Lights Out
Four Weeks Later...
Tony sat up in the bed, breathing heavily as he tried to make his heart slow down. Rubbing a hand over his face, he frowned at the sweat covering his skin. Wiping his wet hand on the comforter, he swung his legs off the side of the bed and stood up shakily, heading for the bathroom. He leaned over the sink and stared at himself in the mirror, looking over his body carefully.
He had gained some weight, and he already had a belly despite only being four months pregnant. He wasn't happy about it, but he knew that there wasn't much he could do. The last thing he wanted was for Abby to feel guilty for his unhappiness.
"Tony? You okay?" McGee asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes before he slid out of their bed, joining his lover in the bathroom. "Morning sickness back?"
"Nah." He shook his head, splashing some water on his face. "'M fine. Go back to bed."
The younger man pressed a kiss to his bare shoulder blade, looking at him worriedly. "It's okay, you know. You can talk to me. I promise I won't make fun of you."
"Riight," the Italian chuckled. "Sure you won't."
"Pinky promise," he smirked, holding his pinky out to his lover. "C'mon. You'll feel better if you tell someone."
Tony sighed, pushing away from the sink and walking back to the bed. He sank down on the mattress and frowned at his partner when he joined him. "I had a nightmare."
"Taking a page from Josh's book?" McGee joked, nudging him gently when he frowned. "Hey, I'm sorry. What was the nightmare about?"
"You're gonna think I'm nuts when I tell you," he muttered, dropping his head into his hands.
"Try me, huh?" Reaching over, McGee rested his hand on his partner's back, rubbing gently. "What's goin' on?"
"I had a dream that I was having twins," he sighed, leaning against McGee as he dropped his head to his shoulder.
"Tony..."
"I know, it's stupid. But I mean... I'm already showing, I'm starving all the time and it's just... I feel different."
"It's not stupid, but you know what I think?" McGee asked, running his hand through his partner's hair.
"What's that?" He mumbled miserably, closing his eyes.
"You're not sleeping well, and you're eating a bunch of weird stuff before you go to bed. You know that right there is enough to give you bad dreams."
He groaned quietly. "You just don't wanna get me any more chicken nuggets."
The younger man frowned, troubled by his lover's demeanor. "Let's go back to sleep, okay? We've gotta work in a few hours."
Tony nodded, allowing McGee to lay him down against the pillows. They snuggled against each other, trying to sleep when Josh's voice cut through the silence.
"I'll go," the Italian volunteered, getting out of bed and heading for the door. "You get some rest."
"Tony..."
The door was closed behind the older man before he had an opportunity to protest, and he considered following him momentarily before sighing heavily. He knew that Tony didn't want to talk about it, and they had been together long enough to know that once he was awake with something on his mind, it took an act of God to get him back to sleep. Refusing to let his partner suffer alone, McGee pushed himself from the warmth of the bed again and followed after him.
He made his way to their son’s bedroom before he pushed the door open, watching as Tony knelt beside the bed, running his hand through the boy’s hair in an attempt to soothe him.
“He okay?” McGee pushing himself off the door frame as he made his way into the bedroom.
“Just a bad dream. Seems to be a lot of those going around tonight,” Tony muttered. Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to Josh’s forehead, smiling when the little boy’s eyelids fluttered shut. Grabbing the blue blanket from the edge of the bed, he slipped underneath his son’s hand, his smile widening when he grabbed it, rubbing the fabric between his fingers.
He waited for a moment to ensure that Josh was out before he turned back to the doorway, surprised to see McGee still waiting for him. “You should go back to bed,” the older man sighed, rubbing a hand over his own tired face. “No reason we should both be cranky in the morning.”
“Nope. Not really that tired anymore,” McGee responded, pressing a kiss to his lover’s forehead. “I’ll tell ya what though; you go get settled in bed and"“
“Timmy,” Tony sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’m not gonna be able to go back to sleep, you know that.”
“"And I’ll bring the laptop in so we can watch a movie,” McGee finished, cocking an eyebrow at his partner.
