Chapter 13

Gone

A/N So sorry again for the incredibly long delay. Life just hasn't allowed me the time to update as fast as I would normally like to. But for being so patient here is a nice long chapter to make up for it. And also so much thanks to crokettsgirl for all her help with rewrites and adding parts to the chapter to make it great for you all to read. Thanks so much for your help. Well here is the next chapter. And as always please read and review

Gibbs jumped when he felt the pressure of an unfamiliar hand touch his shoulder. He looked up to see the startled face of his junior field agent. Gibbs rubbed his eyes wearily from long hours at the hospital in those God forsaken things the hospital called chairs.

"Boss" McGee stammered as he recovered his demeanor, "I was sent to relieve you. Agent Jensen needs to fill you in on the latest details of the case. Also, Director Vance said that he needed to talk to you. I told him that you were at the hospital and that you had to shut your phone of because ………." He started to inform his boss before he was cut off.

The older agent just sat there with his head in his hands. He was worn out and barely registered what McGee had just said to him let alone the explanation that wouldn't stop.

"Enough, McGee."

McGee stopped his train of thought and then stuttered with another. "Ah, of course you don't need to know stuff about cell phones in a hospital." He stopped and just stood there to wait for his boss to give him his orders.

Gibbs was relieved when Tim stopped. He hadn't slept for more than a few minutes at a time during the last few days and couldn't deal with McGee's rambling. He was very reluctant to leave Tony's side after how he had reacted to the news of Carlson's death. He was afraid of what would happen when Tony woke up again. He'd inform McGee with just enough information for the younger man to handle the situation. However, he was anxious to get back to the case. He hadn't spent as much time as he wanted on it and needed to be on the manhunt for Reynolds. He also knew that he owed Vance an update on the case and an explanation for hanging up on him twice. Gibbs decided to get an update on Tony's condition which would make him feel better before he left the hospital.

Gibbs decided he'd have to trust DiNozzo to the capable hands of his junior agent. He didn't have a choice and hoped that it might do his senior agent some good to spend some time with his partner and friend. DiNozzo always played pranks and gave McGee a hard time. DiNozzo was also known to leave the junior agent with all of the dirty jobs, while he took the jobs he felt were more befitting of his title of Senior Field Agent. Gibbs did know that with everything they'd gone through that the two had become close friends. The older agent never said much, but being Gibbs it was his job to know as much as he could about his team. That's how he knew that the two younger agents went out every Friday night when they had the weekend off or no active cases, for pizza and beers. He was glad and knew that the spent time together had resulted in a relationship that blossomed into more of a sibling type connection.

"McGee" Gibbs finally asked "I'll be back in a few hours. So I need you to stay here with Tony so he isn't alone. When he woke last time he was pretty hard to handle. He isn't taking Agent Carlson's death well. You will not let them kick you out and you will settle him down if Tony gets agitated again. Am I clear?" Gibbs blue eyes narrowed at Tim which brooked no argument that his orders would be carried out.

McGee's eyes locked with his boss' and gave him a stern nod. He then looked down at the sleeping man. His eyes flickered up at his boss, questioningly. "Is he going to be okay?" he asked with concern.

"He's been hurt pretty badly, though his doctor seems to think that he'll recover in time. We'll just have to wait and see. He should be asleep for a few hours. I'll be back as soon as I can." Gibbs answered and again hoped that he would be back before Tony woke. He only hoped that if Tony did wake that McGee could handle the order he was given.

The lead agent finally stood up to stretch is aching muscles. He turned around to take one last look at his agent that lay in bed and then McGee before he left the room.

The blinding hot sun hit him after spending three days more inside than outside. When outside it was only to work on the case and then he'd hurry back to the hospital, to his agent, those hard chairs along with what the staff called coffee. Now, he needed a good cup of coffee, not that garbage the hospital had. The coffee the nurses had given him was better, but he needed real coffee so he could start to focus harder on the case. Again, he thought of how he had worked the case, but just not as much or as hard as he wanted to due to Tony and what had happened.

NNNCCCIIISSS

FBI Headquarters in Iraq

Agent Gibbs pulled up to the main building about twenty minutes later. He was surprised to see that Agent Jensen was walking out to meet him.

