Disclaimer: no legal rights to NCIS, no money being made.
NOT BETA'D, EACH AND EVERY MISTAKE IS MINE, SORRY!
Warnings: same as Chapter One, also not for Ziva fans, nor Tiva fans. Therefore, read at your own risk you have been warned.
DETERMINED TO HOLD
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE From mouth to breath
Previously
"Is Tony alright?"
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"Good to hear from you, McGee." That was Fornell and there was obvious relief in his voice. "Director Vance and I were starting to worry since we couldn't get ahold of you. We were readying the cavalry to get out there but you're obviously not there. Where are you?"
"Director Vance is there with you?"
"Yes, you're on speaker phone."
"McGee, good to hear your voice. Tell us what's going on." questioned Vance.
"I will but first Tony needs medical attention immediately. It's a long story but DiNozzo probably inhaled water and is now wheezing and passing in and out. It sounds like that time when he had that asthma attack that came on suddenly but I don't know and he doesn't have an inhaler."
"I'm on it, where are you?" asked Fornell.
McGee gave him the address and Fornell left to set a rescue mission in motion.
"And Gibbs, has he been found?"
"Still missing, McGee, and no word from whoever kidnapped him."
Trying to maintain his stoicism was hard for McGee, he and Gibbs had been together for a long time as boss and subordinate and eventually as friends.
"You need to know that Gibbs' cabin location has been compromised. A few hours after we got there we were attacked early morning and outmanned and outgunned. We were able to escape through an exit designed as a root cellar and because of Beatty's timely alert. We got out and made it to the lake but there was a storm and our boat capsized. We had to swim probably a mile, I'm not sure. We made it to shore, stole a car, lost our money, wallets and ID's. We still have our waterlogged 's the basics, you'll get a full written report later, if that's acceptable."
"Of course, McGee. So that's how DiNozzo ended up swallowing water."
Suddenly, McGee heard some background noise and Vances' "hold on a minute, McGee."
It wasn't long before Vance got back on the phone. "Okay, a black van is going to be at DiNozzo's location in 15 minutes. They'll be a doctor on board. How far away are you?"
"At the post office just up the street. We can make it back in a few minutes."
"Get going then. And don't worry about the car. It'll be cleaned and wiped down and we'll figure out how to get it back to the owners"
"Thank you, Director. Goodbye."
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McGee and Beatty didn't race to the car but they did walk quickly so as not to draw attention to themselves even though they didn't believe they were being followed at this stage.
DiNozzo was awake but lethargic sitting up in the back seat. He said he could breathe better sitting up but his breathing was still heavy.
"Sit rep, McGee?" was all he managed.
"There's a van coming for us in about 10 minutes with a doctor. They'll be taking us somewhere only this time maybe the bad guys won't find us before we get there."
DiNozzo just nodded he understood. There was no point in false bravado. He was having trouble catching his breath and felt hot, and hoped it wasn't pneumonia. He was surprised at how quickly he had gotten sick, maybe the lake water had extra dirty germs. Whatever, because ironically, after succeeding successfully in his really dangerous undercover mission, he ends up getting taken down by a tiny bug.
"Listen, Agent McGee. I'm not in a position to lead anyone right now so if it means anything, I'm passing leadership onto you. You do what you think is best." In between soft gasps of breath after each word or two, Tony got his point across.
"Understood, Agent Anthony DiNozzo," McGee replied formally. Then, "now shut up, save your breath for breathing. Help will be here in five minutes."
Right on time, the nondescript van pulled up alongside them and double parked. Beatty was out of the car and had the back door open and was reaching in to help DiNozzo out if he needed it but two men with a gurney got him out of the car quicker than he could, on the gurney and wheeled to the back of the van quickly. McGee and Beatty jumped into the van and they left the scene.
The inside of the van was surprisingly well equipped like an ambulance. DiNozzo was in the back being examined by a solemn looking doctor in scrubs. "I'm Dr Alice Smyth. I've spoken to Dr Brad Pitt at Bethesda," and at the famous name she didn't even crack a smile.
She had her stethoscope pressed against Tony's chest listening front and back. The blood pressure cuff whooshed. An nebulizer and oximeter were in place.
"Ok, not too bad. Keep the nebulizer in place, let the medicine work, Agent DiNozzo."
