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Chapter Text

Chapter 6

Norfolk General Hospital: 10 hours later

“Agent Gibbs?” A voice sounded at the door and Gibbs came to his feet. He clutched his empty coffee cup. “Any news?”

“My name is Doctor Lemay, and I’m Agent DiNozzo’s attending physician.” The chubby looking doctor indicated to the chairs behind them. “Let’s have a seat and I tell you what’s going on.”

Gibbs found himself nodding as he took the offered chair. He looked around, feeling a bit dazed. Ducky wasn’t there. The older man had to go back to D.C. as one of the teams picked up a case with multiple victims and his assistance was required. “English, doctor Lemay, please.”

The doctor chuckled. “I got a call from Doctor Mallard, he explained to me that I have to use layman’s terms when I spoke to you.”

Gibbs felt gratitude towards his friend. “Okay, how’s Tony doing?”

Doctor Lemay took a deep breath. “Let me start off by saying he’s a very lucky man to be alive. How he was able to stay not only conscious, but also coherent, is a miracle on its own. He was shot three times. Because of this alone, he’s in ICU, where I want to keep him for at least the next forty-eight to seventy-two hours. Now, the first gunshot was a through and through of the left upper thigh. Agent DiNozzo used his belt as a tourniquet and that helped to slow the bleeding down. He will not be allowed to place any weight on that leg for at least the next two weeks. The second wound was a bit more complicated as it went through his left shoulder and caused some considerable damage to the shoulder, including shattering the scapula and clavicle bones. Normally we would leave it to heal on its own, but in this instance, we had to remove the shattered bone and we fixed it up with a titanium plate and pins. He will have to wear a sling for about six weeks and the injury would heal within two to three months’ time. He will regain full usage of his arm, but he needs to take it easy, especially in the beginning. The last gunshot wound was the most problematic. It was extremely close to the previous wound. This time around it was not only the already fractured rib that suffered damage, but another four ribs as well. The saving grace here was the fact that none of them pierced his lungs, but with his one lung already compromised these extra four broken ribs will cause him to be more susceptible to infections of the lung. He will have trouble breathing for the next few weeks and he will be in pain. The bullet then ricocheted from the one rib and nicked the left kidney and caused damage to the spleen. We fixed the kidney and are keeping a close look on its functioning. The spleen was too damaged and we had to remove it. He lost a fair volume of blood and we’ve given him three units to replenish it. At this stage he’s also on a ventilator, but that’s more of an attempt to give his body a chance to heal. I don’t foresee him being on the ventilator for very long.”

“Is he awake?”

“Not at the moment. He’s still recovering from the anesthetics, but we will keep him lightly sedated, just to keep him calm and still. I would’ve liked to keep him under sedation for longer, but as he also suffered a concussion, although it’s very mild and we’re are keeping an eye on that, it’s not a good idea to sedate him with a head injury.”

“May I see him?” There were other questions that milled around in his head, but at the moment they could wait. He first needed to see Tony for himself.

“Already arranged. I need to check on him myself so you can come with me. If you’ve got any questions later, please, don’t hesitate to let the nursing staff contact me.” Doctor Lemay came to his feet and made his way to the elevator to take Gibbs to Tony’s room.

Gibbs had to use his patience to wait outside Tony’s room for Doctor Lemay to finish with his examination before he was allowed entry into the room. His knees grew weak when he first laid eyes on the man he loved like no one else in life. “Tony,” he gasped the word out and with two strides he stood next to the bed. He reached out and gently took Tony’s hand in his. It felt cold to the touch and his gaze lingered on the screen that showed all of Tony’s vitals. His temperature was on the low side and he reached for the call button even if the doctor just left the room. Tony was always cold after surgery. He would not let him catch a cold as well.

A few seconds later a nurse appeared and she smiled at him. “Good morning, Agent Gibbs. My name is Melany and I will be Agent DiNozzo’s attending nurse for this shift.”

Gibbs nodded. “He needs an extra blanket. His body temperature always goes down after receiving general anesthetics. Please,” Gibbs added at the end.

Melany smiled. “I’ll bring one right over. Anything else?”

“No, thank you.” Gibbs pulled the chair closer to the bed. “Nurse Melany?” He spoke up before she could leave the room.

“Agent Gibbs?”

“Coffee, where can I get coffee?” He held out the empty cup he clutched in his hand.

“The cafeteria down in the lobby serves some of the good stuff, if you can believe that. If you want something frothy, you’ll have to go down the block. On the corner there’s a coffee shop that does the more fancy stuff.”

“Frothy?” Gibbs frowned. “I don’t even want to know what that means. I just need real coffee, plain coffee.”

“Then the coffee in the cafeteria will be to your liking. One of my colleagues will be heading down in a few minutes, would you like her to bring you a cup?”

“Two, please.”

Melany nodded. “Two cups of coffee coming right up.” She exited the room and when she came back a few minutes later she had the blanket and Gibbs’ coffee.

