Chapter 2
A soft, steady beeping was the first thing Gibbs noticed as he started to pull himself towards consciousness. Soon he became aware of other sounds - murmured conversations, the squeak of rubber soles on tile - accompanied by the astringent smell of disinfectant and a faint whiff of blood, all leading him to conclude he was in his least favorite place. He struggled to open his eyes and looked around, groaning when he saw that he had been right.
"Boss?"
A concerned face suddenly appeared in front of him and he bit back another groan as he tried to remember what had landed him here. Flashes of memory passed through his mind: gunfire, the sickening feeling of being in a car as it rolled, pain, and fear for…
"McGee?"
A flash of worry crossed the face. "No, Boss, I'm Tony…"
Gibbs automatically tried to raise his hand to administer a head-slap, but his limb felt like it was full of lead. Instead, he gave the younger man a glare as he ground out a response.
"Know that, DiNozzo. Where's McGee?"
"He's OK. Well, he will be." Tony helped Gibbs raise the head of his bed so he could carry on a conversation. "He was pretty banged up and the doctor wanted to admit him, which is a good thing they did because they caught the internal bleeding before it got too bad. He just got out of surgery about an hour ago."
Before Gibbs could respond to that news, a nurse came in and started fussing over him. He surveyed his own injuries: broken arm, dislocated shoulder, concussion, repaired internal bleeding of his own, a couple of bullet grazes and a severely bruised and sprained ankle. When she brought him a much-appreciated cup of ice, he asked when he'd be getting out of the hospital. She just smiled and informed him that he was being kept for observation for at least another 24 hours, and to enjoy the time off while he could. Gibbs grumbled an impolite response as she left and returned his attention to Tony.
"Do you remember what happened, Boss?"
"Yeah. Got to the cabin, guys with guns started chasing us, shot out the tires and we went off the road." He paused as he tried to remember what actually did happen next. "Had a shootout. Ran out of ammo…Then the shooting stopped. McGee got me out of the car." He paused again, frustrated by the lack of memories that accompanied the rescue. "Rest is a blank. McGee can tell you the rest."
"He did, Boss. He said the shooters had you guys pinned down from the top of the ravine. One of his shots must have ruptured the gas tank and sparked the fumes. Their car exploded, taking them with it." Tony laughed softly. "Lucky shot."
"Saved our asses, too."
"Yeah… He's gonna be OK, Boss. McHero knows he's not allowed to be anything but OK. Neither are you."
"You ordering me around now, DiNozzo?"
"Nope. Just reminding you."
Gibbs managed a smile. "Go check on McGee. Tell him I owe him one."
Tony grinned, obviously relieved that Gibbs was mostly OK. "On it, Boss."
After Tony left, Gibbs leaned back and closed his eyes. He tried to pull more memories from the haze clouding his mind, driven by a strange certainty that there was something missing from the story Tony had reported to him.
Think, damn it!
He had been pinned in the car. He had run out of ammo, and then…
"I'm sorry... I don't have a choice. I'm sorry."
He remembered a flash of heat, that must have been from the car exploding...but wait. It had passed over him, but not from the direction of the road. Where had it come from?
Gibbs had a sudden urge to go find McGee, to talk to him, and try and understand what had happened. Had he been that disoriented? Or was his memory faulty due to his head injury? Gibbs sighed. He was in no position to figure this out now. Might as well get some sleep…
When Gibbs awoke for the second time, the lights in his room were dim, and the sky outside the room's small window was black. Surprised that he had managed to sleep that long, he started to reach for the call button and was startled by a soft voice to his right.
"Boss?"
He turned to see McGee sitting in a wheelchair next to his bed, still dressed in a hospital gown and loose-fitting robe. Beneath the bruises and scrapes that marred his face the man was deathly pale, with dark circles under his eyes, and his jaw was clenched in pain.
"Tim, what in the hell are you doing out of bed? You just had surgery a few hours ago."
A weak smile appeared on his face. "Nothing a band-aid couldn't fix, Boss."
Gibbs resisted the urge to try and head-slap his agent. Instead he raised the head of his bed and looked McGee in the eye. "What happened?"
McGee refused to meet his gaze. "What do you remember?"
"I remember you saved my life. Not real sure on how."
"Didn't Tony tell you…?"
