I really know nothing about juvenile delinquency or what Gibbs could do to these kids. Just making things up… but I assume, due to their age, Gibbs cannot punish them nearly as much as he would like. If anyone has any suggestions on how to make this chapter better, tell me!
Both Abby and Ziva went berserk when they found out the reason Tim was in the hospital. "I can kill them and leave no forensic, Gibbs!" Abby exclaimed.
"I can kill them 27 ways with a paper clip." Ziva chimed in.
"Then I will hide all the forensic evidence!" Abby concluded.
The girls high fived, content with their plan. Gibbs scowled. "They are just kids. I doubt they knew what they were doing." He said, handing the tape over to Abby. "Never the less, they need to be punished."
Abby inserted the tape and it began to play. After seeing the three boys deliberately target Tim, stuff the sandwich in his mouth, and then run away when he began struggling to breathe, Gibbs found himself wanting to kill the boys too. He wished he could go along with Abby and Ziva's plan; kids or not, Gibbs was enraged.
Ducky and Palmer too were incensed. Palmer wanted nothing more than to see Gibbs interrogate those boys, and he kept pacing back and forth as Ducky went over the psychological profiles of the boys. "Apparently, all three of these boys have a history of bullying," Ducky explained to Gibbs, "they went to St. Peter's, the most expensive private school around, but were kicked out after many bullying incidences. Once they went so far as to beat up a second grader who was swinging on 'their favorite swing.' The second grader was hospitalized for two days. It seems as though a boy named Kolby Baxter is the ring leader. He is the oldest at twelve. He should be in the seventh grade, but he failed second grade twice, thus putting him in Timothy's grade."
"Can we get them for attempted murder?" Gibbs growled.
"I do not know, Jethro. You need to interrogate them. It says here that Kolby's big sister is allergic to peanuts, so he knows what anaphylactic shock is like, and he knows it is life threatening. Judging from the profiles I have, I would say while Kolby probably knew what he was doing to young Timothy, Michael, and Jonathon were just following his corrupted lead."
"But they didn't even attempt to help Tim!" Gibbs snarled and proceeded to stomp out of the room. "I'm having them brought here for interrogation! And that Kolby kid… Ziva is interrogating."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~NCIS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
Meanwhile, Tony was keeping a silent vigil over his son. Every fifteen minutes, a nurse would come in, check Timmy's vital signs, and write everything down on a clipboard at the bottom of the bed. One nurse took pity on the worried father and brought him an extra pillow and blanket. Brad came in to check on Timmy and Tony every so often too. Timmy vital signs were stable at the moment, but he was nowhere near out of the woods yet. And, Tony was so worried about his son, that he was tense and not able to sleep.
Finally, Brad pulled up a chair next to Tony and stared. Tension was practically vibrating off of his friend. "Tony?" Brad said quietly, "talk to me, man. How you holding up?"
"I'm so worried about him, Brad. He never told me about any of the bullying, and his principal said he suspected it has been happening ever since he started at the school. They almost killed him! I know Gibbs will take care of the boys who did this, but I don't understand why Timmy wouldn't tell me. I even suspected it too. I should have confronted him. Am I really that bad of a father? I've been trying so hard. I love him so much."
Brad nodded. While he understood where Tony's concerns were coming from, he didn't think they had all that much merit. "Tony?" he questioned, "has Tim confided in you about his mother?"
Tony shook his head.
"Tony, I am no psychologist, but I think Tim is just trying to seem brave in front of you. He sees you as a hero; you are out fighting crime, making the world a better place. Just let him know you are human and have feelings. I know you love him, but tell him that. A lot. Boys his age need constant reassurance; usually, they get that from their mothers, but he only has you. Let him know. Let him know you love him and are proud of him. Buy him a small gift every so often, or take him out to a movie when he gets A's on his report card. He may be only eight, but he has been through a lot in his life, judging from what you have told me."
Tony smiled and nodded thoughtfully. "I will Brad, thanks a lot." Then he grinned, "But, if I do that every time he comes home with an A, I'll be broke. He's so smart. Did you know he skipped a grade?" Tony paused reflectively, "He's opened up a lot since his mom died, but I think we need to have more serious father/son discussions."
Brad grinned and slapped Tony on the back. "That's the attitude man…" Brad was about to go on when piercing alarms filled the air…
Kind of short, but I will have the next chapter up later today… after I write it. =)