“Thank you,” Gibbs grunted after he took his first sip. He managed not to groan out of pleasure. It was real coffee.

“Told you it’s good.” Melany straightened the blanket over Tony’s still form. She took in Gibbs’ hand who curled around her patient’s hand again. “If you don’t mind me asking, how long have you been together?”

We’ve been working together for almost sixteen years and have been together for three years. Almost four.”

“That’s wonderful.” She indicated with her head to the nurses’ station across Tony’s room. “Don’t hesitate to press the button if you need us, Agent Gibbs.”

“Thank you, Melany.” Gibbs managed to smile at her before she exited the room. He looked down at Tony. “You would like her, she’s good.” Gibbs leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He would get in contact with Vance later to hear what they got out of Parsons. At this moment, he didn’t care about the man. He was right where he was needed and had no plans in going anywhere soon. Not without Tony at his side in any case.

Norfolk General Hospital: 2 weeks later

“You’re a worse patient than me, DiNozzo.” Gibbs grumbled under his breath as he tried to reign in his own temper.

“I didn’t ask for your help, Gibbs. I can do it myself.” Tony replied hotheaded. His body throbbed, but he was tired of not being able to do things for himself.

“No you cannot, stop being so stubborn and let me help you.” Gibbs didn’t want to snap, but Tony had tested his patience for far too long.

“I think it’s time you get some sleep, Jethro.” Ducky spoke up where he stood in the door. “And by that I mean you need to get out of here, go home and sleep at least for eight hours straight.”

Gibbs frowned. “And what about, Tony?”

“Don’t worry about Anthony, Jethro. The medical personnel are very competent, you know that for yourself. He will be all right.”

“I can do it by myself,” Tony spoke up again. He frowned when Ducky laughed at him. “What’s so funny, Ducky?”

“Funny? No, my dear, not so much funny as the fact that you are under the impression that you are indeed able to do things for yourself. I have bad news for you there, Anthony. You cannot do it yourself. And, should you intend to do that, you will in all likelihood slip, fall and break more than just a couple of ribs. No, instead Jethro will go home since he has been here at your side for the past two weeks and I will stay here and look after you.”

Gibbs managed to hide his smile as he saw the look on Tony’s face at Ducky’s words. “I’ll get some shut eye in the chair, Ducky. There’s no need for me to go home, or for you to stay and remain in my place.”

Ducky looked over the rim of his glasses to his friend. “It seems that like Anthony, Jethro, you are also under the impression that this is a suggestion. In fact, it is not. You will go home. You will get some sleep and you will only return here after that.” He turned his body more towards Gibbs. “Director Vance also indicated that he wanted a word or two with you. My suggestion is that you phone him now, gather your stuff and then head on home. I came with one of the office sedans so you can take it back to NCIS while I remain here.”

Gibbs opened his mouth, but Ducky shook his head. “Phone the Director, Agent Gibbs.” He made sure his tone remained formal. Gibbs had to understand that it was not a mere suggestion.

Gibbs grabbed his phone and stormed out of the room. He didn’t even greet Melany when he stormed past here.

Ducky turned his attention back to the younger man in the bed. “You wanted to eat by yourself?”

“Yes, Ducky.” Tony smiled. It would be easier to convince Ducky that he could eat by himself than what it would be to convince Gibbs of the same task.

“Very well,” Ducky pushed the roll-away trolley closer. “Here you go.” He lifted the lid from the plate. “Looks really good.” Ducky smiled and then stepped away from the bed. He took Gibbs’ seat. “Enjoy.” Ducky picked up the newspaper and started paging through it.

Tony looked at the plate of food. It did indeed look appetizing. There was a side salad, some steamed vegetables and a piece of rack of lamb. His mouth watered. Tony reached for his fork and started eating the salad and the vegetables, he wanted to leave the meat for last. He poked at the meat to get it on the fork, but found it to be too big to eat like that. He managed to get it off the fork and one handedly turned it on its side. He tried to cut through the meat with his fork, but it didn’t work. Tony placed his fork down and picked up the knife. He tried to cut the meat, but with nothing holding the rack of lamb steady, he failed to cut it. Tony swallowed the whine that threatened to come out of his throat. He was now left with two choices. One, pick up the meat and eat it with his hand, or accept defeat and ask for help. As he did not want anyone seeing him eating rack of lamb with his hands, he only had one option left. Tony sighed. “Ducky?”

Ducky gently folded the paper and then came to his feet. “What can I do for you, Anthony?”

Tony closed his eyes. “Please, cut the meat for me.”

“With pleasure.” Ducky quickly cuts the meat and stepped back. “You see. You did eat on your own and you asked for help. It’s not that difficult, Anthony.”

Tony decided to remain silent. He wasn’t in a mood to admit defeat – not now in any case.

Ducky smiled when Tony’s eyes closed and remained closed. He quietly stood up and pushed the trolley away from the bed. He used the remote to lower Tony’s bed just that bit more and then took his own seat. Ducky chuckled when his phone vibrated in his pocket and he looked at the screen. It seemed like Gibbs did some low flying again as he already reached home in just over three hours. Ducky stood up again and moved out of the room. He quickly dialed Jethro’s number. “You do realize that he will be all right if you are not with him, Jethro? He managed to eat and asked for help without either of us coming to blows over it.”

