Chapter 3

"Jethro?" A hot cup of coffee was shoved into his hand, rousing him from his doze. He'd been here for the last eighteen hours, only leaving Tony's bedside when he was shoved out of the room for Code Blues. And there had been three so far. Tony was too damn close to death. Even now, he was forced to watch Tony from behind glass in the ICU. He hated the protocol but with Tony so critical, they had defined visitation moments. And they were only moments, a stolen one here and there.

Ducky had been here with him the entire time, as had Abby, who was curled up into herself, so little girl and vulnerable that Jethro wanted to protect her from all of the horrors she'd seen. Jen was in and out, splitting her time between the investigation and Tony's bedside, updating Ziva, Lee, and McGee.

"Any change?"

Ducky shook his head. A few hours ago, he'd explained that they were going to heavily sedate Tony, bringing him into a medically induced coma. It was one way they hoped he'd rally, though nobody was hopeful.

His injuries read like a nightmare. Hands shattered, would have to be rebuilt. Nerve damage for sure. Skull fracture, mild, but if his brain started swelling, it could be fatal. Internal injuries that were horrifying, colon tearing, broken ribs, bruised kidneys, lacerated liver. And the scarring was massive. The kid was never going to be the same, would never see service again, but right now, all Jethro wanted was to see those green eyes open and focus on him.

"Have you spoken with his father yet?"

"No, Duck. Left a message. They don't care. We're his family." Jethro downed the coffee, the burn of the hot brew much better than the thoughts swirling through him. "Any updates from McGee?"

"Abby spoke to him a short while ago. There are five agents plus the director working the scene, and the best forensic tech from the state police is consulting. No leads yet. Perhaps at the club..."

Abby had been so distraught that Jen had pulled her off the case immediately. When they found the perps—and they would—it would all be by the books and airtight. "They're sending someone in undercover, Duck? Did I hear that? Who? Not McGee."

Jethro had been so wrapped up in the life or death struggle with Tony that he'd barely listened to any of the specifics of the case and what he had heard hadn't been well absorbed.

"Not McGee, dear boy. Someone from Richmond's vice. None of your team will be in danger." Ducky gave him a stern look. "Jethro, every effective leader must eat. You can't subsist on coffee and adrenaline. You're fading fast and as your physician, I have to insist that you eat something."

Jethro sighed, too exhausted to argue. "Any pizza or Chinese places deliver?"

Ducky crouched down to his level and Jethro barely resisted the urge to pull the older man up or offer his chair. "Jethro, this is not a sprint, it is a marathon. Tony will be deeply unconscious for some time. When he awakens, he will need you at your sharpest. You need to eat. Take Abby, get a quick bite somewhere, refresh yourself. You'll be no good to anyone like this, Jethro. You're right on the edge."

Ducky squeezed Jethro's knee. "As your doctor and as your friend, I insist. I won't like to do it but I can have you banned from Tony's bedside if you don't care for yourself."

Jethro stood abruptly, knocking Ducky's hand off his leg. "You'll do no such thing, Dr. Mallard."

"Don't push me into it, Special Agent Gibbs. The health of all of you is my priority. You'll be no good to Tony if your body is breaking down." He stood, putting a gentle hand on Jethro's shoulder. "If you intend to be here for Tony, you must take care of yourself, Jethro. Tony needs you more than anyone else."

"Which is why I can't leave."

"Which is why you must leave. Look, go inside. Tell him you're going to eat with Abby. There is a diner just down the road. Jethro, we can't worry about you as well. It becomes much less effective if we split our concern among two. And Jethro, the children need you. See to Abigail for me."

Jethro didn't say anything else, just strode into the room, pretending that seeing Tony like this wasn't killing him. He flopped into a chair, automatically reaching for Tony's hand before pulling back, touching an unbruised area of collarbone instead.

"Tony, I have to spend a few minutes with Abby but I won't be long. Ducky's forcing me to eat. Don't want to eat, Tony, but they tell me you'll be out for a while. If you wake up, I'll have 'em call me and I'll be right back here. Okay? You hang in there, DiNozzo."

He ghosted a hand over Tony's hair, teasing a few of the strands. "We got a lot to talk about, remember that."

He wanted to say a lot more, but if he was honest with himself he was exhausted and the constant diet of coffee wasn't giving him anything but a caffeine jolt followed by a crash.

When he came out of the room, Ducky was rousing a groggy Abby and nudged her toward Jethro. "Come on, Abbs. Doctor's orders. We have to eat."

"Tony..." She turned back and looked through the glass.

"No change, Abbs. He's hanging on. Duck, you call me if there's any change. Any change at all."

Ducky pressed his lips together and nodded, shooing them out of the area. Jethro got the directions to the diner from a nurse and they walked silently there. As soon as they were seated, he ordered Abby a CafPow and himself a carafe of coffee. If he thought they'd make it double strength, he would have ordered it that way.

Abby had curled up into herself, sitting sideways in the booth and wrapping her arms around her knees. "Gibbs ... he's in bad shape, isn't he? Three Code Blues. Are we gonna lose him? How do we make him stronger?"

Abby's voice was hoarse, her raspy tone even more pronounced. And she looked so damn young without her bright lipstick and makeup.

How could he answer that? How could he convey faith when he'd lost his more than a decade ago? "You believe in God? Or a higher power? Then you pray, Abbs. You pray and you have faith for those of us who don't. And you talk to him all the time."

He nudged her leg with his foot. "You and me, we'll be his strength right now. I'm not letting him go without a fight."

Abby choked off a sob, fiddling with the menu. "He's never going to be the same, is he? Inside or out. They tortured him, Gibbs. They ... what they did to him."

"I know." He stared down at his own menu.

"You never knew, did you?"

"Never knew what, Abbs?"

"That he was trying to date you out of his system. That he's in love with you. You're an investigator and you never saw that. How come? How come you never saw it, Gibbs? You know everything."