"How is Agent DiNozzo doing?" Jensen asked. He noticed the tired and haggard look on the older man's face. Jensen knew from the observation of the other agent that he probably felt as bad as he looked. Years of working the job made agents hone in quickly on people with their observation skills. That was one of the ways they could tell what they were dealing with and Jensen was good at what he did.

"He was hurt pretty badly. But he's woken up several times, though very disoriented. Today was one of the worst and the doctor ended up having to sedate him, to relax." Gibbs answered with gruff sadness lining his voice.

"I gather he didn't take the news very well." Jensen asked as they walked towards the building.

"No he didn't" Gibbs replied with a sigh, "He was convinced that I was lying to him and that I intentionally let Carlson die by not getting there soon enough. But Agent McGee is there right now. Hopefully he'll be in a better frame of mind after he's had some rest. It's just that he's taking this harder than I would have imagined him to. I hope that he can recover and get over this emotionally. I honestly don't have a clue as to how to make things right with DiNozzo at this time. I have never seen him like this before." Gibbs shook his head while he told the other agent. He stood still for a moment as he thought about what he had just said.

"Look Agent Gibbs" Jensen replied "DiNozzo's a very strong person. He and Carlson became good friends. And knowing Tony's sense of loyalty he was probably angry and hurt at the betrayal. But I also know that Carlson would go and try to save Tony's life without regard to his own. At first I thought that he did it because he felt guilty. I was ready to arrest him, but you can't arrest a dead man. Then when I saw him lying on top of DiNozzo, well I realized I was wrong. The man is a hero and Tony will eventually come to realize that he has nothing to feel guilty about. And you need to stop kicking yourself over this. It's not going to make matters any better with the two of you beating your selves up over this." Jensen explained. He hoped he was getting through to the older man.

"I do know that for Christ sakes, but I still feel responsible never the less. I'm not sure what to do. I've never seen him so hurt and angry. Like I told you, he holds me responsible and he thinks that I intentionally didn't get there in time. That's why Tony believes that it was my fault that Agent Carlson died. He doesn't want to hear what I have to say. I'm at a loss of what to do, how to handle this." Gibbs stated as he rubbed his eyes again and started shaking his head.

"Just give it time Agent Gibbs. Tony is physically hurt and very confused right now. He doesn't know what to think at this point. His mind only remembers certain things, jumbled recollections of what happened. He'll need to put them together with all the facts. He must feel that we failed him and should have been able to save them both. He also probably feels guilty about living while the man who risked everything to save his life is dead." Jensen stopped a moment to let Gibbs think about what he had just said.

Gibbs knew Jensen was right. He let out a sigh and saw the man had more to say. Their eyes connected as the other agent finished his thoughts, "I am sure that Tony thinks he should have been the one who died. So like I said, just give it some time. After he has a chance to recover, he'll see things a lot differently. Tony just needs time to deal with a whole lot of stuff right now. Just be patient with him. To me, and I'm not a doctor, but I think that just being there for him will do a world of good. You have to let it go for now, okay?" Jensen asked as he put his hand on the older agents shoulder as they walked through the door.

Gibbs nodded as he realized what Jensen had said. "Survivor's guilt." He quietly spoke as they entered the building.

Jensen nodded at the statement and then changed the subject. "Agent Gibbs, I needed to ask if you would be willing to escort Agent Carlson's body back to D.C. I wanted to do it myself, but I've been asked to stay here to lead the effort to capture and arrest all of Reynolds associates and to kill the bastard myself if I get the chance. I've already taken the difficult job of letting his wife Amanda and his children know along with my superiors."

Gibbs shook his head. He knew they would be called back soon and at least he didn't have to tell the family. He thought the F.B.I. should have done that anyway. They walked further into the building and were stopped.

"Boss" Ziva acknowledged, "Vance has been calling for you. He wants you to call him immediately with an update."

"Tell him that I will get back to him after I drop off my gear and get a cup of coffee." Gibbs answered as he walked over to the other side of the building in search of the precious liquid.