He listened to Jethro’s response and his shoulders stiffened. “I was not aware of that, Jethro. You should know that if I was aware, I would have informed you. I do however agree that it would be pertinent for you to be present during such an interview and I will, with the help of the nursing staff if need be, run interference for as long as possible. You do what you need to do at the office, we will be all right until then.” Ducky greeted Jethro as the other man ended the call and returned to the room. He looked at the sleeping younger man. “It seems like Mister Parsons legal counsel is trying some funny business, but do not worry, our Jethro found out about it and I dare say if he had his way a few heads will roll tomorrow.” Ducky took his chair again. “I do think tomorrow will be an interesting day. I wonder if Mister Parsons’ legal team will be ready for what would come tomorrow if they tried to take you and Jethro on at the same time.” Ducky chuckled again and grabbed the thick novel he was reading.

NCIS HQ: Following morning

Gibbs stared out in front of him as the team of IA and two men in fancy suits entered the conference room. He almost smiled as the suits nearly tripped over their feet when they saw he wasn’t alone. To his left sat Director Vance and to his right sat Rear Admiral A.J. Chegwidden, and on his right sat Commander Harmon Rabb. Not giving them a moment to regain their footing, Gibbs spoke up first.

“I didn’t know it was procedural for IA to involve or even allow private counsel during investigations.”

“You do realize, Agent Gibbs that this is more than an IA investigation.” The suit to the left spoke up even before Agent Ferris, who was from IA could do so.

“And you do realize that I don’t give a damn.” Gibbs replied. He focused on Agent Ferris. He never had a problem with the man before and knew that he wasn’t the one who orchestrated this whole circus. “I am invoking my right to have legal counsel present during this interview.”

“It’s noted, Agent Gibbs.” Agent Ferris took a seat across the table from Gibbs. “I will try and be as quick as possible.”

“Oh no, Agent Ferris. Do not make a promise like that. We will be busy for a number of hours today.” Suit one spoke up again while suit two nodded in agreement.

Gibbs paid them no attention. “Thank you.” He leaned back in his chair.

Agent Ferris started the interview and placed all parties on record. He looked annoyed when he got interrupted by suit one. He noticed Gibbs shaking his head so he remained quiet. The man was mid-sentence when the Admiral spoke up.

“Since this is a matter which involves JAG, and also an ongoing investigation, this interview is premature. It is established law that no private prosecution may be instituted until the case has run its course through the justice system. Until then, our client does not have to answer any of your questions. Should you want to interview Agent Gibbs as a witness prior to your client’s trial on the charges he is facing, you’re free to contact us and we’ll set it up.”

Suit two opened his mouth, but Commander Rabb beat him to the punch. He pushed some papers across the table. “This is a restraining order against your client, his family and any person or employee of your legal firm. It states very clearly that any and all contact to Agent Gibbs and Agent DiNozzo are prohibited unless it’s done through myself or Lt. Roberts. Should you contact either of them personally this order will be enforced.”

“This is utter nonsense. We have a right to contact any person.” Suit two sprung up from his seat.

“Yes, you do. But you’ve got no right to harass us.” Gibbs leaned forward.

“You’ve got no such proof.” Suit one sneered.

Gibbs reached into his pocket and pulled out two phones. “This is mine.” He pushed it closer. “Since yesterday evening I’ve received twenty-three phone calls from different numbers, all traced to your firm. This is Agent DiNozzo’s phone. Sixty-two calls. I’ve listened to some of the messages left. Threatening him with civil suits, making sure that if he doesn’t negotiate with you in a settlement agreement, you will take every last cent he owns.” He tapped on the phone. “That is harassment and stalking.”

“We’ve already contacted the police and opened a case. You will find a number of officers at your office waiting to talk to you.” Chegwidden came to his feet. “I think this meeting is adjourned.” He didn’t wait for a response but picked up the file in front of him and made his way over to the door.

They all left the conference room, leaving the two suits alone inside. “I’m sorry about this.” Ferris spoke up the moment they stood outside the room.

“Not your fault, Agent Ferris.” Vance spoke up for the first time. “I’ve already started an investigation in regards to this. I will not let IA be used by any member of this agency for personal vendettas or gain.” He indicated to Gibbs. “I know Agent Gibbs indicated that he is willing to talk to you at any time.”

Ferris shook his head. “I see no reason to talk to Gibbs, Director Vance. I will have to speak to Agent DiNozzo later on, but that will be a mere formality due to the fact that I don’t see any other conclusion reached, except that Agent DiNozzo acted within the boundaries of his duties when he apprehended, subsequently shot and arrested probationary agent Parsons.” He looked at his watch. “If you will all excuse me, I do have some real interviews to conduct.” With a nod of the head, he left the rest of the men standing outside as he hurried down the corridor.

