Abby stood in the doorway, trying to gather the courage to enter autopsy. She had been so excited to learn that Tony was alive and had wanted to see him, but now she wasn’t sure that it was such a good idea. Gibbs had said that Tony didn’t remember anything or anybody and she had to admit that she was nervous. She and Tony had always been close and they had never had any problems coming up with things to talk about, but now she had no idea what to say to him.
She couldn’t really see his face thanks to his unruly hair obscuring his features. His shirt was ripped in several places and a blood stain covered the front of it; his pants were stained and in tatters as well. He wore a pair of worn out work boots that were at least two sizes too big for his feet. His attire was a far cry from his usual designer labels.
Ducky was conversely quietly with the disheveled young man and Abby could tell that whatever the ME was saying was only agitating Tony. She saw his whole body tense and the frustration that he was feeling reverberated throughout the room. Abby took a couple of more steps forward, hoping that she could hear the discussion between Ducky and Tony. The older man was apparently trying to convince Tony to take off his clothes and wrap himself in a sheet so he could examine him better; of course, DiNozzo was protesting.
“They’re my clothes,” Tony growled.
“I promise you that we’ll take good care of them,” Ducky assured him. “In fact, I’ll get you some new ones…”
“Don’t want new ones.”
“Why not, Todd?” the ME asked.
“’Cause those are mine; besides, I can’t pay for new clothes.” Tony dropped his head and Abby heard him mumble, “Maybe a drunk, but…I…got a little…pride.”
She saw Ducky pat Tony on the shoulder. “It’s all right, my boy,” the doctor said. “We’ll work something out. Isn’t that right, Abigail?”
The Goth blinked in surprise. How had the ME known that she was lurking just inside the doorway? Ducky’s back had been to her and she had gone to great lengths to remain quiet. She briefly wondered if the doctor had been taking lessons from Gibbs.
Abby slowly walked towards the table where Tony was sitting. She could see his eyes peeking out from his matted bangs, nervously shifting his gaze between her and Ducky. Abby smiled as she approached him; she was now able to see his face and despite the smudges of grime and his sunken cheekbones, she couldn’t deny that this man was her friend. He reeked of vomit and alcohol, but this was Tony and it was taking all the self restraint she could muster not to throw her arms around his neck and pull him into one of her infamous hugs.
“I’m so glad you’ve joined us, Abby,” Ducky greeted, relief evident in his voice.
“Thanks, Duckman,” she replied with forced cheerfulness.
“Let me introduce you to my new friend,” the ME insisted. “Abby Scuito, this is Todd.”
Abby extended her hand, hoping that Tony didn’t pick up on her brief hesitation. “It’s nice to meet you, Ton…Todd.”
When Tony took her hand, she was immediately aware of how cold his hand was, as well as the fact that he was trembling. “Are you cold, Todd?” she gently asked.
“A little,” he confessed “It’s…kind…of chilly in…here.”
She nodded in agreement, never taking her eyes off of Tony. With her other hand, she soothingly rubbed his arm, trying not to notice that his shirt was nearly threadbare. “It might help to get out of these clothes and into some clean ones,” Abby suggested.
“These are mine,” he stated again. “It’s all I…have.”
Abby fought back the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. “Well, how about we make a trade. We’ll get you some new ones for your old ones and then you’ll have a new outfit; not that there’s anything wrong with your old ones, except for the fact that they’ve got holes in them and they’re dirty. But, if that’s the way you like them, that’s fine because holes are in style and…”
“Do…you…always talk this much?”
“Yes.”
“Thought so.”
“Todd, please,” she begged. “We just want to help you.”
“Why?”
She was taken back by Tony’s question. There was so much pain and despair in that one word that Abby could no longer hold back her tears. “Why what?” she finally managed to ask.
“Why do…you…want to…help me?”
Abby could easily think of a thousand reasons that she wanted to help Tony, but she knew that she had to answer carefully or he would pull back into his shell. He seemed to be willing to open up to her and she didn’t want to do anything to break that bond that was forming between them.
Glancing at Ducky, who with a slight nod, indicated that she was handling the situation well, Abby answered, “Because everybody needs help from time to time and friends are always there for each other.”
She waited with baited breath for Tony to respond. He looked away from her as if he were trying to process everything that she had said. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Tony squeezed her hand and nodded his consent.
“Okay,” he mumbled.
“Thank you, Todd,” Abby said. “Thanks for letting us help you.”
Tony shrugged. “You’re welcome, I guess.”
Abby felt a twinge of sadness when Tony pulled his hand from her grasp. She watched her friend attempt to unbutton his shirt, his fingers unsuccessfully fumbling with buttons as he cursed under his breath.
“Damn fingers. Won’t…work…right,” Tony muttered.
“I can help you if you want me too,” Abby suggested.
Tony shyly grinned. “I…I’m all thumbs…can’t see the buttons.”
