Chapter eleven

NCIS

B&W teaser-Tony sitting at his desk in with a sling on his right arm.

The terrorist is about to shoot when he is shot and fall over dead. More shots ring out. There is return fire. The are two more shots, then silence. Gibbs appears to where DiNozzo and David are.

"You okay?"

"No, Boss. This is just for show." Tony mockingly responds.

"We have to get him to a hospital." Ziva observes.

"Right. Let's go DiNozzo."

Gibbs grabs Tony's good arm and pulls him up. He cries out in pain. They head for the exit. When Gibbs phone rings.

"Gibbs." He answers. The other can hear it is Abby and she sounds frantic. "Slow down, Abs…Okay we'll be there in ten."

Gibbs puts his phone away. And grabs DiNozzo again. He cries out again.

"Quit whining you baby!" Ziva exclaims.

Gibbs and DiNozzo look at her with surprise.

"When I get…you know... I get bitchy!" she reveals.

They load DiNozzo in the car and head for the hospital.

They arrive and enter where they find Abby seated next to Ducky. Palmer is close by when they walk in.

"Where here. So what's going on?"

The surgeon, a young man, walks up with a chart and asks, "Are you waiting for the results for MacGeiy?"

"McGee? Yes. What is it?" Abby asks as she jumps up.

"Yes. I'm sorry he passed on during surgery. The heart just couldn't handle anymore."

Gibbs grabs the chart and asks the inept doctor, "If our man was a 60 year old black man, you have the wrong patient!"

Gibbs throws the chart back at the doctor as the correct one arrives.

"Agent Gibbs. Agent McGee made it out of surgery without complication."

The doctor hesitates and finishes, "But he may never have the full use of his arm again. The shrapnel went deep into the nerve. We were able to remove all of it but the nerve may have been too badly damaged."

"How long before we can see him?" Abby asks.

"When he is out of recovery, you can see him."

Everyone sigh relief that he'll be okay.

Gibbs takes the doctor aside and asks, "When can we know he'll be okay?"

"It will take between two and four months before we can see any change to the nerve regeneration, if any."

DiNozzo is put in a wheelchair and two nurses take him to the emergency wing. He flirts with them as they leave.

Ziva is mad at Tony's lack of appreciation. She storms away when Gibbs stops her.

"Ziva…I just want to say that I was…well…I didn't think it was right to…"

"I get it Gibbs. I was wrong, too."

They understand each other, as they split. Ziva goes with Abby to see McGee.

The next day, Gibbs enters the director's office. She is packing her personal things, and appears to be leaving.

"What's going on, Jen?"

"I've been reassigned, Jethro."

"Where? I mean when?"

"They haven't decided yet. They believe this whole thing with you and Ari has gotten out of hand. And with a senior FBI agent being killed in aftermath, they don't believe someone with personal ties to you should be director."

"So how long until your done?" Gibbs asks.

"I'll be the official director until midnight."

Gibbs pulls a paper out of his coat pocket and places it on her desk.

"I have one last request for you, Director."

Shepard picks it up and reads the letter. It is his resignation. She puts it back down.

"I can't accept this Agent Gibbs."

"Just do it, Jen!"

"Why? Give me a good reason why, Jethro?"

Gibbs turns to think for a moment and says, "My entire team was nearly killed in the last 72 hours. And it was because someone wants me dead. I just can't risk their lives for someone's vendetta against me."

"I can see your point of view, but it doesn't justify this."

"Why not?"

"Because…who would you leave in charge, DiNozzo?"

"He can handle it." Gibbs responds.

"He has the personality of a frat boy. You can't leave him in charge."

"What about Ziva?" he asks.

"I thought you didn't trust her?"

"It thought you said I could."

"Well…she put in a transfer to Israel. She has some personal business."

"How long?"

"How ever long it takes, Jethro?"

Gibbs asks one last time, "Will you accept it or not?"

The director sighs, and then calls for her secretary.

"Cynthia, will put this document through, ASAP."

She comes in and takes it to process.

"It's been nice working with you again." Gibbs compliments.

"It has been a pleasure to work with you again."

Gibbs walks out and looks back and smiles. She smiles back.

Tony DiNozzo sits at his desk looking at the paperwork that Gibbs apparently piled on his desk before he went to see the director. He thumbs through the mess and finds commendations for himself, McGee, Ziva, and Gibbs.

Tony then stands and goes over to McGee's desk. His new badge is in a case on the desk. Tony opens it and looks at it. The he tosses it in the nearest wastebasket. He returns to his desk and sits down.

Ziva enters and goes to clear her desk. Tony doesn't even look at her. She finishes and gets up to leave and extends her hand and says, "It's been nice working with you, Agent DiNozzo."

He doesn't respond. She assumes he is mad about her comment. She turns to leave when he finally says, "It was my fault."

She comes back and knows what he is talking about, "No…It was mine. I should have known better than to get in that sort of situation. I could have killed them or myself at any time."

"But, you didn't. You waited for us to find you."

"Because I knew you would."

"Why?" Tony asks.

"Because…Ari was my brother. My half-brother if you want to get technical."

"And Gibbs killed him." Tony concludes.

"No…I did."

DiNozzo stands and says, "You killed your own…I'm sorry, Ziva."

"It's okay."

Ziva then gets an idea, "Why don't we have dinner. Just you and me."

Tony smiles and then asks, "Would you consider this a date, Ziva?"

"First time. Last time. That's my rule."

Tony grabs his gear and says, "Let's go."

They leave together feeling better about themselves.

Gibbs enters the wardroom one last time. He turns of the main view screen. He turns off the lamps. Then he picks McGee's badge out of the trash and places it on Tony's desk along with a packet of papers. It is entitles: the Rules of Gibbs volume 4.

Gibbs then takes one last look around, and heads for the elevator.

"Doctor Mallard. I'm leaving for the night." Jimmy Palmer informs.

"Doctor Mallard?"

Jimmy sees Ducky unconscious on the floor. He runs over and calls for help.

Abby sits by McGee's bedside as he is hooked up to the ventilator and other devices. She is crying and keeps says, "Why?"

She then places her hand on his and puts her head down and continues to cry.

Tony enters a bar that he frequents and orders a rum and coke. He looks around for an empty stool.
He sits and a young woman comes over. He flirts a bit then says he would like to be alone. DiNozzo spends most of the night there, thinking of all the things that have happened this week.

TO BE CONTINUED…………………………