Chapter Twelve
"Guess we're stuck with each other a little longer, Probie."
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Once Tony was settled in his new room, Gibbs knew that he should leave. He'd been at the hospital for over 24 hours and now that both men were stable, there was really no reason for him to stay.
Ducky arrived just after visiting hours to find his old friend standing in the hallway near the room now shared by half of his team.
"Jethro? Is everything alright?" Ducky asked with concern.
"Yeah Duck, everything's fine," Gibbs replied and as Ducky got closer he saw how tired the other man looked.
"I think it's time you left, Jethro. There's no need for you to stay right now. You need to get some rest. Those boys will be fine until tomorrow."
Gibbs wanted to argue, but found that he had nothing to say. The older man was right.
"My car's not here Duck, do you think you could…?"
Ducky smiled and put a hand on Jethro's shoulder. "Give you a ride home? Why of course, Jethro."
Down the hall, Tony and McGee had just been given their final checks of the night (well at least until the next shift of nurses came in to look in on them again). Both men were exhausted and McGee was relieved that Tony hadn't even had the energy to talk about the movie that had been on tv while they ate dinner.
As soon as the nurse left, both of them went straight to sleep. They'd never admit it anyone, but they were each strangely comforted by the other's presence.
The next morning Abby walked down the hallway and heard unusual sounds coming from the room shared by both of her friends. It sounded like yelling and she quickened her pace thinking that she was going to have to prevent a double homicide. She thought the two of them had worked out their differences being stuck in the warehouse. Now she wasn't so sure.
"Stop it, McGee! You're killing me!" Tony said in obvious distress.
"I will if you will, Tony," McGee replied almost coldly.
The Goth practically charged into the room and came upon a sight she didn't expect. Both men were bent over in pain and having trouble breathing, tears running down their faces. Before she could press the call button for a nurse, she quickly realized that it was from mirth.
"What is going on in here?" she demanded, stomping her foot with her hands on her hips. "Just what do you two think you're doing?"
"He started it," McGee said through more laughter, wiping his eyes and trying to catch his breath as he pointed an accusing finger at Tony.
Reassured that the two weren't ready to kill each other anytime soon, Abby relaxed and took a seat between them.
"Alright Tony, what did you start this time?"
"Hey don't blame me. I just started out with an innocent story. It's not my fault it got out of hand," Tony replied defensively.
Abby simply raised her eyebrows and cocked her head sideways, waiting for an explanation.
"Tony was telling me about the funniest thing that happened to him while….um…..," McGee hesitated and Tony groaned, rolling his eyes dramatically.
"Oh come on, McGee! What're you, a four year old? Sex. Just say it. S – E – X."
"Okay fine," the younger man grinned over at his partner in the opposite bed. "We were swapping stories about the funniest things that ever happened to us while having sex."
"Really?" Abby was intrigued. "So what was the story?"
The two men didn't reply, exchanging sheepish glances, and Abby looked at them expectantly.
"What? Aw c'mon I wanna hear all about…..wait," Abby suddenly frowned suspiciously, standing up and looking at McGee with a glare that could bore through a brick wall. "This story wouldn't have anything to do with me, would it?"
"Uh oh Probie, you're in trouble now." Tony chuckled, putting a hand on his shoulder absently as the laughter brought on an ache.
"No, of course not," McGee replied quickly, holding up his good hand to fend off the Goth.
"Okay" Abby sat back down in the empty chair between the beds, folding her legs under her with an eager smile. "Do tell, then."
Twenty minutes later Gibbs walked down the hallway, carrying a cup of coffee. He heard the laughter before he got to the door and there was no doubt which room was the cause of it. He allowed himself an indulgent smile before schooling his features to an appropriate frown. He didn't want to ruin their fun but both of those men needed rest, especially Tony, so he was going to have to put a stop to the party.
"Abs," Gibbs said, entering the room at the end of a particularly harrowing and racy tale from Tony. "The doctors want these two to rest."
"Hey, don't blame me. They started it before I got here." Abby protested, hooking her thumbs to point to both beds and their occupants.