She returned his smile and slipped on a pair of gloves. Abby had known all along that she would have to take Tony’s clothes and examine them for evidence, especially since there was blood on his shirt. She was thankful that Tony didn’t question her motives for putting the gloves on; she would have hated to tell him what she was going to have to do with his clothes.
Abby began to unbutton his shirt, silently hoping that he would spout off some classic DiNozzo response. She would give anything to hear Tony say, “Will you respect me in the morning, Abs?”
Instead, he just sat there, his eyes glazed over, struggling to stay awake.
“You’ve had a pretty rough day,” she said.
“I…guess so. Don’t remember…much of it.”
She gasped when she slipped Tony’s shirt off. An assortment of bruises, both old and new, littered DiNozzo’s chest and by Ducky’s reaction, she knew that Tony’s back had similar markings. Abby didn’t want to think about what or who had caused those bruises; it was obvious that Tony’s life on the streets had not been easy.
Taking the shirt, she placed it in the evidence bag and sealed it. Noticing Tony’s flushed cheeks, she turned her back to Tony in order to give him some privacy as he took off his boots and pants with Ducky’s help. It was odd to imagine DiNozzo being so modest. Once Ducky had covered him with a sheet, she gathered his pants and put them in a bag as well. She felt like she was treating Tony like a criminal.
She picked up the boots and gathered the bags that contained Tony’s clothes. “I’ll go and get you some more clothes while Ducky checks you over,” Abby informed him.
“You’re coming back?” Tony asked.
“Of course I will.”
“Could you bring me a drink? That Gibbs…fella was ‘posed to bring me something. Hadn’t seen ‘im yet.”
Abby smiled. “I’ll see what I can do.”
She turned to leave when Tony called out to him.
“Abby?”
She walked back over to him. “Yeah?”
“Nice tatts…”
“Thanks.”
“Always…wanted one.”
Abby set the boots down and took Tony’s hand, gently squeezing it. “You let Ducky check you over and make sure you’re all right. When you’re feeling better, we’ll see about getting you one.”
Tony nodded as he lay down on the table. “Nice to have a…friend.”
She brushed his hair out of his eyes. “Yes, it is. I’ll be back,” Abby promised.
Abby swallowed hard when Tony whispered, “Reminds me of a movie.”
“Which one?” Abby pressed.
She never received a response before Tony drifted off to sleep. “The Terminator with Arnold Schwarzenegger,” Abby answered.
“Thank you, Abby,” Ducky said. “He seems to be much more at ease with you than he is with me or Jethro. It seems that he doesn’t feel as threatened by a woman.”
“Evidently he hasn’t seen Ziva yet,” Abby quipped.
“Good point.”
She grabbed the boots again and headed towards her lab. Abby would drop the clothes off in her lab and then find Tony some clean clothes. She knew that he used to keep several shirts in his drawer and a complete change of clothing in his locker. Gibbs had been forced to clean DiNozzo’s locker out, but the team leader had stored Tony’s clothes in his own locker, stating that he didn’t want to hear his senior agent whining if something happened to his Armani suit.
Abby needed to talk to Gibbs. So much was going through her mind that she was having a difficult time sorting it out. Ducky had said that Tony seemed more at ease around her. Was it the remnants of their long time friendship subconsciously implanting themselves in Tony’s mind or was it simply the fact that he needed a friend and he didn’t feel threatened by her? Right now, it didn’t matter. First thing she would do is help clear her friend’s name and then when he was stronger, she would keep her promise and take him to get a tattoo.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Gibbs stood behind McGee and Ziva as they checked in the last of the evidence. Like always, he managed to sneak up behind them without their knowledge and was able to capture a snippet of their conversation.
“So, what do you think, Ziva?” McGee asked.
“About what?”
“About everything that’s happened today,” Tim answered. “I mean we find Tony after he’s been missing over a year and he’s the only suspect we have right now in the murder of a Naval officer. Not to mention, that his flask was found under the lieutenant and…”
“And I think we shouldn’t sink to conclusions,” Ziva said.
“Jump,” McGee corrected.
Ziva rolled her eyes at her colleague. “Whatever. Although the evidence so far at least puts Tony at the crime scene, we should keep in mind that we don’t know the whole story yet.”
“An excellent point, Officer David,” Gibbs interjected.
Both agents whirled around to face the team leader. Still fuming from the discussion that he had just had with the Director, Gibbs was struggling to remain in control of his temper. The fact that the other members of his team apparently doubted Tony was almost more than he wanted to consider at the moment.
“Agent McGee,” the former Marine began.
“Yes…sir,” the younger agent stammered.
“I have just come from talking with Director Shepherd and I’m not in the best of moods.”
“I can see that…”
“Good. So, I don’t have to tell you how pissed off I’m going to be if I ever hear you doubting DiNozzo’s innocence again,” Gibbs warned.
“No sir, but I was just…”
“He was just reviewing the events of the day,” Ziva spoke up.
“Did I ask you to speak, Officer David?”
“No, you did not,” she replied, not daring to look at him.
