"Face Off"
Chapter Twelve [Part Two] (Confrontation) ---
In the operating room Dr. McGreggor had finished making the final preparations for the operation that he was about to perform. He strolled across the short distance between the two hospital beds and brought himself up to where he and the elder Mr. DiNozzo could make eye contact. "He's under." Dr. McGreggor informed his 'favorite' patient.
"Good." the elder DiNozzo man wheezed from underneath his oxygen mask. "Let's get this damn thing over with."
Dr. McGreggor nodded, with a grin, and then turned back to the unconscious Tony. He pulled on a new pair of latex gloves and a face mask before picking up the first scalpel he would need to use.
"Sir," a thuggishly dressed man, who just happened to be the DiNozzo's gardener spoke up from his position next to the door/entrance to the OR. "Tom's not responding to my calls." he informed the dcotor, as he held up his walkie talkie. (F.Y.I. Tom is the crooked guard that Gibbs shot earlier).
"Then take care of it," Dr. McGreggor said, somewhat annoyed, as he shook his head slightly.
The man shrugged, and then turned and walked out of the OR entrance/door letting it close by itself behind him.
Out in the hall Gibbs was waiting for him. With lightning fast reflexes Gibbs grabbed the man--putting his hand over the guys' mouth to keep in him quiet--and spun him around into his world famous 'sleeper hold'. It did not take any more than just a few seconds before the guy was out cold at which point Gibbs proceeded to just drop him right down onto the floor where they stood.
Dr. McGreggor positioned his scalpel right over the area of Tony's body where he had planned to make the very first incision. He heard the door open quietly behind him, and shook his head slightly once again. "That was quick." the doctor pointed out very plainly. "I assume then that means the situation has been taken care of?" he added. When he received no response from who he thought was the thug from before he just shook it off and continued with his work.
He started to cut into the unconscious Tony, and got about an inch or two in when he felt the cold steel of the muzzle of Gibbs' Sig against his head. "You're not Craig I take it," Dr. McGreggor said, making sure to hold as still as he could at this point.
"If I were you," Gibbs said in a low, threatening voice. "I would drop the scalpel, and back away."
"What ever you say." Dr. McGreggor replied, quietly. He pulled the scalpel out of Tony, and started to lay it back down on the little tool tray beside the bed.
Gibbs backed up a little bit to allow the doctor some room to move away from Tony. Then, before Gibbs knew what was happening Dr. McGreggor spun around and plunged the scalpel, which he never really laid down, into Gibbs' left side right beneath rib cage. Gibbs fell backwards clutching at the scalpel sticking out of his flesh with his free hand.
"What's going on over there?" the elder DiNozzo man wheezed out from across the room.
Dr. McGreggor seized the opportunity that he had just created and chose to make a run for it.
Gibbs pulled the scalpel out of his side with a pained groan as he did so. He tossed the bloody scalpel aside and rolled over onto his stomach and managed to fire off one clean shot, which did actually hit its mark, before the doctor was out the OR door(s) and out of sight.
Gibbs proceeded to pull himself up to his feet, and set off to pursue the fleeing doctor before he could really get away.
Out in the hallway Gibbs burst through the OR door(s) holding one hand to his bleeding side as he looked up and down both halls trying to ascertain which way the doctor had gone. "Nice goin' Jethro," Gibbs thought to himself as he stood there outside of the OR. "You went and got yourself stabbed. You're getting really good at this."
He caught a glimpse of the doctor turning a corner at the very end of the hallway to the left, and he immediately gave chase after firing off one warning shot in the doctor's direction.
At the end of the hallway Gibbs turned the corner and saw the doctor standing in front of an elevator, waiting rather impatiently one could say. Gibbs shouted out at the doctor, while panting lightly, for him to 'surrender' or 'give up' immediately.
The doctor did not comply, instead he started slapping the down button on the wall over and over again hoping that it would make the elevator work faster.
Gibbs took off down the hallway, with a slight limp caused by his newly acquired wound, hoping he could catch the doctor before he could get on the elevator.
The elevator door(s) opened up suddenly, and the doctor darted inside and then slapped the button for the first floor. Gibbs reached the elevator just as the door(s) was beginning to close, and just managed to jump in through the tiny opening and land right on the floor right in front of the doctor inside the elevator before it fully closed up on them.
*********A Few Minutes Later*********
Downstairs on the first floor a nurse was patiently on the elevator to take her up so that she could make her early 'night-shift' run through to check on patients on several of the floors above her.
As the lights up at the top of the wall showed that the elevator was just approaching the first floor, suddenly a gun shot echoed through the elevator shaft and could be heard by at least a few people on the first floor.
The elevator doors opened up and revealed Gibbs standing over Dr. McGreggor's body with his Sig aimed down at him. The man was still alive, but now he had at least two gun shot wounds by this point. The female nurse gasped in horror, dropping her clipboard onto the floor in front of her, at the sight she was now seeing.
"Sorry," Gibbs said, still panting lightly. "Wrong floor." he added. Then he reached out and slapped the button to take him back up to where Tony and his 'father' were.
Chapter Thirteen (The Promise) ---
Gibbs re-entered the OR a few minutes later followed by two on-duty nurses that he had managed to round up on the way back. The young security guard that had helped Gibbs earlier was taking care of his corrupt 'friend' and Dr. McGreggor making sure that they were tended to until they could receive proper medical attention and a good old fashioned booking downtown.