"That true?" Gibbs asked both of his men. Suddenly he thought that they had never looked more like little boys, especially with the matching hand-caught-in-the-cookie-jar looks.
"He started it!" McGee and DiNozzo said in unison, both of them pointing at the other. Abby was still pointing at them too and Gibbs had to really fight hard to hold back a bark of laughter. Since when did he end up with three children?
After shooing Abby out of the room and back to her lab and ensuring that both of his agents seemed fine, Gibbs went back to the Navy yard.
When he returned later in the evening, he once again heard voices coming from the room. These were new voices, but Gibbs had a feeling he knew who they were. When he walked into the room his suspicions were confirmed.
McGee looked up when he entered. "Boss, I'd like you meet my parents. This is my dad, Sergeant George McGee and my mother, Maureen."
McGee's father was not quite was Gibbs expected. Even without the introduction, Gibbs would have instantly known the man was ex military. He held out a hand and had a firm, no-nonsense grip. "I'm retired, you can call me George," he said as his wife came up behind him. She took his hand lightly but Gibbs somehow felt that this was no weak woman. "Please call me Moe, everyone does."
Once the introductions were over, Gibbs joined in on the conversation, mostly consisting of stories about Tim's many misadventures as a child. Tony seemed to be enjoying the younger man's embarrassment, asking for more details whenever he could.
As Gibbs observed the proceedings, he noted more behind Tony's questions than the mere desire to embarrass his partner. Tony was seeking to know what it was like to have grown up living the kind of life McGee had.
He watched as Tony laughed and joked with McGee's parents, the DiNozzo charm on full blast. Gibbs wasn't fooled. With each passing moment he felt the agent's melancholy emanating from him. McGee and his parents didn't seem to notice it all and he couldn't blame them. Only someone who knew (and understood) Tony's pain would know that it was there.
Gibbs had been there once. Not long after losing his family he had been invited to a friend's house for a family barbeque. There he had seen a painful glimpse to a life he no longer had as he'd talked with the man's gracious wife and played with his rambunctious daughter. Just like DiNozzo, he had worked hard on the mask. He was sure that the happy family had no idea just how hard the evening had been for him.
After that, Gibbs always managed to be busy on the nights they had barbeques.
Sitting quietly in the corner, Gibbs could see DiNozzo's walls beginning to crumble. Perhaps it was pain of his injuries, the drugs or just the seemingly endless stories the doting parents told about their loving son. Either way, Gibbs knew he had to end it.
Making a great show of looking at his watch, Gibbs rose from the window sill where he'd been leaning. "Got an early day tomorrow," he said simply.
George and Moe rose too. "Oh my goodness, I had no idea how late it was. Visiting hours are about over," Moe said, reaching down to give her son a hug. "You get some sleep, you hear me Tim?"
McGee nodded obediently, "Goodnight mom, see you guys tomorrow."
The McGee's said goodbye to Tony and after wishing him well, both left. Gibbs escorted them to the elevator and then returned to the room briefly. He found McGee happy and relaxed, watching a movie on tv while Tony stared quietly out the window. The younger man had yet to notice anything wrong with his partner. Tony wouldn't appreciate any attention being brought to him so Gibbs held his peace. Lord knew he wouldn't if he were in Tony's shoes.
Gibbs briefly wished that the men weren't sharing a room. He wasn't sure what he would say, but he could have at least tried to talk to him. As it was, he knew there was no chance of saying anything to Tony. Hoping that a good night's sleep would heal all, Gibbs had no choice but to leave things as they were.
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The next morning started early for Gibbs with the shrill ringing of his phone. Momentarily frightened that something had happened to one or both of his men, he grabbed it quickly.
Twenty minutes later he was getting into his car and driving to the hospital. Nothing was wrong with his men, but he still had news to deliver to one of them. As he grew closer to the room, he could make out McGee's voice.
"….more day and I'm out of here. Never thought I'd be happy to be going home to my parents but at least it beats being in the hospital."
Gibbs entered then, not exactly sure how to break the news. Before he could say anything, Tony spoke up from his bed. Gibbs was worried to see that he looked pretty much the same as he had the night before. Apparently hearing that not only was his partner getting released before he was, but also had a family to look after him, wasn't doing the Italian much good.
"Change in plans, McGee."
"What?" McGee asked, puzzled. "But I talked to my dad last night and they said the docs gave them the okay to take me home so long as I had someone around to help me so I don't strain my shoulder and…"
"Sorry Tim, your dad called me first thing this morning. Your grandmother took a fall last night. Nothing too serious but they had to fly out to see her in the hospital. Right now they don't know when they'll be back."
"My sister.." McGee began, hoping maybe she'd be able to take him in or at least come live with him so that the doctors would agree to let him go home.
"She's in Europe, remember? Some sort of college exchange student program."
"Oh right," McGee had completely forgotten about that.
"So what now?" McGee asked, hoping that they weren't suggesting he stay in the hospital any longer. He didn't know what he would do if he had nowhere to go and no one to take care of him. How horrible would that be….?
As McGee's mind formed the thought, he suddenly realized that the very thing he was dreading was also the very thing his partner was facing. Tony had no family to take care of him. Since the docs weren't going to release him either unless he did, he had nowhere to go either.
Wanting to kick himself (or slap himself in the back of the head, considering present company), McGee realized how terrible it must have been for Tony to hang out with his parents the previous night. He'd been completely fooled by the other man's act and it made him sick that he hadn't seen through it.
The more he thought about it, the more McGee realized that Tony had been quiet and contemplative ever since. The fact that the other man hadn't ragged on him once since his parents had left should have clued him in, but he'd been so excited about getting out that he hadn't given the other man a single thought.
Now he looked over at his partner, noticing that Tony's eyes were still looking out the window.
Still in the doorway, Gibbs watched McGee. He read the younger man's thoughts as they passed over his face as clearly as if he'd spoken them aloud. McGee had finally picked up on what he himself had noted last night. Before McGee could say anything, Gibbs spoke up.
"Looks like I'm just gonna have to deal with both of you," Gibbs said, watching for Tony's reaction. Sure enough, at his words, the other man finally looked up from his quiet reverie.
"Boss?" Tony was puzzled.
"Guess I'll just have to deal with both of you now."
Tony and McGee traded surprised glances.
"Both of us?" Tony asked hesitantly.
"Well yeah DiNozzo, unless you've got other plans. Already talked to the docs last night about letting you go home to your own place. They only agreed after Duck, Abs and I gave them a schedule of who would be with you, and when. Don't see why we all can't handle you too, McGee. We'll just stick you both in Tony's place and keep the same schedule. I'll need you both ready to go at oh seven hundred tomorrow morning, got it?"
"Yes Boss," McGee replied.
"DiNozzo?" Gibbs queried, unable to read the look on his Senior Field Agent's face. "You got a problem with this?"
"No, Boss." Tony's expression was changing by the second as his mind processed what he was being told. Gibbs had talked to the docs last night? He wasn't going to be left all alone in the hospital? People had been talking about him? People cared about where he went and who would be taking care of him? These were things he hadn't considered.
"Good. See you both tomorrow."
After Gibbs walked out, Tony seemed to finally snap completely out of his thoughts. Turning to his partner, he grinned for the first time that morning.
"Guess we're stuck with each other a little longer, Probie."
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Hi folks!
So there it is, chapter twelve done. I was surprised at how many of you wanted Tony to meet McGee's parents so I hope y'all enjoyed their brief appearance in this chapter.
Only one more chapter left to go and I promise (pinky swear!!!) that it will be done and up before the premiere of season 7 next week. I'm so excited!
Be sure to check out my blog after it airs for my review of the episode. Two new reviews are up there right now, one for the Supernatural season premiere (ep 5.01 -"Sympathy For The Devil") and my very first book review! The book was written by one of our very own authors so you might want to check it out. :o)
