Chapter Three: Mr. Manhood
It wasn't until two days later that the snow had finally slowed to a stop but by then Tony had settled into a new routine at the small cabin and Baltimore was a distant memory. The fantasy life he'd been building in the country was much more desirable than the ruins waiting for him back in the city. Even better, Jethro had accepted him, encouraged him and was possibly even flirting with him—Tony still hadn't figured that out yet—instead of being disgusted by him like his other so called friends. Of course the man didn't know about his fatal flaw like the others did but Tony had no intention of telling him.
He slipped his feet into an extra pair of work boots Jethro had loaned him in preparation of bringing in the firewood the man was already outside splitting. He pulled the coat, hat and work gloves on then stepped out into the winter wonderland.
Jethro split another log and tossed both pieces onto an already impressive pile before giving Tony a playful 'you better get your ass moving' look.
"I know, I know," Tony protested. "I'm moving slow. Did you forget I was a car accident a couple days ago?"
"Excuses, excuses," Jethro taunted. "Looks like we might need a few more lessons in manhood." He brought the axe down on another log only to have one of the newly split pieces fly up and smack him in the wrist hard enough that the axe fell to the ground.
The 'fuck' came out of Jethro's mouth at the same time as the 'shit' came out of Tony's.
"Are you okay?" Tony asked, clearly panicked as he rushed towards Jethro. One look at the man's already swelling wrist and Tony knew the answer to his question. "You're not okay."
"I'm fine," Jethro grunted angrily.
"Your arm's bigger than my head," Tony grumbled. "You're not fine."
Tony muttered at Jethro, calling the man a stubborn fool as he followed him around to the small shed behind the house so he could put the axe away while Jethro muttered right back at him about properly taking care of your tools. The banter continued as they made their way into the cabin where Jethro peeled away layers of clothing so they could get a better look.
"We need to go to the hospital," Tony stated matter-of-fairly as he looked at Jethro's arm.
"I don't need a hospital," Jethro protested.
"I am literally watching your wrist swell right before my eyes," Tony said. "What if it's broken?"
"It's not broken," Jethro said confidently. He tried to move the injured joint to prove his point only to be stopped by immense pain.
"Where are the keys to your truck?" Tony asked.
Jethro answered by looking towards the end of the kitchen counter where the keys were lying amidst a handful of loose change, next to Jethro's wallet. Tony grabbed the keys and the wallet, grabbed a large Ziploc bag out of a drawer then ushered Jethro out the front door. While Jethro climbed into the truck, Tony filled the Ziploc bag with packed snow and formed it on his own arm before climbing into the truck and laying it on Jethro's wounded wrist.
"Alright," he announced, firing the truck up, "tell me you have an ice scraper in here somewhere."
Jethro reached to the floorboard and grabbed a long handled scraper with a brush on it and handed it to Tony. While Tony cleared over two feet of snow off the truck, Jethro rested his head against the seat of the truck, mentally scolding himself for what he deemed to be a stupid injury. And of course it was his dominant hand. He quickly realized he was going to have to cut his time in the mountains short. With his wrist messed up, he wouldn't be able to keep up with the chores required to live such an off the grid kind of lifestyle.
"Let's see what this baby can do," Tony said excitedly once the truck had been scraped and given a chance to warm up.
"You park my truck in a giant ass pine tree and I'll have your hide," Jethro threatened.
"I would never!" One look from Jethro and Tony suddenly remembered where the car he'd borrowed from the impound lot was currently sitting. "I'll be careful," he corrected.
The drive down the mountain wasn't careful by normal standards but Tony was cautious and Jethro seemed unfazed by the wild ride. He spent the time protesting the trip to the ER, writing it off as stupid and making sure Tony knew his feelings on the subject in no uncertain terms.
Tony didn't let the protests distract him as he slipped and slid down snowy roads. Once he got off the mountain, the road conditions got significantly better but it was clear the road crews were still playing catch up.
