Many thanks for the wonderful response to the last chapter! I'm glad you enjoyed the reunion between Tony and Gibbs as much as I loved writing it! Now of course Tony needs to get well, and of course there is the matter of who killed the two men...

END OF THE LINE

CHAPTER 10

Years in the marines had taught Gibbs to sleep anywhere.

The plastic chair by Tony's bed was by no means comfortable, but he'd napped inbetween visits from the medical staff. Instantly waking every time they came to check Tony's vitals, or top up his meds. From the man himself, there wasn't a flicker. Not a sound or a single movement since he'd taken up his post the night before.

The silent, unmoving form was un-nerving. Ducky told him not to expect anything this soon and he hadn't, but from the day they'd met, Tony DiNozzo always had something to say. The constant stream of movie references and practical jokes could drive him to distraction but if Tony survived, he'd never complain again.

Despite being quiet in the intensive care unit, there was a constant flurry of activity. As he watched them tend their seriously ill patients, he was aware that many of the doctors and nurses working in Bethesda had risked their lives while serving alongside the military on the front line. They could have chosen a safer, easier life. He admired their courage and dedication.

The nurse assigned to Tony was pretty. She was too young for him, but the warm brown eyes, and the dark, almost black hair peeping from under her cap was just DiNozzo's type. Stella had told him she was being deployed soon. He hoped DiNozzo got a chance to meet her before she left.

There were no windows in the unit, but a check of his watch told him it was nearly zero-six-hundred hours. He didn't want to leave but reluctantly conceded Ducky was right. Tony wouldn't come round until he was off the vent. It didn't feel right leaving him alone, however he wanted to solve the mystery of why he'd been targeted in the first place.

Someone was responsible. His gut told him it was the same person who murdered Brownlee and Williams, but a wise man, his dad, taught him never jump to conclusions. If, as he suspected, they were the men who'd tortured Tony, the only thing he was sorry about was not bringing them to justice himself. Nevertheless, regardless of how he felt, both guys had families. He owed it to them to find their killers. He'd just got to his feet when Fornell came towards him.

Tobias winced when he caught sight of the man on the bed. "Man…they sure did a number on him."

"Yeah…" Gibbs had been watching Tony all night and still couldn't get his head round that under the myriad of cuts, multicolored bruises and swollen skin was a member of his family. If anything, today he looked worse. The familiar impotent rage came back in full force, and he felt his hands ball into fists by his side. "You here for a reason, Tobias?"

Fornell gave him a sharp look but let the curt comment pass. "Maybe I got it wrong, but I thought you'd like to know what I found out from my friend in the DEA. Besides, you left your car at the Navy Yard. Remember?"

He was worried, tired but more than anything he needed to hit something. This was neither the time nor place, so he reined in his emotions. Lashing out at Tobias or anyone else trying to help, wasn't fair.

"Sure…I'll be right out. Just give me a minute." As the FBI man went to leave, Gibbs called over. "Tobias…thanks." His old friend nodded, words unnecessary. Gibbs waited until his dark coat was out of sight before he once again sat down by Tony's side.

There were IVs snaking out of each arm, but he carefully threaded through the tubing to put a hand on his arm before bending in close to his ear. "Don't give up, Tony…Don't let them win."

There was no response and he envisaged Ducky shaking his head and giving him one of his looks, but he didn't regret trying. He gave the cold, pale arm a final pat wishing its owner would wake up and swat it away. He hoped Tony knew he was there. Most important, he hoped he would keep fighting.

ooooOoooo

Revived by the shower, Gibbs was shaving when the familiar smell of eggs and bacon wafted under the bathroom door. He couldn't help but smile at the gall of the man. Tobias making himself at home in his kitchen was one thing. The fact he felt hungry for the first time in days was a bigger surprise. He roughly dried his hair, changed his clothes and wasted no time in following his nose.

"Where do you keep the plates?" Fornell asked without turning round.

"Don't you know?" Gibbs drawled sarcastically as he went to stand beside him, opened the cupboard and pulled out two white plates. While Tobias dished out the food he grabbed some flatware and poured out the coffee. Both men sat down at the table at the same time. Gibbs took a forkful and gave his companion a wry smile. "This isn't half bad. You're gonna make some lucky woman a decent husband one day."

