An Embarrassing Injury
By Arress

Summary: When Tony receives an embarrassing injury while McGee and Ziva should have been listening, how funny is it really? Alternate ending to “Dead Air”. Rated for language. This story contains Ziva and McGee bashing, (a little Vance bashing too) so if that’s not your thing don’t read this story. Please, no flames.

A/N: Thanks, little_janie, for your encouragement and support.

This story is not betaed and all mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Gibbs hated leaving his agent in the hospital right after he had surgery, but he was sleeping, and it couldn’t be avoided. He called Abby to come and sit with Tony so he could go back to the office and get some answers. Once she arrived, after he calmed her down, he left the hospital and headed to the Navy Yard.

Gibbs was seething in anger as he got off the elevator on the third floor of the NCIS building. He needed to find out how his senior field agent had been injured and Tony had been too out of it from his recent anesthesia and pain medications to fill him in.

He snuck up on his two healthy agents out of habit, but what he heard made his blood run cold.

McGee and Ziva were standing in front of Ziva’s desk and they were both laughing, then McGee said, “He’s not going to be able to sit down for a month.”

Ziva chuckled as she said, “He will never live it up.”

McGee corrected her, “Never live it down.”

“Up, down, whatever,” Ziva replied. “Maybe we should get him one of those inflatable donuts to sit on, yes?”

“Either that or a whoopee cushion,” McGee laughed.

“Only Tony could go on such a simple assignment and get shot in the ass,” Ziva said with a smile.

Gibbs took the long way around the bullpen as his two junior agents continued to laugh and joke about Tony’s injury. Once he was on the back side of the partition behind Tony’s area, he reached behind the filing cabinet and grabbed the old cane Tony kept there in the event he sprained his ankle again. He then snuck up behind Tim and Ziva, making sure they didn’t see him, which posed him no problem; he’d had plenty of practice over the years.

They were both still laughing about Tony’s ‘embarrassing’ injury when Gibbs jabbed each of them in the ass in quick succession with the tip of the cane.

They both yelped loudly as they turned, rubbing their butts. They both opened their mouths to speak, but quickly closed them again when they saw a very angry Gibbs standing there holding a cane in his hands.

Gibbs said coldly, “Nothing to say? I would have thought you would find that funny, since you seem to think Tony getting injured in that particular area was something to joke and laugh about.”

McGee stuttered, “W-We didn’t m-mean anything by it, Boss, we were j-just-”

“Just what?” Gibbs interrupted angrily. “Laughing at your partner’s pain? Making fun of the fact that the bullet broke his hip and he has weeks of painful physical therapy and rehab to look forward to?”

Ziva actually looked a little ashamed of herself as she said, “Gibbs, we were just trying to find the humor in the situation.”

Gibbs replied, “You find humor in the fact that your partner’s body was pierced by a bullet?”

McGee said, trying to diffuse Gibbs’ growing anger, “You’ve got to admit, Tony getting shot in the butt is kind of funny.”

“No, I don’t think it’s funny at all,” Gibbs growled. “What I find ‘funny’,” he continued, obviously using the word sarcastically, “is how DiNozzo got injured in the first place. What I find ‘funny’ is why he had to crawl into some bushes to hide and then call me for help when both of you were right there in the neighborhood.”

When neither of the junior agents answered and wouldn’t look him in the eye, Gibbs continued, “Where were you two? You were supposed to have his six.”

McGee and Ziva both shifted uncomfortably and avoided Gibbs’ gaze and remained silent.

Gibbs asked again, his voice menacingly soft, “Where were you?”

Ziva finally looked up briefly and answered, “We were in the car.”

When no more information was forthcoming from either Ziva or McGee, Gibbs asked, “And neither of you heard anything unusual to let you know DiNozzo was in trouble?”

McGee still wouldn’t look up as he mumbled something unintelligible.

“What was that, Agent McGee?” Gibbs asked. “I didn’t hear you.”

Tim finally looked up and said more loudly, “We turned the sound off.”

“We were tired of listening to his voice,” Ziva elaborated.

Gibbs thought he had been angry before, but now he was absolutely livid. He realized he had let Ziva and McGee’s disrespect for Tony go too far. He had always made it a policy to not interfere in how his agents interacted with each other, as long as it didn’t affect the job. While Ziva and McGee didn’t seem to respect Tony very much, Gibbs thought they were just teasing him. He never thought it would lead to Tony being left without backup in the field.

The team leader now understood why Tony hadn’t bothered to call Ziva or McGee for help on his cell phone for help. He had called to them over his hidden microphone and when they hadn’t come to help him, he must have thought something had happened to them too, so he had called his boss.

He couldn’t believe Ziva and McGee had quit listening in on Tony. Not only did they break one of Gibbs’ most important rules, it was also a serious breach of NCIS protocol. And while the younger agents may not have been able to prevent Tony from getting shot, they sure as hell could have prevented him from being scared and bleeding and in pain while hiding in some bushes as he waited for Gibbs to arrive. By the time Gibbs had reached Tony at the scene, any hope of finding the shooter was long gone.

Gibbs angrily tossed the cane he was still holding behind Tony’s desk. He was afraid he might beat his junior agents to death with it.

He thought for a minute, then made a decision. What Tim and Ziva had done was unforgivable. There was no way Gibbs was even going to contemplate asking Tony to work with either of them again. Hell, Gibbs didn’t want to work with either of them again. He held out his hands and said softly, “Both of you, hand me your badges and guns. You have no place on my team or in this agency.”

Ziva and McGee looked at each other in shock. They never believed that something they had done lightheartedly in the spur of the moment would lead to them losing their jobs. They never thought Tony would get hurt.

Gibbs was still standing in front of them with his hands out. “I didn’t stutter. Give me your guns and badges and get out.”

McGee finally found his voice, “You can’t do that, Boss. Vance-”

Gibbs got in McGee’s face and said, “I don’t give a shit what Vance would do or say. I’m high enough in the hierarchy of this agency to make hiring and firing decisions, especially when it comes to my own team; and agents who don’t cover their partner’s six have no right to be on it.”

He stepped back and held out his hands again expectantly, glaring angrily at Ziva and McGee in turn. They reluctantly handed Gibbs their guns and badges. Then they stood in front of Gibbs uncertainly.

McGee said apologetically, “We never meant for Tony to get hurt.”

Ziva tried to explain, “He was just getting voice prints of people in a residential neighborhood. We didn’t think he was in any danger.”

Gibbs replied heatedly, “That’s just it. You didn’t think. We were on the hunt for a possible domestic terrorist cell; someone who murdered three people in cold blood; someone who was possibly traced to that neighborhood! And you didn’t think there was any danger?!”

McGee and Ziva didn’t have an adequate reply to that and looked at the floor, unable to meet Gibbs’ eyes.

Gibbs continued, “Now I have a senior field agent in the hospital who’ll be off work for the foreseeable future and two junior agents who don’t work here any longer. I also have to get this investigation turned over to another team since my team no longer exists. Do either of you still find this situation in any way funny?”

Gibbs looked at them with disgust and then went to his desk and locked their guns and badges in his top drawer. He looked up when he was finished, “You still here? Do I need to call security?”

“That will not be necessary, Gibbs” Ziva answered as she and Tim headed to the elevator.

McGee turned back, “What about-”

Gibbs interrupted, wanting both of them out of his sight as soon as possible, “Your things will be shipped to you when someone gets around to it.” He pointed to the elevator and shouted, “Out!”

As Gibbs watched the elevator door close in front of Ziva and McGee, he couldn’t decide what pissed him off more; the fact that the two of them left Tony with no backup in the field or the fact that neither of them had bothered to ask him how Tony was doing.

Once his former agents were gone, Gibbs headed to the director’s office.

TBC

Gibbs barged through the director’s door, slamming it loudly behind him. Gibbs began to pace. He was so angry about what happened to his senior field agent, and what Ziva and McGee had done, he didn’t know where to begin.

“Gibbs,” Vance greeted coolly from behind his desk. “I heard you shouting in the bullpen. “What’s DiNozzo done wrong now?”

Gibbs stopped his pacing and threw a glare Vance’s way. “DiNozzo has done nothing wrong, besides trust his teammates to have his six.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Vance questioned.

“I need my current case reassigned. DiNozzo’s been injured, and I’m his next of kin and medical proxy. I need to be with him at the hospital.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Vance assured him. “Now, you usually don’t request a case be reassigned because one team member’s down. Are there any other problems?”

“McGee and David.”

“Well, they’re both excellent agents,” Vance said. “Whatever the problem is, I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think it is.”

Gibbs took a calming breath and said, “Not as excellent as you might think, and they’re not agents any longer.”

“I think you better explain that,” Vance said pointedly.

Gibbs did. As he finished with the story, he looked at Vance expectantly, believing that he would agree with Gibbs’ actions. He was to be sadly disappointed.

“I can see where the two of them made a mistake, but they both have skills that are of benefit to this agency,” Vance said. “I think you were being hasty in firing them.”

“You want to give them a call and get them back here, feel free, but they’re not gonna be on my team,” Gibbs said heatedly. “You should know, though, despite your personal opinion of DiNozzo, that he’s a highly respected agent in this agency and once word of what David and McGee did gets around, no team will have them.”

As Gibbs headed for the door, he said sarcastically, “By the way, DiNozzo’s gonna be fine. Thanks for asking.”

Once Gibbs left the director’s office, he got in the elevator and went down to Autopsy. He knew Ducky would want to know what happened, and he needed to talk things over with someone before he went back to the hospital to be with his wounded agent. Tony needed his support, not his anger.

Gibbs strode into Autopsy and looked around. Ducky was in his office reading a journal. Palmer seemed to be absent. Ducky saw Gibbs enter the room and joined him in front of one of the autopsy tables.

Ducky could see how angry and upset his friend was, so he asked, “Jethro, what is it?”

“I just fired David and McGee,” Gibbs stated bluntly.

“Why in the world-”

Gibbs stopped his friend’s question with a heated glare. “You know me well enough to know I didn’t do something like that lightly, Duck.”

“You’re right, I do,” Ducky acquiesced. Gibbs’ reason for such drastic action must be very bad, given how adamant Gibbs had been to get Ziva and Timothy back after the director had broken up the team a few years ago. “Start at the beginning and tell me what happened.”

