AT HOSPITAL IN GIBBS ROOM

Gibbs was sitting very quietly in his room. He was thinking about McGee and Bishop. He noticed the guilt on Bishop's face, when he told the team about what happened. And McGee was also avoiding him since the team interrogated him. He decides to talk with them about what is wrong with them. He has idea about Bishop's guilt, but he don't know what is bothering McGee.

"Hey! How are you feeling, Gibbs? What's going on?" Sloane noticed that Gibbs was awake and he was looking tensed.

"What's in your mind, Gibbs? You looks so tense." She sit down on the chair right next to his bed.

"Is McGee still here?" Gibbs asked her, he ignored her questions.

"Yeah, but..." before she could compete her sentence he interrupt.

"Please tell him that I wants to talk with him." He requested.

"But what's the matter, Gibbs?" Sloane tried to ask again.

"NOW, Jack! Call him." Gibbs replied in firm voice. His blood pressure was spiking...

"Woah... Gibbs! Okay, okay calm down, just calm down. I'm calling him, okay." Sloane called McGee. She was worried about his health. The way he asked that makes him more worried.

After few minutes McGee came. He knows something was wrong because Sloane sounded worried on the call. He bring coffee for Gibbs. Well, he knows Gibbs had, had his coffee already. But he believes in backup.

"Hey, Boss. You wanted to see me. Here's your coffee." McGee said nervously.

"Trying to bribe me, McGee?" Gibbs said and accept that cup of coffee.

"What! Why... I mean why would I try to bribe you Boss?" McGee replied.

"You tell me." Gibbs said

"Hey, Jack. Can you please give us a minute? I want to talk with McGee in private." Gibbs said in his soft voice.

"Sure... why not." Sloane started walking toward the door but she stops, when she came face to face with McGee. She put her hand on his shoulder.

"Don't take it personally if he says something to you, okay. I will be out side don't worry." Sloane whispered and give him nod then she left.

"Sit down." Gibbs said

"What do you want to talk about, Boss?" McGee asked as he take a seat.

"Why you are avoiding me?" McGee looked at him in surprised.

"Don't you think I didn't noticed that, McGEE! You have been avoiding talking with me since the interrogation. You left the room after getting your answers. Why?"

"I am not avoiding you Boss. I... I am...

Because I am feeling embarrassed how do I face you! Okay..." McGee answer with frustration. He stood up and walk toward window.

"EMBARRASSED!"

"Yeah, EMBARRASSED." He turned around and sits down on the chair. His face was red because he was trying to hold his tears back.

"WHY?" Gibbs asked him. It was like rapid fire. Gibbs was asking so quickly and McGee was answering them quickly.

"BECAUSE I HAD A CHANCE TO SAVE YOU FROM THAT WAREHOUSE. BUT I CHOSE TO GO AFTER HENRY, INSTEAD OF SAVING YOU.

I ABANDONED YOU, GIBBS. I LEFT YOU BEHIND. I LEFT YOU ON YOUR OWN. I WAS SCARED AND CONFUSED. AND I WENT AFTER THAT BASTARD. I SHOULD HAVE TO SAVED YOU, IF I HAD DONE THIS, IT WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED AT ALL.

I AM SORRY BOSS. I FAILED YOU. I LET YOU DOWN, GIBBS. I AM SORRY. YOU ALWAYS HAVE MY BACK, YOU ALWAYS PROTECT ME EVERY TIME. WHETHER IT WAS ABOUT PARAGUAY, SECDEF, SHOOTING COP... HELL, YOU EVEN SAVED ME FROM THAT CAR ACCIDENT TEN YEARS AGO.

YOU ALWAYS PROTECTED ME FROM EVERY SINGLE PROBLEM. YOU SAVED ME FROM BEING ARREST, TWICE! YOU ALWAYS PROTECTED ME IN PARAGUAY.EVERY TIME WHEN THEY TRIED TO BEAT ME OR TORTURED ME, YOU... YOU CAUGHT THEIR ATTENTION SO THAT I CAN BE SAVED.

AND WHAT I DID? I LEAVE YOU BEHIND. THAT'S WHY I WAS AVOIDING YOU, GIBBS. I AM SORRY..." McGee replied. He was not looking up at Gibbs. Gibbs shook his head.

"Oh... McGee. You did what you thought was right at that time. And you did right thing. If something wrong would happen to Bishop, I would kill you. If I were at your place, I would do the same thing that you did.

You should proud of yourself. You saved Bishop from being rapped. You did nothing wrong, McGee. So, stop blaming yourself." Gibbs replied.

"But Boss..."

"No more Buts, McGee. Go home and take some rest and stop thinking about this nonsense. But, first take me to the Bishop's room." Gibbs said with concern. McGee just simply nodded.

BISHOP'S ROOM

McGee take Gibbs to Bishop's room. She was sleeping. Jack was there seating on the chair and looking at Bishop. She noticed Gibbs's appearance. She just gave him a smile.

"What are you doing here, Jake?"

"Well, you kicked me out of your room, so I decided to check on Bishop." Sloane replied.

"She's sleeping, Boss." McGee whispered.

"I noticed that, McGee."

"Would you want me to take you back in your room, Boss?" He asked and almost turned the wheelchair around. But he stopped.

"No. I.." before Gibbs complete his sentence Bishop started yelling and screaming.

"She's having nightmare, take me close to her bed" Gibbs ordered.

"But, Boss this might be risky. She..." McGee saw the famous Gibbs glare and stopped in middle of the sentence. He take Gibbs close to her bed.

