41. Trouble with Money (Connor Rhodes - Chicago Med...

Alternate Universe: Imagine Boxed in happened around the Chicago area and that Connor Rhodes and Tony are the same age so Rhodes will be an Attending doing more teaching.

___________________________________________________________________

Tony hated this case because he was in Chicago and had been grumpy as a result. He didn’t have a personal dislike of the city, in fact, he was rather fond of the city.  It was just he had the most extraordinary luck in this city - neither good nor bad. Just odd. He either ended up ill or engaged - there didn’t seem to be much middle ground.

Take for instance this stupid case, where they had chased after their perpetrators only to find the intelligence given was lax.  Ziva and himself had been forced to hide in a metal container with all their ill-gotten counterfeit money.  So they’d burnt it but not before taking copious amounts of high definition pictures. It wasn’t the greatest situation as his plague-scarred lungs could ill-afford to inhale that much smoke.

To top it off, he had to deal with Ziva’s arrogance, assuming that he was upset because she failed to invite him to a stupid dinner. Oh, he wasn’t unaware of the tactic but she was a rank amateur compared to all the manipulations from his father that he’d had to deal with his whole life. He just didn’t care and he hated her for so many more things that he honestly couldn’t pick. Her assumption that he was in love with her was so far off base it may as well be on Mars. He did tell his lover and they got a good laugh out of the misinformed ignorance.

To top it off Ziva alternating between hostile, judgemental and flirty in the most honestly confusing conversation Tony had ever had - she then started shooting in a metal box! The supposedly amazing Mossad agent had freaked out and acted like a rookie. He felt the burning slash on his arm and groaned more in annoyance and then the pain settled in - he had hated when the bullet lodged in bone, it was always more painful.

The door of the box finally opened to see McGee and Gibbs peering inside. “You missed all the fun.”“Ah, you know we had a bonfire Boss, we were just missing the marshmallows.” Tony said with a levity he didn’t really feel.  NCIS hadn’t felt right in a while but he’d stayed there in stubborn pride. Tony groaned when Gibbs pointed at the EMT’s. That meant that there was no way he’d avoid a hospital trip. Connor was going to kill him.

Tony was still sitting on the back step of the ambulance after getting checked over. “Boss they are sending me to the hospital, my lungs make them nervous, plus, I got shot.” Tony finished as an afterthought.

Gibbs turned back to Tim who he’d been having a conversation with. “McGee go with him.”

Ziva sneered. “He is going to the hospital for a scratch.” She said it low enough for Tony not to be able to hear it.

McGee pouted showing that he didn’t want to, which showed just how much his teammates cared about him. Chicago was looking more and more attractive to Tony in his mind.  He knew it was a bad moment when he was mentally composing his resignation letter as he got comfortable in the back of the ambulance.

&*&*&*&*&*

The EMT gave Tony a dose of morphine meaning he started to go a little loopy.  All Tony could think was he hated getting shot. It wasn’t the pain as he’d only gotten winged, it was the having to go to hospital part.  He was in Chicago on a stupid case and here he was with another ruined Zegna suit. He knew he should stop wearing the Zegna but it was so comfortable. Oh, and to top it all, Connor was no doubt on shift and would give him a piece of his mind. It was not exactly the reunion he had in mind having not seen his fiance for a month.

McGee frowned, watching Tony settle into the ambulance because he never went willingly . “You’re going to the hospital for a scratch?”Tony’s eyes narrowed as he’d wondered what Ziva had told the others. “Is that what happened?”McGee may be obtuse but he was wary of that tone because that was Tony at his most dangerous.  His mentor was so mercurial that you often forgot the masks were masks until moments like this. “Not a scratch?”Tony shook his head because no, this was most definitely not a scratch and his fiance was going to freak, which sucked because Connor already had enough on his plate by moving back to Chicago. “She started firing inside the box McProbie.”

McGee’s eyes widened in disbelief because that was beyond a rookie mistake. “Why?”Tony shrugged and winced wishing he hadn’t done that. “I honestly have no idea but you need to warn Gibbs because she is acting so erratic right now.”

Tony looked at the EMT. “Where are you taking me?”“Chicago Med.”Tony groaned. “Oh, that is just perfect .”

McGee sighed “What?” Wondering why that could be a problem.Tony laughed, appreciating the irony of his secret about to become a little clearer. “Well, you are about to meet my fiance, as you are coming with me.”

Tim frowned not remembering Tony ever mentioning a serious significant other. He was always flirting with the staff and witnesses. Still, looking into Tony’s eyes he could tell it was the truth.  “You have a fiance? What’s her name?”Tony sucked in a deep breath of oxygen hoping to clear some of the crap from his lungs. Damn Plague. “Connor.”

“Connor?” McGee queried, hesitantly, as that was a very gender specific name.

Tony looked defensive and wow, McGee can’t believe he hadn’t seen it. For once, he didn’t go for a smartass comment because damn, Tony was gay or at the very least bi. It was so incredible to think it was true and then he could have kicked himself because Tony was the consummate undercover professional. McGee also knew that being ‘out’ in law enforcement wasn’t always the safest option, not only for Tony but also for the team working with him.  

“Maybe I’ll be lucky and he’s in surgery.” Tony said in a voice that wasn’t that hopeful.   After all, as soon as his records were pulled they would contact Connor as he was Tony’s next of kin. He just probably had the shortest distance to travel - ever.

