Chapter 3
Ducky looked up at the sound of his name being called, as he looked up however, he became concerned. Jethro seemed to be supporting a pale looking Tony as they walked over towards him.
"Is there something wrong, Jethro?"
Tony had just been about to answer that question himself with a wink and a smile but Gibbs beat him to it. Though Gibbs wasn't quite sure how to explain it to the doctor so he just gave Ducky the basics.
"He's just been sick and seems to have a temperature."
Tony grumbled under his breath and as the older man came closer to him to check on him he suddenly felt crowed and backed away from the man's touch. Both Gibbs and Ducky frowned at the action, they knew that Tony didn't much like Doctors but he usually trusted Ducky at least.
"Now, Anthony, you will have to stay still for me to look at you." Tony frowned as well, as if he wasn't even sure why he'd moved away in the first place. They could see that he was trying to will himself to stay still when Ducky approached again.
The quick check up only took a few minutes but seemed a lot longer to Tony. During the examination there seemed to be a darkness grasping out for him in his peripheral vision but he couldn't quite see what it was, he could feel himself drifting again towards the end of the check-up but managed to ground himself to the room that they were currently in by the time it was over. And he hoped that Gibbs and Ducky hadn't noticed.
"Anthony, are you okay?" The friendly Doctor asked.
Damn no such luck going off the looks he was currently being given, Tony wondered what to do next and was just about to say something as Kate walked towards them.
She frowned as she saw them standing close together but Tony looked...Nervous?
"There something wrong?" Kate questioned.
Tony immediately filled the silence before its existence with his mega-watt smile and a dramatic shake of his head as he spoke. "Nope, what in the world would give you that idea apart from the obvious crime scene in the other room?" But even Kate could tell that the smile was far too bright, even for him.
And the murderous glare Gibbs sent Tony only reinforced the feeling that something was really wrong.
Tony was just about to congratulate himself for his miraculous save when Gibbs dragged him off to one side and ordered him to see Ducky for a full check up as soon as they got back. They both also tried to ignore the way Tony had tensed up when Gibbs had grabbed his arm.
Tony stared after Gibbs as the man walked away to ask Kate about the statements she had gotten from the kids that had found the body. Tony also, tried to place the emotion he was feeling as he watched Gibbs walk away from him and why it was even there.
The only thing he knew for certain was that he was sick of this practical joke now.
But that god forsaken number running wild in his mind had only grown in intensity the longer he remained in this building and he wasn't at all sure that all of this was a joke anymore.
Looking around the room he could see that Ducky was still there and contemplating something, he also saw that Ducky was heading for him. Crap.
"Must go Duckman, you know how Gibbs gets when we don't work!" Tony exclaimed and briskly left the room.
The elderly ME watched the younger man go and hoped that whatever was going on here wasn't going to be anything like what his own gut was telling him.
x-X-x
By the time they all made it back to headquarters is was well into the evening. All the rooms had been searched, all possible evidence collected and sent to Abby, statements taken and the body moved the autopsy. Now it was a waiting game and it was waiting that they all hated the most.
They didn't exactly have anything to go on yet as the kids hadn't seen anything apart from the body and all the cameras seemed to have been used inside the building rather than outside and there was hours of footage to go through.
Looking at his two tired Agents, Gibbs spoke up. "Go home Kate, DiNozzo, with me." The order was simple.
Kate sent Tony a sympathetic look as she grabbed her bag and left the bull-pen.
Tony had remained seated and pretended to be working on a report, Gibbs observed him for a moment as if expecting him to crack now that it was just the two of them. When nothing happened, Gibbs stalked over to Tony's desk and hovered above him and saw the man tense even though he had tried to hide it.
That did it! "DiNozzo, Now!" Gibbs was angry, angry that something was going on and he didn't know about it and that whatever it was had his best Agent hugely off kilter.
As they both got into the elevator, Gibbs swore that fear was radiating off his unusually silent Agent.
Tony knew that he'd been doing a bad job of pretending to be fine all day, even Kate was suspecting something now and it had been his own fault. Suddenly being in an enclosed space didn't seem like a good idea to him, Gibbs could watch him too closely, he'd see right through his poor attempt of being fine.
Just as the doors opened to Autopsy, Gibbs knew that Tony was about ready to bolt like a scared animal and while he knew Tony didn't particularly like doctors, this was a first, even for him.
x-X-x
Ducky frowned at the way the younger man seemed on edge as Jethro led him to an autopsy table away from the body they had found earlier in the day.
Not a word was spoken in the cold silver room and Tony swore that he could see his breath as he breathed. He could feel eyes staring at him but he was purposely ignoring them, there was too many of them looking at him and it was unsettling. He wanted them to stop but he knew he couldn't show it. Tony started picking at his fingernails while ignoring the humming that was building up at the back of his mind. Maybe, if he just sat there the humming would stop and the eyes would stop looking.
Gibbs and Ducky stood watching the younger agent, becoming more concerned as they watched, they knew that something was on the younger man's mind that he was trying to hide and they didn't like it one bit. They could also see that his posture was as tense as a new spring.
"DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked calmly.
"Yes, boss?" He answered just as calmly back as if none of the day had happened. Eyes alert and showing the readiness that Tony usually had. The only thing wrong with it was that Gibbs knew it was a show.
"Tony, you need to take your shirt off so Ducky can have a look at you." Tony complied silently without any protest; Gibbs frowned deeply, that had been far too easy.
Before Gibbs could get a look at his Agent his phone chose that moment to ring, turning away he answered it.
Ducky stepped forward towards Tony's back in shock.
There was some bruising but it was at least a few days old. And some odd markings that looked almost surgical.
He'd seen the same markings only once, on the body that was also occupying the room.
"How did these happen, my dear boy?" Ducky inquired lightly.
Tony looked at Ducky for a long moment before he answered, unsure and looking scared.
"Must have fallen while I was out drinking with my frat brothers on vacation." Tony smiled but it didn't reach his eyes.
Ducky didn't believe him and by the looks of it, the younger man didn't even believe himself.
They both jumped and turned to the door as a slightly pale Gibbs stormed his way back into autopsy.
Gibbs grabbed Tony by the shoulders, ignoring the flinch and stared at his expression as if looking for the lie in it.
"What happened?"
TBC
Oh dear, Whats going on with Tony and who rung Gibbs? What did they say to him to make him react like that. Please read and enjoy!
