Abby hugged her stuffed hippo to her chest as she stared at the remains of Tony's cell phone. The only fingerprints she had been able to lift off the damaged phone had belonged to Tony, leaving her with more questions than answers. She felt so helpless and wanted to be doing more than going through Tony's personal records and waiting. Surely, Gibbs must know something by now.
Squeezing Bert even tighter, she fought back the tears that threatened to fall. "Why Tony?" she asked the hippo. "What if he's hurt or really, really, really, sick? What if he's been kidnapped again, or even worse?"
She put Bert down beside her. "We can't think like that, Bert! We have to think positive thoughts. Tony doesn't need our negativity. I just wish we knew that he was okay."
"He's okay, Abs."
Abby turned around as Gibbs entered her lab, Caf-Pow in hand. She took the cup and set it down on the desk. Abby knew that Gibbs wouldn't disappoint her. "You talked to him? You talked to Tony?"
"Yeah," the team leader solemnly replied.
"Where is he?" Abby grabbed onto Gibbs' arm. "When's he coming back? Is he hurt? I mean, he's not in the hospital again, is he?"
Her barrage of questions ceased when Gibbs kissed the top of her head. "He's at my dad's; I don't know; I don't know; and no."
Abby's eyes narrowed as she put her hands on her hips. "You don't know if he's hurt?"
"He said he was fine," Gibbs explained.
"And you believed him?"
"No, Abs. I didn't."
"Oh," Abby nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Because you know how Tony is."
"I know, Abby."
"How did he sound?" she wanted to know.
Gibbs sighed. "He sounded tired, Abs. More than tired. He sounded completely exhausted."
Abby took a sip of her Caf-Pow. "You know, Tony hasn't been himself lately. I can't tell you the last time that he went clubbing with me and…" She stopped mid thought and stared at the team leader. "Did you say that Tony was at your dad's? What's he doing there?"
"I don't know. Tony called me a little while ago. He said he needed some time to get his head on straight."
"Gibbs, I'm worried."
"Me too, Abs."
Abby hugged the team leader. For Gibbs to admit that he was worried, things had to be worse than she thought. She didn't understand why Tony hadn't confided in her. Abby knew some of DiNozzo's deepest secrets and yet, this time, he had chosen to run away.
"Why Gibbs?" she cried. "Why didn't he come to us?"
"Whatever is going on with DiNozzo is obviously more than he can handle right now. My guess is that he feels that he'll drag us down with him and that would just add to his problems."
She pulled away from Gibbs and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm going to see him."
Gibbs shook his head. "I know that you want to go to him, but I'm asking you to give him some time."
"Can I call him?"
"Abby," Gibbs gently warned.
"Fine," she conceded. "But what can I do?"
"You can go through Tony's hard drive," he instructed. "See if you can find anything…"
"Hinky?"
Gibbs smiled at her. "Yeah, hinky."
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to meet Fornell."
"Fornell? Does this involve Tony? Do you think the FBI has something to do with Tony taking off?"
"That's what I intend to find out," Gibbs vowed as he headed towards the elevator.
"Gibbs," Abby called out. "Be safe."
"Always am, Abs."
The elevator doors closed and she picked up Bert once again. "I'll give DiNozzo one day to call me and then I'm calling him. If he doesn't want to talk to me then, I'll just hop in my hearse and go to Stillwater myself."
For now, she had enough to keep her busy for a few hours by going through Tony's hard drive. Hopefully, she could find something that would help her understand what was going on with her best friend. Abby stared at the phone, wanting desperately for it to ring. If she could just hear his voice, then maybe she would stop assuming the worst.
"I mean it, Tony. If you don't call me within 24 hours, you are going to be in so much trouble."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ziva glanced at her watch, waiting impatiently for McGee to return from getting his lunch. He had insisted on stopping for something to eat, pointing out that neither of them had eaten breakfast. Ziva hadn't particularly been hungry, but she had finally given in to his pleas and pulled over at the first fast food restaurant that she saw.
She had been relieved when Gibbs had called and informed them that Tony was all right, but the team leader had wanted her and McGee to continue to Norfolk and check out DiNozzo's car. They still didn't have a clue as to why Tony's prized possession was in a garage in Norfolk, but hopefully that mystery would soon be laid to rest.
The car door opened and McGee slid in beside her. "It's about time," she muttered.
"I'm sorry, Ziva," McGee profusely apologized. "The guy in front of me changed his order about three times and then when I finally got up to place my order, the cashier went on break and someone else had to log in. So, when…"
"Stop now or I will shoot you," Ziva threatened.
