Jethro Gibbs didn’t bother knocking as he entered the Director’s office, he had too much on his mind to concern himself with formalities. He knew why Jenny had summoned him. She was going to pull him and his team off the Matthews case because she felt that it was a conflict of interest since DiNozzo was a suspect. Despite their history together, Gibbs knew that he wouldn’t be able to chance the Director’s mind, but he had to try.
He stood at her desk, impatiently waiting for her to acknowledge him. Gibbs realized that she was purposefully making him wait, making sure that he understood that she was in charge.
“I don’t even know why I have a door,” she mused, never taking her eyes off the file in front of her. “After all these years, you still don’t know how to use one.”
“You said you wanted to see me. Didn’t think I needed to announce myself,” Gibbs replied.
“It’s called etiquette, Agent Gibbs,” Jenny retorted. “Something that you seem to be lacking.”
“I must have missed that class,” the team leader grunted.
“Evidently. I’m sure that I can enroll you in a refresher course.”
Gibbs blew out a frustrated breath. “Why don’t you quit beating around the bush and say what you have to say, Director Shepard? I’ve got things to do.”
“Such as?” Jenny pressed.
“Such as getting to the hospital so I can check on DiNozzo.”
“I’m sure that he’s in capable hands for the moment; we have something of significant importance to discuss.”
The ex-Marine’s eyes narrowed at his former lover. “I don’t figure we have a damn thing to discuss. You’re just going to tell me that you’ve decided to pull us off the case.”
“You’re too close to this one, Jethro, and you know it.”
“Yeah, I’m close to it,” he agreed. “But that doesn’t keep me from doing my job!”
His steely gaze followed the Director as she rose from her desk and approached him. Gibbs crossed his arms, silently daring her to invade his personal space. He knew Jenny well enough to know that she was going to try and reason with him like he was some kind of wet behind the ears probie.
“Jethro,” she began. “I…”
“Save it, Jen,” he seethed, abruptly cutting her off. “I don’t want to hear how my judgment may be clouded by my emotions or how I can’t be objective about this case because it involves Tony. That’s a load of crap and you know it!”
“Have you even considered the possibility that Tony did kill Lt. Matthews?” Jenny wanted to know. “What are you going to do if it turns out DiNozzo is guilty?”
Gibbs clenched his jaw, trying to ignore the persistent throbbing in his temple. Sometimes he forgot how infuriating Jenny Shepard could be.
“That thought had briefly crossed my mind,” he finally admitted. “But despite the fact that Tony has no memory, he still couldn’t kill anyone in cold blood.”
“Jethro, he has no idea who he is and we have no idea what he’s capable of at the moment. The name Anthony DiNozzo means nothing to him.”
“It will,” Gibbs vowed.
“I hope you’re right, Jethro, I really do. But that doesn’t change the fact that we have a job to do.”
“I’m well aware of that, Director Shepard.”
“That’s why I’m…”
“Pulling me off the case,” he finished.
“Do you think you could let me finish a sentence?” she asked, the irritation in her voice was unmistakable.
Not bothering to disguise his own annoyance, Gibbs tersely nodded. “Go ahead.”
“Thank you,” the Director answered. “I can give you 24 more hours before I have to pull you and your team off the case. If you can’t come up with a way to clear Tony by then, I’ll have no choice but to assign the case to another team.
“24 hours, huh? Feeling generous today?” Gibbs taunted.
“No,” she snapped. “Contrary to what you may believe, I do have a heart. I’m just as worried about Agent DiNozzo as you are.”
“I doubt that,” he shot back.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.”
“Agent Gibbs, I asked you a question.”
A faint smile escaped his lips. She still thought that she could get him to do her bidding by pulling rank on him. “You really want to know?”
“I asked, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did.”
“Well, I’m waiting.”
Gibbs sighed. “Well Director Shepard, it’s like this. I find it hard to believe that you have DiNozzo’s best interests in mind; I tend to believe that the extent of your concern for my agent doesn’t go beyond making sure that he’s able to pull off another undercover assignment.”
He could see Jenny visibly bristle. “Is that what you honestly think, Agent Gibbs?” she wanted to know.
“I call it like I see it, Jen.”
