Chapter 10 Epilogue
"We'll be at the hospital shortly," Tony squeezed Tim's hand as the EMTs loaded the stretcher with the younger man into the waiting ambulance. The two men locked gazes briefly before Tim was lifted inside.
Ziva melted into her husband's side, "Sam Thomas is on her way to the hospital in the other ambulance. Bullet grazed the side of her head, but she will be fine. Alden Diamond went in the same ambulance with a GSW to the calf; he was in good spirits."
"Good; Anna Philip and Matthew Harrison are talking to the FBI team now," he motioned to where the young agents sat on the tailgate of the FBI SUV with blankets wrapped around them, each nursing a large coffee. "Charlie Allison is in the FBI's other SUV; I think making the kill shot on Hampstead is gonna be hard for her to process."
Ziva nodded, "I remember my first kill… never easy for any of them. But she had no choice; if she had not shot him, Hampstead would have shot you, Philip, or Harrison in the back." She watched as Jimmy Palmer examined the five dead; she could see the pain on his face when he knelt by Gibbs's body. Jimmy shook his head in disbelief as he zipped the body bag for transport to NCIS autopsy. The FBI agents had agreed to let the NCIS Medical Examiner perform the autopsies; their ME was backed up as usual with cases.
"I don't get it, guys," Jimmy came over to the DiNozzos. "How could he do all of this?" The man waved his hand to indicate the crime scene. "He was gonna hurt or kill your family and Tim's."
Ziva put a hand on Palmer's arm, "We may never know why Gibbs snapped off the deep end, Jimmy."
~Vigilante~
DiNozzo house 28 September 2024
Ziva looked out the front window for the tenth or eleventh time that morning; she smirked to herself when she realized that her behavior while waiting was very much Tony behavior. But her children were coming home; she was anxious and impatient to have her cubs back in the nest.
The extra week had allowed them to wrap up the paperwork and interviews for the case as well as return all NCIS property to the Navy Yard. Ballistics matches to weapons were made to close out over three dozen cases nationwide and the murder of Abby. Palmer's autopsy had uncovered multiple tumors in Gibbs' brain; the largest two on the temporal and frontal lobes. As noted in his final report, the tumors were a plausible explanation for the personality and behavioral changes in the man.
Tony wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"Now who's the impatient one; eh Ninja?" he teased. He handed her a packet of pretzel goldfish snacks and a bottle of water, "Here, eat something to settle your stomach."
She turned in to face him, "How…"
"You barely touched breakfast; I watched you the whole time while McRavenous inhaled his pancakes."
Tim rolled into the room on his scooter, "I did not inhale them; I merely ate rapidly…" He glanced over at the two who were locked in a gaze. "Oh…" he muttered to himself and maneuvered the scooter to the home office to tidy up.
Tony tipped Ziva's chin to make sure he had her attention, "Promise me you will make an appointment to have that checked next week? You didn't pick some bug up at the hospital; it's been a few weeks like this."
"I will," she nodded her head. "In fact, I have already scheduled an appointment for Tuesday."
"Thank you," Tony kissed his wife, pulling back when he spotted the black extended van turn into the driveway. "They're here!" he called out loud enough for Tim to hear.
The three adults rushed to the door; Ziva helped Tim navigate his scooter down the ramps. He was still learning the nuances of being wheeled rather than on foot.
The doors of the van rolled open and the tailgate lifted as the agent driving the vehicle pressed the 'open doors' button on the dash. De and Leon were seated in the row of seats directly behind the driver's seat. The five children were in the two rows behind them.
None of the three adults approaching the van bothered to even try to hide the tears of happiness that rolled down their faces. Delilah and Leon peered out with teary faces as well.
"IMA!" a squeal from an excited little girl pierced the silence. Arianna tugged at her harness for her toddler seat. "OUT, NOW, Unka Leon!"
Leon slid in his seat to face the kids, "Remember that Aunt De and I have to get out first because we need some help. Once we are in our wheelchairs, you five are free to climb out and go to your parents."
"Yes sir," the five grinned at their uncle.
"We need him to stay for a while," Tony joked to Ziva. "They listen to him."
The two agents brought the adults' chairs to their respective doors and helped them out of the van. De and Tim rolled toward each other. Kids piled out of the side closest to the house and ran into parents' waiting arms.
Leon thanked the two agents who drove them back from West Virginia while watching the family reunions from the sidelines. Seeing the joy on the faces of the children, and, he had to admit, on the adults also, made it all worth the pain, the injuries, the heartache, and the long wait. He wiped the tears from his face, even as more fell freely.
The two young agents carried the suitcases and boxes of toys and books into the DiNozzo family room; Leon was about to ask them to drop him off at his house on their way back to return the van when he heard his name called out.
"Unka Leon, Unka Leon," Arianna ran over to him and wrapped her hand in his. "Ima and Daddy say you can stay wif us. PWEASE?" She grinned her DiNozzo grin at him and lifted her arms so he could place her on his lap. She slung her arms around his neck and snuggled into him.
"I can't stay here, Arianna; this is your house," he started to explain to the little girl. "My house is…"
Tony placed a hand on the retired director's shoulder, "Leon, we would be honored to have you stay with us if you want. The guest suite is all yours for as long as you would like."
"The bed is really comfortable," Tim added.
Arianna gave her Uncle Leon her best puppy eyes as Ariella came alongside Leon's chair. "PLEASE?" the two said together.
Leon grinned and looked to Ziva; she nodded and smiled. "Well, I can't say no when you ask like that," he hugged the two little DiNozzo girls tightly.