“Oh. I don’t know… You really should try to get a little sleep.”
“Told you, I’m not even tired anymore. C’mon,” he said, grabbing Tony’s hand and linking their fingers together before he pulled him from the room.
Tony didn’t protest as he allowed McGee to pull him down the hallway to the bedroom but he grunted in indignation as his younger partner pulled him over to the bed.
“In you go, T.”
“I’m not a two year,” the Italian muttered, though he did allow his lover to tug the covers down so he could climb in.
“Any idea what you’re in the mood to watch?”
“No,” Tony responded moodily, shifting on the mattress in an attempt to get comfortable.
“Alright, I’ll pick then.”
“We’re not watching ‘The Colony’,” he decided. “Or ‘Ice Age’.”
“Got it,” McGee smirked, leaning over to press a kiss to his forehead. “You hungry? Want me to fix you something to eat?”
Tony hesitated for a moment before he shrugged. “If you feel like it…”
“Of course. Whatcha hungry for?”
“Mmmm… Pancakes. And can you see if we have any grape jelly left?”
It was all McGee could do to hide his disgusted look as he shook his head. “I’ll check. Anything else?”
“No, I think that’s it,” Tony responded, offering his lover a slight smile. “Thank you.”
“No problem. I’ll be back in a few, huh?”
Settling back against the pillows, Tony stifled a yawn as he waited for his lover.
McGee returned to the bedroom a short time later, carrying two plates of pancakes and a jar of grape jelly. “Here we go. Breakfast in bed.”
Tony grinned sleepily at his lover, pushing himself up against the pillows. “Thanks.”
“No problem. Now, you get settled in. I’ll go grab the laptop and I’ll be back in a few,” he grinned. He hurried out of the bedroom and returned a moment later, the laptop and a movie tucked under his arm. After setting the computer up, he climbed back in bed beside his partner, picking his breakfast off up the night stand.
They both relaxed, enjoying their breakfast as they watched the movie. When they finished, McGee stacked their plates on the nightstand and moved closer to the older man, wrapping his arm around his growing belly.
“Feelin’ better?” He asked, pressing a kiss to his bare chest.
“Mmmhmm. A little.”
McGee smiled, pulling his partner closer to him. “That’s good. Just relax and maybe you’ll be able to get some more sleep.”
“Yeah, I don’t know about that,” Tony laughed, moaning quietly as his lover started to massage his scalp.
“Shh… Relax.”
The Italian did as he was told, closing his eyes and allowing the scalp massage he was receiving to relax him to sleep.
McGee grinned when he felt the older man’s breathing deepen, continuing to run his fingers through the brunette’s hair until he was positive that he was asleep.
Snuggling deeper under the blankets with him, he allowed himself to drift off as well, hoping that there wouldn’t be any more bad dreams for the rest of the night.
::::::
Pulling into the parking lot of the office, McGee glanced over at his sullen partner with a dark frown. Tony hadn’t said more than three words since getting dressed that morning and if possible, his bad mood seemed to have intensified on the drive over.
“You should have called out this morning.”
“Yeah, I know,” the Italian muttered bitterly, unhooking the seatbelt from around his expanding waist.
“Gonna be in a bad mood all day?”
“Probably. That a problem?”
“Not for me, but Gibbs might not be too happy about it.”
“Yeah well, it’s his fault anyway so you’ll excuse me if I don’t really care.”
“Maybe I should just take you back home, huh?”
“No!” Tony snapped, his voice sharper than intended. Leaning back against the seat, he closed his eyes in an effort to keep his emotions in check before he spoke again. “I don’t wanna go back home. I’m sure I’m not gonna have much more time left in the field anyway and if I start calling out over dumb stuff, he’s gonna put me on desk duty that much sooner.”
“Would that really be such a bad thing?”
“I can see you’ve never been chained to a desk for an extended period of time,” he muttered, his voice dripping with distaste. “Let’s just go. I’ll be on my best behavior. Maybe.”