“I also need to get going.” Gibbs started to move away. Although they took less time to get the façade over with than what he thought it would take, he still had to drive back to Norfolk. He could only hope that he would still be in time.

“Commander Rabb will be accompanying you, Jethro.” Chegwidden spoke up. He shook his head when he saw his friend wanted to object. “No, Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs that was not a suggestion. Besides, Commander Rabb has a pilot’s license and is eager to use it.”

Gibbs smiled from ear to ear. “Thank you, AJ.” He and Rabb turned and headed towards the stairs. It now made sense on why Chegwidden insisted on flying to NCIS, his old friend had planned this all along.

Norfolk General Hospital

The raised voices coming from Tony’s room had Gibbs lengthening his stride. By the time he reached the door, he could clearly make out Tony’s voice and by the words Tony used, it was clear that Tony pissed. Gibbs pushed the door open, with Commander Rabb right on his heels.

The scene that greeted them can be described as one of total chaos. Tony was halfway out of bed, while Ducky held on to him, clearly in an attempt to get Tony not to get out of bed completely. Doctor Lemay stood at the end of the bed and his color was a deep red. It was however not directed towards Tony, but rather toward another pair of suits that stood next to the window. They were both smirking.

“It seems like you really are dumb,” Rabb spoke up first. He closed the distance between him and the two men at the window. It was his turn to grin when he saw how they blanched at the sight of him and Gibbs. Clearly, they didn’t expect them to turn up here so quickly. They thought they would have more time to play their games. Rabb pulled a folded paper out of his breast pocket. “Now, this was already served on the first pair of suits at NCIS, as well as at your office over an hour ago. The fact that you don’t seem impressed to find myself and Agent Gibbs here, tells me your office informed you of this piece of paper, but instead of adhering to the provisions of this order you decided to go ahead and proceed with your games.” Rabb turned to the doctor. “Will you please phone security and the police. I want these men arrested. They are contravening a direct court order.”

“I will do that with pleasure,” Doctor Lemay responded. “Get out of this room, now.” He pulled himself to his full height. “I will make sure you never set foot inside this hospital again.” He turned to Tony. “You, get back into bed. You’re still not allowed to place any weight on that leg of yours and then I’m not even talking about your shoulder or side.” He turned again. “Agent Gibbs, make sure he does what I told him to do. I’ve got some calls to make. I always wanted to see someone get thrown out of a hospital.”

The two lawyers wanted to speak up, but a glare from Gibbs had them exiting the room in a hurry. Only Tony, Ducky, Commander Rabb and Gibbs remained.

“Well, my dear Anthony, you heard what Doctor Lemay said. Let us get you back in bed.” He reached out to help Tony, when a hand stopped him. He looked up and smiled. Ducky took a step back.

“Let me help you,” Gibbs assisted Tony back in bed and frowned when he noticed how hard Tony shook. “You all right?”

Tony nodded. “I was out of bed for too long.” He took a deep breath. “I feel like a day old puppy.”

Gibbs laughed. “Want some water?” He indicated to the glass that stood next to the bed. It seemed like the sleep he got in and the time he spent away from Tony did them both good. The tension between them had disappeared.

“Please,” Tony accepted the glass gratefully and quenched his thirst. He handed the glass back to Gibbs’ waiting hands. “Commander Rabb, it’s been a while.” He managed to keep his face straight as he looked at his friend.

“If you mean since the last time I kicked your ass on the court, then yes, it has been.” Rabb stepped closer to the bed. “Good to see you again, Tony. You really gave us all a scare.”

Tony smiled. “I can promise you that wasn’t the intention.” He turned his head to the man next to him. “You’ve made a proper entrance. How did you know?”

Gibbs took a seat, but held onto Tony’s hand. “Started getting calls the moment I drove home after Ducky banished me here. Found out what was going on and called in the cavalry.”

“Do I want to know what they were planning?” Tony couldn’t stifle a yawn.

“Not really, just know that between Harm and AJ all has been taken care off.” Gibbs squeezed his hand. “All except for one thing.” He looked at the JAG lawyer.

“Yes,” Harm leaned against the bed. “We need your statement of what happened as soon as possible. I know you’re still recuperating, but the sooner we can get that, the better.”

Tony looked up to Gibbs. “You staying for this?”

“Not leaving you for a second.” Gibbs replied.

“Well then, I am going to retreat and get some tea. They do sell some of the tastiest tea I have had in a long time.” Ducky didn’t give anyone the change to respond, but just made his way out of the room. Before he closed the door, they could hear the lawyers arguing with someone. Doctor Lemay’s voice also sounded up.

“You ready?” Harm took out his phone and placed it on the push-away trolley. He noted the parties present and then indicated for Tony to start.

For a moment Tony had no idea on where to start. He was still hurt that everyone, including the man next to him was under the impression that he was barking up the wrong tree. It saddened him that they didn’t think he had something to go on. And as he told Gibbs before if it was his gut going off, they’d be working the case non-stop. It would’ve also meant that they could’ve caught Parsons sooner and he might not even have gotten shot.

