Hair of the Dog
Disclaimer: Don't own. Yadda yadda.
Part 4
Tony dropped the TV remote on the bed next his leg and pounded on the mattress in frustration. They had arrived at the hospital in Staunton four hours ago, and McGee had been taken away to be assessed before Tony could remind the younger man of what was expected of him: that he would pull through and come back to them. As for Tony, the ER doctors had treated him for a very mild case of hypothermia before sending him to the radiology department for x-rays. Tony's ankle was badly fractured and would require surgery, but the current swelling around the joint necessitated a delay in the treatment until the inflammation had receded. They had put a soft splint on it, started him on anti-inflammatory drugs and pain killers, and confined him to a hospital bed. Gibbs had been there to make sure he was settled in, but Tony had insisted that he should be with Tim and the lead agent, sensing a battle that even he was unlikely to win, had acquiesced to Tony's request.
Palmer had come by an hour later to let Tony know that McGee was in surgery, was expected to be for some time, and that someone would let him know as soon as they heard something. The Autopsy Gremlin had attempted to keep him company, but Tony was too worried about his partner to hold up his end of the conversation. The painkillers didn't help in that regard, either. Finally Palmer had left and Tony had attempted to distract himself with the TV, but there was absolutely nothing on, and he was left again with his worries.
A nurse came in to check his vitals and he immediately asked her about his partner, but she had no information to share. Sensing his anxiety, she asked him if he needed something to help him sleep, but he refused. He couldn't sleep until he knew how Tim was. Just as she was leaving, Gibbs appeared in the doorway of his room. After a brief discussion, she left and he stepped into the room.
"Boss, how's Tim? Have you heard anything?"
"He's still in surgery, Tony. It's going to be awhile."
"What's wrong with him?"
Gibbs sighed. "They're worried about the head trauma and they been working on that, but he has a lot of other injuries, including some internal bleeding. They're doing the best they can."
Before Tony could respond, the nurse returned and injected something into his I.V. Almost immediately he began to feel drowsy and started to protest, but Gibbs held up a hand to silence him.
"You need to rest, Tony. They expect to be able to fix your ankle either tomorrow or the next day. In the mean time, you need to get to sleep. The rest of us can take care of worrying about McGee."
"But Boss…"
"Sleep, Tony."
Tony fought to keep his eyes open, but soon he lost the battle and fell into a dreamless sleep.
When he awoke the next morning, Ziva was sitting by his bed, reading a book. Soon she noticed that his eyes were open and she smiled.
"Good morning. How are you feeling?"
"How's Tim?" A flicker of unease crossed her expression and Tony felt a surge of fear. "What happened? Is he…?"
"He is out of surgery, and they are keeping a close watch on him in the ICU. He…he could be worse, I suppose."
"Damn it…" Tony closed his eyes and after a few moments he felt a hand gently encircle his wrist.
"He will be OK, Tony. He does not have permission to be otherwise."
Tony chuckled weakly. "Yeah, I guess not."
"And neither do you." He opened his eyes and stared at her. She winked and he managed a grin.
"Noted." Suddenly he remembered what had brought them all to the area in the first place. "What happened with Campbell? Did you find him?"
"Ducky and Palmer are working on him now. Ducky said…it should be interesting to separate the work of our murderer and the work of Mother Nature. But…I have no doubt he will be able to do so."
"If anyone could, he could. What about the storm?"
"The town was declared a disaster area. They are still trying to determine how powerful the tornado that struck actually was."
"Oh, come on, that had to be one of the big ones, an F5."
"Actually, they don't use that scale anymore. It's now the EF scale," said a man, obviously a doctor, as he entered Tony's room.
"Oh, right…"
"How are you feeling this morning, Agent DiNozzo?"
"I suspect I've been better."
"Yes, I'm sure you have." He examined Tony's ankle and gave him a small smile. "This is progressing well. The swelling is decreasing as expected, so I'll schedule your surgery for tomorrow morning."
"Great…"
"It's a relatively simple procedure. You'll be fine."