Gibbs headed for Ducky’s office, where his friend kept his liquor and poured himself a drink. The M.E. had a bottle of bourbon there just for him and he badly needed a drink to get through this story. He briefly thought about getting back to Bethesda later, then decided he’d get Ducky to drive him. He was sure the M.E. would want to see Tony anyway. Gibbs quickly downed a shot and poured another. Then he sat down on the chair next to Ducky’s desk as he felt himself calm down slightly from the effects of the alcohol.

Ducky followed his friend into the office and sat in the chair in front of his desk and waited Gibbs out. He couldn’t remember seeing Gibbs this angry and upset before, and he dreaded hearing what Gibbs had to say.

Gibbs took a sip of his bourbon and started to speak. “Tony’s been shot. I just came from the hospital.”

“How is he?” Ducky asked, genuine concern in his voice.

“With time, he’ll be fine,” Gibbs replied softly. “He just got out of surgery. He was sleeping off the anesthesia when I left him. Abby’s sitting with him so he won’t be alone.”

“Where was he shot?” Ducky wanted to know.

Gibbs looked Ducky in the eyes and said, “If you laugh, I swear, I’ll deck you.” After what had happened in the bullpen earlier, Gibbs was in no mood for any more laughter at Tony’s expense, even Ducky’s.

“Why would I laugh about someone getting shot?” Ducky asked. “It certainly is no laughing matter.”

“Ziva and McGee thought it was hilarious,” Gibbs said with disgust, then took another sip of his drink.

Ducky knew Gibbs hadn’t fired Ziva and McGee because they laughed at Tony, so he just looked at Gibbs, waiting for an answer to his question.

Gibbs finally answered, “He was shot in the ass.”

Ducky merely raised his eyebrows. He asked, “What did Ziva and Timothy have to do with it?”

Gibbs quickly explained about the op his agents had been on that day. Ducky nodded his understanding. He had been at the radio station himself that and had worked on the bodies later.

Gibbs continued, “DiNozzo called me for help. He told me he’d been shot and had called out to McGee and Ziva on his hidden mike, but they didn’t come. I guess he was afraid something had happened to them too, so he called me with his cell phone.”

“Why didn’t you call one of them?” Ducky questioned.

“I stayed on the phone with Tony until I reached him,” Gibbs explained. “I didn’t know what was going on. The shooter could still have been a threat, so I couldn’t just send an ambulance out there. And he was hurt, so I kept him talking on the phone. When I found him he was hiding in some bushes. I used his mike to call for David and McGee myself because DiNozzo’s voice was pretty hoarse from talking to people all day, so I thought maybe they hadn’t heard him. They still didn’t come, so I called Ziva on my cell and told her our location. It took them less than two minutes to reach us. They weren’t very far away.”

Gibbs continued, “I called an ambulance and had McGee and Ziva work the scene and check around for witnesses, but by the time I got to Tony, I’m sure the shooter was long gone. I didn’t get a chance to ask Ziva and McGee about what happened until I got back here just a little while ago.”

“So the microphone wasn’t working?” Ducky cut in.

Gibbs glanced at his friend. “The mike was working fine. Abby and I were listening to it on and off through the day. Unfortunately, neither of us was listening when Tony needed help. Besides, even if the mike wasn’t working, McGee and Ziva should have noticed that and tracked Tony down to give him a new one.”

“So why didn’t they hear him then?” Ducky asked.

Gibbs finished his drink in one gulp, then replied, “They turned the sound off.”

“Why in the world would they do something like that?” Ducky asked incredulously.

“According to them, they were tired of listening to his voice,” Gibbs replied, disgust for his former agents clear in his voice.

“Jethro, I can see why you fired them,” Ducky said. “As distressing as it is for me to hear that people I thought of as friends behaving in such a manner, I think you did the right thing. You’re job is a dangerous one and leaving anyone out in the field without backup is unacceptable.”

“I’m glad someone agrees with me,” Gibbs stated dryly. He didn’t want to get started on how the director had reacted with Ducky right now, so he didn’t bring it up.

“What do you think happened out there?” Ducky asked. “Do you think Anthony’s cover was blown?”

“I’m not sure until I can talk to Tony,” Gibbs said as he wiped a hand tiredly down his face. “Maybe he made contact with our killer or killers and they got suspicious, or maybe someone just didn’t like the idea of an Italian moving into the neighborhood. We may never know who did it or why.”

Ducky observed, “Maybe someone really tried to kill him and they’re a bad shot or they could have just been sending a message.”

“We may never know that either,” Gibbs replied. They were silent a few minutes, each thinking their own thoughts. Finally Gibbs said, “I need to get back to the hospital to talk to Abby and see if Tony’s awake yet.” He actually felt somewhat better after his talk with Ducky.

“I don’t think you should drive after drinking those two shots,” Ducky observed.

“Can you give me a ride?” Gibbs asked. “If not, I can call a cab.”

Ducky replied, “Certainly, I can, Jethro. Just let me get my coat.”

TBC

Ducky drove Gibbs back to the hospital to see Tony. Gibbs dreaded seeing Tony, though. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be with his senior field agent. He loved the man like a son, though he wasn’t sure he would ever admit that fact aloud to anyone. He just didn’t want to have to be the one to tell him that his partners, people he had thought of as friends who would always have his six, had failed to back him up in the field. He knew Tony would be devastated.

Ducky had stopped at the nurses’ station to talk with Tony’s doctor. Gibbs left him to it, as he had spoken with the physician before he left the hospital earlier. He knew Ducky would fill him in if there was anything new he needed to know.

When Gibbs reached Tony’s room, he stood in the doorway and took in the sight of his sleeping senior field agent. He was lying on his left side with a pillow between his knees. He had an IV coming out of his hand, a cannula providing him with oxygen under his nose, and various leads and monitors snaking under the hideous hospital gown he was wearing. Tony had had to have surgery to piece his hip back together and have the bullet removed. The surgeon had told him that Tony had an incision about a foot long running from just below his waist to part way down his thigh, and that he now had enough plates and screws holding the bones together to set off a metal detector in an airport. The doctor had assured him that with physical therapy and rehabilitation that Tony would be able to return to work eventually.

Abby was dozing in a chair next to Tony’s bed. She didn’t look very comfortable, but Gibbs knew that she didn’t want to be anywhere else but at her friend’s side. Abby’s complete loyalty could never be questioned, unlike some other people he didn’t want to think about right now. Gibbs dreaded telling her what happened more than he dreaded telling Tony. He knew she wouldn’t take it well.

For the moment, Gibbs let her sleep. He’d wake her up when Ducky reached the room. He may not be able to avoid telling Abby what happened, but he definitely wasn’t going to tell her while they were in Tony’s room. Tony wasn’t in any shape to deal with Abby’s reaction when she heard the news.

A short time later Ducky joined him in the doorway and said softly, “Jethro, I took the liberty of striking Ziva and Timothy’s names from Anthony’s visitor list.”

Gibbs looked down at his friend and said, “Good call, Duck. I should’ve thought of that myself.” He turned his attention back to Abby and took a deep breath. He was not looking forward to his upcoming conversation with her. He steeled himself and entered the room. He walked over to Abby and gently nudged her shoulder.

Abby started awake and sat up. She immediately got to her feet and wrapped Gibbs in a hug. She said, “Gibbs, you’re back. You promised you’d tell me what happened and now you’re here. So tell me-“

“Abby, keep it down. Tony’s still asleep,” Gibbs said softly as he returned her hug.

Abby released Gibbs from the hug and immediately grabbed him by the arm and started dragging him towards the door. She whispered, “Well, come on then. Let’s go find somewhere we can talk. You promised, Gibbs.”

Gibbs allowed himself to be dragged as far as the door, where Ducky was still standing. He stopped, forcing Abby to also stop. “Duck, can you sit with Tony while I talk with Abby? I don’t want him to be alone.”

Ducky replied, “Certainly, Jethro. I’ll be happy to.” He entered the room and sat in the chair just vacated by Abby. “Take your time. I’m certain Anthony will remain asleep for a good while longer.”

Gibbs and Abby left and found a family conference room down the hall. Gibbs was happy to see a full coffee pot when they entered a room. He was seriously behind in his daily caffeine intake. He poured them each a cup and took a seat at the small table in the middle of the room. Abby joined him.

“Where are Ziva and McGee?” Abby asked. “Tony’s their partner. They should be here, too. But maybe not, they’ll probably make fun of him about where he got shot and-”

“Abby,” Gibbs interrupted. “McGee and Ziva won’t be coming. We’ve taken them off Tony’s visitor list.”

“But they’re Tony’s friends. Why-”

“You’ll find out in a minute.” Gibbs interrupted. He took a long sip of his coffee and remained quiet for a few moments while he gathered his thoughts.

“Gibbs, come on, spill,” Abby said impatiently. “You have to tell me about McGee and Ziva. And you promised you’d tell me about what happened to Tony and you never break a promise. At least you never used to-”

“Abby,” Gibbs interrupted. “I’m gonna tell you, but you have to promise me you’ll be quiet until I’m finished.”

“I can do that, Gibbs,” Abby assured him earnestly. “I can be really quiet. You won’t believe how quiet I-”

“Abby,” Gibbs chastised, giving her a pointed look.

“Shutting up now, Gibbs.” She made a show of covering her mouth with her hands and then looked at him expectantly.

Gibbs told her virtually the same story he’d told Ducky earlier, and predictably, Abby was very upset.

“How could they do that to Tony?” Abby exclaimed indignantly. Unable to remain still, she got up from her chair and began to pace around the room, her hands gesturing wildly and her black ponytails waving in the air as she continued to talk. “He’s supposed to be their partner. He’s never once let either of them down when they needed him. I’m never going to speak to them again! I can’t believe they did that. Tony’s saved their lives and that’s how they treat him? I’m glad you fired them, Gibbs. That is so totally beyond hinky…”

Gibbs tuned her out and let her get it out of her system for a little while. He allowed her go on for a few more minutes, then interrupted, “Abby, I need you to go back to your lab and run ballistics on the bullet the surgeon removed from Tony against the ballistics on the bullets taken from our three victims from this morning. I told them to send it to your lab.”

