Tony knew from the moment he got up that morning that something was off. He would never admit it to anyone, but he wore contacts. As he started to open a fresh pair of contacts, his finger slipped, cutting his index finger.
"Son of a Bitch." He cursed as blood was starting to drip from his finger.
He quickly grabbed an alcohol pad and bandage to take care of it before getting ready for work. Thankfully it was a Friday and the team was off rotation for the weekend. He felt like he hadn't slept in weeks. The team had been called out on several cases that week. A house fire with a Marine Colonel found dead inside, a Marine Lt. Colonel jumped off a bridge of a busy highway. Then there was the three bodies that was found in the Potomac. The first to be found was Navy Lieutenant Logan Williams who was found by a man who was fishing with his father. The second body was found of Marine Lance Corporal Stephen Frost was found floating in the Potomac a few days later. The third day when the team got the call back out to the Potomac Tony wondered how many more bodies were there to find? The third body was that of Marine First Lieutenant Bruce Cole. It never set well with Gibbs when he found bodies of Marines. First Lieutenant Cole had washed ashore face down. Tony let his mind wander off to how busy they had been that week and how if he didn't see another dead body for a few days, that was fine with him. His phone ringing is what brought him back to the present.
"DiNozzo." He answered.
"We will meet you at the Potomac, looks like we might have another body." Gibbs said before snapping his phone shut.
"Great, another one." Tony mumbled under his breath before grabbing his keys and heading out to the scene.
Once he got there he met up with Gibbs.
"What have we got Boss?" Tony flashed him a megawatt smile.
"There's a car in the Potomac, but no divers to see if we got another body or not." Gibbs said.
Before he could say anymore, Tony was diving in to find out for himself.
"Seriously DiNozzo?!" Gibbs said.
"Leave it to Tony to dive head first into anything." McGee chuckled, which earned him a growl from Gibbs.
Gibbs was starting to get worried when Tony hadn't resurfaced yet. But finally, Tony's head popped up, a smile as big as Texas, and something in his hand.
"I think you might want to see this boss." Tony yelled.
He swam back to the bank. With the help of McGee and Gibbs, they pulled him back to safety.
"So, what was so important that you took off running and diving into the water for DiNozzo?" Gibbs voice stern.
"I didn't find another body…but I did find the wallets to our other three victims. Looks like they are all in the same car." DiNozzo said before a coughing fit overtook him.
He knew it wasn't the best of ideas to go into the Potomac in 30-degree weather but he wanted to help solve the case. Even if his lungs were on fire now.
"Let's get Ducky to check you out. I don't like the sound of that cough." Gibbs said, his eyes mixed with fear and concern.
"I'm…fine…boss." Tony said in-between coughs.
Ducky came rushing over when he saw the young agent sitting on the ground with the other agents gathered around him.
"My dear Anthony what have you done this time?" Ducky questioned.
"Saved…evidence." Tony coughed.
"No you went head first into the freezing Potomac." Gibbs corrected.
Tony glared at Gibbs.
"Oh, Anthony you know you mustn't do that. Your lungs can not handle the extreme cold. Mr. Palmer will you fetch the oxygen tank for me please." Ducky asked.
"Yes doctor." Palmer said.
"I would feel better if you went to Bethesda and had Brad look at you." Ducky said rubbing Tony's back.
"Seriously guys, I'm fine." Tony smiled.
When Palmer returned with the oxygen, Ducky slipped the mask over Tony's face. Tony sucked in the oxygen like he had never had oxygen before. Letting it fill his still burning lungs. He knew it was a bad decision to get in the water, but he couldn't risk one of his team members getting sick, or losing evidence.
"DiNozzo your done for the day. Either go to Bethesda, or go home." Gibbs commanded.
"But boss, I'm fine…" Tony tried to save before getting a head slap.
"Go DiNozzo." Gibbs snapped.
He leaned down close to Tony's ear and whispered "After I get things wrapped up tonight, come over for dinner. I'll make you a cowboy steak and we can unwind from this week together."
"I gotcha boss." Tony nodded.
"Good." Gibbs said as he helped Tony up.
Tony smiled and thought 'he does care!'
Tony was driving home when it hit him, he hadn't paid his rent yet. He took a slight detour and went to the bank to get a cashier's check. The line inside the bank was tedious. He checked his phone to see if any new messages had come in. He didn't hear the glass break, he didn't hear the people screaming, all he remembers is being hit.
Gibbs gut was turning when he got the phone call.
"Yeah Gibbs." Gibbs answered his phone. His eyes becoming wide. "We will be right there."
"What is it Boss?" McGee asked, "Did they find another body?"
"No, someone tried to make their own version of a drive throw bank. Fornell's team is on the way too. Call DiNozzo and have him meet us over there." Gibbs said as he headed for the elevator with his team in tow.
"On it boss." McGee said as he attempted to call Tony.
As they drove to the bank, McGee tried once more to call Tony.
"Boss I can't get ahold of Tony." McGee said, worry creeping into his voice.
Gibbs gut was turning. Something wasn't right.
As the team reached the bank, they saw the car that had rammed into the bank and the gaping hole that was part of the aftermath. Gibbs could hear the elderly woman tell the officers how she accidently had the car in drive instead of reverse.
"We got a body over here." An officer said.
