Drowning

Chapter 6

Despite the dangled carrot of getting on Gibbs' mythical 'good side', the team had not been able to come up with any new leads by the time he had returned with coffee. In fact, three hours after the coffee run, there had been nothing discovered that indicated Dianne Partington had been in trouble, or knew anyone who had a grudge against her, or was unhappy with any aspect of her life, or had a medical problem that might lead her to wander off without warning.

Near to lunchtime, Abby re-appeared at Gibbs' desk.

'If you're here to lecture me again about not keeping you informed, don't,' he warned her.

'No, I'm in the strange and unusual position of not having any urgent stuff to do,' said Abby, sweetly. 'Can't I just visit without you thinking I have an ulterior motive?'

'You're not taking time off to visit him, Abby,' said Gibbs, sternly. 'You can do that in your own time.'

'But Gibbs…I just wanna know how he is!'

'He's supposed to be resting,' he told her. 'If you stop whining, you can go and collect him when he's discharged.'

'Thank you, thank you!' exclaimed Abby gleefully before she registered properly what Gibbs had said.

'Hey! Abby Scuitto does not whine!' she stated, her hands on her hips.

When Gibbs said nothing and continued working, she turned to McGee.

'Tell him McGee.'

'Ah, Abby,' he stammered. 'You, um, you do whine at times.'

Ziva, who had been watching the exchange and hoping not to be drawn into it, was grateful to see Jenny approach.

'Anything new to report?' the director enquired.

'Apart from a whining forensic scientist and a senior field agent who thinks he can discharge himself from hospital, nothing,' said Gibbs, clearly disgusted. He hated inaction and lack of progress. He especially hated admitting it to the director.

'Well, I have a development,' she told Gibbs, smiling. 'The public appeal has attracted some attention. A woman contacted me today. She will be coming in tomorrow to assist with the case.'

'Why can she not come today?' asked Ziva. 'If Officer Partington is in trouble, it may be too late to receive information tomorrow.'

'She can't come today,' Jenny informed her.

'Is she a witness? Does she have pertinent information?' asked McGee.

'She may be both or neither,' said Jenny somewhat cryptically.

'What the hell is she, director?' demanded Gibbs impatiently.

'Agent Gibbs, she's a psychic,' said Jenny.

'Cool!' enthused Abby.

'Oh,' said McGee.

'Interesting,' mused Ziva.

'Forget it!' roared Gibbs.

'You have nothing else,' persisted Jenny. 'There have been many cases solved with the help of psychics, fortune tellers, mediums or whatever else they like to call themselves.'

'None of MY cases!' argued Gibbs. 'I use scientific methods and hard work. I don't use mumbo jumbo.'

'You do use your gut, Gibbs,' offered Abby. 'That's hardly scientific or hard work but it's effective.'

'She's coming tomorrow and that's final,' stated Jenny before she turned to go back to her office. 'And, Agent Gibbs, you will speak with her,' she added.

Gibbs pushed back angrily from his desk and stood up.

'Keep looking for leads,' he snarled at Ziva and McGee. 'Whoever finds me something that solves this case before I have to see this weirdo tomorrow will get the right to drive the truck for a month.'

'Where are you going?' Abby dared to ask as Gibbs stalked to the lift.

'To make sure a direct order is being followed,' he snapped.

……………………………………………………….

Tony turned off the television and tossed the remote onto the bedside table in disgust. He was bored. He was restless. He was no longer frozen to the core. His legs no longer throbbed. He could see no point in staying in the hospital for another five minutes, let alone another night! Of course it was all Ducky's fault that he was still there. If the elderly ME hadn't blabbed to Gibbs about Tony's plan to get clothes, Tony would have been back in the office and back on the case. He rested his head back against the propped up pillows, shut his eyes and sighed. Almost at once he heard footsteps in the hallway and the sound of the door being opened then closed. When only silence followed, Tony kept his eyes shut and folded his arms across his chest.

'I bet you won't ring the Boss to report that I'm actually doing what I'm supposed to be doing, will you Ducky' he said sulkily.

