You get an extra long chapter since I didn't get a chance to post last week! Thank you so much for your reviews. I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate them. I hope you enjoy the post.
Dr. Katherine Marshall breathed a sigh of relief as Anthony DiNozzo's vital signs began to stabilize enough to take him to surgery. Barking orders to the nurses, she stepped aside as the orderlies wheeled him out of the trauma room and towards the surgery wing. Stripping off her gloves, she turned to throw them in the trash can when she caught a glimpse of Jethro Gibbs standing in the corner. She wasn't surprised to discover that he had slipped into the room unnoticed; it really had been useless to try and make him stay in the waiting area.
She wasn't sure exactly what to say to him and at the moment, she didn't have a lot of time to ease his guilty conscience. "He's a fighter," she said convincingly.
"Always has been," Gibbs quietly replied.
"That's good. Hopefully, that will work to his and our advantage."
"Take care of him. Please," he added.
The doctor could sense the desperation of the man before her. This wasn't a superior pleading for the life of his agent; this was a man begging for the life of his son.
"I'll do what I can," she promised. "I have to go."
She hurried out of the room and headed towards surgery, knowing that she couldn't afford to waste anymore time. Katherine had told Gibbs that she would do what she could to save Tony's life, but she wasn't convinced that DiNozzo truly wanted to live and that thought both scared and angered her. This entire situation could have possibly been avoided if Tony had listened to her and not checked himself out of the hospital against medical advice, but there had been no talking him out of it. It seemed like the young man had a death wish and was determined to see it fulfilled.
Blowing out a pent up breath, she pushed these thoughts out of her mind. Katherine knew that she needed to focus all her energy on saving Tony's life. She didn't tell Gibbs that the young man's chances of survival were not favorable, the physician was not one to take away the element of hope from the family.
Katherine entered the scrub room to prepare for surgery. As she washed her hands, she found herself staring at her patient through the window. "Gibbs says you're a fighter, Tony," she whispered. "I just hope you have enough fight left in you to pull through this."
Taking the towel from the scrub assistant, she quickly dried her hands and slipped into the rest of her surgical attire. Entering the operating room, she was informed of Tony's vital signs and although they were still dangerously low, she knew that there wouldn't be much improvement until she was able to control the bleeding. Without hesitation, Katherine took the scalpel from the nurse. "Ready?"
Everyone answered affirmatively. "Good," she said. "Let's get started."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Gibbs slowly made his way towards the surgical waiting area, knowing that it would be a while before there would be any news on Tony. He poured himself a cup of coffee and took a sip; it was cold, but he really didn't care. His thoughts were on his senior agent, Anthony DiNozzo. Tony had come close to dying in the line of duty several times before, but the agent had managed to beat the odds. This time was different.
Despite what he had told Dr. Marshall about Tony always being a fighter, he had a feeling that DiNozzo was tired of fighting. Gibbs knew that the young man had been battling both visible and invisible demons all his life and the ex-Marine couldn't help but wonder how much more Tony could withstand.
His cell phone rang, shattering the silence of the room. He glanced at the caller ID; it was Ducky. He easily deduced that Ziva or Abby must have called the ME, informing him of what had happened to Tony. "Gibbs," he mumbled.
"Jethro, how's Anthony?" Ducky inquired.
Gibbs shook his head. "I don't know, Duck. He's not doing too well. He's bleeding internally; he's in surgery right now."
"His ulcer must have perforated," the ME guessed. "Is Dr. Marshall doing the surgery?"
"Yeah."
"Jethro, is there something that you're not telling me?"
The team leader took another sip of the cold coffee. Grimacing at the bitter taste, he set the cup down beside him. "They almost lost him before he even got to surgery. I'm not sure he's going to pull through this."
"Of course he will, Jethro. As Abigail would remind you, you must have positive thoughts. Tony is very strong, both physically and mentally, and…"
"I'm not so sure that's going to be enough, Duck. I saw it in his eyes while we were in the ambulance. He's tired."
"I'm sure that he is," the doctor readily agreed. "He's been essentially pulling double duty by working for you and working for Vance. You know that Tony never does anything halfway: he puts everything he has into his work and…"
"And now it could cost him his life. That's a price that he shouldn't have to pay. He almost died on the table before I could…"
"Before you could what, Jethro?" Ducky pressed.
"Before I could make things right."
"I'm certain that you'll have that chance. Do you think Tony would pass up the opportunity to hear you say you're sorry?" the ME gently teased.