McGee watched as the older man climbed from the car, tugging his jacket in place in an attempt to hide his rounding stomach. Releasing a quiet sigh, he pulled the keys from the ignition and stepped out. Rounding the car, he grabbed Tony’s hand, linking their fingers as he offered him a reassuring smile, though the Italian merely pulled away and stalked off, his shoulders slumped in defeat as he headed toward the building.
It had been a rough four months for his lover, McGee decided, and he wasn’t sure that it was going to get any better. He knew that the stress of being pregnant, coupled with the weight gain and the impending desk duty was really starting to take its toll on his partner. That wasn’t even including the added stress from their overbearing yet well-meaning Goth.
Grabbing their bags from the back seat of the car, McGee kicked the door closed and followed after his lover, catching up with him as he slipped inside the building.
“Hi Tony,” one of the receptionists downstairs greeted, a bright smile on her face. “How’s the little one doing?”
McGee groaned inwardly, praying that his lover was able to hold his tongue and he was pleased when the older man attempted a smile. He knew that Tony wasn’t happy that the specifics of his pregnancy had already spread like a wildfire throughout the agency, though so far, he’d handled it very well.
“Not too bad,” the agent responded, his hand immediately moving to his stomach.
“I can’t believe how big you’re getting!” The blonde gushed, missing the dark look that flashed across Tony’s face. “How far along are you?”
“Nearly fifteen weeks,” McGee answered, his hand resting on Tony’s lower back in what he hoped was a reassuring manner.
“Wow! Really? I would have guessed closer to twenty five!”
A strangled sound escaped the Italian as his eyes widened. “Twenty… five?”
“Well, yeah! I mean, I’m not so good at judging because clearly, I’ve never been pregnant but you just"“
“Okay, we really need to go, T!” McGee said loudly, offering a falsely apologetic smile to the blonde. “We’re running behind this morning. You ready to go?”
Tony nodded, swallowing hard as he allowed his partner to guide him toward the elevator.
“She’s an idiot,” the younger man hissed as soon as the doors closed. “If you let what she said bother you, I swear to God I’ll headslap you so hard that even Gibbs will feel it.”
He didn’t respond as he leaned back against the cool metal wall, closing his eyes as the receptionist’s words echoed in his mind. He didn’t even notice when McGee reached out and flipped the emergency switch until the car jerked to a stop.
“Hey!” McGee growled as he reached out, cuffing his lover on the back of the head. “What the hell did I just say, DiNozzo?”
He stumbled backwards when Tony punched him in the shoulder, his hazel eyes narrowed. “I’m still the Senior Field Agent, last time I checked, Probie. You don’t get to headslap me.”
“Then quit bein’ so stupid! That blonde bimbo doesn’t know anything, T! She’s an idiot! The fact that you even spared a second thought for anything that comes out of her dumb mouth makes you an idiot too!”
He slumped back against the wall again, his arms crossed protectively over his middle. “She’s not the only one who says stuff,” he muttered miserably.
“Tony…” McGee sighed, reaching out to cup his lover’s chin in his hand. “Since when do you care what people are saying?”
You don’t get to headslap me.”
“Then quit bein’ so stupid! That blonde bimbo doesn’t know anything, T! She’s an idiot! The fact that you even spared a second thought for anything that comes out of her dumb mouth makes you an idiot too!”
He slumped back against the wall again, his arms crossed protectively over his middle. “She’s not the only one who says stuff,” he muttered miserably.
“Tony…” McGee sighed, reaching out to cup his lover’s chin in his hand. “Since when do you care what people are saying?”
“Since when do I not? I always listen to what other people say. It just didn’t used to be quite so mean.”
McGee clenched his jaw as he pulled his partner close to him, hugging him tightly. He wished he could deny what Tony was saying, but the fact of the matter was that it was true. There were quite a few people in the building who weren’t exactly cool with the idea of Tony carrying his boss’ baby. McGee still hadn’t figured out how they decided it was any of their business, but he’d also noticed the dirty looks and the whispers that always stopped whenever the Italian was within earshot.
