One second Jethro was looking at him with vibrant, sparkling blue eyes and the next, they were clenched shut in pain, mouth a silent ‘O’ of pain. Tony shouted, “Abby! Abby! I need a doctor in here! Abby!” and continued to hold Jethro in place, positive that moving him would be a very bad idea.
The door crashed open and he was suddenly surrounded by concerned people. A few seconds later, he exclaimed, “Unless your name is Abby or Caitlin, or you’re a doctor, get the hell out!”
Only seconds later, they had moved back to the doorway, if not left altogether, and Tony held the now-unconscious Jethro in place, still, and demanding, “A doctor, Abs, we need a doctor! I think one of his shrapnel pieces moved out of place. He’s got them all over.”
“Already called an ambulance,” Abby told him. “Let’s get him set to rights and then we can move him.”
Shaking his head, Tony said, “We shouldn’t move him.”
“How about zipping his fly?” Caitlin suggested dryly, though tension underlined her voice.
Right.
“Abby, hold him up while I get that.”
Caitlin moved closer to help
with that and took one side while Abby did the other. That actually allowed
Tony to tuck Jethro in and zip him up, as well as put his own pants in order.
With a dark sense of humor, he thought, Good
thing I cleaned him off already with my tongue or there would definitely be the
wrong kind of questions.
Only a few minutes later, two ambulance orderlies came in and one of them asked, “What happened?”
“I don’t know. One minute I was taking a leak and the next the Captain was in enough pain to knock him out. He’s got shrapnel injuries in his back,” Tony told them.
They carefully shuffled Jethro from the sink counter onto a stretcher and the first said, “We’ll take him to the base hospital.”
Tony, Abby, and Caitlin scrambled after the ambulance orderlies, Tony barely noticing when Abby tossed her keys at someone to close up. They hopped in her ancient Edson and Tony held on for dear life as she hurtled down the narrow streets after the ambulance. They were stopped at the gate, of course, but Tony leaned across Abby and held out his credentials to the guards and exclaimed, “We’re with Captain Gibson who was just brought in.”
The guard nodded and waved them through, and Abby hit the gas again, sending Tony falling back in the seat. She came to a screeching halt in a parking spot not far from the door and Tony stumbled out of the car, glad that Abby couldn’t get anywhere near a plane. Though really, he wasn’t all that sure that they hadn’t left the ground a few times.
They were stopped by a severe looking nurse who demanded, “And just where do you think you’re going?”
“Captain Gibson,” Tony replied. “He was just brought in. We’re with him.”
“Name?”
“Lt. Com. DiMarco.”
She gave them a disdainful look then pointed to the waiting area and ordered, “Sit.”
Tony had as yet to disobey a direct order in that tone, and so headed over to the small collection of chairs to pace. Abby and Caitlin took seats beside each other and Tony snarled silently on seeing them holding hands. No one would think twice about two women doing that, but he and Jethro couldn’t even touch without being suspect.
“Lt. Com. DiMarco?”
Tony jerked around at the call of his name and found a young woman with thick, dark hair looking at him. He hurried across the room and confirmed, “That’s me. Is Captain Gibson okay, ma’am?”
“Not very, no,” she replied. “It seems that the two inch shrapnel closest to his spine has shifted. I need some more details of what he was doing just before he passed out. The orderlies said that he was on a counter?”
Abby and Caitlin had joined them by then and Abby demanded, “Where’s the doctor? Shouldn’t he be the one asking these questions?”
Stiffly, the woman replied, “I am Dr. Ziva Yadin and the attending doctor on staff for the night shift. I believe that Captain Gibson needs immediate surgery, but it’s possible that temporary immobilization could work as well. I need to know what he was doing before the incident. If he was simply standing there washing his hands, then in all likelihood, the shrapnel is on the move and we need to take the risk of surgery. If, however, he was doing something more active and accidentally moved it himself, then it’s possible that keeping him still and allowing it time to return to where it was, will do the trick. So I repeat the question. What was Captain Gibson doing at the time of the incident?”
“Me,” Abby blurted out.
Dr. Yadin arched an eyebrow at her. “I beg your pardon?”
“I see,” Dr. Yadin replied, disapproval apparent. “And what precisely were you doing? What…position…was he in?”
Abby’s gaze flickered over to Tony and he sucked his cheeks in as a hint. Clearing her throat, Abby continued, “Well, ah, he was, you know, on the counter and it was…you know…my mouth and his…peter.”
