Chapter 14

On board the USS Ronald Reagan, Tony was sitting up in sickbay, eating some toast and feeling much better. His pain meds were doing what they were supposed to and the nausea and shock that he had been suffering from were gone. From where he sat he could see Gibbs. He was sedated and intubated in a bed opposite him. Seeing his boss so still and vulnerable was very disconcerting. Through the porthole, Tony could see the dawn was breaking. Thirty minutes later there was an increase in activity in sickbay and the medics started to prepare Gibbs for transport.

"Where are you taking him?" Tony asked one of the medics.

"He's being airlifted to Pensacola Medical Institute," the medic informed him.

"I'm coming with him," Tony said decisively.

"I don't see you listed on the manifest, sir," the medic replied.

"Well, list me then," Tony said resolutely. The medic could see that he was hell bent on getting on that flight with his friend. He made a call to flight ops and then came back to Tony.

"Looks like you've just bagged a ride to shore, sir," the medic told him. Tony was already getting out of bed and searching for his pants. With his arm in a sling, he awkwardly tried to dress. Eventually another medic noticed his struggle and lent a hand.

A half hour later, Tony was being buckled into a Seahawk helicopter that was preparing for take off. Gibbs' stretcher was secured on board and soon after, the rotors started up. With a surge of power, the helicopter gently lifted off the flight deck. Once airborne, she banked sharply to the port side and took off in a northerly direction. For most of the journey, Tony's eyes remained fixed on the ashen face of his boss. Every so often the medic on board would check his vitals and then turn and let Tony know how he was doing.

When they finally reached the base hospital in Pensacola, the helicopter came in for landing on the roof of the building. A medical team was on hand to assist unloading the patients and getting them inside. Tony was considered walking wounded and he was shown to a waiting area while Gibbs was taken into an examination room for full assessment.

A short time later, having examined the notes from the ship's surgeon, doctors moved Gibbs to an ICU room where he was to start chelation therapy immediately. There it was agreed that they should withhold sedation and allow the patient to regain consciousness. They could then assess what neurological damage, if any, had occurred as a result of the arsenic poisoning. Until the therapy started doing what it was supposed to, they chose to keep him intubated. Gibbs was settled in to his room and Tony elected to stay with him. He was feeling much better now that his pain medication had been topped up.

Tony sat there for hours and was dozing in a chair next to Gibbs' bed when he thought he heard someone entering the room. He opened his eyes and was flabbergasted to see Ducky and Abby standing before him. He jumped to his feet, albeit too quickly and swayed considerably.

"Steady on, Anthony," Ducky said, catching the wounded agent. "You shouldn't rush yourself, especially after losing so much blood."

"Ducky, what are you doing here?" Tony asked unable to hide his surprise.

"Well, we were hardly going to sit by and let you go through this alone," Ducky replied. Abby brushed past him and gave Tony a gentle hug.

"Timothy and Ziva are here also. They're just checking us in to the motel," Ducky replied. Abby's eyes were trained on Gibbs lying so still in the bed.

"So, how is Jethro?" Ducky asked, knowing that's what Abby was afraid to ask.

"I….. I don't really know," Tony admitted, sounding troubled. "I'd never seen him like that before, Ducky. He was acting so strangely, Duck, it was like he was a different man."

"I'm afraid that was the arsenic, Tony. It is known to cause neurological episodes. He didn't know what he was doing. My worry is that the damage is not always reversible," Ducky explained. "I do wish he had gone to the hospital when I first told him."

"Me too," Tony replied.

"He is going to be okay, though, right Ducky?" Abby asked with trepidation.

"It's too early to tell, Abby. This chelation therapy he's receiving will give him every possible chance of a full recovery," Ducky replied, scanning the chart at the end of Gibbs' bed.

"And how are you?" Ducky enquired, turning back to face Tony.

"Better than the boss anyway," Tony replied bravely. "I'll be fine."

"And where is Mr. Franks?" Ducky asked, only then remembering that he was the reason Gibbs and Tony had been in Mexico in the first place.

"Last I heard he was still at sea, another day out," Tony replied.

"What happened out there?" Ducky asked curiously.

"It's a long story, Ducky. How about I tell you over a bite to eat? I'm starving," Tony replied.

"Good idea. I don't think Jethro will mind us leaving him for a short while," Ducky said. "Are you going to join us Abby?"

"I think I'll sit with Gibbs for a while," Abby replied, pulling up a chair and taking hold of Gibbs' hand.

Ducky and Tony walked the short distance to the hospital cafeteria. The menu was limited, but they both found something adequate and sat at a table together. Tony relayed the story of the jailbreak, their escape from Mexico and Raul's demise at the hands of Mike Franks. Inwardly Ducky was relieved in the knowledge that if Raul Hernandez was dead, then his good friend would not have to spend his life looking over his shoulder. He just hoped that Jethro would make a full recovery to enable him to enjoy that life.

