A/N: Hi everyone. First of all, I'd like to start by saying that I'm back, and second apologize for being gone for so long. I know I haven't written anything in a LONG time (that includes on my other two accounts - yes, I have three accounts, this one, one by the name of sweetcrimefighter, and another by the name of LotteSCF). I figure I at least owe my readers an explanation, so here it is. Firstly, I am disabled and chronically ill. I have a rare connective tissue disease called Ehlers-Danlos (EDS), Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Debilitating migraines and several other issues. All these issues only get worse with time, and, for a while, they did put me in a bit of a depressed state, especially because of the pain and isolation these illnesses cause. So, I stopped doing a lot of things that I love, including writing. Second, I took a writing course a few years back, and it was horrible, the teacher had nothing but bad things to say about my writing, and honestly, after a few months of hearing how horrible I was at it, I really wanted to stop writing all together. And, for a long time, I did. Now though, I've re-discovered they joy writing always brings to me, and am not prepared to give it up again. Now, depending on my illnesses, there could be quick updates, and there also could be slow updates (again, depending on how sick I am at that moment). But, like I said, now that I've found the joy in this again, I won't let anyone or anything make me stop ever again. I can only hope that you'll be able to forgive me for abandoning something that has been a passion of mine ever since I learned to write.
Chapter 3
Gibbs wearily rubbed his hands over his face, trying to keep the tears and emotions at bay as he gazed at motionless figure in the sterile hospital bed.
It had been three long days since Tony had stumbled into the bullpen after being missing for nearly a week, his entire body one bloody mess. It had been hard to swallow the ramifications of the state his almost-son was in the first time he'd laid eyes on him, yet it seemed even harder now.
When Ducky had first informed Gibbs of the state of Tony's injuries, he'd known it was bad, but he hadn't known it would be this bad. A lump formed in his throat as he remembered a later conversation with the infallible Dr. Mallard, a conversation which had taken place only hours after their initial one.
Flashback:
Ducky entered the hospital room quietly, hating having to disturb Gibbs in such a moment, as he was so focused on Tony that nothing else seemed to reach him; a very unusual thing for Gibbs. And though none of this was in any way what could be considered a 'happy' affair, Ducky couldn't help but give a small smile at the look of undisputed and unconditional love shining on his friend's face. If anyone could help Tony through this, it would be Gibbs.
"What is it, Duck?" Ducky startled at Gibbs' question. He had been so enthralled by his internal musings he hadn't even noticed Gibbs had looked to him. Ducky sighed, now would be the hard part.
"There are several things about young Anthony's condition we need to discuss. I must warn you, Jethro, this will not be easy," He said.
Gibbs sighed – more bad news; off course! "Just spit it out!"
"The lab was able to identify the drug in Anthony's system. Now, normally, with this drug, they wouldn't be able to do that because it dissipates from the blood stream too quickly to identify. However, in this case, they were able to identify it because of the particularly large amount in his blood stream. It seems that his father, or whoever took him, drugged Anthony with a large amount of Rohypnol. So much so, that it's caused an overdose…" Ducky said. Gibbs swallowed hard and glared at Ducky, urging him to continue and get it all out before Gibbs really blew a gasket.
"Now, in cases with an overdose like this, there is a chance that the patient could slip into a coma, perhaps even permanently. However, Anthony's doctors and I have been studying his vitals for several hours now, and think that the chance of him slipping into a coma is small in this case…"
Gibbs narrowed his eyes. He knew Ducky wouldn't be telling him this in such a manner if everything was alright. Something was wrong, he could feel it. "Then what's the problem here, Duck?" He asked.
"The problem, Jethro, is Anthony's wrist. The bones are severely fractured and an infection has already set in. At the moment, the infection seems to be at the beginning stages, which is good, because if they operate now, they'll be able to fix his wrist and clear out the infection leaving no permanent damage."
"Well, tell them to operate then. I don't see the problem here?" Gibbs said. He knew that if they didn't operate now, and the infection spread out, Tony could lose all function in his hand, possibly even his entire arm. Tony would never be able to be a field agent again if that happened, and he knew his 'son' would not be able to live with that.
Ducky sighed, sorrow lacing his voice as he spoke, "The problem is the overdose of Rohypnol currently in Anthony's body. If we operate now, the anesthesia combined with the Rohypnol combined with his plague scarred lunges could lead to heart failure during or even after the operation. Then there is the fact that, even if all goes well in surgery, there is a big chance he will slip into a coma after this, one we don't know if he'll be able to come out of. But, if we don't operate immediately, there is no telling how fast the infection will spread or how it will affect his recovery. The damage done to his wrist could become permanent if we don't act swiftly."
Gibbs sank back in his chair in despair. This was impossible. The sensible thing to do would be to postpone the operation so Tony could heal. Except, if they did that, there was a good chance he'd end up with a crippled limb. Tony would never get over that.
"So what are we gonna do?" He asked.
"The decision is in your hands, Jethro. You are Anthony's medical proxy." Ducky felt extremely bad for springing this all on his friend, who was already hurting beyond imagination, as well as a nervous wreck (though, most people wouldn't be able to tell if they didn't know Jethro as well as he did).
Gibbs knew he had no choice here. He had to do what was best for Tony, even if what was best for him could end up killing him. "Do it, operate."
End flashback.
The operation had went well and all the doctors, including Ducky, were confident his wrist would be back to normal after a healing period and some rehab. And despite their fears, Tony hadn't gone into heart failure, not during or after the operation. All in all, they counted that as a blessing.
However, mere hours after the operation, Ducky had informed him that all signs indicated that Tony had fallen into a semi-deep coma. They were unsure if he would ever wake again. So, for three days, Gibbs had sat by his bedside, holding his hand, sometimes even talking to him, praying to whatever deity could hear him that Tony would pull through this and wake up, hopefully soon.
He wanted to be out there hunting the bastard who had put Tony in this bed, but he knew that his place was here. His boy needed him more. So, he had Ziva, McGee and even Abby look into any and all leads, as well as trying to locate DiNozzo Senior – if he was indeed the one who had done this to Tony, and Tony didn't recover, Gibbs would suffocate the bastard with his bare hands. Sadly, none of them had any luck with finding any new leads, or finding Tony's dad. They really needed a break on this, and Gibbs hoped it would come soon.