Don't End with Blood
Chapter 3
The team filed into the room after the doctor and seated themselves at the plain and slightly worn table that dominated the space. The doctor was concerned with reading through her notes, seemingly unaware of the tension in the room. Finally Tony couldn't stand the silence any longer.
"Is McGee still alive?" he blurted out, startling the doctor enough that she looked up at him and blushed slightly.
"What? Oh! Of course, I'm sorry, I just...needed to organize my thoughts. Yes, Agent McGee is in Recovery. We should be moving him into the ICU shortly." She quickly scanned through the information on her tablet one last time before addressing the group. "We had four major areas of concern when Agent McGee arrived in the E.R. The first was the internal bleeding in his abdominal area and resultant blood loss. We were able to repair those injuries without major disruption of any organ systems, and we've given him three transfusions to correct the losses.
"The second area of concern was a partial lung collapse due to a fragment of broken rib penetrating the lower lobe of his left lung. That, too has also been successfully repaired and the repairs are holding, although we have him on a ventilator to ease the work his lung is required to do and to give it time to heal."
Tony had seen McGee as they extracted him from the car and knew there were more serious issues the doctor hadn't mentioned yet. "What about-?"
She cleared her throat. "The third issue was the damage to his legs. There were multiple fractures of the tibia and fibula in both legs, the left patella, and both ankles and the left knee were dislocated. The breaks required external stabilization and traction, and unfortunately those injuries will probably take the longest to heal. It will be a while before he is back on his feet." She paused to tap the screen. "In addition to those major breaks, Agent McGee has a fractured left ulna-a simple break that only required a cast-and multiple abrasions, contusions, and lacerations."
She glanced up at the group to see if that had any interruptions to make before continuing.
"Last, but not least was the head injury. He sustained a severe concussion, with minor bleeding which increased his intracranial pressure to concerning levels. We inserted a shunt to relieve that pressure, which has started to decrease, slowly. However, he is not as responsive as we would hope to see at this stage."
"Define 'not as responsive'," Tony demanded and the doctor's lips thinned in displeasure at his tone.
"Due to the swelling around his eyes and the fact that he has been intubated, we can't really measure his eye and verbal responses, but we have seen only limited motor responses to pain. Once he has stabilized and can breathe on his own we should have a better measure of his status with regards to consciousness."
"So you're not sure if he's brain damaged, is that what you're saying?"
"Anthony!"
Abby let out a sob and curled against Gibbs, who tried to comfort her while he and Ducky both glared at Tony. Ziva closed her eyes and started to whisper softly to herself.
"What I am saying is that we need to wait and see. The scans we have taken do not show any obvious areas of damage, but injuries like these...sometimes the damage takes time to fully develop, if it is there at all. We'll be monitoring Agent McGee in Intensive Care for at least 48 hours, longer if necessary. We are being cautious, but based on what I have seen, I believe he will regain consciousness and eventually most if not all of his normal functions. Overall, he was very fortunate."
"You call all of...that 'fortunate'?"
She bristled. "He's alive, and in all likelihood he will heal. That is more than I can say for hundreds of accident victims that come through here every year."
"Thank you, Dr. Heilerin. We deeply appreciate your skill in helping Timothy," Ducky intervened before Tony could antagonize her further. "Will we be able to visit him?"
"After we get him settled in the ICU, you may stay with him for a few minutes, but not all of you at once. No more than two at a time, and if something happens, we'll need room to work."
"Understood. We will wait until he is settled, then."
"I'll let you know, Dr. Mallard."
Heilerin excused herself and exited the room as Tony left his chair and started to pace. Gibbs nodded to Ducky who took over trying to comfort Abby and Gibbs caught Tony's eye before jerking his head slightly towards the door in a familiar gesture. Tony followed him out of the room and down the corridor to a semi-private alcove. Once they were alone Gibbs turned to him.
"Pull yourself together, DiNozzo."
"Boss, I-"
"McGee will be OK. He will. But he's going to need you to keep your head on straight. You're mad, I get that, but that's not going to help him. You know he can tell when you're stressed out. He doesn't need that worry on top of everything else. Alright?"
"Yes, Boss."
Gibbs reached up and gave him a gentler-than-normal slap. "And stop pissing off the doctor who saved his life."
Tony managed a weak smile. "Got it."
They returned to the room and Tony sat down to wait while Gibbs answered a call from Vance and gave him an update. Abby had (mostly) calmed down and she was leaning against Ducky who had one arm wrapped across her shoulder as he spoke to her in a soft voice that didn't carry enough for Tony to hear what he was saying. Ziva was still sitting, her head bowed and her hand near her throat, clutching the pendant she always wore. After a few moments she raised her head and studied him with a worried expression on her face.