"Lucky me. Hey, Doc, do you know anything about the other agent that came in with me, Tim McGee? How is he?" He heard Ziva's exasperated snort and ignored her, focusing his attention on the doctor.
"I'm not at liberty to discuss other patients, even if I had information on Agent McGee. I'm sorry." He gave Tony a sympathetic smile. "I'll be back to check on you later."
"Yeah, OK."
The doctor left, and Tony stared at the door, waiting for someone who could actually tell him what he wanted to know. Ziva watched him for a moment and sighed.
"Why are you so worried, Tony? McGee is in good hands."
"I…stuff like this, it just doesn't happen to him. I mean, sure, he gets banged up a little, but he always bounces back. This time…it's bad, isn't it?"
Reluctantly, she nodded. "But he will be OK, Tony."
"I really hope you're right, Ziva."
XXX
The next morning, just before the nurses came in to take Tony to surgery, Gibbs arrived to finally give him some good news: McGee was showing definite improvement and they expected to be able to move him out of the ICU by the end of the day.
"When can I see him?" Tony asked as the nurses arrived and started to transfer him to a gurney.
"When you're recovered, Tony," said Gibbs with a smirk. "He's not going anywhere for awhile."
"But—"
Gibbs patted his head as he was wheeled out the door. "You've got time, DiNozzo. Now go get yourself taken care of."
"Yes, Boss."
XXX
Several hours later, Tony awoke, surprised to find himself already back in his room. He noticed movement and turned to see Gibbs smiling down at him.
"Welcome back, Tony."
"Hey, Boss…how…how did I do?"
"You did just fine, DiNozzo. You'll be ready to go home in a couple of days."
"How…how's Tim?"
Gibbs chuckled. "Why don't you see for yourself?"
Tony's eyes widened and he turned his head in the direction Gibbs had indicated. His breath caught in his throat when he caught sight of the occupant of the bed next to his own. Tim was propped up to keep the pressure off his back and his head was turned towards Tony. His head, arm, and chest were bandaged and a nasal cannula was supplying him with oxygen. He was still pale, but not deathly white as he had been back in the cellar, and although his eyes were closed it was clear that he was just sleeping. Tony let out a soft sigh of relief when he noted the steady, strong beat on the heart monitor next to Tim's bed.
"They figured nobody would get any peace unless you two were together, so there you are."
"Thanks, Boss. Is he…?"
"As good as can be expected, and he's going to be fine. First thing he asked about when he woke up was you." Gibbs chuckled. "Seems you are two of a kind."
Tony managed a weak grin. "He'd probably be disappointed to hear that, Boss."
"Kind of doubt that, Tony. Now get some rest, will ya?"
"Yes, Boss."
Gibbs rested his hand on Tony's head for a brief moment before walking over to McGee and repeating the gesture. He then turned and walked out the door, pausing briefly to look back at his agents before finally disappearing down the hall.
Tony returned his attention to his partner and watched the lines flow across the various monitors, data that showed him, without a doubt, that Tim was alive. What he had feared had not come to pass. He had not completely failed to protect his partner…this time.
Soon he noticed Tim's eyelids twitch.
"Probie?"
After a few moments, Tim's eyes finally opened. Confusion, then fear flickered across his face before he caught sight of a Tony and slowly smiled.
"Hey…"
The soft, raspy voice was music to Tony's ears.
"Hey, yourself. How are you feeling?"
"Kinda…numb."
"Oh…they must have you on the good drugs."
"I…guess. Are you…OK?
"Never better, Tim."
"Kinda…doubt that. Sorry…got you into…this mess."
Tony let out a surprised snort of laughter. "You saved my life, Tim. Not gonna forget that. I'm glad you were there. Are we clear?"
"Yeah…clear. Tony?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks…"
"For what?"
"Just…being there…for me."
Tony grinned.
"Hey, that's what partners are for."
Tim smiled and his eyelids slid shut. Tony watched him for a few minutes, assuring himself that his partner, his friend, was going to be alright.
"Goodnight, Tim."
"G'night…Tony."
Tony grinned. They were both going to be OK.
TBC…