"I wish I could be so sure, Duck."
"Don't give up on young Anthony just yet. Time and time again, he's proven to be a resilient young man."
"I know that Duck. How many times is he going to pick himself up off the ground and dust himself off only to discover that there's someone else waiting in the wings to try and take him down?"
Gibbs could envision Ducky shaking his head. "I don't know," the physician admitted. "But I do know this, that when he gets to the point where he can't pick himself up again, you'll be right there with the helping hand. He knows that as well and that's what he's counting on. Despite the strain that your relationship is under, Tony knows that he can always depend on you."
"Just like he depended on me being able to see what was happening to him right under my nose," the team leader growled.
"Tony doesn't blame you for that. He didn't want you to see what was happening and we both know that Anthony is a master of disguise," Ducky reminded him.
"Yeah. I still should have noticed something. I was too preoccupied making sure that Vance didn't abuse the Director's chair like Jenny did and unfortunately, Tony paid the price for my blindness."
"He's not dead, Jethro. You still have time to make things right. If it's Tony's forgiveness you're seeking, I'm sure that he will readily give it. After all, you're his family; his father."
"Some father," Gibbs mumbled. "I'm just as much of a bastard as his real one."
Gibbs was startled by the indignant tone of the medical examiner's voice. "Don't you ever compare yourself to that man again, Agent Gibbs," Ducky warned. "Tony worships the ground you walk on, he strives to be like you, he wants to make you proud; you are the father that he has always wanted and needed. Tony truly has no idea what it means to be someone's son; he's lived his life wondering why he couldn't measure up to his real parent's standard. You've at least had the chance to be a father and although Kelly was taken away from you, you have a chance to fill that void in your life with a son. He may not be flesh and blood, but he is the child of your heart. Don't deny him the father that he deserves."
The former Marine grinned. Leave it to Ducky to get straight to the point. "You're right, Duck. We'll work it out," Gibbs vowed. "Somehow, we'll work it out."
"You might start with a nice whack to the back of the head," the ME suggested.
"I think I'll give him a couple of days to recover before I do that."
"I wasn't talking about Tony," Ducky retorted.
His reply was cut short by the arrival of Abby, Ziva, Vance, and Jack. "I'll call you back later when I hear something, Duck. I've got to go."
Gibbs hung up his phone and slipped it back in his pocket. Three sets of eyes were staring at him, their concerned gazes silently asking the question that they were afraid to speak out loud. Vance merely walked over to the window and stared out across the parking lot. Standing, Gibbs approached the two women and his father.
"He's in surgery as we speak," Gibbs began. "He's bleeding internally and Dr. Marshall rushed him into surgery. Ducky says Tony's ulcer probably perforated causing the bleeding. That's pretty much all I know right now."
"Did he ever wake up?" Abby anxiously inquired.
"Very briefly, in the ambulance."
He hugged Abby as she laid her head on his shoulder. "Please tell me he's going to be all right, Gibbs," she softly implored.
"He'll pull through, Abs," he stated with more confidence than he felt. "He has to."
"You're right. Positive thoughts."
"We all need to have positive thoughts," Ziva added.
"You're right," Jack agreed. "While we're waiting, I'm going to go find us all some coffee and something to drink. Would one of you girls like to come with me?"
"I'll go," Abby said. "Ziva can stay here just in case you or the Director…need her."
Gibbs smiled at Abby's obvious attempt to cover her near faux pas. He kissed her on top of the head. "Thanks, Abs."
Abby nodded as she took Jack's proffered arm. "You're welcome."
The team leader signed 'I love you' to the Goth and then turned his attention to the Director. "You don't have anything to say, Leon?"
"Not really," the Director said. "Although I am glad that your father drove your car instead of Officer David: I'm not sure the good people of Stillwater could handle Ziva's unique driving style."
"Special Agent DiNozzo is fighting for his life and all you can manage to say is that you're glad that my dad drove you here." Gibbs clenched his jaw. "Is that your way of dealing with your guilt?"
"Guilt? I have no guilt."
"Evidently you don't have a conscience either."
"Oh, I have a conscience, Agent Gibbs, but I don't allow it to interfere in matters of international relations with our allies. I do what has to be done. Surely as a former sniper, you would understand that concept. I'm afraid that Agent DiNozzo doesn't."
Gibbs stood toe to toe with the Director. "You're actually hoping that he doesn't pull through," he observed. "You would be more than happy if he were to die on that operating table, wouldn't you?"