He needed to unpack, shower and get coffee before he was ready to call Leon Vance. He started up some coffee. Using his favorite blend and then went to the showers. He quickly showered and dressed before he gulped down his first cup of coffee. As he was pouring his second cup of coffee his phone rang. One glance at the caller id showed that it was Leon Vance. Gibbs wanted to ignore the call but decided that it was in his best interest to answer it. Especially, since he wanted Ducky to be sent out here in order to stay with Tony and hoped that the director would agree to it. He quickly answered in his usual gruff manner.

"Gibbs!" he answered after swallowing a large gulp of coffee.

"Jethro" Vance answered "I haven't gotten that update yet. And Agent Gibbs, don't you ever hang up on me again." Vance warned.

"Leon, I had no choice" Gibbs answered, "DiNozzo had just woken up. He was scared and confused, working himself into a panic. I wasn't about to leave him alone in that state. He was so damn agitated and filled with anxiety from not understanding what was going on that they had to sedate him." He explained.

"I had no idea that Agent DiNozzo was in such bad shape, Jethro." Vance answered, "There is something else that I need to talk to you about. But that will have to wait until I get the update."

"Leon" Gibbs replied as he swallowed another large gulp of coffee. "All that I know are from the few updates that I've been given. Captain Reynolds got away before we could get to DiNozzo and Agent Carlson. There's been an extensive search for Reynolds throughout Iraq and the surrounding countries. So far there have been no sightings of Reynolds despite the help from the FBI, CIA, NCIS, and Army CID. They've been searching around the clock for him. I know that Agent Jensen feels that he could be in Europe or who knows where right now. He has people standing by at all of the major airports right now showing his picture around hoping to capture him. He'll be updating me shortly on anything else they've found out. I'll let you know more when I (know."

"Jethro" Vance said "Thanks for the update, let me know if there is anything further that Jensen has found out. Oh and I've learned that Agents Fornell and Sacks have been coordinating with law enforcement agencies in the U.S. including D.C. to hunt the bastard down. We will find him Jethro, trust me. But I need your word that you will not do anything stupid in the meantime." Vance sternly stated.

"I can guarantee that I won't, Leon." Gibbs replied matter of factly, "I not only want the man caught for what he did, but also for what happened to my agent. At least Jensen and his team have managed to capture most of Reynolds people. Most of them have been Al-Qaeda operatives in the area, like the ones Tony was set up to meet. The rest we believe are military which is why they are so hard to track down. We are doing everything to get a lead so that we can bring them down."

Gibbs took a breath before he decided to ask the director his next question, "So Leon, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Agent Gibbs" Leon answered hesitantly. He knew that the older agent wouldn't be very happy about what he would say next, "I'm sending you, Officer David, and Agent McGee back to the U.S. You leave in three days. You better be ready. I need you back here to coordinate with Fornell and your mind completely on the case."

"I promise you that my mind will be completely on the case. I want that bastard too. I spoke to Agent Jensen earlier. He asked me to accompany Agent Carlson's body back to D.C. And Leon, I do intend to make sure that Agent Carlson will be remembered as a hero. Nothing needs to be said about his involvement with Reynolds. I also need arrangements to be made for Doctor Mallard to be flown here to stay with DiNozzo until he's ready to go home." Gibbs stated instead of asking. He wasn't about to give the director a choice in the matter. Tony could not be left alone and that was all there was to it.

"I can't do that Agent Gibbs. It's too late to have him flown all the way to Iraq. You should have discussed this with me earlier and then I could have made the arrangements……." Vance was cut off by his lead agent and he wasn't thrilled about it.

"Damn it Leon!" Gibbs shouted over the phone to cut him off. He was going to win on this one. He had to choose his battles and this battle was the one he had chosen, "I can't leave DiNozzo here alone. Not in the state he is in. You better find someone he knows to at least sit with him for a few days after we leave….." Now it was Jethro's turn to be cut off.

Vance interrupted Gibbs. The man was on a tirade and he wasn't going to take that. Besides, he hadn't finished what he was going to say. "Jethro, I am going to over look the fact that you yelled at me and are trying to give me orders because of how upset you are over DiNozzo. Now, If you'd let me finish what I was saying. I have already sent Ms. Scuito on a plane to Iraq. Her flight left last night. Actually, she came into my office yesterday after learning that you three were coming back. She carried on as she usually does about that there was no way DiNozzo could be left alone. Ms. Scuito also stated that she was the only one who could take care of him properly. She demanded that she be put on the next flight to Iraq and so I agreed. Her itinerary was faxed to the headquarters about an hour ago." Vance explained with a hint of exasperation to his voice.

