Chapter 4
The team met in the bullpen almost exactly 15 minutes later after Gibbs stopped the self-defence training, then he strode into the bullpen giving them all a glare before gruffly saying:
"Back to work."
The bullpen lapsed into silence as they all sat at their desks and worked.
Gibbs tried to concentrate on the computer screen in front of him but his eyes wandered to the agent sitting across him.
He knew that he was really a bastard and that he had acted very wrong, again, today but he couldn't help it. As he studied Tony secretly, he asked himself why.
Why was he so angry at Tony? Was it because the younger man had gone behind his back or was it because he hadn't wanted to tell him why he needed to be off work.
The words that Tony had said to him earlier in the gym had made an impact on him.
"It was personal" echoed thru his mind, reminding him that Tony probably had many secrets just like himself.
Gibbs tared his eyes from his senior field agent and took a look at his other team members.
Ziva was working at her desk, concentrating on the screen in front of her.
McGee was also working on his computer but he would stop from time to time and his eyes would wander to Tony.
Gibbs frowned a little because he thought he could see worry in the other mans eyes. Why would McGee be worried about Tony?
He looked at Tony not seeing anything out of the normal and then he looked at McGee again, he saw the worry still in the younger man's eyes. Did he know something about Tony that he didn't? Gibbs thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of his phone.
"Gibbs."
"Jethro." It was the Director. "Agent Hodgkins need some help to pick up a suspect and I volunteered you and your team."
"Are you serious, Jen?" Gibbs asked, agent Hodgkins and his team were twice as many as his own team but they always needed assistance. If you asked Gibbs they were quite incompetent.
"Yes, I'm." The Director said and gave Gibbs the address before she hung up.
"Tony and McGee! Hodgkins needs help. Get their suspect here!"
Tony and McGee moved, Tony grabbed the piece of paper that held the address and they made their way towards the elevator.
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"Are you sure that you are alright?" McGee glanced over at Tony who was driving the car.
"I told you, Probie. I'm fine." Tony answered back with a sigh.
They were on their way back to the NCIS-building with the suspect handcuffed and sporting a black eye in the backseat.
When Tony and McGee had arrived at the suspect's house, he had not wanted to open the door and as Tony made his way to back he had tried to run. But when he saw the other agent he had jumped him instead.
McGee heard the shuffle and ran to the back, seeing Tony and the suspect fighting on the ground and before he could act Tony got the upper hand and cuffed the suspect. Then he hauled him up, Tony was breathing hard but seemed alright so they took him to the car and drove towards NCIS.
They stepped out of the car inside the parking garage at NCIS; Tony opened the backdoor and hauled the suspect out. The three men made their way towards the elevator and got into it.
"I'll take him to interrogation and you go and get Hodgkins." Tony said to McGee as they steeped out of the elevator.
McGee nodded, moved into the bullpen to look for Hodgkins while Tony led the suspect to interrogation.
"Sit down." Tony said to the suspect as they came into the room. Then he leaned against the wall not wanting to leave the suspect alone.
A few minutes later the door opened and two agents from Hodgkin's team came inside.
"Hi Tony." John Wells greeted him and mentioned for him to follow him outside. "Thanks for your help."
"Hi John." Tony followed him out and they stood talking to each other for a while when suddenly they heard strange noises from the interrogation room, they opened the door and stepped inside.
Somehow the suspect had convinced the other agent from Hodgkin's team to take the handcuffs off him and then he had jumped him.
"Get security!" Tony yelled to John who ran away to do as he said while Tony stepped inside. The suspect was a big man and when he heard Tony's voice he turned around and yelled:
"It's your fault!" The he rushed Tony and before the agent could do anything, the suspect kicked out at his feet making the agent go down.
Tony tried to kick back but the man was all over him, kicking and hitting him in a frenzy but then Tony got in a good kick that sent him flying a few meters.
Tony tried to get to his feet but could barley stand, he used the wall as support. When he looked up he saw that the suspect was already on his feet and was moving towards him again.
Tony pushed himself from the wall and just as the man rushed him again he got in a nice hit, but it only slowed the man down a little.
They were soon back on the floor, Tony under the suspect and they were fighting for control. Suddenly the man was hauled back and when Tony looked up he saw the suspect being held down by three security guards. John, Hodgkins and McGee were in the doorway and they made their way into the room. When McGee saw his friend on the floor, he went immediately to his friend's side.
"Are you alright?" McGee helped Tony to sit up with his back against the wall.
"I'm… Fine.." Tony was out of breath and bleeding from two cuts, one on his lip and one just above his eyebrow.
"I don't believe you." McGee said as he handed Tony a tissue to hold to his lip while McGee held one to the cut on his eyebrow.
Hodgkins went to the agent from his team that was lying unconscious on the floor; the guards hauled the suspect out of the room and to the holding cells. John followed his team leader and the other agent started to wake up.
"John, we have to take him to the ER." Hodgkins said and he walked over to Tony and McGee. "How are you Tony?" He asked concerned, he knew that Gibbs would rip him a new one for letting one of his agents get hurt.
"I'm okay, Hodgkins." Tony said his breathing had calmed down and was almost back to normal.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, don't worry. Take care of your people."
Hodgkins nodded; felt a bit relived and then helped John to get the other agent out of the room.
McGee looked at the three agents as they made their way out and then he turned to Tony who was also looking at the three men but when he felt McGee's eyes on him he turned to face the other agent.
"What?" Tony asked.
"You are not fine." McGee stated. "Can you even stand?"
"If I can stand?" Tony muttered as he slowly got up, using the wall behind him as support. "Of course I can stand."
He could stand but as he tried to walk his already injured ankle gave out and he would have fallen if McGee hadn't caught him.
"He kicked at my feet and I guess he hit my ankle." Tony said with gritted teeth.