"I'm not that cold hearted, Agent Gibbs."
"That's debatable," Gibbs countered. "You were cold hearted enough to help SecNav honor a contract on Tony's life. You were cold hearted enough to send him on operation after operation without the obligatory debriefing time and you were cold hearted enough to leave him in an op after his cover was blown. So, forgive me, Director Vance, if I don't believe that you are even the slightest bit concerned for DiNozzo. You've done everything humanly possible to ruin his life, but somehow he's still managing to foil your plans."
"If DiNozzo pulls through this, his career is over," Vance warned. "And there's not a damn thing you can do about it, Agent Gibbs."
"I thought you learned your lesson about underestimating me, Leon."
"Maybe, but I haven't underestimated Agent DiNozzo."
"What do you mean?" the team leader wanted to know.
"Just that I know that DiNozzo will go to great lengths to protect those individuals that he cares about. He's very noble in that way; he doesn't want to see his friends, excuse me, his family hurt and he will do everything in his power to keep it from happening. For instance, you and I both know that DiNozzo is aware of who put that contract out on him, but he would rather carry that secret to his grave than risk a certain individual from discovering the truth."
Gibbs didn't miss Vance's subtle glance towards the Mossad officer and he knew that Ziva didn't miss it either. What was Vance trying to do? Destroy his team? The Director had tried that once and had failed; did he not realize that he would fail again?
"Is there something I should know?" Ziva asked.
"No," Gibbs said.
"More secrets, Gibbs?" Vance challenged.
"Now's not the time, Leon."
The Director placed a toothpick between his teeth. "You started this conversation," he reminded the team leader.
Gibbs' face was now mere inches from Vance's. "You better pray that Tony pulls through, because if he doesn't, there won't be enough of you to bury."
"Another promise, Agent Gibbs?"
"Ziva," Gibbs said. "Go and see if Jack and Abby need any help."
"But I want to stay here and…I am going."
He continued to glare at the Director, resisting the urge to inflict pain upon the pretentious man. "You're going down, Vance. You're going to discover how lonely it is at the bottom when you're left holding the bag after everyone is done taking a crap."
Before Vance could respond, Gibbs pulled out his handcuffs and in one fluid movement and cuffed Vance to the handle on the window frame.
"What are you doing?" Vance demanded.
"Placing you in protective custody?"
"And just who are you protecting me from?"
Gibbs smiled. "Me."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The teen was sitting on the beach, watching the waves wash upon the sand and go back out again. He had been there since last night and now the sun was coming up over the horizon. The ocean gave young Anthony DiNozzo a sense of peace that he was not accustomed to. His life was anything but peaceful, but right now, he didn't have a care in the world.
Laughter filled the air and Tony looked up to see a man and a young girl walking down the beach. The girl couldn't have been more than five and the man definitely looked as if he belonged in the military. He watched with interest as the girl picked up a seashell and then called out to her father. "Daddy, what about this one?" she gleefully shouted.
If Tony had to guess, he would have bet that the girl's father was a Marine. Of course, his hypothesis had nothing to do with the Marine Corp t-shirt the man was wearing, but he liked to assume that he would have been able to figure it out on his own.
The father took the shell from the girl and held it up to examine it. "It's perfect, Kelly. It'll make a beautiful necklace for mommy."
"Maybe we could find another one and make her a matching bracelet," she exclaimed.
"That's a great idea."
"I love you, daddy!"
"I love you too, Kelly."
Shaking his head as he rolled his eyes, Tony returned his attention to the waves. They were restless, just like he was. He wished that he could just drift out to sea forever where he would never have to face the harshness of the reality that had become his life ever again.
"Beautiful morning, isn't it?"
Tony looked up to discover the Marine standing over him. The teen shrugged and drew his knees up to his chest. "I guess so," he mumbled.
"Mind if I sit down?" the older man asked.
"I don't own the beach; I guess you can sit anywhere you want."
The Marine sat down and extended his hand. "My name's Jethro, Jethro Gibbs. What's yours?"
Again Tony shrugged. "Does it matter?"
"I don't guess it does, but I'd kind of like to call you something besides hey you."
"I answer to just about anything. Bastard, son of a bitch, stupid, idiot…"
"Who calls you those names?" Jethro asked.
"Doesn't matter."
"It does to me."
Tony glared at the Marine. He considered himself to be an accurate judge of character and just by looking into the eyes of Jethro Gibbs; Tony knew that this man was sincere.
"Anthony," the boy finally whispered.
