Chapter 12
“Hello.” Emma said tentatively. She looked at Buster and opened the door. “Get in the house, Big Mouth!”
Buster obeyed.
“How may I help you?” Emma said, through the screen door she had let swing closed.
“Special Agents Gibbs, David and McGee, NCIS. We have visited several of your neighbors.” Gibbs said as they all flashed their badges. He put his badge away and then got out Tony’s badge. He showed it to Emma. “We are looking for this man. Have you seen him, in say, the past two weeks?”
Emma recognized the picture, of course. She read the name, Anthony DiNozzo, Jr. So, he’s an Anthony, not a Michael. He looks like an Anthony too, though. Emma thought. She hoped the recognition didn’t show on her face. “What has he done? What’s NCIS?”
“He’s my agent. He works for NCIS, Naval Criminal Investigative Service.” Gibbs explained. His first instinct was that she knew more than what she was telling.
“Your agent?” Emma asked. She had the feeling this guy, this Gibbs, was telling her the truth, but she had to be sure.
“He works for me.” Gibbs explained as his patience began to wear thin. “Have you seen him?” Gibbs repeated.
Emma sighed. She then held the door open and they all entered. “Follow me.” She led them through the kitchen and beyond.
Gibbs was confused. “Ma’am, we can….” Gibbs had assumed they would sit at the kitchen table and talk.
Emma waved him on. “You’ll want to see this.”
Emma pushed the door open to her spare bedroom and Gibbs walked in first. His knees nearly buckled when he saw the person lying in the bed in front of him. He grabbed the door frame for support.
“What? How?” Gibbs asked looking at Emma.
Seeing Gibbs reaction, Ziva and Tim moved into the room. They had to see what had caused the reaction. They were equally as stunned. “Tony!?” They said in unison.
“Michael…Anthony showed up here 5 days ago. He was in bad shape.” Emma replied. “I took him in. I’m a nurse.
Gibbs nodded, not really listening. He was still trying to process the scene before him. He sat carefully on the edge of the bed. Tony was asleep and he didn’t want to wake him. But Gibbs had to touch him. He had to know if what he was seeing was real. He touched Tony’s hand.
He was real! Gibbs was touching real, warm skin.
“His memory…it’s…he may not remember you.” Emma warned.
Gibbs moved his hand to Tony’s face and gently touched it. Tony opened his eyes. And after only a split second of confusion, Tony smiled at him. There was recognition.
“Boss…Gibbs.” Tony said. He moved his hand to touch Gibbs arm.
Gibbs nodded, tears flowing down his cheeks. He was unable to speak.
Tony heard crying and he turned his head in the direction of the noise. “It’s okay, Ziva.” Tony said stretching his other hand out to her. She sat down on the bed and took it. She used her other hand to wipe her tears.
“McGee.” Tony said, looking over Ziva’s head at him. “Tim. Hey.”
Tim nodded. He found a place to sit on the bed. He just sat and looked at Tony. Still unsure if he could trust what his eyes were telling him right now.
“We…we thought…you were…gone.” Tim said when he finally found his voice again.
Tony looked at Tim, then at Gibbs. He was confused. “Gone?”
“We…we had a memorial.” Ziva stated.
“A memorial?” Tony asked. “Why?”
“After the car went over the bank and exploded, Tony. We…we didn’t find a body….”
“I don’t remember.” Tony said, shaking his head. “I don’t even remember how I got here.” Tony said, referring to Emma’s house.
Tony pressed and held the left side of his chest. Emma saw his discomfort. Tony’s breathing had also increased. He groaned and closed his eyes. Emma moved in and sat down on the bed. She took his pulse, it was racing.
“Calm down, Mich…Anthony.” Emma said. “It’s okay. Just relax, breathe, it’s okay.”
“Tony. Call me Tony.” He said, through the pain.
Emma nodded. She then left the room and came back, seconds later, with pills and a glass of water. “I need to get some pain pills down him, it’s past time.” She said, looking at the clock.