To the doctor’s credit, the disapproval didn’t get any worse. She simply repeated, “I see. So he was very…active...then.”
“Ah, yes?” Abby answered, glancing at Tony.
Tony offered the doctor as disarming a smile as he could when her dark gaze shifted from Abby to him. “Hi there.”
“Were you present?” Dr. Yadin questioned.
Shaking his head, Tony answered firmly, “Nope.”
“Then why does she keep looking at you?”
Observant, Tony thought, even as he shrugged. “Abby tends to get…focused…during things like that.”
“And you would know,” Dr. Yadin said dryly.
Tony shrugged again and said, “Not at the same time as Captain Gibson, no, but she and I dated a few times when I was first stationed here.”
Dr. Yadin huffed in what could have been amusement or annoyance as her attention refocused on Abby. “Captain Gibson is not a young man like the Lieutenant here, and on top of that has specific injuries that should not be aggravated in such a fashion. In the future, should you and he decide to be…active…again, I strongly recommend that he be flat on his back and stationary. I’m sure an inventive woman such as yourself and figure out the rest.”
Abby flushed, but only murmured, “Yes, ma’am.”
“Is he going to be all right?” Tony asked, hating the way Abby had to take the lecture in his place. “Are you going to recommend surgery?”
Dr. Yadin shook her head. “For now, I’ll have him immobilized and watched closely. You may see him tomorrow during regular visiting hours. Good night everyone.”
Tony watched her leave and wished desperately that he could claim a right to be at Jethro’s side. To at least see for himself that the other man was all right. It wasn’t possible, though, so he just sighed and turned morosely towards the door.
Abby slung an arm around his waist and said, “Don’t worry, Tony, he’ll be all right. He’s a tough old bird.”
Caitlin surprised him by putting an arm around him from the other side as they left the hospital, and agreeing, “She’s right. The Cap’ll be just fine, you’ll see. He’s too ornery to let this keep him down for long. Matter of fact, I sure as hell wouldn’t want to be the staff around here when he thinks he’s fit enough to leave and they won’t let him.”
At that, Tony had to smile, imagining the scene. He was sure that Jethro would be a holy terror and was rather looking forward to him putting that doctor in her place.
* * * *
Ziva hadn’t been raised around doctors and politicians not to be able to read body language, or know when people were lying to her. She was sure that the activity told to her was true, but the people involved, were not. As distasteful as it was, the Captain and Lieutenant were the most likely participants in the mouth vs. peter story. While not as parochial as most of her colleagues, Ziva did not believe that homosexuality was a psychiatric disorder, she still found the thought of two men together quite repugnant.
Studying the unconscious man before her, Ziva found the hard lines of his face intriguing. She knew there was nothing deficient about this man’s character, no matter what his…proclivities. From his scars alone, Ziva knew him to be brave and self-sacrificing. She could tell from the pattern on his back that he’d jumped on someone else to protect them from the explosive device, whatever it had been. It certainly hadn’t been a land-mine, as she knew most people would assume. Add to that the commendations in his file and that he was moving with any degree of mobility at all and the sum of this man’s character was something to be envied. He was not to be disparaged because his body betrayed him in its aberrant desire for another man.
Testing the bonds that held him down, Ziva nodded in satisfaction and left as silently as she’d come. Stopping at the nurses’ station, she ordered, “Have someone sitting in the Captain’s room at all times. I have no doubt that he will react badly to waking up and being unable to move. I don’t want him struggling against the restraints and doing himself more damage.”
The nurse nodded and Ziva continued on her rounds.
* * * *
The first thing that Jethro noticed was the decided lack of pain and the bad taste in the back of his mouth. He’d been hospitalized enough to know that he was being given drugs and grimaced. He hated anesthesia and morphine was a real bitch to wean off. His vision was blurry and he blinked rapidly to clear his eyes, but without success. Jethro tried to lift his hand to find a call button, only to discover that he couldn’t. Panic hit a split second after the thought that he was paralyzed, that the shrapnel by his spine had cut it in half or at least dug into it.
“Easy, Captain, you’re okay,” a soft voice soothed. “You’re not paralyzed, you’re simply being restrained. Close your eyes and I’ll clear them off for you.”
Jethro did as he was told, his heart beat slowing down from its panicked speed. “Why am I restrained?”
“Because I don’t want you to move around and hurt yourself further,” the woman continued, a dry cloth now wiping over his eyes.