"What's going on?" Ziva asked as she stepped into the room.
"The new idiot on Hodgkin's team took off the handcuffs and the suspect went berserk." McGee said sounding angry.
"Are you alright, Tony?" Ziva asked as she got a good look at Tony.
Tony opened his mouth to say that he was fine and then say something funny to take their minds of him but McGee beat him to it.
"No, he's not fine. Where is Gibbs?"
"He's with the Director." She saw McGee grab Tony's left arm and slide under it and she did the same when she saw that McGee needed some help.
"I'm fine." Tony said. "What are you two doing?"
"We are taking you to Ducky." McGee said.
He and Ziva ignored Tony's protests as they made their way to and into the elevator.
Tony felt embarrassed at the attention but at the same time he was glad for his friends help and that they seemed to care.
"Ducky!" McGee called as they stepped out of the elevator and into the autopsy.
They helped Tony over to an autopsy table and helped him so he was sitting on it, at the same time Ducky walked up to them.
"Oh my." Ducky said as McGee told him the story of what had happened. He looked at Tony's bleeding eyebrow first. "I don't think that you need any stitches but I'll put on some butterfly tape on it. Let's take a look at your foot."
Tony reached down to take off his shoe but at he bent down sharp pain radiated from his ribcage making him sit up straight and suck in his breath.
"I'll do it for you." Ziva said when she saw the pain in Tony's face; she became more worried when Tony didn't say some smart ass comment.
"After the ankle we'll take a look at your ribs also." Ducky said as he grabbed a chair, sat down and started to examine the injured ankle carefully. It was still black and blue, but more swollen. "I don't think it's broken but we need to do an x-ray. Now take off your shirt so we can check on your ribs."
"That's not really necessary, Ducky." Tony said not wanting them to see his bruises from the fight with Frankie. "I'm fine, just a little sore but fine."
Ducky studied the young man in front of him, he could see that Tony was in pain and he knew that the younger man was trying to hide something from them.
"Sorry Anthony but I need to check it. If you don't allow me to do it I'll tell Gibbs about it and he will take you to the ER."
Tony looked Ducky in the eye, seeing that the old man was serious, so he sighed and hung his head low before he began to remove his shirt.
"My dear boy." Ducky said when he saw the bruises that were over Tony's chest and left arm.
Ziva and McGee drew sharp breaths when they saw the bruises that were covering their friends back.
"These are a few days old." Ducky said as he carefully prodded Tony's abdomen and ribs.
"Yeah." Was all Tony said as he kept his eyes on the floor not looking at his friends.
"What happened?" McGee asked.
Tony just looked at him shortly but kept his mouth closed.
"I need to do an x-ray off your chest also." Ducky said after he had examined Tony.
Ziva and McGee helped Tony to the x-ray room and stepped outside as Ducky began to operate the machine.
"Did you see his arm?" McGee asked out loud. "It looked like…"
"Like a handprint." Ziva said and shook her head. "Why didn't he tell us about it?"
"About what, Ziva?" Gibbs asked his voice making both his agents jump and spin around.
"That…" Ziva and McGee said at the same time but were interrupted by Ducky coming out of the room.
"You two help Anthony back to the table while I talk to Jethro." Ducky said and the two agents gladly did as he said.
Gibbs caught a glimpse of Tony, now with a button shirt on, before Ziva and McGee helped him and Ducky took Gibbs inside another room.
"What's up, Ducky?" Gibbs asked the old ME. "Hodgkins just told me that the suspect went berserk, knocking out his newbie and got in a few hits on Tony as well. Is he alright?"
"We just x-rayed his ankle and chest but I believe there is something else going on with our Anthony." Ducky said and they walked to the others while he told Gibbs about the other bruises on Tony's body.
"Did he say what had happen?" Gibbs asked before they stepped inside to the others.
"No, he didn't. But Jethro his left arm's bruise is shaped like a hand showing that someone grabbed him hard."
They stepped into the big room and walked over to the other NCIS agents. McGee and Ziva was looking down at the floor, Gibbs just cast them a look before following Ducky to the x-ray showing wall.
"I can't see any breaks." Ducky said as he looked at the x-rays. "But I'll wrap your ankle, you need to stay off it, keep it iced and high when you are still."
"Thanks, Ducky." Tony said and made a move to get off the table but was stopped by Gibbs.
"Where do you think you are going?" Gibbs asked but he didn't give Tony a chance to answer. "What happen to you?"
"Nothing." Tony said in a low voice.
"Nothing my ass!" Gibbs said loudly.
"Jethro." Ducky said. "Calm down."
Gibbs took a few deep breaths, he was really angry at the situation. He was furious at Hodgkins for letting Tony get hurt, angry at Tony for not telling him about what's going on with him and angry at himself for not noticing that Tony was hurt from the beginning.
When he looked into Tony's clear green eyes, he noticed that he was also very worried about the younger man. He looked over to McGee and Ziva and he saw the worry in their eyes also.
He turned back to Tony.
"You are going home with me, McGee will get some things from your apartment and Ziva will help us down to the car." Gibbs silenced Tony with a cold look. "Then we will talk about this."
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McGee opened the door to Tony's apartment and stepped inside. He had been here a few times before and he liked the apartment.
He walked into the bedroom, started to gather some things that Tony would need at Gibbs house then he noticed the box standing on a chair close to the bed.
Usually McGee didn't like to snoop around but the lid was off the box and the paper onto caught his eyes. He could see that it was birth certifikate, so he decided to take a closer look.
Strange, he thought as he read it: Michael Anthony DiNozzo. But Tony was named Anthony first he had seen it in the records.
Then he looked at the birth date and year. He just stared at it, if this was really Tony's birth certifcate; it meant that Tony was two years younger than himself!
TBC
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