Author's note- thanks for all of the wonderful reviews, every one is greatly appreciated. Here's part 2 hope you like it.

Chapter 2: Shocks

Ducky was waiting for them as they entered his lab. "Bring him over here," he gestured to the empty pathology table nearest to the door, it was clearly clean and waiting for its next occupant, but wasn't really designed for one who was still alive, not that there were many other options.

Kate and Gibbs were now supporting most of Tony's weight between them, although he was still making efforts to help, his movements were uncoordinated at best. The table was a little high as they turned him to lean against it, working as a team they gripped under his shoulders and with a nod from Gibbs, lifted him into a sitting position. The action was so smooth it was almost as if they had rehearsed it, but the movement still elicited a strangled cry of pain. Tony, still aware enough to try to play down his injuries, attempted to bite it off as he rode out the ensuing waves. He closed his eyes tightly once more, not that he had managed to open them much since the brief respite from movement in the elevator, he had managed slits, making out shape and colour but no detail. He tried to concentrate on his breathing, fighting the urge to take short shallow breaths.

Ducky wasn't wasting any time, from his first glimpse of his patient he hadn't liked what he saw, every instinct in him now drove urgent actions at a pace that he rarely used. His usual 'patients' required no urgency at all. "Help me to get his shirt off, let's see what we're dealing with."

"He has some sort of cut on his head," Gibbs stated as he moved to pull the clothing away. "It's hidden under the hairline, so I couldn't get a good look at it."

Ducky nodded his acknowledgement that he had heard, as he positioned his stethoscope in his ears. Gibbs pulled the shirt back.

The exclamations were simultaneous.

"Oh my God!" Kate let out an audible breath and took a slight step back.

"Damn!" Gibbs' hands froze mid action.

"Oh My," Ducky uttered, as he stared open mouthed at the ugly black and purple bruising that covered the whole of Tony's chest and abdomen and disappeared below his waistline and round the back.

It was Ducky who recovered first, moving forward to start his examination. "What happened to him?" He addressed his comment at Gibbs as Tony's eyes were still closed, his face a mask of tension.

"He said he fell down the stairs," Gibbs replied, his tone revealing how much he believed the explanation.

"Only if the stairs had fists," Ducky stated.

Kate and Gibbs both watched as Ducky began his examination, disconcerted both by the pathologist's rapid movements and by his silence. The fact that he wasn't telling them what this situation reminded him of, spoke volumes for his concern and fuelled theirs.

Gibbs turned to look at her. "What the Hell happened to him?"

Kate stared back, the question was delivered as though he expected her to have the answers, and it took a moment for her to process the fact that it was rhetorical. She read the concern and frustration on Gibbs' face, and shook her head, waiting as he read her expression, knowing that it mirrored his. They both turned back as Ducky finally spoke.

"Anthony, Anthony can you hear me?" He asked as he took the younger man's blood pressure, an unmistakeable frown creasing his brow.

It took a moment, but Tony forced a reply through gritted teeth. "Yeah doc?"

Ducky pulled the cuff off, looking even less happy than before. "Can you tell me where the pain is worst?" There was no point in asking where it hurt, since the answer to that would clearly be everywhere, but the severe pain, the pain that kept taking his friend's breath from him, could indicate complications beyond the obvious bruising. He began to palpitate Tony's ribs as he waited for a reply, apologising when hitting a tender spot elicited another groan.

Tony tried to concentrate his mind on the question, surprised that Gibbs wasn't all over him for an explanation of his injuries, he had been attempting to come up with something that they would believe, catching enough of the exchange between Gibbs and Ducky to know that the 'stairs' story, as he'd known it would be, was a none starter. If only this pain would settle down enough to let him think.

"Anthony," Ducky's sharp tones brought him back again, he'd asked him a question, guess he really wanted the answer. "I can't help you properly until I know where it hurts most."

"Lower Back," Tony stated weakly, "Like being. . . . stabbed."

Ducky muttered something to himself that no one else caught. He turned to Gibbs and Kate. "I could do with a hand."

They both moved forwards obligingly, grateful to be able to do something other than exchange worried glances with each other.

"OK, Kate give him some support. Gibbs I need you to help me get his shirt off the rest of the way." Ducky began to move round the exam table. Gibbs went the opposite way until they were both standing behind Tony with Kate supporting his front. They pulled the shirt away, this time Gibbs swore as he caught sight of Tony's back.

"What the. . . What do you think did that, what could cause. . ."