"Ok," he replied as he handed her a bottle. "Here's your water. Are you sure that you don't want something to eat?"
Ziva's expression softened. "No, thank you, McGee. I have enough rations in my bag."
"If you're sure."
This time Ziva smiled at her partner. "I'm positive and I'm sorry that I flapped at you."
"Snapped," McGee corrected.
"Of course. I'm sorry, I snapped at you."
"Never apologize," he began.
"It's a sign of weakness."
She started the car and headed towards the main road. When McGee had corrected her English, her thoughts had turned back to Tony. It bothered her that she still didn't know where DiNozzo was and she silently cursed Gibbs for keeping her and McGee in the dark.
"We should be at the garage within the hour," Ziva announced.
"Or less," McGee mumbled as he took a bite of his burger.
"Or less," she agreed. Ziva's foot pressed down on the accelerator. She didn't have to look over at her colleague to know that McGee was trying to hold onto his food with one hand while trying to brace himself with the other.
"Problems, McGee?"
"Uh…no," he stammered.
"Good."
"Have you heard anything else from Gibbs?" McGee asked.
"No, I have not and frankly I'm a little put on by the fact that he is withholding information from us."
"Put out."
Ziva glared at him, ignoring the road in front of her. She heard the sound of several horns blaring and quickly swerved to avoid a collision. "You're getting worse than Tony about correcting my English."
"And your driving is getting worse than Gibbs'," he shot back.
The two of them rode in silence for the next half hour. Ziva realized that they were both worried about Tony and that in their own unique way, both of them were dealing with the events of the day. She finally broke the silence as they turned down the street that would take them to the garage that housed Tony's car. "This should be the place we're looking for."
"It is. There's Tony's car over there," McGee pointed straight ahead.
Ziva parked and she and McGee got out of their own vehicle and slowly made their way to Tony's car. The driver's side of his car was smashed, with the driver's door literally shoved into the front seat. But what disturbed Ziva more was the fact that the car was riddled with bullet holes. She looked up at McGee, who appeared to be just as confused as she was.
"This can't be good," McGee whispered.
"No, it can't." Ziva slipped her gloves on and fingered one of the bullet holes. "This can't be good at all."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Jack Gibbs peered into the back room to make sure that Tony was still sleeping. When he had called Doctor Marshall, she had promised to come and check on the young man within the hour. He sat down at the table in his store and began writing out some bills, but Jack soon discovered that he couldn't focus on the task at hand; his thoughts were occupied by the enigmatic Anthony DiNozzo.
When he first met the agent, Jackson had liked him immediately. There was just something about Tony that brought a smile to his face. He could tell that Tony wanted to know all about the man who raised Leroy Jethro Gibbs, but Leroy had managed to keep DiNozzo's curiosity at bay. Jack would have enjoyed taking the young man aside and regaling Tony with stories about Leroy, but he didn't get that chance.
Jackson also discovered that Tony DiNozzo's purpose in life was to please Leroy and would strive to do so, despite what it cost him personally. That was why Jack was so surprised to find DiNozzo on his door step. Whatever had happened, it was bad enough to make the younger agent want to get away from Leroy and try to deal with his problems on his own. Recognizing the look of despair in Tony's eyes awakened a protectiveness in Jackson Gibbs that had been buried for a long time.
He sighed in frustration, pouring himself a cup of coffee. Bringing the cup to his lips, he heard a soft moan coming from the back room. Rising from his seat, he put down his cup and in just a few seconds, he was by Tony's side.
A thin sheen of sweat was evident on his forehead as the young man began to toss and turn. It was clear to Jackson that Tony was having one hell of a nightmare. Kneeling down beside him, he gently shook his shoulders and called out, "Tony? Can you hear me?"
Tony continued to thrash about, prompting Jack to squeeze his shoulders tighter and shake him a little harder. "Tony? It's Jack. You need to wake up, son."
Before Jack knew what was happening, he was on the floor with Tony on top of him; DiNozzo's hands around his throat. Jack realized that Tony wasn't aware of what he was doing. Although his eyes were open and looking at him, the older man knew that Tony wasn't seeing him.
"I said leave me alone!" Tony growled.
Jack tried to pry Tony's fingers from around his throat, knowing that he was about to lose consciousness. As he felt the darkness begin to embrace him, Jack heard a brief commotion and then he found himself able to breathe again. He slowly sat up and absently rubbed his throat, looking around to make sure Tony was all right.