“And they’re all idiots too,” he muttered, pressing a kiss to Tony’s lips. “But don’t let them get to you either, Tony. You are doing a good thing for Abby and Gibbs and just because people are too stupid to see that…” He trailed off, releasing a quiet sigh.
Tony didn’t respond, though he wrapped his arms around McGee’s waist, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. “Thank you,” he mumbled after a moment, pulling away to flip the emergency switch again.
“Nothing to thank me for, T. Just try not to let them bother you, huh?” Leaning over, he dropped his voice, a grin on his face. “Besides… I still think you’re sexy,” he growled. “In fact, I’ll show you just how sexy tonight.”
Tony shivered slightly at his lover’s tone, though a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “You promise?”
“Oh yeah. You just wait til I get you home. In fact, maybe I’ll call mom and see if she can keep J for us tonight.”
The elevator doors opened, depositing the two on the third floor. McGee hurried out of the elevator, leaving a slightly dumbfounded Tony still inside. Shaking his head, the Italian stepped off the elevator, feeling better than he had all morning.
He stepped out of the elevator and followed after his lover, releasing a small sigh when he realized that Abby was sitting on his desk. He loved the Goth with all his heart but lately, she’d become nearly unbearable. He’d cut her some slack, knowing that she was just anxious about the wellbeing of her unborn child, but some days, he just wasn’t in the mood.
“Mornin’, Abs,” he greeted, plastering a forced smile on his face.
“Good morning, Tonyboy!” She said, grinning brightly at him. “I’m gonna go out and grab some breakfast. You hungry? I can pick something up for you?”
“Oh… Uh…” He paused, glancing down at his rounded belly with a frown before he sank down into his chair. “You know, I’m actually not right now. We’ll get lunch though, yeah?”
“You really should eat, Tony,” she chastised, standing off of his head. “You know, the baby"“
“Does it look like I need anything else to eat? Jesus Christ! I already can’t fit into my clothes!” He snapped as he pushed to his feet, ignoring the dumbfounded looks of the rest of the team.
Abby felt her eyes beginning to water as Tony stepped into the elevator. When the doors closed, she sobbed, turning to McGee. “I didn’t… I didn’t mean to…”
“It’s not your fault,” he sighed, running a hand over his face. “He’s been cranky all morning. His favorite suit wouldn’t fit.” He pushed himself to his feet. “I’ll go talk to him.”
“Sit down, McGee,” Gibbs spat, already on his way to the stairwell. He headed downstairs and met the younger man just as he was stepping off the elevator. Pulling him aside, he took him into an empty conference room and blocked the door.
“What’s goin’ on, DiNozzo?”
“I’m sorry, boss. I didn’t mean to snap at Abby like that. I just…” Tony pleaded, dropping into one of the chairs. “It’s been a rough morning.”
The silver-haired agent eyed him for a moment before he crossed his arms over his chest. “Yeah, I could tell. What happened?”
“We were out of ketchup for my pancakes,” the Italian responded dryly, hoping his boss would let it go.
He cringed slightly before looking closely at his agent. “What else?”
“Gibbs,” Tony groaned, slumping back in the chair. “It was just a bad morning. Can’t we just leave it at that?” He sighed, closing his eyes. What had started out with a nightmare that had him up before the sun had morphed into a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach that he just couldn’t shake. “I’ll apologize to Abby, okay? I’m really sorry if I upset her and I’ll fix it. I just…” he sighed helplessly, pushing himself to his feet.
Gibbs watched the agent shift nervously for a moment before he nodded. “Go on, DiNozzo.”
Releasing a sigh of relief, Tony hurried out of the conference room before his boss could change his mind.
:::::
“Gear up,” Gibbs announced, stepping off of the elevator, cup of coffee in hand. “We’ve got a body. Near Fairfax.”
Glancing up from his desk, Tony hesitated for a fraction of a second before he pushed himself to his feet, grabbing his bag from behind his desk. It had been a fairly quiet morning after his blow up at Abby and he was hoping that the rest of the day would pass in a similar fashion.
