MY LONGEST CHAPTER YET guys, I feel kinda proud. This is is drawing out longer than I thought it would, but hey.
It was mid morning and Tony sat on the edge of the bed he had occupied for two weeks. It didn't sound like long when he said it, but it felt as though he had been there for years. He had spent almost all of his stay asleep in bed but despite that he was still exhausted, mentally and physically.
The nurses patted him on the back and smiled their goodbyes, even though he would be returning in two days time for a top up on the bandage side of things. He sat dressed in comfortable track suit pants, some old runners and a sweatshirt that covered his arms. He clutched a bundle of pamphlets he had been offered by the doctor a few days before but had neglected to even skim through. They all had inspirational titles like Hearing impairments, learning about your disABILITIES .They pretty much all made him sick.
He was just waiting on his release papers before he planned to take a cab home. He had been over his ride home tens of times over the past few days, playing out what he would say and how he would manage. He was feeling sick to the stomach at the prospect of entering the real world for the first time and finding his way home minus his hearing.
Dr Davidson entered his room and offered his hand to Tony, who shook it and plastered on what he thought was a convincing smile. The Dr could sense his patients anxiety and nervousness.
"I have your release papers here, Tony," The doctor said aloud, waving the release papers obviously as he said the words "I need you to sign them here." He pointed to a couple of empty lines on the documents and then mimed signing his name.
Tony rolled his eyes at the gesture and nodded, reaching for the precious documents, he had found even over the couple of weeks he had been deaf his lip reading had improved.
"You gotta pen?" He asked, looking around.
A pen was presented to him and the forms were filled out. The doctor gave him a smile. He had only had only treated a handful of patients with the same case as Tony DiNozzo's in his career, he realised that he was not the younger man's favourite person at the moment, nor would he ever be. The man in front of him, however grumpy, angry or depressed he was on certain days, was handling the situation well. Much better than the handful of other patients he had treated. He knew of DiNozzo's career and the impact it was having on him, but this man had good friends and was heading into safe hands.
"That's that. Well done Tony, your free to go. I'll be seeing you in a few days."
"Huh?" Tony frowned at him. He appreciated the doctor skipping the slow process of the note writing but it didn't make understanding him any easier.
The doctor shook his head and smiled. He stuck his thumbs up and held his arms outwards presenting the exit to the small hospital room. Tony smiled and stood up, swinging his bag over his shoulder and held out his hand to shake.
"Thank you Doc, I really appreciate it.. Everything. Back here in two days, right?"
The doctor nodded and firmly shook the offered hand before patting his patient on the back. A thought occurred to him and he whipped out a pen and paper and scrawled down a note.
You got anyone to pick you up Tony? Might be an idea to stay with someone or get someone to stay with you for a bit while you get used to everything. It's a whole new world.
"Naah, I'm alright, DiNozzo's don't need baby sitting. Thanks again Doc" Tony said, pasting the smile back on and trying to make his voice sound more confident then he felt, he wondered how that was working out. He stuck his thumbs up and attempted to head out the door again.
Just as his hand hit the handle he was swatted on the back of the head with something, causing him to startle and swing around. The doctor held out the bundle of pamphlets he had conveniently forgotten on the end of the bed. The regretfully took them, pretending he couldn't understand what the doctor was saying when he mouthed READ THEM. It didn't matter anyway now, he was free.
His confidence drained the minute he stepped onto the pavement outside the hospital doors, everything was wrong. A truck drove past in silence, people laughed and talked around him, a dog barked. It was like watching the world from inside a soundproof bubble. How would he ever adjust to this? It was a nightmare. People eyed him and his bandages and suddenly he felt as though the whole world was talking about him and he couldn't hear a word of it. He turned around and cast his eyes over the street before realising how stupid he was being. 'Grow up DiNozzo, get a grip.' He told himself, holding onto his bag a little tighter and breathing in and out slowly to calm himself.
'Alright DiNozzo, you can do this. First mission: Find a cab' he thought to himself.
Just as he turned to begin his search a hand clasped the back of his arm, just above the elbow and sent him a metre high in the air. He whipped around to find who it was.
Gibbs raised a single eyebrow at his expression. Tony visibly relaxed and breathed out.
Gibbs nodded at his car parked illegally across the street and frowned his message across to Tony. Had Tony thought he would have to catch a cab home from hospital? Sometimes he couldn't believe the stupidity of his agent. It looked as though he had got there just in time too, Tony looked as though he was about to have a full blown panic attack seconds before Gibbs had caught his attention.
Tony turned the volume up on his 100 watt DiNozzo smile, secretly praying it would get him out of the trouble he knew he was in. Gibbs looked pissed, really pissed and he knew he would cop the punishment later.
