The man jumped away from Tony, and off the bed in a heartbeat, raising his hands up quickly while his penis lost its attention. His blue eyes darted wildly around the room, undoubtedly trying to see a way out.
Gibbs wanted to shoot the sick bastard, more than he'd ever wanted anything in his life, after seeing him on top of Tony, wearing a freaking mask…about to…
He was trembling with fury, finger itching on his trigger for Pink to make a run for it.
"Go ahead…" Gibbs growled.
Ziva ran to Tony, whose head was turned away from them, facing the window. She knelt quickly, speaking to him in soothing tones. Tony was lightly panting, but otherwise still.
Gibbs' eyes never left Pink, as opposed to McGee, who faltered for a moment, seeing Tony tied and naked as he was. He regained his composure quickly, and walked to Pink, and cuffed him, yanking his arms behind his back roughly. and read him his rights. He also ripped off the mask, revealing the same face as in Brian Dean's witness sketch.
As he started to nudge Pink out of the room, Gibbs picked up a pair of dress slacks off the floor that he knew weren't Tony's, and with a look of disgust, handed them to McGee.
"Oh, ah," McGee said, so focused on getting Pink out of the room he almost forgot they should probably get his pants back on before sitting him in one of the cars. "Thanks…Boss…" he said with a grossed out expression on his face.
As soon as they were out of the room, Gibbs holstered his gun, and took off his trenchcoat, laying it over Tony, who was shivering. He didn't see any…damage before covering Tony's naked ass, and was hopeful they'd arrived in time before Pink had violated him.
He set about cutting the ropes and freeing Tony's limbs, angry, and sickened at the raw friction marks on his skin. Tony had been struggling at some point…
He heard Tony, breathe out, "Ziva…" as he struggled to look at her.
"It is okay now, Tony. Pink has been hand-cuffed and the LEOs have him in one of their squad cars." She stroked his face, looking worriedly at Gibbs and then back to Tony.
"Pink?" he said weakly, confused.
"Yes. The…publisher of the book…Wendy wrote," Ziva said, unsure what was in the book at this point, since she had only heard of it when McGee discovered the horse farm belonging to Orlon Pink, and recognized the name.
Tony was trying to think, but the drugs had him very fuzzy at this point. His eyes started to close.
"Tony?" Ziva called, alarmed,
"Ziva," Gibbs put a slightly unsteady hand on her shoulder, needing badly to be close to Tony, "Go see what's taking the ambulance."
Her dark eyes looked up at him, and he saw one stray tear leak from them. She stood up, and he gave her a quick hug. "It's okay. We've got him now. He's gonna' be okay."
He felt her nod into his chest, and quickly break away from him, wiping her face as she left the room.
He knelt next to the bed, carefully, not jostling Tony in case he was hurt further than was visible.
He put a gentle hand to the younger man's pale face. "Hey…Tony?"
A barely audible moan was his response.
"DiNozzo!" he said more loudly, and then smiled just a little, when the green eyes cracked open.
Tony took a moment to focus on his face. "G..ss.." he barely got out, blinking very slowly.
"Yeah. It's me…" Gibbs said warmly, pressing a kiss to Tony's temple. He pulled back and saw the faintest upward curve of Tony's lips.
"Misssdme…ha?" Tony murmured, trying to keep his eyes open.
Gibbs nodded, swallowing, suddenly overwhelmed. "You…put a hundred years on me today, Tony…"
He felt the minute puff of air from Tony's nose. "Ssstll..beehot…olllman…"
Gibbs snorted softly and shook his head, caressing Tony's head as he fell out once more.
Tony's awareness didn't return fully until the next night.
He woke up, thankfully to a quiet hospital room, with only an IV in his arm and no beeping machines.
Which was different. He got into deep shit so often, it almost didn't seem right he wasn't critical.
He smiled when he saw Gibbs, propped up in a chair snoring, next to his bed.
He frowned, confused. What happened this time to land him in Bethesda?
Images and feelings started to come back to him.
"God…" he whispered, suddenly feeling he wanted to shower in acid to get the man's touch off him. Orlon Pink, the publisher of Wendy's book. What the Hell was it about that damned book? Did everyone who read it go crazy?
