Chapter 31

Tony wasn't sure how he felt about the news that Captain Blaine might be nearby.

"How certain is it?" he asked.

"Not at all," Gibbs said. "They could be on their way to Mexico."

"With a stop off in LA?"

"Maybe."

Tony took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Dr. Snarr was probably right that he needed time to relax and think about his situation, but that would have to be set aside until they knew that Blaine wasn't going to be coming after them. He couldn't think about his life if he was dead.

"So... what now?"

"Don't know yet."

"What about Tim?" Tony asked. "Are you going to tell him?"

"Not yet."

"That might be a mistake."

"He's staying here in the hospital. He needs to. So do you."

"Maybe so, but I don't think it's going to be that simple. I wish it was, but I don't think it will."

Langston walked over to join them.

"Agent Gibbs, Chief Sander said that he'd put out a BOLO for Captain Blaine. Is there anyone else you'd like us to add?"

"Chief Sander should be getting more information from Agent Bishop right now. There will be more added on."

"Okay. You'd like us to stay on duty here?"

"Yes."

"Can do." Langston looked at Tony and smiled a little. "Make it easy for us, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Tony said. "If we agree on what is easy."

Langston gave him a look.

"Easy is that you don't try to sneak off and do something stupid."

"I would never do something stupid," Tony said.

"I notice that you didn't say you'd never sneak off."

"Well, I probably wouldn't do that, either, but you can bet that if I did, it would done intelligently," Tony said, grinning. He was forcing it a little, but he got a definite reaction. Langston laughed and walked back to the other officer on duty. Then, he looked back at Gibbs.

"You stay here, DiNozzo," Gibbs said. "We'll look for Blaine, try to track his movements, but you stay here."

"No matter what?"

"No matter what. You're not ready to go out and do your job right now. So you stay where you are."

"Can I be armed?"

"Have you used a gun in the last year?"

"No."

"Then, no."

With that, Gibbs strode away. Tony was tempted to follow him and try to make demands, but he knew it wouldn't make any difference. Instead, he took a breath and walked back to Tim's room. When he stepped inside, he saw much the same scene as he had before. Ducky was sitting beside Tim who was asleep again. And, just like before, Ducky seemed concerned and somewhat lost in thought, but when he noticed Tony's return, he smiled welcomingly and gestured for Tony to sit.

"How was your session?" he asked, although he kept his voice soft.

Tony shrugged. "Is Tim okay? He's sleeping again."

"This is the best thing for him at the moment. He has been functioning on far too little rest and with his new injury..."

"Was it that serious? I thought that..."

"No, as I said before, it's simply that his brain is more sensitive to injury at the moment. He needs to rest and he's finally beginning to accept that he needs it. Given time, he will recover. Overall, he's worn out, both physically and mentally. He is starting to admit it. It helps that we've now found you and so he doesn't have that hanging over his head."

"I don't know if..." Tony sighed looking at Tim sleeping. "I don't know if I like that Tim was willing to do so much to find me. He put himself through all that and... and how do I deal with that?"

"I do have a suggestion," Ducky said.

"Yeah?"

"You could try to say thank you."

Tony smiled with a little exasperation. "That's not really enough."

"I think it is. I think it's more than enough. Timothy has feared that all he could do would not be enough. He has feared that he would let you down. Even now, he worries that he's not done enough to help you through what you're struggling with. A simple expression of gratitude without anything more would likely be something that would help Timothy immensely, and it has the benefit of requiring very little on your part, considering the recovery facing you as well."

"With everything that's going on, I don't know if I have the time for worrying about my recovery."

"You need to. What more is going on?"

"Captain Blaine has gone UA."

"Oh, dear." Ducky sighed and looked at Tim who didn't even stir. "I hope we can keep this from Timothy."

"He should know, Ducky," Tony said. "It's not fair keeping him out of it."

Ducky looked back at him and shook his head. "No, Anthony. You have not understood just how serious Timothy's situation has been, and how deeply he was affected by Captain Blaine. He would deny it, but he is not in a mental state to deal with the knowledge that this man has gone on the run, perhaps escaping justice."

