SATURDAY
Tony awoke the same as last time, the morning sun shining in through the window. He smiled when he realized Jack must have covered him with a blanket at some point during the night. Tony hopped out of bed, showered, shaved and was downstairs in 30 minutes.
Tony sat down at the table at the back of the store and wrapped his hands around the warm coffee mug.
“Good coffee, Jack.” Tony said as Jack sat down with him coffee in hand.
Jack nodded.
“So, what is on the agenda for today?” Tony asked.
“Same as last time, Tony. Old ladies in the morning. Old men at night and teenagers in the middle.” Jackson replied.
It was just about that time that Beatrice walked in. “Hello, Jac…Well, our tall-handsome-drink of water from D.C. is back.” She said, smiling, looking up at Tony. “Hello, Tony.”
“Hello, Ms….Beatrice.”
Beatrice smiled. “That’s right. I never told you my last name. It’s Hudson. Beatrice Hudson.”
“Ms. Hudson.” Tony stated.
“Now, Tony.” Beatrice smiled at him and come over to hug him. He bent down and let her, hugging her back. “We played poker together, we’re old friends. We’ll compromise, you can call me Ms. Bea.” She stepped back and looked up at him. “Would you mind helping an old lady get her groceries?”
Tony put on his million-dollar grin. “I would love to.”
About an hour later Tony had her groceries in her car and Beatrice was headed down the road.
Tony came back to the table in the back and took a seat. “That is one interesting lady.”
Jackson nodded. “She has had one hell of a life, hasn’t she?”
Tony nodded. “The highest rank field nurse in the Vietnam War. That is some accomplishment.”
“She still teaches, there is a nursing school nearby. She works on the days the students to do their ‘clinicals,’ going to the hospitals and such.” Jackson explained.
The morning was slow. Tony helped Jack restock shelves. He helped Jack clean the store. By the time they were finished, it was noon. Jack was busy preparing lunch when Helen came in.
“Well hello, handsome.” Helen said as soon as she walked into the store and saw Tony. “Things slow in D.C., Tony?”
“Just needed to get away, Ms. Helen.” Tony said shaking his head. Knowing she would want his help, Tony got Helen a cart.
“This is a good place for that. We are technically in the middle of nowhere. That is according to all the ‘out-of-towners.’” Helen smiled. “It really is nice to see you again though.” Helen paused. “I’m running a little slower today than usual. The arthritis is a killer.” Helen slipped her arm around Tony’s waist as he led her around the store. “Do yourself a favor, Tony. Don’t get old.”
Tony smiled and nodded as Helen chatted his ear off. By the time Tony got her groceries in her car Jackson had soup, sandwiches and fresh coffee on the table waiting for him.
Tony sat down and picked up his spoon, digging hungrily into the wonderful smelling vegetable soup. He dipped his grilled cheese into the soup and sipped his coffee with relish.
Jackson sat quietly. He was happy Tony was enjoying the meal and was had been glad for Tony’s help around the store. “I know you didn’t come all this way to help out an old man and eat some soup. Thought I just admit, it is really good soup.”
Tony put down his spoon and his sandwich. “No, I didn’t. I…I need someone to talk to.”
“Leroy,…you….” Jack started.
Tony shook his head. “I need someone impar…well, you’re not impartial either, but someone who is not so close. Your son is much, much to close to this.”
Jackson leaned forward, listening. Tony had his attention. Tony finished his soup and sandwich and drained his coffee before he continued. Jackson got up and refilled his and Tony’ cup from the pot. Jackson said down again before Tony continued.
“What’s going on, Tony?” Jackson asked his voice full of concern.
“It happened at work, Tuesday. I…we were on surveillance, sort of, fairly routine stuff. Anyway, I was going around this residential neighborhood talking to people. We were looking for someone, or it could have been a group of people. At the time, it was still early in the investigation and we weren’t too sure what we were looking at.”
“OK.” Jackson said, unsure where Tony was going with this.
“I…I got back in the car. Ziva and Tim were waiting for me in the NCIS car we had parked on the street. When I got back in the car they told me. They told me they had turned off the radio. They were supposed to be monitoring me.” Tony said, obvious hurt in his voice. “Monitoring what people were saying, but mostly watching out for me.” Tony paused and shook his head. “I was wired. I…They said they were tired of listening to my voice.”
“So, they hung you out to dry.” Jackson said, condensing the situation.
Tony nodded.
“Because they were tired of hearing your voice?” Jackson asked. He was shaking his head not believing his ears.
Tony nodded again.
“Tony, Leroy doesn’t know about this?” Jackson asked.
Tony shook his head.
Jackson knew how special Tony is to his son. “Tony, what if something had happened to you?”
“They thought it was funny. They…They didn’t care. Ziva laughed about it and Tim had this…stupid grin on his face. He….”
“Leroy needs to know about this, Tony.” Jackson insisted. “He…That type of behavior needs to be dealt with. Your job is far too dangerous for you guys NOT to look out for each other.” Jackson paused. “What does Leroy say, something about the number 6?”
Tony nodded. “We are supposed to have each other’s sixes.”
“You came to talk to me about this?” Jackson asked to clarify. The course of action seemed obvious to him. He knew it was obvious to Tony too. “I know you know what you need to do here….”