"Hey... hey! Bishop, wakeup. It just a dream. It's okay, you are safe now. Open your eyes, c'mon." Gibbs patted her face gently. Jack was standing right next to him. And she's trying to calm him down.

Bishop jerk awake, she opened her eyes. And when she saw Gibbs's face she gets angry and punched him on his face.

"Get your hands off me you bastard!" And she punched Gibbs.

"Argh..." Gibbs grunted in pain as her fist hits on his jaw.

"Hey, Bishop! Calm down it's Gibbs. Oh.. God Gibbs, are you okay?" Sloane asked Gibbs.

"I am fine Jack." Gibbs replied still rubbing his jaw with his left hand. It was a damn good punch.

He saw McGee was taking care of Bishop. She's fully awake now. McGee gave her water to drink. She didn't noticed that Gibbs was there.

"I am... I am okay, McGee. I thought you leave." Bishop said after drinking few sips of water.

"Yeah, me too." McGee replied as he put that cup on the table. Then she saw Gibbs was there. She noticed that corner of his mouth was bleeding. Jack was cleaning his wound.

"Oh... God, Gibbs! What happ... did I do that?" McGee nodded in reply. Bishop's jaw dropped open in shock after she realized what she'd done.

"I am sorry, Gibbs. I didn't know... I thought it was Henry. I am sorry Gibbs." She has tears in her eyes.

"NOT YOUR FAULT. NEITHER TODAY NOR THAT NIGHT. IT WASN'T YOUR FAULT, BISHOP. That bastard used my face to hurt you, All of you.

Don't blame yourself, Bishop. You didn't pulled that trigger to kill me. You thought that I was Henry. Like you did right now. You did nothing wrong that bastard was playing with your mind. You were drugged at that time."

"But, Gibbs... I almost killed you. What if..."

"Shhh... I Am Not The One Who Is Lying On Autopsy Table Bishop. I'm here right in front of you. You are safe, we both are safe." Gibbs said, then after long pause he apologized to Bishop.

"I'm sorry Bishop. That bastard wanted revenge on me. And he hurts you to make me suffer. It's me he wanted. But that bastard dragged you in all this mess. So, I AM SORRY, BISHOP." Gibbs said in heavy voice.

His voice choked and he cleared his throat. He was holding his own tears back. He shook his head and looked at her. Gibbs was about to say something but Jack interrupt him.

"C'mon, now both of you stop blaming yourself. What happened was nobody's fault, okay. You both are injured, your body need rest and you both are not getting it.

Give proper rest to your body. We can discuss about it later. I know you both went through the hell. But give some time to your body to heal." Sloane said politely. Gibbs and Bishop they both are agreed with her. They know they need rest.

"Bishop..." Gibbs turned his head at her.

"I am good, Gibbs. Don't worry, Jack is right. We need rest especially you. Get some rest Gibbs, we can talk about it later. Believe me I'm... I'm fine. Trust me." Bishop knows Gibbs need rest. He won't accept that but he's weak right now and his body need rest. But Gibbs was just being Gibbs.

"Thank you Bishop." Sloane said

"Okay. McGee! You go home and call Torres. Jack...!" Gibbs turned his head and tell Sloane to take him to his room.

GIBBS'S ROOM

"Hey, Jack! Any update on Max's daughter's boyfriend?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes, he is dead." She replied. She replied. She was helping Gibbs to get him up from the wheelchair and then she support him to lying him down on his bed.

"DEAD! What! How?" Gibbs was shocked when she told him that Max's daughter's boyfriend's death.

"Yeah, he died Nine years ago in a bomb blast." Sloane informed him. And then she sits down on the chair and take a deep breathe.

"A Bomb blast!'' He almost yelled.

"Yeah, the same bomb blast that killed Secretary Jarvis." Sloane replied.

"Lucky Son of a B* ." Gibbs said in anger.

"He really is. Because if he was alive I am damn sure you would screw him." Sloane said

"I am feeling sorry for Max. He was innocent. He had been through a lot." Gibbs said in low voice.

"You are think that what he did to you was a right way to get justice!" Sloane was shocked by his words.

"NO... I didn't said that. I'm just saying that I understand his pain. I know how does it feel when you lost your... your daughter because I too lost my daughter.

He had to watch her daughter being rapped and then that bastard burned her alive! Terrible thing for anyone to see their loved ones death. And Richardson, he spent years in jail for crime he never committed. But he chose wrong way to get justice for his daughter..."

Sloane was surprised because the man who tortured him, wanted him dead, and Gibbs was feeling bad for what happened with Max. She's amazed by his kindness.

"Anna."

"What!" Gibbs was confused.

"Anna, isn't that her name? You were investigating that case." Sloane asked him.

"I don't know, but yes. That's her name. Why do you asked?"

"Nothing, just for the knowledge. C'mon Gibbs, it's time to go to the bed." Sloane said and clapping her hands.

"I am already in my bed." Gibbs replied with childish face. He wants to go home. But it's not possible right now. Not till the week or two.

"Good, now close your eyes and sleep." Jack stood up and kissed his forehead.

"Good night, Gibbs."

"Good night, Jack."

Gibbs was feeling bad for what happened to Anna. But Max chose wrong path to get revenge. Gibbs was feeling relaxed after talking with McGee and Bishop.

They both were blaming themselves for what happened with Gibbs. And now they all are good.

IN THE NEXT CHAPTER I AM BRINGING SOMEONE SPECIAL. WHO MEANS A LOT TO GIBBS.

SO STAY TUNED TO FIND OUT

THANK YOU;)