"Do you think you can stop boohooing about going to the hospital and give me directions?" Tony asked. "And don't even think about trying to pull a fast one. If you give me directions back to your cabin, I'll just find the hospital on my own." He didn't need to look to his right to know his passenger was glaring at him. "Don't worry," he cooed jokingly, "even though you're pissed at me, I still love you."
That statement caused to Jethro to raise his eyebrows but it went unnoticed by Tony who was more focused on keeping the truck on the road, a task that would've been impossible without four wheel drive. "Take a left when you get to the traffic light."
Tony glanced over at his passenger, attempting to assess whether he could trust him or not. The two maintained eye contact for a moment before a hint of a smile appeared on Jethro's face. Jethro reached over and turned Tony's head back towards the road with a single finger pressed against the man's chin.
Several twists and turns later, Tony was parking the truck in front of a small hospital and helping a still protesting Jethro out.
"This is pointless," Jethro mumbled one more time as they headed for the emergency room doors.
"You're just upset because it's my turn to give you a lesson in manhood," Tony countered as they stepped through the automatic doors.
The nurse that happened to be walking by paused momentarily and looked at them but continued on without saying anything.
The two shared a look and chuckled quietly at the moment of awkwardness they'd caused as they headed for the reception desk.
"We have another manhood lesson gone wrong, Doc," Tony informed the woman behind the desk. "Jethro here might've broken his wrist. He's kinda stubborn though and disgruntled about being here so he needs to be seen stat. He's definitely a flight risk."
The receptionist's stern expression slowly faded. "I'm not a doctor," she replied. "My name's Emily. Fill out the paperwork on this clipboard and the doctor will see you."
"Thank you, Emily," Tony said, as charming as ever. "C'mon, Mr. Manhood, we have homework to do."
"I'll show you my—" Jethro's grumbling stopped short when he realized Tony had almost taunted him into saying something inappropriate making both Tony and Emily grin. Before he could get too embarrassed, Tony grabbed his uninjured hand and led him over to a chair.
After the paperwork had been filled out, Jethro was called back to an exam room and soon after that sent off for an X-ray while Tony waited in the room. Tony had just made it through the eighty eighth bottle of beer on the wall when Emily and one of the nurses poked their heads in the door.
"You need a cup for tips," the nurse complimented.
"Oh, you guys heard that?" Tony asked with an embarrassed laugh. "Sorry."
"Don't be. You're actually helping keep one of our frequent flyers calm and trust me when I say nothing calms this person down."
"Well, in that case, eighty seven bottles of beer on the wall. Eighty sev—"
"Before you get going again, Tony," Emily interrupted, "I can't read the birthdate on Jethro's paperwork."
"I'm surprised you can read any of it," Tony commented. "Mr. Stubborn Ass insisted on filling it out himself despite it being his dominant hand that's all messed up."
"So was he born in April or September? I can't tell if this is a four or a nine."
"Uh, I honestly don't have a clue," Tony answered.
"You... but— I thought you guys were? You don't? You're not?"
Tony stood in silent amusement while the receptionist fumbled over her words.
"I don't get it," Emily finally said.
"Jethro saved me from freezing to death when I wrecked my car in the middle of the blizzard a couple days ago," Tony explained.
Emily's eyes grew even wider and she lost her ability to speak so the nurse took over. Coincidently, it was the same nurse who'd been walking by the door when Jethro and Tony had arrived.
"You two have only known each other for a couple days?" she asked. She sounded just as shocked as Emily looked.
"You didn't think we were..."
"No! No!" Emily and the nurse quickly assured Tony.
"No what?" Jethro asked, entering the room.
"Nothing," Tony answered. "These two just thought we were knocking boots, that's all."
"Gee, I don't know why they would think that," Jethro snarked. "All you did was walk through the front door talking about my manhood."
"It confused me too," Tony joked. "How's the wrist?"
"The doc's looking at the X-rays," Jethro answered, resettling on the exam table. "Why are you harassing the nurses?"
Tony drew back with a loud, dramatic gasp. "I'm not harassing anyone. I was serenading them. They like my singing."