"Why the hell didn't you say that earlier Leon? You do realize that you could have just said that in the first place. Abby is the perfect choice after Doctor Mallard to leave Tony with." Gibbs answered.

"You never gave me a chance, Gibbs. She approached me yesterday afternoon. In fact she said that she was never going to leave the chair she was sitting in until I agreed to her demands. After two hours and listening to her slurping down two caf- pows and to that loud annoying music of hers, I finally agreed to let her go. She went home to pack and was on the red eye flight to Iraq two hours later." Vance answered with a huff.

"Thanks Leon" Gibbs answered, relieved that he wouldn't have to leave Tony alone, "I'm going to send Officer David and Agent McGee to pack up Agent DiNozzo's things at the base. I'll have them speak to the commanding officer there. DiNozzo may have some information on Captain Reynolds that we are not aware of. He's not able to tell us right now in his state. I'll have my team search Tony's things for any evidence that he may have found." He informed the director.

"Very well, report to me if any evidence that will help this case is found. I'll see you in a few days" Vance answered more causally now that everything had been settled, "And let me know if anything changes with Agent DiNozzo."

"I will" Gibbs answered before he flipped his cell closed. He then walked into their temporary head quarters.

Agent Jensen, Ziva and about three other agents were standing in front of a screen near a table full of files they were all reading through. Gibbs walked up behind Ziva and put his hand carefully on her shoulder. Ziva started a bit. She had gotten so engrossed in researching the files that she had forgotten that Agent Gibbs was even there.

"Gibbs" Ziva blurted out "You startled me."

Gibbs put his hand back on her shoulder and then dropped it when he reached for one of the unread files. Agent Jensen turned around to face the older agent, prepared to fill him in on the search for the rest of Reynolds men and the man himself.

"Agent Gibbs" Jensen said "We've been going through the dossiers and photos of all of Reynolds associates. As you know we've been able to track down most of his low level associates and arrest them. But unfortunately he has been recruiting other marines stationed not only in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also in the U.S. It may take months or years to track everyone down. We may have to put more agents undercover to catch who we've already identified," Jensen sighed with disgust, "I never realized Reynolds operation was so large." The F.B.I. agent through down a file he had been holding, "My plan for now is to focus the search here for Captain Reynolds and these other men. Though, like I said yesterday, I am very sure that he is on his way back to the United States. I do think that he has realized that his fast get away isn't going to be as easy as he had planned it. Agent Fornell is heading up the search on the other end in D.C. And, from what I've been told he's one of the best by reputation as you are." The man looked up. His face was haggard from long hours of exhausting work. He was tired, but he was also determined to do his best in finding Reynolds and his men along with closing down their operation.

"Thanks for the update" Agent Gibbs told him. He too was exhausted and slumped down into the closest chair. He was impressed with Agent Jensen and knew the man, like himself, would not give up until the operation was closed down and the men including Reynolds were in prison.

Gibbs nodded his gratefulness to the other man before he spoke. "And Agent Jensen, my team is being sent back, minus DiNozzo, in three days. And I'd be happy to be the one to accompany Agent Carlson's body back to his wife and children."

Jensen nodded back his gratitude and then walked until he disappeared into the crowd of agents.

Gibbs turned to get another file to read along side of Ziva who was engrossed in the file she was reading. He could see that the young moussad agent was as worn out and as tired as the rest of them. He knew she hide behind her training, even though she was very good at it he could still read her. He knew she wouldn't leave a stone unturned, this was personal, since Tony had also been hurt, and badly.

IRAG BASE HOSPITAL

McGee woke up after falling asleep while he read though a mountain of case files he had been given to work on. He had hoped that one of those files would have a lead on any information that would show where Reynolds was or, who was hiding him. McGee decided he needed some coffee. He turned to see that Tony was still asleep. He then slipped out of the room, but before he could get to far a nurse stopped him and led him to the nurse's station that sat in front of Tony's room.

"Agent McGee" the nurse said "Agent Gibbs is on the line. His call was just transferred to here from the switchboard." The nurse pushed the phone towards the agent.