“But, Gibbs, I want to be here with Tony. After what Ziva and McGee did, he’s going to need me,” Abby protested.

“I know, Abs, but we need to find out who shot him. He could have been shot by our murderer or by someone completely unrelated to the case. We need to know which it is. Tony will understand and you can come back after you’ve run the tests.”

“But, Gibbs-”

“I also need you to go over the recordings Tony got for us earlier and see if any of them match that call to Gator’s cell phone last night.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small notebook, which he held out to Abby. “Here are Tony’s notes. You’ll need them to figure out which voice goes with each residence.”

Abby took the notebook and as she put it in her pocket she said, “But Tony’s gonna be so upset when he finds out what happened. I don’t think he should be alone. He’s gonna-”

“Abby,” Gibbs cut it, “You also need to listen to the recording of Tony being shot. His life could still be in danger. We need to know what happened.”

“I know what needs to be done, Gibbs,” Abby said indignantly, “But maybe I could call-”

Gibbs interrupted her again, “You know I don’t trust anyone but you to do all this, Abs. Find out which team took over the case and give them the results, and then run any other tests they need, but keep me in the loop.”

“You’re not going to leave him alone, are you?” Abby pleaded, wringing her hands.

“Of course not, Abby,” Gibbs assured. “One of us will be here at all times. If I need to leave for any reason, I’ll call you or Ducky. We can even call Palmer if we have to. Tony will not be alone, okay?”

It took another half an hour, several kisses to the cheek, more hugs that Gibbs could count, as well as the promise of a lifetime supply of Caf-Pow! to convince Abby to go back to her lab and run the tests, but in the end she left very reluctantly and he was finally free to return to Tony.

When Gibbs entered the room, Ducky stood up and joined him a few feet from Tony’s bed and said quietly, “I’m sorry, Jethro. I just received a text message from Mr. Palmer and the bodies are starting to pile up. I need to get back to work.”

“That’s okay, Duck,” Gibbs assured. “I just sent Abby back to work, too. I’m gonna get a cot in here and spend the night.”

Ducky headed for the door and then turned to ask, “Will you call if there are any changes?”

“I’ll call,” Gibbs promised.

“I hate leaving you here with no means of transportation.”

“I’ll be fine, Duck,” Gibbs said. “When you and Abby come back to visit tomorrow, you guys can bring my car.” He handed Ducky his car keys. “Oh, and bring up my bag from the trunk when you get here so I can change.”

“Certainly, Jethro.” Ducky pocketed the keys. “We’ll see you tomorrow then,” He said as he left the room.

Finally alone with Tony, Gibbs sat in the chair next to the bed and took Tony’s hand, and settled in to wait for his senior field agent to wake up. He had one more difficult conversation to get through, and he really wasn’t looking forward to it.

TBC

A/N: Tony in the next chapter, I promise.

Gibbs remained by his senior field agent’s side for the next few hours until he finally started to awaken. While he waited, nurses came in periodically to check on their patient and take note of his vital signs. Thankfully, they also provided Gibbs with a steady supply of coffee.

When he heard Tony moan just before midnight, Gibbs was immediately on his feet. He brushed the hair back from Tony’s forehead and said, “Hey, you finally with me, DiNozzo?”

Tony tried to speak, but Gibbs couldn’t understand what he said, so Gibbs got the cup of water from the nightstand and directed the straw into Tony’s mouth. Once Tony had taken a few sips, Gibbs took it away and put it back on the nightstand. The nurses had warned him that too much could make Tony nauseous.

“Wanna try that again?” Gibbs asked.

Tony cleared his throat and asked, “Are McGee and Ziva okay?” His voice was hoarse, but his words were understandable now.

It didn’t surprise Gibbs in the least that Tony’s first concern was for his partners. Considering McGee and Ziva’s behavior in the bullpen earlier, it seemed that concern was decidedly one-sided.

“They’re fine, Tony. You just worry about getting better,” Gibbs replied as he pushed the call button. The nurses had wanted to know when Tony woke up. Gibbs had been informed that unless a complication arose, the surgeon wouldn’t be in to see Tony until the following day during his regular patient rounds.

Gibbs decided this might be a good time to ask Tony about what happened. “Tony, what happened out there earlier? Did you see who shot you?”

Tony licked his lips and asked, “Can I have some more water?”

Gibbs held the glass up to Tony’s lips and he took a few sips. Once Tony dropped the straw from his mouth, Gibbs put the cup of water back on the nightstand.

Gibbs asked again, “So, did you see who shot you?”

“No, I didn’t see anything,” Tony replied. “I was leaving one house and headed to the next when it happened. It should be in my notes which house I just left.”

“Abby has your notes. She’ll figure it out.” Gibbs had thought it was likely that Tony hadn’t seen anything, as he’d been shot from behind.

“What about the case?” Tony asked.

“I had Vance hand it over to another team. Can’t work it with a man down.”

“You can go to work if you have to, Boss,” Tony said. “You don’t have to stay here. I don’t need someone to hold my hand or coddle me.”

“I’m not going anywhere, so get used to my company. And giving you sips of water after you’ve just been shot isn’t coddling, DiNozzo,” Gibbs said. “Besides, can you honestly tell me you don’t want any company?”

“It’s great that you’re here, Boss,” Tony said. “I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful or anything. You’re right; I don’t really want to be alone.”

Tony’s eyes widened in horror as he finally remembered where he’d been shot. He moaned, “Oh, crap.”

Gibbs was alarmed by the look on Tony’s face and asked with concern, “What is it? Is something wrong?”

“Only the fact that I got shot in the ass,” Tony replied miserably. “How embarrassing is that? I’m never gonna be able to show my face at the Navy Yard again. Ziva and McGee are gonna have a field day with this. I’m never gonna hear the end of it. Whoever shot me should have just shot me in the head.”

Gibbs cupped Tony’s cheek and leaned in close and said seriously, “You listen to me, Tony. Don’t you dare talk like that, even as a joke. You were shot and seriously hurt. There’s nothing embarrassing about where you were shot. Only someone who’s never been shot would tease you about it.”

Tony, surprisingly, didn’t look very convinced.

A nurse entered the room and walked over to stand next to Gibbs. She said, addressing her patient, “Hi, I’m Carol. I’ll be your nurse until shift change at seven a.m. I see you’re finally awake.”

Gibbs said, “He just woke up a few minutes ago.”

“Agent DiNozzo, I need you to rate your pain for me. On a scale of one to ten, with one being no pain and ten being the worst pain you’ve ever experienced, can you give me a number?”

Tony thought a minute, then said, “I don’t know, five or six, I guess.”

“The local anesthetic the surgeon injected into your incision has probably worn off,” Carol explained.

“Incision?” Tony asked, confused.

“Yes, you had to have your hip surgically repaired,” Carol replied.

“You mean hip pinning surgery like old people have when they break their hip?” Tony asked.

“I mean surgery anyone has when they break their hip, no matter their age,” Carol replied. “Now, let me instruct you on the use of the PCA pump the doctor has ordered for you.”

Gibbs asked, “What’s a PCA pump?”

The nurse explained, “PCA stands for patient-controlled analgesia.” She reached for a device hanging from the IV pole near Tony’s bed that looked similar to the nurse call button and placed it in Tony’s hand. “If you need pain relief, you just press this button and the machine will deliver pain medication through your IV. It’s set up so it’s impossible for you to overdose.” The nurse considered her patient. He seemed like most of the other macho federal agent and military types that she’d had as patients in the past, so she elaborated, “It’s very important that you give yourself the medication when you need it. It’s a lot easier to relieve mild pain than it is to relieve severe pain, so it’s best to head it off at the pass, so to speak.”

Tony’s pain was severe enough at that moment that he didn’t argue like he usually did about receiving pain medication. He pressed the button and then sighed in relief as he felt the medication start to take effect. “That stuff really works.”

Carol smiled. “They ordered the good stuff for you. Now, is there anything you need before I go?”

“How often can I press this button?” Tony asked.

“As often as you need to. When you’ve reached your maximum allowed amount of medication, it won’t deliver any more, no matter how often you press the button. Like I said, it’s impossible to overdose. If you need more pain relief than the PCA provides, then press your call button, and we’ll give you an injection.”

“Okay, thanks,” Tony said.

The nurse asked, “Do you have any other questions?”

Tony replied, “No, I’m good. Thanks.”

“Just use the call button if you need anything, and someone will be right in,” Carol said as she left the room.

Once they were alone, Tony asked, “I totally forgot that my hip was broken. I think they explained it to me in the ER, but I was sort of out of it.”

“I know how out of it you were. I was there.” Pain, fear and blood loss could do that to a person, Gibbs added to himself.

“Thanks for coming to help, Boss.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Tony. I have your six, like you always have mine; sometimes even when I don’t want you to have it.”

After a few minutes of silence, Tony asked, “Where is everybody?”

“Ducky and Abby were here earlier, but they had to go back to work. Ducky has bodies and Abby’s trying to figure out who shot you and running some other tests.”

“What about Ziva and McGee?” Tony asked.

Gibbs had been hoping to avoid this conversation for a day or two, but he should have known better. “They’re fine,” He said evasively.

“If they’re fine, then where were they when I called for help earlier? Was the mike not working or something?”

“Can we talk about this tomorrow?” Gibbs asked. “You need to rest.”

“We can talk about it now. I’ve been sleeping most the day. I’m wide awake, and thanks to this nice PCA pump, I’m feeling no pain.”

“Okay, but you have to promise me you won’t get upset.”

“Quit stalling already and just tell me why my partners, who are just fine, didn’t come when I called,” Tony insisted.

Gibbs reluctantly answered, “It seems they turned the sound off.”

“I don’t believe that, Boss,” Tony exclaimed, obviously shocked by that information. “There has to be some mistake. They would never-”

“They told me themselves, Tony,” Gibbs interrupted. “They said they were tired of listening to your voice, so they turned the sound off.”

“They were tired of listening to my voice?” Tony repeated.

“That’s what they said.”

“I was doing my damn job trying to find a terrorist,” Tony exclaimed. “We needed those recordings.”

“I know, Tony,” Gibbs agreed. “You’re preaching to the choir.”