"Yeah, he did." Gibbs studied the younger man and was startled to notice that he almost seemed to be afraid of his boss. "The car blew up. Lucky shot."
"But you don't believe in luck," McGee whispered. He had that same shameful look he had whenever something he wanted to keep secret was in danger of being revealed. Gibbs wasn't sure what this secret was, but it was a hell of a lot bigger than anything he'd seen before. He wasn't completely certain what was going on but he owed it to McGee to listen.
"I think I'd be willing to believe it this time." McGee's eyebrows shot up and finally he met Gibbs' gaze.
"Y-you would?"
"Like I told DiNozzo, I owe you one. Just tell me one thing." McGee eyed him warily before giving a shaky nod. "Who were you apologizing to?"
Before McGee could reply a nurse walked in and let out an exasperated sigh when she caught sight of the younger man.
"There you are. You really shouldn't be out of bed, Agent McGee. How did you even manage to get down here all by yourself?"
McGee ducked his head, refusing to meet the nurse's gaze. She just shook her head and walked over to grab the handles of his wheelchair.
"I see your team's reputation is well earned, Agent Gibbs. He's as stubborn as you are."
Gibbs gave her a proud smile and she sighed in disgust. "Say goodnight, Agent McGee."
"G'night...Boss."
"Get some rest, Tim, and when you're ready to talk...I'll listen."
McGee's eyes widened. "You...you will?"
Gibbs nodded and he thought he saw relief in McGee's eyes. "Yeah. You don't have anything to worry about."
"Thanks, Boss." He slumped back in his chair, clearly exhausted, and the nurse wheeled him out of the room and out of sight.
Gibbs relaxed against his pillows but his mind was still churning. Something very...hinky was going on here, but he was damned if he could figure out what it was. He could only hope that McGee would decide he did need to talk, and sooner rather than later.
Unfortunately that opportunity did not immediately present itself. Gibbs was released from the hospital, with strict orders to stay off his injured ankle as much as possible, and his visits to McGee-who had been kept under observation for a couple of days longer-were usually accompanied by another member of the team, Delilah, or his family. McGee was more withdrawn during this visits than he had been for a long time, and coaxing any information at all from his agent was a near impossibility.
Gibbs knew Tony was worried about his partner, more than he would openly admit, so he let Tony take charge of the 'get McGee back to normal' task. Gibbs also knew his senior agent would report back to him on McGee's status, even if it was in the form of a worried rant. He learned that McGee was getting better, physically at least, but was still withdrawn to the point of worrying the rest of his team.
Once Gibbs returned to work, however, he had less time to worry about McGee since he was occupied with finishing up their case. Tony filled him in as soon as he arrived in the bullpen that first morning back.
"Looks like you and McGee managed to take out most of a family of meth cooks, Boss," he commented by way of greeting when Gibbs walked (limped, but he'd never admit that) into the bullpen. "Well, meth, and just about any other related drug."
Gibbs joined Tony and Ellie at the plasma while McGee, still too pale for Gibbs' liking, remained at his desk and brought up the required images. The mug shots of four rough-looking men, all of whom looked somewhat alike, appeared on the screen.
"Meet the Haskels." Tony pointed to the oldest of the group. "Rudy Haskel, long rap sheet for possession and distribution of meth, E, and a few other analogs. Arrested several times on suspicion of murdering some of their competitors, but oddly enough the witnesses tended to disappear before the cases ever went to trial." He clicked on the next picture. "Rudy's eldest, Troy Haskel, similar record to Daddy, with the added bonus of a bust for kiddie porn." He clicked on a third picture. "Flynn Haskel. Probably the brains behind the cooking. College degree in chemistry, two years in the industry before joining the family business." He clicked on the fourth picture. "Rudy's nephew, Jesse. In charge of the books and hiding the family assets." He nodded to McGee, who pulled up a fifth mugshot. "The brains behind the business, Carter Haskel." Tony grinned as he pointed to the image of a severe looking man with a shaved head and goatee. "Looks like Heisenberg, doesn't he?"
"Who?"
"You know, Walter White's alter ego. Breaking Bad? All he needs is the black hat and-"
"Is that relevant to the case, DiNozzo?"
"No, but it's… Not important. He wasn't among the bodies in the car. Did you see him at the cabin?"