"Perhaps trying to kill him," Tony said. "Isn't that worse?"

"Of course, it is. There is no question of that. And we will try to avoid that possibility, but we should also try to protect his emotional state."

Tony nodded, albeit reluctantly. He didn't like the idea of trying to hide something from Tim when he'd put himself through so much. Surely, he'd earned the right to be in on something that could directly affect him. However, he could also admit that he hadn't been around to see what Tim's reactions had been. Maybe Ducky was right.

Ducky patted his arm.

"I share your concerns, Anthony, and I wish we could simply ignore the case at hand and focus on the needs that both of you have. Alas."

"Yeah."

"Well, since the two of you are staying here for the time being?" Ducky said, making it into a question.

Tony nodded.

"Then, why don't you just make yourself comfortable here and I'll go and see if I can get an update on Timothy's condition."

"All right."

Tony watched as Ducky left and he shook his head. He didn't like this situation. He felt helpless, and that was not a feeling he enjoyed.

Still, he didn't see that he had much choice at the moment. So he tried to follow his doctor's advice and try to relax a little.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

The day was long and tedious. Gibbs checked on them two or three times. Langston and his fellow officer were finally replaced with two other officers who were staying on duty through the night, giving Langston and his partner a needed break. Dr. Bates checked on Tim once before he left for the day. There was no sign of Captain Blaine or his cronies thus far, but who knew how long they'd been gone? Maybe they were in hiding in the States. Maybe they'd fled to Mexico.

Late in the evening, the door opened, rousing Tony from a doze. Tim was just awakening as well. A nurse came in with a wheelchair.

"Sorry, to disturb you, Agent McGee. Dr. Bates asked for one more scan. There's something on the previous one that doesn't look right."

Tim glanced at Tony and seemed to stifle a sigh.

"Okay."

He carefully got out of bed and sat down in the wheelchair. Then, he glanced at Tony.

"I'm too popular," he said, smiling weakly. "I'll be back."

"Okay. I'll be here."

Tim nodded and then the nurse pushed him out of the room.

Tony sat where he was for a few minutes, but there was a wrong feeling building up in the pit of his stomach. He wasn't sure why. He sat there, trying to figure it out and then, suddenly, it dawned on him.

Dr. Bates wasn't on duty this evening. He'd told them that. He wasn't here to order another scan.

Tony leapt to his feet and ran out of the room.

The two officers who were supposed to be on duty weren't there. Tony turned around and around. Where would they have gone?

"Anthony, what's wrong?"

Tony spun around and Ducky was just walking down the hall.

"Ducky, call Gibbs. They got in somehow and took Tim. Pretended he was getting another scan. They're taking him out of here. Where's the parking garage?"

"Anthony..."

"Now, Ducky! There's no time to worry about my amnesia or anything else. They've got Tim. I know they do and we need to stop them before it's too late!"

"It's that direction," Ducky said, pointing.

Tony watched as Ducky looked around and realized the officers were missing. He looked back at Tony.

"Go. I'll call for help."

Tony nodded and started running down the hall. He saw some signs that directed him to parking. Good. He followed them and got into the garage. But what level of the four levels would be where Tim was? Surely, Tim wouldn't go quietly once he realized what was going on, but would they have just knocked him out and been done with it? Tony didn't know a whole lot about the dangers of repeated head injuries but if one was bad and two was worse, then, three ought to be nearly fatal.

And that was not an acceptable outcome. Tony would not allow Tim to pay this price. No matter who was ultimately to blame, Tim wouldn't pay the price, not after everything he'd put himself through.

He started running and then stopped and listened.

There was the sound of a scuffle.

Below him.

He started running again, down the ramp, wishing he'd insisted that Gibbs give him a weapon. He pulled out his knife that he still had but even if he hadn't handled a gun in a long time, he was pretty sure he would have been better off with that than a knife, no matter how sharp.

But he didn't have any other option. He picked up speed and used gravity to help him hurtle himself down toward the sound that he was sure was Tim getting taken.