Gibbs heart sank at those words. He went rushing around the car to find DiNozzo pinned between the car and a wall.
"Oh for the love of God DiNozzo, please be alright." Gibbs whispered as he tried to get closer to Tony.
Tony's face was littered with cuts and bruises. With the way the car hit him, he would be lucky if he did survive. An officer placed his fingers on Tony's neck.
"I got a pulse!" the officer yelled.
Relief washed over Gibbs. He got as close to his unconscious senior field agent as he could.
"Tony, you listen to me. You're not going to die. Not here, not today." Gibbs demanded.
A few minutes later Tony tried to open his eyes but found his eyelids were extremely heavy.
"Boss?" Tony mumbled.
"I thought I told you to go home DiNozzo?!" Gibbs held back a laugh.
"Had to pay rent." Tony whispered.
The officers were able to back the car away from Tony and get him out. Gibbs was right beside the paramedics as they were checking Tony out. Gibbs rode followed the ambulance to the hospital. Thankfully unlike some of the other ambulance rides with Tony, his heart beat was strong and steady and he was breathing on his own. It was a few hours later before a doctor came out to inform the team of Tony's condition.
"He is a lucky man for sure. Other than a slight concussion, dislocated shoulder, some lacerations and bruises he is just fine. I am going to send him home as long as he takes it easy." The doctor explained.
"Trust me doc, he knows he better take it easy." Gibbs smiled.
Tony was quiet on the ride home. Gibbs wanted to talk to Tony about what had happened that day, but figured Tony would talk when he was ready. Gibbs figured it would be better for Tony if he slept in his own bed for the evening. He would spend the night at Tony's and make sure Tony was ok. He helped Tony inside and helped him into some more comfortable clothes.
"I am going to run to the store and get some stuff for dinner. Will you be ok for a little bit?" Gibbs asked worried about his agent.
"Peachy." Tony smiled.
After Gibbs had left, Tony had settled down on his couch for a nap. 15 minutes later Tony heard something. It sounded like a gunshot right outside his apartment. His training kicking in, Tony grabbed his weapon off the counter and headed outside. To his relief it was just a car steaming.
Breathlessly he asked the young woman that the car belonged to "Have you called 911 yet?"
"No I am on the phone with my friend." The young woman said. "if I open my hood that should help it right?"
Tony grabbed the woman with one arm and pulled her away from the car as flames started to grow.
"That's the worst thing you can do." He tried to explain. "I will call 911."
Tony pulled out his phone and called 911 being told that the fire department was on their way.
As the flames grew, he decided he needed to move his beloved car. McGee was nice enough to drive his car back home for him while Ziva followed. He knew it could have been worse. Could have been Ziva driving his car.
Tony decided to call Gibbs and let him know what was going on.
"Hey Gibbs when you get here park…" Tony said before his words were cut off but a deafening roar.
"Tony? Tony! Are you ok? What's going on?" Gibbs panicked. He dropped the steaks he was looking at and left his basket in the middle of the grocery store aisle. His agent was more important.
"I'm so sorry Gibbs." Tony was able to whisper before everything went black.
Gibbs was greeted with firetrucks right outside the apartment building. A car was still on fire as the firefighters worked to put it out. He saw paramedics covering something, more than likely a body, up with a white sheet.
"No! Please God, NO!" Gibbs screamed internally.
Gibbs walked around to the front of the car to see that not much of the car was left except for charred body of the car. A young woman was standing off to the side crying hysterically.
"Ma'am are you ok?" Gibbs asked placing his hands on her shoulders.
Tears fell harder as she recounted what happened.
"He saved my life." The young woman sobbed.
"Who did?" Gibbs questioned.
"I think his name was Tony. He had an Italian sounding last name like DiNardo or Donato…"
"DiNozzo?" Gibbs suggested.
"That's it!" The young woman had a light bulb moment. "He worked as a police officer or something to do with law enforcement."
"He's a special agent for NCIS. I'm his boss." Gibbs said which made the woman sob more. "Why don't you tell me what happened."
"He…he went to move his car…he was up even with my car when…it exploded. The explosion rocked this place. It sent Tony to the ground. A piece of the car hit his head." The young woman tried to stay calm.
"Where is he now?" Gibbs asked.
With a shaking finger, she pointed to the lump under the white sheet. Gibbs breath hitched. Tony couldn't really be dead, could he? He flashed his badge at the paramedics and officers and pulled back the sheet. Tony had been badly burned on what looked like was his whole right side. His beautiful hair singed from his head. His head having a huge gash on it. There was no doubt if the explosion didn't get him being hit in the head with that much force did. One thing stuck out to Gibbs, the smile on Tony's face. He had a hint of pride still evident. Tony was able to save someone, even if it meant giving his own life in return.
"You did good DiNozzo. I'm proud of you." Gibbs said as he patted Tony's body.
It hadn't really hit him yet that Tony was dead, he knew when it did that he would take it hard. But in that moment, he was like a father proud of his son for doing good. Gibbs looked up to the sky and whispered.
"Take care of him Kate. He can be a handful sometimes. Don't be afraid to slap him if he needs it." Gibbs sadly smiled before he pulled the sheet back over Tony's face. In that moment Gibbs didn't care who was around, he broke down and cried for the loss of his son.