A SOLITARY ACT
Chapter 7
Tony stopped around the corner from the infirmary and took a deep breath. He couldn't stand it anymore - he'd worked here almost three weeks now, and he just couldn't do it. He couldn't not look in on Linnea anymore. Gibbs and Ducky had both told him to stay away, for his own good. But when had Tony DiNozzo ever done anything for his own good? He was one of the reasons she was here, and he'd never forgive himself for this. So he had to see her, just to be able to tell himself that he'd seen her with his own two eyes, and she was ok. Well, not ok, she wouldn't still be in the infirmary if she were ok.
Putting on his best confused look, Tony rounded the corner and opened the door to the infirmary. Seeing a nurse look up at him, he smiled. "Well, this isn't the way to the break room." The nurse smiled back. "Sorry, I'm kind of new here, and got a little turned around," he squinted to read her nametag, "Maria."
Maria Suarez, R.N. smiled. Oh, he was a hottie! "That's ok, Officer…..?"
"Anth….an idiot! Sorry, I'm James Magnum. Just transferred in from upstate a few weeks ago."
"Well, Officer James Magnum, it's easy to get lost around here, it's a big place." She shifted her pose, subtly drawing attention to her breasts. Which, had Tony not been on a mission, he normally would have fallen for.
Tony did the expected and dipped his eyes to her ample cleavage, then back to her eyes. "If I'd known the nurses here were this beautiful, I would've gotten lost a lot sooner…." He smiled, displaying the white DiNozzo teeth. He spent a few minutes flirting with Nurse Maria, charming her, gaining her trust. He needed someone to keep him updated on Linnea. "So, Maria. Show me around your place, here. It's bigger than the one upstate."
Maria walked very slowly, making sure to brush against him at every opportunity. She pointed out the different units as they continued down the hall.
"Seems quiet tonight. Not a lot of guests?" Tony joked.
"This is the women's infirmary. We're usually pretty quiet. The men's wing is where all the action is."
Tony stopped and crowded her against the wall, getting up close and personal. "Not up for a lot of….action?" He asked slyly.
Maria put her hands on 'James'' biceps and gave a little squeeze. "Stabbings and beatings aren't exactly my idea of a good time. There are much better ways to spend the time." She smiled a sultry smile and rubbed her breasts against his chest. 'James' put his hands on the wall next to her head and leaned in, eyes dropping to her lips.
Tony's lips had just brushed Maria's when there was a sound from inside the room they were next to. Saved by the moan, Tony thought. "Sounds like you need to get back to work." He saw Maria grimace at the interruption, but quickly spring back to work mode.
Maria checked her watch as she entered the darkened room and pulled the patient's chart. Tony followed. He'd snuck a peek at the room assignments and knew this was Linnea's - that's why he'd cornered Maria right outside. Getting in had been easier than he'd planned! He stepped quietly to the side of the bed. His first glimpse of her in a year and a half was of her black and blue wrists. This wasn't old bruising, it was still purple. The girl was as good as unconscious, and someone was restraining her?
Linnea whimpered again and curled up to protect her stomach, probably dreaming of the attack, Tony thought. As she burrowed her head deeper into the pillow, he caught a look at the side of her face. He must have made some kind of noise, because Maria spoke. "Horrible, isn't it? Poor thing. She's been here almost a month. I've never seen bruising like this."
Tony tried to speak, but found his throat dry. "Wha…what happened?"
Maria took Linnea's vitals while she talked. "I don't know the whole story, just what's happened since she came here from Bethesda. Rumor has it she tried to blackmail one of the CO's, and when he wouldn't help her out, she got belligerent, almost started a riot, the way I heard it. She had to be 'subdued.'"
Looking at Maria, Tony saw that she wasn't buying the story anymore than he was. "A real firecracker, huh?" Maria left the room to get Linnea's next dose of sedative. While she was gone, Tony glanced over Linnea's medical chart. He didn't understand some of it, but he got the general idea. Things inside her were ripped and torn, multiple hematomas (a much better way of saying 'patient took a beating,' he thought), extreme blood loss, fractured mandible, possible ruptured ear drum - too much swelling at examination to be sure. Pregnancy in 24th to 26th week stage, spontaneously aborted due to repeated blunt force trauma to mother's belly. This was making him sick. He closed the chart just as Maria came back with the medication. "What are you giving her? Demerol? Morphine?"
