Three Times- You're Out
The explosion happened so quickly that no one had a chance to react by running for cover. One minute the house stood as a member of the neighborhood, and the next it disintegrated in a cacophony of flying glass and brick and wood.
Gibbs had been standing at the front door hand poised to rap on it once again.
Tony and McGee had just exited the NCIS vehicle and found themselves sprawled across the front yard after the blowup.
Tony jumped up and took a quick visual inventory of McGee, who seemed dazed, but physically unhurt. Then he vaulted to the remains of the front stoop, screaming "Boss, Boss!"
Gibbs was pinned under a section of debris from the roof and Tony frantically dug him out as he screamed orders to Tim to call 911 and to notify NCIS. Gibbs was unconscious, and Tony checked his breathing and pulse before running his hands over his mentor's body, feeling for obvious injuries. Deciding it was safe to move him, he called Tim over and they carried Jethro to the relative safety of the sidewalk bordering the street.
The ambulance arrived at the same time Ducky did, and he jumped out and made his way to Gibbs. After a quick consultation, he joined his friend for the ambulance journey, and they set off for the hospital.
The firefighters checked both Tim and Tony. Both agents were scratched and bruised from flying debris, and Tony had a couple of deep cuts across his hands where he had dug his boss out from under the sections of housing. He refused to go to the hospital, insisting that he had an investigation to run, so the paramedics bandaged him and made him promise to go in for stitches.
As Jethro and Ducky made their way to the hospital Tony took charge of the investigation, and didn't leave until the crime scene had been processed. He headed straight for NCIS then, to file reports and update the director, then raced to the hospital to check on Gibbs. The terror that Gibbs wouldn't make it haunted him.
Abby's sobbing was the first sound he heard as he approached the waiting room, then the muffled voices of Timmy and Ziva. Abby threw herself into Tony's arms when he appeared, and he kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair gently with his bandaged hands. They stood like that a few minutes, until her tears finally stopped and Ducky came in from the hallway. He removed his glasses and wiped them thoughtfully on his shirt sleeve, then cleared his throat.
"Jethro is as well as can be expected. There are some burns, but none life threatening, and cuts across his arms and legs. He has three broken ribs and his left arm is fractured. He also has a concussion, and some bleeding in his brain."
Abby started crying again, and leaned into Tony, who was directly behind her. He pulled her to him so that her body was touching his and then wrapped his arms around her from behind, trying to comfort her.
McGee was the first to speak, "So, what does that mean about his recovery?"
Ducky let his gaze go from one to another, then settled for good on Tony, who met his look steadily.
"Well, it is serious and to be honest, he needs our prayers. He's in a coma. It looks like his body is trying to protect itself by putting him into a sleep mode. The problem may be, though, that this is his third coma. It may be impossible to come out of this one this time."
They reacted slowly, each trying to make sense of what Ducky was saying to them. Ducky smiled sympathetically, then added, "I know you all want to see him. You are going to be able to go in two at a time. Don't stay long, though."
Tony spoke up, "Ziva, you and Tim go first."
Ducky ordered softly, "Hold on just a minute." Approaching Tony, he motioned for him to hold out his hands. No one spoke as the doctor unwrapped the bandages and took a look.
"I am going to send a physician, Anthony." Turning to Ziva and McGee he said, "All right, troops."
They nodded and left with Ducky, who escorted them to Jethro's room.
One of the emergency doctors appeared within minutes, trailed by a nurse with supplies. Not much was said until the doctor had stitched three different cuts in Tony's hands, and bandaged the rest.
The doctor gave him the treatment and follow up instructions, and Tony and Abby both thanked him. They watched until the doctor and nurse were out of the waiting room.
Tony turned to Abby. "Ok, both of us know what Gibbs would expect for us to do. We have to pull ourselves together, right Baby Girl?"
Abby nodded and as they sat down she questioned, "What actually happened out there, Tony?"
