Part 17

Despite the various sounds down the hall from the ER, silence sat heavy in the small waiting room. Gibbs sat by the window, looking through the blinds as the day darkened into night. Tony stood at a wall, studying a poster explaining the importance of hand washing.

"You ready to tell me what happened?"

Gibbs' voice was quiet, but Tony still flinched. Grabbing the back of a chair, he walked around it and sat down heavily. Across the room, Gibbs leaned forward to listen, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Petty Officer Jefferson was murdered by some locals - the ones the state police told you about. They killed him over some stupid jealousy thing - pointless."

"Why didn't you arrest them before leaving Sutton Town?"

Tony shook his head. "We didn't have enough evidence. Tim figured he could do some digging once we got back to the office. We had a lead on some purchases that would link Michaels to the weapons used in the murder."

"So you started back to Washington."

"We had a blowout, right over some little bridge that had no safety railing, of course. The car flipped; ended up wrapped around a tree. I don't remember any of it; all I remember is waking up on the ground. McGee pulled me clear of the wreck."

Gibbs waited as Tony pushed himself to his feet and stepped back to the poster on the wall. He stared at it.

"When did you know how badly he was hurt?"

Tony's lips rolled in against his teeth. He turned to lean against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. "Not until later. He wouldn't tell me he was hurt - probably figured it would only slow us down, or something stupid like that." Tony laughed, but it sounded forced. "If it had been me I would have been announcing to anyone who would listen all about my woes and troubles. But not Probie -" He shook his head and looked at the floor. "Not McGee."

Gibbs pushed up and moved to stand across from him. "How'd you find the doctors?"

"By accident, if you can believe that. Vernon - Dr. Stanley, is retired, though I have the feeling the town's going to ask him to hang his shingle back up. Dr. Mansfield is the one who operated on McGee."

"Operated?"

Something in his voice must have clued Tony into the fact that he'd managed to leave this little detail out. He glanced at Gibbs. "Operated."

"Where?"

"Vernon's house."

Gibbs' eyebrows lifted. "His house? What was a retired doctor doing with surgical equipment in his house?"

Tony's jaw worked as he grit his teeth. "He didn't have any, not really. We had to work with what we had."

Gibbs took a step closer. His voice grew quieter. "What did he use for anesthesia?"

Tony's eyes darted up to look at Gibbs. His nose flared as he drew in a deep breath. Barely loud enough to hear, he said, "Me; I held him down while they cut him open."

Gibbs lifted a hand to run through his hair. He clasped the back of his neck. After a minute, he turned away, walked back to his chair, and sat down with a heavy sigh. "Damn."

Tony sat down, too.

A woman dressed in scrubs entered the area. Gibbs and Tony stood to meet her. "I'm Dr. Leslie. Are you Agent Gibbs?" Gibbs offered his hand and she shook it. "Agent McGee came through surgery fine. We've got him on massive dosages of antibiotics to counter some infection that's beginning to develop, but considering what he's been through, I've very satisfied with his progress. I'd like to discuss details with his family; are they here?"

"They're out of the country, I'm afraid. We'll be taking care of him until they return."

She nodded. "All right. He's in recovery and he'll stay there until he's stable. After that he'll be moved to ICU for a couple of days, at least for observation. I expect he'll have a full recovery, barring any complications."

Tony leaned closer. "Complications?"

She looked at him and gave him a tight smile. "Peritonitis. We'll keep a close eye on him, I promise." She nodded at them, an obvious dismissal. "He won't be awake or able to see visitors for several hours. Why don't you gentlemen go home and get some sleep - you both look like you could use some. You'll want to be strong and well rested when he wakes up, since his family isn't here. We'll call if anything develops." With another smile, she turned and walked away.

"Come on, Tony. You can have the couch." Snagging Tony's elbow, Gibbs pulled him through the room. Neither said much as they drove home.