A/N: Hang in there with me folks.
I do NOT own
Read and review please
##################Chapter Nine#########################
"What the hell Ducky?"
"Yes, my sentiments exactly Bradley."
"Come on and let's see what we're up against." Brad walked in to the ER and held the door for the older physician.
There were several people working on Tony, trying to warm him up and to keep him from leaving his bed.
"Sir, if you don't calm down we will have to restrain you."
"Jethro?"
Brad and Ducky rushed over.
"Anthony?"
"Ducky?"
"Yes, dear boy. You must calm down so that we may assess you. Jethro is fine, aside from being scared to bits for you. Do him a favor and let us help. Hmmm?"
" 'Kay." Tony squinted and slowly turned his head trying to avoid the inevitable wave of nausea to see who was next to Ducky.
"Brad?"
"Yeah, Tony it's me. You know you really ought to just call me when you want to hang out." Brad jibed.
Tony snickered and grimaced.
"Oww don't make me laugh."
The nurse that was standing by approached. "Dr. Pitt, Dr. Mallard."
"Hi Amanda, who has his case?"
"Amanda my dear we must quit meeting like this, and it's Ducky my dear girl." Ducky quipped.
She smiled and replied, "I agree Dr—Ducky. His ER doctor is Dr. Cosgrove."
"Bill? Good, where'd he go?" Brad exhaled with relief.
"He had a trauma come in. I told him you were coming and that Dr. Mallard was already here."
"Okay, so catch us up to speed."
"Well, Mr. DiNozzo–Gibbs has a grade three concussion with an LOC at the scene followed by agitation here in the ER. He was mildly hypothermic and we have been warming him slowly, we have chest films but they aren't conclusive so we're waiting on CT of his head and his lungs, given his history."
"Great, can we go ahead and look at the films?"
"Sure, they're over here on this light box."
Ducky and Brad walked over and stared at the head and chest x-rays for a few minutes.
"Hmm, no fracture of the skull and looks like no bleed, no infiltrates in the lungs but what are these in his lower right lobe?" Ducky pondered.
"Good question." Brad said with apprehension.
"Could it be scar tissue?" Ducky asked hopefully fearing what he was looking at.
"It's possible, but I'd have to look at his past films to know for sure."
"Perhaps we should wait for the CT before we start worrying about that." Ducky replied.
"Yeah, think I'm going to roll him down to CT myself. Would you mind coming with to keep him calm?"
"Of course, but let me let Jethro and the others know what's going on."
"That works, I'll let Amanda know what we're doing."
Ducky nodded and walked out to the waiting room. Gibbs, Ziva and McGee simultaneously jumped up.
"Ducky?" Gibbs asked anxiously.
"Anthony is doing well considering. He has a serious concussion, and hypothermia."
Gibbs looked at his friend searchingly.
"What are you not telling me Ducky?"
Ducky sighed and squeezed Gibbs' shoulder and took him aside.
"Ahh Jethro, ever the investigator."
"Quit stalling Duck." Gibbs' voice was cold and commanding. Ducky knew better than to ignore that tone.
"Well, we are taking Anthony to have a CT."
"Of his head?"
"Yes."
"And?"
"And his lungs…"
"What the hell?"
"Before you jump to conclusions, it's just a precaution, the x-rays are not very clear."
Gibbs knew his friend was being less than completely honest but he let it slide for the moment.
"Take me to him."
"Jethro."
"Now Ducky." Gibbs growled.
"Fine, I suppose there's no point in trying to get you to listen to reason. Timothy and Ziva please wait here."
The two men walked back through the double doors to find Brad waiting by Tony's ER bed.
"Why am I not surprised?" Brad deadpanned.
Gibbs ignored him and walked over to the bed and grabbed Tony's hand. Tony stirred and opened his eyes.
"Jethro?"
"I'm here. Just rest."
" 'Kay. Love you."
Gibbs breath caught in his throat. "Love you too, Tony." His gut was in knots he knew something was wrong, had known for months and now there was no denying it, whatever it was it promised to be bad.
Brad pulled Ducky over to the other side of the cubicle. He was holding Tony's tome like medical record.
"Is he going to be alright?"
"Jethro? Don't worry I'll keep him under control."
Brad looked at him skeptically. "If you say so. Come on let's get this show on the road."
