Life can be unnecessarily cruel sometimes. That was no secret to anyone currently or formerly associated with the Major Case Response Team. While most people only witnessed the cruelty of life a handful of times. They and so many others in law enforcement witnessed it on just about a daily basis. After a while it just became a part of life. Still when a tragedy strikes close to home. It can break even the strongest person. That was another lesson that Team Gibbs and co. learned far too often. They had all endured so much in their pasts and in the time they were a family. That sometimes it was as it felt like they were jaded even to personal tragedies. That is until one of their own had his world completely knocked off axis. Losing everything in the blink of an eye. When even the fearless leader who had felt that exact pain years ago. Struggled to bring his friend back from the abyss.
It had started out as a nice evening for the Palmer's. Breena had made a nice dinner and Jimmy had attached Tori's baby car to the back of his bicycle and taken her on a nice ride ,round the block. On the way back he had secretly treated her to a mini mouse ice-cream pop. The family had enjoyed a lovely dinner and then they watched "Finding Nemo" until it was time to get Victoria ready for bed. Breena bathed her and Jimmy had read her a story. Then they both kissed her good night and tucked her into bed. Once Tori was safely in bed. Jimmy and Breena curled up together on the couch and watched FXX's "Every Simpsons Ever" Thursday night marathon.
"Well this is nice but we have a staff meeting in the morning. So I've got to be up and ready for work an hour early." Breena said around ten.
"Sleep well I will probably be up soon. I just want to digest my snack a bit more and I am waiting on a call from Tony." Jimmy replied.
"Alright check on Tori before you come up. I will check her now." Breena replied.
"Of course" Jimmy replied.
After Breena went to bed Jimmy stretched out on the couch and grabbed his phone. Tony had been back in DC for about a month now after spending the summer in Israel and Paris. Tali had hit a growth spurt not long after they got back and Tony had offered Jimmy some of the clothes she had collected over the summer. They would likely only work for a few weeks but Breena was wanting another baby and he could always exchange anything that wouldn't work for more clothes for the girls at the consignment shop. Jimmy must have fallen asleep because next thing he knew it was eleven. He stretched and checked his phone. Deciding that Tony wouldn't be calling him. He grabbed his phone and headed up to bed. He must have slept harder than he thought downstairs, because by the time he got upstairs he was feeling restless. He headed into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of milk. He got nasty indigestion if he drank milk too fast. So he checked social media between sips. He saw a picture Tony had posted that morning of himself and Tali outside of her daycare. She was getting so big and looking more like Ziva every day. Jimmy imagined that Tony loved that. That afternoon there was another picture of Tony and Tali outside of their apartment building. The afternoon picture was taken half an hour before the text Tony had sent to him. In the text about the clothes. Tony had said that he would call either after Tali and him got back from the grocery store or after dinner. Jimmy couldn't help but wonder what had happened. Tony was usually pretty punctual. Of course then again he had a kid now. So there was always the possibility that he had lost track of time or Tali wasn't behaving and Tony couldn't get out. After a while his milk was only half gone but he was sick of social media. So he took a sip and then rested his head on the table and closed his eyes. He was jarred awake by the sound of his phone ringing. He saw that it was Tony calling and pressed accept. Never expecting just how much pain the call would bring...
Jimmy didn't remember getting off the phone with Tony or any of the events that followed. He was in a daze from the time he sat upright at the kitchen table. Until he slammed on his breaks in Gibbs's driveway. He jumped out of the car and rushed up onto the porch, his heart about to beat out of his chest. He knew that Gibbs had an open door policy and even if that weren't the case. This was a definite emergency. Still it was four o'clock in the morning and a sniper wasn't exactly the type of person you wanted to startle. Unless of course you were fond of getting a bullet in between the eyes. So he just stood there pounding on the door and screaming for Gibbs. Until the door swung open and he saw an exhausted and annoyed looking Gibbs standing in front of him.
"What the hell are you doing pounding on my door at four in the morning?" Gibbs demanded.
"Oh Gibbs thank God. Gibbs I am so glad you are here. Oh Gibbs it's so bad. Please Gibbs. You have to help. Gibbs it's so bad. Oh God Gibbs. It's the worst!" Jimmy rambled.
"What are you talking about?" Gibbs questioned.
"Gibbs... Gibbs... Oh God! Gibbs!" Jimmy cried.
"What is wrong with you?" Gibbs demanded.
"I...I T...T he...he...he! She... T...T de...dee! Oh God! Nooo! No! NO!" Jimmy sobbed.
"Pull yourself together!" Gibbs ordered, slapping Jimmy hard on the back of the head.
"OK... OK... OK" Jimmy sighed.
"Are we good?" Gibbs asked.
"I think so." Jimmy wheezed.
"Great now tell me what the hell is going on and why the hell you are standing on my porch screaming and rambling like a stroke victim at four o'clock in the morning?" Gibbs questioned.
"It's Tali" Jimmy sighed.
"What about her?" Gibbs questioned.
"She... She's... Gibbs Tali is dead." Jimmy cried. The words burning his mouth as he choked them out.
A/N: What do you think? Should I continue? Chapter two will be Tony's side of the story. New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading.