Ch. 2
Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS. Forgot to put this on Ch. 1 but this is meant for that as well.
Tony gets up and walks to the front door of his apartment to see who would be knocking on the door at eleven o'clock at night. He hopes that it isn't Gibbs needing him to go into work which didn't happen very often. Unbeknown to him, Tony's life is about to change forever.
Police officers Thomas Jackson and Micheal Bauer are standing outside waiting for Tony to come to the door. They have just come from the scene of a car accident and have bad news to break to Tony.
Tony looks throught he peephole. He's completely surprised ot see Metro PD.
"Mr. Anthony DiNozzo Jr.," Micheal says. He hates this type of call. It's one of the worst parts of his job, informing people that their loved ones are dead.
"Yes?" Tony says not bothering to correct them about him being a federal agent. He figures now is not the time.
"I'm afraid we have some bad news for you. Miss Jeanne Benoit was in a car accient this evening and she didn't make it. She listed you as her emergency contact in Washington," Thomas says.
Tony is shocked to say the least. He certainly hadn't been expectting that. He had half expected to hear the news that something had happened to his father. Senior hadn't been looking too good the last time Tony had seen him.
Ten minutes later, the police officers leave after having confirmed that Gabriella is with him. Tony can't help be feel a little relief that Jeanne had made him Gabriella's gaurdian should anything happen to her. Jeanne had discussed it with him about a year and a half ago and had shown him her will. Her only request was that Tony would make sure that Jeanne's mother, Isabella got to see Gabriella sometimes. Tony had readily agreed. Isabella hadn't been aware of her ex's illegal activities so Tony knows that it would be the best thing for Gabriella.
Tony picks up his cell phone. He needs some help. After all, breaking the news to Gabriella would be the hardest thing he would ever have to do.
"Yeah, Gibbs," Jethro says as he wakes up groggily. He had been asleep for about an hour and a half. It had been a long week for him.
"Boss, I just had a visit from Metro Police. Jeanne's been killed in a car accident," Tony said in a somewhat soft voice. He doesn't want to wake Gabriella up yet. He needs a chance to figure out how the heck he was going to tell his daughter that she'd lost her mother. That had been one conversation
Tony had thought wouldn't happen at least not for about fifty years.
Jethro sat up quickly in bed. He certainly hadn't expected to hear that. If anything, he was expecting. "I'll be right there," he says as he stands up to get dressed. He hangs up the phone knowing that his senior field agent needs him right now.
Meanwhile, Tony makes similar calls to Ziva and Tim. They immediately head to Tony's apartment in order to be there for him and Gabriella.
Tony decides to wait for his teammates before waking Gabriella up. It would be difficutlt enough to tell her that her mother is dead. He would need the emotional support that his friends would give him while he did that. He sank into his recliner, a recent purchase. He loves the thing, spending a few minutes just thinking about what he was going to say to his daughter.
Five minutes after Tony's call, Ziva and Jethro arrive at about the same time. Tim is a bit further behind them, not having the crazy driving skills the other two seem to possess. Tony opens the door for everyone and invites them in. The looks on his teammates' faces are as grim as his own.
"I need to go wake up Gabriella and tell her. I'm just not sure how I am going to be able to do it," Tony said.
Jethro just places a hand on his senior agent's shoulder. He knew that this will be extremely hard for Tony. Jethro is glad that Tony had called him. Jethro had been very involved in Gabriella's life since he had been the one to carry her out of the warehouse when she had been kidnapped.
Tony heads into his daughter's bedroom. Gabriella is sleeping peacefully curled up into a ball on her side. Tony knows he is about to break her heart in a few moments. Nothing in his past could have prepared him for having to do this with his own daughter.
TBC