Timothy McGee and Ziva David had been confused by their orders to bring Chip Sterling in for questioning, but knowing better than to doubt the surly team leader's motives, they wisely obeyed and were now on their way to the scientist's apartment. An awkward silence hung over them like a dark cloud as they each considered Gibbs' recent behavior. Although they all had been working hard in an effort to prove Tony's innocence, Gibbs had become a man obsessed, determined to find something that would secure DiNozzo's freedom. There were times that the Marine had seemingly reached his limits but he kept pushing himself and pushing them; neither of them dared to challenge Gibbs' authority even if they sometimes questioned his methods.
"Why do you think Gibbs wants to talk to Chip?" McGee asked, shattering the stillness of the moment.
"I do not know," Ziva replied. "The reason is not ours to question; we are merely to follow orders."
"I know," he sighed. "But aren't you the least bit curious?"
"Curiosity killed the rat, McGee."
"Cat," Tim automatically corrected. Tony used to be the one that was constantly correcting Ziva when she misspoke but in the last year, that responsibility had naturally fallen on his shoulders.
"Whatever," she sighed in disgust. "Gibbs wants us to bring Chip in and that is what we are going to do; I am quite certain that he does not want us to sit here and contemplate his instructions."
"You're probably right," McGee conceded. "I just wish that sometimes he would let us know what's going on; I think sometimes Gibbs forgets that we want to help prove Tony's innocence just as much as he does."
"This…situation has been difficult for everyone. I admit that I do not know Tony that well, but I do know that he is not capable of cold blooded murder," Ziva stated, her cultured tone exuding a confidence that McGee wished he could share.
He knew that Gibbs and Tony shared a special father and son relationship that few understood. Up until DiNozzo had been accused of a gruesome murder, McGee had thought that he had finally started to understand their unusual familial bond. After his arrest, Tony had started distancing himself from Gibbs and the team, which clearly frustrated the team leader, putting a definite strain on DiNozzo and Gibbs' friendship.
Every day that Tony spent in jail was another day that Gibbs seemed to withdraw into himself even more; McGee would never describe the lead agent as being chatty but ever since Tony had been sentenced, their leader had become more reclusive and at the same time, more demanding. They all needed a break, both physically and mentally; however, until Tony was out of prison, there wouldn't be any rest for the weary.
"Tony's not a murderer," he firmly agreed.
McGee thought back to their last conversation; it was the night before the jury had returned with the verdict. He would never forget his former teammate's final words as the figurative mantle that Tony had worn over the years was passed on to him; there were a lot of days that he wished that he had never accepted the burden that DiNozzo had placed upon him.
***flashback***
McGee stared at his friend through the plexiglass barrier, knowing that there was something that was weighing heavily on his mind. Tony rarely agreed to see anyone but Gibbs and even those visits were becoming few and far between; DiNozzo's counsel had called him and informed him that Tony wanted to talk to him, thus prompting this particular visit.
Tim cleared his throat. "How're you doing, Tony?" He winced as the words escaped his lips. His mouth had once again gotten ahead of his brain; hopefully DiNozzo would just ignore his obviously stupid question.
"Couldn't be better, Tim," Tony replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"I uh…didn't…mean…"
Tony waved him off. "Forget it; I didn't want to see you so we could sit here and chit chat about the weather."
"O…okay." He was slightly taken back by Tony's abrupt manner. The former senior agent had always spoken his mind but now his tone betrayed his hidden anger at his current circumstances.
"So, what did you want to talk to me about?"
"I have a favor."
DiNozzo now possessed McGee's undivided attention. "A favor?" Tony had never asked anything from him and the fact that he was doing so now told him of the seriousness and the sincerity of his friend's next words. "What is it?"
"I'm not sure how this thing's going to turn out," Tony began. "I have a feeling that the jury…well, I'm not sure they believe that I'm innocent."
McGee waited patiently for DiNozzo to collect his thoughts; it was odd to see the dark-haired man at a loss for words. Tony blew out a long, drawn out breath. "Anyway, I've always made sure that I've watched Gibbs' back; he and I have had this…understanding since I started NCIS that we…uh…"
"What, Tony?" Tim pressed. It was evident that whatever this favor was weighing heavily on DiNozzo and at the moment, McGee knew he would do anything Tony asked him to do.
