(quote from Doctor DiNozzo Chapter 5)
Tony smiled and Gibbs did feel somewhat reassured. "I…it's not that I am keeping a big secret, Gibbs. It's not even that I care that you know. I just…I like having a part of my life that is truly private. I like being able…you know everything about everything, Boss. It's just nice that you know nothing about this."
"So…you're not sick?" Gibbs asked.
Tony shook his head. "I'm not sick."
"This is a good thing…for you?" Gibbs asked.
"Yes, it is."
"I'm not going to be pissed off you kept this from me?" Gibbs inquired.
"Surprised, yes. Amazed, definitely." Tony replied. "But you will not be pissed."
(end quote)
Later that night...
They finished up at the scene and tiredly slumped into the car. Gibbs driving, Kate in the shot-gun seat, McGee and Tony in the back. Tony considered pulling rank and telling Kate to get in back, but she looked almost as pissed as Gibbs. They'd been out checking out an unexpected lead to a case for hours. An hour ago they ended up in a short and fast firefight with the shooters getting away. Now Gibbs was pissed with the other 3 agents in various stages between frustrated at losing their targets, and worried about dealing with Gibbs driving when he's in this mood.
A few minutes into the drive, Tony realized just how much his arm hurt. It had started earlier in the night, during the shooting he realized. He barely managed to hold in a cry of pain when Gibbs took a sharp turn, the force pushing Tony's weight on his arm against the car's door frame. Once the car straightened out and Gibbs settled into a steady pace on the highway, Tony gingerly felt his arm and grimaced when his fingers found two small rips in the jacket's sleeve. He unzipped the jacket a little and slipped his hand inside. The wet shirt sleeve worried him and he bit his lip as he felt around the edges of the wound. He wished for some light to get a better look at the bleeding, but for now he'd make do with a tight grip around his bicep.
Tony managed to read the highway signs as they sped by. “Uh, boss?” Tony broke the car's silence.
“Yeah?” Gibbs didn't sound as tired as he looked.
“Bethesda's this exit” Tony pointed out.
“Yeah, so?” Gibbs asked even as he switched lanes as the exit ramp came into view.
“I think I've been shot.”
Kate and McGee turned to look at Tony. “you think?” Gibbs bit out, even as he headed directly to the naval hospital. “My arm, I can't see it, but it sure feels like it. And it's bleeding.” This time Tony didn't hold back the painful cry as Gibbs took another turn that pushed Tony sideways. Tony ignored Kate's and McGee's questions as he concentrated on keeping away from the door frame as Gibbs peeled into the hospital parking lot and stopped by the emergency room doors.
Tony didn't protest when McGee undid his seatbelt and Gibbs opened his door. He got out of the car on his own and, still keeping a tight grip on his injured arm, headed toward the emergency room. Even though it was a Monday night, he knew there was a good chance that some of the nurses and doctors he worked with on his weekend shifts were on duty. Walking into the hospital, he wondered briefly how long it would take before the other agents found out.
He nodded to John, the security guard on duty, on his way toward the emergency room desk. He hoped that the quiet waiting room meant the ER wasn't too busy. Before Gibbs could get a word out to the receptionist on the phone, Tony gave a little wave to catch her attention. “Hey Marge, can you buzz me in?” he asked and nodded to the security doors separating the waiting room from the treatment areas. Marge gave him a quick smile and a nod. Without breaking her conversation, with an insurance company Tony guessed, from the little he heard her say, she pressed the buzzer and the doors slowly opened.
Tony ignored the puzzled looks on his teammates' faces and headed into the emergency room treatment area. Glancing at the patient board on the wall, he was relieved to see that the ER was as quiet as the empty waiting room implied. But then, Monday night's tended to be quiet. He headed toward the group of staff huddled around the central work station. Tony winced seeing that most of the weekend staff he worked with were on duty tonight.
Gibbs was ready to call for a doctor when one of the nurses saw them heading toward the desk. “DOCTOR!” and hurried toward Tony. The four doctors at the work station turned at her cry, and one pointed to an exam cubicle. “Room 4, Tony. And someone clean up the biohazard fluid he's dripping all over the floor.” he snapped out. Tony glanced at the floor behind him. “It's just blood, Joe,” Tony grinned as he headed into room 4.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's still a biohazard and needs to be cleaned up.” Joe looked surprised as the three other agents followed him into the small room with Tony. “It's ok,” Tony said to Joe's questioning look. Tony carefully sat on the gurney in the center of the room. “What did you do?” Joe asked. “I got shot. I think it's just a through-and-through at the upper brachilias, maybe nicked the triceps, from the feel of it. I haven't examined it visually. No arterial bleeding. No nerve or bone damage. No numbness. Haven't done a range of motion test though.” Tony slipped into doctor mode without thinking. The other agents were surprised at Tony's clinical description but stayed silent when the doctor nodded.
