McGee was siting at his desk he couldn't believe what had happened that afternoon he couldn't believe Gibbs was dead. Gibbs. How could Gibbs have had a heart attack? He though. Ducky had said the stress of the case, mixed with Tony being in danger, mixed with the strain of pulling Tony out of the cold water was simply too much. Still it seemed odd Gibbs should have been stronger than that. Ziva walked into the Bullpen
'Hey McGee have you seen Tony?" She asked.
"No not since the hospital." McGee replied.
Ziva paled when she got the answer.
"Why do you ask?" McGee asked.
"I started to feel bad about what I said when we got back and went to look for him thinking he had come back here but I have not seen him and he isn't answering his phone." Ziva said concerned.
McGee's face drained of color as he remembered what he had said to Tony back at Bethsada. He couldn't believe he had said those things. Gibbs who was like a second father to him was dead and he was angry he shouldn't have projected it on Tony he had done nothing wrong. "Did you go by his apartment?" McGee finally asked.
"I did not" Ziva replied exiting.
Abby was in her lab she wasn't playing any music, her hair was down, and she was sitting in a chair in the center of the office. She held Bert in her arms as she cried. Her Gibbsy was dead. Just that morning he had brought her a Caf-Pow and kissed her where she had burned her hand with boiling water the night before now he was dead from a heart attack. He had jumped in the water to save Tony who had fallen in chasing a perp and it had been too much for him now he was gone. Ziva had come down looking for Tony mumbling about "the hospital' and "that she was sorry". "I wonder what that was about." She asked Bert after Ziva had ruled out that Tony was in the lab. To be honest she didn't even remember leaving the hospital one minute Ducky told her Gibbs was dead the next she was in her lab. Suddenly McGee came down.
"OH Timmy!" She cried.
"I know Abs." He whispered.
"Can you drive me home?" She asked.
"Sure I am just waiting for a call from Ziva about Tony." McGee explained.
"Why is everybody so worried about Tony?" She asked.
"Abbs we were pretty hard on him in the hospital." McGee explained.
"Oh My Gosh! Where is he! Last thing I remember is hearing that Gibbs died." Abby exclaimed.
"I don't know nobody had seen him." McGee explained.
Jimmy Palmer was nervous this was his first solo autopsy and it was Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Ducky had asked him on the drive back from the hospital if he could handle this one on his own. He had said yes knowing it how close Gibbs and Ducky were and that Ducky was really hurting. He didn't know what to feel. He and Gibbs weren't exactly close but he sure as hell didn't see it as a good thing. He remembered back in the hospital seeing his mentor cry. He was still processing Gibbs dying when everybody started blaming Tony. Poor Tony looked to him for support and all he did was standing there trying to find words. He hoped Tony was OK and wished he was there to help him through this.
Ducky lay his head down on his desk he had his glasses in front of him. He could faintly see Palmer standing there over what he knew was Jethro. He had ridden in the ambulance with Gibbs so he was there when he died. Gibbs had been unconscious since he collapsed on the dock but, he opened his eyes and Ducky swore he said something before he died. Ducky finally realized he had said "Tell Nozzo not fault." "Tell DiNozzo it's not his fault." Then Ducky realized he had blamed Tony for Jethro dying. They all had except Jimmy who was silent.
Ziva David drove fast even for her. She was heading to Tony's apartment hoping to find him and apologize for yelling at him after Gibbs died. Gibbs was dead. The man who was a father to her and her protector was gone. He suffered a heart attack after saving Tony from drowning. When she got to Tony's she saw his car wasn't there. She hoped he had just walked home. She entered the building and walked up to his floor and then to his apartment. She knocked on the door nothing. Her stomach dropped. She looked in the peephole and didn't see him. Finally she'd had enough and picked the lock with the pin in her hair. She entered and searched the whole apartment three time s before realizing he wasn't there. She slid down against the counter took out her phone and called McGee. Once they were done talking she hung up and started to cry.
Jackson Gibbs opened up the microwave and removed the soup cup. The store was slow this time of day so he could have a nice leisurely lunch some days he even closed and went out to lunch nut, today something didn't feel right so he decided to stay in. Suddenly he heard the door open and somebody entered.
"Good Afternoon." Jackson greeted.
"Its afternoon but, it's not good." Jackson heard a familiar voice reply.
Jackson looked up and saw that the voice belonged to one Tony DiNozzo.
"What brings you to Stillwater Tony?" Jackson asked.
Silence Jackson looked up again and saw Tony staring into space. "Tony" He said again. Slowly Tony turned toward him. When Tony faced him he was shocked by what he saw Tony's hair and clothes were a mess and he had hurt in his eyes which were red and puffy.
"Tony what's wrong?" Jackson asked alarmed whatever was making Tony DiNozzo silent and cry had to be bad real bad.
Tony took several deep breaths before he finally found the strength to speak. The words he spoke brought the most pain Jackson would feel in his life.
"Jackson Jethro is dead."
"Excuse me?" Jackson asked.
"Your baby is dead! I killed him!" Tony cried.
Jackson gripped the counter to keep himself from falling as he took in the news that his son was dead and wondered why Tony the man Jethro saw as a son was saying he had killed him. "Were Tony's problems truly so severe that he would kill the man he saw as a father and then feel guilt?" Jackson thought.
"What happened?" He asked.
"We were chasing a perp and I fell in the water Jethro went in after me and got me out but, when he got out he had a heart attack! It's my entire fault!" Tony was loudly crying now.
Jackson somehow found the strength to walk over to Tony and hugged him. That's when the door opened a second time and the sheriff walked in. "Everything OK Jackson? I noticed a strange man walk in." He asked. (A new sheriff had been elected the month before who didn't know Jethro probably born after he left so he didn't know about the team.)
"No it's not." Jackson replied.
"My son Jethro is dead." Jackson told him that's when it hit him his son was truly dead and that's when he lost it.
"I'm so sorry." The sheriff told him.
Tony helped Jackson close and then drove him home. Tony wound up staying in Stillwater until the funeral four days later.