Chapter Three: Escaping

"LJ, you gotta get me outta here," Tony pleaded. "No more catheters and needles and being poked and prodded all the time. Please. I beg of you."

"There's nowhere to go, Tony," Gibbs replied sympathetically.

"Home," Tony said with a sadness in his voice Gibbs had never heard before. "I wanna go home."

Gibbs stood at Tony's bedside, running his hand down his lover's cheek. "You haven't been discharged yet," he said, "besides, Ace is back at Fort Savage dropping the troops off and picking our plane up."

"We'll leave when he gets back," Tony said hopefully.

"They wanna keep you overnight," Gibbs said moving his hand from Tony's cheek to tousle his hair, "make sure everything's okay in that head of yours."

"Will you at least take the catheter out, please, LJ?" Tony begged. "And maybe we could go outside and get some fresh air?"

"I'm not a doctor, Tony," Gibbs said.

"But I am," Colonel Marks said entering the room.

"You gotta get me out of here," Tony pleaded. He wasn't above begging. He felt like crap. He was tired and sore and just wanted to go home.

"Can't let ya go yet," Marks said. "I'd miss you too much but I will take that catheter out."

"That's a start I guess," Tony sighed. "Is it gonna hurt?"

"Shouldn't," Marks said as he got things set up. "You'll feel a little tugging but no pain."

Gibbs watched as Tony's face started going pale. "You alright?"

"I uh, I don't like people messing with Junior," Tony said looking like he was getting ready to throw up all over the place.

"Just relax, Tony," Marks said, his voice calm and comforting. "The only reason we put it in was because that shrapnel was a little too close to your heart for my liking. If we had to hurry up and put you under the rest of the way so we could crack your chest the last thing I wanted on my mind was a catheter."

"Gu-g-guess I-I got lucky then-then, huh?" Tony stuttered.

Gibbs moved to Tony's bedside just in time to watch the younger man faint.

Marks took a quick look at Tony, checked his pulse and raised his eyelids to evaluate his pupils. "He's okay, he just fainted." With everything set up, the Colonel easily removed the catheter while Tony was passed out then got him cleaned up and pulled the blankets back over him.

He retrieved some smelling salts, cracked them and waved them under Tony's nose. Tony almost immediately started waving his arms as he started coming around. Marks pulled the smelling salts away while Gibbs held Tony's wrists firmly against his chest until he calmed.

"Relax," Marks said, "we're all done."

"You and Junior made it through just fine," Gibbs said loosening his grip.

"There might be a slight burning sensation when you urinate the next couple times but that'll go away," Marks said. "Next time you empty your bladder I need you to do it in here," he said holding up a bedpan urinal.

"Why?" Tony asked weakly.

"Medical purposes," Marks said. "If you really wanna know I'll tell you but it's nothing you really need to be concerned with. Try to get some rest, Tony, then we'll see if we can get you up and moving around later this afternoon." The doctor patted Tony's shoulder and smiled at Gibbs then headed out.

Gibbs moved the chair closer to Tony's bed then sat down beside him and held his hand. "You always pass out during medical procedures?"

"I hate hospitals," Tony said reaching down to make sure everything was okay with his most valued parts. "I hate doctors and needles and bedpans and now I can add catheters to the list. I hate catheters. I hate being here. I wanna go home." He looked up at Gibbs through hooded eyelids, having no trouble looking as pathetic as he actually felt.

"You sound like a toddler," Gibbs teased gently as he loving stroked Tony's hair. "Rest. Things'll be better when you wake up. I promise I won't let 'em catheterize you while you're sleeping."

Tony tried to smile but exhaustion was rapidly overwhelming him and the soothing touches from Gibbs were only pushing him closer to sleep. The last thing he felt before his eyes fell closed were his lover's soft lips against his.

"Alright, Tony," Marks said, "let's recheck your vitals and see how you're doing."

"Doing fine, Doc. I'm ready to get out of here," Tony said. He'd been awake for over an hour, eaten a little bit of the sub sandwich Gibbs had gotten for him, whined about not having a TV in the room, begged Gibbs to sneak him out and been generally unhappy about being stuck there.

"I'm still not ready to say goodbye to you yet," Marks said as he took Tony's blood pressure.

Tony was patient while Marks listened to his heart and lungs, took his temperature and pulse and examined his wounds. Risk of infection in the Combat Hospital was high so the doctors and nurses always took a very proactive approach to keeping their patients safe.

"There a reason I keep seeing you, Doc?" Tony asked as Marks scribbled away on his chart. "I mean, no offense, it's not that I don't like you or anything. I'm just used to nurses."

"We don't have a lot of personnel here," Marks said. "Our doctors spend a lot of time with their patients and you were lucky enough to get me as your doctor. Can you try to empty your bladder while I'm in here?"