“McGee, gas the truck,” the team leader barked, tossing the keys to the young man as he grabbed his gun from his desk drawer. Handing the directions to Ziva to pass along to Ducky, Gibbs turned back to his Senior Agent and frowned as he looked him over.
His gut was screaming at him to leave the man behind, though he knew he didn’t have an actual reason to do so. His light duty wasn’t due to kick in for nearly another month and truthfully, he had no reason to justify leaving him. “DiNozzo, I need you to run these down to Abby. Meet McGee at the truck, you can meet me and Ziva at the scene.”
“Got it boss,” Tony responded, accepting the files from Gibbs. He hurried to the elevator, slinging his bag just a little higher on his shoulder as he pressed the button, waiting impatiently. Dropping his head back, he stared at the ceiling as he waited, ignoring the way his stomach squirmed uncomfortably.
The sick feeling that he’d been experiencing all morning seemed to intensify as he stood there and when the elevator doors opened, he was overcome with an overwhelming urge to tell Gibbs he had to sit this one out. Something didn’t feel right, though he knew he couldn’t let his team down by abandoning them already. Besides, he wasn’t positive that Gibbs would take too kindly to him opting out of working a scene and being stuck on desk duty earlier than necessary was something he wanted to avoid.
He pressed the button for the lab, shifting his backpack on his shoulder as the elevator jerked to a stop before depositing him in the hallway. He hurried out, forcing a smile for his favorite girl as he stepped into the lab.
“Hey,” he greeted quietly, careful not to disturb her in the unusually quiet room. She turned at the sound of the voice, her eyes wide in surprise.
“Hey back,” she responded, her green eyes red and puffy from crying. “Listen, about earlier"“
“Don’t. I had a bad morning and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. I’m sorry,” he said as he stepped forward, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, crushing herself against him. “I know I’m going a little crazy here, T but I don’t mean to be so overbearing. I just… I want to make sure that you and the baby are healthy and I"“
“Hey,” he interrupted, pulling away to cup her chin in his hand. “You’re fine, Abs. I know you’re just concerned.”
She forced a smile as she reached up, swiping the stray tear from her cheek. “Thank you,” she said quietly, pressing a kiss to his cheek.
The Italian smiled back, his feeling as forced as hers looked, before he handed her the file. “From Gibbs. Pretty sure he’ll want you to brief him on it when we get back.”
“Where are you going?”
“Fairfax. Crime scene.”
Abby’s smile slid from her face and as he turned to leave the lab, she reached out, grabbing his hand. “Are you sure it’s such a good idea to go?”
“I’m not due for light duty for another month, Abs. I’ll be fine,” he assured her. Pulling out of her grasp, he hurried out of the lab, pressing the button before he could change his mind.
::::::
“DiNozzo,” Gibbs called, his voice carrying through the empty restaurant as he knelt beside the back door.
Glancing up at the sound of his boss’ voice, Tony finished scribbling down the restaurant owner’s story with a quick ‘thanks’ before making his way to the back of the restaurant.
“Shoot this,” Gibbs commanded, pointing the blood pattern on the doorjamb. “Doesn’t match the rest of it,” the agent muttered, watching as Tony crouched down beside him to snap a few pictures. “Have Ziva collect a sample, get it back to Abby.”
“Got it boss.” Slipping the camera around his neck, the Italian grabbed for the door handle in an effort to pull himself to his feet, offering Gibbs a sheepish look.
A slight smirk formed on Gibbs’ face as he reached out, offering the younger man a hand before tugging him to his feet. “Tell Ducky to load him up and get him back to autopsy.” Tony watched as his boss made his way out the back door, no doubt checking for anything they might have missed while he made his way back to the front of the restaurant.
They’d been working the restaurant for nearly an hour and a half and to be completely honest, Tony couldn’t wait until they were finished. His back was already aching from being on his feet constantly and he wanted nothing more than to get back to work in his comfortable desk chair.
Releasing a quiet sigh, he nudged Ziva, motioning to the back room. “Blood on the doorjamb. The bossman wants a sample for Abby.”
