Chapter 4
After leaving the hospital, Gibbs goes to get coffee. He then heads back to the NCIS building. As he enters the building, he sees Tony and his dad on the ground floor. Gibbs begins walking toward the elevator.
"What do you want me to say? I told you I'm sorry." Mr. DiNozzo said.
"Sorry doesn't cut it!" Tony exclaimed. "I told you about my wedding. I told you the date and time. But you didn't even bother showing up!"
"You know I had an important Civil War meeting that night."
"Here we go again… The Civil War is more important then me. Thanks a lot."
"You should've…"
"I should've what? Worked my wedding around your busy Civil War schedule?"
Gibbs finally walks passed the two of them and heads to the elevator. Tony notices Gibbs as he walks passed them.
"Our relationship as been crap for a long time. I've tried to make it better. But you don't. You don't try." Tony stated. "Do I mean anything to you?"
"Of course you do. You're my son." Mr. DiNozzo said.
"You have a great way of showing it. You haven't even bothered trying to meet Jamie. When we had the time, you always made-up some stupid excuse so you don't have to meet her." Tony said. "My coworkers… My boss… People I'm not related to were all there. But own my father was nowhere to be seen." Tony paused for a couple seconds. "I don't even know why I'm so upset about this. My coworkers and boss being at my wedding meant more to me then if you were there anyway."
The argument between Tony and his father continues. Gibbs steps off the elevator then he walks toward the work area where Ziva and McGee at sitting at their desks. As Gibbs passes Ziva's desk, he drops two pieces of papers onto her desk. Gibbs continues walking.
"Find out everything you can on all of those surgeons. Check alibis for the night of the disappearance. I also wanna know if any of them have motive for abducting or wanting to hurt either Lieutenant Edward Collins or Brian Phillips." Gibbs stated as he approaches his own desk. "Also…" Gibbs begins to say.
"I'm in the middle of working on something." Ziva said. "I'll do it in five minutes."
Gibbs suddenly stops. He places his coffee on his desk. He then turns to face Ziva.
"What did you just say?" Gibbs asked.
"I'll do it in five minutes." Ziva replied.
"What could possibly be more important?" Gibbs asked as he walks over to Ziva's desk.
Ziva carefully places a photograph into a photo album. Gibbs sees what's she's doing. After placing the photograph into the album, Ziva looks up at Gibbs. Ziva closes the photo album and hands it to Gibbs. He opens it and smiles as he flips through the pages, viewing the pictures Ziva took the night of Tony and Jamie's wedding.
"You always did take the best pictures Ziva."
"I'm almost done putting their wedding album together."
"Start working on that list." Gibbs said as he hands the photo album to Ziva. "After you get the photo album done."
Gibbs grabs the first page of the list, leaving Ziva one page to go through. Gibbs walks over to McGee's desk. McGee is busy trying to scratch an itch under the cast on his leg. Gibbs slams the piece of paper onto McGee's desk to get his attention. McGee jumps after being startled by Gibbs' hand slamming onto his desk.
"Work on this list." Gibbs stated as he glares at McGee.
Gibbs then walks to his own desk and sits down. He notices an un-open envelope on his desk. He grabs the envelope, sees it's from the Kipper family and begins to open it. Inside, there's a folded drawing by Gunnery Sergeant Andrew Kipper's five year son. Gibbs unfolds the drawing in order to look at it. Once the drawing is unfolded, a photograph falls out onto Gibbs' desk. He grabs the photograph with his left hand and holds the drawing in his right hand. He looks at both and just smiles.
The photograph is that of Gunnery Sergeant Andrew Kipper, in the hospital after the Nigeria incident, with his two kids, his five year old son and holding his over one year old daughter for the first time. The drawing, that the five year old son drew, is a family portrait of the Kipper family. In big letters at the top of the drawing, reads as follows; 'Thanks for saving my Daddy'.
Gibbs' eyes begin to water up a bit as he tries hard to not get emotional over it. He then looks at Gunnery Sergeant Andrew Kipper's five year old son, in the photograph.