Tony was quiet for a while, processing what Gibbs had just told him. He finally said, “I have to quit. If I ask Vance for a transfer, he’s likely to send me afloat again, and I couldn’t take that. If I can’t trust Ziva and McGee to watch my back, I can’t keep working with them.”

Somehow, it didn’t surprise Gibbs that Tony didn’t expect that anyone would stick up for him in this situation, automatically assuming that he’d have to be the one to leave the team. Being such a good NCIS agent didn’t negate his insecurities much.

“That’s not gonna be necessary, Tony.”

Tony kept speaking like he hadn’t heard his boss, “They’re my partners and I thought they were my friends. How could they do something like that? I’ve never left them without backup. I guess saving their lives more than once doesn’t get me any special privileges either. It’s gotta be something about me. They never would have done anything like that to you, or any other agent for that matter. I’d like to know what I ever did that was bad enough for them to leave me twisting in the wind like that.”

Gibbs was tempted to headslap Tony to get him to shut up, but he didn’t think it was appropriate under the circumstances, so he interrupted instead, “I told you, you don’t have to quit.”

“Yeah, I do,” Tony insisted. “Vance is never gonna do anything about it. He hates me for some reason that I’ve never been able to figure out. Ziva’s his friend’s daughter and McGee’s his golden boy. They can’t do anything wrong in his eyes.”

“Tony,” Gibbs interrupted again. “I fired them both. There’s no need for you to quit, and I don’t want you to quit.”

“But it’s just me they can’t stand,” Tony said. “Besides treating me like shit, they’re both pretty good agents. Why should they lose their jobs because of me?”

Gibbs explained, “Tony, when Ziva and McGee failed to have your six, they not only let you and me down; they let every other NCIS agent down. Once word gets around, no one is gonna want to work with them. Even if I hadn’t fired them, they’d more than likely be forced to quit.”

Tony said incredulously, “I can’t believe you fired them.” He shifted in his bed a little and grimaced at the pain the small movement caused in his hip.

“They deserved it,” Gibbs said. “Besides, even if you haven’t figured it out yet, DiNozzo, I would do just about anything for you. Now push your pump thingy again and get some sleep.”

Chapter 5

About two days after waking up in the hospital, Tony was sitting in a wheelchair in the sunroom down the hall from his room. And thank God for painkillers. If not for them, sitting in the wheelchair would have been unbearable. As it was, he was propped up by a pillow under his right hip and he was sitting at an angle. But it was better than lying in that hospital bed. He had been going stir crazy lying there with nothing to do, so Gibbs and a nurse had helped him into his wheelchair and Gibbs had taken him, and his IV pole, to the sunroom for a change of scenery. Then Gibbs had left Tony alone for a few minutes, saying he was getting them each something to drink, but Tony knew Gibbs really just wanted some coffee.

If he was being honest with himself, he was glad to have a few minutes to himself. He hadn’t had been alone for a minute since he woke up in the hospital.

He still couldn’t believe the physical therapists had gotten him out of bed the day following his surgery. He’d thought they were joking when they came in his room with a walker, but then they started rattling off some nonsense about preventing pneumonia and blood clots. Tony thought they really just lived to torture the patients, because just the simple act of getting out of bed and standing next to it for a few moments had been beyond painful. Again, thank God for painkillers.

As he gazed out the window, Tony thought over the last couple of days. His boss had really surprised him with his unconditional support since he’d been injured. It was nice to know someone on the team had his six.

He still couldn’t believe two of the people he thought he could trust the most had failed to have his back while he was canvassing that neighborhood trying to sniff out a terrorist and murderer. He was lucky that he’d only gotten shot in the ass. As bad as that had been, and embarrassing, Ducky had told him it could have been much worse. Had the bullet hit him a little higher and to the left, the wheelchair he was sitting in could have been permanent instead of temporary.

The last couple of days had been filled with painkillers, physical therapy, pretty nurses changing his bandages, and hours of boredom in between. Gibbs had been there through all of it. Ducky and Abby had also been frequent visitors, which helped break up the monotony.

Tony’s thoughts were interrupted when the two people he least wanted to see hesitantly entered the room. It was Ziva and McGee. He wished Gibbs had closed the door when he left. Tony really didn’t want to talk to either of them right now. He usually wasn’t one to hold a grudge, but failing to have a partner’s back in the field was about the worst thing you could do when you were in law enforcement. Tony was angry about what they had done and he didn’t have anything to say to either of them, so he remained silent and just watched them warily.

Ziva and McGee stepped closer to Tony’s wheelchair. They seemed uncomfortable and didn’t speak for several moments.

Finally Ziva said. “Tony, we wanted to let you know how sorry we are. We never thought that you would get hurt.”

McGee added, “Yeah, Tony, we really didn’t mean anything by it.”

Tony was silent for several more moments. He knew they were waiting for him to say something, but he wasn’t about to accept their apology. He finally asked a question that had been bugging him since Gibbs had told him what they had done; “Whose idea was it?”

“It’s not important whose idea it was,” McGee answered.

“It is to me,” Tony said. “Now tell me which one of you thought of it first. Which one of you decided that leaving me with no backup was acceptable because you were tired of hearing my voice? Or do the two of you share a hive mind and come up with the same idea at the same time?”

“It was my idea,” Ziva admitted. “Please don’t blame McGee.” She realized what she had done was wrong and she was willing to accept the blame for her actions.

“But I went along with it, so it’s just as much my fault,” McGee added, accepting his share of the blame.

“That’s really nice, how you two back each other up like that,” Tony stated sadly. “Why couldn’t you do the same for me?”

Ziva and McGee remained silent. There was really too much that needed to be said, so neither of them said anything.

Just then Gibbs returned to the room, with his ever-present cup of coffee in one hand and a bottle of water for Tony in the other. He strode over to the trio and handed Tony his water. He asked loudly, “What the hell are you two doing here?”

McGee answered, “We came to see Tony, but they told us at the nurses’ station that we weren’t on the list. We were just leaving when we saw him sitting in here.”

“The fact that you weren’t on the list didn’t clue you in that neither of you are wanted here?” Gibbs asked coldly.

“Gibbs,” Ziva said. “We just had to apologize to Tony.”

“Yeah, Boss,” McGee added. “We just had to tell him-”

“I’m no longer your boss,” Gibbs growled. “And Tony’s not interested in anything you have to say. Now get out.”

McGee and Ziva headed for the door.

“And don’t come back!” Gibbs shouted at their retreating backs. He had really wanted to say so many more things to them, but he didn’t want to cause a scene in the hospital, and he didn’t want Tony more upset than he already was. It wouldn’t do either of them any good if Gibbs got himself kicked out the hospital.

Once they were alone, Gibbs took a seat next to Tony’s wheelchair and said, “I shouldn’t have left you alone in here, Tony. I had no idea those two would show up.”

“That’s all right, Boss,” Tony stated, as he opened his bottle of water. “They did apologize.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“I didn’t accept though,” Tony said sadly. “I’m not sure if I ever will.”

“I don’t really blame you, Tony. I don’t think I would if I were in your position,” Gibbs said. “I know I don’t forgive them for leaving you twisting in the wind.”

XXXXXXXXXX

Gibbs entered Tony’s room with a fresh cup of coffee in his hand. Abby was seated next to Tony’s bed and the two of them were chatting quietly. After the incident with Ziva and McGee finding Tony in the sunroom, Ducky, Abby and Gibbs had worked together to make sure that Tony was never alone, even for a minute.

“Hey, Abs,” Gibbs called out. “I need to talk to Tony alone. Can you go somewhere for a while?”

“I really should get back to work,” Abby said. “I left some tests running that should be done by now.” She stood up and gave Tony a gentle hug and then a kiss on the cheek. She told him, “I’ll be back later. Don’t go anywhere.”

Tony chuckled, “Where would I go? I can’t even get out of bed without at least two physical therapists helping me and a walker and a wheelchair nearby.”

“Bye, Tony. Bye, Gibbs,” Abby called as she left the room.

Once she was gone, Tony asked, “What do you need to talk to me about, Boss?”

Gibbs took a seat in the chair vacated by Abby and said, “Ducky’s been talking with your doctor. He said you’d be ready for discharge in a couple of days.”

“I’ve got a stupid question.”

“What’s that?”

“Why doesn’t my doctor talk to me about that stuff?” Tony asked. “He comes in here, tut-tuts over my wounds, says I’m doing fine and then leaves.”

“Be honest with yourself, DiNozzo,” Gibbs said. “Do you really want to listen to all that medical jargon you don’t understand and then have to have Ducky translate for you later?”

“Not really.”

“It saves time for your doctor to talk to Ducky, and then Ducky can give you the translation the first time.”

“I guess you’re right,” Tony agreed.

“I’m always right. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”

Tony returned to the previous subject. “How does the doctor figure I can be discharged in a couple of days? I can’t even get out of bed by myself.”

“Well, he told Ducky you have two options,” Gibbs explained.

“And what would those be?”

“You can go to a rehab center for a week or two, or if you stay with somebody, you can get home visits from a physical therapist,” Gibbs stated.

“I guess I’ll have to go to the rehab center,” Tony said. “I don’t have anyone to stay with.”

“What about me?” Gibbs asked indignantly.

“What about you, Boss?” Tony asked. “You have to work.”

“I thought I could take some time off so I can help you out,” Gibbs stated.

“I can’t ask you to do that,” Tony said. “That’s above and beyond the call. I don’t want to put you out.”

“You’re not asking,” Gibbs stated emphatically. “I’m offering.”

“I don’t think I can do that, Boss,” Tony said.

Gibbs knew why Tony was being so stubborn about staying with him. His senior field agent had always been fiercely independent, and having to rely on someone else for help didn’t sit well with him. Gibbs said gently, “Tony, there’s nothing wrong with accepting help once in a while when you need it.”

“You didn’t,” Tony said.

“I didn’t what?”

“Accept help when you needed it.”

“When was that?” Gibbs asked.

“When you hurt your shoulder a while ago,” Tony stated. “I came to your house and offered to help and you kicked me out.”

Gibbs thought for a minute. Tony was right; he had kicked his agent out when he’d offered to help. He looked at Tony thoughtfully and said, “I’ll make a deal with you.”

“What kind of deal?” Tony asked skeptically.

