Chp. 21

As the door closed behind him, Jake stood in the hallway and attempted to center himself. He knew when he walked into Tony's room, he was just as likely to meet the business end of Gibbs' Sig as not, and he was fine with that. He knew that his parent's held him responsible for what happened at the funeral, because he'd used the funeral in an attempt to draw Arkady out. Though Tatianna and Sofia were innocent, they were involved because of their brother and sister. Tony however was a completely different matter.

Checking the submachine gun slung across his chest one last time, Jake went to nurses' station. A single nurse was sitting behind the desk, going over some paperwork but she looked up when he approached. "Excuse me, could you tell me where Tony Gibbs' room is, please?" Jake asked, and handed the women his Homeland Security I.D.

Reassured by the legitimate government I.D., she smiled and looked down. "Yes, he's in room 378."

"Thank you." Jake said, smiling in an effort to reassure the woman further.

"You're welcome."

Jake turned back the way he'd come and stopped outside room 378. Reflexively, his hand tightened around the grip of the Vector slung across his chest, ready to bring the weapon up if necessary. He wouldn't shoot Gibbs, but the marine didn't know that. No time like the present.

Jake pushed the door open and went in. He kept the gun in the low ready position and moved passed the door. A full bathroom was on his left, and he saw a bed deeper in the room, with a chair next to the window. Gibbs was sitting in the chair and Jake half expected the man to draw on him. He didn't see Shannon and assumed she was on the other side of the bathroom, next to the bed. You know what they say about assumption Jake.

As the door closed, he moved further into the room and turned toward the bed. Tony looked even smaller with wires and tubes running from his sleeping form. The guilt he'd felt seeing Tatiana and Sofia hit Jake anew and he bit down on the inside of cheek to stave off the emotions that wanted to surface. Finding his voice, Jake moved passed Gibbs as if he wasn't there and carefully leaned in so his face was inches from Tony's ear. "I'm sorry, Tony. I know that you're doing your best, but I need you to focus and resting and getting better, ok bud? I'll take care of the rest."

As he straightened up, Shannon reached across the bed and grabbed his hand. "Thank you, Jake."

"He's my brother, and this was my fault." Jake said, as if that explained everything. As he turned, he saw Gibbs standing. He was prepared for every possible outcome, except the one he was presented with. "It wasn't your fault, Jake."

Jake looked away and the only sound in the room for several minutes was the clicking and buzzing of the machines keeping Tony alive. "That's where you're wrong, gunny. But I'm going to make it right. Do you want me to call the grandparents?" Jake asked, in an effort to do something useful.

Joanne had returned home rather than go into protective custody. Jake had let her go, citing that their relationship was still fragile and he didn't want to damage it. The woman had survived this long without being guarded 24/7, and Jake figured she knew what she could and couldn't handle. "I'll take care of it." Gibbs said, and Jake looked uncertain.

"You sure, gunny?"

"You just concentrate on finding Arkady." Gibbs said, and started for the door without responding. But the former Marine wasn't finished. "Jake?"

Something in his father's voice made Jake turn and look at him. "Yeah, Gunny?"

"When you find him, you put him in the ground."

Jake gave his father a wolfish smile. "Consider it done."

000

Jake walked through the hallway back toward elevators, his mind already going into tactical mode and cataloging what information they had on the opposition and what information they needed in order to successfully complete their mission. He never slowed when he walked past the waiting area, and his men joined him without a word.

When they were gone, Abby turned to Ducky, a confused expression on her face. "Why would Jake leave? His brother's here and so are the girls! Ziva, Tony, Gibbs and Shannon need him! Doesn't he care!"

Though Ducky loved Abby like the daughter he'd never had, she could be very short sighted at times, and this was one of those times. "Abigail, he cares more than you know. But sitting here, waiting for news while Arkady gets further and further away would be maddening for him. And he feels responsible for what happened, so this is his way of making it right."

"By killing people?"

Mike Franks, who was sitting across from the M.E. and Forensic Scientist, picked up the conversation. "I believe one your country men said it best, Doc, 'People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.' Section Eight are those men, Abby."

"It won' ever stop, will it?" Abby asked. Both men knew she was talking her brother specifically. Ducky knew that she worried about Max, the same way he and Kate worried about Dave and Shannon, Jethro and Ziva about Jake.

"No, my dear Abigail. I fear it will not."

000

"Where to now, Boss?" Travis asked from the driver's seat of the team's SUV.

"H.Q."

"We're going to kill, I hope?" Max asked.

Jake rolled his eyes. "поймать его быстро, убить его замедлить."

The rest of Section Eight smiled at the familiar Russian phrase, meaning "Catch him fast, kill him slow."

And that was exactly what they would do.

000

A/N: the quote Mike tells Abby is from British Author George Orwell. It and several other historical movie quotes that show up in my stories are on my profile page on . Thanks again for reading, reviewing, etc. I used google translate for the Russian phrase.