"Are you alright, Tony?"
He just shook his head, unable to voice his frustrations again without losing control of the emotions boiling just beneath the surface. She gently placed her hand on his arm and he covered her hand with his own, silently comforting each other. They didn't move until the door opened again and a nurse stuck her head in the room.
"You're here for Timothy McGee?" They all nodded. "We have him settled in if you'd each like to spend a few minutes with him. Please, follow me." She led them to the elevator which carried them to the floor that housed the Intensive Care Unit. Tony trailed behind the rest, suddenly hesitant to view the damage Tim has sustained in the crash, and hating himself for his cowardice.
When they reached the ICU the nurse stopped and turned around before she began giving them instructions.
"One or two people at a time may visit, but not more than five minutes per person or pair. If any of the alarms go off, you'll need to leave immediately. Keep your voices low so as not to disturb the other patients in the Unit. Do not touch any of the equipment or devices on or in the patient." Tony winced at that statement. "You may touch him, but be careful not to put any type of pressure on the bandages, stitches, or IV lines." Her tone softened. "I'm sure it will be difficult for you to see him like this, but if you do not think you can handle it, it's best if you don't go in at all to avoid stressing him and yourself. Any questions?" They all shook their heads. "Who would like to go first?"
Abby stepped forward, pulling Gibbs with her. The pair followed the nurse into the room as the rest waited outside.
"Has anyone informed his family?" Ziva asked.
"Timothy's medical release forms include a request that only his grandmother be informed in case of an emergency so I called Penelope. She was in upstate New York but is now on her way here. She said she would deal with the rest of the family."
Tony got the sense that he was forgetting something and it took a few moments before he realized what it was.
"Oh, damn it. McGee's dog. Someone needs to call Mikela and let her know."
"McGee gave me her number, just in case there was a need to call her and he could not."
"Give it to me before we leave and I'll call her."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. It's something I can do for him, at least."
"Tony…"
He ignored the sympathetic look she was giving him and turned away to pace again. Finally Abby and Gibbs emerged, and the look on Abby's face told him it was as bad as he feared.
"You OK, Abbs?" She shook her head and huddled closer to Gibbs who wore a stormy expression on his face. "Boss?"
"I'll take Abby home," replied, his eyes flashing in anger. "Vance wants to see you tomorrow morning at 0800."
"Why?"
"Political B.S. Just be there."
"Yes, Boss."
They headed for the elevator and Ducky cleared his throat, drawing Tony's attention.
"Anthony, would you like to go next?"
"No, you and Ziva can go. I can wait."
"Very well."
After they were out of sight Tony resumed his pacing. What did Vance want with him? Surely he didn't want to just check on Tony's mental well being. Whatever it was, he wasn't looking forward to that conversation. At all.
Tony's worry over Vance's summons was pushed from his mind when Ducky and Ziva walked back out into the hall. Ducky wore a grim expression while Ziva was clearly trying to control her emotions and, for her, failing miserably.
"You OK?"
"Fine. I will wait for you to finish your visit and then we may go back to the Yard. You will need your car, correct?"
"Yeah, I guess I will. How is he, Ducky?"
"I have not seen anything that would lead me to doubt Dr. Heilerin's assurances."
"But?"
"But Timothy has a long road to recovery ahead of him."
"Got it." Tony took a deep breath to brace himself for the visit. "I'll be back in a few," he said to Ziva, who nodded.
"I will be here."
Tony stepped into the unit and saw that it consisted of several curtained stalls, each presumably containing a bed and a patient surrounded by equipment. The nurse in charge saw him enter and walked over to him.
"You're here to see Agent McGee as well?"
"Yes."
"Follow me." She led him to the last stall and pulled back the curtain so he could enter the small space. He sucked in a breath when he finally caught sight of his partner, wondering if someone had made a mistake; the figure on the bed was almost unrecognizable as the healthy, happy man he had worked with that morning.
Tim's face was mottled with dark bruises and both of his eyes were badly swollen, leading Tony to realize that Tim probably wouldn't have been able to open them even if he had been conscious. The left side of his head was covered by a heavy pressure bandage, with a band of gauze wrapped his head to hold it and the drains in place. The ventilator tube was held in place by a strap encircling the lower part of his face and head, and the unbruised skin of his face, neck, and upper chest was a ghastly shade of grey, seemingly devoid of life. The only clues that Tim still remained among the living were the slow rise and fall of his chest as the ventilator forced air in and out of his lungs and the glowing green lines on the monitor next to his bed, showing the weak but steady beat of his heart.
