Gibbs wasn’t sure how long he had driven around the streets of Washington, D.C. before he found himself pulling into a parking space in front of Tony’s apartment building. The team leader had no desire to go to the office and as tempting as it was to exile himself to his basement and bottle of bourbon, he couldn’t bring himself to go home. Instead, he was sitting in his car, sipping on his coffee as his thoughts drifted to his senior field agent.
There was a part of him that wished he was still at the hospital with Tony, providing the emotional support that DiNozzo desperately needed, despite the younger man’s protests. The other part of him was glad to have this time to himself; he had a lot to think about, including his future as an NCIS agent.
His thoughts were interrupted as he observed an elderly woman trying to juggle two bags of groceries in an effort to open the door that led inside the apartment building. Gibbs got out of his car and hurried towards her, barely managing to catch one of the bags before it hit the ground. He smiled at the gray headed, petite woman as he took the other bag as well.
“Let me help you with that, ma’am,” he offered.
“Thank you, dear,” she kindly replied. “I usually don’t have to get my own groceries, much less carry my own bags, but sometimes you do what you have to. I’m sure you know what I mean.”
Gibbs smiled and politely nodded. “Yes ma’am. I do.”
He followed her inside and waited patiently while she checked her mail. Gibbs noticed that her mailbox was next to DiNozzo’s and he couldn’t help but wonder if this was the Mrs. Kiser that Tony was so worried about. He received his answer when he saw her opening Tony’s mailbox and retrieved his mail as well.
“Anthony should be happy; he got his new GSM,” she announced. “I’ll have to see he gets this while he’s in the hospital.”
“Do you know Anthony well?” Gibbs finally asked, confused as to the role this woman played in his senior agent’s life and equally surprised that she knew he was in the hospital.
“Oh yes!” she proudly exclaimed. “He’s been my neighbor for a long time. I don’t know what I would do without him. He’s the one who usually gets my groceries for me; he’s such a sweet boy. Do you know Anthony?”
Gibbs nodded. “Yes ma’am. I’m his…I’m his boss.”
“You’re Agent Gibbs?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Well, Anthony has told me so much about you; it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Let’s head on up to the apartment and I’ll fix you some coffee and we can chat. You can tell me how Anthony is really doing.”
“All right,” he amicably agreed. “Lead the way.”
“You’ll have to take the stairs, the damn elevator is out of order again.”
“That’ll be fine ma’am. I’ll manage.”
As they started up the stairs, she paused and turned to face him. “Don’t call me ma’am. It makes me feel old. You can call me Edith.”
“Jethro.”
“Leroy Jethro Gibbs. A fine name indeed!” she proclaimed. “I feel like I’ve known you for years.”
Gibbs followed Mrs. Kiser up the stairs, her words echoing in his mind. She felt like she knew him, but until Tony had mentioned her last night, he had never even heard of this woman. Tony had obviously told her all about him and more than likely his coworkers, but he knew nothing of her. DiNozzo was a private person and Gibbs had respected that, but he was quickly discovering that there was another side to Tony. He hoped that by the time that he and Edith Kiser were through talking, he would have a better grasp on the man that he thought of as a son.
After she unlocked her apartment, he entered and placed the bags on the counter. “Do you need any help putting the groceries away?” he asked.
“No. It won’t take me long,” Edith assured him. “I’ll just get the coffee started and get these few things put away and then we can talk. I’m so grateful for the company. Good conversation is one thing that I never seem to lack when Anthony is home; he sure likes to talk.”
“That he does.”
“I don’t mind. Like I said, he keeps this lonely, old woman on her toes. Of course, he’s easy on the eyes too. The ladies at the auxiliary love it when Anthony escorts me to the fundraisers and all those special events. They turn green with envy. Did you know that Anthony and I are the reigning champions of the Golden Hoofers Dance-a-thon? That boy is light on his feet! Have you ever seen him jitterbug?”
Gibbs shook his head, once again amazed at the depth of the younger man. “No, I haven’t.”
“Well, next competition we have, I’ll make sure he invites you. Can you dance?”
“I…uh…”
Edith didn’t give him a chance to answer. “I have this friend, Vera,” she continued. “She needs a new partner. Her old partner, Fred, ended up having hip replacement. I think you’d fit in just fine.”
“I’m not much of a dancer.”
“That’s okay. Vera’s a good teacher.”
The team leader shifted in his seat, grateful that Edith decided to change the subject; he didn’t particularly like the idea of Edith trying to set him up with Vera.
“You have to have one of my chocolate chip cookies,” she insisted. “I just made them this morning.”