"Got a last name?"
"Yeah."
"But you're not going to tell me," Gibbs deduced.
"Nope."
"Fair enough. So, Anthony, where are your parents?"
"Mother's dead and father's in a business meeting."
"I'm sorry about your mom."
"Not your fault."
"No, but I'm still sorry. How did she die?"
Tony stared straight ahead. Who was Jethro Gibbs and why did he care about how his mother died? This man was a stranger and Tony had learned the hard way that you didn't involve strangers in personal family business.
"Killed herself," he finally admitted.
"I'm sorry."
"She was smart and got out while she could."
"Got out of what?"
Tony tiredly grinned. "Hell."
He flinched with the Marine placed his hand on his shoulder. "Son, do you need help? Are you in trouble?"
Jethro Gibbs wanted to help him, Tony truly believed that, but he couldn't risk the man becoming involved in his miserable life. "No sir, I'm all right."
"If you're in trouble, I'd like to help," Gibbs urged.
"No sir. Everything is fine. I'm just being a typical, rebellious teenager."
"I don't believe that. You don't seem too rebellious."
"It's the medication."
"What are you on medication for?" Jethro wanted to know.
"At the moment? Depression."
"Because of your mom dying?"
"Hell no, she's been dead for five or six years. I guess I'm on pills just because there has to be something wrong with me."
"Why's that, Anthony?"
"I don't know."
That was the truth. His father had told Tony from a young age that something was wrong with him and he had finally gotten to the point that he believed his father. The first part of his summer break had been spent in a private psych hospital under the care of his father's private physician. He had just been out a week, when his father informed him that he would be accompanying the senior DiNozzo on a business trip. He hoped that his father would forget him like he did in Hawaii.
"Look, if you need help," Gibbs began. "I know some people who…"
"No!" Tony snapped. "You don't know my father."
"I would if you told me his name."
Tony shook his head vehemently. "It's not worth it. I'll either make it a couple more years or I won't."
"You've got a long life…"
"Don't!" Tony growled. "Don't tell me how I've got a long life ahead of me! If this is what I've got to look forward to, then I might as well just walk in that ocean and never look back. I've managed to stay alive this long and if I can manage another couple of years, I'll get the hell out of my father's life and he never has to worry about me shaming his name again. I won't…"
Tony closed his eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I don't know why I just went off like that."
"Sounds to me like you've got a lot justified anger built up in you and…"
"Mr. Gibbs, I don't need another therapist."
"What do you need?"
"I don't know," the teen said.
"How about a friend?"
"You want to be my friend?"
Tony never received an answer as Kelly came running up to Gibbs. "Daddy, I think I found some shells for her bracelet! See?"
Feeling a twinge of jealousy, Tony hung his head in shame. Why should he be jealous of a little five year old girl and her dad? He barely even knew their names, they were strangers, and yet his heart ached for a father that would praise him for finding the perfect sea shell.
"They're beautiful, princess," Gibbs replied, kissing the top of Kelly's head.
"Anthony!"
He jumped up at the sound of his name. Tony felt a knot form in the pit of his stomach as he turned around to see his father standing at the edge of the dune glaring at him with pure hatred.
"I gotta go."
"Anthony, I can help you if you'll let me," Gibbs pleaded.
"No, you can't, but thanks for listening."
Tony hurried over to his father and fell into step behind him. He recognized that look; there was going to be hell to pay for disappearing and he was going to suffer the consequences for what his father would call a lack in judgment.
His thoughts turned briefly back to Jethro Gibbs and his daughter, Kelly. What would have happened if he had taken the Marine up on his offer of help? Would he have been better off or would he end up in more of a hell hole than he was in now? It didn't matter, in a few weeks, Tony would be going to back to school and wouldn't have to see his father until Christmas break. He just hoped that he was still alive by then.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Agent DiNozzo, I need you to wake up now. Tony, can you hear me?"
Tony opened his eyes, blinking them several times until he could focus on his surroundings. The agent had expected to see a sandy beach but instead he saw Dr. Marshall hovering over him. His mind was too clouded with fog to realize why she was here with him or what she was doing.
"Tony? It's Katherine Marshall," the doctor said. "Can you hear me?"
"Yeah," he whispered. His throat felt like sandpaper and it pained him to swallow. "What…"
"Your ulcer perforated and you were bleeding internally. I managed to stop the bleeding and repair the damage, but you're going to have to take it easy for a while."
