Poisoned
Chapter 4
DiNozzo was out in an instant. He didn't even notice when Gibbs leaned in over him and fastened his seatbelt.
After that Gibbs and Ziva just stood there and looked at him for a while; they were a bit shocked, and neither of them came up with anything to say.
"He's really sick, isn't he?" McGee couldn't hide his concern in his voice.
Gibbs shut the door carefully, so he wouldn't wake Tony. He and Ziva walked around the car, and got in. Gibbs thought that McGee was right; he couldn't remember seeing DiNozzo getting this carsick from his driving. But all DiNozzo had done so far was throw up, and now he was asleep. Maybe he'd had too little sleep the night before, or had gotten a cold or something. He wanted it to be something simple like that, but his gut told him there was something he was missing. But he couldn't figure out what it was.
"Are you okay Gibbs?"
It was Ziva's voice. And Gibbs realized that they had just been sitting there in silence for a couple of minutes, his two younger team members waiting for him to start driving again.
"Yeah. Let's go."
They were driving on a small road now. It started to rain. They still had a long way to go before they would arrive at the Engberg cottage.
Tony slowly came to again. His eyes were still closed, and he noticed that he was now lying down in the car. He didn't really remember how he had gotten there. His head was pounding, his throat was sore, and he felt really nauseous. He felt like if he moved he was going to throw up again, so he tried to stay as still as he could. Ziva and McGee were talking quietly in the backseat.
"What are you whispering about back there?" Tony asked. He opened his eyes and tried to look at them without moving his head.
"Oh, hi, Tony, you are awake," Ziva observed.
"Yeah, you noticed. What kind of advice were you giving the Probie there, Ziva?"
"That's none of your business, Tony. Go back to sleep."
"What? I just woke up!"
"You have a nice nap, DiNozzo?" Gibbs interrupted their conversation, and glanced at the younger man. He hadn't moved an inch.
"Yeah, I dreamed that we were there, Boss. How much further is it?"
"Probably about two to three hours. Can't drive that fast on this road." That was not entirely true. Gibbs could have gone much faster, but he thought that it would upset DiNozzo's stomach even more. He didn't tell the younger man that though. Tony just groaned in answer to that.
"You feel like throwing up some more, DiNozzo?"
"Not right now, Boss."
"Good. Let me know if you do, and I'll stop. You throw up in the car, and you can walk the rest of the way."
"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it, Boss." Tony closed his eyes again when Gibbs made a sharp turn with the car. He started to regret that he said he didn't need to throw up again. Maybe that wasn't such a bad idea.
"So much for the nice road trip," Tony said. Talking always worked when he wanted to think about something else. "How are we on the case then, McGeek?"
"Well, I haven't found anything new yet, Tony. How did it go with the bank accounts?"
"Real fun, Probie."
"I'm looking into the bank accounts now," Ziva said. "I have found that the sister recently started to make withdrawals from one of her accounts, 300 each week. I don't know what that could be for."
Ziva sat with Tony's computer in her lap, her eyes locked at the screen. When Tony didn't respond, she looked up at him. When she saw him she cried out, "Gibbs, stop the car!"
But it was too late. Tony attempted to sit up, but then as Gibbs started to pull over, he had thrown up on himself. Just after he had spoken, he had felt it start to come up. He had to sit up! As he tried he was surprised at how weak he actually felt. He couldn't get up. And then it was too late.
Gibbs hit the brakes and was out of the car and went around to Tony's side.
"So-sorry Boss. I'm sorry, I'm sorry… I couldn't… couldn't stop it," Tony stuttered as Gibbs violently opened the door.
Gibbs saw the younger man tremble and the look in his eyes was confused and he thought he saw a shade of fear in them. Then he remembered what he just said about throwing Tony out of the car if he threw up in it. He leaned down so that his eyes were at the same level as DiNozzo's. "It's okay, Tony. I'm just going to help you get cleaned up. McGee, give me the water bottle."
Gibbs helped Tony to sit up, and handed him the bottle of water McGee had given him.
Tony took a few sips and then Gibbs started to help him get his ruined shirt off. Ziva found a NCIS jacket in the trunk that he could wear. As Gibbs helped the younger man to change, he noticed that he was unusually warm, and trembling.
No one said anything a few minutes later when Gibbs stopped at a gas station. He went inside and then came back with a bucket, which he put in DiNozzo's lap.
"Thank you, Boss."
Gibbs sat down in his seat next to him, and leaned over and fished a packet of pills from the bucket. He opened it and popped two pills out. He took the bucket from his agent, and then handed Tony the pills and the water bottle.
"Alright… I… I hope they'll help." Tony swallowed the pills quickly, and then drank the entire bottle of water. "Oh, those tasted funny. What were those pills? Trying… are you trying to poison me or something, Boss?" He slumped back against his seat, and winced.
"Ziva, I don't feel so good," Tony stated. "Would you give me a massage?"
In answer to Tony's question, Ziva slapped him gently on the back of his head. "Just sleep, Tony. "
"Yeah, that's good advice, DiNozzo," Gibbs said.
"Only if McGee sings me a lullaby."
"Yeah, right." McGee rolled his eyes, and Ziva laughed. Even Gibbs smiled.