“If you come and stay with me when you’re discharged and let me help you, then next time I’m injured, I’ll let you help me.”

“No arguments?” Tony asked.

“No arguments,” Gibbs answered with certainty in his voice.

“Then we have a deal,” Tony agreed.

They both remained silent for several minutes, then Tony asked quietly, “Why are you doing all this, Boss?”

“I guess I’ve never taught you the unspoken rule,” Gibbs answered.

“God, Boss,” Tony moaned dramatically. “Please, no more rules.”

Gibbs gave Tony one of his best glares and waited.

Finally Tony gave in and asked, “What rule is that?”

Gibbs looked Tony in the eyes as he answered, “You do what you have to for family.”

TBC

Gibbs actually knocked on the door before he entered the director’s office. He needed to ask a favor, and he didn’t want the man to be in a bad mood. He’d gotten Abby to sit with Tony for a few hours. If Tony was going to convalesce at his home, he needed to make some adjustments, and he needed to arrange for more time off in order to stay with him.

Leon looked up as Gibbs entered the office. “You must need something from me, Gibbs.”

“What makes you say that?” Gibbs asked as he took a seat in front of the director’s desk.

“You don’t usually knock,” Vance replied.

“Hey, I can be polite,” Gibbs protested.

Vance gave him a ‘yeah, right’ snort and asked, “So, what do you need?”

“I know I already have this week off, but I need to arrange for another week off, maybe two.”

“May I ask why?” Vance asked.

“DiNozzo’s being released from the hospital soon, and he’s gonna to be staying with me until he’s back on his feet.”

“Why do you need to take more time off for that?” Vance asked. “Does he need someone to hold his hand 24 hours a day?”

“He can’t even get out of bed without help, Leon.”

“Doesn’t he have family that can help him out?”

“His mother died when he was a boy,” Gibbs explained. “His father isn’t reliable and he has no siblings.” He paused a moment, then asked, “Haven’t you ever read his file?”

Vance actually looked a little chagrined as he answered, “I scanned it briefly when I took over as director.”

“Maybe if you read it more thoroughly, you might learn a few things,” Gibbs said. He actually hoped the director would read Tony’s file. If he did, he might actually gain some respect for Tony instead of just barely tolerating him because Gibbs wanted Tony on his team.

“You can have the extra week,” Vance said. “We’ll re-evaluate then and see if you need more time,” Vance said.

“Thanks.” Changing the subject, Gibbs asked, “What’s happening with the case?”

“Reynolds’ team closed it,” Vance replied. “Ms. Sciuto matched the voice print from that cell phone call Gator received the night before the murder to one DiNozzo got when he canvassed the neighborhood. They picked the guy up, Reynolds leaned on him a little and he spilled. Bastard had a bomb in his freezer. Got all his accomplices, too, including the killer.”

“Did they find out who shot DiNozzo?” Gibbs asked.

“You’ll never believe it.”

“Try me.”

“It was the mailman.”

“The mailman?”

“Yes, Matt Lane,” Vance said. “He sent hate mail to Gator and DiNozzo and McGee questioned him about it. He later saw DiNozzo talking with everyone in the neighborhood and got worried. According to Lane, he wasn’t trying to kill him; he was just trying to slow the investigation down to give himself enough time to achieve his objective.”

“What I don’t understand is why David and McGee never heard a gunshot.” Gibbs asked.

“It seems he used a silencer,” Vance replied.

“I’ll read the report when I get back to work,” Gibbs said. He didn’t need to hear any more; Vance had just told him all he needed to know about the case. The man who shot his agent was no longer a threat. He changed the subject again, “What are your plans regarding McGee and David.” He already knew Vance’s plans. Abby had already ferreted the information from someone and had told him when she got to the hospital. He just wanted to see if Vance would answer his question.

“McGee and David aren’t your concern,” Vance said.

Gibbs said to himself, I guess that answers that question. Aloud, he said emphatically, “If you plan on bringing them back to the agency, they’re not gonna be on my team.”

“You don’t need to worry about my plans,” Vance said coolly.

Gibbs didn’t have time to get into a verbal sparring match with Leon, and he knew the director would find out soon enough that it wasn’t wise to bring Ziva and McGee back to NCIS, so he let the matter drop. He’d gotten what he came for. He said, “I’ve got things to do. I let you know about that extra week.” He then left the director’s office without another word.

Once Gibbs was out of the office, Vance decided to follow his suggestion and read over DiNozzo’s file more closely. He had been taking the man at face value, but there had to be something about him that made Gibbs keep him on his team for so long. Maybe some of the answers could be found in his file.

The truth was Vance was worried about his plans concerning Agents McGee and David. He had reversed their termination, but had placed official reprimands in their files and then suspended them without pay for two weeks as punishment for their actions, but he was beginning to think Gibbs was right; word had gotten around about what they had done and so far he’d been unable to find any agents willing to work with them. He wasn’t sure he would be able to find a place for them within the agency.

He used his intercom to contact his assistant and had her bring him DiNozzo’s file. He then began to read.

XXXXXXXXXX

Abby was sitting next to Tony’s bed waiting for him to wake up. Gibbs had told her before he left an hour ago that Tony had been exhausted from his physical therapy and had fallen asleep immediately after.

Tony awoke with a moan. Abby reached over and took his hand in hers. “Tony, are you okay?” She asked anxiously.

Tony opened his eyes and looked at her. “I’m fine.” He looked around, then asked, “Where’s Gibbs?” Tony didn’t think the man had left his side for a minute since Ziva and McGee had cornered him in the sunroom, which actually should have felt stifling, but instead gave him a warm feeling inside. Gibbs had said that he considered Tony family. He had considered Gibbs family for a long time, and it was really nice to know that Gibbs felt the same way about him.

“He asked me to come and sit with you because he had to go talk to the director and do some other stuff,” Abby replied. “Not that I didn’t want to come and see you anyway. It’s just I have to work and-”

“It’s fine, Abs,” Tony interrupted. “I know you have to work. I’d rather be at work myself than stuck here.” He shifted in his bed to get more comfortable and groaned involuntarily at the pain the movement caused.

Abby asked again, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Tony replied, “I’m okay. My hip just hurts a bit.” He grabbed the nurse call button and pressed it. “I just need to get a nurse in here to give me my pain meds.”

“But Ducky told me you have a PCA pump,” Abby stated. “Just push the button on that.”

“They took away my pump this morning,” Tony complained.

“Why did they do that?” Abby asked.

Tony explained, “Some nonsense about getting me switched to oral meds before I’m discharged tomorrow.”

Just then the nurse entered. It was Carol again. Tony was beginning to wonder if the woman ever went home. She asked, “What can I get for you, Tony?”

“A little pain relief would be nice.”

Carol walked over to Tony’s bed and handed him a small plastic cup with two pills in it. “Here you go.” She then poured a cup of water and gave it to him.

Tony swallowed the pills with the water and then said, “Now, that’s what I call service.”

“It was time for your pain pills and after that physical therapy session you had earlier, I figured you’d need them,” Carol said.

“Thank you, Carol.”

“Can I do anything else for you while I’m here?” The nurse asked.

“No, thanks,” Tony replied.

“Okay. Don’t hesitate to call if you need anything later,” Carol said, then left the room.

After she left Abby observed, “That was kind of hinky.”

“What was hinky?”

“You didn’t flirt with her.”

“Abby, she’s old enough to be my mother,” Tony stated.

“That never stopped you before,” Abby said.

“Well, now that I’m 40, old enough to be my mother takes on a whole new meaning.”

“I guess you’re right,” Abby said. “But something else is kind of hinky, too.”

“What’s that?”

“You voluntarily took pain meds,” Abby said. “You always say they make you loopy.”

Tony said, “Well, there’s the pain you have from a black eye or a sprained ankle, and then there’s pain from a broken hip. Being loopy is a fair trade off.”

They were quiet for several minutes and then Tony said, “You’re being too quiet, Abs. Talk to me.”

“You’re in pain,” Abby said. “I didn’t want to bother you.”

Tony thought that was funny Abby said that, considering the 30-minute conversation they’d just had. “Please, bother me. You can distract me until the pills start working. Tell me what’s going on at the office.”

“Are you sure? ‘Cause Gibbs told me not to bother you too much ‘cause you really need your rest and-”

“It’s fine, Abby,” Tony interrupted. “I want you to bother me.”

Abby started to say something, then stopped. “No, I can’t tell you that.”

“Can’t tell me what?”

“I don’t want you to get upset.”

“You don’t need to treat me like I’m fragile,” Tony stated. “C’mon, spill.”

“Well, I found out yesterday that Vance reversed Ziva and McGee’s termination, so they’re not fired any more.”

Tony chuckled humorlessly. “That figures,” He said. “I wonder what’s next on his agenda. Knowing Vance, he’ll give me a reprimand for laying down on the job, give my job to McGee and give Ziva a raise.”

“I don’t think it’s that bad. He suspended them without pay for two weeks and gave them both formal reprimands.”

“That’s something anyway.”

“I’m so mad about what they did. I’m never speaking to either of them again,” Abby said emphatically. “McGee keeps calling me and when I hear his voice, I just hang up.”

Tony said, “Abby, you don’t have to stop being friends with them just because of me.”

“Oh, it’s not because of you.”

Despite his previous words, Tony couldn’t help but feel a little hurt. “Gee, thanks, Abs.”

“I didn’t mean it that way, Tony,” Abby explained. “I mean it’s not only because of you. If they could leave you without backup, they could do that to Gibbs, or anybody else they happen to be working with.” Abby paused a moment, then said, “Remember what happened to Chris Pacci? He was just following a person of interest in an old embezzlement case with no backup and look what happened to him. He didn’t know Commander Voss and Amanda Reed were the same person. Anything can happen out there and-”

“I know, Abby,” Tony interrupted. “That’s what worries me about Vance letting them keep their jobs. What’s gonna happen to the next person they’re supposed to be backing up.”

TBC

Later that evening, Gibbs and Ducky were sitting next to Tony’s bed and talking quietly while he slept off his latest round of physical therapy and pain pills. Gibbs had sent Abby to his home to set up his guest room more to Tony’s liking. She was then supposed to go to her own apartment and get some much needed sleep.

“Did you get everything accomplished that you needed to get done today, Jethro?” Ducky asked.