"Thanks." McGee answered as he picked up the phone. He hesitated for a moment before he put the phone to his ear.

"Boss?" McGee answered.

"McGee." Gibbs answered brusquely "I'll be back in about an hour. After I get back to the hospital I need you to pack your gear. Then you and Ziva are to get Tony's things from the base and see if he has any evidence he collected. Then we can take his things with us. Anything personal, bring to his room. I want you to also talk to the commanding officer and see if he may have any information about Captain Reynolds or other associates that may have been stationed where DiNozzo was. Also update him on what is going on." He informed his agent.

"Okay Boss" McGee stammered "Uh have you told Tony yet? I mean, is he coming back with us? I assume you want to tell him yourself. I can if you want me to." McGee rambled.

"No McGee" Gibbs quietly cut him off, "Let me tell him myself. He's not doing so well right now. I'll be there soon. Just don't leave him alone. Got it?" Gibbs questioned and then waited for his answer.

"Yes boss, I've got it." McGee answered.

"Okay." Gibbs answered back "Now get your butt back into DiNozzo's room. Again, don't say anything about this to Tony or I'll head slap you into next week." He stated adamantly.

"Got it boss" McGee answered and then hung up the phone. He then started to walk back inside the hospital room thinking over what his boss had just said to him.

Tim sat down in the hard chair, the coffee forgotten as he again started to read through more case files until his boss returned. He had just settled back into the chair with a current file when he noticed a pair of green eyes glaring back at him. The younger man immediately closed down his laptop and hurried over to his friend's side. McGee turned to him with a smile. Excited to see his friend awake, he didn't realize that Tony was clearly very upset.

"Hey Tony." McGee said with a smile, "It's good to see that you're awake finally. Oh and Gibbs and the others will be here later to see you." He informed his friend.

McGee turned around and put the laptop back in its bag. When his attention came back to his friend he realized that Tony hadn't answered him yet. He then saw the dangerous glint in the other agent's eyes. He'd only seen it a few times before and it usually wasn't good. It actually scared him when the darker side of Tony came out. But when it happened, he and Ziva usually managed to stay far away until he got that dark mood under control. Normally a few words from Gibbs or a night in their boss' basement working on the boat with a six pack of beer and pizza where he'd talk would get out him out of that dark place. The younger man was about to pretend that nothing was going on when heard a voice yell at him.

"Probie!" Tony said with a tone that scared McGee "Who were you talking to a minute ago?"

"No one Tony" McGee stammered "No one important at all."

"You're lying, McGee" Tony said with so much venom in his voice that it sent chills down the younger man's spine "It was Gibbs. Wasn't it? Damn it! Tell me the truth!"

Never in his life had he ever heard that tone of voice directed toward him. Tony had usually saved that side of himself for suspects or dangerous criminals he would interrogate if he couldn't get to them in his usual way. Once or twice he might snap at the team after a rough or difficult case. He saw the way the normally genial agent looked at him, he was tempted to run from the room to avoid Tony's wrath. But he knew that Gibbs would kill him if he left. He decided to quickly but discretely move out of the older man's reach. McGee took a deep breath before answering Tony.

"Uh Tony" McGee stammered "It was Gibbs. He said that he had to go and take care of a few things and he was heading straight back here. He said that he would spend the rest of the day with you." McGee hoped that appeased the older man.

Tony looked over at his friend with a furrowed brow while he tried to process everything that he had heard both from the phone and from Tim. His mind was still fuzzy and there were only two things that kept haunting him. The first one was that Gibbs had left him yet again and the second one was that because of Gibbs, Agent Carlson was dead. That was the only conclusion he could come up with for Gibbs absence. His boss just didn't care about him anymore.

"You're not telling me everything, McGee." Tony said with even more venom in his voice. He was going to get the truth from the younger man one way or another. "Now I heard you ask Gibbs whether I was coming. Now damn it McLiar, tell me the truth now! Cause if you don't you'll be the one in a hospital bed."