Tim’s mind was still trying to catch up with the idea of Tony with a man. “Is that likely?”Tony rolled his eyes as he could see the junior agents brain explode behind his eyes. So much for his intelligence if something so simple freaked him out. “Hey, McBrokenBrain. Focus.”

Tim shook his head trying to clear his mind of what he was told but it was hard. He was afforded a few minutes as Tony was pulled into the hospital and into one of the medical treating bays.  The staff seemed to know Tony by name reinforcing the idea that Tony might be dating one of them. If that was true, how had Tony hidden it? Why hadn’t he told Tim, Gibbs or Ziva?

&*&*&*&*&*&*

April Sexton was the nurse on duty and if there was ever proof Tony was taken, the lack of flirting with the stunning woman would be it. Still the nurse greeted Tony with a winning smile. “Hey Tony, you know you can see Dr. Rhodes without getting admitted?”There was a teasing tone there that spoke of an acquaintance and this whole situation was throwing Tim for a loop. Tony had to laugh. “Yeah, well, you are still the only one to know officially about us before today.”“It really is a shame but then again, I still say you two are too pretty for regular folk.”McGee blushed at the tone from the nurse. A thought struck him and made him shudder. “Tony what are you telling Gibbs? He is your medical proxy.”In reality, he just didn’t want to have to tell Gibbs that Ziva was possibly going off the deep-end.

Tony rolled his eyes because his probie was supposed to be an investigator.  “ McClueless , you now know I have a fiance and you must have realised he is a doctor. Who do you think my medical proxy is?”

The curtain rolled back and a new doctor emerged, not Connor but Tony was guessing this was Dr. Halstead given Connor’s description of him. “Hey Doc. Sorry about this but my partner got a little too excited in the field and shot me.”Dr. Halstead grimaced. “Yeah, my brother Jay is a cop. He tells me about rookie antics all the time.”Tony snorted because he wished that was the case. It least that was explainable even if it wasn’t forgivable . “If only she was a rook.”The Doctor looked at him sharply. “Is this something where I need to call my brother?”

Tim looked like his eyes had been opened. Good, Tony thought grimly because goddamn it, Ziva was Mossad. She was not supposed to freak out like a rook and shoot him. She didn’t have such an excuse, so when you remove the excuse - what are you left with?

Something all too sinister.

It was a chilling thought and Tim had also followed the same train of thought even though he had no idea what to do about it. He wasn’t sure what he could do. “Tony, what do you suspect?”

Tony shook his head as this was not the time. He wanted his lungs checked out to make sure he hadn’t lost any more lung function after inhaling smoke from the burning money earlier.

Halstead's eyes widened as he read the medical notes. Tony could always tell when they got to the plague part. “Is this accurate?”

Tony nodded. “Yep, hence the tests to make sure I am okay. I know the drill Doc, I need an X-Ray and MRI followed by an inhalation challenge test, an exercise stress test, a gas diffusion test, spirometry, body plethysmography and I know... If my results have fallen, I get to do it all again after inhaling a bronchodilator.”

Tim was stunned because he’d never really considered the aftermath of Tony’s brush with the plague. It was far more serious than Tony would let you believe. He seemed so indestructible at work and Tim was getting a reality check and feeling ashamed of himself.  

“You never said anything.” Tim said but it sounded like a pathetic excuse even to his own ears.  

Tony rolled his eyes at the response as it wasn’t worth it. He was making plans to move to Chicago as NCIS wasn’t the makeshift family he was lead to believe. He wasn’t the butt of anyone's jokes and that seemed to be happening more often than not ever since Ziva had wormed her way into the MCRT. He wouldn’t sacrifice his ethics for the woman who had indirectly been the reason for Kate’s death and he didn’t care what she’d done for Gibbs - the woman was a foreign agent with too much free access to things that no non-American had any right to know about. He just wondered what job the Commissioner had in mind for him. In all honesty, Tony was starting to get to the point where he was not too fussed what the job was - he just wanted out of NCIS.  

Tony snorted. “Well, it won’t be a problem for long.”

Tim never got a chance to ask what he meant by that remark as someone new slipped into the Medbay.

“You know if you wanted to see me, honey, you didn’t have to get yourself shot.” Connor said with a smirk. “Or, you know, inhale way too much smoke.”

Tony grinned right back, the good drugs helping ease his mood somewhat. “Darling, you are always complaining that I don’t take enough interest in your work.”

Halstead was seriously confused and that was not a position he was in very often. “You two know each other?”Tony had a sly smirk on his face and he would later blame the drugs for the quip. “Biblically.”

Connor snorted at the look of shock on Halstead’s face. “He’s right. I am going to marry the man as soon as he settles in the city.”

Tim frowned. “You mean you won’t be staying at NCIS?”

Tony ignored the question for now as his doctor was in the room. Unlike some people, Tony tried not to air his dirty laundry in public. “So Doc, what’s the verdict?”“Well, you inhaled a lot of smoke and considering your history I would be remiss not to monitor you for any side-effects.”Tony took one look at Connor and knew no matter how he felt about the situation, he wouldn’t try and scarper AMA as usual as he’d never hear the end of it back at the apartment. “So how quick can I get those tests done?”

It turned out that for once, he was very lucky and there were no long lasting effects.

Tim was ignoring the relationship issue for a moment because his mind couldn’t comprehend the idea of Tony in a committed relationship with anyone. He’d caught the hint. “Tony, are you leaving NCIS?”Tony was being pulled into a hug and didn’t break it to look at Tim. “At the moment, why would I want to stay?”Tim knew he better tell, Gibbs quick before they lost Tony for good - but was it too late?