"Tony," said Tony's muffled voice.
"Very well. Tony. I'm Dr Lisbon. I'm going to set up an IV line, take some blood and give you fluids and more medication through it. Mainly a cocktail of antibiotics that Dr Pitt prescribed. I believe we caught this in time and you do have a case of exacerbation of asthma. I'm going to get a chest x-ray with this baby, a portable x-ray machine to make sure that's all it is."
The doctor announced her plans when she did them so the patient wasn't left out of his treatment and he could rest comfortably. Meanwhile, the driver continued to drive around what appeared to be an aimless route, but it wasn't.
The FBI agent accompanying them addressed McGee as the highest ranking NCIS agent to give him a sit-rep. "Agent McGee, Dr Lisbon says we don't have to take Agent DiNozzo to the hospital, she can treat him as an outpatient for now. So, we're cleared to go to the safe house provided which is where we're currently headed."
But Beatty spoke up anyway. "Uh, sir. The last time we went to a safe house, we weren't safe. Had to swim for our lives, actually. You've been driving around in random circles but are you sure we haven't been compromised too or followed?"
Beatty felt they were being jerked around and was tired of it. Find them a safe place or he'd find one. And the safest place he knew of for them was his middle brother Cafse's shack behind his house by the railroad tracks that he used when he wanted to get away from his nagging wife or when she threw him out. Nobody would find them there.
The FBI agent just shrugged. He didn't like being questioned by some snooty junior agent from a rival agency messing in their business.
McGee didn't blame Beatty, he was tired of being on the run. He was ready to go back to the office, park himself in front of his computer and get to work finding out what was really going on and who had Gibbs. And by the way, where did Ziva fit in all of this? Her name had been conspicuously absent from the start. Where was she? But DiNozzo was not at his best right now. He'd left him in charge. It was his duty. He'd remain DiNozzo's body guard and he knew so would Beatty in spite of his complaining until Tony was on his feet again.
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They arrived at a tall distinguished building on a busy street inside the city. They went into an ordinary looking delivery door entrance and drove straight through to the back and into an industrial size elevator. They descended for so long that McGee thought they had passed to the other side of hades. "What the…" said Beatty, looking askance. After all, he was a country boy and elevators descending through to bedrock couldn't be good.
The elevator stopped, the doors opened and the driver pulled out onto a spacious garage with cars and few armed people about. "Okay, we're here. You'll be in room 133. Agent Fornell will communicate via MTAC."
The agent then left them to help with the gurney. They all walked to Another elevator, went down some more. When the elevator stopped, and doors opened, the gurney was pushed out into a large suite. DiNozzo was brought to a bedroom and transferred to a hospital bed and the agents said, "good luck" and left. Dr Lisbon and her male nurse remained with her patient.
McGee and Beatty waited outside the closed door for the doctor and her update on Tony. "Well, this is different," piped up Beatty, looking around at the almost luxurious accommodations.
"When the Boogymen find out our zip-code and arrive to try to put us down for the second or third time, how many flights of stairs do you think we'd have to climb to the lobby to get out of here and run for our lives some more?" Asked Beatty, and he wasn't kidding.
But McGee chuckled anyway. "Funny, Beatty," said McGee. "Really funny, you're a barrel of empty laughs. I'm going to get some answers, and there are no Boogymen. What's chasing us are just real live human killers." McGee had spotted the large screen on the wall and the computer on the desk and he was ready to do his magic and contact MTAC on screen.
The door to DiNozzo's room finally opened and Dr Lisbon came out and left it open. Knowing they wanted to hear how DiNozzo was, she wasted no time. "Tony is doing much better, breathing better after the meds. He had an acute exacerbation of his asthma which can be triggered by a variety of things such as cold air and rigorous exercise. We'll give him another breathing treatment with the nebulizer later tonight.
She checked her notes, "I understand he swam a bit far in a storm and his asthma symptoms started almost immediately after that so I believe that was the trigger. The x-ray looks clear for pneumonia. He knows the breathing exercising techniques and he's done that now so with that, plus rest and meds, he should be up on his feet in a day or two." She smiled at them prettying up her serious face. "Give him a few minutes than you can go in. I'll be in my office if you need me," and she left.