He sighed softly, regaining his clarity and thinking about everything that had happened since the night Wendy told him about the book.
That damned book.
It was a Pandora's Box, letting out secret, dangerous things, that he was never going to be able to push back in again.
He stared at Gibbs' handsome face, and silvery hair.
Something amazing had come out of it…but so much suffering as well. If Gibbs hadn't showed up when he did…Tony closed his eyes and shuddered, remembering the feel of scissors against his throat and hands where they didn't belong.
"Hey," Gibbs called to him sleepily, with a vague sense of alarm. "You okay?" He rubbed his face, and then leaned forward, placing a hand on Tony's arm.
Tony was quiet for a moment, taking in the fact Gibbs hadn't shaved and looked a little worn out.
"What time is it?" he croaked out, throat a bit dry.
Gibbs looked at his watch. "About 18:00 hours. You were out since they brought you in last night."
Tony raised his brows, "Wow..." He tried to smile, but it felt like a grimace.
Gibbs stood up, and looked at Tony. His stare was so intense, the younger man fought the urge to look away.
"Pink shot you up with a Ketamine blend…horse tranq. And…aside the bit of abrasion on your wrists and ankles, they didn't find any damage on you. Of course…they couldn't…ascertain if….couldn't…do a rape kit without your consent…"
Tony cringed. "Not necessary. He …ahhh…didn't get the chance to seal the deal. You got there before it could happen."
Tony looked away from Gibbs' stare.
"What else…did anything else happen?" Gibbs asked, gently, eyes still glued to Tony's face.
Tony blew out a little air, "Oh…just a little of your usual perverted psycho fun. Holding a pair of scissors to my throat...and getting a good grope," Tony smiled weakly, and looked back at Gibbs, his eyes not reflecting the light tone he was trying for.
Gibbs seemed to flinch, hearing the words, and started to pace.
"How did you know it was Pink?" Tony asked, green eyes following Gibbs' movements. "I mean…his voice did sound familiar to me…but…"
"He'd been following you…for a while." Gibbs went back and forth, in front of Tony's bed. "Jesus!" Gibbs angrily dragged his hands through his hair, and then kept talking and pacing. "McGee and Ziva pulled Wendy in. And a guy named Clarence Warner, who worked at the stables for Pink. And that was the guy Pink hired to kidnap you. You're freaking ex…" Gibbs was almost choking on anger. "She had to write that stupid, piece of trash. She told us Pink asked to see photos of you and Lance recently, and she didn't notice anything strange about Pink asking her to keep them. Idiot!"
"Not her fault, Boss," Tony said faintly.
"Not her fault?" Gibbs stopped pacing. He stared at Tony incredulously. "Of course this is her fault! It's all her fault!"
Tony wondered if Gibbs was talking about Pink going after him…or his own conflicted desires.
Tony said, "Pink is a psycho. You and I both know he was probably gonna' freak out on someone. It wasn't all just because of a book. I'm not happy she wrote it. But you know what? I'm too tired to give a shit anymore." His green eyes plead for Gibbs to settle down.
But the Senior Agent continued to pace.
"Tony…how in the hell could we not notice this guy following you? At least for several days, if not weeks?" Gibbs finally stood stock still, with so much pain in his eyes, that Tony thought he could feel his own heart constrict.
He knew where this was going. He shook his head at Gibbs, and said, "No."
Gibbs looked away for a moment, eyes starting to glaze. His breath was starting to hitch just a little.
Tony sat up, and said, "No," again, but a little angrily.
Gibbs walked over to the bed, staring at Tony, into his eyes, and hoarsely forced out, "If you weren't distracted, and if I weren't distracted, this would not have happened. It's simple. There are good reasons for Rule 12."
Tony started to breathe more heavily now too. Goddammit, I'm too worn out for this.
Tony's eyes started to mist, as he gazed at Gibbs, and looked at his eyes and hair, and mouth, trying to cement a picture of his handsome face in his mind.
Then he said quietly, "I never figured you for a coward, Boss."
Gibbs frowned. "What?"