His eyes came to rest on the agent, who sat sprawled out on the floor with Doctor Marshall standing above him. The young man was shaking, confusion clouding his pale features. There was no doubt in Jack's mind that Tony was now awake, and judging by the expression on his face, DiNozzo realized what he had just done.
"Jack? Are you all right?" Dr. Marshall inquired.
Jack pushed himself to a standing position, wavering slightly as he fought off the momentary dizziness. "I'm fine," he assured the doctor.
He walked over and knelt beside Tony. "Are you all right, son?"
Tony shook his head. "I'm sorry, Jack. I didn't mean…I'm so sorry."
"It's all right, Tony. You were having a nightmare. I should have known better than to try and wake you up."
"I never meant to hurt you. I'm sorry," he apologized again.
Jack thought Tony looked like he was about to cry. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine."
"I shouldn't have come here," Tony whispered.
"Where else would you have gone? You're safe here, Tony."
"I may be," Tony quietly stated. "But are you?"
"I'm fine." Jack stood up and offered his hand to Tony. "Let's get you off the floor."
He could tell that Tony was reluctant to accept his gesture of help, but he finally grasped Jack's hand and stood up. Sitting Tony back down on the couch, he looked over at the doctor and smiled. "He's all yours, Doc. This is Tony DiNozzo. Tony, this is Dr. Katherine Marshall."
Jack nudged Tony. "Don't be rude, son."
Tony sighed as he glanced up at the doctor. "Nice to meet you, Dr. Marshall," he muttered.
"It's nice to meet you too, Tony."
Jackson saw the hesitation in the doctor's eyes. He was grateful that she had obviously managed to keep Tony from choking him, but now, she almost seemed afraid of DiNozzo. "Is there a problem, Doc?"
Katherine motioned for Jack to follow her. "Can I speak to you for a moment?"
"Sure." Patting Tony on the back, Jack leaned down and spoke loud enough for Tony to hear him. "You just sit back and relax."
He followed Katherine out of the room. "Something wrong, Katherine?"
"I would like to know what's going on," she stated. "You call me and tell me that you need me to come and check out a friend of yours and then I come in to find your friend choking you. So, care to fill me in?"
"He was having a nightmare and I tried to wake him up," Jack explained.
"That's it?" she pressed.
"What more do you want to know?"
"Why is he here?"
"Why don't you ask him?"
"Because I'm asking you."
Jack grinned at the doctor. "He just needs a little vacation."
"What does he do?"
"Why don't you ask Tony these questions?" he suggested. "If he wants you to know the answers, then he'll tell you. If he doesn't, then I wouldn't push him."
Katherine sighed. "All right," she said. "I get the point. I'm going to check him out and you better be here when I'm done. Don't think for a moment that I'm going to let you by so easily after just being strangled."
"I'll be here," he promised. "Now, please go and check on Tony."
Jack watched as she went into the back room. Katherine was a good doctor, but he had a feeling that she was going to have her bedside manner severely tested by the young man in the other room. She was definitely going to have her work cut out for her. Maybe he should go in there and stand by just in case she needed him. But then again, he always believed that experience was the best teacher.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Gibbs glanced at his watch as he sat down on a bench that bordered one of the more challenging running trails in Rock Creek Park. He and Tony used to run this trail together, especially when Tony had first started working for him. The younger man had been full of boundless energy and needed a way to channel that energy, so Gibbs had insisted on a daily run through Rock Creek Park.
He had learned a lot about Tony during those runs, but Gibbs quickly learned that he had barely scratched the surface when it came to discovering the real Anthony DiNozzo. After Kate and McGee joined, they still enjoyed the occasional run through the park, usually after a trying case. Then Tony had contracted the plague and Kate had died soon after that. Was that when everything started changing?
There were no more runs in Rock Creek Park for a long time until a year or so ago. Jeanne Benoit had accused Tony of murdering her father. Fortunately, DiNozzo had been cleared, but he had been forced to tell Jeanne that their relationship had been a farce. He had wanted her to move on with her life and forget about him, but his sacrifice had cost Tony dearly.
After everything had settled, Gibbs had found Tony in the gym, taking his frustrations out on the punching bag. DiNozzo had not even bothered to change out of his suit. Gibbs had handed him a towel to wipe his face with and suggested that they take a run. Tony had simply nodded and both men quickly changed and headed towards the park. He had let DiNozzo set the pace and Gibbs managed to keep up, despite his aching knees.