Gibbs gratefully accepted the cookie and took a bite, as he watched her make her way around the kitchen. She began to put the rest of her groceries up, her movements both precise and graceful. The team leader was curious as to what Edith Kiser had been like as a young woman; he figured that she had been a handful back then, just as she was now. He respected her spirit and determination, but most of all, he admired her obvious devotion to DiNozzo.
“I’m taking the rest of them to Anthony later on,” Edith said. “My cookies always have always cheered him up.”
“How did you find out that Tony was in the hospital?” he asked.
“Mr. Palmer called me. Do you know him? He’s one of Anthony’s young friends that will come by and check on me when he is working.” She set a cup of coffee down in front of him. “You really shouldn’t work that boy so hard. He’s not had an easy time of it, you know.”
He was all too aware of the fact that DiNozzo had been through a lot in the last several years; unfortunately, he had been the cause of a lot of Tony’s distress, especially the last few weeks. “Mrs. Kiser, I mean Edith,” he quickly corrected. “Do you know why Tony’s in the hospital?”
“All James told me is that Anthony was hurt on the job. Knowing that boy, he probably told Mr. Palmer not to tell me any details; he knows how I worry about him. I figured that when I showed up this afternoon that I would get the whole scoop. Unless, you’re willing to tell me, Jethro.”
Gibbs sighed. He didn’t particularly want to have to walk down this road again, but she deserved to know the truth. “He was shot.”
Mrs. Kiser staggered at the news. “Shot? Well, Mr. Palmer didn’t tell me that. Is he going to be all right?”
He took her by the arm and led her to the nearest chair, uncertain how to answer her query. Tony would live, but it was going to be awhile before he would be able to return to his life. “He was…uh…shot in the back,” the team leader finally managed. “He’s paralyzed from the waist down.”
The expression of disbelief on her face mirrored his feelings. He was still having a difficult time believing that Tony would never walk again.
She wiped a tear from her cheek. “Paralyzed? Oh no! What’s he going to do? Who’s going to take care of him?”
“He’s got a lot of friends who will look out after him.”
Edith patted him on the hand and smiled. “You mean a lot to him. Anthony doesn’t have a very good relationship with his father and he looks to you to fill that void.”
Gibbs didn’t trust himself to speak. Tony was the son that he had never had and now he had probably ruined that relationship forever because of his carelessness. “He’s a good man,” he whispered.
“Do you know that man actually called him last week?” Edith asked.
His eyes narrowed at the revelation. “His father? I didn’t know that. So, what did his dad have to say?”
“Anthony would never tell me. He just told me that worrying about it would make me get wrinkles; he’s always looking out for me. Do you know every Sunday morning, he sets up my pills for the week and then calls me every day to make sure I’ve taken them? Anthony always teased me and said that he told his teammates that he was calling his girlfriend; he has such an incredible sense of humor.”
She wiped away at another tear that threatened to fall. “I don’t know what I’d do without him. He’s brought such joy to my life. Do you think that he’ll be able to come back here? He loves it here or at least that’s what he says; I think that he hangs around here because of me.”
“I don’t know,” he honestly replied. “I’m not sure what he’s going to do.”
Edith sat up and smoothed her skirt with her aged hands. “I tell you what we’re going to do, Jethro. We’re going to go over to Anthony’s apartment and see if we can’t do a little renovating. There are a lot of people in this building who think the world of Anthony DiNozzo and who would want to help him out. So, do you want to go over to his apartment and take a look around?”
Gibbs smiled at the elderly woman. “You have the key?”
“Yep,” she grinned. “But if I didn’t, I know you do.”
“And how do you know that?”
“I know a lot of things, Jethro,” she said, giving him a sly wink.
“Really?” Gibbs was amused by Edith’s harmless flirting; it was easy to see why DiNozzo was so taken with this woman.
“Hang around long enough and you might learn a thing or two.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
He rose from his seat and held out his hand to assist the spirited woman. She brushed off his attempt at chivalry, mumbling something about not being an invalid.
“Are you coming, Jethro?” she impatiently inquired, grabbing her keys as she headed out the door.
The team leader followed her out of her apartment and across the hall, where she was already unlocking the door to Tony’s place. Edith turned on the light and motioned him to join her. “Come on in, Jethro,” she urged.
Gibbs glanced around the apartment, feeling Tony’s presence in every room. He studied the impressive DVD collection conveniently located next to his widescreen TV; everything from John Wayne to James Bond littered the shelf, reinforcing his senior agent’s love for the cinema. The team leader recalled that Tony had confided in him that movies had been his escape from the loneliness of his childhood and Gibbs couldn’t help wonder if DiNozzo still used movies as an escape from reality.
“What do you think, Jethro?”
He turned at the sound of Mrs. Kiser’s voice, silently berating himself for allowing his thoughts to wander. “About what?”