############################################################
The trip to CT was quiet and tense. When they arrived the tech was expecting them, and had the contrast ready for Tony's IV. Brad pulled Ducky into the control room and told the tech to give Gibbs a full apron knowing Gibbs wouldn't leave.
"Listen Ducky, I was looking at his record and I ordered the disc of the last CT's done. I noticed Matthews did an abdominal series a while back. Why?"
Ducky's stomach was in his throat, he had already made the leap Brad was about to.
"Yes, we were ruling out gallstones."
"Really? Hmmm, it says here that he had an ultrasound that was clear but caused him a lot of pain, which is why the CT was ordered, and he's lost twenty pounds in the past year and a half." Brad suddenly felt ill.
Ducky sighed. "Yes, Bradley, I too am concerned. Perhaps we should add the abdominal series as well."
"Ya think?" Brad said ruefully. "Let's get this over with, and pray we're wrong about what it is we're not saying."
Ducky nodded unable to speak and tears threatening to spill from his eyes.
Dear God this will kill Jethro.
They began the scan with Tony's head, putting off the worst for last.
"Head looks okay, some mild swelling. We'll keep an eye on him a couple of days."
Then came the lungs. And there the lesions were. There was no denying that's what they were now.
"Shit."
"Yes, indeed. Shit."
Brad changed the settings for the abdominal series and they held their breaths.
"Oh Damn."
"How could I have missed this?" Ducky whispered.
The screen filled slowly with the image they were so hoping was not there. Unfortunately, it was a vain hope because there were several masses and the lymph nodes were enlarged and lit up throughout Tony's abdomen, mainly around his liver and pancreas.
Ducky's knees buckled and he fell into the chair in front of the display screen, and began to quietly weep.
#########################################################
Neither doctor could face their friends the way they were feeling. They had to regain some composure. While they pulled it together Tony began to stir.
Tony began to cough and move around.
The tech looked in at the two men in the booth and asked if he could bring the patient out. They nodded without making eye contact.
"Okay Mr. DiNozzo-Gibbs let's get you out of here."
"Tony, call him Tony." Gibbs said.
"Alright Tony. You okay?"
Tony groaned as he coughed again. "Damn lungs, must have got water in them."
The cough was ratcheting up his headache to new and more unpleasant heights. "God that hurts."
The tech and Gibbs helped him back on the gurney.
"Can't you get him something for his head?" Gibbs asked with irritation.
"Hang on I'll ask the Doc." The young man returned to the control room to ask giving Jethro and Tony a moment alone.
"Hey."
"Hey yourself."
"You alright?"
"Me? You're the one getting the CT,"
"Yeah but you look like hell."
"Thanks."
"No problem, glad I could help."
Gibbs gave his best half grin, trying to redirect Tony's attention.
"So?"
"So what?" Gibbs hedged.
"What aren't you telling me?"
"You know what I know."
"Then why do you look so freaked out?"
"Well probably because you're in the hospital and I love you. Idiot."
"Yeah, sure that's it."
Before Gibbs could respond, Brad and Ducky came out of the small control room.
"I hear someone wants something for a headache?" Brad teased, trying to sound normal.
Ducky however was failing miserably.
Gibbs' heart sank.
Tony quickly realized what was going on.
"Just tell me Duck." He said with strength no one else in the room seemed to possess.
"Oh Anthony, I am so sorry." Ducky couldn't go on and Gibbs was getting pissed.
Brad stepped up. "Ah hell. Tony you have lesions on your lung and several masses and enlarged lymph nodes in your abdomen."
Gibbs turned white and fell back into the wall his legs refusing to hold him up.
"Jethro?" Ducky said.
"Someone help him dammit!" Tony yelled wincing as the pain in his head spiked.
Gibbs was breathing heavily and spots were floating in front of his eyes. Ducky ran over.
"Jethro, slow down your breathing."
After a few moments Gibbs was calmer and he shrugged Ducky's hand off his arm in anger. "I'm fine! Worry about Tony. Can't you see his head is killing him?"
Killing him… Oh my God…
Gibbs bit his cheek and pulled himself together.
"Hey Tony, I've got something coming for your head and then we'll head back to the ER and wait while we get you admitted." Brad said. He exchanged a look of concern for Gibbs with Ducky.
"Yeah, fine." Tony suddenly felt very weary. "Just make sure Jethro is okay."