"Funny…"

"Anyway…It's not that I don't appreciate the home cooking, but why did you make me breakfast?"

Tobias finished chewing and took a sip of coffee before replying. "I missed breakfast to pick you up this morning. Anyway, correct me if I'm wrong, I haven't seen you eat much since Tony disappeared." Gibbs didn't reply, but his smile vanished. "Look, Jethro…I know he's in a bad way, but he's alive. You got him back, he's safe now. You aren't doing him any favors by running yourself into the ground."

"You know I've got a dad – right?" Gibbs glared at him, letting his fork fall and clatter onto the plate.

"Yeah…and the man who brought up Leroy Jethro Gibbs deserves a medal." Tobias muttered, shaking his head slightly. "Just eat your damn eggs while I tell you what I found out."

Gibbs didn't like being mollycoddled, but he was hungry...

"Okay, as it stands the DEA suspect the restaurant is a front for a major drug running ring supplying party drugs throughout the city. I say suspect, as so far they haven't been able to get any proof. The guy who runs it, Mario Vicente, is smart. He works hard and greases a lot of palms to stay under the radar. The few informants who have come forward have either retracted their story or, in one case the guy wasn't seen again. My friend also believes he has some high ranking people on the payroll, including senior police officers and at least one member of the judiciary. Abby has confirmed that the fingerprints found in the locker belong to Williams and Brownlee so...given there were drugs found inside I'm guessing that's the connection. If you want my opinion I don't think Vicente killed them. If he had - we wouldn't have found the bodies."

Gibbs finished the last of his meal and leaned back against the chair. "I agree…but I still want to speak to him again. How do you feel about Italian for lunch?"

"Sorry, as much as I'd like to watch you get on the wrong side of the Mafia, I'm off the case now." Fornell glanced at his watch, "In fact…it's time I was going."

He started gathering up the dishes, but Gibbs stopped him. "Leave them. And thanks for breakfast…even if it was my food."

"So picky…" Tobias made a face as he started to put on his coat.

Gibbs walked him to the door and they shared a smile as he left. Nothing more needed to be said, although he was pretty sure he owned him more than one…

ooooOoooo

"Gibbs!" Abby's greeting nearly deafened him, but her tight hug made him feel the way it always did – loved.

She was a sweet kid with a soft heart who cared for all of them. Abby was older than Kelly would've been, but he was pretty sure if they'd met, the two girls would have been friends. He was holding a Caf-Pow in one hand, but the simple pat he gave with the other seemed to suffice as she pulled away, smiling.

"You got Tony back!" She grinned, the wide smile lighting up her face. "That was soooo clever of you to go into that movie theatre. Of course…that's why you're the boss man."

"You know he's sick…" He said softly. He didn't want to upset her but it was important she knew the truth. Was prepared. Just in case.

Her smile faded. "Of course I know…but this is Tony we're talking about. He's going to be okay, Gibbs." She hugged him again. It was less fierce this time plus he got the distinct impression it was for his benefit.

"What have you got for me, Abs?" The Goth's red tartan mini-kilt swayed slightly as she hobbled on high platform boots towards the safe that was lying open on the bench.

"Whoever got into the locker thought they were clever…but he weren't as smart as me!" She flexed her fingers and wore a wicked smile. "He may have got away with the laptop, but even with the key, he couldn't have gotten into the safe without the combination."

"I can see you got in, Abby…"

"And of course you want to know what was inside." The words flew out in a torrent but he wasn't in the mood and gave her a look.

"No drum roll?" She glanced up hopefully but on seeing his stony expression, sighed. "Okay…well I found a ton of cash - two hundred and four thousand dollars to be precise. There was also a bunch of floor plans. I'm guessing they were for the jobs they pulled off. Of course...it's possible some of them are for jobs they still had planned." Abby's voice faded. Her face scrunched in concentration as she stared into space.

"Abby…"

"Sorry, Gibbs…but this operation could be huge. I was just wondering how long it has been going on."

"You and me both. What else did you find?"