"Yeah," Gibbs replied as remembered where he had seen that face before. "Last one out the door. The only one not carrying a weapon."
"Maybe he doesn't like to get his hands dirty," Tony offered.
"Anything else?"
"The DEA has been tracking these guys for months. Never been able to find their manufacturing site, and Carter and Jesse have been one step ahead of them in hiding the money. They're not particularly happy with us right now, to say the least."
"How did Bright get mixed up in all this?"
"Blackmail," Ellie replied. "Lt. Bright did buy drugs from them once, and they used that as leverage to force Bright to let them use the cabin. He sent a letter confessing everything to his wife before he was killed. She brought it to us two days ago."
"What now, Boss?"
"Find Carter."
"Before he finds you," a voice replied from behind them and Gibbs turned to find an unfamiliar man in a dark suit walking towards them, accompanied by Vance.
"Agent Gibbs, meet Agent Hoffman, DEA. He's in charge of the Haskel task force."
"Looks like we did most of your job for you," Gibbs replied as he eyed the black-haired, blue-eyed man.
"Made it worse is more likely. You have no idea what you're dealing with."
"Drug dealers. Scum of the earth."
"Vicious, unconscionable bastards to boot. Our informants tell us Carter knows you killed his family. He's reportedly out for blood. You and Agent McGee will need to go into protective custody."
"Like hell they will," Tony growled as he stepped into Hoffman's personal space. "We protect our own."
"'Your own' are walking wounded, and we're going to need all hands on deck to find Carter Haskel before he makes good on his threat."
"Which means you need us working on the case, too." Gibbs glanced at McGee, who nodded.
"They'll both be safe while in this building," Vance added. "And I think you'll find these agents to be a valuable asset in tracking down whatever leads your fieldwork will unearth."
McGee was already typing away, his gaze flicking back and forth across the computer screen. "Got a hit on the BOLO. Carter Haskel was last seen at a gas station in Waldorf two hours ago, but the clerk didn't get a license plate."
"We'll send someone to check the video footage. Anything else?"
"His most recent address is listed in Bel Alton, Maryland. Maybe he's headed home," Ellie suggested.
"We've got the place staked out, so I doubt it. Was anyone else with him when he was last seen?"
"No."
"Doesn't mean he's not gathering a few hired hands to help out. Guy has a lot of influence on the street. He's dangerous, Agent Gibbs. I'd feel better if both of you went to a safe house as soon as possible."
"We'll discuss it in my office," Vance interrupted, giving Gibbs a look that clearly said 'we're humoring these people, let me deal with it.' Gibbs nodded and smirked, earning him a look of annoyance from Hoffman.
"I certainly hope you take this seriously, Director. Haskel is no laughing matter."
"I assure you, we're taking this very seriously. Gibbs, you know what you need to do."
Gibbs nodded again and returned to his desk as Vance let the DEA agent up the stairs to his office. Once seated he turned to his team, who were all watching him with concern.
"What are you waiting for? Get me background on Haskel. Anything you can find help us catch this bastard."
"On it, Boss."
McGee sent him one more wary look before returning to his task. Gibbs watched him for a few moments before deciding he needed to talk to someone outside of this group.
"Going to see Ducky," he announced as he rose from his chair and headed for the elevator.
When the doors to Autopsy slid open he was greeted by the unpleasant smell of charred human flesh. Ducky was bent over one of the tables, a blackened corpse occupying his attention. He turned when Gibbs entered and sent him an exasperated look.
"Really, Jethro, have you ever considered taking the time to actually recover from one of your misadventures? I understand that Timothy has also returned to work far too soon, but at least he'll agree to restricted duty."
"I'm fine, Duck. McGee's fine. What do ya got for me?"
"I confirmed the identity of all four men, as well as their cause of death. This one, Jesse Haskel, was actually already dead before the fire consumed him. I recovered a bullet from his chest cavity and sent it to Abigail for analysis. She'll be able to determine if it was you or Timothy that fired the fatal shot."
"And the rest?"
"Third degree burns and shrapnel damage as one would expect from being in the vicinity of an exploding vehicle. However, there is one thing that's rather puzzling."
"What's that?"
