A/N: I know that this was originally intended to be just a one-shot, but some of my kindly reviewers have been encouraging me to carry on, and then I had a sudden urge to write another chapter...

Too Often

The sterile smell of the hospital chilled him to the bone; a natural reaction instilled in him thanks to the many times that both he and his agents had awoken after a gunfight (or something along those lines) with an IV attached to them and bandages wrapped around their wounds, barely aware of what was going on.

DiNozzo was by far the worse of them all.

In the ex-homicide cop's short time at NCIS, he had managed to get himself hospitalised so many times that all of them, including Gibbs, had lost count. This most definitely wasn't the first time it had been a result of him being kidnapped or dropping off the map for a few hours, and the ex-marine was seriously contemplating Abby's offer to put a GPS chip in the Senior Field Agent; they'd lost him too many times already, and soon even his luck was going to run out.

That kid was going to be the death of them both.

Impatiently, he paced up and down the hospital corridor, waiting with barely-concealed agitation, jumping on any nurses or doctors unfortunate to pass in the hope of getting answers. In his hand he clutched a polystyrene cup of long-cold coffee. Not, of course, that it could be really classified as coffee…

He continued to pace, completely aware of his surroundings, yet absorbed deeply in his own thoughts. Inside his head he was reprimanding himself, furious at the fact that something like this had happened to one of his team. One of his own. How could they have missed something so important? How on earth could they have let this happen, to Tony of all people? He'd suffered enough; hell, he'd even survived the damn plague, and that disease had died out in the Middle Ages! But the punishments kept coming…

Sometimes he just had to believe in God; it wasn't physically possible for one human to attract so much misfortune.

He could hear the pounding of boots down the corridor, and he didn't even need to turn around to see that it was Abby. But he did. Tears were streaming down her face, messing her carefully applied black make-up. She was attracting a lot of looks, to say the least, but she didn't care. Rushing into Gibbs' arms, she sobbed quietly.

"He's going to be alright, isn't he?" He couldn't give her an answer. DiNozzo had been missing for two days before they'd found him; who knew what damage could have been inflicted on him in that time?

"I don't know Abbs; I haven't spoken to a doctor yet, but he's in capable hands." Following closely behind her, he could see the rest of his team. McGee had been left to deal with the crime scene after Tony had been taken in the ambulance, and Ziva had dealt with their prisoner, Tony's captor. He gave a small smile of relief as he saw Ducky walking with them, glad that there was someone here who he genuinely trusted to tell him that DiNozzo was going to be alright; he'd never really understood medical jargon, and even if the doctor gave them the simple facts, he'd need the medical examiner to tell him exactly what his agent's chances were. Resigning himself to waiting again, he sat down on one of the uncomfortable hospital chairs, which squeaked beneath him. The others soon followed-suite, all except Abby, who continued to pace back and forth nervously, her shoes leaving black rubber marks on the once-pristine hospital floor.

--

After what felt like hours, a doctor quietly approached them, wearing a white-coat over his green hospital uniform. As he stood in front of them, Gibbs and the team pushed themselves to their feet.

"Agent DiNozzo's family?" He surveyed them, taking in the motley bunch, but asking no other questions.

"Yes" Gibbs replied, his voice gruff. "How is he?" Despite all of his efforts, he couldn't help the slightly worried tone in his voice. The doctor looked at him.

"Agent DiNozzo has suffered severe dehydration, as well as having received many superficial injuries. He also has several bones broken, including the radius bone in his left arm and fibula bone in his left leg. He must have received quite a beating at some point, as he had some internal bleeding, but fortunately we managed to get that under control. He also had quite a bad concussion, but that's not too difficult to sort out. We've put him on a drip, and he's not conscious at the moment but, overall," he looked at them with a small smile on his face, "he is one lucky man." At these words the entire group sighed in collective relief. "You can visit him one at a time, but I doubt he'll be conscious for a few hours at least." At this he began to lead the way to the room in which DiNozzo was.

They let Abby visit him first; she had been so worried about Tony, someone she considered almost a brother, that it was only fair. Ducky took the young doctor aside, and began to talk to him more in-depth about Tony's condition, and McGee and Ziva began to chat amongst themselves, the relief on their faces evident. DiNozzo may have been a pain in the backside, but he was still loved (in a slightly obscure way) by everyone on the team. Aware that mobiles weren't allowed to be used in hospitals, and that he didn't have to worry all that much about his agent anymore, he signalled to Ziva that he was going outside to make a call. She acknowledged his gesture, and he made his way out into the night.

--

The wind chilled him as he stepped out of the hospital doors, taking a few moments to get his bearings; he whipped out his phone a pressed speed-dial.

"Director Shepard, NCIS…"

"Jen." There was a slight pause at the other end of the phone.

"Jethro. How is DiNozzo?" He knew how frustrated she was; she would have come to the hospital too, but there was a lot going on at NCIS.

"He's going to be fine. Out cold at the moment, and he'll need some time to recover. Apparently he's got a few broken bones as well as internal bleeding and a major concussion. Add to that the fact that the bastard gave him nothing to drink for two days…" He drifted off, the anger still raw in his voice. "Damn it Jen, how did I miss it?" There was silence at the other end of the phone, before she began to speak quietly.

"It wasn't your fault, Jethro…"

"Like hell it was! I should have realised that we'd missed something, especially something this important. If I hadn't, DiNozzo wouldn't be in the state that he's in!" Once again, there was silence at the other end of the phone.

"We have him now, and DiNozzo's going to be fine. Don't beat yourself up about it." He didn't reply, simply grunting before hanging up. Inhaling the cool winter air, and taking a second to compose himself, he made his way back into the hospital.

--

Abby had left Tony's room by the time that he'd got back from his call. At his entrance, McGee had excused himself, and Ziva likewise. He didn't blame them; it had been a long two days for them all, and now that they knew DiNozzo was fine, it was a chance for them all to go home and get some rest.

Not him, though.

He waited for Ducky to finish with Tony, slightly more patiently than he had before. The old M.E took his time, and Gibbs was under no doubt that he was reminiscing about some time long before his agent had been born. Not that the younger man would notice in his deep slumber. After what felt like hours, the elderly man exited the room, giving the ex-marine a small smile and the slight nod of his head. Without being pressed, he began to speak.

"The young Dr. Willis has been giving me a slightly more detailed view of young Anthony's condition." Gibbs waited for him to continue. "As long as there are no complications, he should be able to leave in a week, maybe less. However, he'll need someone to keep an eye on him for a short while after…" The silver-haired man just nodded, before bidding his old friend goodnight as he made his way home. Slowly, he entered the room.

He couldn't help but take a small intake of breath at the sight before him, but he quickly got himself back under control.

Tony was hooked up to a variety of devices, and wires were simply everywhere. Bruises, which had been barely visible in the half-light on the basement in which he'd been kept, were now vivid under the harsh-hospital lighting. Casts covered broken bones, and a bandage was wrapped around his head. A drip was attached to his one hand, and a heart monitor was beeping away to his one side, the beat steady and rhythmic. Sitting down on the chair next to his bed, he just stared at the younger man for a short while, before beginning to speak.

"Only you, DiNozzo, could get yourself abducted more than five times in less than a year." He remained motionless. "You'd better heal quick. Do you know how much paperwork you've left me? Believe me, I have no intention on filling it all in, so you'd better get a move on." There was still no response, but it didn't bother him. Leaning back in the chair, he closed his eyes, forcing himself to relax.

After all, he was going to be there for a while.

A/N: Same drill as before, please read an review...

I hope to update soon, but I'm also writing another story at the moment, which I'm intending to finish soon :)