Tony repeated, "I never figured you for a coward. I always thought it would be just me…worried about anyone finding out about my sexuality…that I was a switch hitter. But…at this point, there's no hiding for me anymore. I mean, chrissakes, Lee…" he was trembling now as he spoke, "McGee and Ziva got quite an eyeful. And how long before they read that book anyway? But I don't care. I don't. I'm tired. I don't wanna' pretend anymore, or hide things about myself. But you…you wanna hide behind Rule 12? Go ahead."
"Tony," Gibbs began, but his voice was now threaded with anger, "I'm not-"
"Yes!" Tony said loudly. "Yes you are! And you know what Boss? I get it. I really do. But don't delude yourself. It's not Rule 12, or the danger of us being Agents, it's that you don't want anyone to think you're a cocksucker." Tony knew the words were harsh, but …they needed to be said.
Explosive anger, and shame, rose up in Gibbs. He couldn't tell at that moment that he had anything other than fury for the younger man. His hands were clenched at his sides.
He glared at Tony, and said in a low, barely controlled growl, "Think whatever the hell you want." And he grabbed his coat off the chair and stormed out.
Tony looked at the closed hospital door for a few minutes, still trembling with anger.
But after a few minutes, he realized that Gibbs had probably walked for good. And it was just over. Everything…after all he'd been through in the past week plus…and ten years of devotion in one form or another, to the man…he couldn't hold it in anymore.
Tony curled onto his side, and grabbed his pillow, and let the pain come.
"When will Tony be back?" Ziva asked Gibbs as he came back from MTAC.
"Director gave him a week off," Gibbs said, not looking at her.
McGee looked up from his desk. "He gets out of the hospital this afternoon, Boss."
"Yeah," Gibbs said plainly, opening a folder as he sat at his desk.
Ziva and McGee passed puzzled looks. They knew something was wrong.
"You are going to pick him up, yes?" Ziva asked in a careful tone.
Gibbs sighed, and rubbed his eyes. "There's still a lot of paperwork to wrap up on Pink and his cohort. Why don't one of you do it? Or Abby. She's over there now anyway."
Before they could answer, they all heard, "Not to worry, Jethro, I'll pick Anthony up this afternoon." Ducky's calm reassurance emanated from his words, as he strolled into the bullpen. He stared at Jethro, and tiled his head. He walked over to Gibbs' desk, taking a closer look at him.
"What?" Gibbs asked in annoyance.
"What indeed," Ducky said softly, as McGee and Ziva turned back to their work, sensing that they should.
"Our Anthony…has been through something…absolutely horrific. I would have thought that you would have-"
"Don't. Think." Gibbs shot him a look that was both angry, and pleading. He sighed. Looking down at his desk, and then returned his eyes to his long-time friend. "I'm…fully aware…of what that bastard did. But…" Gibbs looked away again. "I can't drop the ball on tying up the loose ends. Thanks for picking him up, Ducky."
Ducky nodded, and waited a while.
Gibbs looked up. "You're still here."
"Yes," Ducky smiled at him. "I am. I had one other question for you, Jethro. Ah, should I bring our lad back to his apartment, or were you thinking to keep an eye on him at your place?"
Gibbs bristled some more, feeling suddenly like he was under a microscope.
"Dammit, Duck! I dunno'. He should be fine. The drugs should be clear out of his system. Just take him home." Gibbs felt a pang of guilt, and concern for Tony, but he was trying very hard to separate himself…
Ducky heard the tension. And he suspected he knew why Gibbs was behaving this way. But he wouldn't push. Not at that moment in the bullpen, at least.
He sighed, "Alright, Jethro. I'll make sure he gets home safe and sound…or maybe even would consider a few days at my house. Just so someone checks on him regularly. Just for a few days…"
Gibbs was now reading his report.
Which from Ducky's vantage point, was not in the right direction. Gibbs was trying desperately to ignore him. And to pretend he was reading. Ducky reached over, and turned the page going the right way for Gibbs to read. He smiled, as Gibbs looked away, with a slight red flush near his collar. "You'll be able to read it better this way," Ducky said, and then left the bullpen.