They entered DiNozzo's room just as the nurse finished up giving him a shave and a quick haircut in bed. Without the beard and mustache he looked ten years younger and less sinister. He'd taken out the black contacts and his eyes were the familiar dish-water green, as he called them. He'd also regained his color and was breathing much easier. "How are you feeling, Tony? You look a whole lot better than you did a few hours ago."
"Believe me McGee, breathing is not overrated. I'm feeling much better now that I don't have an anvil resting on my chest." He looked around spotting Beatty by the door. "You need an invite Beatty? You're awful quiet over there."
"Yeah, sorry, just thinking about…some things..."
"Uh, oh…"
MgGee listened for a minute then left the room. Beatty could get off his chest what was bothering him without him standing by. Besides, he needed to contact MTAC.
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"Welcome back, McGee." Director Vance, Agent Balboa and FBI Agents Fornell and Sacks stared back at him. They were at MTAC, NCIS, not the FBI.
"McGee, I know you have questions and so do we but first, Dr Lisbon has informed us that DiNozzo is in recovery and should be on his feet in a few days."
Beatty had slipped in while Vance was talking. "He's resting in his room and wants something to eat," said Beatty.
"Beatty, it's good to see you, too. Agent Balboa has…"
"Sir, if I may say one thing. I take most of the blame for what happened to Agent DiNozzo. If I could have swam to shore he would not have had to swim with me on his back. I have apologized to Agent DiNozzo for my dereliction of duty. I will accept whatever punishment you deem appropriate without complaint and resign if…," and Beatty could not go on to speak those words that would end the thing he loved the most.
Vance, Balboa, McGee, Fornell and Sacks did not look at each other. Ah, to be so young and sincere, and vulnerable too. They were all thinking how jaded the five of them must appear, jaded, tired and weary after years of working this soul and life-sucking job. Vance had learned some things about leadership though because he replied mildly, almost soothingly. "Understood, Agent Beatty. It will be decided what, if any, punishment is deemed necessary, what is due and fair. In the meantime, Hansen, there's a pool at FLETC and swimming lessons are available. I believe taking those courses would suffice for now."
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."
"Now Agent Balboa has information you two should hear."
"Is it that the mole has been identified. Is that why you're here in MTAC instead of the Hoover Building?" Asked McGee.
"Yes, partly," said Vance. "The mole was identified as Paul Rivell. He worked down in Cyber Crimes and had access to the best computer equipment available. He was an expert in finding things, that's why he was hired. A clerk in the Personnel Department over twenty years ago, mind you, twenty years, inadvertently left a blurb about some property Gibbs bought in the woods and Rivell glommed onto that and passed it on.
"The thing is," said Fornell, "We don't know who he passed it onto or who he was working for and we might never know. He found out we were onto him and tried to skip town. He was struck by a hit and run driver while trying to catch a cab to the airport."
"Coincidence?" Asked McGee.
"Maybe but doubtful," Fornell replied.
"Balboa, give McGee what you've got," Vance requested.
"Yeah, McGee, welcome back," Balboa said but sighed in frustrated disappointment.
"We haven't heard from Gibbs' abductors again and believe me we have been turning the place upside down looking for him or word from him. He's just vanished into thin air…"
"Or he's dead," Said McGee sadly.
"I don't think so," Balboa wasn't just being optimistic. "Not yet, anyway. There's chatter but not of a dead Federal Agent. And there would be if they had killed him. Was Tony able to shed any light on what these people are looking for because the search is ongoing and he's still in danger."
"We haven't been able to talk to him since he became ill. Did he say anything, Beatty?" Asked McGee.
"No, we just talked about the, well, you know, the swimming thing then he fell asleep," replied Beatty.
"There's one other thing. We've put an APB out on Ziva David," said Balboa.
"What? Why?" Though McGee wasn't all that surprised. She had to be involved in this somehow.
"Well, for one thing, I was expecting her to temporarily join my team and mind you, had to have a talk with Sarah that as my SFA, she needed to remain in control of the situation and of herself, no fisticuffs in the bullpen. Ziva didn't show up for work the next day after you took off to meet up with DiNozzo and now she's disappeared. We discovered she did some snooping around and found out she'd been lied to and that Beatty wasn't taking courses at FLETC and had also disappeared. Her computer showed some anomalies and some files had been deleted. She was last seen in that red car of her's driving home, than nothing."
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