"You're welcome." Gibbs said softly to himself.
Gibbs' phone now rings so he answers it. As Gibbs is talking to someone over the phone, McGee looks over at Gibbs. He takes a couple deep breaths. McGee turns and grabs his crutch. He uses the crutch to help stand up. With the crutch, McGee hobbles over to Gibbs' desk and stands in front of it. While still on the phone, Gibbs quickly glances upward at McGee.
"I'll definitely go to the meeting with you, Emily. I promise." Gibbs said as he finishes up with the phone-call.
Gibbs puts the phone down and begins looking through the file McGee left on his desk.
"Is there some reason you're stalking my desk McGee?" Gibbs asked.
"About earlier, with what I said about Jamie…" McGee paused as Gibbs finally looks at him. "I don't know why I said what I said. I shouldn't have said what I said. I didn't mean anything by it. And I know it was wrong to even joke about…"
"Does this have a point McGee? Cuz I don't have all day."
"I know you're gonna say that apologizing is a sign of weakness, but I don't know what else to say." McGee stated. "I'm sorry, Boss."
"Apology accepted." Gibbs said.
"You're not gonna say apologizing is a sign of weakness?" McGee asked as he's surprised that's not what he heard.
"Not if it's a time when an apology is absolutely necessary."
Gibbs looks downward and continues glancing through the file. McGee begins hobbling to his desk. McGee stops and turns around to face Gibbs.
"About what I said in regards to you going a little soft since Jamie came back into your life…" McGee begins saying as Gibbs looks up at him. "That is a true statement, I'll admit. But it's not necessarily a bad thing. I mean, not that I have a daughter or anything, but if the daughter I lost for so long…"
"Spit it out McGee."
"It's just good to see you happier." McGee said. "That's all."
Gibbs just nods. Then Gibbs looks down and continues working. McGee turns around and begins hobbling to his desk.
"It's good to be happy again, McGee." Gibbs said.
McGee cracks a smile as he continues hobbling along to his desk. As McGee finally sits down, Tony walks into the area and throws his bag at the front of his desk. Ziva and McGee look up after the bag collided with the desk. Gibbs just continues looking through the file on his desk.
"That man is ridiculous!" Tony exclaimed.
Tony walks around his desk and pushes his chair away from the desk. The chair collides with the file cabinet.
"What man?" Ziva wondered.
Tony just glares at Ziva. Ziva looks toward McGee for a possible answer.
"I think the only person who can piss him off this much, is his father." McGee stated.
"Ding, ding, ding… We have a winner!" Tony exclaimed. Tony begins walking over to McGee's desk. "Tell him what he won Bob..." Tony begins to say. "Well Tony… He won an all expenses paid trip for my hand to smack…" Tony smacks McGee on the back of the head. "...him on the back of the head." He finished his sentence.
"Hey!" Gibbs exclaimed to get his attention.
Tony's attention is drawn over to Gibbs' direction.
"Be pissed off at your father on your own time, not mine!" Gibbs stated in a strong voice. He then looks down and continues flipping through the file.
"Sorry Boss." Tony said.
"And don't apologize… It's a sign of weakness."
Tony turns back to McGee. Tony places his hand on McGee's head and begins rubbing his head.
"I shouldn't hit a cripple… That was just wrong."
McGee extends his arm to grab his crutch. He then places the top of the crutch against Tony's stomach and slowly pushes him away. Gibbs stands up.
"DiNozzo…" Gibbs tries to get his attention.
"Yeah Boss?"
"With me."
Gibbs begins walking to the elevator and Tony follows. They reach the elevator but have to stand there waiting for it.
"Where are we going?" Tony asked.
"I'm going to Abby's Lab." Gibbs responded. "You can join me so you can have a little time to visit Chioke, since he missed you."
"You've gone a little soft Gibbs."
Gibbs smacks Tony on the back of the head.
"Or not." Tony said as he rubs his head.
The two of them finally step onto the elevator.