"There was also a ledger." She continued quickly. "It had times and dates with a weird code beside each one. McGee is trying to decode it."

He handed over the Caf-Pow and laid a kiss on her head. "Good job."

"Gibbs…when can I go to see Tony?" She asked in a slightly breathless tone.

It was the question he'd been dreading. Nevertheless, he'd expected it ever since he'd entered the lab. Surprised it had taken Abby this long. "You know Tony's pretty banged up?"

She swallowed and her face went pale. "Ducky told me…I know what to expect, Gibbs."

He shrugged. "Okay…you can visit anytime, but he's in a medically induced coma. He won't be able to hear you, Abs."

She nodded and her ponytails bobbed around her shoulders. "I know that too, but I'd like to go anyway."

He stood looking at her for a moment then gave her a small smile as he bent down and planted a peck on her cheek. "He'd like that."

ooooOoooo

"For a while I thought the codes stood for names, but the initials were too long, plus they didn't tie in with any of the personnel from the list Commander Ferris gave us."

"But you know what they stand for." Gibbs knew McGee had found out. His probie was looking quietly pleased with himself.

"Ships…" McGee pressed the controller instantly bringing up a list of ships. All of them were part of the US fleet currently deployed overseas. He'd highlighted the appropriate letters to link up with the entries in the ledger.

Ziva stepped forward and McGee passed over the controller. She pressed the button and the list was replaced by the floor plans they'd removed from the safe. "Metro has been able to tie up the floor plans with some very high profile robberies dating back over two years. It would also appear they used the Navy to transport the stolen goods out of the country."

"From the type of high-end goods we found in the storage unit, I'd guess they were stolen to order, Boss."

Not much surprised him. This was turning into a bigger deal than he'd first thought, but something didn't fit. "So, if they're dealing in antiques…how do the drugs fit in?"

"One of the heists took place at the mansion of a suspected drug dealer. While he reported the theft of his antiques, funnily enough he never said a word about missing any drugs." McGee gave a wry smile.

"I do not think there is anything funny about it, McGee. It is obvious the man did not want the police to know."

McGee rolled his eyes. "I was being ironic, Ziva…"

Ziva blushed slightly, continuing quickly. "Anyway…what is also interesting is that the antiques present in the unit were stolen over a year ago."

"If these robberies were done to order, none of those goods should be there." Gibbs glanced at his team. From their matching expressions he could tell they were all on the same page. "Williams and Brownlee were keeping something back for themselves."

"That would also explain why they kept the drugs. They are relatively easy to move and would be a ready source of income." Ziva continued.

"If that's the case there's something else," Gibb's raised an eyebrow and waited for the penny to drop.

McGee snapped his fingers. "Of course…there has to be a Mr Big. Williams and Brownlee were working for someone else!"

"This is a large operation, too big for two or three men to work themselves. I will go back and check the whereabouts of everyone on that list during the dates of the robberies." Ziva said, already on the way back to her desk.

"And I'll do a background check on Williams' and Brownlee's commanding officers."

"Before you do anything I want you to check the call log from the restaurant the night Tony was abducted. Every phone, including the owner's cell."

Tim's expression darkened. "Do you think there's a link?"

"We got Williams' prints from the streetlamp outside, so it's looking likely they ate there. I want to tie the pieces together. We still don't know why Tony was abducted."

As he spoke Gibbs retrieved his badge and gun from his drawer. He looked round and saw Ziva watching him.

"How was he when you left him this morning?"

He took a moment to secure his sidearm before replying. "No change."

"But he's not any worse?" Tim asked in a low voice.

Gibbs shook his head. He didn't usually give his team a blow by blow account of his whereabouts. They could call if he was needed. But what happened to Tony had unsettled everyone. "I'm heading to the restaurant, then back to the hospital." When Ziva opened her mouth to ask the inevitable question, he put up his hand. "Both of you did good work today…but I need you here to follow through."

They looked disappointed. That couldn't be helped. Tony was his responsibility. He might not have been able to prevent what happened to him but when not if his second came round, he would be looking for answers. Gibbs was determined to get them.

ooooOoooo

TBC

I hope you enjoyed that, and please review!