"I need to know that you're going to have Gibbs' six."
Tim met Tony's determined gaze. It was important for DiNozzo to know that there would be someone looking out for Gibbs and the fact that he wanted to pass this responsibility to McGee was a testimony to the faith that Tony had in him. He had always viewed DiNozzo as the big brother who did everything possible to get on his nerves, but yet when push came to shove, Tim had always been able to count on Tony to look after him, often teaching him something in the process. During the past two years, McGee had grown both personally and professionally and he attributed a lot of that growth to Tony and his unique approach to life.
Tim swallowed hard. "You can count on me, Tony," McGee vowed. "I won't let you down."
He didn't miss the relief that flooded Tony's exhausted features. For the first time, Tim truly noticed how tired the ex-agent appeared; his time in prison was already taking its toll on Tony.
"I know you won't, Tim." Tony raked his hands through his hair; McGee could tell that the weight that had encumbered him had been lifted and now DiNozzo would be able to focus on taking care of himself and judging by the faded bruises that Tony was sporting, self-preservation had become a way of life.
Before McGee could reply, Tony stood up and nodded his thanks as he walked over to the guard who was standing at the door. Tim found himself staring at the door for several minutes after Tony had walked through it, trying to ignore the feeling that this would be one of the last times that he would see his friend and his mentor. Rising from his seat, he claimed his weapon from the guard outside the visiting area and made his way to his car. As he slid into the driver's seat, he laid his head against the steering wheel, replaying the events of the past few minutes in his mind. Tim had accepted what was both a challenge and an honor; he just hoped that he would be able to keep his promise.
***end flashback***
"McGee!"
Ziva's sharp tone forced him back to the present. Tim silently admonished himself for permitting himself to lose focus; he could hear Tony reminding that a good agent was always aware of his surroundings. "Sorry," he mumbled. "I was just thinking."
"About Tony?"
McGee nodded. "Yeah."
His partner wisely chose not to pry into his personal thoughts; no one knew about the promise that he had made to Tony and he preferred to keep it that way. The vow that he had made was his last personal connection to the former senior field agent and he didn't want to want to share it with anyone.
As Ziva pulled up in front of Chip's apartment, Tim noticed that Sterling's car was parked on the side of the road. "It looks like he's here," he observed.
"It would appear so," Ziva conceded.
McGee opened his door, a renewed sense of determination coursing through his veins. "Let's go get him." As he strode towards the entrance of the building with Ziva in tow, Tim found himself hoping that Gibbs' interrogation of Chip would provide them with something that would help his friend; after all this time, Tony deserved for something to finally go his way.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXFive minutes. It had been five minutes of pure agony since the nurse had disappeared into the trauma room to discover the identity of the man who was currently being subjected to life saving measures. Gibbs still couldn't shake the feeling that she was going to return and tell him that it was Tony in that room. He was having a hard time accepting the possibility that DiNozzo could be gravely injured and knew that he had to be prepared for the worse.
Tired of waiting, Gibbs stalked down the corridor towards the trauma room; he would find out what was going on for himself. As he reached for the door, his cell phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, he recognized the main number from the prison; the agent's gut was confirming his suspicions and part of him was almost afraid to answer the phone. However, he had to know for sure what was going on so he stepped away from the door and answered the call.
"Gibbs," he gruffly answered.
"Agent Gibbs, this Dr. Tyler from…"
"I know who you are," Gibbs retorted, purposefully cutting the prison doctor off. He wasn't in the mood deal with any pleasantries; all he wanted to know was what the hell had happened to Tony.
He heard the physician clear his throat before deciding to continue. "I'm calling to inform you that there has been an…incident involving DiNozzo and several of the other inmates."
Gibbs clenched his jaw so tightly that he thought his teeth would shatter. "An incident? What kind of…incident was he involved in?"
"I'm not sure of the details; I just know that he was injured badly during a fight. DiNozzo was attacked in the courtyard and was beaten badly and stabbed several times; I do know that his lung was punctured and he was losing a lot of blood. I uh… helped stabilize him enough so he could be airlifted to a trauma center. I have the name of the hospital right here and…"
The team leader couldn't believe the apparent ineptitude of the doctor; it was obvious by the bruises that Tony constantly sported that Dr. Tyler wasn't too concerned about his patient's welfare. "I don't need the name of the hospital; I'm standing outside his room right now."