Tony racked his mind and caught the whisp of a memory from a few years back.
'I should have known' Tony attempted to sign, trying to remember the gesture Gibbs had taught him a couple of years ago, then pointing at his boss. I should have known it was you. Was what he was trying to say.
Gibbs held back a smile that threatened to break through his almightily Gibbs barrier when he realized what Tony was doing. He replied with three sentences of fluent sign language leaving Tony with a perplexed expression on his face. This time Gibbs did laugh out loud before moving on to his car with Tony close behind.
Gibb's car rolled up outside DiNozzo's apartment. He had driven extra carefully for the twenty minute ride, mindful of his injured agent. Even though Tony tried to play it down, he watched his agent's eyelids drooping minutes into the journey having not being accustomed to the strain of being on his two feet for more than fifteen minutes. He wondered if the day's plans were a good idea or not when he had to prod Tony awake.
"Too late" He muttered aloud to himself as he took in the cars parked along side his on the street. Next to him sat a familiar Dodge Charger, a shiny red Ford Coupe hot rod was parked on the other side, it looked as though Jimmy Palmer's battered Honda was just across the road, the others must have parked around the corner.
"Something you're not telling me, Boss?" Tony asked sleepily when he noticed the cars. He unbuckled his seat belt and climbed out the vehicle. They made their way up to Tony's apartment in the elevator, Gibbs critically studying his agent under the flickering florescent lights. He looked worn and tired and was leaning heavily on the wall. He wore a sweat shirt that covered his one bandaged arm and still held his neck stiffly when he moved about, careful of the dressing that still covered his burns. Gibbs new that he was still on a lot of medication and had gotten the simple overview of it all from Ducky who had had detailed medical conversations with Dr Davidson.
Tony couldn't help feeling slightly irritated. Obviously everybody the team was here, probably waiting around some corner to jump out and surprise him. It wasn't that he didn't want to see them or appreciated the idea, it was just that it might of been nice to have a bit of warning or maybe they could ask him what he wanted to do. Instead of constantly making plans regarding him and informing him afterwards.
Tony slid the key into the lock and had barely cracked open the door before he was hit by a thundering force, which had him flying backwards to hit the grimy wall behind him. The force, he later discovered was a slightly over excited Abigail Scuito.
He gasped and pushed himself into an upright position, hugging her back and looking over her shoulder at the rest of his team who had emerged from the doorway. Apparently somebody had said something because Abby pulled back and looked at him worriedly, before breaking into a continuous string of unreadable words. It wasn't hard to catch the gist of what she was ranting about.
"Abby, I'm fine."
No sooner had the words left his mouth; he was being tugged by the good arm into handshakes, hugs and smiles of his awaiting team. Gibbs, McGee, Ziva, Abby, Ducky and Palmer lead him into his own apartment and offered him a seat in his own home. Abby seemed to be running the small party; she made sure he admired the food and drink that had been set out across the table, had a drink filled some sort of sweet substance (he was not allowed alcohol with his medication), and was sitting comfortably on his own couch. He found himself sitting with Ziva on one side and McGee on the other. He watched at everybody became emerged in conversation. Ducky and Gibbs were talking sternly in the entrance to his kitchen and glancing at him occasionally. He didn't need his hearing to know that they were talking about him, but he let it slide as he tried his best to enjoy the moment.
Ziva tapped him on the knee and successfully gained his attention, leaning back on the couch and holding up a crumpled note that she had written on in black marker.
Hi
"Oh, hey there."
She smiled and scribbled down another note, while she was doing so Tony leaned over her and plopped an arm over her shoulder, deciding to play his favourite game.
"And what might this be, miss Zee-vaah?" He said in what he hoped was a teasing voice. He reached out and touched the silver chain that hung around her neck, the usual Star of David hung there, but it was accompanied by a small silver heart.
She looked up into his damaged face and smirked.
"You wouldn't! Not in my absence?"
She smirked a little bit harder. Tony didn't really mind, it was a game they played a lot. He had noticed the new silver chain a week before the accident. He had been worried then and had wandered down to Abby hoping to approach the subject of Ziva's new neckwear without raising to much suspicion, praying she might have some answers for him. Abby being Abby had read him like a weather forecast and assured him that it wasn't a new boyfriend, but had withheld any further information.
I forgot to tell you
"Tell me what?"
I won the bet!
"What bet?"
The one three weeks ago, where I bet Abby I could have you down in her lab inquiring about my love life in 24 hours.
"Oh, that bet" Tony kept his face of all emotion, but laughed inwardly 'Duh DiNozzo,' he thought to himself.
You do know I will kill you. You can't use Abby's un-waving loyalty like that!
"You mean 'unwavering loyalty'?"
