In the Presence of Mine Enemies Chapter 12
As Gibbs made his way home from the naval yard, he enjoyed the experience of light traffic. Pulling into his driveway when it wasn't dark outside was also a novel experience for a Monday. He was going to have a home cooked meal, watch a football game, spend some time with his boat and sleep as much as he could for the next 48 hours.
He actually hoped he could sleep without the need of his beloved bourbon. He knew his body needed true rest so he hoped the images of the dead girl, the one that looked so much like his Kelly, could be held at bay. When Gibbs needed to shut down his thoughts and emotions he thought back to his Marine training. He channeled it like it was a meditation. That ritual had not been working of late but sheer exhaustion had its benefits.
His sniper training was such that he could sit and wait for hours-focused, silent, and solitary. He could look through a scope and fire at his will. He answered to no one during those times. He was like a spider in a web, built of his own design, waiting for unsuspecting prey. But even spiders need to sleep.
He would focus on sleep to eliminate his short temper and perverse cruelty that the accumulated sleep deprivation had set in motion.
The plan of action to take time off to rest, talk to his team and praise their abilities, and make the conscious choice to relinquish control to Tony was actually not as hard as he thought it would be.
Of course, it helped that Tony was so forgiving.
Tony's surprise at the praise Gibbs bestowed on him and his eager look to please provided Gibbs validation that he had made the right decision.
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Cowboy steak, loaded baked potato and green salad all prepared and ready to eat, sat neatly on Gibbs coffee table. He enjoyed his meal, with his ever present cup of coffee, while watching the Denver Broncos take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Before they reached the third quarter he was stretched out on his couch, out like a light.
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Gibbs woke to the annoying sound of a late night infomercial. He shut off the TV then picked up the dishes from dinner and carried them to the sink. He decided to head up to bed instead of returning to the couch. Setting his cell phone on his nightstand he thought about turning it off. Rule #3-Never Be Unreachable popped into his head so he left it on and headed off to the bathroom to complete his nightly ritual. The hot shower was wonderful. He felt a lot of stress leave his body.
Climbing under the cool sheets he relaxed into the darkness and let his mind drift. He caught a glimpse of his digital alarm clock; the green glow read 0100 hours.
He realized he had had about 4 hours of solid sleep on his couch without interruption.
He closed his eyes and fell deep asleep.
Two hours later, at 3 am Tuesday morning, his cell phone came to life. FUCK!
"Yeah," he yawned "Gibbs".
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"Sorry to wake you, Jethro" it was Director Morrow and he did sound truly apologetic.
"Everything alright, Tom?" Gibbs asked
"Not a problem with your team or the current case" He assured Gibbs "but we have an issue in Kabul at the moment and SecNav would like you to head the operation."
"Director" Gibbs replied "is this a MTAC op or are you flying me…"
"MTAC only, Jethro" Morrow answered
"Can you tell me what to expect?" Gibbs asked pulling back the sheets and sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Not over the phone Gibbs" Morrow said "Will read you in when you get here. This is highly classified and need to know only."
Gibbs nodded his head, running his hand over his face, trying to come fully awake.
"I'll be there shortly" he advised Morrow as he rose from the bed and headed for the bathroom.
He heard Morrow apologizing again but hung up on him before he could finish.
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Director Morrow stared at his phone simply shaking his head. Gibbs had hung up on him. Morrow was amused. He respected Gibbs and appreciated the man was so dedicated to his job. He really did feel horrible calling Gibbs back in when the man had gone out on a limb and asked for time off to rest. He would try his best to accommodate Gibbs as much as he could with this new assignment.
He dialed the Secretary of the Navy, Phillip Davenport, to confirm Gibbs was on board.
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Tony arrived at the naval yard well before 7am Tuesday morning. His thoughts of how to lead the team had him so mentally engaged he didn't notice Gibbs car in the parking lot.
He moved with a slight spring to his step, as he relished the responsibility Gibbs had entrusted to him.
Tony had picked up coffees and pastries for the team. His team. Placing the goodies on the appropriate desk he thought back to the conversation he, Kate and McGee had had after Gibbs left early Monday afternoon:
"What did he say to you?" Kate whispered curiously moving from her desk to stand in front of Tony. McGee joined them as He looked around making sure they could not be overheard.
Tony mimicked McGee's covert action and smiling said "Satisfied McSpy?"
"Yes," McGee nodded "Spill!"
Tony just leaned back in his chair putting both hands behind his head. He looked like a cat that ate a canary. Kate crossed her arms and stood to the side impatiently waiting for his response.
"C'mon, Tony!" McGee pressed
Tony just continued to smile, gazing from one to the other.
"Fine!" Kate said. Not about to participate in his game, she walked back to her desk and sat down.
McGee shot Tony an angry look and turned to move back to his desk.
Losing his audience Tony bolted out of his chair and said "Okay!"
McGee and Kate returned quickly to his side.
As much as Tony wanted to crow about the praise Gibbs had given him personally, he withheld specifics to make sure his team felt the shared appreciation.
"He told me we have the skills to do this on our own. That he knew we would make him proud."
Tony knew he had made the right decision. His statement was rewarded with two startled but beaming faces. They all vied for Gibbs approval, competed for his attention. Tony was determined they would work together to share the glory this time.
"So, we can do this!" he added dramatically "Like the Three Musketeers! All for one and one for all!"
He then looked at his watch and said "Let's start our adventure tomorrow. It is almost five so see you both back here at 0700?!"
They had left together and agreed that the three of them were up for the mutual challenge.
As expected, Kate and McGee arrived promptly at 7am. The three of them enjoyed their pastries and coffees as Tony went over the plan for the day.
Before Gibbs left he had advised the team he had spoken with the Director on their behalf. The Director had arranged with dispatch that "Team DiNozzo" would be placed at the bottom of the daily rotation list. That should provide them some quality time to work the Peters case.
Appreciating Gibbs attention to details, Tony crossed his fingers, silently praying that they wouldn't be called out on another case.
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The call came in 4 hours later.