Between Joe and Allison, the nurse who'd noticed them come in,they got Tony out of his jacket, bullet proof vest, and shirt. “The vest didn't help,” Joe said conversationally. Kate thought it sounded like he was continuing a conversion rather than just making a simple observation. Tony rolled his eyes at the comment, “it's a vest, not body armor” he pointed out. Allison handed Joe a large gauze bandage as the bleeding started again once Tony had let go of his grip on wound. While Joe cleaned the blood around the wound, Allison started to hook Tony up to the various machines to get and monitor his vital signs. She hesitated before putting on the blood pressure cuff.
“Doctor DiNozzo? You have a gun.”
Tony nodded absently, watching Joe and trying to get a view of the wound for himself. “I have three. I'm wearing one.” Kate and McGee traded looks, Kate rolled her eyes. Gibbs narrowed his eyes watching his second in command.
“um, the blood pressure cuff.. can I put it on without setting it off?” Allison asked nervously. Tony looked at Allison and then down at his gun. He picked up one of the plastic-backed cloths that Joe or Allison had put over him to protect the rest of his clothing- and the floor- from the bleeding. Holding the cloth so his blood-covered hand wouldn't touch the gun, he removed the gun from the holster and held it out to McGee. “Here Probie, hold this for me,” Tony asked. Tony didn't miss McGee's eyeroll this time, but McGee took hold of the gun without comment. “It's ok, ma'am, you can put the blood pressure cuff on Agent DiNozzo,” Kate said smoothly, stressing Tony's title. A look of confusion, then understanding passed over Allison's face as she put the cuff on Tony.
Joe grinned at the exchange and then frowned as he read the numbers on the large electronic board. “Your BP's down. How long ago were you shot?” he asked. “An hour ago, maybe two. It's not arterial bleeding,” Tony insisted. Joe stared at him, “Two hours ago? Were the hell were you?”
Gibbs cut in, “It's an active investigation, Agent DiNozzo can't disclose any details.” Joe stared at the older man. “You must be Gibbs,” he said with a small grin. He ignored Gibbs raised eyebrow, clearly asking for more details. He turned to the nurse, “Allison, set up an IV one liter fluids and antibiotics.” Tony nodded in agreement, resigned to spending 30 minutes hooked up to the IV.
Allison nodded and left the room to get the necessary supplies. Joe tightened a fresh gauze bandage on Tony's arm. “I'll be back in a minute, just need to get a suture kit.” Joe looked over at the three agents, “If you're Gibbs, then you must be Kate and McGee?” They nodded and Kate asked, “and you must be one of Tony's frat brothers.” Joe blinked and laughed, “nope, I went to school out west.” He left the four agents alone.
Kate spoke first, “Isn't she too young for you Tony?” Her tone clearly disapproved of Tony flirting with the young nurse.
Tony quirked an eyebrow. “Too young for what, Kate? She's a nurse. She's also married with a 3 year old son.”
Kate shook her head, “you must've flirted with her at some point, if she thinks you're a doctor. And really, saying you're a doctor to get a date? That's low, even for you.”
Tony just laughed. Allison, Joe, and another doctor came back in before Tony had a chance to answer Kate. McGee and Gibbs were uncharacteristically silent.
“Hey Tony,” the unknown doctor greeted him. Tony flashed a smile in greeting before flinching slightly as Allison set the IV needle in the back of his hand. “So what's the story?” the doctor continued.
Joe answered for him, “I'm putting in 14 stitches, Tom, but it should heal fine.” Tom nodded, “so how long will you be on medical leave?”
“14 days,” said Joe.
“Twelve,” countered Tony.
“Until Ducky says so,” Gibbs said firmly, ended the discussion.
Tom glanced at Gibbs and nodded in agreement. “You must be Gibbs,” he said, unknowingly repeating what Joe had said earlier, “keep up the headslaps.”
“hey!” Tony protested. It might have been from Tom's comment, or the pinch of the sutures Joe was putting in his arm.
Tom looked at Tony, “sure, I figure I'm only a headslap away from getting you full time.” Kate, McGee, and Gibbs protested at once. Tony rolled his eyes and said nothing.
McGee managed to get out, “Full time what? Security guard? Seriously, Tony?” Tony and the medical staff laughed at McGee's confusion.
Gibbs answered, “No. Tony IS a doctor. He works here on his off-call weekends.” He spoke with a calm assurance that implied he knew all along. Tony wasn't fooled and just nodded.
Kate and McGee stammered out, “Tony? A doctor? Here? That's, that's...”
“Amazing” Gibbs filled in with a smile.
Story Notes:
At the end of Chapter 5 of Jackie's Doctor DiNozzo story, Gibbs is determined to find out what Tony is hiding. These one-shots are possible ways that Gibbs and the team find out that Tony is a doctor. Thanks to Jackie for letting me use her story as a starting point. Characters are owned by CBS and company
Author's Chapter Notes:
Tony gets shot and goes to Bethesda