The team leader turned to leave. “I better go. Clock’s ticking.”
“Agent Gibbs…”
He shut the door behind him, ignoring the protests of the Director. The former Marine knew that he couldn’t afford to waste any more time arguing with Jenny; his determination to prove Tony’s innocence increased with every step. Twenty four hours wasn’t a lot of time, but it was more than he expected. He suspected that Jenny gave him the time to help ease her guilty conscience.
The team leader was anxious to find out what Ziva and McGee had discovered. His team would pull together in an effort to clear Tony’s name, that much was for certain. Gibbs entered the bullpen and sat down in his chair. “We have 24 hours before we’re pulled from this case,” he announced. “I’ll be damned if we’re going to let Tony take the rap for this, so you better have something for me.”
His request was met with silence. “Well?”
Both McGee and Ziva began to spout off their reports, each one contributing another piece to the puzzle that they were trying to put together. Gibbs listened intently to the members of his team. Ziva was still running down possibilities on that rank insignia that she had found and McGee was going through Lt. Matthews’ personal records. Ordering them to continue with their specific tasks, Gibbs rose up from his desk and headed towards the elevator.
Gibbs was dreading going to the hospital but knew that he really didn’t have a choice. He needed Abby back at her lab, so he was going to have to stay with Tony. Hopefully Abby wouldn’t protest too much. She was the only one that Tony seemed to trust and he didn’t want to jeopardize that relationship, but he wasn’t convinced that Abby was going to be able to handle the next few days. The team leader had seen the affects of alcohol withdrawal and knew that DiNozzo was going to have a difficult road ahead of him, but he would make sure that Tony didn’t have to travel it alone.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Todd licked his lips. He was so thirsty that he would have settled for a drink of water, but for some reason, he was unable to form the words to ask for it. Todd could feel his stomach churning and knew that he was going to be sick. He tried to roll over and quickly discovered that he couldn’t move. A sense of panic came over him as he began to retch. Hands undid his restraints and swiftly turned him on his side where he proceeded to vomit once again. God, he hated throwing up!
After a few minutes, he rolled over on his back and the paramedic raised the head of the gurney to a sitting position and the restraints were replaced. Todd closed his eyes against the dizziness and the headache that was plaguing him. He startled when someone brushed his matted hair from his sweat soaked forehead.
Opening his eyes, he saw a familiar face staring at him. It was Abby. How did she get here? Why couldn’t he remember anything? “Abby,” he managed to whisper.
“It’s me,” she assured him.
Todd was having a difficult time speaking as the tremors continued to rack his body. He whimpered slightly as the restraints holding him on the gurney began to bite into his skin. The walls of the ambulance were closing in on him, smothering him. He couldn’t take it any longer; Todd had to get out of here.
He began to violently struggle despite the protests of Abby and the paramedic. “Let… me…go!” Todd demanded.
“We’re almost at the hospital, Todd. They’ll make you feel better,” Abby tried to reason.
“I’m…gonna…die.”
“You’re not going to die. You know that Gibbs will kick your ass if you do.”
“Hurts…so…bad. Why…I…drink…no…pain.”
He didn’t know if he was making any sense and at the moment, he didn’t care.
Todd felt Abby grasp his hand. “You drink so you don’t have to feel any pain?” she asked.
Maybe Abby did understand. “Yeah,” he mumbled.
“You don’t have to do that anymore. You’ve got friends who are going to help you get through this,” she promised.
“Won’t matter…gonna die.”
“Stop talking like that. We’re here at the hospital. Now, you just do what the doctors say and you’ll be back on your feet in no time.”
He squeezed her hand. “Don’t leave me,” he begged.
“I won’t.”
Todd refused to let go of Abby’s hand as they wheeled him into the emergency room. He heard the paramedic talking to someone but the only words he could make out was something about his vital signs being unstable. The nurses released his restraints and he felt himself being lifted from the gurney to a bed, but he was shaking so bad that they could barely hold onto him. Once again, He flinched when the doctor shouted something but it wasn’t until he felt a prick in his arm, did he realize what the physician had ordered.