Opening them, Jethro found a woman in her mid-thirties standing over him. Long dark hair was pulled up in a gentle chignon, accentuating her dusky, exotic features and dark eyes. She didn’t look like any nurse he’d seen before and he demanded, “Who are you?”
“Dr. Ziva Yadin, your physician for this particular hospitalization,” she explained. “I’m going to undo the restraints, but you have to promise me that you won’t move.”
“I won’t.”
“All right then.”
It was a few minutes later before the restraints were gone and he sighed in relief. “Thank you.”
She smiled. “My pleasure. Now then, let’s get the unpleasantries out of the way, shall we?”
“Don’t you mean pleasantries?” Jethro suggested.
“Not unless you enjoy being poked and prodded.”
“Not really.”
“Didn’t think so.”
Jethro suffered through a very thorough exam with as much patience as he could. It was a good half hour before she pronounced it over and he breathed a sigh of relief. “So? What’s the verdict?”
“I’m going to have you sent down for more x-rays, but from touch alone, I’d say you were out of the woods for now,” Dr. Yadin informed him. Raising a cautioning finger, she continued, “But! From now on, any…physical activities…in which you might engage are to take place with you flat on your back. Your girlfriend will have to be the one to do all the work.”
Jethro’s face heated at the blunt appraisal from such a pretty woman. It was one thing for him and Caitlin to talk about sex, they’d known each other for years and she was as manly as he was, despite her packaging. It was like talking to one of the guys. But for this pretty young doctor to do the same just didn’t seem right.
“And on that embarrassing note, I will leave you to get some rest,” Dr. Yadin said, apparently taking pity on him.
Jethro gave her a grateful smile before she left, then settled in to wait for visiting hours.
* * * *
The problem with being in the military was that Tony’s schedule wasn’t his own. He couldn’t just go see Jethro when visiting hours came up, he was in the middle of fixing an engine with one of the new replacements who’d been bussed over during the night. And then after that was a briefing and after that, more repairs. Finally, around 1600, he was cleared from duty and able to run over to the hospital for the last hour of visiting hours.
When he got there, Jethro was sleeping and he sighed in disappointment, but silently picked up a chair to move over by the bed. While his back was turned, Jethro announced, “I’m not sleeping,” and he jumped in surprise, dropping the chair on his foot. Hissing in pain, he shoved the chair off and turned with a minor glare. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”
Jethro grinned at him and replied, “Just admiring the view, DiMarco.”
Tony snorted, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. He looked around quickly, then brushed fingers through the short, silvery hair and asked, “How’re you feeling?”
“Like hell, but I’ll live,” Jethro answered, leaning into the caress, however briefly. “How’s your foot?”
“It’s fine,” Tony assured him, noting the pain lines around his lover’s eyes. “Aren’t they giving you anything?”
Shaking his head, Jethro said, “I asked them not to. I don’t like not being in control like that.”
“There’s a surprise,” Tony observed dryly.
Jethro lightly smacked his thigh and said, “Don’t get smart with me. I can still put you on KP duty.”
Tony smiled, countering, “Ah, but then you’d be stuck here all alone, without anyone to relieve the boredom.”
“No, he wouldn’t,” Dr. Yadin said from behind.
Immediately standing from the bed, Tony stepped back to face the doctor and managed a smile as he replied, “Well that’s good, then.”
“I’m surprised to see you here, Lieutenant,” she continued. “Don’t you have duties?”
Tony’s smile thinned a bit. “Done for the day, ma’am. You’re here early for the night shift.”
She shrugged and explained, “I practically live here. Most of the doctors do. Never know when there’ll be an emergency, so we like to stay close to where we’re needed.”
The veiled insult was easy enough to detect and Tony stiffened.
Jethro jumped into the conversation with, “So when are you going to let me out, Doc?”
“Not for another couple of days,” Dr. Yadin stated firmly.
Sighing, Jethro said, “I’m fine, you know. I’m right back to where I was before everything happened.”
With a smile, she replied, “Humor me. My parents paid a lot of money for my education and occasionally, I like to think I know what I’m doing.”
Jethro echoed the smile and suddenly, Tony felt completely superfluous. They’d obviously developed some kind of rapport or friendship in the wee hours and since, and it sent a flutter of nerves through him. Clearing his throat, Tony said, “I’m just gonna get going. I’ll see you later, Captain. Doctor.”
