Chapter 11
Disclaimer:- I do not own NCIS or its characters. Any copyright infringement is unintentional.
Chapter Eleven
Director Jenny Shepard left the rest of the team and placed an urgent call to SecNav. If her Agents had escaped the explosion on the boat and made it into the ocean, then there was a chance they were still alive and she wanted them found now! If that meant additional search teams would have to be made available, then so be it!
There were only two hours of daylight left. Jenny knew that it would take time for more search teams to arrive and it was unlikely they would be here before dark. Gibbs and Tony may have been already been in the water for up to 18 hours. It was improbable that they would make it through another night in the ocean, but if there was one thing Jenny had learned about Gibbs and DiNozzo, it was that they had a way of beating the odds.
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Even without Caf-Pow Abby was working up a storm in her temporary lab. In the hours since Abby's euphoric announcement that Gibbs and Tony were alive, the DNA comparison confirmed unconditionally that the bodies on the boat were not Gibbs and Tony.
The agents were able to lift four sets of prints from the remains of the cabin doorframe. They eliminated Tony's and Gibbs' leaving two sets of unknown prints that Abby was running through the AFIS database.
Fornell, McGee and Ziva were waiting in Abby's lab, discussing possible scenarios and the next step in their investigation when a loud beep sounded from one of Abby's computers.
"My baby's calling!" She ran to the equipment and typed in a few commands. "I've got a hit on the prints!" she said as Ziva, McGee and Fornell gathered around.
In the absence of her plasma screen she pointed to the monitor of the computer where two photos appeared. "I'll send for their dental records to be sure, but it looks like our crispy critters from the boat are Edward Allen Daley and William Henry Bollard."
McGee lifted a report from the printer and read aloud. "Both are wanted in connection with four murders in the DC, Pennsylvania area and both have priors for aggravated assault, assault with a deadly weapon and assault with intent to commit grievous bodily harm."
"These are the two men who were with Jeffries in the car park of the marina," Ziva observed.
"They were obviously sent by Jeffries to intercept Tony and Gibbs," McGee added.
"Now they're dead and DiNozzo and Gibbs are missing," Fornell said. "I'm guessing Frank Burgess won't be too happy that his boy Jeffries didn't carry out his instructions according to plan."
"Yes," Ziva agreed. "Jeffries definitely nailed the dog."
"Psst, Ziva!" Abby whispered loudly. "That's screwed the pooch!"
"Whatever," Ziva shrugged. "We now have evidence linking Jeffries with two men who tried to murder two federal agents. That's enough for a life sentence, yes?"
"Yes!" they all agreed.
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The cell phone was answered on the second ring.
"Hello?"
"Agent Jeffries, this is Lieutenant Mitchell of the Coast Guard, we met earlier this morning."
"Yes, Lieutenant," Jeffries replied. "Is there any news on Jethro and Tony?"
"Yes, Sir, we've just had word that the bodies found in the burnt out boat were not Agents Gibbs and DiNozzo," the Lieutenant advised.
"That's great news, Lieutenant, the boys and I are very relieved," Jeffries lied convincingly. "What happens now?"
"Well, there's reason to suspect that they may still be in the water. In the next hour of so, the search will be called off for the night. The Navy is sending additional men and boats to join the search at first light tomorrow."
"Same search area?" Jeffries asked.
"Yes, sir, maybe an additional 10 mile diameter to be sure," the Lieutenant advised.
"Thanks for letting me know, Lieutenant," Jeffries said before disconnecting the call and turning to face Frank Burgess.
"Gibbs and DiNozzo weren't on the boat, Sir," he said. "Must have been our men."
"You mean your men, don't you Jeffries?" Burgess hissed.
"Yes, Sir, my men," Jeffries corrected. "Coast Guard and Navy believe they may still be in the water and are stepping up the rescue at first light. I believe they are looking 30 miles in the wrong direction, Sir."
"Then we come back at first light, Jeffries," Burgess ordered. "I want them found and I want them eliminated."
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Gibbs blinked his eyes and took a few deep breaths to shake off the intermittent double vision that had troubled him since he regained consciousness on the boat. He had been scouting the island for the last two hours and hadn't found any sign of fresh water. His throat was parched and his lips dry. Although the light was starting to fade, he pushed a little further into the dense vegetation in the hope of finding a source of fresh water. He and Tony both needed water soon and now that Tony had developed a fever, he would dehydrate much faster.