He wasn't sure how long they had run before Tony stumbled and fell to his knees.
"I loved her, Boss," Tony had whispered, sweat dripping into his eyes.
Gibbs had squeezed his shoulder. "I know, Tony. I know," was the only answer he could give the young man at the time. There were no words that would heal his senior agent's broken heart.
They had walked back to the car and he had listened to Tony as he talked, while simultaneously cursing the director under his breath. That was the last time that Tony had opened up to him about anything; or perhaps, it was the last time that he truly listened to what Tony had to say. DiNozzo never voluntarily divulged intimate details of his personal life, and Gibbs had been one of the few people to catch a glimpse of the real Anthony DiNozzo.
As soon as they had walked back into the NCIS building, Tony's mask had slipped firmly back in place. Neither man ever spoke of the conversation that had taken place in the park that day, but Gibbs had made a vow to keep an eye on his senior agent for a while. It wasn't long after that, Jenny Shepherd died and Tony was consumed with guilt; guilt that Gibbs had forced him to bear.
His silence had condemned DiNozzo and things between them had been strained. Gibbs had finally told Tony that Jen's death wasn't his fault, but it was too late. Tony had already accepted the responsibility and Gibbs knew that the young man was drowning in a sea of self loathing.
When Tony had been reassigned to the Seahawk, there hadn't been time to make things right between them. Now that DiNozzo was back, things were still awkward between them at times, and Gibbs had chosen to ignore the fact that he was losing his senior agent.
"When you get back, we're going for a long run, DiNozzo," Gibbs promised.
"Talking to yourself again?"
Gibbs took a sip of his coffee. "Just making a mental note, Fornell. You're late."
"I'm five minutes early," Fornell protested.
"But I've been waiting for twenty."
"I just thought I'd give you a few minutes to cool down."
"It didn't work," Gibbs retorted. "You just gave me too much time to think."
Gibbs gestured to his colleague to sit down beside him. "What did you find out?"
"You're not going to like it," Fornell warned.
"Spit it out, Tobias."
Fornell took a sip of his own coffee. "DiNozzo has apparently been working undercover on a joint operation for several months now. He's managed to infiltrate one of the largest drug running rings on the East Coast."
"What?" Gibbs crushed his cup, spilling the hot liquid on his lap. "Whose operation?"
"FBI, NCIS, and the DEA are involved."
Anger did not even begin to describe what Gibbs was feeling at the moment. Once again, Tony was involved in an undercover operation that he knew nothing about and for some inexplicable reason, his outrage wasn't directed at his senior agent. There was a piece of the puzzle that was missing and Gibbs was determined to find it. "Do you mean to tell me that between three agencies, DiNozzo was the only agent who could do this particular undercover operation? I find that hard to believe."
"I do too, Jethro, but the word is that your man volunteered."
Gibbs shook his head. "The hell he did. Tony wouldn't voluntarily go undercover without telling me; not after what happened with Jenny. There's something bigger going on here and somehow DiNozzo is caught in the middle."
"Maybe you don't know DiNutso as well as you thought."
"Don't go there, Tobias," Gibbs warned. "And his name is DiNozzo."
"Sorry," Fornell apologized.
Gibbs knew that Tobias didn't mean to insult his agent. Fornell had even admitted to the team leader that if Tony ever quit NCIS, that he would offer DiNozzo a job with the FBI. He nodded his acceptance of Fornell's apology. "What else can you tell me?"
Fornell shrugged. "Not much. I do know that the drug ring is based in Norfolk and that something went down last night, but I don't know what."
"That's all you know?"
"You didn't give me time to do too much digging," Tobias countered. "I had to call in several favors to find that much out."
Gibbs stood up and threw his cup away. "Well, it looks like I'm going to go and wait on Director Vance to get out of his meeting."
"Straight to the top, huh?"
"Yeah. He's been giving me the runaround all day. Now I know why."
"But you didn't hear it from me," Tobias reminded him.
"Nope. As a mater of fact, Fornell, we never had this conversation."
Gibbs began to make his way down the worn path. "If you find out anything else, you let me know."
"Will do. Hey Gibbs," Fornell called out. "I hope DiNutso's all right!"
A tiny smile escaped Gibbs' lips. "So do I, Tobias; so do I."
Gibbs left Fornell sitting on the bench. He began to pick up his pace until he was running a steady speed along the familiar trail. Rage coursed through his veins, forcing his legs to pump faster. His knees were already throbbing, but Gibbs refused to give in to the pain.
