A/N: Major apologies for utter lateness, story short I finished my final year of university and buggered off on holiday for two weeks with the kids, man and mates and kind of lost my flow. Thanks to all of you who have reviewed again and again and told me many nice things and asked if I'm completing this, the answer is - hell yeah! Hopefully soon, but for now I'm back on it enjoy;)
Present – Friday 24th December
With the runaway doctor now safely cuffed and standing with the MPs McGee mentally kicks himself for letting it get this far. He knew something was wrong three days ago, he should have listened to his gut like Gibbs always tells them and told Vance about his suspicions straight away. It won't be long before they'll have to explain to the Director how Tony ended up holding their prime suspect hostage at knife point, but all he can think about right this second is how none of this FUBAR assignment should ever have happened!
Hovering behind Gibbs, out of Tony's eye line trying not to pry on their conversation, Tim silently assesses his condition for himself. It's clear from the mix of dried and fresh blood on his face and legs that Tony's injuries were not all sustained at the same time. The puncher marks he can see in the skin of his exposed forearm point to some kind of drug use, and being as Tim's pretty sure DiNozzo didn't turn 'addict' while in here, he can only assume he's been doped against his will at some point. Great.
…But that really didn't make sense - who would want him drugged? And to what end? They had nothing concrete to support the case and even if the doctor over there thought they did, killing Tony and deposing of the body would have been better than risk leaving him as a witness. Unless… did DiNozzo find out something someone else wanted to know? Something Tony wouldn't give up? That would mean more than an illegal drug trial was occurring within the hospital…
Preoccupied on assigning logic to the events which have occurred over the last few days, as well as raking himself over the coals for not being able to accurately predict the future, McGee nearly misses Gibbs handing him the knife Tony had been using to threaten the doctor. Bagging it and securing the small weapon in his jacket pocket McGee takes a few steps back, moving away from the main scene to gather his thoughts, aiming to regain some clarity and control over the situation before something else happens that he'll end up having to explain to Vance-
Like even daring to have the thought willed it to a gunshot screams through the air out of nowhere, sending the few remaining people in the open corridor ducking for cover. Tim immediately spins on his heels to face the source of the sound and upon spotting the very recognizable women holding the smoking gun, all the missing pieces of this case fall into place. Kicking himself internally Tim raises his own weapon and steps in her path.
"Move!" She screams at him, her dark blonde hair mattered to her face, clothes bloody.
"Don't do it!" he warns when he sees her finger slowly pull back on the trigger.
She scowls menacingly, eyes narrowing when Tim refuses to budge from his position standing between her and Tony. A second shot fills the air, silencing the hospital for a nanosecond before a second round of panic ensues around them. The woman, who McGee wishes he'd never laid eyes on in the first place, falls back, blood oozing from a chest wound, direct hit to the heart. Without blinking he races forward and kicks the weapon away from her body.
"She's dead." He confirms breathing heavily, kneeling down and pressing two fingers to her neck. "Everybody okay?" He asks looking up and over to his colleagues.
What Tim sees nearly stops his own heart. Tony, pitching forward, nearly slipping through Gibbs' grasp as the pair fall to the floor. There's blood pooling beneath them and if it weren't for the fact Gibbs was still conscious and Tony wasn't Tim wouldn't know which was hit.
"Good shot Timothy," Ducky responds, voice slightly unsteady, but still strong. "Now get over here and help me."
Tim overcomes his shock and holsters his weapon, dropping to the floor the on the opposite side of DiNozzo's limp body to Ducky. Gibbs has Tony cradled over his knees, one hand pressing firmly over his abdomen where blood is still oozing.
"Duck," the Boss bites, eyes raised to the medical examiner in a look that McGee didn't want to even think of as panic.
Gibbs did not panic.
All business Ducky beckons McGee closer and takes his hand pressing it firmly over Gibbs' already blood covered one. Tony's eyes are open and staring up at him. Tim would swear he feels the life draining out of him. He'd never been good in messy situations and having your partner and friend bleed out all over you was as messy as any situation could surely get.