Scoffing, Maria inserted the needle into Linnea's arm after prepping it, and pressed the plunger. "We don't want her to become addicted to pain meds, so we rotate times and meds. This was a muscle relaxant. What good it does for those bruises, I'll never know. But then, " she smirked sarcastically, "I'm not the doctor." She disposed of the needle in the biohazard waste bin and started to exit.
With one last glance over his shoulder at Linnea, Tony followed her out, and they walked to the lobby. He made a show of checking his watch. "Oh wow, I'd better skedaddle if I don't want to be late back to work." He ran his fingers gently over Maria's cheek, still keeping up the pretense. "First time I've ever not minded getting lost."
She held his hand. "You'll have to do it more often."
"I guess I will." He looked back at her as he reached the door and gave her a wink, and left.
Maria sighed and headed back for her desk. She had just sat down when the outside door opened again.
"Uh, sorry to interrupt again, but, uhm….. How do I get back to H Block?" Tony gave his best sheepish look, and Maria laughed, coming to the door and pointing out the directions. "Thanks again, Nurse Maria. You're real good at saving people!"
She blushed and gave him a gentle push. "Go on, get back to work, Officer Magnum." She watched him walk away, until he'd turned the corner and was out of sight. The buzzing of a patient's call button sent her back in to work.
NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS
6 AM
A Bar, Somewhere in Washington, DC
Tony raised the hand with the empty glass in it, signaling the bartender that he needed another refill. "Hey, man, I think you've had enough. You've been here two hours and done nothing but chain-drink."
"S'rry, Mikey…was a bad nigh' a' work. Ever ha' one a' those? Yep, jus' a ba-a-a-aad night."
The bartender rolled his eyes. "Dude… Tony. Everyone in here has had a bad night. That's why they're here."
Tony looked around. "Well, 'course they all ha' a bad night. But. Were they the re-reason for it being bad? The night. Bad. Bad night. Hey! Mikey! Wha' time'zit?"
"Just after 6 AM." He poured a cup of coffee and put it in front of Tony. "And it's Joe, not Mikey. Been telling you that all night, man."
"Pfffft!" Tony almost fell off his stool. "You don' look like a Joe. You lo-look like a Mikey. Cuz tha's your name. Mikey. M-i-k-e-y..M-o-u-s-eeeeeeee! See? You're Mikey."
"Whatever, man." He tried to escape down the bar.
"Wait, wai, wai, wait. Wha time'zit?"
Joe sighed. "6:07 AM, five minutes later than the last time you asked."
Tony shook his head. "Awwwww man, I'm s'pose a' meet him fer bre'fas' in….fifty-three min-minutes. Maybe I should call 'im, tell 'im no' comin'." He pulled out his cellphone, having trouble opening it up, until the bartender turned it around for him. Then he couldn't see his contact numbers. "Ey, Mikey, Mikey, you call 'im. He won' ye-yell a' you. Spee' dial 1." He took the phone back from the bartender and winced as it rang, way too loud for Tony.
"Gibbs."
"H-hey, boss. S'me, Tony."
"Whaddya want, DiNozzo?"
Tony hiccupped and swerved in his seat. "Don' think I gonna' make bre'fas', boss. 'M in a bar, and m'fren Mikey, here, thinksh I'm way-wasted.
"You're in a bar?"
"Who's behin' bars? Not me, boss! I'm jus' in a bar, drinkin'."
"Where are you, DiNozzo?"
Tony pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it, confused, then put it back. "'M in a bar, G-Gibbs. I though' I tol' you that….hadda' have m'fren Mikey, here, dial th' phone. The nummers were all messed up. Tha' ever hap-pen a' you, bossh?"
"(sigh) Which bar are you in, DiNozzo?"
"Pffft! C'mon, boss….'m in this one! Jus' wanna-ed to le' you know I wasn' wasn' comin' to bre'fash. Roger-Wilco, over and out!" He dropped the phone on the bar, and Joe came over with another cup of strong coffee.
"For the last time, it's Joe, not Mikey."
NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS
Gibb's Basement
"McGee, got a job. We gotta' go find DiNozzo… he's in a bar, somewhere in DC….." Gibbs rolled his eyes. "Ya' think, McGee?…..Call Ziva, start looking in every 24 hour bar you can find, work your way in toward the Navy Yard, I'll do the same from here." Gibbs hung up.
A/N - I know, another shorty, but I'm working my way thru writer's block. A Grande Thank You to mandielouluvsewe for reminding me how this chapter was supposed to go! Couldn't have done it without you, sistah!
DISCLAIMER - I have no claims on anything resembling NCIS or anything official like that.
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! I'm in crisis, so I need the cheering up as only reviews can do! Thank you!