He hurried out of the room before Jethro could do more than look at him in surprise, but Dr. Yadin followed him out and called, “Lieutenant, if you have a moment?”
Gritting his teeth, Tony stopped in place then turned around. “Sure. What can I do you for, Doctor?”
“In private, if you don’t mind?”
Tony made an ‘after you’ gesture, and she walked to an empty hospital room down the hall. Closing the door, Tony waited.
She eyed him for a long moment, then stated, “I know that you and Captain Gibson are having an affair.”
Keeping his face neutral, Tony replied, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t even try to dissemble with me, Lieutenant, I can spot a lie at twenty paces,” Dr. Yadin informed him. “Body language never lies. I’m not here to expose you, I’m here to ask that you leave Captain Gibson alone.”
“Even supposing that I know what you’re talking about, why would I?” Tony countered.
Dropping her own mask for the first time, Dr. Yadin replied, “Because he’s a good man, Lieutenant. He’s only got one tour left, this one, and he shouldn’t have to risk being compromised for any reason, let alone that one. As I understand it, his ex-fiance is arriving in a couple of hours. I’m asking you to let nature take its course and give him peace for his remaining days.”
Alarmed, Tony exclaimed, “You said he was all right!”
She held up a hand and said, “He is, for now. That could change at any time, however. Honestly, I’m surprised he’s made it as long as he has without anything worse than last night happening. It’s a testimony to his strength of will and character. Let him finish this last assignment with honor, Lieutenant. Leave him be.”
Tony couldn’t think of anything to say to that, and so said nothing at all. He simply left, thoughts in a whirl, and stomach tight with a sense of failure.
* * * *
Tony walked morosely towards the mess, not even noticing Caitlin as she came up behind him. That was unusual enough to warrant a frown, even if he hadn’t been screaming ‘The world’s going to end,’ with his body language. Tapping him on the opposite shoulder caused the officer to actually turn the wrong way, before he twisted back towards Caitlin. Arching an eyebrow when he did nothing more than sigh in irritation, she asked, “Something wrong?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Tony answered shortly, stepping into line for supper.
Which was definitely not Tony, so Caitlin followed him even though she wasn’t planning to eat. “Come on, Tony, you know you want to tell me, whatever it is.”
“I really don’t.”
“Sure you do. I’m a great listener.”
“No you’re not.”
“Now that hurts.”
Tony snorted as he walked to a table and sat down.
Caitlin noticed that it was away from anyone else in the half-filled mess, and figured that he really did want to talk. It was just going to take some prying on her part.
“When was Gibson engaged?”
Then again, perhaps it wouldn’t.
Mentally changing gears, Caitlin answered, “About six years ago. Her name’s Jennifer Garrison and she was an intelligence officer.”
“Like you?” Tony questioned.
Caitlin laughed, then shook her head. “No, not like me. Jen was too…proper…to get into the kinds of situations that I get into all the time. She’s a Senator’s aide now, I believe.”
“How serious were they?”
Hesitating only briefly, Caitlin told him, “You have to understand that Jethro’s done the right thing his entire life, Tony. He enlisted directly after school, rose through the ranks by the sweat of his brow, and never left a man behind. When Jen entered his life, Gibson was having a rough time of it and I think he didn’t want to be alone, more than he felt anything real for her.”
“He wouldn’t have proposed if he didn’t feel anything for her,” Tony pointed out, somewhat bitter.
Caitlin sighed. “I didn’t say
that he felt nothing. It’s just that…they were together for almost a year and
he was shipping out on some secret mission and leaving her to the wilds of
Tony gave her a sharp look and demanded, “What explosion? The one where he got injured?”
“Yeah,” she confirmed. “It was a plant, though there aren’t any details. All I really know is that there were ten of them in the room and four that made it out. He covered Jen with his own body to save her and by all rights, shouldn’t have survived at all, let alone done this well.”
Looking as though he’d tasted something unpleasant, Tony said, “And she left him.”
“Or he drove her away,” Caitlin replied with a shrug. “You never can tell, with the Captain.”
Tony poked savagely at his mashed potatoes, then informed her, “She’s here, or will be shortly.”
Astonished, Caitlin exclaimed, “Jen’s here? What on earth for?”
“Apparently to give Jethro the normal, healthy life that he deserves,” Tony muttered, sliding into depressed again.
“Well shite! The doctor knows?” Caitlin demanded.
Tony nodded and continued to move his vegetables around on the tray.