~Vigilante~
DiNozzo house Memorial Day 2025
Tali put the last of the paper goods on the table on the screened back porch in preparation for the family gathering for the holiday. She watched her sisters playing in the backyard. She noticed someone watching her from the doorway to the house.
"What, Dad?" she sighed as her father grinned.
"Just enjoying my girls being free, being kids," Tony drew his oldest into a hug. "And promising my firstborn that I will not ever miss a birthday again, if I have any control over it."
"Thanks, Dad. It was kinda weird without you last year."
He kissed the top of her curls, noting that the girl wasn't so little anymore, "This year there are more of us to celebrate, too." Tali smiled into her father's embrace.
"Yeah, Uncle Leon is going to be here soon as well as the McGees, but that's not all," she grinned as she spotted her Ima walking across the family room. "I got a brother now too."
"Yep, before we know it, he's gonna be out there playing with Ariella and Arianna."
"Da-ad, Austin is only two and a half months old," Tali rolled her eyes. "I kinda like him being so little for now."
Ziva handed the baby to his father, "He needs a diaper change; I need to get dressed before our company arrives." She walked in the direction of the master bedroom as Tony grinned his mischievous grin at Tali.
"How 'bout you change the stinky diaper since you like him being so little?" he thrust the baby in her direction.
She held her nose and wrinkled her face, "Um, no. I'm the big sister, not the parent. Besides, if he is old enough to be out there running with my sisters, then I will be a teenager." Tali watched the expression on her father's face change from amusement to shock.
"Gah, don't remind me about getting older; I don't even want to think about you hitting the teenage years," he sighed. "Please keep an eye on your sisters while I get mister stink-bottom cleaned up."
Tali heard the doorbell just as Johnny and Morgan came through the gate between the adjoining yards. She thought it had been pretty cool when the McGees bought the house next door after Uncle Tim retired in October. With his permanent disability due to the hip replacement needed from the injuries from the gunshot wound, Tim had opted for medical retirement over a desk job. Having her cousins right next door also had them at the same school with her. Aunt De took a job that she could work from home; the two families were constantly moving between yards and houses.
She waved to the McGees and ran to answer the front door; Uncle Leon hobbled in with his cane. He too had moved closer, living in a townhouse closer to town. Tali was happy to have her extended family all close by after the six months of being in the safe house. She often thought that the adults had made the moves for them more so than for the kids.
"Hey, Uncle Leon; you don't have to ring the bell, you know," she reminded him. "You're family here." She hugged her uncle and led him to the backyard. "Ima is getting a shower and Dad is changing the baby. The little girls are out back with Johnny and Morgan. I think Uncle Tim and Aunt De are carrying over food from their house."
Leon put the two tubs of ice cream in the freezer before stepping out the back door. Arianna spied her uncle and ran to him happily.
"Uncle Leon! Did you bring ice cream?" she wrapped her arms around the man.
"Of course, and I brought chocolate fudge ripple just for you," he placed a soft kiss on the little girl's head.
"Thank you, you're my favorite uncle," she hugged him tighter.
Tim grinned at the three year old, "I thought I was your favorite uncle, Arianna." He placed the large platter of pulled chicken on the table for the meal.
Arianna looked between the two men, "Two favorite uncles!" She grinned at them and ran out into the yard with the other children.
"Hey," Tony stepped out with Austin in a baby sling. "Thought I heard you all come in. Ziva should be out in a minute; keeping up with our four is hectic at best some days."
"I am here," Ziva spoke from behind her husband; she carried the crock pot of baked beans to the table as De placed the basket of soft rolls next to the other food. Tali carried the bowl of coleslaw to the table as Tony called the kids in from the yard.
"Time to eat," he waved the McGee twins and his two mini Ninjas to the table. Ariella, Morgan, and Johnny hugged their Uncle Leon and eyed the food hungrily.
Plates were filled and the five older children sat at the picnic table to eat while the adults gathered at the grouping of chairs and tray tables.
"Heard from Ellie this morning," Tim informed the others. "She's in Oklahoma now, near her family. After six months of rehab, she is slowly regaining skills she lost. She still has some trouble with her words, and gets frustrated, but we had a good conversation. She can feed herself again, which she is so happy about. She can use most of her arm functions and has some feeling back in her torso. Her new wheelchair is easier for her to maneuver so I think she'll be more mobile now."
"That is great, Tim; thanks for sharing the update with us," Ziva smiled at the encouraging signs from the former agent. Ellie Bishop would be paralyzed from the waist down for life, but regaining basic skills was a first step to reclaiming her life.
Leon spoke up, "I talked to Tobias Fornell day before last. He's back in Vermont near Emily. He had a long road to recovery, but he's able to eat solid foods again finally. He sounded good. Emily and her fiancé are expecting a child in August. That'll be good for Tobias to have a grandchild."
"Another new life from the ending of a life," Tony reflected on all that had happened in the past year. Austin wriggled in his sling and Tony handed the baby to Ziva. He seemed content to be held, but they both knew it would be soon when he would wail to be fed. The child seemed to nurse constantly; he certainly had inherited the DiNozzo food gene!
The adults watched the five children at the table; almost eleven year old Tali; seven and one half year old Morgan and John (he was getting more insistent that he be called 'John' rather than 'Johnny' these days); four and one half year old Ariella; and three year old Arianna. None of them had shown any serious issues from their ordeal of the previous summer. Tony and Ziva credited De and Leon with much of the healthy resilience of the kids.
Leon raised his glass of wine, "To family."
The others raised beverage glasses as well, "To family!"