“Do you think we could make some adaptations to his apartment so he’ll be able to still live here?” she asked, a hint of hope sparkling through her crackly voice.
“I think so,” he answered. “Just a few additions should allow him to move about freely. Of course, I’ll have to speak to the superintendent about keeping the elevator in working order.”
A mischievous grin spread across Edith’s face. “I bet he’ll listen to you.”
“I’m sure he will.”
“Well, when do we get started on Project Anthony?” she wanted to know.
Her willingness to help DiNozzo warmed his heart. It was obvious that she was ready to do whatever it took to make sure that Tony was able to continue living life to the fullest. “I guess as soon as possible. First things first though, I have a special mission for you.”
“Do I get a badge and a hat?”
“No, but if you’re successful in your assignment, I’ll see what I can do,” he promised.
“And what is this special mission, Agent Gibbs?”
“When you go and see Tony, encourage him to go for rehab. The doctor has an excellent facility lined up and DiNozzo’s being a bit…”
“Stubborn? Pig headed?”
Gibbs nodded. “Yeah.”
“You leave Anthony to me,” Edith insisted. “You just start figuring out what needs to be done to this apartment so that Tony can come home.”
“Fair enough.”
“Can you give me a ride to the hospital? That way, I don’t have to take Mr. Palmer away from his work,” she explained.
“I’d be honored to.”
“I’ll just get my purse and the cookies and I’ll be right out.”
Gibbs took one final look around Tony’s apartment and then he walked out the door. Making sure that the door was locked, he waited for Mrs. Kiser. Within a couple of minutes, she appeared with her pocket book and a container full of chocolate chip cookies. “Are you ready?”
She weaved her hand through the crook of his arm. “Ready when you are, Jethro. By the way, if you want to speak to the superintendent before we go, I can show you where his office is.”
“Lead the way!”
The two of them walked down the stairs arm in arm. “You know something, Jethro?”
“What’s that, Edith?”
“If you were just a little younger, I’d give you a run for your money,” she teased.
The team leader laughed. There was no doubt in his mind that this woman was exactly what DiNozzo needed. Maybe she could put some of the spark back in his eyes that had been extinguished by his bullets. “I bet you would, Edith; I bet you would.”
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Tony DiNozzo waited patiently for the questioning to begin. Ever since Jerry Carlson and Mark Landry from Internal Affairs had entered his room, he had silently mulled over the possible questions and his likely responses. They were setting up their equipment and getting themselves situated for what appeared to be a lengthy interview. He had considered telling the two men that he was too tired to answer their questions, and that really wouldn’t have been a lie; but truthfully, he wanted to put the shooting behind him and try and figure out what he was going to do the rest of his life.
“Agent DiNozzo?
As he met Carlson’s concerned gaze, he mentally head slapped himself for letting his thoughts escape from the tightly sealed box that he tried to keep them locked in; he couldn’t afford to lose control of his thoughts or his feelings and remain level headed and focused during the interview. Tony could not let his anger control his words as they had threatened to earlier when he had briefly considered holding Gibbs completely accountable for his inability to walk.
“Sorry. You guys were being so chatty, I was having a hard time keeping up with the conversation, so I went to my happy little place for a few minutes,” Tony quipped, hoping that his sad attempt at humor would coverthe fact that he had momentarily become unaware of his surroundings.
“Uh, no problem,” Carlson replied. “We’re ready to get started if you are.”
Tony sighed. “Fire away.”
“You’re name is Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo and you are currently the senior field agent for Lead Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Is that correct?”
“Yes.” Tony didn’t bother adding that he wasn’t sure how much longer he was going to be a field agent since being able to walk was one of the requirements.
“How long have you been with NCIS?”
“Almost 7 years.”
“And you have worked under Agent Gibbs the entire time?”
“Yes.”
“How would you describe your working relationship with Agent Gibbs?”
That was definitely a loaded question. There was so much history between him and Gibbs that it was difficult to come up with a brief description of their working relationship. They knew how to capitalize on each other’s strengths and weaknesses and together, along with the other members of the team, had the highest closure rate in the agency.
“We um…work fine together. If we didn’t, I wouldn’t have stuck around all these years,” he managed to answer.
“Do you think he respects you as an agent?”
Tony paused a brief second before answering. “Yes.”
“Are you positive?”
Tony’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, Carlson, but I’m not sure how these questions are relevant to the investigation.”
“We’re trying to establish a working history between the two of you just to make sure that there are no underlying issues.”
“Underlying issues?” Tony shook his head. “There aren’t any underlying issues. It was a freakin’ accident.”
Landry cleared his throat. “Just answer the original question, Agent DiNozzo. Are you positive that Agent Gibbs respects you as an agent?”