“Tony?” Gibbs asked in concern.Tony shook his head. “I was just thinking, sorry.” He smiled and then cleared his throat. “Right, I finally made the connection. It was right in front of my eyes and I didn’t see it.” Tony explained.

“Parsons arriving at the warehouse with our three dead Marines.”

“Yes. When I realized that he had to have come with them, I knew I had to find the connection between either all of our dead Marines and Parsons, or at least one of them. Because all six were so hell bent on murdering the Director, I concluded that he had a link to all of them. I just had to find out what it was.”

“That’s why you went from the warehouse to the Base.”

“Yes. And I had an opportunity to go through the Marines’ personal files and that is when I noticed it. They were all raised in the system. All of them were raised in foster care. Five of them were all together at the same group home just before they turned eighteen. That is where they met up with Gunnery Sergeant Booth. He came out of the same system too and knew what they were going through. But, they were not the only ones that came out of the system. Our probationary agent Matthews Parsons also came through the system. In fact, he was best buddies with the five junior Marines.” Tony sighed. “Finally, I had something to indicate that there was something more to the story. I had to get more. Luckily for us, Parsons’ can’t keep his mouth shut when he panics.”

“How did he find you?” Rabb asked the question.

“Through McGee,” Gibbs supplied the answer. “When I couldn’t get hold of Tony, I instructed McGee to put a trace on Tony’s phone. McGee told Parsons to tell me where Tony was, except that he didn’t.

“Now, that was the first time when he panicked. He must’ve realized I was on to him and he came to the Base. When he met up with me, he tried to act as if there was nothing wrong, but by that time it was too late. I only had to find out the way. I have to say, I never thought it would be that reason.”

“What reason?” Harm looked confused.

“Matthews Parsons had an unhealthy obsession over Gibbs. It all started because when Vance was busy lecturing the new Probies over their tardiness in coming into the office each morning, Gibbs walked by and told Vance that the only one out of the bunch who would make a decent agent out of the bunch was Parsons. That’s because since they all started Parsons was the only one who was early enough at the office to even beat Gibbs to it.”

Harm frowned. “Since when do you hand out compliments in any case, Gibbs?”

“Since I told him he should act more human sometimes.” Tony explained and reached out to squeeze Gibbs’ hand.

“If he had an obsession over Gibbs why take it out on the Director, why not go after you?”

Tony sighed. “Parsons would’ve made a good agent if he didn’t have a screw or six loose. He is nearly as good as McGee with computers, and he hacked into our records and found out that Vance had a problem with me. He then stupidly decided that if he could get rid of the director, Gibbs would become director, and he would worm his way in next to Gibbs which would make Gibbs kick me to the curb and they would live happily ever after.”

“How did he get through this psych evaluation?”

“With skillful manipulation. Ducky did a quick profile on him. He’s a psychopath.” Gibbs supplied the information to Harm.

“He also informed me with a broad smile on how he got his buddies to help out.” Tony shivered. After he got shot and managed to wound Parsons and get him under control, Parsons started to tell him everything. Tony had repeated his rights, but Parsons said he it didn’t matter. It was his story and he was going to tell it. “It seemed like there was a house father at the group home who loved to give special attention to those boys between ages eight and twelve. When Parsons was nine, he was at the group home for a few months after his foster family emigrated. It seems like this man turned his attention on Parsons. He didn’t say anything, but when he was back at the group home years later he nearly beat the guy nearly to death and he told his friends what happened. I don’t know if that part is really true as I haven’t had the chance to follow up on it. But, he then told them that Director Vance had sexually assaulted him. He convinced his friends that it would be better for the world to get rid of the director as soon as possible. But I do think he made out a convincing case to tell them that no one would believe him as Vance has always been a family man. He confirmed it was his decision to make it a drive by shooting. It was to make sure no one looked in their direction. Unfortunately, we didn’t fall for that and we found out about the stolen M16’s. Parsons quickly had to make a plan. He then decided to sacrifice his friends for his grand plan.”

“And he killed three of them in the warehouse and knew that between myself, Tony and Vance we’ll get rid of the others. In the end he killed another of his friends.” Gibbs sounded distraught.

“How did he know you had the director over at your home?”

Gibbs shrugged, but Tony smiled. “Vance’s jacket.”

“What?” Harm and Gibbs asked the question simultaneously.

“Ask McGee to check Vance’s jacket. It’s still in our guest room. I wouldn’t be surprised if he found a tracking chip in one of the pockets.” Seeing that Harm still looked confused, Tony continued. “On the day of the incident Vance attended a meeting with SecNav. Parsons managed to get assigned as a junior agent to see how those protection situations worked. He was in contact with the director the whole day. By that time, all of their plans would’ve been in place all ready. They just had to make sure Vance was at home. Since the probationary agents spent the week before this working various undercover situations, Parsons must’ve slipped one of the tracking chips out, and when they realized they didn’t kill him and Vance still had the jacket with him, they traced him to the first safe house. That jacket went from one safe house to the other and finally ended up at our home. That’s how they traced us there.”

