A/N: See profile for full disclaimer. Also see second A/N at the end of the chapter.
Chapter 5
By the time Tony got down to Autopsy, he had his anger under control, but it was replaced by confusion. He couldn't believe that Abby had accused him of hurting himself to get attention. Was she the only one that felt that way? Or did everyone think he was that shallow?
When the doors opened, Ducky looked up from his conversation with Palmer and winced when he saw Tony's face. "Oh, Anthony," he said, "that looks worse than I anticipated. Come sit down and let me look at you."
To Ducky's surprise, Tony quietly walked over and sat in the indicated chair. Ducky exchanged a look of alarm with Palmer – since when did Tony agree to a medical exam? Frowning, Ducky asked, "Are you feeling all right, Anthony?"
"What's wrong with me, Ducky?" Tony asked, confusing the ME and his assistant. Before they could answer, Tony continued, "Am I so juvenile that people believe I would fake an injury to get attention?"
"Anthony, there is obviously nothing fake about the bruising on your face. Who would think anything different?"
"Abby. She accused me of hurting myself apparently because I'm jealous of the attention that Tim's been getting." As he told Ducky and Jimmy what happened, his anger reappeared and he began pacing. "How could she think that? I thought we were friends. I mean, I'm really proud of Tim – he did a good job. I even put him in for a commendation. What does she. . ." Tony suddenly stopped, closing his eyes and rubbing his head. "Shit, that hurts," he whispered.
"Anthony, what's wrong?" Ducky asked, moving toward his friend. He turned to Palmer and said urgently, "Get Agent Gibbs now!"
"Ducky, I. . ." Tony stopped suddenly, bringing both hands to his head. "Oh, God! It hurts, Ducky, it hurts! Please, make it stop!"
Before Ducky could reach him, Tony fell to the floor and curled into a fetal position. "Forget Gibbs, Mr. Palmer. Call an ambulance – now!" Ducky called.
"Already done," said Palmer, "and I requested a Medevac. I figured he needs to be at Bethesda sooner than later."
"Good work, Mr. Palmer. Now please go see if you can find Agent Gibbs. He needs to be here." Palmer moved to comply only to meet Gibbs coming in the Autopsy door. When he saw Tony on the floor, he paled.
"What's going on, Ducky?" he asked. "What's wrong with Tony?"
"I am not completely sure, Jethro. It could be anything from a migraine to a bleed on the brain. We've called paramedics and a helicopter. They should be here soon," Ducky answered from his position on the floor next to Tony.
Tony was still clutching his head, whispering for someone, anyone, to make the pain stop. Gibbs dropped to his knees beside his partner and looked at Ducky, unsure of what he should do.
"Talk to him, Jethro," urged Ducky. "He's frightened and in pain – he needs you to comfort him, to reassure him." Turning to Palmer, he said, "Mr. Palmer, please notify security of the situation and have them direct the paramedics here straightaway."
Gibbs began rubbing Tony's back, wishing he could do something to ease his pain. He leaned over and whispered, "Hang on, Tony. I'm here, Ducky's here. The paramedics are on the way. You're gonna be okay."
Suddenly, to everyone's horror Tony began to seize. "Hold his shoulders, Jethro," commanded Ducky, moving to hold Tony's legs. "Mr. Palmer, please time the seizure."
After what seemed like hours, but was in reality only a little over three minutes, Tony's seizure ended and the younger man went completely limp. Ducky checked his pulse and respirations and was not pleased with what he discovered. Where were the paramedics?
As if summoned by his thoughts, the medics burst into Autopsy and immediately took control of the situation. Ducky relayed all of the events prior to and including the seizure, and the medics quickly strapped Tony to a gurney and pushed him toward the elevator. They headed for the roof where the waiting helicopter flew him to Bethesda.
Gibbs stood on the roof and watched the helicopter fade into the distance. "Damn it, Ducky!" he shouted. "What's going on? Tony was fine all weekend – I knew I should have called you yesterday when those bruises showed up. He said it was to be expected and I believed him. I should have known that something was wrong."
"Calm down, Jethro, and let's get on our way to Bethesda," Ducky said. "And Anthony was right – the bruising was to be expected and probably had nothing to do with what happened. It is very possible that Anthony had a slow bleed that has gradually caused the pressure to build up in his brain. When he got angry, that may have increased the pressure, resulting in the headache and seizure. Or it could simply be a severe migraine. They'll know more when they get him to Bethesda and run some tests."
As the entered the elevator, Gibbs asked, "What does it mean, Ducky? How bad is it?"
Ducky sighed. "It's hard to tell. If it's a migraine, they can treat it with medication. And a bleed on the brain can be treated with medication as well. Let's not borrow trouble, Jethro."
Gibbs slumped against the elevator wall. "God, Duck. Is he going to be okay? I mean, he had a seizure. That can't be good."
"Again, it is impossible to know anything without further testing. Unfortunately, we will have to wait and see. Now, come. I'll drive – do not argue with me, Jethro. You are too upset to drive. However, you should call and let the others know what has happened. I'm sure they will want to join us at the hospital."
"I'll call the director – he needs to know that I'm going to be out of the office as long as Tony's in the hospital. I don't mind if Ziva or McGee come, but Abby can stay the hell away. This is all her fault!"
"Jethro, if Anthony does in fact have a bleed, then this would have happened sooner or later. The fact that he was upset may have simply hastened the event. You have to know that Abigail would never deliberately hurt Anthony."
Gibbs was silent as the two men got into Ducky's car. "That's just it, Duck," he said sadly. "You didn't hear her – she was downright mean to Tony, accused him of fabricating an injury just to get attention. I mean, I know Tony likes attention, but I thought she knew him better than that."
Ducky sighed. "I know you're upset, but . . ."
"No, Duck. I can't deal with her until I know he's going to be okay. And then only if Tony wants to see her."
Ducky sighed. He knew when he was fighting a losing battle. "Very well, Jethro. Call the director."
TBC
A/N: I know it's been forever but I decided I was going to complete all my stories before posting. So I've finished NCIS: The More Things Change, NCIS: In the Eye of the Beholder, and What's a Little Black Eye Between Friends. I will be posting weekly. I also have new stories in the works – a sequel/prequel to The More Things Change and a new AU. Thanks for all of the support and reviews. I'll try to do better at responding to reviews. Also, I'm not a doctor (although I did portray one in a play once) so if the medical stuff is wrong, I apologize in advance. I'll update my other two stories tomorrow and Wednesday.