He was a little more fortunate in his search for food, locating a few Beech trees, bearing lots of beechnuts. He also located sea grapes, and a few cocoplums, small edible fruit that had a small amount of juice but nowhere near the amount of liquid they needed.
He was about to head back to Tony when he saw a cluster of palm trees. Gibbs exhaled in relief as he saw six young, green coconuts clinging to the top of each of the trees. He knew from his Marine survival training, that without water, the juice from the young coconuts was a fair substitute as they are rich in potassium and other minerals. The flesh of a young coconut is a yoghurt-like substance and is very palatable.
Kicking off his shoes, Gibbs flexed his legs on each side of the tree with the soles of his feet applied flat against the trunk. Placing one hand up and behind the tree and the other hand at chest level on the front side of the tree, Gibbs applied pressure from both sides pushing his body up while thrusting up with his legs by extending them. He continued this frog-like method until he reached the top of the 20-foot tree and using Tony's knife, he cut the coconuts and let them drop to the ground.
He climbed a little way down the tree before dropping to the sand below and battling new waves of nausea and the protest from his bad knee. Gathering the coconuts and the other food items, he headed back to the hill, hoping that Tony had heeded his instruction to stay put.
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Jenny Shepard re-joined the others in the lab.
"The search has been called off for this evening," she said. "It's too dark to see anyone in the water. SecNav has reinforcements on the way. They will begin searching again at 0530 and will expand the search area by a 10 mile diameter."
"What are the chances of Gibbs and Tony being alive after two nights at sea?" McGee asked.
"Slim," Jenny said. "But, it has happened before."
"Yes, yes it has," Ducky added. "In fact, I remember when I was crossing the Irish Sea, my boat was swamped by…"
"Ducky!" Jenny interrupted. "Perhaps another time?"
"Of course Director," Doctor replied. "What I was trying to say is that Jethro and Anthony are extremely resourceful. If anyone can survive out there, they can."
"I agree," Fornell said. "Gibbs is a tough sonofabitch, he'll get them to dry land if he has to part the sea to do it!"
Ziva tilted her head at Jenny's concerned expression.
"Director?" she asked. "Is there something else?"
Jenny sighed. "I'm afraid so," she replied. "SecNav has advised that he can only provide additional manpower for one more day. If we haven't found them by sunset tomorrow, Gibbs and Tony will be listed as "missing, presumed dead" and the search will be dramatically scaled down."
The group stood quietly for a moment before Jenny continued.
"There's nothing we can do until morning," she said. "We have rooms booked at the local motel. Get some rest. We'll meet back here at 0500."
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Gibbs needn't have worried that Tony would defy his instruction and leave their "camp site" near the signal fire. He arrived back with the food, to find Tony lying at the base of the same tree in the grip of a fever.
"Ah, damn!" Gibbs cursed softly as he placed the food on the ground and crouched by Tony's side. His breathing had become more erratic, coming in short sharp puffs that too frequently erupted into deep chesty coughs. He placed his palm on Tony's forehead again and noticed how Tony sought comfort in the coolness of his hand. He was sure his temperature had risen. He needed fluids quickly.
Using Tony's knife, Gibbs hurriedly cut a hole at the top of one of the coconuts, relieved to see that it contained at least a cup of juice. He tried to rouse Tony from his semiconscious state.
"Tony?" Gibbs said, gently tapping his cheek. "Come on, DiNozzo wake up. You need to drink something. Tony!"
Tony started to stir, moaning irritably and trying to swat Gibbs' hand away so he could go back to sleep.
"No, Tony, don't sleep yet," Gibbs instructed. "Drink first, then you can sleep, okay?"
Tony's right eye fluttered open slightly, the left was still tightly swollen shut.
"Boss?" Tony croaked, his voice catching at the back of his throat and causing another coughing fit.
"Slowly, take small sips," Gibbs told him.
Gibbs slipped his hand under Tony's head and lifted it so he could drink from the coconut. Tony drank a little before spluttering and coughing again.
Quickly deducing that laying flat on his back wasn't helping matters, Gibbs tried to help Tony sit up. He carefully lifted Tony's shoulders and sat beside him, so Tony could lean against him and hold himself upright. Tony was practically boneless and his head lolled from side to side. This time though, he drank the remainder of the coconut juice without problem.
"Atta boy," Gibbs praised softly. "You want more?"
Tony shook his head no, before it dropped back against Gibbs' shoulder. Gibbs could feel the heat radiating from Tony's body. The perspiration on his exposed skin had caused a layer of sand to adhere to his arms and long legs.