“Yes,” he said without a second thought.
“Did you feel that he respected you when he handed the team over to you when he left for Mexico?” Carlson inquired.
“Yes. He wouldn’t have left me in charge of the team if there had been any doubts in his mind that I couldn’t handle it.”
“When he returned from Mexico, you were quickly demoted back to senior field agent. How did that make you feel?”
“I was fine with it.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Do you think Agent Gibbs trusts you?”
“Yes.”
“Even after you lied to him about being undercover and…”
“The hell with your underlying issues! Get to the point! You’re supposed to be investigating the shooting, not trying to delve into my inability to separate work from my personal life!” Tony cried out in frustration.
“We’re trying to establish a pattern that may explain Agent Gibbs’ recent behavior and why you were shot by your team leader,” Landry barked.
Tony glared at the two investigators. “I was shot because I stepped in front of him as he fired two shots! End of story!”
“You stepped in front of him?” Landry pressed.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I lost sight of the second perp and I thought Gibbs may need help. I had already been hit and I guess I wasn’t thinking too clearly. The only thing I was worried about was having Gibbs’ six!”
“Did you at any time question his motives on this case? Did he seem more preoccupied with this case than most?”
“I’m not qualified to make that call,” Tony shot back.
“You’ve worked side by side with him for almost seven years. Would you say that Agent Gibbs was on the verge of obsession with the Carpenter case?” Carlson repeated.
“He was doing his job,” he responded through tightly clenched teeth.
“Did you at any time question his judgment on this case?”
Tony didn’t answer. His response could ruin Gibbs’ career, but his sense of loyalty to the team leader prevented him from doing so. The truth was that he should have stayed down and not tried to be the hero; maybe Gibbs had broken rule #10, but so had he, and on more than one occasion.
“My role as senior field agent is to play devil’s advocate which I do with all our cases. I point out the good and the bad of every situation.”
Carlson smiled. “And what was the bad in this situation?”
“My memory is kind of fuzzy on that. I really couldn’t tell you.”
He saw Carlson jot something on his notepad. “Then maybe you can tell me why you weren’t wearing your vest.”
“Because I didn’t put it on.”
“Why not?”
“There wasn’t time,” Tony stated.
“Why not? Couldn’t you have put them on as you were headed to intercept the kidnappers?” the older man pressed.
“They were in the trunk.”
“Did you remind Agent Gibbs that about SOP regarding the vests?”
Tony shrugged, wincing at the sudden movement. “That’s one of those things I don’t remember.”
He sensed Landry and Carlson’s growing irritation with him; maybe he should recommend that they compare notes with his nemesis from the FBI, Agent Sacks.
“Agent DiNozzo,” Carlson began. “Do you realize that we’re just trying to get to the truth and you purposefully stonewalling us? Maybe it would be easier if you just told us what you do remember.”
“We would’ve been done twenty minutes ago if you had just gotten to the point.”
Nonplussed, the agent continued. “Do you remember the shooting?”
“Not likely something I’ll forget,” he growled.
“It’s nice to see that you do remember something,” Landry mumbled.
Tony didn’t miss the daggers that Carlson shot at his younger associate. “You said the shooting was accidental because you inadvertently stepped in Agent Gibbs’ line of fire.”
“That’s right.”
“Was Agent Gibbs aware of the fact that you had already been wounded?”
“I think so.” Tony laid his head back against the pillow. “Nothing gets past Gibbs.”
“Except for the fact that his wounded agent managed to get off the ground unnoticed and walk in front of his weapon as he pulled the trigger,” Landry pointed out.
Tony clenched his jaw. “Are we done?”
“We have a few more questions, Agent DiNozzo.”
He visibly bristled, ignoring the ache in his shoulder. “No, I think we’re done. I’ve told you what happened and its obviously matching up to Gibbs’ story or you wouldn’t be trying so hard to cast the blame. It was an accidental shooting. If you’re going to blame anyone, blame me. I was the idiot who got up off the ground. Is there a reprimand for stupidity? I don’t care what you do to me because my days as a field agent are over!”
Carlson stood up and began to close up his laptop. “If we have any more questions, we’ll come back later, Agent DiNozzo. Thank you for your time.”
Tony glared at Landry as he began to protest, but one look from the older man and the young investigator decided not to push the issue. He watched them leave, allowing himself to relax only when the door had closed.
Despite his earlier intentions, he had managed to defend Gibbs’ actions, and hopefully, there would be no consequences for the team leader. He knew that it was going to be hard enough for the ex-Marine to face him, knowing that his bullets were now a permanent part of his spine; Tony was determined not make things any more difficult for Gibbs, but his decision came with a high price.
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