The agent truly had no idea what she had just said. His head was pounding and he felt as if he were going to throw up. As if she were able to read his mind, Katherine assured him that he was more than likely feeling the affect of the anesthesia and that she would get him something for the pain and the nausea.
He nodded and closed his eye, trying to ignore the sheer agony that he was experiencing. How had he ended up in the hospital? He had been on the beach talking to Gibbs. No, that wasn't right. He had been talking to the ex-Marine, but they had not been at the beach. Tony doubted that Gibbs even remembered that day and it was probably for the best. He cursed under his breath, berating himself for his inability to make sense of his jumbled thoughts.
Tony's eyes snapped back open as the memory of him and Gibbs talking outside of Jack's store came flooding back. He struggled to sit up. "Vance," he rasped. "Vance is gonna…"
He gasped in pain and collapsed back on the bed. His stomach was on fire; his head was pounding which further exacerbated the waves of nausea that threatened to overwhelm him. "Oh, God," he moaned.
"That wasn't a smart thing to do," the doctor chastised.
"I know," Tony grunted while he watched one of the nurses inject something in his IV.
"I'm going to go and talk to your friends and tell them you're in recovery," Katherine informed him. "You're going to be here a few hours just so we can keep an eye on you, then I'm going to move you back up to ICU for a few days. Now, when I get back, I expect to hear that you were a model patient or there will be consequences. Do I make myself clear, Agent DiNozzo?"
Tony nodded. "I need to…see…Gibbs," he said.
"Later," she insisted.
"No…please…now…need to talk to him…"
"You are in no condition to be talking to anyone. You're supposed to be resting."
"Have to…talk…to him."
"Tony, I said not now. You've just had major surgery and…"
"I'm not…going to…rest…until…I talk to Gibbs."
"You can talk to him after you're out of recovery and not before."
Tony was no longer able to keep his eyes open. He didn't have the strength to fight against the affects of the sedative and painkillers and he allowed himself to drift off. Before darkness claimed him, he found himself wondering if there was ever going to be a light at the end of the tunnel that didn't belong to a train.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
He watched Anthony walk behind his father as the pair made their way back to the resort that they were staying at. Jethro Gibbs' instincts were to follow the teen to make sure that he was going to be all right, but he had Kelly with him and he couldn't risk her getting hurt. He felt a gentle tug on his hand. Looking down at his daughter, he smiled at the young girl.
"Who was that boy you were talking to, Daddy?" she asked.
"His name was Anthony."
"He looked sad."
"Yeah, he did."
"Why was he sad?"
"I don't know. I don't think he gets along with his dad too well."
"Oh. Is his dad mean to him?"
"I don't know. I hope not."
"Well, if his dad is mean to him, then we could just bring him home with us. It would be cool to have a big brother," she grinned.
"It would?"
"Yeah, cause he could kill the spiders and bugs while you're away."
Gibbs laughed. "I thought that was your job."
"It is," Kelly said, "but I don't like doing it. I just do it because mommy's scared of spiders."
"I see." He shook his head in amusement. There was something about the innocence of a child that touched his heart. "Speaking of mommy, we better get back. I'm sure that she's almost got breakfast ready for us."
"Then after breakfast, we can make her necklace and bracelet!"
"Yep. Are you ready?"
Kelly grabbed his hand and the two of them headed back down the beach to their own hotel. As he listened to his daughter ramble on about their plans for the day, Jethro found his mind wandering back to Anthony. There was something special about that boy, but it was apparent that his father didn't agree.
Deciding that he would take a run later on that day, he planned to make a detour to the resort that he saw Anthony and his father enter and check on the teen. His gut was screaming at him that the young man desperately needed help and he could not turn his back on Anthony.
Jethro Gibbs sat up, cursing under his breath for permitting himself to fall asleep. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to clear his mind. The ex-Marine had pushed so many memories of Kelly and Shannon to the far recesses of his mind and he couldn't figure out why he would be dreaming of the summer that they had gone to Virginia Beach.
As he played back the memory, he realized that he wasn't really dreaming about Kelly and Shannon; he was remembering a lonely young teenager who was crying out for help. Why had he never made the connection? That young man that he had met on the beach had been none other than Anthony DiNozzo. It sickened him to think how different Tony's life could have been if he had only managed to go back to the resort before Tony and his dad had checked out.
"Agent Gibbs?"
The team leader stood up as Dr. Marshall entered the waiting room, mentally noting that everyone was accounted for. "How's Tony?" he anxiously inquired.