He ignored the stares of the other joggers that he passed. Gibbs was aware that he looked strange running in his jeans and a blazer, but at the moment, he didn't care. The only thing on his mind was finding out what DiNozzo was involved in and why he knew nothing about it.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Tony still couldn't believe what he had just done. He felt like he was going to throw up and not because of the concussion, but because he had almost killed Jackson Gibbs. Once Gibbs found out that he had tried to kill his father, Tony knew that whatever was left of their relationship would be destroyed. DiNozzo wasn't sure he could survive if he lost the one man that had been like a father to him.
He had been disowned at the tender age of twelve by his biological father and it had taken Tony years to learn to live with the scars of rejection. Even after all this time, there were some days that the pain was still fresh and now with the possibility of Gibbs no longer being in his life, the agony of those memories returned full force.
He buried his face in his hands, silently willing the trembling to stop. Tony cursed his weakness, hating himself for what he had become. "Pull yourself together, DiNozzo. Quit being so pathetic!"
Tony heard someone enter the room. Looking up, he saw the doctor standing in the doorway. Her auburn hair fell on her shoulders as her piercing green eyes seemed to stare right through him. He had to admit that she was beautiful and there would have been a time that he would have unleashed the DiNozzo charm on her, but times had changed. He had changed.
"Do you make it a habit of talking to yourself, Mr. DiNozzo?" she asked.
"Only when nobody else is around," he wearily replied. "Call me Tony, please."
"Very well, Tony. Jack asked me to come over here and check you over. Is that all right with you?"
"It was a condition of my staying here," Tony explained. "I guess I owe him that much, especially after almost killing him."
"Jack doesn't hold grudges."
"Yeah, but his son does."
Katherine walked over towards Tony and set her bag down on the table. "Why don't you lie back down and let me take a look at you?"
Tony nodded and slowly swung his feet back on the couch and lowered his battered body against the cushion. She began her examination by carefully removing the bandage that covered the stitches in his head.
"That looks painful," she observed. "What happened?"
"Forgot to duck."
"I see. If I were to venture a guess, I would say a bullet graze. Am I right?"
DiNozzo looked up at the ceiling, purposefully ignoring her question. He heard her sigh in frustration as she shone her pen light in his eyes. He flinched against the brightness and closed his eyes.
"Are you experiencing any nausea and dizziness?"
"Yes," Tony admitted. "The dizziness has eased up some unless I do something really stupid like getting up too fast."
"What about the nausea?"
"Off and on."
"Why did the hospital release you? You have a serious concussion which should have been monitored by…"
"I checked myself out AMA," Tony said, interrupting the doctor's tirade.
"Why?"
"I had to." Offering no further explanation, he asked, "Are you done yet?"
"No. Now, remove your shirt," she ordered.
"It's just the first date. Are you always this forward?"
"Mr. DiNozzo…"
"Tony," he reminded her.
"Tony," she corrected herself. "I'm sure that you don't want me to tell Jack that you aren't cooperating with me. The better you cooperate, the quicker we will be done with your examination."
"Not much on small talk, are you?" he teased.
"No, I'm not. Now, take off your shirt."
Tony removed his shirt, mindful of the bruises that littered his chest and stomach. He gritted his teeth against the pain whenever she pressed on a particularly tender spot. The agent about came off the couch when she pressed on his stomach. He rolled over on his side and vomited in the floor. After a few minutes of drive heaves, he rolled back over onto his back.
"Sorry," he breathlessly mumbled.
"It's all right. It's not the first time that I've worn my patient's stomach contents. Although, judging from yours, you didn't have very much in your stomach."
"No."
"And it looks like there some blood mixed in the emesis. Maybe from an ulcer?" she guessed.
"Maybe," Tony admitted. When she glared at him with a look that could rival Gibbs', he decided that he may as well tell her the truth. "Yeah."
"How long have you had it?"
Tony shrugged. "I was diagnosed with it when I was Agent Afloat on the Seahawk, so about nine or ten months."
"So, are you under a doctor's care for it?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"I haven't had a lot of time to go to the doctor lately." Tony didn't like where this conversation was heading.
"I think you need to go the hospital and get a complete gastrointestinal workup so that we can have a better idea of what we're dealing with. It will also give you a chance to rest for a couple of days."
Tony shook his head. "I don't think so. You see, I don't do hospitals very well. Nothing personal, well, yeah I guess it is something personal, but it doesn't concern you. But anyway, I'm rambling."
"Yes, you are," she heartily agreed.