"You should hear him in the shower," Jethro replied, "especially when he starts gargling water in the middle of his performance."
"I have many talents," Tony announced proudly.
The doctor traded places with Emily and the joking ended as Jethro and Tony waited anxiously to hear what the doctor had to say.
"It's not broken," the doctor said, "but you do have a grade ii sprain. I'm going to fit you for a brace. I want you to rest it, elevate it, ice it and take over the counter painkillers to help with the inflammation and discomfort."
"I know the drill," Jethro muttered.
"At least it's not broken," Tony pointed out.
"I already knew that. I told you a trip to the hospital was pointless."
"You didn't know," Tony accused.
Jethro and Tony's playful bickering continued while the doctor fitted Jethro's wrist with a sturdy Velcro brace that would speed up the man's healing process if he actually wore it. He'd been a doctor long enough to know most braces came off as soon as the patient walked out the door.
Once the brace was on Jethro's arm, the nurse went over specific discharge instructions then, along with Emily, said goodbye to the two men who had livened up their day considerably.
Jethro looked over at Tony as the two made their way back to the parking lot and smiled. He'd never had an outing quite like the one he'd just experienced with Tony. Despite his career choice and all of his past life experiences, he never had adventures like he and Tony had had over the past few days but like everything else, all good things eventually came to an end.
"I think it's time for me to head back to the city," Jethro admitted reluctantly once they'd made it to the truck. "This is gonna make it hard to do chores out here," he explained, motioning to his injured wrist.
"Oh... yeah," Tony replied hesitantly. "I guess now that we know the roads are passable, it's time for me to find a way back to Baltimore."
The two shared a look when it became clear that the trip to the hospital was going to lead to an unexpected goodbye, a goodbye neither of them were ready for.
"I'm headed for DC," Jethro said. "I'm sure we can get you back to Baltimore from there."
Tony's smile was troubled as his mind worked overtime to figure out a way to delay their departure but he knew he couldn't and shouldn't. "Thanks."
They were doing it on purpose. Tony was sure of it. He'd been back in Baltimore for a total of three days and other than his boss ordering him to desk duty, no one had spoken a word to him. Tony had explained about the blizzard and getting snowed in, told his superiors how he'd spent his day off chasing down a lead only to have it slip through his fingers at the very last second. Of course he'd left out the part about who, exactly, he was chasing and how he'd borrowed the car from the impound lot to run his little errand. There was no point in borrowing trouble, after all.
Despite what he knew was coming, the smile, as fake as it was, remained firmly in place on Tony's face. His boss may have been drawing out the process as long as possible to torture him but there was no doubt in Tony's mind that he would be fired. Well, he would if his boss ever grew a pair, came out of his office and broke the news to him.
His stomach dropped when he heard a commotion behind him. He wanted to turn and watch his boss make his way towards his desk but he'd somehow lost his nerve and couldn't do it. Maybe he wasn't ready after all.
"Anthony DiNozzo Junior?" an unfamiliar voice behind him questioned.
"That's me," Tony said, standing and turning to find a familiar face flanked by two bodyguards. "You're the Director of NCIS." The man had just been on the news alongside the Director of the FBI, boasting about the capture of a dangerous fugitive who'd escaped from custody during a prison transfer. He'd given several press conferences in the days the fugitive had been on the run too. Anybody who'd seen the news during the past several days knew who Tom Morrow was.
"Director Morrow," the man introduced, firmly shaking Tony's hand. "I've heard a lot about you, Officer DiNozzo."
A gathering of Tony's coworkers formed around him and his visitor, including Tony's boss, making him even more nervous. "I don't suppose any of it was good?" he quipped.
Morrow's expression relaxed into a smile when he realized his mere presence was causing Tony's anxiety level to raise. "All good things, in fact," he said, "about your work ethic and dedication to your job."
Tony stood a little taller and a little prouder at the statement. He had no idea what was going on—probably divine intervention, he quickly decided—but he'd take it.