“Is she going to make trouble?”
“I don’t think so. Especially not if I leave Jethro alone.”
Caitlin kicked him under the table and met his glare with one of her own. “You’re the only reason that I’ve seen the Captain so bucked-up in a long time, DiMarco! You let that go without a fight and I will personally kick your ass from here to Berlin and then leave it there with a great big sign that says, ‘Allied Fighter Pilot’ on it. You got me?”
Tony hissed, “What can I do? Tell me what the hell I can do with someone who’s in a position to destroy his life, okay, Kate? Nothing. That’s what.”
Feeling oddly protective of the man before her, Caitlin smiled thinly and promised, “You leave the good doctor to me. In the meantime, get your ass back there and apologize to the Captain before he thinks you’ve gone and left for good.”
He stared at her for a long moment, then whispered, “Thanks,” and left the mess at a jog.
So. What to do about the doctor? Caitlin mused thoughtfully, tugging Tony’s tray forward to munch on the cookies he’d left behind.
* * * *
Tony slowed to a fast walk when he reached the hospital, not wanting to draw undue attention to himself. It was only a few minutes before he reached Jethro’s hospital room, feeling a bit like an idiot for having left like he did in the first place. Thank God Caitlin had been around to talk sense into him. Although what she might have planned for Dr. Yadin, Tony was pretty sure he didn’t want to know.
Just about to enter the room, Tony stopped short on seeing a woman sitting on the edge of Jethro’s bed. She leaned forward, brushing her lips over the captain’s forehead, and took his hand. Jethro smiled at her and brought the delicate hand up to his lips. Tony moved to the side of the door and listened shamelessly to the soft conversation.
“You haven’t changed a bit, Jen,” Jethro observed. “Still as beautiful as ever.”
She laughed, soft and warm. “That’s kind of you to say, Jethro, but I see the wrinkles, same as you do.”
Tony grimaced at the flirting.
“So what brings you by?”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“What, this? C’mon, Jen, I’ve been worse than this and it never got your attention before,” Jethro countered.
Jen sighed and said, “Jethro, I want you to stop playing hero and do what you should have done two years ago.”
“What’s that?”
“Marry me.”
“Jen…”
“No, I mean it. We’re good together and you know it,” Jen interrupted. “I know that you don’t have the same needs as most men, and that’s fine with me. All I want is one child, and then we can just share a bed for the rest of our lives. I know how much you want children.”
Jethro sighed and sounded wistful as he answered, “It would be nice, yeah.”
“So say yes. We can be happy, Jethro, I know we can,” Jen insisted, kissing his hand again.
That he didn’t turn her down right away sent a jolt of pain through Tony’s heart. Whether he made a noise or Jethro just sensed his presence, Tony wasn’t sure, but pale blue eyes flickered to his and an alarmed expression crossed the other man’s face. Shaking his head, Tony turned and ran back towards the elevators, not wanting to hear lies and meaningless apologies.
On the run back to his quarters, the air raid alarm pierced the air. Tony spun in the direction of the airfield and increased his speed. The promise of flight and the adrenaline of battle was an oblivion that he needed more than ever.
* * * *
Caitlin had never shirked from doing what needed to be done before, but her feet dragged as she walked to Gibson’s hospital room to deliver the bad news. She was still in shock herself, which was probably for the best, and had no idea how she would tell her best friend that his lover was dead.
Not dead! she told herself fiercely. Missing! He’s alive and trying
to find a way back here!
Despite the fierce internal battle on that debate, Caitlin knew that Jethro would assume Tony was dead. If only they hadn’t fought that day, because she also knew that Jethro would blame himself for Tony not being at his best, for being distracted and getting shot down.
It turned out that she didn’t have to say anything. As soon as Gibson took one look at her face, his jaw tightened and he gritted out, “When?”
“About two hours ago. Morrow called me to give you the news about fifteen minutes ago,” she replied softly.
Jethro’s eyes closed, and the pain etched into his face had nothing to do with his injuries.
“He could be alive, Captain,” Caitlin said. “We don’t have confirmation one way or the other. He was separated from the group, went after one of the enemy on his own, and flew off radar. When the squadron had time to go after him, there was just no sign of him one way or another.”
“Leave me be, Katie, just…leave me be.”
Aching at the pain that remained visible on his face, a sure sign of just how deep it went, Caitlin sighed and left the hospital room, closing the door behind her.