“He almost gave himself away earlier, but I didn’t catch on to that.” Gibbs spoke out loud.

Tony shook his head. “When he became so excited about the SUV we picked up, I just thought he was eager. Not one of us could’ve realized what he was up to at that time.”

“If he grew up in foster care, where does the money for the retainer of lawyers he’s got?” Gibbs looked at Tony.

“Did I forget to mention? Parsons’ is married. To a very wealthy young lady who’s got so much money that she doesn’t know what to do with it.” Tony shrugged as the two men stared at him. “She phoned while we were at the base. He told me all about her.”

“He never mentioned he was married in his application.”

“There’s a few things he didn’t mention, Gibbs. But that’s not our problem.”

“Last question. How did you end up being shot?”

“Stupidity, bad luck, DiNozzo charm. Not exactly sure what I should call it.” Tony closed his eyes for a second. “By the time he found me on base, I had a basic idea of what he’d done. Unfortunately, there were too many people on base. Seems like it was open day or something like that. I couldn’t take the risk in taking out my weapon and arresting him. He never walked right next to me, always two steps in front. We reached his vehicle first and I suggested that we take it to where mine was parked. I wanted to use the opportunity inside the vehicle to arrest and contain him. But, then a group of young wannabe Marines passed through and he made a run for it. I had to follow.” Tony looked at Gibbs. “May I have some more water, please?”

Tony took his fill before he continued. “The first shot was the lucky one. He’d reached cover while I was still running after him and he got me in the shoulder. Luckily the left one.” Tony couldn’t help but to touch the shoulder. It was still swollen and it got iced several times a day. He wasn’t looking forward to physical therapy, he knew it was going to be a bitch.

“The second wound?” Harm inquired.

“There were a lot of people as I said before. After Parsons fired the first shot, they started panicking, running for cover. I tried to get people out of the way. There was a woman with a small boy. She tried to get him running, but for one or other reason he didn’t want anything to do with her. Parsons’ must’ve seen it. I saw him pointing his pistol in his direction. I was only a few yards from them. He looked me in the eye and grinned. I managed to dive and tackled the kid to the ground. I didn’t even realize I was shot until the mother started screaming about the blood. I had to leave them there, I don’t even know if he’s all right. I had to follow Parsons.”

Harm made a note. “I’ll check into this, but from what we’ve received no information from the local police that anyone else was shot.”

“Then I’m grateful.”

“The one through the leg?”

“Up close and personal.” Tony grinned. “I managed to make up ground. Parsons may be younger than me, but he’s not used to running full out over longer distances. He also tripped a few times as he continued to look behind him. I came close enough and tackled him. He lost the grip he had over his firearm, I kept the grip on mine.” Tony took a steady breath. “I was on top of him, and he started to scream for help. Most people have fled already, and those were still around, stayed well clear. He managed to pick up a rock and struck me on the side of the head. I lost my balance and he managed to get out from underneath me. I was still dazed when he reached for his firearm. I thought he was going to shoot me right there. I couldn’t shoot him back. My vision was blurred, I saw two of everything. Parsons’ laughed at me, told me to come and get him. He then shot me in the leg and took off running.” Tony started rubbing his thigh. “It was bleeding worse than the other two together. I knew I had to do something to stop the bleeding. I used my belt and then managed to get to my feet. I knew that should I not apprehend him, Gibbs would have my ass.” Tony smiled when Gibbs squeezed his hand.

“For one reason or another, Parsons decided that it was no longer necessary for him to run after he disappeared from my sight. I found him in what looked to be like a park, walking at a leisurely pace. I assume he wanted to act normally to blend in. A bit difficult to do if you’re walking with a fucking SIG pistol clutched in your hand. I called out, made sure to identify myself and when he turned and raised his weapon I shot him. He went down like a ton of bricks and I made it over to him, where I seized his weapon and proceeded to arrest him. It was only then that I realize I had no clue where we were anymore. Didn’t even know for how long I chased him. I cuffed his hands in front of his body, due to the shoulder wound. And then I called you.” Tony shook his head. “He then actually tried to get up from the ground while I was on the phone. It was then that I cuffed him to the streetlight.” Tony shrugged. “The rest you know.”

Harm nodded. “You did not shoot him without prior warning or introducing yourself?”

“No.”

“You did not shoot him while he was unarmed?”

“No.”

“Was there any other way for you to have taken Parsons in custody without using force?”

“No, he has already shot me three times. I know he was armed and he showed no hesitation in shooting me. For my own safety, as well as for the safety of all other people in the vicinity, I was left with only one option. I had to shoot him.”

Harm nodded. Picked up his phone and stopped the recording. “I’ve got everything I need for now. We will keep you up to date with how the case is going.” He reached out and shook Gibbs’ hand. He squeezed DiNozzo’s uninjured shoulder.

“Harm?” Tony spoke up. “Do you know how Parsons is doing? I never asked.”

