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The words had come out of his mouth before he could stop them. Tony just couldn’t see anyone killing such a happy, playful little pup. He was horrified at the thought.
Gibbs knew that breeders of animals of all shapes and sizes made decisions like the Harrisons’ every day. It was just part of the business of raising any sort of animal, whether it was livestock or pets. He didn’t like it, but he understood it. But even understanding it, he had been about to say the same thing except that Tony beat him to it.
The Harrisons looked at each other and Mr. Harrison shrugged. Mrs. Harrison asked Tony, “Are you sure?” Before he could answer she went on to ask him if he owned any other pet and if he had children, and did he know what he would be getting into with a deaf dog and a barrage of other questions.
Gibbs could see the color rising on the back of Tony’s neck, of course he had never had a dog, his childhood had been far from a nurturing environment where a child would be taught to love and respect a pet. Tony also had no children, meaning he wasn’t used to being responsible for anyone but himself. And he also knew that Tony had no experience with anyone or anything deaf. But he also knew that Tony was a caring person, and when he needed to be, he was very responsible. And he was a quick study that could easily learn anything he needed to know, plus he had his friends that even if he didn’t ask could be counted on to lend a hand.
Before Tony could stumble through an answer Gibbs interjected, “Mrs. Harrison, I’ve known Tony a long time. And honestly, he’ll do fine with the puppy. Plus I have a lot of experience with dogs and I promise I’ll keep him on the straight and narrow. And…” he started signing as he spoke, “he’s got two of us that know sign that can help him train a deaf dog.” He ended his spiel with one of his patented Gibbs' grins that could melt the polar ice caps and Mrs. Harrison couldn’t help but grin back.
She looked to Tony, still grinning, and asked one more time, “Are you sure?”
The pup took the opportunity to gnaw on Tony's chin and he laughed, “Positive.” The pup apparently thought Tony's deep laugh was a growl that he could feel coming from Tony's chest and he growled back at it and smacked Tony's chest with one of his tennis ball sized paws. Unfortunately that did not have the desire effect on Tony and he laughed harder which started the whole vicious circle again.
Another deep chuckle joined the mix as Gibbs laughed at their antics. “I think you're going to want to start with this sign, Tony.” He made the sign for “no” and watched as Tony repeated it. The pup completely ignoring him. Gibbs laughed again, “We'll have to work on your technique.” Tony looked over at Gibbs and saw how relaxed he was, and there was a gentleness in his eyes that Tony had never had directed at him before.
They arranged with the Harrisons to come back over the weekend and pick up the puppy, given that they were smack in the middle of a case. Mrs. Harrison gave Tony a list of things he would need and the men headed out to the car. They were just about to get in the car when Tony noticed something. And it gave him pause enough to walk back over to where the Harrison's were standing on the porch.
“Mrs. Harrison, I see a couple of gay pride bumper stickers on your car. Do you cater to a lot of gay buyers?”
“Agent DiNozzo, what people do in their bedrooms is none of my business, if they are going to provide a good home for one of our puppies is. We advertise in several publications, a couple of which are geared towards the gay and lesbian community. My son lets us know which ones are “in” at the moment. He and his boyfriend have sent many buyers our way. And we've had people come from all across the country.”
Gibbs had stepped up behind Tony, seeing where Tony's thoughts were going and asked, “Is there anyone in town that has complained about your buyers?”
Mr. Harrison started to speak but stopped, then sighed and said, “Most folks in town are okay, and the extra traffic is good for everyone's business. The sheriff has given us a little grief over it, but nothing specific.”
Tony and Gibbs shared a look, there was something that Mr. Harrison wasn't telling them. Gibbs prodded gently, “What aren't you telling us, Mr. Harrison?”
“The last time he visited, my son and his boyfriend got hassled in town by a couple of local trouble makers. They were just having lunch at the diner. When they left the diner and drove back here, those two local boys followed them and tried to run them off the road. My son got home safely but the next morning someone had spray painted “FAG” on his car during the night. Sheriff said there wasn't enough evidence to do anything.”
Gibbs nodded. And Tony asked one more, sensitive question, but it had to be asked, “Mrs. Harrison, you said they made a nice couple. Were they being very...overt about their relationship?”
She shook her head, “No, not at all. Mark, your Marine, had gone out to the stable with my husband to look at some old tractor that was left here on the property to see if he thought it was fixable. I was alone with Frank and I teased him about being lucky to be with someone mechanical.” She smiled sadly, “He blushed and said he was. Then he told me that the reason they were getting the puppy was so that he wasn't alone at night. Turns out that the boys just bought a house together. But Mark wouldn't live there until he was out of the Marines.”
Gibbs could sense she was holding back and just nodded, hoping she would continue.
“I guess Frank lost his family when he came out. And I must have reminded him of his mother because he telling me how hard it was when Mark was deployed, not knowing if he were alive or dead. And not being able to get any info out of the military, not without risking exposing Mark to a potential courts martial.” She looked down, then met Gibbs eyes, “He was also just about heartbroken over the fact that they hadn't actually done anything that Mark could be courts martialed for, if you get my meaning. Now they'll never get the chance. And to think, Mark's enlistment was up in two months. They were good boys, Agent Gibbs, and honorable men. They didn't deserve this.”
Gibbs stole a quick glance at Tony and could see him clenching his jaw tightly. He turned his attention back to the Harrisons, “No, they didn't. Thank you. You've been very helpful. We'll see you this weekend when we come back for the pup.”
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tbc...
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