“Yeah,” Gibbs said. “Got plenty of groceries. Went to DiNozzo’s place and picked up some of his things that he’s gonna need. Talked to Vance and got another week off. Abby’s getting the guest room ready for him.”

“So, Anthony is going to convalesce at your home then?”

“He doesn’t have anyone else to stay with, Duck,” Gibbs stated.

“That’s not exactly true,” Ducky said. “He could stay at the rehabilitation center.”

“You know he’d hate it there.”

“It would only be for a short time,” Ducky observed.

“Drop it, Duck,” Gibbs said. “If he goes to the rehab center, I can’t take the time off to stay with him, but if he stays with me, I can. And I’m not letting him stay at the rehab center alone.”

“He wouldn’t exactly be alone, Jethro.”

“You know what I mean,” Gibbs said.

“Why won’t you just admit it?” Ducky asked. It was like pulling teeth to get Gibbs to admit his feelings, but Ducky thought it would be good for Gibbs and Tony if he did. Or better yet, admitted them to Tony.

“Admit what?” Gibbs asked, frustrated. He didn’t know why his friend always insisted that they talk about feelings and all that other crap. Ducky knew he hated it.

“Jethro,” Ducky said. “You hide your feelings for that boy behind sarcastic remarks and headslaps, but anyone who knows you as well as I do can see how you truly feel about him.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Duck,” Gibbs said.

“Don’t you?”

“No, I don’t,” Gibbs insisted.

“Jethro, I’m only bringing this up because I think it would be good for Tony if he heard how you really feel about him,” Ducky said.

“Don’t know what you mean, Duck,” Gibbs insisted.

“Tony has experienced a great loss recently,” Ducky stated. “Two people that he thought of as friends, family even, betrayed his trust.”

“He’s not the only one,” Gibbs muttered under his breath.

“What was that, Jethro?” Ducky asked.

“Nothing.”

Ducky decided to let it slide and continued, “Tony must be suffering a great deal emotionally right now, and it would be good for him to hear how the one man that he trusts the most in the world feels about him.”

“I know he feels betrayed, Ducky,” Gibbs said, finally losing his patience. “I do, too. Why do you think I don’t want him to be alone right now? What else do you want me to say? Okay, I love him like he’s my son, and the thought of him spending even one day alone in that rehab center makes me want to scream. Are you happy now?

“I would be happier if you said that to Tony,” Ducky said.

A sleepy voice was heard coming from the hospital bed. “Don’t worry about it; you don’t have to say anything to me, Boss.”

Gibbs glared at Ducky. “You knew he was awake,” He accused. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Rule number eighteen,” Ducky answered. “It’s better to seek forgiveness than ask permission.”

Gibbs was mortified that Tony had heard what he’d just said and he didn’t know what to say to him, so he just looked at the floor.

“Boss?”

Gibbs looked up at Tony, “Yeah, Tony?”

“I love you, too.”

XXXXXXXXXX

Leon Vance sat in his office thinking. His wife was going to kill him for staying so late at work, but he had some decisions to make, and he couldn’t make those decisions with too many distractions.

He’d learned a great deal by reading DiNozzo’s file, and he knew that he should have read it much sooner. To say the least, he’d been surprised by what he’d found in it. The man had been given several commendations for his outstanding work from Vance’s predecessors, Director Morrow and Director Shepard, and had been offered a promotion to lead his own team by each of them.

Director Shepard had evidently thought enough of DiNozzo’s ability to select him for a long-term undercover operation, unsanctioned though it had been. Vance learned that DiNozzo had successfully lived what amounted to a double life for over a year, his cover only being blown by a disgruntled CIA operative. He had not only fooled his mark, but also his entire team; none of them suspecting a thing until the operation had literally been blown up by the CIA operative.

When DiNozzo had taken over the team for four months while Gibbs had been in Mexico, the solve rate hadn’t dropped a bit, and he had accomplished that while also starting the undercover operation, which had been an amazing accomplishment in Vance’s opinion.

Vance was surprised to learn that there were also several commendations from Gibbs in DiNozzo’s file. The man wasn’t known for freely handing out praise to anyone on his team, except maybe to the forensic specialist, Ms. Sciuto.

There were also several letters from family members of murder victims and victims of various crimes detailing DiNozzo’s intelligence, tenacity, empathy and professionalism which he portrayed while working cases.

He had graduated from Ohio State with a Bachelor’s degree in Sports and Leisure Studies, which wasn’t a big surprise to Vance. It seemed everyone knew that about the man. But Vance was surprised by the excellent grades the man had earned while in college and the fact that his degree qualified him as a teacher in that field. He’d also majored in Theatre, and Vance knew it wasn’t easy to carry a double major. The Theatre major also explained why he was so good at undercover work.

DiNozzo’s education hadn’t stopped there, though. He’d also taken several courses in criminal justice and psychology over the years, not geared towards earning another degree, but to help him with his chosen career in law enforcement, and he’d earned excellent grades in those courses also.

He also learned that DiNozzo could speak three languages fluently; Vance had thought he only spoke two, English and Spanish, but it seemed he could also speak Italian.

He’d been underestimating DiNozzo since he’d taken over as director. He knew he had grossly underestimated DiNozzo when he’d forced the man to go to Israel the previous year to explain himself and his actions to the Director of Mossad, Eli David. At the time, he figured it had been a one-off, that DiNozzo had basically annoyed the man into admitting that he’d sent Michael Rivkin to the States, instead of the Mossad Officer acting on his own.

Eli David’s admission had turned the tables in that situation, giving Vance an advantage that he’d lacked before. He’d later shamelessly taken credit for DiNozzo’s achievement during his private conversation with David, like DiNozzo’s entire act had been his own idea; but during the ‘interview’, he’d stood in the observation room criticizing DiNozzo’s actions and doubting the agent’s ability to take on the Director of Mossad and come out on top. Now, Vance realized that had been DiNozzo’s plan all along, and it had worked admirably.

It seemed DiNozzo wanted people to underestimate him, though Vance could see how that would work to his advantage when dealing with criminals. After thoroughly reading DiNozzo’s file, it seemed he’d been underestimating Gibbs’ senior field agent for the last several years.

It also seemed that he owed DiNozzo an apology.

With that decided, Vance got himself another drink and went back to his desk. He’d be in his office a while longer. He still had to decide what to do about Agents McGee and David.

XXXXXXXXXX

The following day, close to noon, Gibbs pulled up to his house and turned his car off. He turned to his passenger and said, “Hold on for a minute and I’ll come around and help you.”

Though Tony hated to admit it, he knew he wouldn’t be able to get out of the car without help, so he grunted his agreement and waited for Gibbs. It had been a new adventure in pain when he’d gotten into the car when he was discharged from the hospital.

Gibbs got out of the car. He retrieved Tony’s crutches from the back seat and went around to the passenger side of the car and opened Tony’s door. He waited while Tony turned himself so he was sitting sideways on the seat, and then helped the injured man to his feet. He handed Tony the crutches and then waited while he got them situated under his arms and then began to limp slowly towards the front door. He then got Tony’s bag out of the car and then began to follow Tony, staying close by in case he needed any more help.

“Thanks, Boss,” Tony said as he limped towards Gibbs’ house. “I’m so glad the physical therapist finally switched me from a walker to crutches yesterday.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because if there’s one thing more embarrassing than getting shot in the ass, it’s looking like an 80-year-old man with a bad case of arthritis.”

“That’s better than looking like an 80-year-old woman with a bad case of arthritis.”

“Ha, ha,” Tony said without humor.

They reached the front door and after Gibbs opened it for him, Tony began to limp towards the sofa in the living room.

“DiNozzo, where do you think you’re going?” Gibbs asked.

Tony stopped and said, “To the couch, Boss. If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to get off my feet.”

“Not on the couch. You’re going to the guest room.”

“C’mon, Boss,” Tony said, sounding not unlike a whiny six-year-old who wasn’t getting his way. “It’s going to be so boring in there.”

“Guest room, now,” Gibbs ordered.

Tony changed his direction and headed in the direction of Gibbs’ guest room, grumbling under his breath about bossy bosses. Luckily for him, it was on the ground floor. He didn’t think he could make it all the way up the stairs.

When Tony reached the guest room, he was pleasantly surprised. His TV was on the dresser and his DVD player was set up on the nightstand next to the bed, all the wires safely running along the wall so no one would trip on them.

“This is great, Boss,” Tony said. “Did you get Abby to set all this up?”

“What makes you think Abby did it?”

“No offence, Boss, but when it comes to anything technological, you’re all thumbs.”

Gibbs glared at Tony and said, “Shut up, DiNozzo, and get in the bed.”

Tony slowly eased himself down onto the bed and leaned his crutches against the wall within easy reach. He then stretched out and rolled onto his left side, tucking the extra pillow between his knees. As much as he hated to admit it, because he thought it looked really stupid, having a pillow between his knees when lying in bed was much more comfortable for him.

Gibbs reached into Tony’s bag and got a bottle of pills out. He said, “Be right back.” He left the room and returned a few minutes later with a bottle of water. He got a pill out of the bottle and handed it to Tony, along with the water. “Take that.”

“I don’t really need a pain pill right now, Boss,” Tony said.

“Take it, ‘cause you’re taking a nap before the physical therapist gets here later.”

Tony signed dramatically. He sat up a little and swallowed the pill with a gulp of water. Gibbs took the water from him and put it on the nightstand. He knew it was no use arguing with Gibbs when he was in protective mode.

Gibbs sat on the bed next to Tony.

Tony sensed his boss had something to say, so he asked, “Need something, Boss?”

“I only scheduled for the physical therapist to come two or three times.”

“Why only two or three sessions? I thought I needed at least two more weeks of therapy.”

“They’re gonna show me what to do, and once I get the hang of it, I’m gonna take over.”

“You don’t have to do that. I’ve already put you out enough as it is.”

“I know I don’t have to,” Gibbs said emphatically. “I want to.”

“Thanks.”

Gibbs showed no signs of leaving and he seemed decidedly uncomfortable, so Tony asked, “Is there something else?”

“Ducky made me promise to talk to you about something.”

“What’s that?”

“About what Ziva and McGee did… ” Gibbs’ voice trailed off uncertainly.