Morrow ignored the curious onlookers and focused directly on Tony as he continued. "I could use a man like you in my agency, Son. You probably have other agencies trying to woo you but I can assure you, NCIS is very competitive. Consider it. Give me a call if you're interested. We'll set up a time to talk details."
"Wait, you came all the way out here to offer me a job?" Tony asked. He was so confused. What was going on? No one was attempting to woo him. In fact, if Director Morrow had been any later, he may not have a job at all.
Director Morrow.
NCIS.
Jethro.
Jethro had set the whole thing up. How the man had gotten Morrow to play along, Tony did not know but he also didn't care. The man was saving him… again.
"Absolutely, I'm interested," Tony replied confidently as he accepted the business card the man was giving him. He looked it over before tucking it into his wallet. "I'll definitely be giving you a call, Sir. Thank you for the opportunity."
"No, thank you," Morrow replied genuinely. "You're destined for great things," he took one look at the piles of paperwork Tony was drowning in and waved it around as he continued, "greater than being a beat cop at a small precinct that clearly doesn't appreciate your talents. NCIS would be lucky to have you." He offered a polite nod then turned and made his exit, flanked by his bodyguards.
While Tony's boss was still trying to figure out how Tony had pulled off such an elaborate hoax, Tony began collecting the few personal items he had on his desk.
"As much as I'd love to hang out and continue keeping this chair warm while everyone pretends I'm not here, there are real criminals out there and clearly other agencies that are interested in my abilities," Tony said.
"If I were you I'd watch what I say, DiNozzo," his boss warned. He didn't like this new development one bit. Tony didn't deserve to be a cop, especially not for the Navy. DiNozzo, a gay man as a federal agent? No, that wasn't how things were supposed to be at all.
"Well you're not me and I'm not you," Tony boldly pointed out.
He continued chatting with his former coworkers while he cleaned out his desk under the watchful eye of his boss, doing his best to ignore the pain of betrayal he felt over all the people he'd once considered closer than family, the people he would've given his life for without a moment's hesitation.
It wasn't until he made it out of the building and could finally breathe again that he let go of the 'everything's fine' façade and began to mourn for everything he'd lost. Three departments in six years had really taken its toll and he wasn't sure how much more he could take.
Now what was he supposed to do?
Was the job offer from NCIS real? Or was Jethro just giving him an easy way out? Would he look weak if he showed up on the Navy Yard? Would it just lead to another awkward situation where he was informed that there wasn't really a job waiting for him? Where else could he go?
He could go home—if you could count the cold, empty shell of the apartment he lived in a home—and sit on the uncomfortable dining room chair or the old lumpy futon that doubled as his bed. He hadn't seen much of his home lately, probably because it felt nothing like a home. Nowhere had felt much like a home to him since his mother had died. Well, nowhere except for the cozy little cabin in Rileyville, Virginia. He wondered if he'd ever feel settled again; if he'd ever feel like he truly belonged somewhere. He wondered if he'd ever be able to outrun Senior. He wouldn't be able to reclaim his life until Senior was out of the picture.
Tony took a deep breath and shook off the lost little boy persona that always threatened to creep in when his father appeared and treated him like just that. He wouldn't let Senior or the Baltimore police department get him down.
As he sat in his car, contemplating where to go and what to do next, a single phrase repeated in his head: "Embrace you, Tony. Don't run from who you are." It was the words of encouragement Jethro had left him with before dropping him off at the train station. The man had given him a ride back to DC after his injury and then the two had gotten into a fight over how Tony would get back to Baltimore. Jethro had insisted on driving him the rest of the way while Tony had insisted on taking the train. They'd compromised by Jethro taking him to the train station and paying for his ticket.
A smile appeared on Tony's face as he remembered their banter but the smile slowly faded as he realized how much he missed Jethro. He'd never had as much fun as he'd had with Jethro over the handful of days he'd spent at the cabin in the mountains.
"There's no reason I can't go check on Jethro," Tony told himself, "thank him for making me look good in front of the guys. Can't be too hard to get on the Navy Yard, right?" He turned his car on, backed out of his parking spot and pointed it towards the interstate. "Only one way to find out."