"Anyway, I can rest here and once I get some rest, I'll feel a lot better."
"Tony, listen to me," Katherine pleaded. "This could be serious. You already have a severe concussion and I don't have to tell you the complications that could arise from that, but you're exhausted. You've evidently not been eating properly. I'm guessing that you normally weigh between 180 and 190?"
Tony nodded. "I've been trying to lose a few pounds," he quipped.
"This isn't funny, Tony. This is your life we're talking about."
Tony put his shirt back on. "Well, let me save you the trouble, Doc. My life as I know it is probably over anyway, so it really doesn't matter whether I spend a few days in the hospital or not. So, I appreciate you taking the time to check me out, but I'm not worth your trouble."
"Who told you that?" she quietly asked.
DiNozzo swallowed nervously. "Who told me what?"
"Who told you that you're not worth the trouble?"
"It's been ingrained in me for a long time, Doc. Like I said, don't worry about me," he insisted. "You tell Jack that you did your job and that in a few days, I'll be on my feet again."
"I can't tell him that because I can't honestly agree with your self prognosis."
"Tell him what you want then." Tony closed his eyes, hoping that she would take a hint and leave him alone.
He felt a gentle touch on his arm. Opening his eyes, Tony placed his hand on top of hers and lightly squeezed it. "Thanks, Doc."
"Katherine," she softly said.
"You don't look like a Katherine," he sleepily observed.
"Really? So, what would you call me then? Hopefully something besides Doc; that makes me sound like an old man."
Tony thought for a minute and then grinned. "How about Kate? I've always liked that name."
"I'll think about it," she promised. "You rest and I'll be by to check on you later."
He nodded and watched her as she gathered her bag and left the room. The last thing that Tony wanted to do was to sleep. He didn't want to take another chance on hurting anyone, especially Jack. His head still ached and he was too tired to even begin to contemplate what would happen when he finally had to talk to Gibbs. Tony began searching for ways to keep his mind busy, so he wouldn't sleep and he wouldn't have to think. He began replaying episodes of 'Magnum, P.I.' in his mind, allowing him to briefly escape from the nightmare that his life had become.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Dr. Katherine Marshall couldn't begin to describe the myriad of emotions that she was experiencing at the moment. She was angry that Anthony DiNozzo apparently demonstrated little concern for his own health and she was concerned that he didn't seem to care if he lived or died. Katherine couldn't help but wonder what had made Tony DiNozzo feel as if he wasn't worth her trouble. Was it something or someone in his past that had drummed that into his head? The man in the other room was definitely a mystery and while she wasn't one to interfere in her the lives of her patients, she found herself drawn to Tony.
She slammed her bag down on the counter and looked around the store for Jack. "Jack? Where are you?"
"Done so soon?" he asked as he set a case of water down on the floor.
"Actually, I want to admit him to the hospital, but he's refusing."
"That sounds about right. Leroy, that's my son, once told me that Tony hated hospitals. Something to do with Tony having the plague," he recalled.
Her eyes widened in disbelief. "The plague?'
"I'm pretty sure that's what Leroy said. So, what's wrong with Tony?"
"He's got a severe concussion and needs to be monitored for at least 48 hours. He also needs a complete gastrointestinal workup, not to mention some X-rays and blood work to make sure that he's not bleeding internally."
"And he refuses to go?'
Katherine nodded. "Yes. I need to speak to his personal physician. Do you know who it is?"
"No," Jack replied. "But I can find out for you."
"Would you mind?" Katherine picked up her bag and headed towards the door. "Have his doctor call me at my office," she instructed. "I'll be back later to check on Tony."
"Will do."
Without a backwards glance, she got in her car and drove the short distance to her office. While she was waiting on the call from Tony's doctor, Katherine fixed herself some lunch. She sat down at her desk and began to eat. Katherine could not get her mind off of Tony DiNozzo. She had a feeling that on a normal day, Tony could be a handful. There had been a hint of playfulness in his voice while she was trying to examine him, but the cheerfulness had been forced. Then when he told her that he wasn't worth the trouble, she thought her heart was going to break.
Tony DiNozzo was going to need more help than she could give him. She could heal him physically, but mentally and emotionally, that was out of her field of expertise. There had to be someone that Tony could turn to. What about Jack's son, Leroy? Jack made it seem like they were close, but if that were the case, where was he? Was this the same son that Tony had said held grudges? Was Leroy Gibbs part of Tony's problem? She would bring that up with her patient when she went to check on him, but for now, all she could do was wait on the phone to ring.