Tony's gaze traveled down Tim's chest past the sensors attached to his skin to another set of bandages and accompanying drains emerging from beneath. The skin around those bandages was badly bruised as well. His left arm was in a cast from mid-bicep to his fingers, and his right bore a host of IV ports which carried blood and fluids into his veins. He was covered from just above his waist to mid-thigh by a cotton blanket, and his lower legs were encased in a set of braces with rods extending from them in several places down into his skin. A set of weights and pulleys were keeping his legs immobile, and Tony cringed as he tried to imagine how painful the injuries that had necessitated the set-up must have been.
"Oh God, Tim…"
Mindful of the nurse's instructions, he carefully moved his hand beneath Tim's and wrapped his fingers around Tim's own, avoiding the IV ports in the back of his hand. Tony gave the hand a gentle squeeze and after a few agonizing moments he felt a faint return of pressure on his own fingers.
"Hey, Buddy. You're going to be just fine. You hear me?" There was no response but Tony pushed on. "Don't worry about a thing. I've got it covered. You just concentrate on waking up and getting better, OK?" Again, Tim didn't respond and Tony felt the tendrils of panic starting to encroach into the space around his heart. "Damn it, Tim." He ran his free hand through his hair in frustration. "Listen to me: you do not get to give up, OK? Don't make me tell my McMaddie she lost her person. Don't you dare make me do that. Come on, Tim, you can beat this. I know you. You don't back down from a challenge. Right?"
Finally, after Tony's heart felt like it was going to climb out of his chest, he felt another very weak squeeze around his fingers. "That's it, Tim. You keep working on it. You'll be out of here in no time, alright?" A few more moments passed before Tony got a response, but it was so much better than nothing. "OK." He glanced over his shoulder and saw the nurse standing there. She tapped her watch and he nodded. "I have to go now, but I'll be back as soon as I can, and I expect you to be awake and annoying the nurses. OK?" The response was barely there, but he accepted it as agreement. He carefully released Tim's hand and brushed his fingers across Tim's cheek. "Hang in there."
He walked out of the ICU and found Ziva waiting for him. Without a word they headed for the elevator and soon they were in the parking lot. Ziva handed him her cell phone before silently unlocking the doors and climbing into the driver's seat of her car. Tony hesitated a moment before climbing in the passenger side and buckling his seatbelt. He scanned through Ziva's phone until he found Mikela's name and pressed the call button.
"Hello?"
"Mikela?"
"Yes. Who's this?"
"My name is Tony DiNozzo, and I work with-"
"Tim. Yes, he's mentioned you. What's going on?"
"Well, uh… He's going to need you to keep Maddie for awhile. He's, uh…"
"What happened?"
"Have you been watching the news?"
"Off and on. Nothing really interesting except that big accident in I-95. Is that a new case?"
"No. Tim...he was one of the people injured in that accident."
"How bad?"
Tony could hear the concern in her voice and he squeezed his eyes shut for a brief moment to compose himself before continuing. "Let's just say he won't be home for awhile."
"Is he going to be OK?"
"His doctor seems to think so."
"Well that's good, right?" Tony said nothing. "When do they expect him to be released?"
Tony sighed. "Nobody knows yet. It's kind of 'wait and see' right now."
"OK. Sure, I can keep Maddie for as long as he needs me to do so. I'll call Rufus to make sure his house is taken care of, too."
"Thank you."
"Let me know how he's doing, OK? We'll be praying for him."
"I can do that. Thanks, Mikela. Give Maddie a hug for me...and for Tim."
"I can do that, too. Take care of yourself, Tony."
"I'll try." He ended the call and gave Ziva back her phone, which she absently stuck in her pocket.
"Are you OK, Tony?"
"I'm not the one in a coma, Ziva."
"I am worried about McGee, too, Tony, but I am also worried about you."
"Why?"
"Because for some unknown reason, you seem to think that what happened to McGee is your fault. It is not."
"I know that."
"Then what is wrong?"
"It's just...this shouldn't have happened. It was a stupid accident, a twist of fate, whatever you want to call it. It shouldn't have happened to McGee of all people. He doesn't deserve something like this."
"No, he does not, but neither does anyone else when 'something like this' happens to them. Bad things do happen to good people."
"You know, you suck as a motivational speaker."
Ziva let out an exasperated sigh. "I am just trying to tell you...do not dwell on it. Be thankful that McGee survived."
"So far."
That time she smacked him. "He will be OK, Tony."
"I hope so, Ziva," Tony replied and turned his head to stare out the window at the dark scenery flying by.
I really, really do.
TBC…