By the time they returned to Gibbs in the ICU, McGee and Ziva were waiting there with Abby. They stood in silence, their faces bearing troubled expressions. Abby still clung to Gibbs' hand as if his life depended on it. Ducky decided that there was no need for them to be so negative. He had to snap them out of their depression.

"My goodness, what are you like? It's not a wake you know! Do you really think it would do Jethro any good to wake up and see your demoralized faces staring back at him?" Ducky said crossly. "He'll think he's dying if he looks at your morbid expressions. Now come on, that's enough of that! Perk up or wait outside, doctor's orders," Ducky said insistently.

The agents and forensic tech looked up, thoroughly shocked at Ducky's outburst. Once the initial surprise abated, they realised that he was right. Abby spoke up.

"You're right, Ducky. We need to be filling this room with positive energy. Gibbs needs to know that we're here for him, don't you Gibbs?" she said, turning back to the man in the bed.

"Of course you are right, Ducky," Ziva said speaking up. "Gibbs is one of the strongest men I know. He'll be right as main!"

"Rain!" Tony and McGee corrected her use of idiom in unison.

"That also," Ziva replied. "You know what I mean."

They nodded in agreement. After so long as a team, they did indeed know her and her infamous misuse of idioms all too well. As they continued conversing, a nurse entered Gibbs' ICU room and stood with her hands on her hips, obviously unimpressed with something.

"You all can't be in here," she told them cantankerously. "Only family allowed and no more than two at a time."

"We are family," Abby snapped, not even turning to look at the nurse.

"Okay, Nurse," Ducky replied, understanding hospital policy and hoping to smooth the situation.

"There is a family waiting room down the hall and to the left if you'd like to wait there," she told them, mellowing slightly.

"Thank you," Ducky said. "We will, won't we?"

The others nodded and agreed reluctantly. They realised that there wasn't much point in them all being there at the same time. Ducky had a suggestion.

"Why don't we stay with him in rotation? Anthony, I think you should go to the motel and get some rest before you fall down," Ducky said seriously. "Timothy, why don't you and Ziva take him?"

McGee and Ziva didn't argue. It was plain for everyone to see that Tony was fading fast. Every ounce of energy had pretty much evaporated and his pain meds were wearing off. He looked haggard and drawn. Ziva knew he needed to rest more than anything and, to his surprise, she took hold of his elbow and carefully guided him out of the room. McGee took his cue and followed, bidding farewell to Ducky and Abby.

"Call us if there's any change," McGee said as he exited. Ducky and Abby promised to do so.

The hours passed slowly. Ducky left the room to get coffee and sandwiches. As he walked along the corridor, his cell phone rang. He didn't recognise the Washington number as he answered.

"Hello?"

"Dr. Mallard? This is Dr. Hilary Redmond. I'm trying to get in touch with Agent Gibbs. I've noticed that he hadn't arranged his next appointment. I've left several messages and he hasn't returned any of them, which is unusual. I wanted to check that he's all right," she said, the genuine concern evident in her voice.

"Ah, Dr. Redmond," Ducky said, surprised by the unexpected call. "Well, actually, I'm in Pensacola, Florida, at the moment. I'm visiting Jethro in hospital here. It is a long story. He's actually quite unwell and, to be honest, I'm very concerned."

"Oh my goodness," Dr. Redmond exclaimed. "I knew something was wrong when he didn't return my calls. What happened?" she asked.

"He's suffering from arsenic poisoning," Ducky informed her.

"Oh no! How serious?" she asked, knowing from her medical school training the implications.

"Tests have shown that the dose was relatively mild, thankfully, but it was almost 24 hours before he received treatment. He's undergoing chelation therapy at the moment. We're uncertain what damage has been caused. He had to be sedated because some neurological symptoms caused him to act erratically. Until he's conscious, we won't really know the outcome," Ducky explained. There was silence on the other end of the phone.

"Maybe, I should, em, come down there," Dr. Redmond said hesitantly. "I mean, maybe I should be there, you know, if he needs to talk."

"Oh," Ducky said, unable to hide his surprise. He started to see through the good doctor and realised that she may have more than a professional interest in Gibbs. "If you think it would help, of course, you'd be more than welcome."

"Good. Okay then. I'll check when the next flight is," she said, sounding slightly awkward, almost embarrassed.

Ducky continued on to the cafeteria and considered the call from Dr. Redmond. When he returned, he told Abby the story of the strange call over their meal and explained that Jethro had been seeing Dr. Redmond on a professional basis ever since his first Mexican ordeal. Abby was glad to hear that Gibbs was talking to someone about it because she could not help but worry that he was bottling up a lot of what had happened. She also agreed with his assumption that there was something more than professional going on with this lady.

"I can't wait to meet her, Duck," Abby said, like an excited child.

"Well, looks like you're going to get your wish, because she's flying down as soon as she can get a flight," Ducky told her. Abby could not contain the widening grin on her face. She looked at the unconscious man in the bed beside her.

Gibbs, you crafty old fox!!

A/N - as you've been so kind to me, I've decided not to drag out the ending any longer! Read on and let me know what you think. Thanks for all of your reviews and comments.