Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.
A/N: Here's another chapter. Sorry it took me so long to get up. I hope you enjoy it. Please R&R.
Looking around the room, the doctor asked, "Are you family?"
"We're the only family he has," Gibbs snapped.
He looked around at the diverse group once more and then said, "I'm Dr. Enderson. Dinozzo just came out of surgery and is being situated in his room. Currently he is stable. We were able to successfully control and stop the bleeding. His left arm was severely broken in three different places and we had to insert a rod into it to help with recovery. He has two cracked ribs and one broken rib which punctured one of his lungs. The punctured lung proved to be a little more tricky." The doctor looked up at the group of people who were waiting with baited breath for the doctor to deliver the news. "The lung was filling up with air and so we had to place a tube to suction all the air out. He is wearing a face mask that is giving him pure oxygen to help with the recovery of his lung. We will be closely monitoring this for the next twenty four hours with a series of chest x-rays."
Everyone remained quiet for a few moments, reflecting on what the doctor just told them. Everything sounded so serious. "With some rest and the proper care, Dinozzo should make a full recovery," Dr. Enderson said, noting the nervous look on most of their faces.
"Can we see him?" Abby asked.
"Of course. I'll have Nurse Sherwood take you to his room," he said. "Dinozzo is still heavily sedated and it will be hours before he regains consciousness. He should be off the oxygen mask by the time he wakes up and you'll be able to talk to him." A pretty young nurse came up to them and gestured for the group to follow.
Upon entering Tony's room, everyone was shocked at what they saw. Tony lay deathly still, and if it wasn't for the heart monitor, Gibbs would've thought Tony was dead. His face, at least the parts that weren't covered in bruises, was very pale, almost the same shade as his white hospital gown. The bruises were very vivid, probably making him look more pale than he otherwise would've. The thin gown wasn't enough to cover the bruises on his torso. Tony was also hooked up to at least a half dozen machines, performing various functions.
Damn. Gibbs looked at the younger agent and couldn't recall a time when he looked so young and vulnerable.
"Poor Tony," Abby said, sitting on the edge of the bed and lightly giving him a kiss on his forehead.
Everyone was gathered around Tony's bed, unsure of what to say or do. Sitting on the edge of Tony's bed, Abby gently brushed the hair from Tony's eyes. Becky was seated in one of the uncomfortable hospital chairs, her hand interlaced with Tony's good hand. Kate occupied the other chair in the room, her hand resting gently on Tony's torso, mindful of his bruises and ribs. Standing at the foot of the bed was McGee, appearing a little uncomfortable, looking as if he wants to offer some comfort but not quite sure how to go about it. Ducky and Palmer were in the corner of the room, taking in the appearance of Tony.
Hating to tear everyone away from Tony, but knowing that they still needed to catch the people who did this, Gibbs cleared his throat and said, "We're not helping Tony by sitting around waiting for him to wake up."
"You're right Jethro. I still have to finish the autopsy on poor Ms. Meldorny," Ducky said as he gestured Palmer to follow him.
"And I still have some evidence to go through," Abby said, reluctantly getting off the bed. Giving Tony one last peck on the forehead, she headed for the door, with Kate and McGee close behind.
After the door closed, Gibbs took a few steps closer to Tony and gently put his hand on Becky's shoulder. "I'll call when he wakes up," Becky said, knowing what Gibbs was thinking. Squeezing Becky's shoulder, he gave a slight nod and headed out the door, leaving Becky and Tony alone.
Gently running her finger up and down Tony's arm, she quietly said, "You never could stay out of trouble. Don't worry. They won't be able to hurt you now Tony," she said, allowing a tear to slide down her cheek. "Your team cares for you and is watching out for you. They're going to catch Corroner."
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Abby, McGee and Kate waited in the hallway for Gibbs. As soon as he exited the room, he turned to McGee and said, "Call security. Have them send someone down to guard Tony's door."
"Do you really think Tony needs security?" Kate asked.
Glaring at Kate, Gibbs said, "I don't know Kate. What do you think? A guy who is hell bent on revenge against Tony is still out there and we have no idea where he is. What do you think? Should we just leave Dinozzo's door unguarded and let Corroner finished what he started?"
Kate opened her mouth to say something but decided against it and shut her mouth once more.
Gibbs stormed through the hospital corridors and to the company owned Sedan with McGee, Kate and Abby following.
"Someone from security is on their way down," McGee informed Gibbs as he climbed into the back of the car.
Gibbs pulled out of the parking lot at top speed, sending Abby, McGee and Kate forward, only to be restrained by their seatbelts.
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The team worked well into the evening, trying to find even the smallest lead. After hours of working, they still had nothing to go from. Abby had carefully gone over the evidence numerous times, unable to find anything they hadn't already known. The last time Gibbs saw her, her head was resting upon Bert and she appeared to be in a deep sleep.
