"How big?!"
Tony couldn't have heard the doctor right. A fist-sized hole in his hip with infection reaching the hip bone? That was simply impossible. There was no way on Earth that his incision had gotten that infected without his surgeon noticing. Or had the bastard noticed and just failed in his duty of care? He really wished Gibbs were here to help handle this situation, but he'd been called into MTAC just before the current meeting. Apparently, he was doing just fine imitating the Gibbs Stare because Dr. David Bethersonton took two steps back and looked at the floor before speaking in an apologetic voice.
"I have no idea how we missed this. It simply confounds me. The amount of packing we had to put in the crevasse is the most I've ever seen—"
Tony was about to jump off the examination table and attack the doctor right there and then. Ducky, who thankfully had driven the agent to his appointment that day, stepped in before his friend injured himself further.
"Dr. Bethersonton, may I speak to you in private?" Ducky did his own impression of the Gibbs Stare that was impactful enough to convince the surgeon that talking to Dr. Mallard might be a wise decision.
"With all due respect, David, you are no longer young Anthony's surgeon. He will be under the care of a new orthopedist as of this minute. Leave now, and the next time I see a surgeon, it had best not be you!"
Tony stifled a laugh as Bethersonton rushed away.
"Duck, this is bad, isn't it?" DiNozzo was serious now.
"You're in for a long haul, dear boy. And we'll be here for you all the way." Ducky placed his hand on the younger man's shoulder.
Ducky did some reconnaissance and managed to track down a friend who agreed to take on a patient. His chart was transferred from GW and that afternoon, Tony was admitted to Bethesda under the care of a different surgeon. Dr. Phillipa Barnhardt started her newest patient on two high octane antibiotics—amoxicillin clavulanic acid (Amox Clav) and Clindamycin—to treat Staph and Poststreptococcal infections. He'd go to the OR that night and PICC line would be placed for long term delivery of the antibiotics.
Tony sighed as the porter pushed his bed towards the door to take him to the OR that night around eleven. Ducky had been right: this was going to be a long haul.