Tony shook his head sadly, watching as McGee ran down the hall for the men's room yet again. This was his third trip since returning from Bethesda less than an hour ago. "McQueasy, what's going on?" he asked as McGee returned, looking pale, but relieved, "You drank the coffee, didn't you?" Tony make a soft tsk tsk sound with his tongue, "Can't say I didn't warn you!"
McGee sat back at his desk, placing his head between his knees, "You keep drinking coffee," he gestured to Tony's cup on his desk, "How come you're not worshiping the porcelain god?"
Tony drained the last of his cup, "I'm drinking coffee, McGee. Not the coffee. Not the the coffee I told you not to drink." he smirked, watching the color drain from McGee's face again, "How much did you drink?"
"Two cups." McGee gulped, trying to keep his stomach in place
"Two cups as in two normal, human, American sized cups or two of your Seussical cups?" Tony held up McGee's enormous novelty mug, pilfered from its owner's desk, "'Cause if you drank two of these, you might want to get a doctor." he smirked, "Or a lawyer." he added
"Two regular cups, Tony." McGee clarified, taking back his cup, "Regular, eight ounce cups. Someone stole my mug." he carefully examined the cup, making sure there was no damage or any pranks awaiting him
Tony sighed, "Relax, I didn't do anything to it." lately, he didn't have it in him to do cruelty, even to McGee
McGee doubled over again, groaning, "I need you to go get Ziva. I told her I'd take her home tonight, but...I just can't. Think she'll be mad?"
"Mad? Nah!" Tony laughed, "She might be a little at first, because she won't believe that you were dumb enough to drink Ducky's tainted coffee, but no. She won't be mad." he patted the younger agent's back as he retched again, "She'll just be glad to be going home."
Ducky walked in from the elevator, carrying some files, "Have either of you gentlemen seen Jethro?" he asked, "He has a bit of a habit of disappearing of late. Most likely brooding, or plotting this bastard's slow and painful death." he took a look at McGee, still panting and heaving, "Oh, Timothy, I thought I warned you..."
"You did." McGee groaned, "I forgot."
Tony sighed, "Gibbs ran off ten minutes ago, Newman said he found an address for this Mason guy. He said he'd check it out, and didn't want anyone to go with him." under normal circumstances, they would have considered this odd. But this case was anything but routine, "Figured it was best not to ask questions."
"In all likelihood, that was wise, Tony," Ducky smiled solemnly, "I suppose its hard to accept that someone whom you entrusted your life to could commit such evils. Give him some time to think, to clear his head, perhaps work on that damn boat of his, and he'll see things more clearly."
"I hope so," Tony said, "Whatcha got for us, Duck?"
Ziva rolled over in bed, trying to untangle herself from the noose she'd created in her sleep from her IV. The clock above the door couldn't be right; it said it was nearly six in the afternoon. McGee would be there to take her home soon.
She sat up and stretched a little, regretting it soon enough. The worst part of this was feeling it, even after all this time. She shifted a bit, transferring her weight off of her bottom. Experience taught her that the pain would ease up soon, along with the swelling, but until then it was just too much; a constant reminder of that night.
Dr Katz came in, softly knocking in the doorway, "Knock, knock?" he sat next to her on the bed, "Well, how are we doing?"
"Better." it wasn't a lie, but it wasn't exactly true either
He nodded, "Good. Ready to go home, sweetheart? You look like you could use a nice night in; maybe watch some movies or settle down with a good book, drink some tea, take it easy," he suggested, carefully withdrawing the IV from her arm, "Press down on that for a sec, and let me get some tape on here...there you go, all set." he patted her arm, "I want you to come back and see me in a week or two, and we'll make sure everything looks good, alright?"
Ziva nodded, relieved to be going home, "I will see you then."
He smiled, "You're a brave girl, don't let anyone make you think anything else. Take care, Ziva." on his way out, he poked his head back in, "There's some schmuck here to see you, you want him?" he chuckled
"Hey, Ziva!" Tony smiled, walking up to her with a smile, ready to go home?" he reached out to tousle her hair, only to have her recoil, "Just trying to make you smile a bit," he punched her arm lightly, forcing a small smile from her lips, "See, it worked!" he could see that the effort was forced, and she seemed bothered. Not that anyone could blame her
"Where is McGee?" she asked, worried that he didn't come, or at least give her any explanation
"McBarfbag drank Ducky's 'special blend'. He's still blowing chunks, so I will be your escort, M'lady!" he bowed chivalrously
Ziva lifted his chin, forcing him to correct his posture, "Do not call me 'ma'am', or 'lady', and certainly not 'm'lady'" she told him in a threateningly calm voice, "Are we clear?"
"Crystal!" he nodded, handing her a duffel bag, "Jen packed you clothes to wear home. She's got classy taste, I'll give her that, but these clothes aren't exactly flattering. She could have at least given you something that fits," she checked the garments, satisfied to see that Jen had packed her some loose, comfortable clothes. There were three things women could understand that men never can; fat clothes, the inaccuracy of every bathroom scale ever made, and other women, "Get dressed, I'll wait outside."
She nodded, waiting until she heard the door latch securely before ridding herself of her gown. After a moment, she froze, peering behind the curtain and out into her room. It was empty, as she expected it to be, but she still felt chilled as if someone were standing right there, waiting. The fact that there was nothing there almost made her more uneasy. She covered herself, peeking out into the hallway, "Tony? Would you mind waiting inside?"
He nodded, stepping inside quietly. "Sure, I'll stay right here." he stayed on the other side of the curtain while she finished dressing. He wished there wasn't so much tension between them. It would take time, but he knew that she would feel more comfortable once she had time to heal, physically and psychologically.
She stepped out, nodding as a silent means of thanking him for staying.
"Come on, let's get some grub. I know this little Sushi place near here, heard its good. Might be nice to try something new." he offered
"Why would I want to eat grubs? I am hungry, but not nearly that close to starving." she was appalled at the idea of eating those wriggly little creatures. She promised herself she would never be that hungry again, "Is that what sushi is? McGee told me it was fish?"
"No, its just a term," he explained, "Like 'chow'?" she stared at him blankly, "'Grit', 'slop', any of this ringing a bell?" she shook her head, "Never mind...so, sushi?"
Gibbs parked his car outside the Green Dragon. He promised himself that he would never come here again. But at the moment, his priorities did not include his personal issues.
He found Wesley Mason, sitting at the bar. He'd figured that he might be here, considering his apartment was empty. How could he sit so comfortably here after all he'd done? When half of DC knew his name and face, and was searching for him, how could he show himself?
Taking a seat at the bar, keeping his distance from Mason, he called over the barkeeper. The man approached, his eyes widening in recognition, "Hey, that girl doin' okay? I heard she's in the hospital, resting. Give her my best?"
"Yeah, I'll do that." he nodded, "See that guy over there?" he looked over at Mason, making sure that he was subtle enough not to draw attention to himself
"Oh, Wes," the barkeeper nodded, "He's a regular. What about him?"
"That's all I need to know," Gibbs said, vacating his seat