He watched from the doorway as the two nurses scrambled to repair the incision that Dr. McGreggor had made in Tony's mid-section. After a brief moment or two of standing by and watching them work, he turned his attention to the elder DiNozzo man laying across the way still hooked up to his oxygen supply.
Gibbs strolled slowly over to the older man's side, and stood looking down into the man's eyes.
"Where's McGreggor?" the man wheezed out, from beneath his oxygen mask as he stared up at Gibbs.
"Dead. Hopefully." Gibbs replied coldly, not breaking his eye contact with the older man. "You lose old man." he added, quietly. Gibbs meant every word that he was saying to the old man right from the very depths of his soul.
"They won't send me to prison. Not in my condition." the older man wheezed out to Gibbs, almost smugly in nature. He was almost mocking Gibbs right where they were.
"You're right. You're not going to prison." Gibbs replied, quietly, as he leaned down close to the older man's ear. "Six years ago I made a promise." Gibbs whispered into the older man's ear. "Do you remember what that promise was?"
The older man's eyes glazed over as he listened to Gibbs' words being whispered into his ear(s). His breathing sped up slightly as did his heart rate.
Gibbs stood back up and reached into his pocket. From it he withdrew a small vial filled with a clear liquid. "Know what this is?" Gibbs asked the older man in a low voice. "Its what the good doctor was going to use to put your son down after he finished swapping YOUR organs for his." Gibbs explained.
The older man knew exactly what was in the small, clear vial.
Gibbs looked around, for a brief moment, until he finally found a small syringe laying nearby on a small table. He picked it up and used it to withdraw some of the clear liquid from the small vial. He slowly walked back towards the older man, and stared at him for a few brief moments before turning to face the IV that the older man was hooked up to.
"I'm a man of my word, Mr. DiNozzo." Gibbs replied coldly, as he injected the clear liquid into the older man's IV.
The older man pleaded with his eyes for mercy, shaking his head at Gibbs as he watched the clear liquid being injected into his IV. He knew now that it would not be long--not long at all.
Gibbs turned away and disposed of the syringe and the vial in a nearby waste basket.
When Tony came to he found himself in a hospital bed in a recovery room. He looked to one side and found Gibbs fast asleep in a chair that sat right up against the wall. Things in his mind were still a little bit fuzzy, and he quickly found that, at least for the moment, he was having a hard time remembering anything that had happened after that he and Gibbs had shared in his parent's home.
"Boss." Tony croaked weakily.
Gibbs stirred in his chair a little bit, but did not fully wake up.
Tony tried again, and this time Gibbs woke up.
"H-How long have I been-?" he started to ask, but his throat was really really sore.
"Few hours." the older man replied quietly.
"Wh-what happened?" Tony asked, shaking his head a little bit, and rubbing his eyes.
Gibbs spent the next few minutes explaining to Tony what had happened after they'd spent the night together at his parents' estate/home.
"So he's dead?" Tony asked, a lone tear rolling down his cheek as he sat/laid there in the hospital bed.
Gibbs nodded slightly. "He can't hurt you anymore." Gibbs informed the Senior Field Agent.
"And Mom?" Tony asked next, although he was pretty sure that he already knew the answer to that/this question full well.
"They killed her to keep her quiet." Gibbs explained. "Found her dead in the car when we pulled up outside." he added. "McGreggor confessed that she had a change of heart, and tried to protect you."
"So, now I have no one." Tony croaked out, as another lone tear rolled down his cheek.
Gibbs scooted his chair up closer to the hospital bed. "You've got me." Gibbs whispered quietly to Tony.
Chapter Fourteen (The Return) ---
It was nearly three weeks before Gibbs and Tony were allowed to return to Washington D.C. and to work. NCIS had been given a huge mess to clean up with some assisstance, of course, from the FBI.
Tony and Gibbs stepped off of the elevator and strolled, together, towards the bullpen and their respective desks that morning. All was busy as usual at NCIS, but they were happy to finally be back home once again.
"Tony! Tony! Tony!" Abby squealed as she ran towards him and Gibbs.
Tony knew that voice all too well, nd when he looked up he had to drop his stuff and actually catch Abby or they would both end up on the floor. "Whoa, Abs. Its good to see you too." he said, doing his best not to drop the overly excited Goth.
"I heard what happened." she pointed out, hugging him tightly. "Are you okay. Is there anything I can get you?"
"Yeah Abs--off of me." he grunted, feeling his knees about to give way beneath him.
"Welcome back Tony. Gibbs." Kate greeted the two men as she walked by headed for her own desk. "Director Morrow wasn't exactly thrilled with the report that he got from you two." she informed her boss.
"Yeah. I know." Gibbs replied, as he meandered around everyone else and made a beeline for his own desk.
"Where's McGee?" Gibbs asked, as he plopped down into his chair. "And my coffee?" he added, looking around on his desk top, but not finding what it was that he was searching for.
"H-here Boss!" Mcgee called from around the corner, carrying a coffee cup in his hand, as he raced as quickly as he could to deliver the precious cargo to his boss.
"Here you go Boss," McGee said, finally, handing over the coffee cup to Gibbs. "Strong. Just the way you like it."
"Thanks McGee." Gibbs replied, as he took the cup and then downed two big gulps of the steaming hot liquid within.
............To Be Continued............
Author's Chapter Notes:
The story continues...In this segment, Gibbs will remind Tony's father, in the end, of a conversation they had had in the past, and of a promise that had been made
Chapter End Notes:
Hope you guys are still enjoying the series. Sorry it took me this long to update it, but I've just had a lot of stuff going on lately. Thanks again, and Enjoy and God Bless!!!