Tony decided to put him out of his misery. “Boss, we don’t have to talk something to death to know it sucks.”

Gibbs seemed relieved by what Tony said. He started to get up, but Tony stopped him with a hand on his thigh.

“I know this isn’t easy for you either, Gibbs. McGee was with the team for more than six years and Ziva for more than five. You raised them from baby agents and-”

“Like you said before, Tony,” Gibbs interrupted. “We don’t have to talk something to death to know it sucks.”

TBC

A few days later, Gibbs was sitting in the guest room with Tony watching a DVD. At about seven in the evening, he received a call on his cell phone. He answered the phone, “Yeah, Gibbs.”

“Gibbs, it’s Vance. Is it all right if I stop by for a few minutes? I’d like to talk with DiNozzo.”

“Just a minute. Let me check with Tony,” Gibbs said. He pushed the mute button on his phone and said to Tony, who was lying on his left side in the bed looking at him, waiting for the question, “Vance wants to know if he can come by for a few minutes.”

“What does he want?” Tony asked, a little apprehensive.

“Don’t know. He just said he wants to talk with you.”

“I guess it’s all right. Beats going into the office any time soon.” Although Tony was gaining more mobility every day, getting around was still rather difficult for him. He still needed help to get out of bed, and he didn’t even want to contemplate getting into and out of the car unless it was absolutely necessary.

Gibbs hit the mute button again and said to Vance, “Yeah, he said that’s fine.”

“I’ll be there in about half an hour.”

Gibbs ended the call in his usual abrupt fashion by snapping his phone shut and said, “He said he’d be here in about half an hour.

“At least the movie will be over by then.” Tony tried not to worry about what the director wanted. He’d find out soon enough.

They finished watching the movie in companionable silence. A few minutes after it was over the doorbell rang.

Tony looked at Gibbs and asked, “Doesn’t he know to walk right in like everyone else does?”

“He’s never been here before,” Gibbs replied as he went to answer the door.

Tony didn’t find that surprising. Although the two men seemed to tolerate each other at work, Tony couldn’t see them socializing with each other in their free time. Gibbs didn’t really socialize with anyone much, unless someone showed up unannounced in his basement.

A few minutes later Gibbs returned, Vance following close behind. Gibbs sat on the side of the bed near Tony’s feet, allowing the director to sit in the chair he’d just vacated.

“How are you doing, DiNozzo?” Vance asked.

Gibbs found Vance’s question surprising. He had spoken with the director a few times since Tony had been injured, both on the phone and in person, and the man had never once asked about Tony’s health before now.

“I’m doing fine,” Tony replied. “Thanks for asking.”

“That’s good,” Vance replied. “That’s real good.”

Tony could sense the director was stalling, so he asked, “What did you want to see me about, Director?”

Vance cleared his throat, “I feel I owe you an apology.”

Tony looked a little shocked and said, “Why do you think that?”

“Gibbs asked me the other day if I had ever read your file,” Vance answered. “I hate to admit it, but I hadn’t read it thoroughly. I have since corrected that.”

“Find out anything interesting?” Tony asked apprehensively.

“Just that I’ve been underestimating you all these years,” Vance said. “But I should have realized there was more to you than met the eye even without reading your file. I should have seen that when we were Israel, and I should have known that Gibbs wouldn’t have kept you on his team for so long without good reason.”

“It’s okay, Director; I don’t blame you,” Tony said. “I know most people find me annoying. Hell, I am annoying. I joke around too much, tease my coworkers and probably overdo it on the pranks. I know I talk too much, and I’ve been told that I make way too many movie references.”

“It’s all part of your charm, Tony,” Gibbs said dryly. “All part of your charm.”

“I’d noticed those things about you myself, DiNozzo,” Vance added with a little smile. “I’m trying to apologize here, DiNozzo. Just accept it.”

“I accept your apology, Director,” Tony said seriously. He could have prolonged the director’s obvious discomfort in apologizing, but the man had finally decided to cut him some slack, and Tony wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Anything to make his life at work a little easier.

Vance made no move to leave and Gibbs sensed he had something else to say, so he asked, “Was there anything else, Vance?”

Vance looked at Gibbs and then Tony uncomfortably and then said, “I need to make a decision about David and McGee, but I think the four of you need to talk about a few things before I do.”

“I’ve already made my feelings clear on the subject, Leon,” Gibbs said.

“It’s all right, Boss,” Tony said. “It’s probably a good idea.”

Gibbs looked at Tony seriously and said, “Tony, you don’t have to do this.”

“I know I don’t have to, Boss,” Tony stated. “But I need to. I think there’s more to it than them just being tired of listening to my voice.”

“How about Friday at 9:30?” Vance asked.

That was four days away. Tony thought he should be able to travel in the car without too much discomfort by then. He looked at his boss and asked, “Is that okay with you, Gibbs?”

“Yeah, but only if you’re sure, Tony,” Gibbs said.

“I’m sure.”

XXXXXXXXXX

The day of the meeting arrived. Gibbs wasn’t looking forward to it. He didn’t think Tony was either. They’d talked it over the previous day, and as a result of that discussion, Gibbs had gone to a medical supply story and rented a wheelchair. If they needed to leave in a hurry, Tony didn’t want crutches slowing him down.

Gibbs pulled into a parking space as close to NCIS headquarters as he could get. He turned to the Tony and said, “It’s not too late to change your mind. I could go in there by myself, or we could just turn around and go home.”

“That’s all right, Boss,” Tony said. “Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

Gibbs got the wheelchair out of the back of the car, placed a pillow on the seat and then helped Tony into the chair and pushed him into the building.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ziva and McGee were sitting in a conference room at NCIS, waiting for the director. Vance had called them both the evening before and asked them to come in because he needed to speak with them.

“Why do you think Vance called this meeting, Ziva?” Tim asked.

“I do not know,” Ziva replied.

“Well, I guess we’ll find out when he gets here.”

A few minutes, Director Vance came in the room. He took a seat at the head of the table and said, “I suppose you’re both wondering why you’re here.”

Ziva and McGee both nodded.

“I asked you here to this meeting because I need to make a decision about your future at NCIS; or if you even have a future at NCIS,” Vance said. “But first, we’ll all have a little talk with Agents Gibbs and DiNozzo.”

XXXXXXXXXX

Vance, Ziva and McGee were seated around the table when the door opened and Gibbs pushed Tony into the room. Gibbs pushed Tony up to an empty place at the table and then took the seat beside him.

“How are you, Tony?” Ziva asked.

“I’m fine,” Tony replied coolly.

“That’s great,” McGee said nervously.

“Why did you turn off the sound?” Tony asked Ziva, getting right to the point.

“It is like I said before,” Ziva stated, looking at her hands. “I got tired of hearing your voice. What I did is regrettable.”

“You broke Gibbs’ rules and you broke agency rules, because you were tired of hearing my voice?” Tony asked.

“Yes,” Ziva said.

“Right,” Tony said, drawing out the skeptically. “Tell me this, Ziva. If Gibbs had been the one getting the voice prints that day, would you have turned the sound off then? And McGee, would you have gone along with it?”

Neither of them answered him, and everyone in the room knew what the answer to that question was. McGee and Ziva would never have turned the sound off if it had been Gibbs out in the field wearing a wire.

“You know,” Tony said, addressing both McGee and Ziva, “The three of us have always given each other a hard time. We teased each other; always tried to get one up on each other. I can handle that. I’ve been handling that for years. But when you don’t have my six in the field, that I can’t handle.

“Tony, I’m sorry,” McGee said. “I don’t know what else to say.”

“I am also sorry, Tony,” Ziva stated. “We shouldn’t have done it.”

“McGee,” Tony said, ignoring the apologies. “Have you ever said ‘no’ to anyone who intimidates you?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” McGee hedged.

“Ever said ‘no’ to Abby when she makes an unreasonable demand?” Tony asked. “Ever said ‘no’ to Gibbs when he orders you to look for evidence in poison ivy? Ever said ‘no’ to Ziva when she turns off the sound when you’re supposed to be watching your partner’s six?”

“That’s not really fair, Tony,” McGee said. “You never say ‘no’ to Gibbs either.”

“Most of the time I don’t say ‘no’ to Gibbs,” Tony clarified. “Because I know he’s just pushing me to do my best, but I do know when to say ‘no’.

McGee just sat there in silence, not really knowing what to say. He knew Tony had stood up to Gibbs on occasion when the situation called for it. He’d seen him do it a few times himself. And he knew Abby had made some very unreasonable demands of him in the past, and he always gave in when it came to her, and he also knew that Ziva had always intimidated him with her strong personality and Mossad training.

Gibbs and Vance watched the exchange in silence, both knowing that these things needed to be said.

Taking McGee’s silence as agreement, Tony turned his attention to Ziva. “I’ll tell you why I think you did what you did,” Tony said, addressing Ziva now. “You’ve never really forgiven me for killing Michael Rivkin, and everything that happened because of that.”

“That’s not true, Tony,” Ziva protested. “I apologized to you for all that.”

“You apologized for questioning my motives about Rivkin,” Tony stated. “You never actually forgave me for killing your boyfriend.”

“Tony, I… ” Ziva’s voice trailed off uncertainly.

Everyone in the room could tell that Tony had struck a chord, and could see there was a grain of truth in Tony’s words; that Ziva truly hadn’t forgiven Tony for killing Rivkin, even it he had done it in self defense.

“I think I’ve heard enough,” Tony said in resignation. He then pushed himself away from the table and maneuvered his wheelchair toward the door.

Gibbs followed Tony and opened the door for him. He paused in the doorway and addressed both Ziva and McGee, “I can’t begin to tell you how disappointed I am in the two of you. I trained you better than that.” He then followed Tony through the door and was gone.

XXXXXXXXXX

Once Gibbs and DiNozzo were out of the room, Vance addressed Ziva and McGee, “Right now, I can’t find anyone in this agency who is willing to work with either of you.”

McGee and Ziva looked a little apprehensive, both afraid for their jobs.

Vance gave them each a pointed look and said, “But I believe you are salvageable as NCIS agents. You both possess skills and knowledge that have benefited the agency in the past and I believe can be of benefit in the future.

