familiar voice answered, “Agent Gibbs?”
“Secretary Davenport,” the team leader tersely greeted.
“I really wasn’t expecting to hear from you.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“So, why am I speaking with you instead of Agent McGee?” Davenport inquired with a forced politeness.
“Because I told him to hand me the phone.”
“Ah yes,” SecNav sighed. “You’ve trained your team well. They’re the perfect little marionettes, aren’t they? Of course, I wasn’t speaking of your senior field agent; he’s a bit of an enigma, isn’t he?”
Gibbs clenched his jaw. Davenport was trying to get a rise out of him, but he was not going to take the bait. “I won’t keep you long,” the former Marine continued. “I’m just delivering a message to you from Agent DiNozzo.”
“And how is Agent DiNozzo doing?”
“He’s doing a lot better,” Gibbs said, knowing that truthfully, Tony still had a lot to deal with both physically and emotionally. “No thanks to you.”
“I’m not sure I know what you mean,” Davenport said, feigning innocence.
“I’m sure you don’t.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He could easily hear the defensive tone that SecNav’s voice now possessed. They could keep up this cat and mouse game indefinitely but the only problem with that was that Gibbs was not in the mood to play games.
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” he growled. “And while you’re figuring that out, you can try and figure out how you’re going to save your sorry ass. DiNozzo’s not taking your deal.”
His proclamation was met with silence. Gibbs found himself wishing that he could have informed the SecNav of Tony’s decision in person just so he could see the expression on Davenport’s face. He would just have to settle for the image that he had conjured up in his own mind.
“What did you just say?” Davenport asked, disbelief and bitterness were the emotions now present in his voice.
“DiNozzo’s not accepting your offer,” Gibbs repeated, knowing beyond a doubt that the SecNav had heard him the first time.
“Has he lost his mind?”
“Nope.”
“Doesn’t he realize what’s at stake?”
“Yep.”
“He’s about to throw away his career! Doesn’t that matter to him or to you? I’ve given him a chance for a fresh start; an opportunity to put all this behind him and he’s going to simply…” Davenport blew out a frustrated breath. “Why?” the SecNav demanded to know.
“He’s doing what he thinks is right. You can’t fault him for that,” Gibbs pointed out.
“The hell I can’t!” Davenport bellowed. “Even if Agent DiNozzo is willing to sacrifice his own future, I can’t believe that he would chance the future of his friends. If he doesn’t accept my offer, the consequences will be severe.”
“Are you afraid that Tony’s willingness to stand up for what’s right is going to ruin your plans?” the team leader taunted. “Are you worried that you’re not going to be able to keep all those promises you’ve made to your associates? Maybe you should worry about your future,” he suggested, His exhaustion fueling his anger and annoyance at the Secretary.
“Let me speak with Agent DiNozzo,” the SecNav insisted.
“Can’t. He’s asleep. Besides, it’s too late for that. IA has already been advised of the situation,” Gibbs informed him.
“I won’t go down without a fight!”
The ex-Marine smiled. “Neither will we,” he vowed.
Gibbs hung up, not caring that he had just cut off the Secretary of the Navy. He had thrown down the gauntlet on DiNozzo’s behalf and now they had to prepare for war. The former Marine had fought many battles in his military, but now he was fighting for Tony’s soul and it was fast becoming the most significant battle of his life.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Secretary of the Navy Phillip Davenport was beyond angry. DiNozzo’s decision would have far reaching consequences not only for him, but for several individuals who could not afford to have their private business transactions made public.
If only Vance had done his job, then he wouldn’t have had to worry about the likes of Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. He had told Leon to get his house in order and the results of Vance’s efforts had resulted in complete and utter chaos. It was now up to him to clean up the mess that had been created.
He quickly dialed Vincent DiNozzo. After two rings, the elder DiNozzo picked up. Davenport didn’t even give him an opportunity to say hello. “What happened?” he wanted to know. “You said you had things under control!”
“It seems that Anthony has learned quite a few skills since leaving the nest,” DiNozzo remarked, “the chief among them, manipulation.”
“It must be a genetic trait, because you my friend are a master of it in your own right. Or at least I thought so. You assured me that your son would back down and that he wouldn’t want to cause any trouble for his teammates, but I guess he surprised both of us, didn’t he?”
“Yes, he did,” DiNozzo admitted. “If I hadn’t been the one that he had manipulated, I would almost be proud of him.”
“But he maneuvered you right into that proverbial corner,” SecNav reminded him.
“I’m not the only one he surprised, am I, Philip?” Vincent challenged.
“No, you’re not.”
Davenport pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to ward off an impending headache. “By your comments, I can only assume that your plan to get the money from him was also a complete failure.”
“There is no money. Evidently, his mother was a master of deceit as well.”
“Well, that leaves us in quite a difficult spot, doesn’t it?”
“I should have known better than to expect anything from Anthony. He’s never been one to do what was required of him,” Vincent recalled. “He usually had to learn his lessons the hard way.”
The SecNav didn’t particularly want to hear the sordid details of Tony DiNozzo’s childhood; right now, he wanted a solution to the problem that was fast becoming his worst nightmare.
“So, where do we go from here?” DiNozzo asked. “Neither of us can afford to have that list fall into the hands of the investigators.”
“I’m aware of that, Vincent,” Davenport growled. “What do you suggest?”
“I suggest that the threat be eliminated.”
“We’ve tried that before, but your son has the propensity to get out of the most difficult of situations.”