"Well, the deepest burns appear on the front of the bodies, while the shrapnel damage is confined to their backs. It's as if the fire hit them from the front before the car exploded behind them. It doesn't make much sense, given that Timothy reported they were standing in front of the car and firing down at you from atop the ravine." Ducky sighed. "They could have turned as the car exploded, and that might explain the injuries. Still, it's an oddity."
"Stranger things have happened, Duck," Gibbs replied, but his own gut was telling him this was something more than just an 'oddity'. He still wasn't sure what, or why, but he was pretty sure McGee knew, and Gibbs knew he needed to have a serious talk with him as soon as he could.
"True. Otherwise, their deaths are pretty straightforward." Gibbs saw a flash of concern in the M.E.'s eyes. "I understand that there's another member of the family who might be wanting to take action as a result of these events."
"So I've heard. Gonna go see Abby. Thanks, Duck."
"Be careful, Jethro. You are not indestructible."
"I noticed," he replied, raising his broken arm slightly and wincing. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."
"I certainly hope so."
Gibbs sent him a wave and headed for the elevator. He could hear Abby's music as soon as the doors opened again and he winced. One thing he would never understand was her taste, or her propensity to play her favorite songs at ear splitting volumes. She had her back to him when he entered the lab, her focus on her computer screen. He walked over and picked up the remote for the sound system, and the resulting silence caused her to turn around, an annoyed expression on her face.
"Gibbs!" Her anger quickly melted and she rushed over to hug him, albeit more gently than normal. "You're back!" He returned the hug with one arm and smirked when she drew back.
"What do ya got for me, Abbs?"
"I compared the bullet that Ducky removed from Jesse Haskel to both your and McGee's guns. You took the bad guy down, Gibbs."
He sighed inwardly in relief. One less thing for McGee to worry about.
"Anything else?"
"Pretty much everything else was destroyed by the fire or the explosion."
"So no idea where else they've been, or where Carter might be now."
She shook her head. "Sorry, Gibbs." The same flash of concern he'd seen with Ducky passed over Abby's face. "That guy is going to go after you now. If he finds out you killed his son…"
"He won't, unless I tell him. After he's in custody."
"Which can't come soon enough. Please be careful."
Gibbs chuckled and kissed her forehead. "I'll plan on it."
As he was riding the elevator back up to the bullpen, Gibbs went over what he had learned in his mind. It was almost a relief that he hadn't been completely useless in taking down the members of the drug ring, but he was still at a loss to explain what he had witnessed and Ducky's findings.
The team worked through the day to try and track down the last Haskel, but none of the hits on the BOLO panned out. Gibbs could see that McGee was flagging, and by 1900 it was apparent his agent needed an extended break.
"McGee." The younger man didn't seem to hear him and Gibbs walked over to his desk, leaning over him before repeating his name. Startled, McGee looked up and quickly dropped his gaze.
"Sorry, Boss. I'm still looking for-"
"Go home, McGee." He allowed his concern to show. "You're still not 100%, and you need a break."
"I'm fine, Boss."
"It's time you both took a break." Gibbs looked up to see Hoffman and another agent approaching. "We're ready to take you to the safe house, and before you argue, Director Vance authorized it. Call him if you want, but we need to get going."
Gibbs sighed. "Let's go, McGee." He grabbed his go-bag from his desk and waited for McGee to do the same before he followed the agents to the elevator. When they reached the parking garage they were quickly escorted to a nondescript sedan and climbed in the back seat. McGee leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes, clearly exhausted, and Gibbs decided to let him rest. They'd have plenty of time to talk tonight.
They left the District and headed for western Maryland. An hour into the trip, McGee stirred and opened his eyes, a worried look crossing his face when he saw Gibbs watching him.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to fall asleep."
"Not a problem."
"Where are we?"
"About twenty minutes from the safe house," Hoffman replied. "It's been a quiet trip."
"Do you really think Haskel will try something?"
"At some point, yes. We've been tracking this guy for years, and one thing we know is that to him family is everything. He's going to want revenge, one way or another, and...what in the hell?"
The had just rounded a curve, only to find a car on fire directly in front of them. The driver hit the brakes to avoid a collision but a loud BANG caused the sedan to swerve dangerously close to the side of the road. As he tried to compensate, a second explosion sent the sedan careening back towards the edge and down over the side. The car started to roll and Gibbs had one last thought before his head connected with the window and the blackness returned.
Damn it, not again…
TBC…