Even though Meldorny's death was a civilian death, Gibbs had fought to keep the body and have his people autopsy it, stating that it was in their jurisdiction, since it involved the kidnapping of one of their agents. Unfortunately, the fight over jurisdiction hadn't been rewarding since Ducky didn't have anything to report to Gibbs that he didn't already know. The poor old lady had been beaten numerous times with a baseball bat, even well after she had passed away. Ducky had since gone home to check up on his mother, the death of Meldorny taking its toll on him. He was accustomed to death. He had to be considering his occupation, but normally his autopsy's consisted of younger males and females. Rarely did he work on old, defenseless ladies.
McGee was still at his desk, hard at work. He and Kate had tried to locate anyone else the three men might have come in contact with in D.C. They even talked to a lot of people employed at NCIS to ask them what they knew about Jim Elliot. None of them had too much information to share, since Jim Elliot mostly kept to himself. They had even gone by the house they had found Tony holed up in, just on the off chance that Corroner and his men would be stupid enough to return to the scene of the crime.
Kate had left the building for the night to go visit Tony for a bit. It was a little past midnight and as Gibbs looked at the paperwork on his desk, he decided that they likely wouldn't find anything to help catch these bastards tonight. Rubbing his eyes, he looked at McGee and said, "McGee, go home."
McGee was staring intently at his computer and didn't hear Gibbs the first time. "McGee," Gibbs snapped.
"What?" McGee asked, suddenly noticing that Gibbs was staring at him.
"It's late. Go home. But I want you here first thing tomorrow morning," Gibbs gently said. Turning his computer off, McGee grabbed his things and headed into the elevator, looking forward to climbing into his bed. He wanted to find Tony's kidnappers as much as anyone, but he was exhausted and knew that he wasn't much help at the moment since he was practically falling asleep at his desk.
Gibbs ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated by the lack of progress they were making. Gulping the last of his coffee, he decided to call it a night. Before heading out, he visited Abby's lab to wake her up and send her home for a couple hours of sleep.
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Becky ran her fingers through Tony's hair. Minutes earlier, Dr. Enderson had taken off the face mask, allowing Becky to see Tony's face fully for the first time. Her heart ached to see Tony in such a state. He was pale, hooked up to machines and very still. The Tony Dinozzo she knew was never still. She watched his chest rise and fall. Hearing the door open, Becky turned around to see Kate standing there, holding two coffee cups in her hand.
"Here," Kate said, handing a cup of coffee to Becky.
"Thanks," Becky said, gratefully taking the coffee.
"How's he doing?" Kate asked.
"Not much different than when you last saw him. He woke up for a few seconds but I don't think he knew were he was or anything." As she said this, she didn't take her eyes off Tony.
"How're you doing?" Kate asked, tearing her eyes away from Tony and taking a careful look at Becky. She was a little too pale and clearly exhausted.
"I'm fine," Becky said.
"Maybe you should go back to Tony's place and get some rest," Kate suggested. "I can stay with Tony and keep him company."
"No. I need to at least see him awake. I won't be able to sleep until I talk to him and know that he's going to be okay."
Kate understood how Becky felt. Kate had only known Tony for a little under two years, but she felt exactly the same way. While she was at the NCIS building, she had to constantly refocus her attention on the task at hand, which was to find the bastards that did this to Tony. She had found it increasingly harder to concentrate on finding Corroner, knowing her partner and friend was lying in a hospital bed.
Kate sat down in the uncomfortable hospital chair. They were both silent. The silence was broken by a low moan.
"Tony," Becky said as she abandoned her chair. Kate did the same.
Tony wanted nothing more than to fall back into oblivion, but a couple familiar voices wouldn't allow him to. They were soft and full of worry. Forcing himself to open his eyes, he looked straight into a familiar face. Everything was a little blurry. He blinked a few times, trying to make everything come into focus.
"Becky," he whispered.
She squeezed Tony's hand and broke into a smile. Lifting his head slightly, he saw the pretty face of his partner.
"Welcome back Dinozzo," Kate said with a smile.
Tony coughed a couple of times. Becky immediately poured a glass of water and held the straw up to Tony's dry, cracked lips. He gratefully took a couple of sips.
"Thanks. So, what's the damage?" Tony asked.
"A broken arm, some cracked ribs and a broken rib and a punctured lung," Becky said.
"Not to mention a crap load of bruises," Kate added helpfully.
"A punctured lung," Tony said, frowning slightly. "Sounds serious."
"It was. But as long as you stay in the hospital, you should be fine," Becky said as she swept a few of strands of hair from Tony's face.
