For Velveteen...happy belated birthday and Get Well present, Part 1

"Jethro. I think we found him."

Fornell's voice was grim, and a dark foreboding swept through Gibbs at the tone. There was silence between them as Gibbs grappled to get his thoughts and mouth in some sort of order. How did he ask Tobias if Tony was dead?

"Jethro, you still there?"

"Uh, yeah, Tobias, just – is he -"

"Don't know, haven't gotten to him yet. My guys were just going by the description they were given, like we have been. A waitress reported finding a body when she went to dump the trash."

"She check to see if he -"

"She didn't dare touch him. Scared the hell out of her."

"Okay, give me the address, I'll head out, but I'm gonna stay on the line so you can keep me posted."

"Got it. And Jethro – no one knows if it's him, and whoever it is could still be alive."

"I know, Tobias. Just let me know one way or the other."

Gibbs stayed on the line, pushing the speaker phone button that the tech guy McGee had showed him and tossing the phone on his lap so he could drive with both hands and maneuver better. Not that he was in a hurry to get there if it was Tony, and he was...gone. Gibbs gut hadn't told him anything that heinous, but his gut had been known to fail in worst case scenarios when they involved family or friends. And DiNozzo was both. And yesterday they had gotten a seemingly mild case concerning the theft of drugs from a delivery van that had turned into an unmitigated disaster – bullets had flown, panic had ensued, and DiNozzo had been taken hostage and dragged into a car that sped off before anyone had time to come out from under cover and take a deep breath. Gibbs had done all he could to prevent it, but that stupid kid had been determined to thwart him and had, making sure he went with the crazy people instead of Gibbs.

"You really don't wanna take him for a hostage, guys. I mean, look at 'im. He's ancient, got high blood pressure, drinks too much - he'll keel on ya and you won't have anything to bargain with! Not to mention he's mean as a bear, he'll make your life a living hell! I'm a lot better bet, I got no intention of ending an already bad day by pissing you guys off."

The nervous thief looked back and forth between Tony and his partner, trying to decide if it really made a damned bit of difference who he took, and in the end, Tony's 'wisdom' won out, and he loosened his grip on Gibbs while his partner grabbed Tony and pressed his weapon to the young agent's forehead.

"DiNozzo..." Gibbs growled, truly furious that his second had undermined his plan to go with the unpredictable criminals.

"It's done, Boss, get over it." Tony had answered back cavalierly, but there was a steely determination in his eyes that told Gibbs not to make what he'd just done be in vain.

And then they were gone, shoving Tony into the back of their car and screeching away, lost in traffic before Gibbs and Kate had had a chance to get to their own vehicle.And there had been no sign of them after that, just the car and Tony's badge and cashless wallet had been found, abandoned in a parking lot for a car that had obviously been waiting there for them. No ransom note, no phone call. But Gibbs hadn't really expected one, neither had Fornell. This had been totally random and unplanned by the theives, a spur of the moment freak-out move that came about from them being cornered and desperate. There was only one thing to do, and that was to put out BOLOS and roadblocks and notify train and bus stations and airports.

Gibbs of course knew how big D.C was and how many places people could hide a hostage or dump a body. And this was only his third good lead on a description that fit DiNozzo since it had happened. The first lead Fornell had gone and id'd the body. The second one had been Gibbs' 'turn', at a downtown morgue whom Ducky had sent notification to BOLO for their team member. Gibbs had stumbled out of the place, face still a shade of green from vomiting in the morgue men's room after finding out he didn't recognize the battered man that lay on the autopsy table. He didn't know how many of those he could go through, and the thought that one of those times he would recognize the face he was blindly staring at made him come close to vomiting every time he thought about it. Lost in a haze of fear and anger, he barely heard Fornell's voice coming from the phone in his lap.

"Jethro! Answer me! I said it's Tony! He's in bad shape, but he's still breathing! Ambulance is almost here, meet us at Bethesda instead of the restaurant."

Gibbs had to pull over somewhere, anywhere, and get his shit together, mostly to figure out which direction the hospital was in. He'd been going on autopilot, and only vaguely aware of how close or how far he was to Bethesda. Pulling into a hotel parking lot, he picked up the phone.