"His pulse is weak we need to move him to surgery now!" Ducky shouts anxiously, loud enough for anyone still around to hear.
"They would have sealed the floor after we entered," McGee stresses, realising the implications. "No one in or out, I need to call security to-"
"Timothy, he needs help now!" Ducky cries, adding both of his hands to his and Gibbs' already blood covered ones to help stem the rapid flow. "We need to stop the blood loss before-"
"I can help," the doctor Tony held hostage, the same doctor Gibbs had slapped the cuffs on, speaks up.
McGee and Ducky both turn and stare at him. Gibbs doesn't take his eyes off Tony, still holding him close and whispering in his ear.
"Seriously, I know this hospital, I'm you're only option - let me help him!" The doctor begs. Struggling in the watching MPs grasp he holds his hands up at the elbows in mock surrender. "Look I didn't kill anyone, I swear."
"That's what they all say," McGee snapped, filling in for the lack of DiNozzo brand sarcasm.
"Look, he dies and I'm the dead man."
McGee frowned at that, unsure why, if he's innocent, Tony saw fit to take him hostage.
"McGee, get him over here." Ducky commands before further questions can be asked.
"Ducky?" McGee gapes.
"Do it McGee." Gibbs speaks tiredly, gaze locked on Tony's lax face.
"And make the call." Ducky adds calmly, squeezing Tim's pant leg, leaving behind a bloody hand print so defined he makes a metal note to toss these pants the second this is over.
Without further protest, though not exactly happy about it, McGee stands and un-cuffs the suspect, escorting him to Tony's side while pulling out his cell.
"Lye him flat, but support his head." the doctor orders as he lifts up Tony's scrub top to examine the wound more closely.
Gibbs doesn't move.
"Jethro," Ducky snaps, but not unkindly. "Let him go…"
McGee swallows convulsively, cell phone clutched in hand as he gives the order to begin opening up the floors. Watching as Gibbs releases his hold, McGee's eyes are fixed on Tony as he shuffles back and removes his jacket.
"Give me your coat." The doctor orders not looking at anyone in particular, unaware Gibbs has pre-empted his request.
Ducky is already shrugging out of his, also anticipating what the young doctor has planned and presses it over Tony's stomach. "McGee we need a stretcher to move him."
Sighing, torn between wanting to save Tony and trusting the suspect he gives in to his lesser instinct. "Where?"
"There's an empty room down the hall, it's full of spare trollies-" The doctor shouts and Tim nods to the MPs to go, ordering them to hurry up.
He sees Gibbs give him a look of approval out the corner of his eye, and had it been on any other occasion Tim would have basked in that look and thrown it in Tony's face, but not this time. Right now all their petty squabbling and one-up-man-ship, though fun, seemed completely idiotic and childish.
"What else can I do?" He asks.
Ducky orders Tim to fetch bandages and spying a nearby cart he raids it for all the supplies he can hold, dropping on the floor next to Gibbs. The doctor and Ducky make swift work of wrapping the material tightly over the coats so far doing a reasonable job of stopping the blood from escaping Tony's paler by the second body. The MPs arrive back pushing a trolley bed just as Tony opens his eyes. He blinks drowsily several times before fixing his unsteady gaze in their direction.
"Tony, you're going to be okay," McGee leans over the men on the floor, hovering above his head.
Tony's hand suddenly reaches out and Gibbs grabs it, squeezing back.
"Good boy," Ducky whispers, "Hold on."
Together they take a limb each and hoist Tony onto the waiting bed. With their murder suspect leading the way McGee joins Gibbs and Ducky in pushing DiNozzo down the corridor leaving the MPs to maintain and control the scene. Despite what he'd just told Tony, he knew they weren't out of the woods yet...
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A/N:
Well major thanks are in order for you continuing to read this story after such a long gap, hope it wasn't too blah and doesn't disappoint, on to the next chapter hopefully appearing in your in-box soon, like real soon, hell it might even be there already.