Brad went and got the chair from the computer room, and rolled it over next to Tony's gurney.
"Here sit down Jethro." Ducky said.
Gibbs sat down and grabbed Tony's hand.
Tony smiled at him. "You okay?"
"Don't worry about me."
"Sorry, can't do that. I love you."
Gibbs felt a lump in his throat. "Love you too…so much."
The tech arrived with the meds and gave them to Brad.
"Here Doc."
Brad took it woodenly and walked over to his two friends. "Hey Tony the good stuff is here."
Tony sighed and started to decline the drugs but Gibbs gave him a glare that told him the foolishness of doing such a thing.
"Okay."
After the meds were in and taking the edge off Tony asked, "So what are we looking at here?"
"We have to do some biopsies first to know for sure."
"Come on Brad I'm not stupid, what do you think it is?"
Brad found he couldn't speak and Ducky walked over to the other side of the gurney and took Tony's hand.
"Anthony, my dear boy I am so sorry but I fear it looks like pancreatic cancer."
Tony laughed. "Yeah that's what I thought."
"So how long have I got?" Tony asked ignoring Gibbs' pacing.
"I'm not an oncologist." Brad said.
"That long hey."
No one would look at him.
Tony sighed. "Can we get the hell out of this room? I'm freezing."
"Yeah, let's get out of here." Brad said and nodded at the tech who was waiting as unobtrusively as possible beside the door.
"Duck, can you take care of Jethro for me?" Tony asked as he passed by.
"Of course, Anthony, come along Jethro." Ducky pulled his angry and slightly dazed friend with him following after Tony's gurney.
###########################################################
By the time they returned to the ER Tony was a little loopy and starting to fall asleep from the pain meds and Gibbs had regained some of his composure.
"Ducky send Ziva and McGee home for me would ya?"
"What shall I say?"
"Tell them they're admitting Tony for observation. We don't know anything for sure right now anyway. I will call Vance and have Balboa's team take over the case. And I expect them in the office in the morning."
Ducky sighed and went back out to the waiting room.
McGee was pacing and Ziva was sitting like a spider waiting in her web.
They rushed to meet Ducky.
"What's going on Ducky?"
"Anthony will be staying for now. They want to run some more tests and keep an eye on his concussion and his lungs."
"Tests? What tests Ducky?"
"Bradley wants to do some tests on his lungs to see what's going on with them. And I imagine they will send Anthony home in a day or two barring no new developments."
It wasn't a lie and it wasn't the complete truth but there wasn't any point speculating when they would have more definitive answers soon.
Ziva was thoughtful and McGee had a disingenuous look but neither challenged Ducky.
"Thanks Duck. Uhh can we see him?"
"Now is not a good time Timothy they've just given him pain medication and he isn't even in a room yet. I imagine you can visit Anthony tomorrow. But call first to make sure he is up for visitors."
"Okay Ducky we will. "
"Jethro also wants me to tell you that he is having Vance tell Balboa to take over the investigation but to tell you to be in the office first thing."
"We will Ducky. Please give Tony and Gibbs our love."
It was just then that the sound of clomping boots and jingling chains came up behind them.
"Ducky, Timmy, Ziva! Where's Gibbs? Is Tony okay? What's going on? What happened? Because I was really scared, Palmer said Tony almost drowned and probably had a concussion and maybe hypothermia. That scared the crap out of me. I have to know that my Tony boy is okay!"
"Abigail please calm down. Anthony is in no immediate danger. He has a concussion and is a bit hypothermic. Bradley will order a few tests and have Anthony stay here a few days for observation. "
Abby sensed that there was something hinky going on but the exhaustion in Ducky's face kept her from forcing the issue.
"Can I see him? Can I see Gibbs?"
"Not right now Abigail. They don't even have a room for him yet. And Jethro is not in a good mood I daresay, so I would avoid him right now."
Abby's shoulders slumped but something like desperation was in Ducky's eyes and she couldn't make things worse for the older man.
"Okay Ducky. I'll call tomorrow. Give them my love." She hugged Ducky fiercely and then repeated with the same intensity hugging Ziva and McGee.
"Let us leave so we may return tomorrow." Ziva said.
"Yes, that is what Jethro requests you to do."
The three disappointed and sad young people shook their heads in agreement and left.