Tony shook his head. "You know that you got that DNA evidence on Marksdon, so we knew he was the man who had killed Petty Officer James. We headed to his house to arrest him, and Boss made it to the door first. When he knocked, it set off a booby trap Marksdon had rigged. He had wired the house to explode, before he shot himself to death. His body was thrown out in the yard with the explosion."
"How do you know he killed himself, and the bomb didn't?"
"I stayed to head up the investigation afterwards. The bullet wound was pretty obvious."
"Case closed, huh?" Abby attempted a smile.
Tony nodded, "That part is done. What we need now is a good report on Boss."
Within a couple of minutes Tim and Ziva returned, and Ziva announced softly, "Ducky said for you two to come on and visit."
Abby got up and Tony motioned her to go ahead, then he turned to his teammates. "Head back to NCIS and get the rest of those reports finished. Make sure that all of that evidence has made it back there. I'll be back at the Navy Yard as soon as I can."
They nodded and McGee answered, "Right, Boss."
That title would usually have produced a thrilled response from Tony, but the mood was too somber. Tim and Ziva headed down the corridor, and Tony stood in the empty waiting room a couple of minutes and prayed.
When he joined Ducky and Abby they were both bedside. Tony steeled himself not to react to the bandages, the machinery, and the IV lines invading his Boss's current life. Abby was weeping, and held one of Jethro's hands in her own. When Ducky saw him he motioned him back to the far side of the room.
"Anthony, this is going to be a waiting game now. It's up to Jethro to pull out of this."
Tony clenched his jaw, trying to make sure that he had control of his emotions.
Ducky continued, "I am going to return to NCIS so that I can start on that Monster Marksdon's autopsy. I can't wait to weigh his internal organs. I took the liberty of calling Jethro's father, and Jack should be here fairly soon."
He squeezed Tony's shoulder and left.
Tony looked around the room and found two chairs, which he dragged to the bed, one on either side of Jethro, and placed them so that they were facing the patient, Tony and Abby's surrogate parent. He pointed for Abby to sit in one, and she did, and he sat down carefully. He reached up and grasped his Boss's hand, and Abby took hold of the other.
They were silent for a minute, then she spoke, "Remember how this morning everything was normal and we didn't imagine any of this for later in the day?"
He nodded in agreement. "It was just another day at the House of Gibbs."
Abby smiled at that. He had nicknamed Jethro's house House of Gibbs after she and Tony began living there. Both of them still kept their apartments, but spent no more than a night a week in them. The rest of the time the three operated as a family at the home of Jethro Gibbs, and the relationship was incredibly strong. Gibbs was their surrogate father, provider of protection, love, care, and punishment. They had fallen into sibling roles, and were fiercely loyal to him, and to each other.
Tony brought up a mental picture of just a few hours prior. He and Gibbs had already been in the kitchen eating breakfast when Abby bounced into the room, singing softly to herself. They both smiled and watched as she sat down and began to eat. Swallowing a sip of juice she leaned over and reminded, "Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs, remember that I get to go off tonight. It has been a week now, and you said that I couldn't go anywhere except here or NCIS for a week, and…"
Tony had interrupted, delighted to make a clarification, "Technically, he put you on restriction when it was almost bedtime, so the week isn't over until tonight."
Abby had immediately scowled, "Stay out of it! You are just trying to be mean, and nobody asked you anyway."
Tony smirked in reply.
Gibbs put down the paper he was reading and looked at her over his glasses. "He's right, though, Abby. I said a week, and the week doesn't finish until tonight. So no, you can't go anywhere tonight. Tomorrow, you may."
Abby turned to Tony and stuck out her tongue. He laughed and blew her a kiss across the table. Gibbs watched the exchange with resignation. The two fought like cats and dogs, mainly for his attention or to get each other in trouble. However, once out of the house they were fiercely loyal and loving to each other.
A nurse came in to make a check and the two waited until she had gone before they resumed speaking.
Tony smiled, "Do you remember the question Boss had as we were leaving the house this morning?"
Abby shook her head no.
"He asked why he felt like the father of toddlers."
They both laughed then, looking at each other and at the man they both admired, who sank deeper into his coma induced dream state.