For reason's I will keep private, I'm finally after a long time of being away back. My sincere apologies and I hope you haven't fallen out with me. Anyway, since I kept you waiting for so long i've made this a nice long one. I hope you enjoy.
"E.M.T's are on the way, boss." McGee spoke hurriedly as he jogged over to where Gibbs was crouched in front of Tony. The senior field agent was still tied to the chair for Gibbs feared that it may hurt Tony too much to move him.
"Hey… boss." Tony struggled as he smiled only slightly.
"Just hang on, DiNozzo." Gibbs winced alongside Tony as the latter lifted his head off of his chest and fell back so that his eyes looked up at the ceiling.
Ziva looked at Abby's black stained face from her makeup that had left trails down her pale cheeks. The Goth was crouched in on herself and her bottom lip trembled before it was bit to stop it shaking. Ziva reached across and put her arm on top of Abby's shoulders, for which the Goth was hugely grateful and moved into the embrace.
Red and Blue lights flashed in the windows, warning the team of the oncoming rescue for their co-worker, currently sat in pain on the seat.
"Don't think you can get rid of me, boss." The statement took Gibbs by shock very briefly before he snapped out of the moment and rubbed his hand down Tony's arms. His silence and close contact was enough for Tony who simply smiled lightly before his head flopped back wards again and his eyes shut, the void swallowing him whole.
The white sheet contrasted to the reddish tinge of skin lying underneath it. Occasionally, his leg would jerk and spasm, catching even himself by surprise sometimes. His hands rested on top, a finger twitching involuntarily making him moan as it flicked particularly strongly. An incoherent mumble would escape his lips and make him gape at the air, as if in desperation.
Tony's eyes were wide in worry as he watched Blaise pace casually in front of his white bed, a faint smirk on his lips. Suddenly, Blaise' head was beside Tony's and whispering in his ear, like he had done in the bullpen, the breath hot as it ghosted over the lobe.
"Like I said before, Anthony DiNozzo; it will never be over."
Tony's head shook and when he opened his eyes once again, the only thing he could see was very concerned steely eyes boring into his.
"You with us now, DiNozzo?"
"Tony?" This time it was a slightly higher voice which came from one side of him. Unsure of exactly which side, Tony looked to his right, seeing Abby smiling gently at him. He cleared his throat and pushed himself up slightly on his hospital bed but stopped when a shooting pain ran down his spine.
"Easy there, my lad." Ducky's hands moved his pillow behind him so Tony could sit up straight. The bright lights still flickering behind the team, unnoticed by all apart from the injured.
"Ducky?" Tony's voice sounded rough and unguarded as he questioned the man's presence.
"Nothing to worry about, Tony." The doctor took a breath as he sat back down on his chair beside the bed. "When Jimmy and I heard about… well when we heard, we returned immediately."
Nodding in response, DiNozzo settled comfortably against the propped up pillow. He turned to quickly look at Gibbs before looking away ashamed. Underneath the hard skin, the ex-marine scowled and asked, as kindly as Gibbs could ask, for the two other occupants in the room to leave for a moment.
When the room was empty apart from Tony and Gibbs, he spoke.
"What's wrong, DiNozzo?"
Tony's hand jerked suddenly and DiNozzo's eyes watched it in frustration.
"Nothing's wrong with me, Gibbs."
"Now why don't I believe that?" Gibbs ignored Tony's hand, unlike which it belonged to.
"Well, maybe because you're a marine." He needed humour, he was missing it already.
The two of them sat in silence for a little while as the wheels turned in each of the men's heads.
"You don't call me boss, anymore." Gibbs rushed the words from his mouth. Tony looked up at Gibbs and stared, confused, at him for a moment.
"What?"
"Since you've woken up, you haven't called me boss." Gibbs spoke slower this time.
His hand twitched and jerked again and a long sigh was let out as his eyes once more returned back to it. He watched as his index finger shook slightly.
"S'quite an observation, there."
"It's our job, Tony." He stressed the word 'our' but the small grunt he received in response sent a chill along his back.
"It's your job." As if fighting to be right, Tony stressed the word 'your' in response.
"The hell it is." The silence echoed around again as both sat still and unmoving, Tony still looking at his trembling hand. This time it jerked viciously which made him cry out in pain as it moved the other muscles in his body. Gibbs, seeing the concentration in Tony's eyes reached out and grabbed the shaking hand.
Gibbs covered it with his own and held onto it.
"Bastard thing won't stop shaking." Tony struggled, his voice showing the tears threatening to overflow. Gibbs didn't respond straight away, but instead just held onto the arm. "There's no way I can do my job with his." It was almost too quiet for Gibbs to hear but he caught it nonetheless.
"It will stop eventually, DiNozzo."
"You assume too much."
A firm head slap landed on the back of his head, which left behind a puzzled agent.
"What was that for?"
"A good agent never assumes." Gibbs replied with a slight smile on his face.
"Well then lucky me." The usually happy voice was laced with bitterness. "Guess I don't have too worry about that anymore."
"Jesus, Tony."
"No, Gibbs. This shit always happens to me. My warranty was up long ago, hell, I'm what? 3 years overdue? Maybe it's time I move on anyway. McGee is more than capable, now."
"You done?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I think I am."
"Well I can tell you, you're not going anywhere."
"Jeez, Gibbs. That makes me feel all warm inside, thanks." Tony's voice was laced with sarcasm.
"No problem." Tony rolled his eyes.
"By the way, I've been wondering."
"Of course you have."
"What happened to Blaise?"
Gibbs simply smiled.
2 days earlier
"This will be interesting."
"I hope Gibbs doesn't kill him."
"Poor Agent Lee."
"Agent Lee?" Jimmy perked up as he listened from the other side of the glass of the interrogation. Ziva and McGee stood in front of him and turned to each other and smiled as if they knew something.
"I wouldn't want to be the one that has to explain to the courts that the suspect slipped on a banana skin and most sadly passed away."
McGee saw Jimmy's confused face and helped him out.
"Just in case an accident happens in the interrogation room."
"Oh." Looking slightly scared, Jimmy edged his way out of the room. "I've just got to-"Noticing nobody was paying attention, he slipped out of the room unnoticed.
"I believe this is Tony's favourite bit, yes?"
"Yeah, or so he says." They lapsed into silence even before Gibbs entered the steel room.
Blaise sat numbly on the wooden chair on the other side of the metal table. His hands were chained together in the front as they rested on the top of the table. Gibbs strolled in, coffee in hand and slammed it down on top, allowing some of the coffee to spill over the top of the closed lid.
"How's Anthony?" Blaise asked with mock confidence, letting his usual smirk return back onto his face.
"Fantastic." Gibbs continued to pace around the room, behind the cocky man and past the seat he should be sitting on. "You killed Jordan Holmes."
Suddenly the air felt colder and the smirk slipped from the man's mouth.
"I never."
"No you're right. You didn't kill him. But you helped."
"I didn't kill him!"
"You held the man down as they killed him."
"Jordan was my friend, old man. I had no reason to kill him."
"You were a witness. Interviewed and all."
"You have no evidence. If you interviewed me, you stupid fool, why didn't you remember me?"
"Because I didn't interview you." It was said with such simplicity that Blaise was shocked for a moment."Caitlyn Todd interviewed you. That's how you knew her. See, we have our resources too. But what I don't get is why you pursued it. You were free."
Blaise' hands ran over his face in desperation at trying to remember.
"I didn't kill him."
"Geraint Fells is your cousin. You attended the same college as each other. He said to me that killing was his salvation, he was insane. Clearly, it runs in the family."
"Yes, it's a classic case of schizophrenia" Ducky informed the two agents in the room looking through the glass. "Often, the mind can block out certain incidents and persuade itself that something else has happened."
"So he can claim metal health problems."
"Unfortunately it seems that way. Although I seriously doubt Gibbs will settle for just that."
They watched as Gibbs stood up from his seat and walk around to Blaise who looked up at him with teary eyes. He smirked slightly before punching the man across the face.
"If Tony has any lingering effects, trust me…" Gibbs leaned in close to the man ear and let his hot breath glide over Blaise' lobe, "it will be worse than a punch on your nose, you bastard."
With that, Gibbs turned and stormed out into the corridor of the NCIS HQ.
Tony smiled at the short story of the interrogation and looked at Gibbs with sincere gratitude.
"Thanks, Gibbs."
"Not a problem, Tony. Besides…"
"I know, I know. What's mine is yours and what's yours is… still just yours."
"Damn right, DiNozzo." Gibbs raised himself up and stretched before moving to the door of the hospital room, always watching as Tony grabbed his shaking hand in his other and held firmly. "And by the way, don't expect me to go easy when you get back to work."
Tony looked up at Gibbs as if he had just answered a silent question. He seemed to think about something before, for the first time, it what seemed a while for him, he smiled. Not a smirk, or a strained glimmer but a genuine smile.
"Thanks, boss."
With a slight nod of his head, Gibbs opened the room door and walked through it, leaving behind hope in the special agent he saw almost like a son.
The End
A/N I thought I would try and add a twist right at the very end, I hope it worked. I'm terribly sorry if it didn't. Anyway, thanks for sticking with it and I can finally put a big COMPLETE on now. Anyway, I think i left it open for the remote chance of a sequel but we shall see what you people think first.
Kind Regards.
Your Author... Leigh. x