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Gibbs blinked slowly.
"Jethro, you there?" Fornell questioned.
After releasing a deep breath, Gibbs said, "Yeah, I'm here. So what do we do now?"
"Well, first we need to get some guards posted outside DiNozzo's room. I'll send you two of my agents. Salir would be stupid to try anything, but you never know. Then, I think you and your team should get down here. That is, assuming you want to lead the investigation…"
"You're damn right I'm leading the investigation. We'll leave as soon as your agents arrive. Talk you to later, Tobias."
"See you soon," Fornell replied.
Gibbs snapped his phone shut and walked toward the hospital doors, on his way to debrief the team on the new information.
. . .
McGee stood abruptly as a man in a white coat walked through the door of Tony's room. The man was tall, with dark hair, and even darker eyes, speckled with green crystals. As he moved into the room, reaching his arm out to grab Tony's chart, Ziva's arm flew from Tony's hand, gripping the doctor's wrist.
The man's eyes widened with surprise. He took a step back, lifting his hands in mock-surrender. "My name is Dr. Tannin. I just need to look at his chart," the man said, with a nearly undetectable middle-eastern accent. "We may need to change his antibiotics if his body isn't responding quickly enough."
Ziva's eyes narrowed, suspicion clouding the chocolate brown. "You have credentials, yes? A badge?"
The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a small laminated card. It was complete with a picture of himself, the name of the hospital, rank, etc. Ziva and McGee both looked at each other, shrugging imperceptibly. A simple message passed between them. Looks good to me.
"You may examine him," Ziva said briskly, re-seating herself in the chair next to the bed. McGee stood to the side.
"Um, typically the family leaves for this portion of the examination," the man said uncomfortably.
"We are not leaving," Ziva stated simply.
Sighing, he carefully peeled back Tony's gown and gently probed the stomach wound. He continued his ministrations for a few minutes, before saying, "The wound looks ok to me. I'm just going to give him a light sedative to relieve the discomfort."
Ziva and McGee saw no reason to object, so the man continued, "Let me just get the supplies. I'll be back in a moment." He exited the room quietly.
McGee sighed. "Do you think Salir's men will come after him tonight?"
"I do not know. They very well could, but I sincerely hope they do not. Or if they do, that I am here to show them a piece of my mind," Ziva replied darkly.
"Give them a piece of your mind," McGee said, no real heart in the correction.
The two were silent for a few seconds, before Dr. Tannin returned with a small syringe. He swiftly inserted the needle into Tony's IV, pushing down the plunger and watching the drugs ease their way into Tony's system.
"That should do," he said. "I'll be back later to see how that's working. Let me know if you need anything."
The agents nodded their thanks and turned their attention back to their fallen friend.
This motion, this slight shift in concentration, drew their notice away from the man in the white coat, who couldn't hold back a sly smile. He turned out of the room, evilly relishing in his ability to manipulate, and grateful for his extremely effective poker face.
. . .
Gibbs turned the corner just in time to see a tall doctor stroll out, a strange smirk on his face. Quickening his pace, Gibbs entered the room, peering over his shoulder. "Who was that?" he asked, still staring at the doorway.
"Dr. Tannin," McGee replied. "He just came in to check on Tony."
Gibbs shrugged off the foreboding in the pit of his stomach and began to tell the team about the latest update on Salir, when Abby walked in, Caf-Pow in hand.
"Anything new?" she asked, slurping her drink. Gibbs started from the beginning, telling them what Fornell had told him.
They all reacted to the news quite well. "I knew there was something we were missing," McGee muttered. "Any idea who it is yet?"
"Not yet," Gibbs replied. "But we're damn well gonna find out. I told Fornell we were taking the case. As soon as his men arrive to watch DiNozzo, we can head to the warehouse and investigate."
His agents nodded in agreement, and the group stood in silence for a few moments, watching Tony sleep.
A knock at the door made them all jump. Everyone looked to the door, where two men were standing attentively, one of them speaking before entering the room.
"Agent Gibbs? My name's Agent McClain and this is Agent Larson. We're assigned to Agent DiNozzo's protection detail for the time being." The men pulled out their badges and flashed them at Gibbs, who examined both briefly before nodding.
Agent McClain stuck his hand out, and Gibbs took it. Then, he pulled the arm toward him, putting his mouth right next to the agent's ear. "Anything happens to him under your watch, and there'll be hell to pay. We clear?" he murmured threateningly.
McClain went stony faced, and nodded, completely serious.
"Good," Gibbs said. Then turning to the team, he said, "Let's go. Abby, you staying here?"
The Goth nodded, taking Ziva's seat next to the bed. "I wanna be here when he wakes up," she said, appraising the sleeping man with affection.
Gibbs gave Abby a one-armed hug and left the room, McGee and Ziva following suit.
. . .
"All we have to go on is the blood in the warehouse and these skid marks," Fornell said, motioning to the black tire tracks on the pavement.
Gibbs knelt down and examined the marks, while Ziva and McGee snapped photos of the scene.
"We might be able to use these to narrow down the vehicle type and model for a BOLO," McGee said. "If Abby scans the image and gets a brand, we can check for purchases in the last 6-12 months."
Nodding, Gibbs said, "Ziva, get a sample of the blood for Abby. McGee, let's keep looking."
. . .
Abby frowned, leaning forward in her chair. It seems weird that he still hasn't woken up, she thought to herself worriedly.
She laid her hand against his forehead, noting the heat that met her hand. Knowing an infection could be very dangerous for her friend, she debated about calling in a nurse. It might be nothing. As she wrestled with the decision, Tony's heart monitor began to speed up.
"Tony?" Abby questioned, hoping it was a signal of him waking up. The other two agents looked at each other curiously.
"Should we get a doctor?" Agent Larson asked. Abby responded distantly, still focused on Tony's face, "Not yet. Give him a minute."
Tony's heart rate continued to climb to a dangerous level, machines beeping wildly. Without warning, his body began convulsing violently. His limbs thrashed about on the bed as his body shook uncontrollably.
Agent Larson and Agent McClain looked at each other, panic in their eyes, as Abby stared, horrified, at her ailing friend.