Ducky winced, interrupting "Let's just concentrate on treatment for the moment, we'll talk about who or what did the damage later."

Reluctantly Gibbs nodded. "What do you need me to do?"

"Just support his shoulders while I. . ." He broke off as Gibbs complied and he moved in to palpitate the skin once more, this time Tony's reaction was instantaneous, he stiffened and let out another cry of pain. Ducky moved to look round Tony, "Mr Palmer," he spoke to his assistant who to this point had just been observing, hovering just far enough back not to get in the way. "I think you'd better get us an ambulance, impress on them that we need them here with some urgency."

"Duck?" Gibbs asked.

Ducky turned to look at him, "I'm afraid, this isn't something I'm going to be able to treat he needs to go to hospital. . "

Tony struggled to take in enough breath to word a protest. "No. . .don't need . . .'ospital. Just need . . . to rest, I. . "

What he was going to say next was lost as his body went limp and he fell forwards. Kate was taken by surprise, barely managing to stop what would have been a headlong tumble off the table. She caught him on her shoulder, her hands pressed awkwardly to her body as his weight rested on her. She leaned back into him in an effort to keep them both upright. "Gibbs!"

Her exclamation wasn't needed Gibbs was already back around the table helping to ease Tony off her and into a lying position. Once he was prone, Ducky began to check his vitals. "Damn, no pulse," He said urgently

"He's not breathing," Kate said, forcing herself to remain calm.

"Open his airway," Ducky stated, "we need to start CPR."

Kate positioned Tony's head and without hesitation moved to force air into his lungs as Ducky started the chest compressions, aware that her own heart was beating twice as fast as Ducky was moving at, she counted before moving to breathe again. She looked across at Gibbs between breaths, the concerned look was gone, his face was now a mask. The tension in the room was palpable.

Gibbs looked across at Palmer. "Where's the damn ambulance?" he asked, his glare enough to melt much stronger men.

"I'll, er, I'll go and check that they can find their way in," the young man stated, moving off rapidly. He had barely reached the doors when the EMTs entered, pushing a stretcher loaded with equipment.

"I've got a pulse back," Ducky announced, briefly pulling the agents' focus back from the entering paramedics. "That's it Anthony, I knew you could do it." Ducky spoke to the unconscious man as if he could hear him. "The paramedics are here to help now, we'll have you feeling much better soon."

Kate wasn't sure if she'd been more disconcerted by the doctor's earlier silence or the fact that he was now speaking to Tony as he did one of his corpses. Nonetheless she was grateful that the EMTs had arrived to take the burden of her friend's care away from her. She stepped away as they moved in, Ducky reeled off the information he knew as they attached oxygen, monitors and an IV.

"Ducky?" Gibbs managed to get the doctor's attention as the EMTs worked. "What's wrong with him? What caused those marks?"

Ducky sighed, "It looked like someone hit him with something hard, my guess would be an iron pipe or bar. The tenderness is over one of his kidneys and he has all the indications of internal bleeding. I'll know more once we get him to the hospital, but he's going to need surgery." He took a deep breath looking to the frantic activity of the paramedics as they transferred him to the gurney. "That's if we get him there. Look I'm going to travel in the ambulance."

Gibbs nodded, "We'll meet you there." He moved to stand next to Kate as they watched the doors slide closed, plunging the room into an eerie stillness.

"Whatever possessed him to try to keep going with injuries like those?" Gibbs asked.

"Well you know Tony, he'll take Macho over common sense every time?" Kate tried to lighten the tone but her heart wasn't in it. Her mood sobered as some of the shock of the last few minutes hit her. "We almost lost him," she stated quietly.

"Yeah, we still might." Gibbs answer was equally quiet as they both continued to stare at the door. The silence that followed stretched for a full minute.

When it happened, the shift in Gibbs demeanour was like someone had thrown a switch, he went from quiet contemplation to barely contained anger in the blink of an eye. "Well standing around here isn't getting us any answers agent Todd." He pulled some keys from his pocket and threw them at her. "You're driving." He pulled out his cell and hit the speed dial. "Abby I need you to pull Tony's car from the lot and strip it, tell me anything and everything you can about where it's been in the past twenty four hours and get Agent McGee to meet us at the hospital."

Kate caught the keys but did not move instantly she allowed herself another few moments to get her head around what had almost, what might still, happen before Gibbs impatient, "Kate!" had her moving again.

TO BE CONTINUED. . .