"I didn't call to get in an argument with you, Agent Gibbs; technically, I didn't have to call you at all but Warden Phillips insisted that I let you know about DiNozzo."
Gibbs was taken back by the doctor's revelation. "What do you mean that you didn't have to call me? I'm DiNozzo's next of kin."
"Not according to the information that I have in my file," Tyler informed him. "DiNozzo doesn't have a next of kin listed; I guess you're lucky that you've instilled enough fear in the Warden that he thought it in his best interest to let you know what happened."
"You haven't told me anything except for the fact that Tony was seriously injured which I had already figured out! I want to know who assaulted him and I want to why he was even in the courtyard with the other inmates! Where were the guards?"
"That's all I know; if you want any further details, you're going to have to talk to the Warden."
"Believe me, I will," Gibbs vowed. "I'll find out what's going on; you better warn Warden Phillips that he better have his story straight when I get there."
Gibbs hung up, his fist making contact with the wall as he released the fury that had been begging for an escape; he hated losing control of his emotions, but the circumstances of the past several hours had left his nerves frayed. The agent had hoped to be able to tell Tony that they had a breakthrough in his case, but that wasn't going to happen anytime soon; he wasn't even sure that Tony was still alive but he was going to find out.
Ignoring the stares of those around him, Gibbs entered the trauma room, prepared to demand that someone tell him how Tony was doing. However as the door closed behind him, he found that he couldn't move as he gaze was riveted on the doctors and nurses that were working feverishly to save Tony. He could hear bits and pieces of the separate conversations taking place between the medical staff and in the few seconds that he had been in the room, Gibbs had learned that Tony had already coded once and was in danger of doing so again.
"Come on, Tony," he whispered. "Fight!"
The nurse who had supposedly been checking on Tony's status finally noticed his presence; Gibbs deduced that her assistance must have been necessary, explaining her failure to return and provide him with an update.
"You have to leave, Sir," the nurse insisted.
"I won't get in the way," Gibbs stated, his gaze still fixed on Tony's too still form.
"You can't be in here! Please," she pleaded. "I will let you know what's going on as soon as I can!"
Gibbs started to protest, but the frenzied movement of the doctors and nurses silenced his objections as they surrounded Tony's gurney and began pushing it out of the trauma room towards the elevator that would take them to the operating wing. He was forced into a light jog in order to keep up with the medical staff; it was obvious that time was a luxury that neither the doctors nor DiNozzo had.
He stood aside as Tony's gurney was pushed into the elevator; Gibbs struggled against the urge to force his way to DiNozzo's side, but he knew that he would only get in the way. As the elevator doors closed, the team leader stared at his distorted reflection in the metal doors as he tamped down the nausea that had been threatening to overtake him ever since he had first seen Tony's bloody and battered body. Gibbs was brought back to the present moment as the nurse called out his name.
"Agent Gibbs?"
The agent scrubbed his face and nodded; he followed her back over to her desk, hoping that she would be able to provide him with some answers. "I'm sorry that I couldn't get back out here any sooner, but I guess you figured out why I was detained," she sated.
Realizing that he didn't even know the woman's name, he glanced at her nametag before replying, "I think I have a good idea, Ms. Jameson."
"You can call me Liz," she stated. "Anyway, I can't tell you a lot; I'm not even supposed to tell you what his name is but…"
"I know it's Tony," Gibbs sighed. "I got a call after you went in the room; the doctor from the prison told me that he was brought here."
"I'm sorry," Liz said.
"I heard one of the doctors say that he coded."
The nurse nodded. "He did; his bleeding out causing his blood pressure to bottom out," she explained. "I don't know a lot of details but once they get him into surgery, either Dr. Coleman or Dr. Neal will be able to tell you more. You are the next of kin, right?"
Gibbs recalled Dr. Tyler's words stating that Tony didn't have him listed as next of kin in his medical file; he made a mental note to try and figure why Tony had purposefully removed him from the position. He remembered years ago when DiNozzo first started NCIS, it had taken the young man several months to summon the nerve to ask him to fill that role; he had to admit that he was a little hurt in being removed as his next of kin.
