NCIS
Thicker Than Water
Chapter 11
Shock
Brooke was quiet as she entered Tony's hospital room with a gym bag full of clothes that he had asked Gibbs to retrieve from his apartment. Brooke offered to make the delivery herself when she saw the bag at her father's house the day before when Abby was showing her the tabloid written about her. As painful as it was to be put in the spotlight Brooke realized there was nothing she could do to change it besides making a public appearance or two to squash the rumors.
As she placed the bag on the floor by the bed she forced herself not to think about the media and instead focused on Tony. He looked peaceful when he slept but part of her wondered if that was just because he was heavily medicated. Haley once told her that Nathan slept like a rock for a while after his accident and surgery and it wasn't until he was released from the hospital that his behavior turned ugly.
It was only a matter of days before Tony was able to return home. Brooke would be lying if she said she wasn't worried that the same might to him. It would be even harder to know how badly he was struggling with Ziva's death and his injuries since he lived alone as a bachelor.
The young designer took a seat in the chair beside the bed opting for the more comfortable of the two. Reaching into her tote bag she located her sketchbook and art pencils. Ever since she met the team she felt inspired to create more fashion. With any luck she would be able to launch a fresh business. Now that Clothes of Bro's was destroyed Brooke had the chance to start over. At first the idea of starting from nothing seemed daunting but Haley was right. If she had the talent to succeed in creating her business as a teenager she could certainly do it again especially given the resources she developed the first time.
It was an hour later while Brooke was sketching a dress when Tony began to stir. At first he only shifted his position slightly, took a deep breath, then settled back down. However a minute later he was whimpering and muttering incoherently under his breath.
Brooke set aside her work and reached for his hand which she squeezed gently. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea to wake him since she heard that waking a person could be dangerous whether they're sleepwalking or having a nightmare.
Tony went from muttering and whimpering to fidgeting and breathing heavily in a matter of seconds. Brooke bit her lip as she watched him and all she could do was wonder what was going through his mind. Cautiously she rose from the chair then perched on the edge of the bed. It was risky to even consider waking him but she didn't care to see him go through this.
"Tony you're okay, you're safe." Brooke told him in hushed tones. She hoped that he could hear her since he seemed to be in deep.
Tony twitched and shuddered and Brooke noticed that his eyes were moving rapidly beneath his lids. A few minutes passed before his breathing returned to normal and he settled back down. Brooke sighed with relief that it was over but she remained on the edge of the bed holding his hand debating whether or not to ask him about his dream later.
Gibbs didn't expect anything less when he entered the bullpen only to find a note on his desk from the Director's assistant stating that Vance wanted to see him right away. Out of habit the Team Leader glanced up at the level above. He didn't know what he expected to see but part of him was surprised when Vance wasn't standing there keeping watch.
Crumpling up the note Gibbs tossed the note into the trash beside his desk then proceeded to the stairs with his coffee in hand. As usual he didn't bother knocking when he reached the Director's office. Instead he walked right in which was sure to be expected of him.
Vance was standing by the window and didn't have to turn around to know that it was Gibbs who just entered the office but he did anyway. "Good morning Jethro."
Gibbs nodded. "Morning." He mumbled.
"You're probably wondering why I wanted to see you this morning. As you can imagine it has to do with the recent loss we've endured. I want to remind you that if it's necessary there is counseling available for the team." Vance began.
Gibbs resisted the urge to roll his eyes but he did sigh heavily to show is impatience. The Director didn't just call him up here to discuss grief services. "That's not all you wanted to see me about."
"No, it's not." Vance confirmed. "I wanted to bring to your attention that it is necessary to find a new agent for your team especially with DiNozzo on medical leave. I know it's not going to be easy to even consider a replacement this soon but I wouldn't be suggesting it if it didn't have to be done." He continued.
Gibbs listened intently nodding at the appropriate time to show he understood. He couldn't help but notice that there was only one personnel file on Vance's desk though. He thought for sure the Director would have more for him to sift through. Usually there were multiple stacks the lack of in this instance led him to believe that Vance had already made a decision.
"I'm going to take a shot in the dark here and say that you've already chosen who is going to be on my team for me." Gibbs replied sounding less than enthused on the subject.
Vance attempted to mask his amusement. "I don't think you'll have a problem with the agent I'm assigning to your team."
"Oh and why is that?" Gibbs challenged.
As if on cue Samantha entered the office. This time however instead of wearing a suit fit for a court appearance with a briefcase in hand she was dressed in a pair of slacks and a white button down shirt. The sleeves of the shirt were rolled up to her elbows. On her hip was a holstered NCIS issued handgun on the other her badge was clipped to her belt and her long hair fell past her shoulders in waves.
"I'm sure there is no need for an introduction." Vance stated.
Gibbs had stopped listening to Vance and he couldn't take his eyes off Samantha. There she was standing in front of him as his partner once again. Half of him was relieved that it was someone he knew and trusted taking Ziva's place but the other half of him couldn't help but question the decision.
Samantha had momentarily died the last time she was an agent after all.
When Brooke returned from the cafeteria with a cup of coffee for herself she found that Tony was no longer alone. A woman who looked to be in her early thirties or even late twenties stood at the foot of his bed with his medical charts in hand. Brooke made the conclusion that she was a doctor since she was in a lab coat and medical scrubs with a stethoscope around her neck. As Brooke entered the room the young doctor looked up. When she saw that Brooke was confused by her presence she spoke.
"Hello, I'm Dr. Jeanne Benoit. I've been assigned to replace Dr. Moore." She introduced herself politely.
Brooke smiled and hoped she didn't look uncomfortable. A part of her wanted to ask why Dr. Moore was being replaced but she felt the other brunette might take it as an insult. She was young but Brooke didn't want to underestimate her.
"I'm Brooke…Davis." Brooke replied kindly. She would have rather said she was Brooke Gibbs but until she changed her name legally she didn't want to cause any confusion.
"I know I'm familiar with your work." Dr. Benoit replied. "You're very talented."
"Thank you." Brooke smiled again.
Jeanne smiled in return and glanced over her shoulder at Tony who was sleeping soundly. It would have been easy to give this case to another doctor but it would be too difficult to explain why having Tony as a patient was a conflict of interest on her part. Instead she made the decision to care for him and if he requested someone else then she would hand over the reins.
Brooke watched the new doctor look at Tony and she wondered if there was something that she should know. "Is something wrong?"
Jeanne turned back to Brooke and shook her head with a reassuring smile.
"Not at all, in fact he's better than expected considering the physical trauma he's endured. It will be necessary for him to go through physical therapy but I don't doubt he'll make a fast recovery." She explained.
Brooke breathed a sigh of relief and visibly relaxed. "Good."
"I've noticed that Tony's morphine intake was higher than necessary, it wasn't at an unsafe level but it didn't need to be as high as it was. I brought it down to a lower less, frequent dosage so if he complains of any pain or discomfort just tell one of the nurses or myself." Jeanne continued.
"Okay." Brooke replied. "Is there anything else I need to know…that you're able to tell me?"
"No, that's about all there is to know. I'll leave you two for now and check back in a little while." Jeanne told her as she left Tony's charts behind.
"Thank you Dr. Benoit.
Jeanne waited until she was out of the room, up three levels, and in the on-call room before letting her guard down. Saying that it was a struggle to keep her emotions in check while she was taking care of Tony would be the understatement of the century.
As she leaned against the door she allowed the tears she'd been holding back to fall. A part of her wanted to have someone else take care of the patient. However she felt that no one could take care of the man she still deeply loved any better than she could.
