As soon as they got him down to Autopsy, Gibbs pushed Ziva and McGee out. McGee already looked sick, and Ziva pale and wrung out. He knew if they saw more of Tony during Ducky's exam, McGee might pass out, and Ziva would run upstairs with her gun out, looking to make Jarvis bleed.
"But Gibbs…I want-" Ziva was loudly complaining.
"I know, Ziva," He said gently, "I know." He looked at her, at the unshed tears appearing in her eyes.
She frowned a little, and looked over at Tony, now with his eyes closed again, lying on the autopsy table. She shuddered.
"He…he is lucky to be alive." She swallowed harshly and looked up at Gibbs. "We almost lost him…forever…" her brow furrowed a bit.
He nodded, unable to respond himself, and pulled her into an embrace. After a moment, he gently pushed her out the door, where McGee was waiting to go up in the elevator with her.
Ducky had sent Palmer to prep the Xray room.
Gibbs turned to see Ducky gently trying to get Tony to sit up.
"I can do it Ducky," Tony breathed, wincing in pain.
Gibbs went to the table and helped them, standing in front of Tony and helping him swing his legs back over the edge of it. He was careful to only pull up on the shoulder opposite Tony's injured side.
Ducky went to place his hands on Tony's back to help push him up, but he yelped in pain, closing his eyes and clinging suddenly to Gibbs' shirt front with one hand. He let out a few short gasps.
"I'm so sorry, Anthony," Ducky said, and then looked at Gibbs contritely.
"S'okay, Duck," Tony said hoarsely, eyes closed and the top of his head now resting on Gibbs' chest.
Gibbs still had one hand on his shoulder, and the other now, absently cupping the back of Tony's head.
"What do you need next, Duck?" Gibbs asked softly.
"I want to x-ray those ribs…and take a look now to see if we should take films on anything else. I think we also need to make sure he isn't developing pneumonia." He moved around the room to pull over an I.V. cart. "After that I want two full bags of fluids in him…I have enough for the basics here. If his lungs aren't bad I still want him on anti-biotics right away…likely I'll consult Dr. Pitt. I think we should trust he be discrete for Tony's sake."
Gibbs nodded his agreement, while Tony had seemed to be leaning more heavily against him.
"Anthony," Ducky called, "I need you to remove some of your clothing. Down to your skivvies, if you would. We can help you…"
"I got it Duck," Gibbs said, pushing Tony to sit upright, while he looked at Gibbs with a dazed expression.
"Did they do anything for you at Cagliari?" Ducky asked. "Did they take blood, at least?"
"Uh…" Tony was speaking as if in a dream state now, looking down and then up to Gibbs while he continued. "Yeah, they did…it's coming in with…with Brian…" he seemed not to be able to say more, and looked away again.
He was unbuttoning his shirt, unsuccessfully with one hand, until Gibbs swatted his hands away to do it for him.
"Did they treat you for anything?" Ducky tried to clarify for him.
Gibbs' hands were starting to shake a little as the open shirt started to reveal more vicious looking injuries.
"No…I…I'm a little fuzzy. I think, fluids, and an antibiotic drip of some kind, and they wrapped my ribs…but, they, ahh…couldn't tape them."
He still wasn't looking at Gibbs.
As he pulled Tony's shirt off, and away with great care, the ace bandage type wrapping they used didn't cover all the bruises, small burns, and stitched up cuts in varying lengths, that in places, criss-crossed. The cuts, like the bruises, were in varying stages of healing.
Gibbs saw Ducky's reaction, as He looked at Tony's back. The M.E.'s eyes widened, and for a moment, he looked stunned. His eyes darkened and got watery as he shook his head , trying to control his reaction. He looked up at Gibbs, anguished.
"Lean him forward again, Jethro," he said gently. And as Gibbs did that, he reached to unwind the bandage wrap.
Tony felt the touch, and though he knew it was Ducky, he reacted much the same way he had on the Navy base, in the Cagliari medical facility.
He flashed back to the hands that had touched him to cause him pain, to his tormentor, Stratton, and his leering smile.
Tony started shaking violently, grasping again at the front of Gibbs' shirt.
All Gibbs could do, was rub the back of Tony's head, and murmur that he was safe, and home, and that he was going to be okay. He knew it wasn't enough, because what could be said to really make this better?
Gibbs felt the warmth and wetness of tears, soaking through his shirt, as Tony continued to shake and breathe in choking gasps.
"I…really…missed you, Boss…" he said almost in a groan into Gibbs' chest.
Gibbs swallowed, afraid his own voice would betray the emotion that ripped through him in waves.
"We missed you too, kid," he whispered, leaning his chin on top of Tony's head, gently pulling him tighter after Ducky took off the last of the wrapping.
Gibbs could see down on Tony's back now, to what Ducky had been looking at.
His own eyes became blurry, and he looked up in a silent prayer, that somehow, they were going get him through this, and make the bastards who did it pay.
A/N : More coming by Monday !