No amount of coaxing could get Tony to eat. He refused the fruit and the nuts, mumbling and growling irritably at Gibbs before sleeping again. Gibbs helped him lay back gently and attended to the signal fire. He reasoned that any search vessels would have been recalled at sunset so he let the signal fire burn down but not out.
Having seen to Tony's needs, Gibbs ate some of the cocoplums and sea grapes and drank from two of the coconuts before finally succumbing to his own fatigue and falling into a fitful sleep.
Tony's harsh coughing and loud moans dragged him from his sleep a few hours later. His fever had peaked and despite the heat from his body, he trembled and shivered violently. Gibbs managed to get him to drink more juice and he used Tony's knife to fashion a spoon out of a small piece of wood. He used the spoon to access the yoghurt-like flesh of the young coconuts.
In his fevered state, Gibbs doubted that the younger man would even remember being spoon-fed the yoghurt. He grinned at the sight of Tony, eyes closed, opening his mouth automatically to allow each spoonful and trusting Gibbs implicitly. The pull of the fever and exhaustion started to overwhelm him and Gibbs held the last spoonful of yoghurt at Tony's closed lips.
"Come on, DiNozzo, one more," Gibbs coaxed. "You make me play aeroplanes and I'll kick your ass."
Tony managed the final mouthful and sleep took him again shortly afterwards. After stoking the fire a little more, Gibbs took the opportunity to get some rest himself.
--oo00oo—oo00oo—oo00oo—oo00oo—oo00oo--
The sun was just starting to make an appearance when Gibbs opened his eyes. He looked over at Tony, surprised to see him awake and sitting listlessly with his back against the tree.
Every sinew and muscle in Gibbs' body screamed in protest as he got to his feet and walked towards the younger man. He felt his stomach muscles contract as he read the body language and facial expression of his senior field agent.
"Hey, Boss," Tony said quietly, his voice raw and raspy from the harsh coughing.
"How are you feeling?" Gibbs said, placing his hand on Tony's forehead. It was still too warm for his liking but he was relieved that his fever had broken during the night.
"Chest hurts and… my shoulder's killing me," Tony croaked, each breath wheezing audibly.
Gibbs was mildly surprised that Tony had answered so honestly, usually he downplayed any injury or illness.
'This is not good.' He thought.
After stoking up the signal fire and watching the thick black smoke snake into the sky, Gibbs sat beside Tony and cracked open another two coconuts. He handed one to Tony with a succinct "Drink."
Tony looked at the gathering of fruit, nuts and coconuts and shook his head in awe.
"How do you know… about this stuff, Boss?" he gasped. "You could give... Webelos McGee a few pointers ...on how to win his... Food Fossicking Merit Badge."
Gibbs lips quirked in a quick grin as he answered, "I'm a marine, DiNozzo. We're trained to adapt to any situation."
He handed Tony a cocoplum. "Eat."
Tony screwed up his face at the strong sweet taste.
"Don't suppose you got any bananas, Boss?"
Gibbs gave him an exasperated glare.
"Well gee, DiNozzo, I'm sorry but the store was all out of bananas!" he said dryly.
Tony grimaced. "Sorry, Boss."
He looked around at the ocean below.
"You know," Tony said. "This kinda reminds me… of Gilligan's Island."
"Who's Gilligan?" Gibbs asked, watching Tony's mouth drop open in surprise.
"Come on, Boss! Gilligan!" Tony answered. "Three hour tour…unchartered desert isle…Skipper, the Professor…Maryanne and Ginger? You'd like Ginger, Boss, …she's a redhead … and she's hot!"
Gibbs watched the younger man trying too hard to pretend that he was fine and all was well. Gibbs listened to the light-hearted words, but the furrowed brow and the tense body language spoke louder and he instinctively knew that his agent had more on his mind than a 70's sitcom. They sat quietly for a moment until Gibbs spoke.
"You got something you want to tell me, DiNozzo?"
Tony immediately turned his head away from Gibbs' unwavering gaze. He swallowed several times but couldn't find his voice. He had wanted to wait until they'd been rescued but should have known the ex-Gunny would read him like a book.
"DiNozzo?" Gibbs said softy. "You taking the job?"
Tony closed his eyes and breathed deeply to suppress another coughing fit. Then he raised his head to meet Gibbs' gaze.
"I'm sorry, Boss," he said "I'll be tendering my resignation when we get back."
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