A/N: This is just a little diddy that popped into my head and I whipped up last night. Hope you enjoy!
"DiNozzo!" The Italian startled, eyes snapping open again. Gibbs looked annoyed and that disappointed him that he'd made his boss mad. He hadn't meant to annoy him but his eyelids were heavy and he was so tired. He sat up a little higher searching for a comfortable position wincing as the cold metal cuffs cut the skin at his wrists.
"Sorry Boss." He whispered eager not to draw any attention. The trip quick to the bank to interview a witness had gone to hell. The bank robbers had been efficient and skilled storming the building. The one security guard was dead the moment they went through the door with a single rifle blast. They were swift to zero in on Gibbs and DiNozzo as the next great threat and took out Tony with a sharp blow to the gut followed by one to the head with the butt of a rifle. He didn't know how they took down Gibbs but he wished he'd been awake. It would have been a sight to see. He'd been in an out of consciousness for a while now, cuffed to an old marble pillar with Gibbs in a similar position to his right. He was missing a lot of facts to what was going on but he knew that he didn't hear or see any signs of cops outside and the other hostages weren't going to do anything.
"Don't say you're sorry." Tony only nodded. His head was feeling a little too light and there was this high pitched tone distracting him. He was certainly concussed though he easily concluded it wasn't his worst.
"You gotta plan Boss?" He squirmed again, fingers tingling from onset numbness he'd been trying to stave off for the last half hour.
"Stop it Stop it! Stop all that whispering!" The youngest of the four robbers bellowed charging towards Tony. He'd been a might twitchy, perhaps brought on by inexperienced youth unlike the other men with him. He had nowhere to dodge the blow by the rifle butt again as it slammed down on his shoulder then his chest and gut before turning to beat down on his head again and again. He could hear Gibbs shouting, sounded pissed, but everything was a blur of pain and a spiral into oblivion.
He didn't know it but he was moaning as he woke next the pain mounting in his head overwhelming. He was vaguely aware he was shaking and somehow lying on his side, hands cuffed in front of him now but his sole focus was on the pain and the nausea rising up fast. He shifted trying to move away from the feelings but they followed and spiked. He sucked in a sharp breath feeling a hand press to his forehead and peeled his eyes open one by one.
"Easy DiNozzo, keep still." He groaned and pulled away from the light assaulting his eyes. He had no warning before his stomach began to heave violently and Gibbs turning him hurriedly to his side so he wouldn't choke. Reality was dark and fuzzy by the time the heaving stopped and he felt himself rolled onto his back. "DiNozzo, DiNozzo, you hear me?" He could hear the man but he was muted and far away. He couldn't muster the energy to respond or even open his eyes again. He had no idea what was going on as the next thing he knew he was being hoisted upright but his legs wouldn't hold him making him slump and pivot. He could feel his ear pressed against a chest the heartbeat, slow and steady, enthralling him.
"Hurry up! You get him moving or we put a bullet in his head and leave him!" He felt a grip on him shifted as he was lifted higher and held tighter.
"You try it." Tony found himself fixated by the feel of vibrations through the chest as Gibb's snarled responding to the threat.
They were in a car. He could feel the cool metal at the back of his head with a tormenting continuous shake of an engine. His eyes were peeled open again making him groan and pull away but there was nowhere to go. He heard someone call him to keep his eyes open. It took him a while to connect the face with the name. Gibbs was looking him over he supposed feeling hands along his ribs and then one go to his neck. He hissed and tried to pull away feeling the headache implode.
"Sit still DiNozzo." He sagged exhausted but complied feeling the hand travel up to the back of his head struggling to contain the feeling of pain and the relief as the inspection stopped. Tony noticed dully that the hand came away red which seemed to displease Gibbs. He frowned. He didn't want to disappoint his boss. He looked around seeing two of the robbers in the back of the panel van and one up front driving.
"Weren' th're F'r?" He slurred feeling confused. He couldn't translate the expression that crossed Jethro's face as he left the question unanswered and pressed something a little rough, a little soft and had some squish against his head. The world spun violently as pressure was placed on his head. He couldn't prevent the whimper. His head felt like it was going to shatter into a thousand pieces. The passing light was like firing in his eyes making dark spots dance through his vision. He felt like he was falling, pulled forcefully towards unconsciousness.