"Yeah, Tobias, I – on my way." he stuttered into the phone and snapped it shut. He closed his eyes and took some deep breaths, collecting his thoughts and calming his racing heart. Scanning the street signs and surroundings, he quickly got his bearings and headed back out into traffic, ruthlessly cutting off any car, truck or taxi that got in his way. Ten minutes later, he was parking at the hospitals' emergency room entrance, and an ambulance followed by Fornell's company vehicle roared in behind them. Gibbs jumped out, keys still in the ignition, and ran to the ambulance, meeting up with Fornell to immediately grill him for answers. Before he could even ask, Fornell started filling in the blanks.

"He's pretty banged up, possible broken bones, lots of cuts and bruises, some light hypothermia, but the EMTs don't think anything is life-threatening. He was unconscious when they pulled him out, he came 'round some when they put O2 on him, started fussing and fighting them."

"You tell him he was okay and I was waiting here for him?"

" 'Course I did, Jethro. He calmed down, let them clean him up some to see where he was hurt."

They had to stand back when the ambulance doors opened and emergency room personnel rushed out to assist in unloading the gurney, but Gibbs was back on it like white on rice as soon as Tony was in sight.

"Tony...Tony, you hear me?"

"Sir, we need to move him inside where it's warm."

But Gibbs wouldn't be deterred, and pushed in amongst the medics and nurses to get right into Tony's face.

"DiNozzo, answer me."

Tony nodded, but one eye was badly swollen and the other barely opened a crack only to water in the cool fall air. He reached out his hand instead, poking a wobbly and bloody thumbs up out from under the gurney blanket.

"Alright then. Do what they tell ya, and that's an order, Tobias and I will be waiting for you."

Tony nodded again, and let himself slide into the warmth and security of good drugs and Gibbs' rough care. He just needed to rest for a while, then he'd be good to go and tell his boss whatever he wanted to hear.

In the E.R waiting room, both men took turns pacing and blowing off steam with occasional outbursts of temper at how long it was taking, the fact that no one was keeping them informed, and what sort of animal left someone to die in a filthy garbage dumpster? Both men had found themselves in the situation of investigating a body tossed into one of the metal monsters, but until now, it had been no one they had ever known. The thought of Tony lying in a mangled heap amongst the bags of trash and rats and God only knew what made Gibbs want to heave his coffee.

He collapsed into the only slightly comfortable waiting room chair and put his elbows on his knees, head in his hands. Eventually he interlocked his fingers and rested his chin on them. The stress and worry of the past day and a half came crashing down on him, and now that they had located his agent, however nasty his condition, the relief of finding him was overwhelming. Fornell saw him about to lose it and hastened to sit down next to him.

"Hey. He's gonna be up and harassing the both of us before we know it. Let it go. I got every available agent out there looking for them, we collected a reward for anyone giving us the tip that helps us find and nail them."

Gibbs turned to him, eyebrows slightly raised, and Fornell was happy he had diverted a melt down by getting the man to think about something else, at least for the time being, and maybe by then Ducky or a nurse would be out to give them the info they were waiting for.

"Yeah, Kate started one through her contacts, I started one through mine. No ties to either agency, nothing says we can't personally solicit funds for something like this. Think it's up to over a hundred grand."

"No shit." Gibbs blurted, astounded even through his exhaustion.

"Yeah, well, we like to think we're the only people that can stand DiNutso, but we both know he's got friends all over the damned place and at every level and branch of law enforcement. Wouldn't be surprised if he's buds with the Pres, the way our boy gets around."

"Nope! Nope, me either, Tobias. Though I bet you that same amount he'll be shocked as hell that many people think enough of him to donate for him. I ran into one of his -"

Gibbs was abruptly interrupted by Ducky's strident voice trying to gain his attention.

"Jethro, I said he's ready to see you, he's in recovery at the moment, just waking up from his anesthesia.

"Anesthesia? Nobody told me was having surgery, Duck."

"You must have signed the paperwork for it. Perhaps they told you there was a chance they would not have to operate on him. At any rate, he has been operated on, and though I expect him to be in some amount of pain for the foreseeable future, I have no doubt he will make a full recovery in a few short weeks."

"Short for you, Duck, not for him."

"Yes, well, I doubt for any of us, given the frame of mind the two of you will be in while he's recovering. Come with me, he's been asking for you, in his own bizarre way."

Fornell waited, looking hesitantly at he ME.

"Yes, Tobias, you may come along too, I'm sure Anthony will welcome your presence, though I must warn the both of you that he is far from lucid."

TBC