The Israeli nodded, patting her friend on the shoulder with a slight smile. “Are you alright, Tony?”
“Just ready to get off my feet for a few minutes.”
“We are nearly done,” she reminded him reassuringly before she trekked off to the back of the restaurant.
Turning back to the medical examiner, Tony nodded for him to load the body onto the gurney before he turned his attention to his lover who was still carefully collecting prints from the knife they’d pulled from the Marine’s body.
“You need any help?” He asked, his hands moving to his lower back in an effort to help alleviate the dull ache.
“I’m actually just finishing up,” McGee said, glancing up long enough to offer to partner a smile. “You holding up okay?”
“I should have stayed home today,” the pregnant agent muttered. “Forgot how hard this was last time.”
“Why don’t you go hang out in the truck? We should be finishing up in a few minutes.”
“Nah, I’ll stick it out,” Tony sighed as he glanced out the front window, praying that they’d be clearing soon.
He surveyed the large crowd that had formed in front of the restaurant, lingering behind the roped off portion of the sidewalk. It always amused him seeing just how many people turned up at a crime scene, everyone hoping for a quick glimpse of the body as it was rolled out. Most of them were just the average, curious passerby, though some he suspected were hardcore scanner hawks, the same people who returned scene after scene, hoping to get in on the action.
Shaking his head, he pushed himself away from the window when one of the crowd members caught his eye. It was a young man, probably younger than even Ziva, the baby of the team, pacing anxiously in front of the caution tape. His fingers twitched constantly at his side and his eyes never left the front door.
The sick feeling in the pit of his stomach that he’d been dealing with all day seemed to intensify as he stared at the clearly agitated man. Patting McGee on the shoulder to get his attention, Tony nodded at the man before glancing at McGee.
“Keep an eye on him,” he ordered before he turned and hurried into the back, searching for Gibbs.
The silver-haired agent was just stepping in through the back door of the restaurant when Tony spotted him, a slight frown on his face. “Boss?”
“Yeah, DiNozzo?”
“I got a guy out front… didn’t notice him before and I don’t know how long he’s been there but he’s… something’s not right.”
Gibbs eyed him momentarily, waiting for him to continue.
“He’s agitated, pacing nervously, eyeing the front of the building. Might not hurt to talk to him, at least get his information just in case.”
“Take McGee with you.”
Nodding, Tony made his way back out to his lover. “He still there?”
“Uh huh.”
“Good. C’mon.”
Bagging the knife, McGee handed it off to Ziva when she returned, shrugging at her questioning glance as he followed Tony out of the restaurant.
Swallowing hard, Tony could feel his insides squirming unpleasantly as they approached the young man. Something was off, he knew that much, though as they drew closer, he couldn’t help but wish he’d sent Ziva out with McGee instead. His stomach flip flopped when the man finally spotted them, his slightly glazed over eyes focusing on Tony.
Reaching for his badge, he cursed loudly when the man bolted and on instinct, he followed.
He could hear McGee yelling his name as he pushed through the crowd of people, intent on not letting the guy out of his sight.
“FEDERAL AGENT! Stop!” He ordered, though it was to no avail. The man didn’t even glance back. He cursed again, his back screaming in protest as he forced himself to keep going. It had been a mistake to engage in a foot chase, given his current condition but he knew that even at almost five months pregnant, he was still faster than his lover.
He chased the drugged-out young man as he ran down the street, narrowly dodging the people that were occupying the sidewalk.
“Out of the way! Federal Agent!” He called, ramming his shoulder into a brick wall as he moved to dodge another passerby. “Shit!” He cursed, checking for blood.
Looking back up, he cursed loudly when he realized that he’d lost sight of his runner. Sighing heavily, he slowed to a walk, poking his head around corners carefully, hoping to catch up with him again.
Shaking his head in disgust when he realized that he lost the man, he stepped into an empty alleyway and pulled his cell phone from his pocket, dialing his boss’ number to give him his location. He knew the older man wasn’t going to be happy with him for taking off, but hopefully he’d understand. His finger paused on the buttons as the sound of a revving engine reached his ears and he glanced up just in time to see front end of a car heading right for him.