"Don't sleep DiNozzo." He hissed feeling Gibbs slap his face lightly to rouse him. His eyelids were like lead and sticky as he forced them open but deep blurs of grey was overwhelming his vision.
"S-Sorry….t-tired….so…tired…" He gulped back another wave of nausea and tried to focus on Jethro again but he was blurring and weaving.
"I know." He squinted not sure what to make of the look or tone of voice. He managed to obey keeping his eyes half open but fell into exhausted silence. Gibbs seemed satisfied remaining crouched protectively between him and the bank robbers only moving to periodically check his condition. He drifted sometimes but he never totally lost consciousness. He didn't want to let the man down. He didn't know how much time had passed but shouting and a scuffle startled him into proper awareness. His heart skipped, his vision cleared to see Gibbs staring down the second in command of the robbers the muzzle of a handgun pressed between his eyes ready to shoot. The man seemed more unnerved by Gibbs' lack of intimidation having a gun at the ready to his head. He can see their lips moving, arguing back and forth, maybe yelling but the buzz in his ears is too great to hear. He sensed the tension was mounting but he missed the moment it broke and suddenly Gibbs and the gunman were grappling. He could feel the van rocking and a blow, or two, sent him reeling into the metal wall and the world melted away.
He woke on a wood floor, the air around him cold, and a distinctly darker tone of light. His head was like a rock under a sledgehammer, constant pounding and pain. He felt like gravity was crushing him into the floor. He tried to focus on just breathing through the pain but there was someone hovering near him. It made him nervous. He felt a hand on the nape of his neck squeezing and releasing lightly trying to draw his attention. It worked. The action was familiar but names weren't coming to him.
"DiNozzo, open your eyes. That's an order." It took some time for the demand to even sink into his foggy brain let alone comply. "DiNozzo. Now." The effort it took to peel his eyes open left him drained and exhausted. He stared listlessly not recognizing the blurred figure above him. He licked his lips intensely thirsty but the thought of actually drinking seemed too tiring.
"Keep quiet!"
"You want quiet get him medical attention." Gibbs snapped making Tony wince and whimper the sound spiking his headache. Even the smallest sound and movement left him shaking. He felt like his brain was leaking out his ears. "Your brain isn't oozing out your ears DiNozzo." He frowned. Had he said that out loud?
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" a high pitched tense voice bellowed, feet stomping as they charged the pair a gun waving. Tony couldn't track what happened next as they erupted into motion, making his world spin and then there was a gunshot.
"Ohgnnhgd." He moaned curling into a ball clutching his head, vision whiting out, head exploding.
"DiNozzo! Stay with me DiN…" He lost all awareness, stomach heaving violently.
He was floating now. It was some time later but he didn't know how long. Something had changed but he lacked the strength to figure out what was different. Light flashed above him at regular intervals and voices were all around him. Someone forced his eyes open and flashed a pen light in them making him yelp with pain. Someone was talking to him but he couldn't figure out who. He was so tired. A hand on his forehead that felt familiar and safe but he couldn't obey. It felt like his eyes were glued shut. He felt like he was sinking, and fast, as the hand came away and there was shouting, a lot of it, then nothing.
There were people talking around him now. He had the vague feeling a great deal of time had passed but he couldn't figure how much. He felt heavy and numb but there was no more of the intense pain with every heartbeat. The light ignited a dull ache as he opened his eyes but it was distant and somehow disconnected.
"Ah, very good to see you young Anthony. Feeling better?" Ducky appeared into his vision grinning.
"Ducky?" He tried to sit up but stopped abruptly at the pain streaking through from one temple to the other.
"No better not my boy you've a very bad concussion and extensive skull fracturing." DiNozzo had no problem complying and sank back to the pillow consumed by exhaustion again.
"Where? What?" He couldn't quite muster proper speech.
"You got in the way of some bank robbers but you're in the hospital now."
"Oh. Robbers? Gibbs?" He shifted trying to get a little more comfortable. He desperately needed to sleep but he wanted answers.
"The robbers are either dead or under arrest. Gibbs' handy work." Ducky explained.
"S'good."
"Get some sleep Anthony, everything is fine now." Tony nodded not fighting the pull of sleep this time. He didn't doubt it when Ducky said all was safe again. He trusted Ducky. He could hear the man settling down again, no longer chatting with whomever had been in the room. Drugged up, tucked into warm blankets on a soft mattress with his good friend Duck nearby, it was a good way to end a long miserable day.