Drowning

Chapter 7

When Abby clomped her way into Bethesda Hospital reception at 'eleven hundred hours' (as Gibbs had instructed her to), she found Tony already dressed and ready to go. He was casually leaning against the desk, chatting smoothly to an attractive nurse. Quickening her pace, Abby flung herself at Tony and enveloped him in a bone-crunching hug. It was so good to hold him and be assured that he was alive and well that she couldn't bear to let go. Tony's need to draw breath, however, over-rode his delight at being hugged by his Goth friend.

'Hey, Abs,' he managed to grunt.

Drawing back, she kept hold of his arms in order to maintain contact.

'You have to stop nearly getting yourself killed!' she admonished him. 'I can't take much more of it!'

'Ab's, it was no big deal,' Tony told her, playing it down as Gibbs had.

'Tony! Don'tsay that!' she exclaimed, punching him on the arm. 'You know that I know that when you say it's no big deal, it really is and that when you make a big deal of something it's really not!'

'That's not true,' he retorted and turned his attention back to the nurse who was looking on in amusement.

'It so is!' Abby continued, also turning to address the pretty onlooker. 'This one time, Tony was in a shipping crate and a bullet grazed his arm. He carried on so much that anyone would have thought he'd nearly died.'

'Abby!' protested Tony.

'But then, when he'd nearly died for real from the plague, he hardly mentioned it to anyone. So that's how I know that this time it was a really big deal, despite what he and Gibbs tell me.'

'Well, if you're done with the psychoanalysis and ruining any chance I might have had to date this beautiful woman, can we go?' asked Tony in exasperation.

'Certainly,' said Abby cheerily, threading her arm through Tony's. 'If we hurry, we get to meet the psychic!'

Just as they were about to reach the automatic exit doors, the nurse called out.

'Ah, Tony?'

Tony turned and raised his eyebrows questioningly.

'Despite the plague, and the psychic, and the fact that you were once locked in a crate… give me a call. I'm intrigued,' she said, smiling.

Tony treated her to one of his most dazzling smiles before Abby started tugging on his arm.

'Less flirting. More hurrying,' she urged him.

…………………………………………………………..

Gibbs was in a particularly foul mood, noted McGee. The Boss had barely spoken a word that morning and had spent most of his time scowling at the precious little useful information they had gathered about Officer Partington. McGee found himself looking with a mixture of eagerness and apprehension every time the lift doors opened. What would this psychic look like?, he wondered. McGee had vague notions of shawls, crystal balls and incense. She'd be old too, he mused. Oldish, at least. Definitely wrinkly. With rings on her fingers – lots of rings. McGee winced again as Gibbs punched his 'enter' key with unnecessary force. Whatever she was like, McGee already felt sorry for her.

Gibbs felt McGee's eyes on him and threw the younger agent a look that sent his eyes straight back to his computer screen.

Gibbs resented Jenny's interference in his case. He resented being told who he had to deal with. He resented wasting precious time with some crackpot who claimed she had one more sense than he had.

Gibbs looked up as Ziva came hurrying in. He nodded curtly and looked back to his monitor again. At least he'd had one piece of good news that morning. Tony's doctor said he was happy to let him go. As long as he was fit to work, a dose of Dinozzo just might negate the 'need' to involve the so-called psychic. Tony's police background and personal history had left him well-skilled at looking at cases from different angles than the often cynical Ziva and naïve McGee. Despite what Tony wanted other people to think, Gibbs knew that Tony had an adept brain for solving puzzles. And, using his brain was about all Tony was going to be doing for a while. Gibbs did not want to see his senior filed agent putting himself at risk unnecessarily with an already compromised level of health.

Again the lift doors opened, and this time the expected visitor emerged.

'Agents Gibbs, David and McGee, may I introduce Madame Vay,' said Jenny in her silky smooth manner.

Madame Vay was probably in her mid 50's, but appearances can be deceiving. Her grey-white hair was pulled back into a smooth bun. She wore a soft green, long-sleeved dress with lace-up black boots. A black shawl, McGee noted, was draped across her shoulders.

'Very nice to meet you,' said McGee as he shook the ringless hand she had extended towards him.

She smiled kindly before turning her attention to Gibbs. Recognition passed between them but neither displayed any surprise – Gibbs because it was not in his nature, and Vay because she had had an inkling that they would meet again. But they both remembered clearly the last time they had met and the conversation that had taken place.

FLASHBACK

'Thank you for your help,' Gibbs told Vay, extending his hand to her. She grasped his hand firmly and met his steely gaze.

'He is still not recovered fully from the sickness to his lungs,' she said, her voice hushed and urgent. 'And he will not look after himself properly because he does not want to seem weak. He wants desperately to make YOU proud. You mean much more to him than you realize.'

Gibbs' eyes burned into hers but she did not let go of his hand until he nodded.

'It is a small world,' Vay said to Gibbs by way of greeting. Seeing Jenny's raised eyebrows, Ziva interjected.

'We met Madame Vay about three months ago,' she explained, smiling graciously at the psychic.

'We were investigating a crime that was committed next to her business,' Gibbs hastened to add. There was no way he wanted Jenny thinking that he had been one of her clients.

'Well I guess I'll leave you to it, agent Gibbs,' said Jenny. 'Please keep me updated.'

Once Jenny was upstairs, and Ziva had begun to lead Vay and Gibbs to the Conference Room, the lift doors opened again and out shot Abby and Tony.

'Probie!' shouted Tony urgently. 'Is she here yet? Tell me I haven't missed Gibbs' mumbo jumbo lecture!'

Before McGee could answer, Tony's eyes settled on Ziva, an unimpressed Gibbs and a woman he had seen somewhere before.

'Ooops!' said Abby.

'What she said,' said Tony apologetically as they approached the trio with McGee. As he neared the woman, he too recalled where he had seen her before.

FLASHBACK

Madam Vay looked at Tony and noticed the way he stood by the older man's side; slightly back and at the ready. Gibbs continued to make notes in his book, ignoring the exchange.

'Is there anything else you can tell us about this morning?' Gibbs asked, turning his attention back to her.

'No,' she replied quietly, 'but I would like to address this young man.'

'Go ahead,' said Gibbs, slightly amused. 'Tony, this is Madam Vay.'

Tony took off his cap and stepped forward slightly, casting a puzzled sideways look at Gibbs. Vay reached up and placed her hand gently against Tony's cheek.

'You have endured much sadness,' she began, 'and you like everyone to think that you are fine. But you are not alone. Let people care about you.'

Tony held her gaze for awhile before dropping his to the floor. Sensing his discomfort, the woman removed her hand from his face.

'Meet me back at the office,' Gibbs told him, giving him an out.

'Nice to meet you,' said Tony before donning his cap and leaving, quickly.

Before Tony could find his voice again, Gibbs held open the Conference Room door and indicated that the whole group was to go inside.

'Let's get this over with,' he muttered under his breath.