As he came around the corner, he saw what he had been afraid of seeing. Tim was getting pulled into an unmarked van by four men. He was fighting back against them, but he was clearly in no shape to do so. There was a fifth man standing in the back of the van.

Captain Blaine.

With one final burst of speed, Tony launched himself at the crowd, hoping that he didn't give Tim another head injury in the process.

Three of the men were knocked to the ground. One was thrown against the back of the truck. Hard. He fell to the ground and didn't move. Without another thought, Tony kicked another man in the face. Hard.

Two down.

Then, he rolled and saw a gun on the ground. He grabbed it, got to his feet and turned around, facing Captain Blaine and the two men who were scrambling after Tim who was trying to get away. His knife was now at his feet and he felt much better with a gun in his hand.

"All right, hold it! Don't move!" Tony said, breathing hard.

The two men froze, but they looked to Captain Blaine, not Tony. This wasn't the end yet.

Captain Blaine smiled. "Well, Agent DiNozzo, we were wondering why you were here, why you were apparently in hiding, even from your own team. I'm still wondering. That's the only reason you're not dead already."

"I'm wondering why you're not already in Mexico. You got away before we realized it," Tony said. "You could be out of the country already."

He glanced at Tim. He was more alert than he'd been in the alley, but he wasn't in the best shape. He was ready to move if he was told to, but Tony could see that he wasn't armed, either. He might be able to kick his knife over to Tim so that he had something, but he'd have to get that aimed right.

Captain Blaine sneered at him.

"I don't know if you're aware, Agent DiNozzo, but drug dealers aren't the most understanding people in the world. What do you think would happen to me if I just sauntered on over to my suppliers and said that I couldn't move their product anymore?"

"I don't see a down side," Tony said.

"I'm sure you don't, but I do, and if I can demonstrate my determination to fix the problem, eliminate the evidence and show that I'm worth keeping alive, then, I'll come out all right, and that's what matters right now."

"Does it?"

"Yes," Captain Blaine said and quickly pulled a gun and aimed it at Tim. "Now, if you value this worthless agent's life, you'll put down the gun."

"Oh, I don't think so," Tony said, even as his heart jumped into his throat. "You've already tried to kill both of us more than once. I know exactly what will happen if I put down this gun. I'm dead and so is Tim. Don't try that with me."

Tim shifted ever so slightly. Tony could see what he was doing. He'd obviously seen the knife at Tony's feet and was maneuvering himself around so that he could more easily catch it if Tony kicked it to him.

Tony didn't want it to come to that, though. He was hoping that backup would get here very soon. Something to end this standoff without gunfire that would surely get someone killed.

"Well, then, we're at an impasse, Agent DiNozzo, and it's not one I'm willing to let linger for very long. Are you going to try to save your own skin or this idiot over here?"

"Don't you call him that," Tony said. "He's worth more than you, more than you and all of your cronies. He's smarter. He's better. He's more than you will ever even aspire to be, scum that you are. If I could, I'd kill you for what you've done to him before. But no matter how this ends, I'm not going to let you put him down."

Captain Blaine laughed at him. "Oh, please. You're acting like it even matters. You're ridiculous."

"And you're under arrest, Captain Blaine."

The new voice was very welcome to Tony, but he didn't turn away. It wasn't safe yet. Captain Blaine was still armed, and his two men were also on their feet, not obviously armed but it wasn't safe to assume they weren't. It was a standoff and who knew how it would end.

"Agent Gibbs," Captain Blaine said. "The gang's all here. I should have known better than to use Thomas. He's too eager to kill. Doesn't take the time to plan things out. He just does it. Sometimes, it works."

"But not this time," Tony said. "Besides, he's a terrible shot."

"Don't I know it. He has very good connections in L.A., though. It makes him worth keeping around... if he'd only keep his mouth shut."

"Put down the gun, Captain," Gibbs said.

"Are you willing to risk that I can get a shot off before you do?"

"Are you willing to die just to find out?"

So far, Tim hadn't said a word. He was just sitting there, but suddenly, he got to rather unsteady feet and faced Captain Blaine. Tony wasn't sure what to expect here.