He moved closer to the two agents. “We are a team and one of our team is hurting. The last thing I expected to have to do is give you both a pep talk. Tony needs us and we’re going to be there for him. None of us have any idea what his life has been like this last year and we have no right to judge him. Now, I want you to start doing a background on our dead lieutenant and you better have something for me by the time I get back up there. Is that understood?”
Gibbs saw both agents nod their understanding. Turning his attention back to McGee, he asked, “Did you bring the coffee and soup?”
McGee nodded and handed Gibbs the drink tray containing three coffees and a cup of soup. “I’ll be in autopsy he barked, leaving the two agents alone.
“Gibbs,” Ziva called after him.
“What?” he snapped.
“We didn’t find the gun.”
His eyes narrowed at the Mossad officer. “Then, you get a team back out there and find it,” the ex-Marine ordered.
He didn’t wait for a reply and headed towards autopsy. Part of him didn’t want to admit that he was worried about what the evidence would reveal; he had to believe that despite whatever had happened to DiNozzo, Tony would still have the ability to distinguish right from wrong. Of course, the only factor that he hadn’t truly considered was the amount of alcohol Tony had been consuming. Had DiNozzo’s drinking clouded his judgment enough to where he could actually kill a man for stealing his flask?
No! If his hands were free, Gibbs would have head slapped himself for even having those thoughts. He had just lectured McGee and Ziva about their attitudes and here he was doubting the one person whom he trusted implicitly to have his back.
Gibbs entered autopsy to discover Tony laying on one of the tables covered by a sheet. If it hadn’t been for the fact that he could see the rise and fall of his chest, he would have easily mistaken Tony for one a corpse. DiNozzo’s eyes were closed and he looked like he was asleep, but Gibbs knew that Tony could often give that appearance and be fully aware of everything that was going on around him. He cleared his throat to get the ME’s attention.
“Is he really asleep, Duck?” Gibbs inquired.
“He’s been dozing on and off ever since Abby left,” Ducky replied.
“How did she do?”
“She was incredible, Jethro. He was very much at ease with Abby; she was able to convince him to take off those filthy clothes that he had on. She just left a while ago to get him some clean ones.”
“Have you checked him out?” the team leader wanted to know.
“I’ve drawn several vials of blood and I’m getting it ready to send to Abby’s lab. He had quite a mouthful for me when I stuck him with a needle. He made it quite clear that I wasn’t to touch him again until he got something else to drink.”
Gibbs smiled. “All right. I think I can fix that.” Setting the tray down on the nearby counter, he took one of the cups of coffee and walked back over to DiNozzo’s bedside. He gently shook the young man. “Todd. I got you something to drink.”
With Ducky’s assistance, he helped Tony to a sitting position. “Here, drink this,” Gibbs insisted.
Tony sniffed and turned his head. “What is it?”
“Coffee.”
“Coffee? I don’t want any…freakin’ coffee,” Tony grunted.
“Didn’t ask what you wanted. You can either drink this on your own or I’ll force it down your throat.”
Gibbs didn’t flinch as the cup of coffee sailed out of his hand and landed on the floor. Making sure that Ducky still had a hold of Tony, he got another cup and held it out to Tony. “We can do this the hard way or the easy way. If I have to knock you on your ass, pinch your nose close, and pour this coffee down your throat, I will. Now drink!”
“Don’t want it,” Tony snapped.
He felt Ducky’s hand on his shoulder. “Jethro, maybe you shouldn’t force the issue.”
“I need him sobered up, Duck,” Gibbs reasoned.
“But can’t he just sleep it off?”
“It’ll take too long.”
Gibbs took Tony’s hand and placed it around the warm cup. “Drink,” he demanded.
“Bastard,” Tony muttered as he took a sip.
“So, I’ve been told,” Gibbs replied.
“Must be what your…second b stands…for.”
“What do you think the first b stands for?”
Tony took another sip, wincing as the hot liquid burnt his tongue. “Big time,” he said.
Gibbs had to smile. “Big time bastard, huh?’
“Pretty much covers it.”
Only DiNozzo would have the gall to stand up to him like that. “Drink some more.”
Tony dropped the second cup on the floor, but Gibbs felt that he couldn’t help it. The team leader had noticed the tremors that seemed to plague his senior agent. “Don’t worry, there’s more.”
“No more,” Tony pleaded as he tried to lay back down. “Mm tired.”
“You need to get something in your stomach,” Gibbs explained as he pulled Tony back to a sitting position.
He jerked free from the team leader’s grasp. “No! Leave me alone!”
“I’m not going to do that, Todd.”
“Why not?”
“Because I can’t,” he softly replied.
Gibbs wanted to wake up and discover that this had all been a bad dream. He wanted to go back in time and forbid DiNozzo to go undercover again; if he hadn’t been so preoccupied, maybe he would have done just that. Right now, he wanted his senior agent back, but unfortunately, Tony had no idea who he was or what he doing here. He wondered if Tony was just as scared as he was.
Chapter End Notes:
Again, thank you for the kind words of encouragement. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!