McGee gulped at the thought of Tony coming after him. He just couldn't understand where all of this anger was coming from. Or why Tony was directing all of it at him? He knew that Gibbs would kill him if he told DiNozzo that they were leaving without him. But he was also afraid of what Tony would do if he didn't. He certainly didn't want his friend to hurt himself again. He was also afraid of what Tony would do if he got a hold of him. With that in mind he decided to try and hold off until Gibbs arrived. He knew that his boss order him not to tell DiNozzo. Gibbs was the one would wanted to explain why they had to leave and without DiNozzo.

"Tony" McGee answered calmly but quickly "I'm telling you everything that Gibbs told me. So there's no need to get upset."

Clearly it was the wrong thing to say. All of a sudden Tony stared down at the I.V. lines and followed it to where the line entered with his finger. He placed his two fingers around the catheter where the I.V. entered and lifted it up slightly. He hadn't pulled it out yet, but made it clear to McGee that if he didn't get the right answer he would pull it out and then climb out of the bed.

"I know that you're lying to me McGee!" Tony growled out "Now either tell me the truth or I am getting out of this bed to go and find him myself. So what is it McGee …… are you going to tell me the truth or are you a liar just like Gibbs is?" Tony spat out as he looked at McGee with dangerously narrow eyes.

"Tony" Tim pleaded "Damn it! I am not going to lie to you. Gibbs said he needed to talk to you about some things when he got here. I need to let him talk to you. Okay?" Tim answered while his heart pounded hard against his chest.

McGee started over to the call button on the side of the bed closest to him. He winced and then stopped when he saw Tony start to rip out the IV line by the catheter needle from his vein. McGee was about the press the call button when Tony spoke again. Tim's hands were shaking as he turned to stare into the other man's eyes. He had never seen so much sadness and despair in anyone's eyes before as he did right now. He couldn't bear to see all the pain that were mirrored in those eyes. He didn't understand how Tony's moods could change so quickly, from dark hatred to saddened fear and despair. Suddenly he knew there was no other choice. He'd have to go against Gibbs, break down and tell Tony the truth.

"Damn it McGee" Tony said with a sob "Just tell me the truth. Just say that you guys are abandoning me again. I should have known that Gibbs didn't give a damn about me, hasn't in a long time. If he did, Agent Carlson would be alive right now." He panted out and then took in a ragged breath.

Tony's hand still held on to the IV catheter in despair. He knew he'd rip it out if he had to. After a moment he pushed out his anger more, in order to scare the younger agent so he would tell the truth. The truth that Tony desperately needed to know.

"So tell me the damned truth before I get out of this bed and beat the truth out of you." Tony voice bitterly demanded.

Tim took a long gulp of breath while carefully choosing the words he wanted to use. "Tony, we've been called back to D.C. by Vance. We leave in a couple of days. Gibbs wanted to wait until you were ready to go, but the orders are, that we leave." Tim didn't know if he had done the right thing or not, he prayed that it was. He feared Gibbs would be angry with him, but he couldn't let Tony get so excited and pull out his I.V. or hurt himself even worse.

"So you're leaving me alone? Is that right?" Tony asked warily "I knew you guys are just going to abandon me." Tony's voice changed as he spoke the last part in quiet fear.

"No Tony" McGee replied "No one is abandoning you. Gibbs fought to stay here with you. But Vance said that he was granting the F.B.I s request to have the team sent back and work together in order to catch Reynolds when he tries to come back to the US."

McGee watched as Tony's body started to shake. Tears slowly slid down the Senior Field Agent's face. His eyes glanced down at the hand that still held the I.V. catheter and seemed to consider if he should take it out. Tim jumped up at the sight of Tony's tears and noticed where his eyes stared. He wanted to help his friend, calm him down. Suddenly, Tony started to rant once again about being abandoned as well as betrayed. Tim backed up slowly, afraid he'd make the matter worse if he went to close to his friend.

"No!" Tony yelled as he fought to control the tears and tremors that betrayed his own body, "What I want was for Gibbs to have brought Carlson back. And I want him to admit that this was entirely his fault. And I want you to admit the truth McGee. You and Gibbs obviously don't think that I can handle it. But I know that Gibbs is leaving because he is done with me. He's just going to leave me like some worthless piece of trash. I should have seen this coming! No, I did see it and have for a long time, only I didn't want to admit it." Tony forlornly stated the last part.