"How long will I have to stay?" Tony asked. He hated hospitals, and the thought of being in one for any period of time was unbearable. There was never anything to do and the food was awful. But the hospital had a few perks, namely the fact that he got to interact and flirt with all the pretty nurses.
"As long as the doctor says you need to stay Dinozzo," Gibbs said as he entered the room.
"Hey boss," Tony said, a small smile forming on his lips.
"And I don't want to hear any complaining about it either," Gibbs continued. "I'm not going to sit here and listen to you bitching and moaning."
"Nice to see you to boss," Tony said.
Gibbs turned his attention to Kate and Becky. "Kate, I want you to take Becky back to Tony's apartment and then go home yourself. It's late. I'll stay here with Tony."
It took a little persuasion from Gibbs Kate and Tony to get Becky to leave. Tony kept reassuring Becky that he'd be fine and that he was safe now. Becky finally relented. "I'm coming back first thing in the morning, Tony," Becky said before she was ushered out of the room by Kate.
"Looking forward to seeing you," Tony said as the door slammed shut.
After a few seconds of staring at the door, he turned his attention to Gibbs. "How'd you find me?" Tony asked.
Gibbs explained everything to Tony, including the young man at the bar who helped the men and how Corroner killed his great aunt in order to have a place to keep Tony.
The news greatly disturbed Tony. Because of him, an innocent old lady was killed. "It wasn't your fault Dinozzo," Gibbs said, noticing the guilt etched over his face.
Tony didn't answer. He kept his gaze downward, not wanting to look at Gibbs. The silence stretched for another minute before Tony looked up. "Do you have any leads on where Corroner is?"
"Unfortunately no. Not yet. But we will find him, and we won't let him finish what he started," Gibbs said, giving Tony a reassuring squeeze. The drugs being pumped into Tony's body was making him drowsy. Soon he succumbed to the drugs and was once again asleep.
Stifling a yawn, Gibbs positioned himself as best as he could in the uncomfortable chair, staring at the younger agent. He would do everything in his power to ensure that Corroner wouldn't hurt his agent anymore than he already had been hurt.
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Kate and Becky rode in silence all the way to Tony's place. Neither of them spoke, both lost in their own thoughts. Becky was so lost in thought that she didn't make any move to get out when they pulled up to Tony's apartment.
"Becky," Kate said. "Becky," she repeated, a little louder.
"What?" Becky asked, slightly confused.
"We're here," Kate said.
Becky looked around Tony's familiar apartment. All she could say was, "Oh."
Stepping out of the car, Becky bid Kate goodbye. "Thanks for the ride," Becky said. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Kate asked.
"I'll be fine Kate," Becky said, stifling a yawn. Even though she would never admit it, she was a little relieved when Gibbs and Tony had convinced her to come home and get some rest. She wanted to stay with Tony, but she was beyond exhausted.
Becky headed into the apartment complex. Kate sat in her car for a few minutes, looking around to make sure everything was okay. There didn't seem to be any immediate danger. After sitting in the car for awhile, Kate finally put it in reverse and backed out into the street.
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Becky was still lost in thought as she dug the key to Tony's apartment out of her purse. She opened the door and headed straight for the couch. She decided she would take a shower in the morning. All she wanted to do was sleep. Because of her exhaustion she wasn't very alert. If she had been more alert, she might have heard a man sneaking up behind her.
As Becky unsuccessfully tried to stifle another yawn, she sensed someone was behind her. She turned around and a large, burly man was standing in front of her. She recognized him from the pictures McGee and Kate had dug up. It was John Corroner. Becky was unarmed and the man had more than a hundred pounds on her. In a split second, she decided to do the only thing she could do, which was scream. Before she could do that however, the man had grabbed her and put his hand over her mouth.
"You better listen and do as I say or you could get hurt," Corroner whispered into her ear as he held a knife to her throat. Showing her that he was serious, he pushed the knife into her throat, just slicing it enough to make her bleed.
Becky bit the man's hand, and he let out what sounded like a yelp, a sound Becky didn't expect a man of his size to make. It was weak, almost pathetic. His knife dropped to the floor. Becky scrambled to get away from the man's grip. He was momentarily distracted and had released his tight hold over Becky.
"You bitch," Corroner spat at her as he grabbed her by the hair and yanked her back, causing her to fall on the coffee table. She landed on the table, knocking over a couple of beer cans, some mail and some DVD's onto the floor.
Corroner pulled her up by the hair and turned her around so she was facing him. He was holding her a couple inches off the ground. Putting his large hand around Becky's neck, he began chocking her.. She struggled to get air into her lungs, her feet flailing about in her feeble attempts. Everything was becoming blurry. The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was the man's hazel colored eyes.
As soon as Becky lost consciousness, the man hoisted her over his shoulder. Before heading out, he pulled his phone out and dialed a number. "I'm on my way out. Make sure the cars parked out front."