I like waving better. Don't try to change the subject. Don't you know curiosity killed all the rabbits?
"The cat?"
What?
"The cat, Ziva. Curiosity killed the cat. Give it up Ziva, just quit while you're behind."
She rolled her eyes and said something aloud that he didn't catch, but he caught the gist. He smiled a slightly restricted smile back at her, due to the binds on his cheek.
It was little after three in the afternoon when Tony finally lost his one way battle with exhaustion. He had cheerfully conversed with everybody on his team, growing frustrated and bored with the slow scribbling of notes. He hadn't realized how much his deafness would exclude him. When he was in hospital most conversations had been one on one and hadn't lasted for very long before he fell asleep on the unlucky visitor. It was frustrating how easily he lost track of the conversation being had when another person joined, and how easily forgotten he was. He didn't blame anybody for these few occasions where the conversation would continue and he would be left sitting lost as they chatted away.
Tony's head finally dropped to his chest, the conversation in the room dying away as the team noticed their sleeping friend. They began to quietly pack up, speaking in hushed voices as they moved about the small living room packing the half eaten food and cups into a rubbish bag. It was only a couple of minutes later when McGee looked up from carefully placing the beer bottles into the garbage bag making minimal noise. What the hell were they doing? He chucked the rest of the bottles in loudly making Palmer jump and Gibbs look up from the other side of the room. The group all looked around at each other, Ducky chuckled. The silence broke.
The cleaning done and the house spotless, the team said goodbyes in the hall. Tony had been left oblivious on the couch to his much needed sleep. Ziva, McGee and Palmer headed out quickly. Abby, Ducky and Gibbs remained standing in the hall.
"Well, I don't know about you two boys, I'm staying." Abby frowned as if she was challenging the older men to contradict her.
"A marvellous idea, Abigail. I trust you've got your belongings here?" Ducky nodded approvingly.
"My things are in the car, I brought Burt, Tony looks as like he could use him"
"I'm just going to check on the lad, it's about time for another round of his medication. I thought it would be better to do it when it was a bit... Quieter" Ducky announced.
"Not staying Duck?" Gibbs asked.
"Not tonight I'm afraid, Mother has been quite irate over the past few days and I promised I would be home early to groom those infernal corgis of hers before tea time." Duck snorted while making his way back into the living room. "You're staying I presume?"
"Yeah, maybe Duck. Just the rest of the afternoon. Got nothing better to do." Gibbs said waving his arm and sitting on the corner of the couch. He had things he had to talk about with his agent, things that Tony may or may not want to hear, but things that had to be said. He knew Abby wasn't going to let DiNozzo off that easily either and he figured Tony might as well cop it all in the one night.
Ducky knelt down in front of the sleeping agent and put a steady hand on his knee, trying to wave him as gently as possible.
Tony breathed out a big sigh and cracked open his eyes a little, taking a second to remember what was going on. Ducky tapped his knee again and re-caught the agent's attention. He blinked again and tried to clear the fogginess in his mind, cursing the medication. Tony looked around the living room for the rest of the team, wondering how everything had gotten so tidy in the few seconds he had shut his eyes.
Others left, Abby's getting her stuff. How are you feeling?
"Jus' peachy" Tony half slurred, rubbing his hand over his eyes and leaning his head back on the couch.
Tony's attention was caught by a blur of pink and black out the corner of his eye. Abby had re-entered the living room; a black wheelie bag at her feet, squashy pink doona thrown over her shoulder and Burt the forever faithful stuffed hippo tucked neatly under her arm.
"Staying?" Tony yawned, " 's not gonna be that 'xciting, 'fraid" he said, still trying to wake himself up.
Abby grinned in reply and rolled over the top of the couch with all her belongings, landing heavily next to her friend. Ducky held out a glass of water and two small pills in the palm of his hand. Tony reached out and took the glass carefully, but shook his head at the offered pills.
Take them.
"I'm fine, Duck. I'll take them a little later" Tony said, keeping up the bravado.
The note made a re-appearance in front of his face, the same except the words now underlined twice.
Take them.
"Duck, I promise. Later."
All Ducky had to do was turn his head slightly to the left at the lead agent. The pills were gone and DiNozzo wore a sheepish smile; All it had taken was a quick look on Gibbs's part.
Good to see your feeling better Anthony ( and have come to your senses), I expect to see you later.
Ducky shook hands with Tony and Gibbs and received a smothering hug from Abby, and was out the door rambling about a corgi breeder he met in '78. Three wandered back from the dingy elevator and into the small apartment, shutting the front door behind them.
OKAY! I just wanted to say thanks to Azzi. Turner and moms5thchild.. Yeaaahh shout-outs... God, I'm so not cool...
Comments, compliments, criticism all welcome.