Chp. 7 Answers, part II
"Time of death, Duck. Soon as you can." Gibbs said.
"Certainly, Jethro. Alright, Mr. Palmer, let's get our young friend away from prying eyes."
"Of course, doctor."
Gibbs phone rang. "Gibbs,"
He listened for a minute, then hung up. He looked around, found Terry and Ziva and walked over to them.
"I need you two to come with me." Gibbs said.
"Where?" Terry asked, continuing to snap pictures.
"Hospital. Your mother's been shot."
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Ziva dropped to the ground, tears suddenly and violently streaming down her face. It was bad enough that her friend and mentor had been shot, but knowing that her son could be in danger…
Terry knelt in front of her. He'd seen men confronted with same terrible prospects of families in peril back home while they fought for their country. "Ziva, look at me." She did.
"Now, Collin and Sam are alive. You understand me? I know my mother, and she wouldn't let anything happen to them. You have to believe that, and they need us to be strong for them. So, you have to take whatever you're feeling and bury it deep inside, because we can't do this alone. I can't do this alone." He said. He stood and put a hand out.
She grabbed his hand and he helped her up. And to his surprised, she hugged him. "Thanks, Terry." She said. He could feel her tears on his cheek.
"You're welcome." He said taking her hand, and walking to the car.
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Samuel's face was red and tear stained. He didn't understand why all this was happening. One minute he and Collin were watching a movie and then window was broken and He was bleeding. The glass had cut him above his left eye. But then he'd seen Jenny and panicked. She was bleeding really bad but he couldn't tell where. He remembered when Terry had been shot, when his mother had died and it scared him more than anything. He was terrified that Jenny would die and Terry and Jethro would blame him. At least Collin was ok. He didn't know what he'd do if his friend had been hurt as well. But these thought hadn't stopped him from screaming in pain while the doctor stitched up his wound.
"I want my daddy!" He sobbed into Michele Lee's chest.
"I know, honey. I called him and he's on his way. I promise." She said, hugging the boy.
Collin only watched, tears streaming down his face. He just sat in the chair and cried. Mercifully, Gibbs, Ziva and Terry walked through the door at that moment.
The boys threw themselves at their respective guardian's and Terry motioned Michele to follow him. When they were out of earshot, he asked. "Where's the director?"
"She's been admitted. She was hit once in the leg, doctors say she should be able to go home tomorrow."
"Any idea who did it?"
"No," Lee said.
"You're lying. But that's ok. I'll bet our beloved director told you to lie. What's her room number?"
"220." Lee said. Terry went to the stairs. He had no idea who'd shot his mother for certain, but he could guess.
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He found his mother's room with no trouble, as McGee and Abby were already there, and he could hear Abby berating the doctors from down the hall. Apparently, they didn't know that Abby Scuito wasn't someone to mess with. Terry passed the nurses station and smiled. He actually felt sorry for the woman behind the desk.
He found his mother's room and went in. She was asleep, her red hair falling down behind her. She was dressed in a hospital gown, with her right leg bandaged. He pictured his parent's living room and guessed his mother had passed in front of the living room window. He checked the chart at he end of her bed. She'd been hit in her right shin. Terry nearly dropped the chart from the shock of what he saw. He knew that whoever shot his mother hadn't intended the shoot her. Probably, based on the diagonal trajectory of the wound, the boys had been lying in front to the tv, as children often do. So whoever it was, he or she had probably been aiming at one the boy's heads.
Collin's head, an inner voice told him.
"Terry, you ok?" Abby asked.
"Find anything?" McGee asked.
"One at a time, guys. First, I'm good, and second, yeah, I found something."
"What?" They asked simultaneously.
"Yeah, Twerry, what'd you find?" Sam asked. Gibbs only raised his eye brows. They'd come up from the E.R., at Samuel's insistence.
"Where're Collin and Ziva?"
"She took him home."
"She what?!" Terry said, running from the room.
"Terry!, Terry!"
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Collin hadn't said much, but Ziva had expected that. She decided she could just be there for him, like she had been up until now.
"Ziva? Is Jenny gonna be ok?" He asked, looking at her with such sadness, that it made her hear ache.
"Oh, honey. Of course, she will." Ziva said, squeezing his shoulder. She pulled the car over and took the now sobbing child into her arms. And silently prayed what she told him would come true.
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Terry had been fortunate, in that he saw Ziva and Collin leaving and was able to follow them. He saw that her car was pulled over and was about to stop when the passenger, front and rear windows of his truck exploded in a shower of flying glass. The truck skewed and spun out of control. The truck rolled once and lay upside down, looking very much like a dead bug.
Amazingly, Terry was still conscious, but he couldn't see anyone. Then he noticed men moving toward Ziva's car. Moving quickly, but quietly, he unbuckled his seat belt and moved to flank the men. Terry saw one of the men pulled a radio from his belt. He spoke Arabic, but Terry understood him. There was no one in the car. Terry lay on the pick ups roof. He aimed at the man who had just spoke and fired. The boom of the .45 was a welcome sound. He saw the man drop and heard his partner curse. He had a standard MP-5 and he looked of Arab decent. Terry took aim and fired twice. The man dropped. Two down…how many left? Terry crawled from the wreckage, jumped and turned to face what had been his rear flank. He didn't see anyone. He started to relax, but then heard two shots. He ducked behind cover. The shots sounded like a nine millimeter but he couldn't be sure it was Ziva. He was just about to move when he heard a voice. "Hello, Terry." He whirled and aimed his weapon.
"Ziva! You almost gave me a heart attack."
"I know; Are you alright?"
"I'm good; you?"
"Yes, we're fine. Right, Collin?"
"Yeah, we're fine, daddy." The boy said, but he still looked scared.
Terry pulled out his phone. "Who are you calling?"
"The boss." He said. He had more questions than answers at the moment and he wanted to fix that equation.
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