A strangled cry escaped him as he leapt out of the way, narrowly missing the front bumper. He hit the ground hard, the force of his fall pushing all the air out of his lungs. The sound of crunching metal echoed loudly through the dead-end alley and glancing up, he saw the man stagger out of the wrecked car.
Shifting slightly on the ground, he cried out as a sharp pain shot through his lower back. His vision was slightly blurred as the young man approached him and in the distance, he could hear the sound of screeching tires.
He reached for his holster, ignoring the stabbing pain in his back, though as his fingers closed around the butt of his gun, the addict kicked out, catching him hard in the side.
The pain was blinding, and for a moment, everything went black. He could hear the sound of shouted voices but he couldn’t make out their words.
The three agents had jumped from the vehicle and ran toward the strung-out man, attempting to grab him when he began flailing violently. Pushing McGee back, Gibbs lunged at the assailant’s waist, knocking him to the ground.
Flipping him over and pulling the cuffs from his belt, he glanced over his shoulder at Tony, still laying prone on the ground. “Go check on DiNozzo!” He called, hauling the man to his feet.
McGee and Ziva nodded, rushing over to the Italian.
“Tony?” McGee crouched down by the man’s head, frowning as he looked him over carefully. “C’mon, T. You okay?”
“Hurts,” he managed, closing his eyes. “Cramping.”
“We should stand him up, McGee,” Ziva suggested, looking at him pointedly.
“Yeah, you’re right,” the junior agent agreed, pushing himself to his feet. “Alright, Tony. We’re gonna get you up, huh? Gimme your hand.”
Ziva leaned down when Tony offered his hands, attempting to help McGee pull him out. They both visibly cringed when the Italian cried out in pain, begging them to put him down.
“We have to get you up, Tony,” Ziva said, looking over to his lover.
McGee jerked his head toward Gibbs as they lowered the man back to the ground carefully. “Go get Gibbs.” He released a heavy sigh as he dropped into a crouch beside his lower again, running his fingers through his hair worriedly. “You’re gonna be okay, T.”
The Israeli hurried over to their boss, frowning. “Gibbs.”
“Yeah? Where’s DiNozzo?”
“I…” She hesitated slightly. “I think he is going to need a doctor. He is complaining of cramping and back pain.”
The older agent cursed loudly before he shoved the addict into the back of the car. “Get him back to the agency. Put him in interrogation. He stays there til I get back.”
She nodded, accepting the tossed keys, watching as he hurried over to his injured agent.
McGee glanced up as their boss approached, his concern visible as he smoothed Tony’s hair back off his forehead. “Call an ambulance,” he decided, pulling his phone out of his pocket before he tossed it to McGee. The young man pulled away from his lover, turning his back to him as he dialed.
“Boss…” Tony managed, another pained moan escaping him as he shifted on the hard ground.
“Not gonna fight me on this one, DiNozzo.”
“No, boss. Not… gonna argue. Shouldn’t have come today. Didn’t mean… Abby’s gonna be so mad.”
“Abby’s not gonna be mad about anything. Everything’s gonna be fine.”
“’M…” He swallowed hard, the darkness closing in on him. “’M sorry.”
The silver-haired man cursed loudly as the Italian went still. “Have ‘em expedite, McGee,” he snapped, closing his eyes as he forced himself to calm down. He’d assured Tony that all would be well, though as they waited impatiently in the dirty alley for the ambulance, he said a silent prayer that he was right.
Chapter End Notes:
A/N: A special thank you, as always to my Kelley for all her help with this chapter. Without her, there's no way it would have been finished! I'm sorry about the wait, but unfortunately, I haven't had regular access to a computer lately. Thankfully, my new laptop finally came, so hopefully, I'll be able to write more regularly, but as an apology for you guys waiting so long, this is a super long (by my standards) chapter. I will go ahead and warn you, there's a cliffhanger at the end, but remember: reviews help me write faster and I know you all want a speedy resolution so you know what to do ;)