McGee started to panic when he heard the emotion in Tony's voice, but that panic came more when that tone changed. He saw the quick change that came over his friend, one of irrational behavior, one that seemed to cry out for help. Only McGee didn't know how to help. He stood there frozen at the frenzy that took over Tony as he finally pulled out the I.V. catheter. Then Tim watched as Tony battled with the blanket that twisted around his body and held him to the bed.

"Toonnyy" McGee pleaded while he kept his attention split between his friend and the door. He no longer cared how mad Gibbs would be, he just wished the man would walk in and handle the situation. "That's not true. We all want you, especially Gibbs. And the reason why we are leaving is why Gibbs is hurrying over here to talk to you. I think that he's got someone coming to stay with you and you won't be alone." McGee tried in vain to explain, only to see he hadn't gotten through. He sighed and tried to think what else to do as he listened and watched Tony.

"Shut your lying face up!" Tony yelled as he fell from the bed onto the ground with a sickening thud. He lay there at first in shock that he had escaped the bed and the annoying I.V. as his arm bleed onto the floor.

"Tony!" McGee yelled in fear, afraid of how bad the other agent had harmed himself. He was finally able to get to the call button and frantically pressed it.

Then McGee quickly went over to where Tony lay. "Damn you. Gibbs is going to kill me for letting you hurt yourself. Please just let me help." He worriedly rambled.

The younger man quickly got to his knees to try and help his injured friend up. Tony immediately started fighting McGee when he felt the other man's touch. "GET AWAY FROM ME! YOU DON'T CARE, NONE OF YOU CARE! I SAID, GET AWAAAAAYYY!!!" Tony screamed with not only anxiety, but also agitation.

The screams bounced off the walls and echoed through the room. Tim started to yell for help knowing he needed it. He couldn't control Tony who wasn't rational at the moment. Adrenalin pumped through the man's veins and made him stronger. He used that strength to push McGee away. McGee's body was thrown towards the bed, his arms whirled to catch himself, but he couldn't as his head landed against the bed mattress, just missing the hard metal frame.

"Damn it Tony" McGee pleaded as he got up and scurried back over. He finally managed to pull his friend up on the floor, "Stop fighting me. The doctors and nurses will be here any minute." McGee let out a heavy sigh from the physical commotion and because he didn't know how to get through to DiNozzo.

He had just gotten Tony to focus a little more on him when the Calvary seemed to run into the room. The orderlies pulled McGee away and then pulled Tony up and back into bed while Tony fought them.

"Get some restraints on him!" The Intern yelled out to the orderlies.

"Nurse set up an I.V. in his other arm. I'll check out this site for damage." The Intern ordered more calmly after the orderlies had put the restraints on.

Tony still fought, but with the restraints on he couldn't do any damage to himself or anyone else. The staff held Tony as they worked on him. He bucked his back and carried on along with his loud verbal abuse. The staff was used to this and ignored him. The nurse set up another I.V. and the intern determined there was no damage to the other I.V site. He held some gauze to stop the bleeding and then took the now red gauze off. He then taped a fresh bandage in its place.

"What the hell happened here?" Dr. Myers snapped as the staff still tried to calm Tony down. The doctor looked over at McGee and then pulled him aside to a quieter corner of the room.

"He overheard a conversation I had with Agent Gibbs who told me we leave for the States in a few days. I thought Tony was still asleep." McGee shook his head as he continued, "Tony must have heard my side of the conversation and knew we were ordered to go back to D.C." McGee continued as he watched his friend maintain the fight. "He got hysterical and that's when he pulled out the IV lines and fell on the floor. I was trying to help him when you guys all came in." McGee finished, his eyes now fully on Tony as were the doctor's.

The doctor patted Tim on the shoulder before he went over to the nurse, "I want him sedated nurse, I.V. push, now. Doctor Thomas you can leave, thank you for your help. The rest of you can leave too. " He ordered.

The doctor watched everyone leave and the nurse return with the syringe. She plunged it into the port and emptied the sedative. The doctor then watched as Tony's fight lessoned until he was in a medicated sleep. The nurse left while the doctor took hold of McGee's elbow and led him out of the room.

TBC

I was wondering if anyone remembered the watch that Tony wore in the beginning of the chapter. Well the significance will be explained in the next couple of chapters. Again thanks so much for reading!

Sarah