“Having said that,” Vance continued, “It seems you, Agent David, have a problem working with Agent DiNozzo and with issues regarding the death of Rivkin, and you, Agent McGee, have a problem standing up for yourself and making your own decisions.” He was glad DiNozzo had pointed out those issues about David and McGee. He hadn’t realized those things about either of the agents.

The director continued, “Here’s what you two are going to do. You are both going to FLETC*, where you will attend the Criminal Investigators Training Program. Immediately upon completion of that, you will attend the NCIS Specific Special Agent Basic Training Program.” He gave each of them a pointed look. “After you have successfully completed those programs, we’ll see how it goes.”

“Is there an alternative?” Ziva asked.

“If either of you don’t wish to complete the training programs, the only alternative is for you to resign,” Vance answered.

“I know what I did was wrong,” McGee said. “I like working at NCIS and I’m willing to attend the training programs.”

Vance nodded his acceptance of McGee’s decision. He then looked at Ziva and asked, “What about you, Agent David? Are you willing to attend the training programs?”

“I realize turning off the radio was wrong. Regardless of how I feel about Tony, I never should have suggested it,” Ziva said. “I’ll attend the training programs.”

“I’m glad you both understand what you did was wrong,” Vance said. He nodded in satisfaction. “That’s all settled then. You’ll be contacted with the details.”

TBC

A/N: I got the information about the NCIS training programs from the official NCIS website.

*FLETC: Federal Law Enforcement Training Center

Following the meeting, Gibbs and Tony went back to Gibbs’ house. Once Tony was settled in the guest room, Gibbs sat in the chair next to the bed. He gazed at Tony with such intensity that Tony finally asked, “What?”

“I hadn’t realized Ziva never forgave you for killing Rivkin,” Gibbs remarked. “If I had known that, I wouldn’t have let her back on the team. You should have said something.”

“She needed a place to go, Boss,” Tony said. “I didn’t want to be the one to stand in her way.”

“What do you mean by that?” Gibbs asked.

“She was a prisoner for months, Boss,” Tony explained. “Her own father left her to die out there alone, so she couldn’t go back to Israel. She didn’t have any other place to go.”

Gibbs shook his head ruefully and said, “Sometimes I wonder about your sense of self preservation, Tony.”

“I’d say it’s about as finely honed as yours, Boss,” Tony stated.

“Touché.”

Tony continued, “In my own defense, I thought Ziva was enough of a professional to not let her personal feelings about me interfere with the job.”

“I’m just glad those words aren’t an epitaph on your tombstone,” Gibbs said.

“You and me both,” Tony agreed.

XXXXXXXXXX

A few weeks later, Gibbs returned home from work carrying a large stack of personnel files. Tony was slouched on the couch watching a movie. He’d managed to talk Tony into staying with him, even though he had been well enough to go home a week ago. He just felt better knowing Tony was close by. He’d feel even better when Tony was back on his six at NCIS where he belonged. Gibbs sat on the couch next to his agent, dropping the stack of files on the coffee table.

Tony looked at the files curiously and asked, “What are those?”

“These are personnel files of field agents looking for team assignments,” Gibbs answered. “Since you’re returning to desk duty next week, Vance wants me to choose two new members for our team. He wants the MCRT back at full capacity as soon as possible.”

“Uh, Boss, I don’t think those files are supposed to leave the office,” Tony observed.

“Vance did say he didn’t want to see me leave the building with them.”

“And your point is?” Tony asked.

“I made sure he didn’t see me leave the building with them,” Gibbs said, trying not to smile.

“Very sneaky, Boss,” Tony said. “But why bring them home in the first place? You could have gone through them at work.”

“I figured you should also have a say in anyone new brought into the team,” Gibbs stated.

“You don’t have to do that, Boss,” Tony said seriously. “It’s your team, your decision.”

“It’s our team, Tony,” Gibbs said emphatically, looking Tony in the eyes.

Tony was strangely touched by Gibbs’ words. He hadn’t given Tony any say when he’d hired Kate and McGee, and neither of them had had any say when Ziva joined the team. He cleared his throat to cover his emotional reaction, then asked, “So, how do we go about this then?”

Gibbs picked up the files and gave Tony half of them. “We each pick one we like. I have to agree with who you choose and you have to agree with who I choose. Simple.”

Tony warily eyed the large stack of files Gibbs had handed him and said, “This could take a while.”

“I’ll order pizza.”

XXXXXXXXXX

A few hours later, Gibbs was finally down to one file. He looked over at Tony, who looked like he was also finished going through his stack of files. He asked, “Did you find someone you like, Tony?”

“Yeah, I did,” Tony answered.

“Well, don’t keep me in suspense. Who did you choose?” Gibbs asked.

“Dwayne Wilson.”

“The name sounds familiar.”

“It should,” Tony said. “There’s a notation in his file that you recommended him.”

“There is? What exactly does it say?”

“Recommended.”

“That sounds like me. Short, sweet and to the point,” Gibbs said. “Why do you like him?”

“You should remember him,” Tony stated. “He worked a case with us a couple of years ago.”

“Refresh my memory,” Gibbs ordered. He actually did remember who Tony was talking about. He just wanted his senior field agent’s take on the man; and Tony had spent more time with Wilson during the case than Gibbs had.

“Wilson was a rookie that Vance assigned to our team,” Tony said, in his ‘reporting’ voice that he sometimes used at work. “He helped us with the Vittorio case, the guard who was killed at the bank in Quantico. He doesn’t have much in the way of education, but he showed a lot of initiative. I think he has potential.”

“Don’t you think we should have at least one member on our team who has computer skills?” Gibbs asked.

“We managed just fine in that department before McGee came along,” Tony said. “I might not be as good as him when it comes to computers, but I’m no slouch either. Besides, we have Abby to help in that area if we need it.”

“Okay, sounds good to me,” Gibbs said, being unusually agreeable. “We’ll give him a chance.” Gibbs had also been somewhat impressed by Wilson at the time; otherwise he wouldn’t have recommended him.

“Who did you pick?” Tony asked.

“Cassie Yates.”

“Her name sounds familiar, but I don’t think I’ve ever met her.”

“She worked with us when you had the plague,” Gibbs explained.

“That explains why I’ve never met her,” Tony said. “I was a little preoccupied at the time.”

“She was a lot of help,” Gibbs said. “I don’t think we would’ve found Hanna Lowell without her.”

“Can she handle you okay?” Tony asked mischievously.

“I don’t need to be handled, DiNozzo,” Gibbs growled.

“You keep telling yourself that, Boss,” Tony said with a grin. The headslap he received for that remark was not unexpected. “So, that’s it then? Team Gibbs is back in business?”

“Looks that way,” Gibbs said with a smile. “I’ll let Vance know our choices tomorrow. Hopefully, they can both start the same day you come back to work.”

XXXXXXXXXX

-Three months later-

Tony entered Gibbs’ house carrying a six-pack of beer. Other than a slight limp, he had completely recovered from his ‘embarrassing’ injury, and he had been told by his physical therapist that the limp would disappear with time. He had long since returned to his own apartment, and he had returned to full duty a couple of weeks previously.

Tony could see Gibbs was already sitting at the kitchen table, so he joined him. He wouldn’t swear to it, but he thought Gibbs might actually miss him. His boss had asked him over to eat at least a couple of times a week since he’d gone back to his own apartment. He asked, “Pizza here yet?”

“You just missed the delivery boy,” Gibbs said. “I put it in the oven to keep warm.”

Tony handed Gibbs a beer, took one for himself, and put what remained in the refrigerator. He retrieved the pizza from the oven and put it in the middle of the table while Gibbs got a couple of plates from the cupboard.

After they finished their beer and pizza, Tony remarked, “I found out what happened with McGee and Ziva today.”

“I figured they should be finished with their training programs by now,” Gibbs hadn’t been happy when he learned that Vance had decided to let them remain with the agency, but he didn’t have any say about that. “So, what are their assignments?”

“McGee’s going to the Northwest Field Office in Silverdale, Washington. He’s gonna be on their Cyber Unit.”

Gibbs chuckled, “He better take an umbrella.”

“It does rain there a lot, doesn’t it?”

“More than Seattle,” Gibbs said. “What about Ziva?”

“She’s been assigned to the Cold Case Unit at the Subordinate Office in Miami, Florida,” Tony stated. “So she’ll be close to her mysterious boyfriend.”

“It looks like she’s being rewarded for breaking the rules,” Gibbs remarked.

“Maybe, but at least she won’t be alone down there.”

“You still worry about them, don’t you?” Gibbs asked, thoughtfully.

“Well, yeah,” Tony answered. “We worked together for a long time. It’s hard not to.”

Gibbs didn’t really want to talk about McGee and Ziva, so he decided to change the subject. “We haven’t talked much about our two new agents. What do you think about them?”

“Dwayne’s only been an agent for a couple of years, but he’s getting there. He’s doing well on the shooting range,” Tony said. “We sparred together for the first time a few days ago and he’s pretty good, and I let him interview a witness yesterday and he did well. I think he’s gonna work out all right.”

“He doesn’t cower when I glare at him any more,” Gibbs remarked. “Have you been giving him tips?”

“Of course,” Tony said with a smile. “I remember how many agents you scared off for the first couple of years I was on the team. I don’t want you to scare him off, too.”

Gibbs glared at him, but it didn’t work on Tony very well either. “What about Yates?”

“She never cowers when you glare at her,” Tony replied with a grin.

“I know that,” Gibbs said dryly. “How do you think she’s doing?”

“She’s doing great,” Tony said. “She has a lot of experience and she knows how to follow the evidence.” He added, waggling his eyebrows, “And it doesn’t hurt that she’s pretty hot.”

“Rule number twelve, DiNozzo,” Gibbs growled.

“I would never forget rule number twelve, Boss,” Tony assured. “But there’s nothing wrong with looking.”

“You forget that rule, and that shot in the ass you had a few months ago will seem like love tap compared to what I’ll do to you… ”

As Gibbs lecture him on the virtues of rule number twelve, Tony thought that his dysfunctional family which been fractured a few months before was beginning to heal; maybe it was even better now. A couple of the members were different, of course, but what real family didn’t change over time; some members moved on, others joined. And the most important family member to Tony, Gibbs, had stood by him and backed him up all the way.

The End