Tony nodded. He looked at the table. He avoided Jackson’s eyes afraid the sympathy he knew he would see in Jackson’s eyes would overwhelm him. “I…I thought I had heard them wrong. I got back in the car and they…. They were laughing, Jack. It hurt. It hurt a lot. I know I’m a pain. I know I talk too much….” Tony shook his head. “I could have… anything could have happened. I…I was hoping I had imagined the whole thing. I tried to forget it, to stop thinking about it. But I kept going back to the ‘what if’ in my mind. I kept imagining myself hurt, injured in some way waiting, wondering about back-up that wouldn’t be coming, because…because they had turned off the damned radio!” Tony balled his fist up and struck the table as hard as he could.
Tony buried his face in his hands. He hadn’t planned on crying. He hadn’t wanted to cry. But he had failed miserably, despite his best attempts. He wiped his eyes and heard Jackson coming over to his side of the table, dragging his chair with him. He had almost expected a ‘Bossman move’ from Jack but Tony was very grateful when he felt the man put his arms around his shoulders.
Neither spoke for a few moments. Jack wanted to give Tony time to collect himself.
Tony then continued, explaining his reason for coming. “I…I couldn’t talk to Gibbs..uh..Leroy about this. Not about what it felt like. How much it hurt. He wouldn’t get that. He would get Ziva and Tim had defied orders. He would nail them to the wall for it. But, he wouldn’t understand what it felt like for me.”
Tony turned and looked at Jackson. “I’ve lost some trust in them, and it scares the hell out of me, Jack. I ’m not sure Gibbs…Leroy would get that.”
“He would get it, Tony. He would be very upset to lose you. He couldn’t take it. It would be like losing Kelly all over again.” Jack said, squeezing Tony’s shoulder.
Tony shook his head. “I…When Tim came back from Canada. That was almost a month ago, now. He...he said he didn’t miss me. I missed him. I really did, and maybe he was kidding when he said he didn’t miss me. Maybe he was, but I don’t think so. I have always thought he liked me. I teased him, as a big brother would tease a little brother. I never had a little brother, but I…I wanted to toughen him up for this job we do. It is hard on the best of us. Those of us who KNOW what to expect, I just knew…I knew he was in for a hard time. I wanted to spare him some of that heartache. He…he resents it though. I toughened him up and now he resents it. He doesn’t see why I did what I did. He, now I tease him to get him to lighten up. I mean, the man rarely smiles. The only time I see it is when he thinks he has gotten something over on me.”
Jackson nodded, unsure what to say.
Tony nodded. “He has his ‘eye on the prize’ these days. He’s caught the eye of Director Vance and he has started, overnight it seems, to have all this confidence, which is not bad, in and of its self. It is just that he’s overconfident. He is the future of NCIS in terms of the type of skills agents need to have. That’s what Director Vance tells him anyway.” Tony sighed. “That just adds fuel to Tim’s fire. He knows Vance is not my biggest fan. Vance thinks Leroy and I are too ‘old school’ for our own good, or for anybody else’s. And Tim never fails to remind me of his MIT degree. I’ve seen Tim and Ziva doing things on the computer and have asked questions and Tim would just tell me I wouldn’t understand. He would blow me off.”
“Tony, why don’t you tell the man how many degrees you do have? That would shut him up.”
Tony stared at Jackson for a moment. “Did Leroy READ you my personnel file?” Tony asked, very surprised Gibbs would have told his dad so much personal information about him.
“As I said in the past, we talk about you a lot.” Jackson explained.
Tony shook his head. “I just needed to get away. I know you aren’t impartial and right now...” Tony turned and looked at Jackson again. “…I’m really grateful for that. Leroy would get too caught up in the ‘doing.’ You are too far away from D.C. to ‘do’ anything. That is why I came here. I needed to see my Grandpa and I needed someone who would just listen.”
Jackson smiled broadly at the sound of the word ‘Grandpa.’ “Yes, my son is a doer. He thinks if he is not actively ‘doing’ something he is not helping.”
The bell above the door rang and both Jackson and Tony looked to see who was coming in. Three teenagers who looked like they were barely legal came in and bought two six packs. Three more groups came in and by 5 p.m. There were no customers at all.
Tony and Jackson again sat at the table at the back of the store. “Do you want to finish our conversation?” Jackson asked pouring them each a cup of hot coffee.
Tony shook his head. “Your poker game will be starting soon.” Tony said as he started up the stairs. “If it’s all the same to you, I think I would like to sit this one out.”
Jackson nodded as Tony ascended the stairs.
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
Beatrice, Peter, Jackson and George, who had gotten into town late in the evening were sitting around the table.
“Did Tony leave for D.C. already?” Beatrice asked, dealing the cards.
Jackson shook his head. “He’s upstairs.”
“Tell him to come down. And whatever money I take this time, I’m keeping.” George said, smiling.
“He’s having a rough time of things. He just needs a little time and space to think.” Jackson explained.
“He’s a good kid, Jack. I hope being here has helped.” Beatrice said, studying her cards and discarding two.
Jack nodded. “I think it has. I really do.” Jack said folding. He got up from his chair to retrieve more beer from the frig.
Tony, meanwhile, had retired to the back bedroom, book in hand. He had forgotten to bring one and had rummaged around on Jackson’s shelves until he found something. He finally decided on the collective works of Edgar Allen Poe. He crawled into bed figuring he would be asleep before he was halfway through the book anyway.
Jackson came up two hours later to find the door to the spare bedroom standing wide open and Tony asleep under the covers. He took the book, which was lying open by side Tony and put it on the night stand. He then pulled the door closed and retired to his own room.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Tony talks to Jackson.
Chapter End Notes:
I gave Tony more education. I just didn't get specific about it. Also, he is reading Poe because Poe is one of my favorite authors.