"Last time I looked," he finally answered, fully aware of the half-truth that he was uttering.
"If you want to wait in the lounge on the surgical wing, I'll make sure one of the doctors comes and speaks with you."
He was grateful that Liz didn't press the next of kin issue; Gibbs was desperate for information regarding DiNozzo and he was not in the mood to get into a power struggle over whether or not he had a right to know how Tony was doing. Nodding his thanks, he headed towards the waiting area located on the surgical floor; all he could do now was wait and as he had been told more than once, patience wasn't his strongest virtue.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXCharles had been forced to cut his call short when someone had knocked on his apartment door. He had been taking immense pleasure in listening to his brother-in-law regale him with details of the beating that his nemesis had been subjected to and the thought that DiNozzo had been injured so severely that he had to be airlifted to the trauma center had been exhilarating. He wanted the former agent to suffer and it looked like for once, he was going to get his wish.
He walked over to the door and looked through the peephole to discover Ziva David and Agent McGee standing outside in the hallway. Why were they knocking on his door? What could they want? A sense of panic began to rise within him as Charles wondered if they had figured out his grand scheme; he quickly tamped down that thought, knowing that they weren't intelligent enough to discover what he had to done.
The young man laughed to himself for giving the agents too much credit. Glancing in the mirror that was on the wall beside the door, he began to talk to his reflection. "Charles, you worry too much," he assured himself. "You covered your tracks; no one knows what you've done."
"Chip! It's Agent McGee. Can you open the door, please?"
Charles visibly bristled at the moniker. They all knew how much he hated that nickname, yet they continued to use it with such ease. The crack in the dam that normally held back his emotions widened as his anger began to swell. He jerked the door open, his eyes betraying the frustration and rage that was quickly consuming him. "MY name is Charles! Get it right, Agent McGee!"
"Uh…sorry, Chi…Charles," McGee stammered.
"What do you want?" he snapped, forcing his temper back into a locked box. Charles knew that he had to remain focused or the perfect world he had created for himself would start crumbling.
"We need you to come down to NCIS with us and…"
"I can't right now," he fumed. "I'm busy."
He noticed McGee staring past him at his suitcase that was sitting behind the couch. "Are you going somewhere?" Tim asked.
"I'm going on a vacation."
"To where?"
"None of your business!"
"You're going to have to postpone that trip for a while; like I said, we need you to come down to NCIS and answer a few questions."
"I don't think so," Charles growled.
"You can either go willingly or we can take you in the hard way," Ziva stated.
Although he never considered himself to be easily intimidated, at least in his own eyes, he recognized that he wasn't any match for Ziva. She was a trained assassin and during his time at NCIS, he had purposefully kept his distance from her. "I'll just get my coat," Charles replied as he turned to walk towards his bedroom.
"I'll get it for you," Ziva insisted as she pushed back him and quickly returned with his coat.
Charles glared at the beautiful yet deadly woman as she violated his domicile; no one had ever dared to cross the threshold of his home, but she had strolled through his apartment like she owned it. He wondered if her arrogance was natural or if DiNozzo had managed to influence her that much during the few short months that they had worked together. Charles' annoyance with the intrusion of the two agents was steadily growing with every second that he was in their presence.
Grabbing the coat from Ziva, he headed out of his apartment. As soon as McGee and Ziva were back in the hallway, he stopped and took time to lock his door. "You can never be too careful," he explained to the agents.
As the trio made their way down to the parking area, Charles refused to let his curiosity control him. He had no idea why he was being taken to NCIS, but he was confident that it had nothing to do with what he had done to DiNozzo. Charles knew that he had been careful and methodical in his approach and the evidence that he had formulated had convicted Tony; no one could beat him at his own game and that included Abby and Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
Hope you enjoyed the post! Thanks for your patience and your continued support of this story; I'm still overwhelmed by the reviews and the alerts. I'm off to do a final proof of the next chapter of Undertow, so I hope this will hold you over for a day or so.
A special thanks to AZGirl! You're awesome! Any remaining mistakes are mine!