The doctor told him to relax, but Todd still couldn’t stop trembling. A sense of terror overwhelmed him when he felt another stick in his arm. What were these people doing to him? He called out for the one person that he could trust. “Abby?”
He felt her gently squeeze his hand. “I’m right here. I told you that I wasn’t going anywhere.”
“What’s…happening?”
“The nurse put an IV in your arm, that’s all,” she replied.
Todd couldn’t sense any sign of deception in her voice. He knew that he should believe Abby; she had yet to lie to him, but that level of trust did not come easy for him. Todd attempted to sit up, but was firmly pushed back down on the bed by the nurse who had just finished putting his IV in his arm.
“It’s okay, Todd. You just need to lie still,” she softly instructed. Don’t try and sit up.”
“Gotta get out of here.”
“No, you don’t. You’re safe and these people are going to help you.”
“No!” he yelled.
“Listen to me, Todd. You know I wouldn’t lie to you.”
“I know.”
“Then believe me when I tell you that no one wants to hurt you.”
He nodded as he closed his eyes. Todd willed the tremors to stop, but his body refused to obey him. “Can…I…have…something….to help…calm me down?” Todd pleaded. “Anything…just to stop me from…shaking.”
Within a couple of minutes, the nurse injected something else into his IV. Todd didn’t care what it was as long as it worked. He closed his eyes, not paying attention to the doctor who was listening to his heart; the only thing that he made sure of was the fact that Abby was still holding his hand.
He heard the doctor call out his name. “Todd? Can you hear me?”
Todd opened his eyes and lazily nodded. “Good. My name is Doctor Cole. How are you feeling now?”
“Thirsty.”
“I’ll see about getting you some water. Other than that, can you tell me how you’re feeling?”
“Tired.”
“I can imagine. Listen to me, Todd,” the doctor said. “Now that you’re a little calmer, I’m going to order some tests including an EKG. It won’t hurt and it won’t take long if you cooperate. Do you understand me?”
“Drunk…not freakin’ stupid,” Todd growled.
He saw Doctor Cole smile at Abby, who simply shrugged. “My sincerest apologies, Todd. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
“It’s okay,” he slurred.
It was getting harder for Todd to focus and he figured that whatever the nurse had given him was finally working. He didn’t resist when his shirt was unbuttoned and sticky pads connected to wires were placed on his chest. Todd didn’t know what she was doing, but then again, he really didn’t care.
Within a few minutes, the nurse removed the wires from his chest and took the machine away. Another nurse hooked him up to a monitor that would allow them to keep a check on his vital signs, or at least that’s what she had told him. Todd couldn’t remember a time when he felt this tired.
He needed to sleep, but he couldn’t bring himself to close his eyes again. Todd had a feeling that if he shut his eyes, the dreams would start and he wouldn’t be able to stop them; not without drinking himself into a stupor. Looking up, he saw Abby standing over him, stroking his hair back out of his face once again.
“Don’t leave,” he whispered.
“I’m going to step right outside your room so I can talk to the doctor,” she explained. “If you need me, all you have to do is yell. I won’t be gone long.”
Todd nodded. “Still going…to get me…that tattoo?”
Abby smiled. “As soon as you’re better,” the Goth promised.
“’Kay.”
Although his vision was blurred, he was able to watch her leave the room. His arms and legs felt as if they were lead, but he figured that anything had to be better than shaking uncontrollably. Todd glanced around the room. He felt like he was in a fog of some kind; he could see and hear what was going on, but he was powerless to act. Todd hated that feeling, but he couldn’t muster the strength to do anything about it.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Abby glanced back over her shoulder to be sure that Tony was still in bed. She was glad that he seemed to be doing better, although she wasn’t convinced that was entirely true. The Goth had been terrified in the ambulance and in the emergency room as she watched the doctor and the nurses feverishly work to stabilize her friend.
Dr. Cole had asked her to join him outside so they could talk in private and that had frightened her even more. What if she had to make a decision for Tony? What if she decided the wrong thing? She was glad that Gibbs was listed as Tony’s next of kin, but of course, the only problem with that was that Gibbs wasn’t there.
“How’s he doing?” she nervously asked the doctor.