“I guess it’s time to play our trump card then.”
“Perhaps you’re right.”
Davenport paused for a moment. Vincent DiNozzo was prepared to sacrifice his son; that was something that the SecNav didn’t think that he could ever do. His children were his life and they believed that their father could do no wrong. Agent DiNozzo and his father did not have that kind of relationship. Vincent hated his son and everything he stood for and he could only assume that the feeling was mutual on the younger man’s part.
“Are you sure about this?” he asked.
“Do what you have to do, Philip. I’ll be in touch.”
“All right,” Davenport agreed. “I’ll take care of it. At least I know it will be done right this time.”
He hung up the phone and sat down in his chair. After he received notification of Agent DiNozzo’s death, he could start doing damage control. He would not be the fall guy for this failed operation; there were too many others that could and would take the blame. Feeling confident of his new plan, he dialed the number of the one person who could possibly help him.
“Hello?” a quiet voice answered.
“You’ve been waiting for my call.”
“I’ve been expecting it,” the woman admitted.
“Then you know why I’m calling,” Davenport assumed. “Everything is falling apart at the seams. You know what you need to do.”
“There has to be another way.”
“There’s not.”
“I’m not sure I can go through with this.”
“Now is not the time for you to worry about your so called ethical standards. You have too much to lose! The next time we speak, Anthony DiNozzo better be dead or you’ll be sorry,” he warned.
“All right! I’ll do it, but this is the last time.”
“We’ll see. Don’t forget that you are on my payroll.”
Davenport hung up, satisfied that his plan would be carried into action. He was not going to permit Tony DiNozzo to destroy everything that he had worked so hard to achieve. “You should have taken the deal, Agent DiNozzo,” he muttered to himself. “You’ve brought this on yourself and now there’s no turning back.”
The SecNav stood up and walked over to the bar. As he poured himself a drink, he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirrored glass. He quickly glanced away, not wanting to see the man that he had become.
At one time, he had believed in the system; he had once possessed the unerring sense of right and wrong, but now, things were different. The more power he had been given, the more he had wanted. Now, he was in danger of losing everything and he could not allow that to happen.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Dr. Katherine Marshall quietly entered the room of Special Agent DiNozzo. He was breathing softly and evenly, indicating that he was sleeping. She was aware that Rachel had given him something for pain a couple of hours ago and that he would probably stay asleep for a while. Abby Scuito was sitting beside him, her dark head lying on his arm as she dozed as well. The physician had not expected the Goth to be in the room, but she should have known that Agent Gibbs would not leave the young man alone.
She sighed as she glanced up at his monitors. For the first time since he had been admitted to the hospital, his vitals were stable. His face was no longer strained with the stress that had literally almost killed him. The agent was resting peacefully as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
“Dr. Marshall?”
Forcing a smile on her lips, Katherine looked to see Abby sitting up. “I was just checking on Tony,” she informed the scientist.
“He’s asleep,” Abby stated.
“I can see that. It’s what he needs.”
“Yep.”
“I’m just going to check his bandages,” Katherine informed her. “You can step out for a minute and get some fresh air. I won’t be long.”
“That’s okay. I’ll stay.”
“You don’t have to. He’ll be fine and if I’m lucky, he won’t even know that I’m here.”
“I’m fine.”
“All right,” she consented, knowing that the other woman was not going to be so easily swayed.
The doctor carefully removed Tony’s bandages and checked the incision sight. She was thankful that Tony didn’t stir. She hoped that he would remain asleep for several more hours, making what she had to do a lot easier. “It looks good,” Katherine announced.
“You sound surprised,” Abby observed.
“Well, I guess with everything that’s happened, I was just expecting it…never mind. I’ll have Rachel come in and change the bandages and make sure that he’s comfortable.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll see you later, Abby.”
Katherine left the room, muttering a curse under her breath. Her plan had backfired, but strangely, she felt a sense of relief. She had a job to do, but she wasn’t sure if she could go through with it. She fingered the syringe in her pocket as she realized that it was too late to back out now.
She noticed that Rachel was busy with another patient, so she decided to change the bandages herself, hoping that another opportunity would present itself. Katherine returned to Tony’s beside. “Rachel’s a little tied up, so I’m going to go ahead and change his bandages,” she informed Abby.
“Okay. Uh, if you don’t mind, I think I will slip out and go to the little girl’s room. I think I’ve had one too many Red Bulls,” Abby declared.
Katherine smiled at her. “How many have you had?”
“I don’t know. I lost count after 18.”
“It’s a wonder that you actually managed to fall asleep.”
“Oh, I wasn’t asleep. I was just thinking with my eyes closed.”
“Of course.”
The doctor watched as she left the room, leaving her alone with her patient. Once Abby was gone, she reached in her pocket and pulled out the syringe. “I’m sorry it has to be this way,” she whispered. “I have no choice.”
As she reached for his IV, Katherine couldn’t help but wonder how she had allowed herself to be maneuvered into doing such a desperate act. Tony DiNozzo didn’t deserve to die, but he had obviously brought this upon himself. She plunged the needle into the IV port, and emptied the contents of the syringe.
Katherine breathed a small sigh of relief. Her job was done. Everything had gone according to plan, or at least she thought it had, until Tony DiNozzo woke up.
Chapter End Notes:
Sorry for the delay, but between snow, ice, power outages, and crazy computers, it took a while to get this chapter done. Hope you enjoy!