"Are you willing to kill me just because I bested you this time?"

"Bested me? You're about to collapse."

Tim nodded. "Yeah, I am. I'm weak and I'm the one who found the evidence that pointed to you. It was my program before and it was my efforts after. Even to the point that you had to abandon your post, your position and everything just to come here and kill us. Instead of waiting, you knew that we were better than you. You knew that you had to get out because we found you. So now what are you going to do? If you kill me, you're dead, and you know it."

"Shut up, McGee," Gibbs said. "Captain Blaine, drop your gun or I shoot. You have five seconds."

The seconds ticked by. Tony counted them.

Finally, Captain Blaine put down his gun. Tony shifted his gaze to the other two men.

"They're armed, too," Tim said. "I saw their guns."

"Drop them," Tony said.

A few more seconds and then each of the men put down a gun.

"Hands in the air," Gibbs said. "You're all under arrest for attempted murder of a federal agent."

As Gibbs moved in with some hospital security, Tony felt a deep relief that no shooting had been necessary. He really hadn't wanted that to be the end of this. Not this time. However, after they were all handcuffed and the two injured men had been taken care of, he walked over and got into Captain Blaine's face. He kept his voice low, but he knew it was menacing.

"Agent McGee is my probie. You say what you want about me. I don't care, but don't you ever insult my probie. If he had died, you would have wished you were dead, and I would have willingly gone to prison for what I would have done to you. But I don't need to do anything now. You're going down, and I'll be there to gloat when you do."

Captain Blaine sneered again, but he was hauled off before he could retort.

Tony took a breath and let it out in a whoosh. He looked at Gibbs who raised an eyebrow. Tony just shrugged and handed him the gun. Then, he walked over to where Tim was still standing but one of the parking garage pillars seemed to be doing a lot of the work at keeping him upright. Tony squared his shoulders and slipped an arm around Tim's waist.

"How long did you know he wasn't staff?" Tony asked, hoping that Tim hadn't realized it from the first moment and was trying to protect Tony again.

Tim leaned on him heavily.

"At the elevator. Two other guys came over and one of them let me see his gun and he said that I'd be dead and so would a lot of innocent people if I said anything. Couldn't take the risk of them opening fire in the hospital."

"And then?"

"Then, when we got into the garage, I knew I had to at least try to fight them off. So I did, and if you hadn't shown up, I would have got hit on the head again," Tim said, smiling weakly. "And I really didn't want to."

Tony hefted Tim up.

"You didn't?"

"No."

"Good. Let's get you back to your bed."

"Sounds like a plan. Thanks, Tony. You saved my life."

"If Gibbs hadn't come, it wouldn't have been enough."

"No. It was enough," Tim said, softly. "It was plenty."

Tony helped him over to the wheelchair and let Tim sit.

"I'm going to take him back to his room, okay, Boss?"

Gibbs nodded.

"You stay there, Tony."

"That's what you said last time. Good thing I didn't."

Gibbs just rolled his eyes and gestured. Tony grinned and almost felt like it was genuine. He pushed Tim back to his room where Ducky fussed over them both and helped get Tim settled once more.

Then, as Tim looked ready to fall asleep again, Tony suddenly understood what Ducky had meant.

"Hey, Tim," he said.

Tim's eyes were heavy-lidded, but they were open.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"What for?"

"For finding me. I needed to be found, and you did it."

Tim looked surprised, but then, he smiled.

"You're welcome," he whispered.

His eyes closed and he slept.

A hand on his shoulder startled him and he looked over at Ducky.

"You should follow his example, Anthony. That chair folds out into a cot. Everything else can keep until tomorrow."

"Are you sure of that?" Tony asked. "What about the other officers on duty?"

"They've been arrested. They were paid to abandon their posts."

"Oh."

"It will keep until tomorrow. Sleep for now."

In reality, that sounded like a great idea. Tony nodded and settled himself on the pull-out cot. It wasn't really comfortable, but it didn't matter for now. He closed his eyes and slept, feeling as though, in spite of all the chaos, there was potential for the calm that he knew they all needed.

Maybe things could start getting better.