“I’ll know more when his blood work comes back, but for right now, he’s doing as well as can be expected,” Dr. Cole replied. “I’ve given him Valium to help take the edge off for right now, but we’ve got to decide on a course of treatment and we need to do that soon.”
“Well, um…I’m not his next of kin,” Abby informed him.
“Who is?”
“That would be me.”
Abby breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the ex-Marine coming down the corridor. Now, she could go and stay with Tony and let Gibbs make the decisions. “Dr. Cole, this is Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs,” she stated. “He’s listed as Tony’s next of kin.”
“Tony? I thought his name was Todd,” the physician said.
“Long story,” Gibbs insisted.
She nodded in agreement and turned to go, eager to get back to Tony’s side. Abby almost made it to the door before Gibbs called out to her.
“Abs?”
Abby slowly turned around. “Yes, Gibbs?”
“I need you to get back to the lab. Jenny’s given us 24 hours to prove Tony’s innocence.”
“But Gibbs, I can’t leave him. I promised him that I would stay with him.”
“Abby, I’m sorry. As soon as you’re done, you can come back,” Gibbs reasoned.
Abby knew that he was right; they needed to clear Tony’s name. She reluctantly nodded and headed back into DiNozzo’s room to tell him goodbye. Making her way over to Tony’s bed, she sat down on the edge of the mattress. She shuddered at the blank expression on her friend’s face. His eyes were open, but it was as if he wasn’t seeing her. Tony almost looked like one of Ducky’s corpses.
Taking a deep breath, she cupped his cheek with her hand and softly said his name.
“Todd? It’s me, Abby.”
She smiled as he blinked and turned his head towards her. “I told you that I’d be right back.”
“Knew you would,” he mumbled.
“Yeah.” Tony looked at her, his eyes silently pleading with her to help him. Abby choked back a sob; she was not looking forward to telling Tony that she was going to have to leave him for a while. “Listen, I have to go back to work for a few hours, but Gibbs is going to stay here with you until I get back.”
Tony began to moan and thrash about. “No, can’t…deal…with…him.”
She took Tony’s hand. “Gibbs is more bark than bite. He’s just worried about you. I promise I’ll work super fast and I’ll be back before you know it.”
“Don’t leave,” he begged. “I’ll…be…good.”
“I’ll be back, I promise.” Abby took off her necklace and placed it around Tony’s neck. She happened to be wearing the one DiNozzo had bought her several years ago. “A very special friend got this for me and it’s one of my favorites. You keep this for me until I get back. I love this necklace; it reminds me of my friend and all our special times together.”
She brushed away a tear as Tony clenched the cross in his fist. “Who…gave it…to you?”
“Uh…you did,” she whispered.
“I…don’t remember.”
“I know.”
She leaned over and kissed his forehead. “It’ll be all right. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Okay.”
“Gibbs is just right outside.”
“Thanks…for…the…warning.”
Abby laughed as she gathered her belongings. She went up to Gibbs, who was still talking to Dr. Cole. Her eyes narrowed and she pointed her finger at the team leader. “Be nice,” she instructed.
Gibbs sighed. “Abs…”
“I mean it, Gibbs. You better be nice to him. He’s not had a good day.”
“I’m aware of that, Abs.”
“Well, don’t make it any worse. Be nice to him. That means no questions, no talking about a past he can’t remember and…”
“Abby, go,” Gibbs ordered. “We’ll be fine.”
“Call me with updates.”
“I will,” he promised.
“You better.”
“Abby…”
She headed towards the exit. “I’m going,” she muttered under her breath. Abby hoped that Gibbs would keep his word and not push Tony too hard. She knew that the team leader meant well and was doing what he thought was best for DiNozzo, but if he wasn’t careful, they were going to lose Tony forever. She had decided that she would rather have Tony DiNozzo in her life as Todd Gibbs than not to have him at all; but she had a feeling that Gibbs wouldn’t be willing to accept that arrangement. He was determined to get Anthony DiNozzo back, but Abby wasn’t sure that Gibbs was prepared to face the horrors of Tony’s time on the streets.
Chapter End Notes:
Vacation's over! I had a great time and got some writing done! Hope you enjoy the next post! Thank you all for your continued support and encouragement. I'm so blessed to have such incredible readers!