"Already did," Tony said feeling a small sense of accomplishment. "LJ helped me."

"The urinal's in the bathroom," Gibbs said. "He went right after he woke up about an hour ago."

"Great," Marks said, obviously impressed with the progress. "In that case, if you promise to stay in a wheelchair I'll let you go outside and enjoy that beautiful sunset."

"Promise," Tony grumbled.

"I'll loan you my sunglasses too," Marks said pulling them from his pocket and handing them to Tony. "Concussions and headaches go hand in hand and bright light only makes it worse."

"Cool shades," Tony said slipping them into place. "Let's get outta here, LJ!"

Colonel Marks and Gibbs helped Tony move from the bed into the wheelchair. Marks threw a blanket over him in case he got chilled then nodded at Gibbs that he was good to go.

"Tony," Marks said as Gibbs started pushing the wheelchair towards the door, "if your behind is not back in this bed in two hours, I'm gonna hunt you down and I will find you and you will be catheterized again so don't even think about escaping."

Tony swallowed hard, his eyes wide at the prospect or repeating the earlier process. He'd been knocked out for it the first time and he had no intention of going through it while he was awake. "Yes, Colonel Marks," he said, "I'll be here."

"Atta boy," Marks said patting Tony's head then smiling as he watched them go. He'd dealt with a countless number of troops. He'd seen and heard it all. Escape attempts were not uncommon but the catheter threat, although just a threat, usually kept them in line.

Tony laid awake shortly after 1:00 that morning. The nurse had just come in to check on him again. After being poked and prodded and trying to do a few math problems to prove the concussion was nothing more serious he was fully awake. The voices and laughter in the hall weren't helping any and there was no way he could sleep with the light outside his window practically shining in his eyes. He couldn't help but wonder how he was supposed to get the rest his body needed to heal with all the disruptions.

He stared up at the ceiling and sighed deeply, wishing Gibbs was there so he'd at least have someone to talk to but Colonel Marks had banished the older man from the room in hopes that'd he'd go get some sleep. Stress was capable of doing ugly things to the human body and no rest would only make it worse.

When Tony's mind started wandering to the unpleasant thoughts that used to plague him at nights, he knew he needed to do something. The last thing he wanted to do was to relive old missions, people dying in his arms, being shot at, bombs, terror, everything that accompanied war. He considered Marks' earlier catheter threat but decided it was worth the risk. The colonel had left the hospital for the night and Tony knew he was being discharged in the morning.

He carefully turned the monitors off and unhooked himself from the machines the same way he'd watched both Marks and the nurses do whenever he needed to get up. He pulled the tape off the IV needle and after a few deep breaths he closed his eyes and pulled it out, cringing as he did it. His injured ankle was in an air cast that he was technically supposed to be able to walk on a little bit. He'd been shot before so he was pretty sure he could handle something as simple as a sore ankle.

Once he was ready he listened to the voices in the hallway and waited until they were far enough away he could make his move. He was trained in being stealthy and there weren't many people around in the middle of the night. Tony was confident he could slip out unnoticed. He slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood, holding onto the railing until he was sure he wasn't going to get dizzy. He tested out how much weight he could put on his injured ankle and realized it was going to be a little more painful than he'd originally thought.

"You can do this, Anthony," he told himself.

He slipped his feet into the slippers he'd been given then slowly made his way towards the door. His room wasn't far from the exit the medical personnel used for their smoke breaks. That would be the quickest exit and the least likely one for him to get caught. He peered out his door into the hallway and found it empty.

As quickly as he could on his injured ankle he made his way to the short hallway leading to the side exit. He breathed a quiet sigh of relief when he found it empty too. As long as nobody was outside smoking he was free and clear. He paused in the short hall to catch his breath, leaning against the wall for support. He was exhausted and his body was as sore as it had ever been.

After a brief break he headed for the door and looked out the tiny window. When he didn't see anybody he eased the door open and poked his head out.

"This must be your lucky day," he told himself as he stepped outside and silently closed the door behind him. "Actually, considering I got blown up this morning it's probably not my lucky day and if someone else catches me talking to myself and I end up getting committed it's really not gonna be my lucky day or if Marks gets his hands on me again." He cringed at the thought.

He looked around and took a moment to get his bearings before limping off in the direction of the house, which was nothing more than a tiny room, that Gibbs was staying in. Luckily they'd stopped by earlier that evening when they were out so Tony knew exactly where to find him. He smiled and nodded and offered a hello to the few people he passed, doing his best to act natural. He was pretty sure the hospital gown and significant limp would raise red flags but nobody seemed too worried.

By the time he made it to Gibbs' front door, he was exhausted and felt incredibly weak. He leaned against the door and paused to catch his breath before stepping inside. A light outside illuminated the room enough for Tony to make out Gibbs' figure in the bottom bunk. It would be a tight squeeze but he knew there was no way he could climb into the top bunk.