“It was a through and through. He’s already released from hospital and locked up. He’s being detained without bail.”

“Thank you.”

“Thank you for the ride, Commander.” Gibbs and Tony looked on as their friend exited the room. Gibbs focused his attention on the man in the bed. “I owe you an apology. In fact the whole team owes you an apology.”

Tony wanted to respond, to tell Gibbs that it wasn’t necessary, but Gibbs leaned in and kissed him hard. It temporarily robbed him of his ability to speak.

“I know you were going to say, it’s not necessary, but it is. You made a remark the other day and you were right. If my gut told me that there was something amiss, I would’ve worked you and the team into the ground to get to the bottom of it. With you, we were all of the opinion that you were barking up the wrong tree. You have almost sixteen years of experience as a police officer, investigator and special agent. I shouldn’t have brushed that to the side. I should’ve listened to you. Not only as my second in command, but also as my partner. I am truly sorry.”

“It cannot happen again, Jethro.” Tony lowered his gaze. He had kept all of his emotions locked down, not wanting anyone to see how hurt he was with the brush off he’d received from them. Except for the fight he had with Gibbs no one else knew how he really felt. What bothered him more was the comments he heard in the passages, saying that he has lost his mind. He was doing his job. It looked like everyone else forgot about that.

“I agree. We will make sure it will not happen again. We will talk to Vance. This is something that needs to be addressed.”

Tony couldn’t help but to snort. “And do you think the Director will listen to you if he heard it came from me?” He sighed. “I don’t even know if I still have a job.”

“You definitely still have a job, DiNozzo and he will listen. When we found out where you were, it was Vance and McGee who stormed out first to get to you. You and Vance have to talk, but what I can tell you is that you’ll be surprised. He had a change of heart about you and not in a bad way.”

Tony looked skeptical and merely nodded. He was feeling tired and his body ached. Something on his face must’ve shown as Gibbs leaned in and kissed him again.

“Get some rest, we’ll talk about this later.”

“Are you staying?” His words were slurred and he tried to open his eyes which closed on their own.

“Not going anywhere, Tony. I’ve got your six.”

Gibbs/DiNozzo home: 1 month later

Tony sighed as he lay back, he had a smile of satisfaction on his face. He looked on as his lover disappeared into the bathroom and came back with a cloth. Tony reached for the cloth, but Jethro batted his hand away. He looked on as the man he loved gently cleaned him up removing all of the evidence that they shared a mind blowing orgasm together. He yawned and attempted to swat the man next to him when he caught him laughing.

“Glad to see I still have what it takes to tire you out.”

Tony smiled. “The day you stop being able to do that, is the day you die.” He turned on his side and grabbed hold of the other man’s hand and pulled him down on the bed. He sighed as Jethro settled on top of him.

“I know you love cuddling, but Vance will be here in about an hour.” Gibbs moved and rested his weight on his arms.

Tony huffed. “And whose fault is that, Jethro?” He closed his eyes.

“I invited him. The two of you need to talk.” Gibbs poked his lover in the side. “He did ask that you make that pasta again.”

“At least that’s one thing he’s impressed about.” Tony snaked his arms around the man on top of him. He’d spread his legs and Jethro shifted so that he was on his knees, but still snug around him.

“I can promise you it’s more than your ability to make amazing pasta.” Gibbs leaned in and nipped at Tony’s bottom lip.

Tony remained silent. He was on medical leave since he got discharged. He was getting better day by day. Tony no longer needed to walk with a crutch and he had almost full range of movement in his shoulder. His ribs were giving him problems, refusing to grow on and it also had an influence on his lungs and his breathing. If things didn’t improve it could have an influence on his active agent status.

Jethro tapped him lightly on the forehead. “Don’t go there. You heard the doctor, you need to give your body the time to heal. Your ribs will heal, you must be patient.”

“As if you have patience.” Tony smiled as Gibbs gaped at him. “Yes, yes, I know. You’re a sniper, you’re the king of patience.”

“Tony,” Gibbs grumbled. “It will work out.”

Tony nodded. He had no words and was extremely grateful for all of the support Jethro has given him through this time. “Thank you.” He lifted his head and it was his turn to nip the other man’s lip playfully. “Well, if you want pasta, I need to get up. We need to shower as well.”

“Now I want to snuggle.” Gibbs rolled off Tony and made himself comfortable next to Tony on the bed. “When Leon leaves here tonight after you talked things through, I’ll give you the best blow job ever.”

Tony laughed and he hissed in pain as his ribs complained. “I’m so holding you to that. Although, it’s going to have to be something spectacular. The last time you went down on me, I couldn’t function properly for almost two hours.”

“Only two hours?” Jethro inquired with a smile. “It will have to be better than that.” Both men laughed out loud, Tony clutching his side again. “Let’s go and shower.” Jethro got up from their bed and pulled Tony to his feet. They entered the bathroom holding hands.

