The team and their prisoner arrived back at Headquarters just before seven PM. The former Marine had used his training to evade them and probably would have gotten away if not for Tony improvising by throwing oil on the road that caused the getaway car to lose traction and crash. Gibbs was looking forward to grilling the suspect; it irked him greatly when a bad apple disgraced the Corps.
Tony and Gibbs stepped off the elevator with the prisoner in front of them on their way to Interrogation when Director Vance stopped them.
Gibbs looked askance at his boss. "Director?"
Director Vance motioned with his right hand and Agent Dorneget came forward. "Agent Dorneget will escort Tony and the prisoner. I need to see you now. In my office." He turned around and walked away, leaving Gibbs and DiNozzo staring after him quizzically.
"Dorney, do you know…?"
"The only thing I know, Gibbs, is he called my team leader to tell him we were taking this case over and Cobb told me to get up here and do what Vance said."
"What?" Gibbs stalked off to Vance's office. We'll see about that.
He walked straight through the receptionist's office directly into the Director's office. Without preamble he demanded, "Leon, what the hell is going on? You know how hard I pushed the team, especially Bishop…"
"Stand down, Marine!" Leon interjected before raising his hands and saying in a normal tone of voice, "Leroy, sit down. I have something to tell you. I…received a phone call about an hour ago from your godfather."
A small knot of ice began to form in the pit of Gibbs' stomach. Leroy Jethro Moore, his namesake, had moved in with his father about eight months earlier and after a slightly rocky start, the two men had re – established their close friendship. His father had thanked him for, as he put it, putting two old mules together to work out their differences.* He knew there was only one reason that would cause him to go through channels to talk to the Director. "My father's dead."
Leon hung his head. "Yes. Mr. Moore didn't want you to hear it over the phone. It appears to have been a heart attack. Today's Friday; your bereavement leave starts now. I don't expect to see you back here for at least a week."
Gibbs looked up. "That leave is only four days."
"Gibbs, Jethro, you have more than enough vacation time. Take all the time you need. Is there anything I can do?"
"No. I'm alright," he said though to Vance he looked anything but. "Dad prepaid his funeral years ago and Uncle Leroy knows that. What else did he say?"
"He said that he's okay and you can come tomorrow; you don't have to head that way tonight." Leon went to sit next to his agent. "Gibbs, I'm so sorry for your loss and I'm sorry I won't be available to go to his funeral. You were a rock for me when Jackie…" He couldn't finish the sentence.
"It's fine, Leon. The conference in Prague's been scheduled for months; you're representing the Navy, you have to go. I'm fine."
"The reason I handed the case over to the other team is because with the exception of Miss Bishop, your team, especially Ducky and Abby, were close to your father, too. I'm assuming they will probably want to attend the funeral."
"Yeah. I better tell them now. See you later, Leon." Gibbs turned and walked out.
Director Vance noted that his agent was too distracted to remember to close his office door. As he got up to do it himself he thought, I hope he doesn't try to keep this bottled up inside, it's not healthy.
Gibbs left Vance's office and headed directly to Ducky's morgue. "Jethro!" the older man announced as he came through the door, "How are…?" Ducky stopped mid – sentence when he saw the look on his friend's face. "What on earth is the matter?"
Gibbs ignored the question. "Palmer, call Tony, McGee, Bishop and Abby and tell them to get down here ASAP. I have something to say and I only want to say it once."
"Of course. Of course, Gibbs, sure," Jimmy said as he practically scurried to Ducky's desk to make the calls. He knew whatever Gibbs wanted to say had to be important because nine times out of ten, when Gibbs wanted to speak to Ducky, he was expected to leave the room. "Tony? Gibbs said come to the lab now. Bring McGee and Bishop. See ya." He quickly called Abby who hung up as soon as he said Gibbs wanted her in the lab.
Less than five minutes later, the team was assembled and looking at their leader expectantly. "Jackson Gibbs is dead. Heart attack."
Abby covered her mouth with both hands and gasped, Ducky sat heavily in his chair and rubbed his hand across his face while Tony, McGee and Palmer looked stunned and saddened. Only Bishop had no obvious reaction.
Abby broke the silence first. "Gibbs, Gibbs, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed as she ran to hug him. Before she could get her arms around his neck, Gibbs grabbed her wrists and firmly, but gently pushed them down to her sides.
"I'm fine, Abbs. I'm fine."
Tony, who had entertained the idea of hugging Gibbs himself, didn't know what to do, so he did nothing. McGee and Palmer took their cue from him and remained silent.
Ducky looked up and said, "Your father was a good man. I'll miss our phone calls."
Bishop was relieved to know who Jackson Gibbs was and said, "I'm sorry for your loss, Gibbs. He must have been a special man if the team thinks so highly of him."
Gibbs ignored her and Ducky and said, "I'm going home now and driving up to Stillwater tomorrow. I'll call Duck with the arrangements if you want to attend. Tony's in charge. Vance handed our case over to Cobb's team." He turned around and walked out the door leaving the team staring after him dumbfounded.
"I can't believe he wouldn't let me hug him!" Abby said sadly.
"Me, neither," McGee agreed.
Bishop looked at her partners. "Did I say something wrong?"
"Of course not, my dear," Ducky soothed, "Gibbs and his father had their issues, but they seemed to have resolved a lot of them in the last few years. Theirs was a complicated relationship."
Tony cleared his throat. "We better get back to work. We know we'll be out of the office one day next week so we need to clear our desks."
"Right, you are," Ducky said, "Back to work; all of you." He watched as everyone except Mr. Palmer left Autopsy. I already see Jethro shutting everyone out. That could be problematic.
*ref. "A Sunday Phone Conversation"