He half stumbled, half walked over to the bed, leaning against it for support. "LJ," he mumbled.

"What are you doing here?" Gibbs asked around a yawn.

"I couldn't sleep," Tony said. "They kept poking me and waking me up."

"Do they know where you are?" Gibbs asked scooting over in the twin sized bed and patting the mattress next to him.

Tony sat down in the bed and sucked in a deep breath then flopped down on the mattress next to Gibbs.

"You snuck out, didn't you?" Gibbs asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Maybe," Tony said.

Gibbs laughed quietly as he wrapped his arm around Tony and pulled him closer. Tony rested his head on Gibbs' chest and let his body relax. The short journey had really taken it out of him. He was happy just to be cuddled up with Gibbs in the dark, quiet room until he both heard and felt someone move in the top bunk.

"What the hell was that?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"Ace and I are bunking together," Gibbs answered quietly as he pulled Tony's head back to his chest.

"Oh," Tony said, "scared me. I didn't think anybody else was in here."

"Go to sleep," Gibbs whispered into his hair before pressing a kiss to the top of his head. He rubbed Tony's back as both of them relaxed in the slightly uncomfortable lower bunk.

"LJ," Tony said just before drifting off, "will you slap the back of my head again?"

Gibbs woke to an embrace so tight he was having a hard time sucking air into his lungs. Not only did Tony have both arms wrapped around him in the tiny bed, he had both legs wrapped around him as well.

"Tony," Gibbs said in a loud whisper. No response. "Anthony."

Tony let out what Gibbs was sure was the most horrible cry he'd ever heard in his life. The older man struggled to free his arms from Tony's grasp but it proved to be futile.

"Tony, wake up, you're dreaming," Gibbs said. Originally he'd been trying to be quiet so they wouldn't wake Ace but he was beginning to realize that might not be possible. Something told him their pilot would understand though. "Anthony, come on."

"Everything okay down there, Gibbs?" Ace asked groggily.

"Tony wandered in here a couple hours ago," Gibbs said. "I think he's having a nightmare. I can't wake him."

Ace climbed down from the top bunk and pulled the chain to turn the light on. He raised an eyebrow at Gibbs' current position but didn't say anything. "Come on now, Tony," Ace said in a deep commanding voice, "it's time to wake up." He was afraid if he touched Tony, Tony would try to fight them and with Gibbs wrapped so tightly in his arms and legs that could end up being dangerous or painful at the very least.

"Tony," Gibbs repeated.

Tony could hear someone calling out to him as he floated through the air. He wasn't very high off the ground but his stomach dropped at the loss of control. He reached out and desperately grabbed onto one of the passing trees, holding it tightly. As the dust settled around him, he could see Gibbs lying on the ground below him.

"LJ!" he yelled. "LJ, help me! Help!"

"Tony, wake up," Gibbs said. "I'm here. You're safe."

"LJ!" Tony said. "LJ."

"You 'wake?" Gibbs asked.

"LJ."

"I'm right here," Gibbs said gently as Tony's grip on him finally started loosening. "Wake up, open your eyes."

"LJ? LJ."

Gibbs wiggled an arm free from Tony's grasp and stroked his cheek while Tony just kept repeating his name until his eyes slowly opened.

"They're dead," Tony said. "They're all dead, LJ. I tried to save 'em."

"Shh," Gibbs whispered. "They're not all dead. They're safe, just like you."

It took Tony a moment but he finally managed to focus on Gibbs and realized it was all just a nightmare. Gibbs pulled him into a tight embrace and Ace turned the overhead light off and climbed back into his bunk.

"They're not all dead?" Tony asked in a whisper, searching for Gibbs' eyes in the darkness of the night.

"We lost two," Gibbs answered. He'd already told Tony about it but wasn't too worried about needing to remind him.

"My head hurts," Tony said almost in a whine. "I have a headache, LJ."

"Maybe we should get you back to the hospital," Gibbs said.

"No, please!" Tony said. "I wanna stay with you. I need you, LJ."

"I'll go with you," Gibbs said. "I'll stay."

"I wanna stay here." The whining turned to desperate begging as tears began to form in the corners of Tony's eyes. "I'm okay. I promise. It's just a little headache. It's not even that bad."

The desperation in Tony's voice went straight to Gibbs' heart. He decided he couldn't force him to return if he didn't want to go. A headache wasn't that big of a deal. It was common for those who'd suffered concussions. "Okay," Gibbs said, "just relax. Let's try to go back to sleep."

Tony nestled into Gibbs' side, resting his head on the older man's chest. His heart rate was beginning to return to normal and as Gibbs wrapped his arms around him and kissed the top of his head he let himself relax. "LJ, I'm sorry."

"Rule six," Gibbs whispered tiredly, "or are ya just tryin' to get me to head slap you again?"