Tony took the pills easily and drank some water. Emma gently rubbed his chest, hoping to calm him and to ease his pain. A few moments later Tony was fast asleep.
Emma moved to stand.
Buster looked at Gibbs and barked.
Emma smiled. “Could you stand up for a minute, Agent Gibbs?”
Gibbs complied.
Buster jumped up on the chair. He then jumped from the chair to the bed. Buster gave Tony his customary sniff and then settled down right beside him.
“He’s done that since Micha…Tony first got here.” Emma explained. “I think Buster thinks he’s Tony’s dog. I don’t know what he’ll do when Tony leaves.” Emma said, shaking her head.
Gibbs smiled and sat back down.
“I just wanted to thank you, Ms….” Gibbs started. He looked at Emma.
“Emma Hargrove.” Emma stated. “Emma will be fine.”
“Thank you, Emma...” Gibbs said, sincerely. “…for everything, for taking such good care of Tony.
Emma nodded. “He’s been great company to me and to Buster. We are going to miss him when he leaves.”
Emma left Gibbs, Tim and Ziva in the spare room with Tony. She went to the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee. The scent lured Gibbs out of the Tony’s room. Tim and Ziva followed.
Emma had four cups of coffee ready and waiting. They all sat down at the kitchen table.
“I knew I was right.” Emma said. “I took you as a coffee drinker.”
“Only intravenously.” Gibbs said, still trying to process the fact that Tony was not dead. That he was, indeed, alive, and sleeping in the next room, just feet away.
Emma grinned. “So, you want to know how your agent got to my house.” Emma said. “I can tell you are a direct man.”
Gibbs nodded.
“Actually my dog, Buster found him. Buster, came to the house, barked and barked to get my attention and to get me to follow him. I finally did and found Tony unconscious. We got him back to the house. The first few days were rough. He had a dislocated shoulder, which I set. He has some broken and some cracked ribs. And he had a fairly severe concussion and a huge gash on his head. He was completely unresponsive for the first 24 hours. Then he did come around, for the most part. He was so weak. He was in and out, mostly out. He had no idea who he was, and he didn’t know how he got here. He told me, just earlier today that he though he worked for the government. That he worked in D.C. Before that he had mentioned witness protection and an assassination. He didn’t know if…what his role was in all of that.” Emma paused. “He didn’t know if he was the target or if he was the assassin. It really scared him that he didn’t know.”
Gibbs nodded. “He was protecting a witness who had seen an assassination attempt.”
Emma nodded. “I really kind of figured he was a good guy.”.
Gibbs got up, taking his coffee with him. “If it’s okay." Gibbs raised the cup in his hand, asking if it’s okay he took it with him.
Emma nodded. “Agent Gibbs….”
Gibbs stopped and turned.
“I know you’re eager to get back, to get Tony home. But he really, really would benefit from another day of rest. It’s…it’s a long way back.” Emma stated. “I’m not sure he can take the ride. And I think he will get better faster now. It’s obvious he remembers. I think that will speed his recovery.”
Gibbs nodded. He hadn’t really thought a whole lot about taking Tony home. He was still so surprised that Tony was alive.
Gibbs nodded again. “I don’t think that will be a problem.”
“You really thought he was…dead?” Emma asked.
Gibbs nodded. “The car…we didn’t find a body. We had no reason to believe he had survived. We had no evidence that he had not burned up in that car.”
“Do you know what happened to Michael, I mean, Tony? ”
“Michael? You’ve called him that a couple of times.”
Emma nodded. “He couldn’t remember his name. I told him he looked like a Michael.”
“To answer your question, I saw it all. I was driving the second car.” Gibbs replied.
Emma shook her head. “I don’t know how he managed to make it here. But I am so glad he did.”
Gibbs smiled. “Me, too.”
“Well, Agent Gibbs, you and your agents make yourself at home. I don’t have a lot of room, but you’re welcome to what I do have.”
“Call me Jethro, and thank you.” Gibbs replied.
TBC
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