"His ulcer had perforated resulting in internal bleeding," she explained. "It was touch and go with his blood pressure for a while, but I did get the bleeding stopped and repaired the damage. He's still in recovery where he'll stay for a few more hours. Tony was having a difficult time handling the affects of the anesthesia, which is not that unusual. I'll be moving him to ICU after that where he'll have to stay for several days."
"Can we see him once he gets settled in ICU?"
The physician sighed. "One at a time and only for 15 minutes at a time. You have to adhere to the ICU visiting rules."
"But one of us has to stay with Tony at all times," Abby interjected. "Hospitals freak him out."
"I'm sorry. I'm not making exceptions this time," Katherine stated. "Tony needs to rest and he doesn't need any added stress. He lost a lot of blood and it's going to be awhile before he's back on his feet. I'm just doing what's best for him."
"No, you're not," Abby challenged. "You're denying him his friends, his family."
"I'm trying to keep him alive," Katherine snapped.
Gibbs put his finger on Abby's lips and shook his head. "We'll abide by your rules. We just want to be able to see him and let him know we're here for him."
"He asked to speak with you Agent Gibbs, so after he's settled in ICU, you can see him."
"Thank you."
After Katherine left, Gibbs turned and faced his team. "She's right. Our top priority is Tony and what's best for him. We're going to get him through this and we'll do it together."
Knowing that his team would not question his decision, he walked over to the Director. "You're still not off the hook. I have enough to put you away for a long time. But there's still some missing pieces and once Tony is better, he'll be the one to drive the final nail in your coffin. He deserves that privilege after the hell you've put him through."
"I think you have it wrong, Agent Gibbs. I'm not the one DiNozzo should be worried about," Vance said. "He has many enemies, some that he doesn't even know about. Isn't that right, Officer David?"
Gibbs clenched his fist, struggling to control the rage burning inside him. He glanced at Ziva, who appeared to be confused by the Director's insinuations. "Ziva, go and try and call Ducky and let him know that Tony's out of surgery," he ordered.
Ziva stood her ground. "I want to know what Director Vance meant by his last comment."
"Not now, Ziva," Gibbs growled, his icy tone daring her to challenge him.
The team leader breathed a sigh of relief as Ziva nodded and left the room. He turned his attention back to Vance. "You will not break up my team again, do you understand me?"
"Agent Gibbs, I…"
He cut off the Director with an angry glare. His phone rang and he saw that it was McGee. Knowing that he needed to take this call in private, he quickly excused himself from the waiting room and hurried down the hall. "Gibbs," he answered.
"Hey, Boss."
"McGee, are you all right?" the former Marine asked.
"I'm fine, Boss. I'm here with Secretary Davenport and he wants to talk to you."
"To me?"
"Yeah, Boss. He wants to make a deal."
"A deal, what kind of deal?"
"I'll let him explain it to you."
Gibbs shook his head in frustration. "I want you to explain it to me, McGee!"
The next voice he heard was that of Secretary Davenport. "Agent Gibbs, as I was telling Agent McGee, I have a deal to offer to Agent DiNozzo and I think he'll be more than willing to accept it. If he is reluctant, I'm sure that you can convince him to take the deal."
"If this deal is so good, why am I going to have to convince DiNozzo to accept it?" Gibbs pressed.
"I have a way to clear Agent DiNozzo's name and to get rid of Leon," the SecNav announced. "Are you interested?"
"I'm listening."
"Not over the phone. I'll be sending Agent McGee with the details. I'll expect Agent DiNozzo's answer within 12 hours."
"Tony just had surgery and is on his way to ICU as we speak, sir. I don't think he's going to be up to listening to any kind of deal," Gibbs pointed out.
"12 hours," Davenport repeated.
The line went dead and Gibbs shut his phone and slipped it back in his pocket. "Damn it."
Images of young Anthony DiNozzo sitting on the beach began to play in his mind once again. He was still admonishing himself for not being able to make the connection between the cynical young boy and his senior agent. He had buried so many memories after Shannon and Kelly died, believing that he was keeping his heartache at bay; but what had his selfishness cost Tony?
"Well DiNozzo, I guess we have more to talk about than I thought."
He started to head back to the waiting room when he saw Ziva standing at the other end of the hallway, talking on the phone. She was supposed to be calling Ducky but Gibbs had a feeling that she wasn't talking to the ME. Ziva's movements were agitated, almost frantic as she spoke in Hebrew. Gibbs had a feeling that she was talking to none other than Eli David.