Leon groaned out loud, not even bothering to hide the emotion as he took his first bite. The pasta even tasted better than the first time. “This is really good, Agent DiNozzo.”

“Thank you, Sir.” Tony replied politely.

“I didn’t ask before, is it a family recipe?”

Tony shook his head. “One of the cooks Senior employed was Italian. She’s the one who taught me how to cook. This pasta recipe was her favorite.”

Leon took another bite and they table became quiet again. Everyone concentrating on their plates. Finally, Leon pushed his plate away and sat back in his chair. “Thank you, DiNozzo, this was really superb.”

“Glad you enjoyed it.” Tony got to his feet, but stopped as Gibbs placed a hand on his. “Take it easy, I’ll clean.”

Tony wanted to object, but he knew that Gibbs wanted him to sit down and talk to Vance. He saw the look Gibbs gave him. The one who said trust me. Tony nodded and sat down again. “Thank you.”

When Gibbs gathered all of the plates, an uncomfortable silence settled between Tony and Vance. The only sounds that could be heard was Gibbs in the kitchen cleaning out the dishes. Tony shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He still had difficulty staying seated for long periods of time.

“Agent Dinozzo, Tony,” Vance spoke up. “I owe you an apology.” He lowered his head. “When Jackie died,” he cleared his throat. “When Jackie died it felt as if my whole word imploded around me. I didn’t understand, why her? Why me? I was livid and I had to get someone to blame. Henderson took his own life instead of facing the consequences of his actions, and there was no way that I could ever be angry at Jackie. That left only one option – you.”

Vance looked up from his hands. “I decided that since you’ve got that image going of being the class clown you were not really an agent. The fact that you were old school and not that clued up with the latest technology, made it easier for me to believe that you were useful. I ignored all of the years of experience you had, not only as a police officer and detective, but as an agent and as the best undercover agent in NCIS. I wanted to do everything in my power to get you kicked out of the agency. I was willing to take it so far as to make sure you never worked in law enforcement ever again.”

Leon cleared his throat. “Then the first attempt on my life happened and I immediately wondered who it could be. I am ashamed to say that one of my first suspects had been you. Since I hated you, I felt that you hated me and therefore you would do anything in your power to get rid of me.” Vance shook his head. “I learned that you were in a relationship with Gibbs and it made my day. I could finally get rid of you. But, in the meantime, you were the one who worked the hardest in finding who was responsible for the attacks. You did it while at the same time being my primary protection and not once did you complain or not handle yourself professionally. The snipes you took at me were because I verbally attacked you first. You got me out of the safehouse, you got me to safety, not once, but twice. You got shot guarding me. We all thought that the case was closed, but not you. You were the only one who believed there was still something missing. And you never gave up on finding out the truth. I am truly ashamed of my behavior. It is not the behavior of a federal agent, and definitely not the behavior of an agency Director. I have informed SecNav of my behavior. He has called for a formal inquiry and I am willing to resign if that is the recommendation or Davenport wished for it.”

Tony eyes had grown large at Vance’s last words. Never had he imagined that Vance would do something like that. He understood the man’s pain with the death of his wife, Jackie’s death had hit him hard as well. For a long time, he believed that he was at fault for her death. Even now, there were some days that he blamed himself for not being there. For listening to her. For not following up on Henderson. For not doing anything.

Vance looked on as different emotions played across DiNozzo’s face. “You still blame yourself.” Vance shook his head. “No, DiNozzo, no. You were not to blame. Henderson killed my wife. Not you. Just as I have no right to blame you for her death, you’ve got no right to blame yourself for her death.”

Tony looked down. It was hard for him to talk about this. For so long he bottled everything up inside of him. He never thought that Vance would forgive him. “I am truly sorry that she died, Director Vance. If I could, I would take her place right now, without hesitating. She didn’t deserve to die.”

“And neither do you.” Vance spoke up. Gibbs entered the room and hunkered down next to DiNozzo’s chair. He looked on as Gibbs said something to Tony. His words so soft that although he was seated across from DiNozzo he couldn’t hear what Gibbs said. DiNozzo nodded at his words, but didn’t’ lift his head. For a long time Tony sat with his head bowed, Gibbs hunkered next to him before finally Tony looked up and Gibbs came to his feet. Without hesitating Gibbs leaned in and kissed Tony full on the mouth. When he moved away, he had a smile on his face and Tony smiled too.

“I don’t want you to resign.” Tony looked at Vance. “You’re an asset to NCIS and it will be an honor to serve under you. It will take time for us to build up a trust relationship, but it will happen. I want to see it happen.” A smile appeared on his face. “There is also a personal reason for me to want you to remain director.”

Vance frowned. “And what is that, Agent DiNozzo?”

“I don’t think I’ll survive it if Jethro needs to train a new director in his ways.”

Leon burst out laughing even as the hard slap that connected to the back of Tony’s head could be heard. Tony squeaked and rubbed the back of his head. He also laughed and Gibbs smiled. He leaned down and kiss Tony again.

“Love you, Tony.”

“Love you more, Jethro.”

The End