'No, because I'm already here to see that you are,' came Gibbs' gruff voice, causing Tony to sit bolt upright. 'And knock off the petulance,' he added as he approached the bed. 'Ducky's only concerned about your health.'

'My health's fine!' exclaimed Tony. 'Honestly Boss, do I look sick? I'll tell you what makes a person sick: hanging around in hospitals picking up germs from sick people.'

Gibbs placed the bag he was carrying on the end of the bed and sat down, all the while trying to hide his amusement. Tony definitely seemed like his usual self. He had not spoken to Tony since just before he had been wheeled into the ER.

'It's a precaution,' he told Tony. 'I just spoke to the doctor. He said there's some gunk in your lungs. If it doesn't get any worse, you can be discharged tomorrow so long as you take it easy over the next few days.'

'Boss, I'm always gonna have gunk in my lungs!' exclaimed Tony, still frustrated. He remembered all too clearly Dr. Pitt's explanation that his lungs were slightly scarred for life.

'Stop complaining,' Gibbs told him. 'You're worse than Abby.'

Tony was about to protest again before thinking better of it. He had no hope of winning the argument anyway. He took a glance a Gibbs' face and his mind flashed back to the last time he had seen his Boss. The man had pretty much saved his life – again. Not single-handedly, but Gibbs had stayed with him in the stream when Tony had been unraveling. The silence between them lengthened until Tony ended it.

'Rules aside,' he told Gibbs quietly, 'I'm sorry for losing it out there in the water.'

'You didn't lose it,' said Gibbs. 'Things were a bit rough here and there, but you kept your head.'

Tony snorted and gave an embarrassed half laugh.

'Come on, Boss. I'm surprised you haven't got bruises where my fingers dug into your arms!'

Gibbs recalled the moment when he had momentarily lost his grip on his agent and the younger man had clutched at him like a frightened child.

'You nearly drowned, Tony,' Gibbs said in his gentlest tone. 'Stop giving yourself a hard time. You did fine.'

Tony sighed again and rubbed his hand over his brow.

'McGee must have loved it,' he said, grimly. 'He's gonna have enough ammunition to use against me for weeks.'

Gibbs thought back to McGee's worried face and Ziva's anguish when she believed that Tony was going to die. He shook his head.

'I don't think he'll be making a joke of it,' Gibbs told Tony. 'And if he does, Ziva will probably make sure he regrets it.'

Tony gave a wan smile and decided to take Gibbs word for it. After another awkward silence, Tony changed the subject.

'How's the case going?' he asked.

'Nowhere,' said Gibbs disgustedly. 'No leads and no clues. And now the director's appeal to the public has dredged up some crackpot who says she can help us.'

'Who is she?' asked Tony, his interest growing.

'Some psychic!' spat Gibbs. 'We'll be bringing in spoon benders next.'

The corners of Tony's mouth went up at the thought of a fortune teller having to deal with Gibbs and visa-versa. The idea was too delicious for words.

'When's she coming in?' he asked Gibbs, excitedly. 'Tell me it's gonna be when I'm back. I mean, how often have we had a psychic help us on a case? It'll be a first.'

'It's not gonna happen at all if we solve the case before tomorrow, which is when she's coming,' Gibbs told him, his annoyance growing. He stood up and indicated the bag on the end of the bed.

'There are some of your clothes and shoes in there,' he told Tony. 'IF the doctor's happy with you in the morning, he'll ring me and I'll send Abby to come and collect you. IF you decide the break out of here before then, do not bother coming into work, because you will no longer have a job.'

'And risk missing out on seeing you and the fortune teller work together?' said Tony. 'Not a chance.'

Gibbs turned to walk towards the door, but then turned back and leaned into Tony's personal space.

'One more thing, Dinozzo,' he said, his voice low and serious. 'I don't know where that crap about you not being worth my protection comes from, but you are no less valuable than anyone on the team – including me. If I even suspect that you're thinking otherwise again, I'll head slap you into next week. Got that?'

'Got it Boss,' said Tony, his face reddening slightly.

When Gibbs had left, Tony chose not to entertain the somber memories of his childhood that threatened to fill his mind. Instead, he thought about the many possible entertaining scenarios involving Gibbs and the psychic.

'