Chapter 6
"Damnet!" Gibbs paced outside Tony's door. Tony had just been brought back from surgery and nobody was talking. It had Gibbs worried. More than worried, he was terrified something had gone wrong and nobody would tell him what it was.
Gibb had asked Ducky to talk to the doctors in charge of Tony's care and they were conversing in the doctor's lounge just steps away from the nurses' station and down the hall from Tony's room. Gibbs kept looking from the door to Tony's room, where the nurses were getting Tony settled in, to the door of the doctor's lounge and back.
Gibbs saw Ducky emerge from the lounge. He could tell by the look on Ducky's face that the news was not good.
Ducky shook his head as Gibbs came to meet him. "It's not good Jethro. There was a lot of internal bleeding. There's damage to his lungs, Dr. Pitt is being called in to consult. " Ducky paused. "They managed to remove the bullet. But it was so close to his heart. The surgery took 3 hours longer than it should have. Tony was in such a weakened state. He's…he's in a coma, Jethro. He lapsed into a coma during surgery. He is so weak right now…." Ducky said, shaking his head again.
"He's gonna make it, Duck?" Gibbs stated and asked at the same time.
Ducky could only shake his head.
Gibbs walked up to the observation window and watched as the nurses checked the various machines and tubes connected to Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. The nurses left soon after and allowed Gibbs and Ducky to enter.
Tony lay completely still, too still. Gibbs observed. Tony was never this quiet. Gibbs took it all in. Tony was on a respirator and attached to a heart monitor and a morphine pump. He was also attached to a couple of IVs. His chest was almost completely covered with a large white bandage. His skin was pale. He really did LOOK weak.
Gibbs slipped his hand between the wires and tubes and took Tony's hand. He squeezed it gently. Gibbs then took a seat by Tony's side. Ducky had, meanwhile, gone to the other side of the bed.
Ducky spoke softly to Tony. "You will be okay, dear boy. We just need you to rest and get better Anthony. We'll be here, right here."
Ducky said a few words to Gibbs then left. He had to get back to NCIS. He had bodies waiting to be autopsied.
Gibbs stood and walked the length of the room several times over. His gut was still churning. He then bent down and whispered in Tony's ear the same thing he had told Tony when he had the plague. He only hoped Tony was able to obey his order this time too.
Gibbs then resumed his seat. He was dozing when Abby showed up. She had slipped into the room and was holding onto Tony's hand, talking softly to him when she heard Gibbs stir.
"Hey, Bossman." Abby said.
"Abs." Gibbs said, standing up and stretching. He went over to Abby and kissed her cheek. "He's going to be okay."
Abby nodded. She then motioned for Gibbs to follow her outside. She stopped just outside Tony's door. She started pacing and wringing her hands. "Something's…hinky, Gibbs." Abby started.
"What…?" Gibbs asked, his gut churning harder. Did Abby know something he didn't?
Abby shook her head. But she didn't stop pacing and wringing her hands. "Tony's been…he's been acting, strange. He's been acting differently towards McGee and Ziva. He...I tried to get him to tell me what was going on. But…I…he wouldn't tell me. He just said things were going to be a different from a little while. He…I don't know what exactly he meant by different. But…when I heard he was shot, Gibbs. I just…I thought…I don't know what I thought. I just…you needed to know, Gibbs."
"Different? I wonder…." Gibbs said. "Thanks for telling me, Abs."
Abby smiled, and then shook her head. "He wouldn't tell me. He did say he couldn't tell you about it. He told me not to mention anything he had said to you. But…." Abby looked in through the observation window. "…since this…I thought I could…I needed to tell you what I knew." Abby said, sadly. "I just wished I knew more. I…will he forgive me, for telling, I mean?"
"What couldn't he tell me about?" Gibbs wondered out loud. "He'll forgive you, Abby. He loves you."
Abby shook her head sadly. She went back in, bent down and kissed Tony gently on the forehead and told him she loved him before she left. She had test results waiting in the lab for her.
Gibbs nodded to Abby and kissed her cheek again before she left. He then settled back into his chair. The feelings he was getting were bothering him. Was Tony doing something he was not supposed to be and hiding it? Gibbs shook his head. Not possible. Tony was too honest, too forthright for that.
Gibbs knew Tony kept a lot of things…close. Tony had said that sometimes it was just best to keep what you knew to yourself. Those were not his exact words, but the meaning was there. There were some things that other people just didn't need to know. Gibbs believed that, too. He lived by it to a certain extent. But had Tony put this into practice and it blew up in his face?
Gibbs just kept going back to what Abby had said. He couldn't tell me…something. Gibbs stood up. He took the bedrail in both hands and looked down at Tony. "What was that something, Tony? What was that something…" Gibbs sighed. "…and was it worth…this?"
Gibbs sighed and sat down again. Unfortunately, at this point, he had more questions than answers.
TBC
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