The first Mrs. Gibbs - Part 3
Donald pulled his car up in front of the large suburban home and turned off the engine. His passenger sat staring at his hands, his breathing sped up and he wiped the palms of his hands on his trousers.
"Leroy, are you sure you want to do this alone? I will come in with you if you'd prefer." Leroy shook his head firmly and clenched his jaw muscles until the pain reflex forced him to stop.
"I have to do this. Shannon would have wanted it to be close family who explained the details to them. It's nothing more than they deserve." Donald nodded to show he understood but his tone of voice reflected his unhappiness at having to let his friend face his demons alone.
"Very well, what time would you like me to come back and pick you up?" Leroy paused, frowning. It was obvious that he hadn't given any thought to how long he would be here. Donald waited, patiently; he wasn't about to suggest a time, in case it seemed like he was pressuring Leroy to rush what he was about to do or that he was abandoning him to his fate.
"I think, about two hours. Then I can explain what happened, answer any questions they may have and leave without it seeing like I am dropping this on them and doing a runner straight away." Donald was startled by the detached expression on Leroy's face, now he knew what the marine's mask looked like. It was rather chilling.
Leroy walked the short distance to the front door of his in-laws' home. Outside he looked calm and in control, some might say he looked cold but he could be forgiven that, if they thought it was shock. However, inside, he was shaking so bad he thought it would never stop. He could feel his breath catching on the lump that was growing in his throat each time he breathed in. There were tears begging him to let them flow but he couldn't, he wouldn't, cry any more. Not ever again. He paused in front of the heavy oak door and took a deep breath. Letting the breath out slowly, he raised his fist and gave two sharp raps on the door.
It swung open as a well built man with salt and pepper hair met Leroy at the door. Leroy didn't know whether or not he was going to get hit, all he knew was that he wasn't going to defend himself. His only love's father stared at him for a moment before stepping aside and beckoning Leroy into the house with his head. Leroy bowed his head and stepped into the house. When he had closed the door Sheridon O'Malley gave his son-in-law a good looking over.
"You don't look so good boy." It was just a statement, Sheridon wasn't surprised that his baby's husband was looking ill. He had just lost his wife and his daughter was missing, no man could go through that unscathed. He put a hand on the young man's shoulder and guided him into the sitting room. Leroy was confused; he had expected to be hit. He hadn't protected their daughter or their granddaughter even though he had promised them that he would. - Ah well, I suppose that will come when I tell them why their daughter is dead. -
"Leroy! Look at you boy! My God how much weight have you lost?! You're like a ghost, so pale and thin!" Leroy looked down at his hands. It was true he could see the bones there now and his clothes were a little looser now but he didn't think he had lost that much weight. He shrugged his shoulders, it didn't really matter, so he had forgotten to eat every now and again and he may have gone a little over the top at the gym a few times but hey.
"I'm sorry Mrs. O'Malley. I didn't mean for this to happen. I should have stopped it. I should have done something to protect them. I failed them and now I'm being a nuisance to you. I just…" Mrs. O'Malley shushed him sharply.
"Leroy you have always called me Ramona and now is not the time to stop. What happened to Shannon wasn't your fault and nor is it your fault that they took Kelly." Leroy sat down in the seat that Ramona ushered him into. He looked from her to her husband and back to her again. As he watched them sit down in the sofa opposite him he figured out how he was going to word what he had to tell them.
"There are some things you need to know before you decide that it's not my fault." Mr. and Mrs. O'Malley looked at each other before Sheridon looked at Leroy with an expression that told him to continue.
"The police found out who shot Shannon yesterday." Ramona gasped, while her husband wrung his hands together. It was Mrs. Sheridon who spoke first, her voice quivering.
"Who… Who was it? Did they… Did they say why?" She saw how white her husband's knuckles were getting and so she covered his hands with her own. When Sheridon looked at Leroy, Leroy saw the same desperation and need to know that he had felt not so long ago.
"They… were anti-war activists." He paused. All three of them knew the implications of Leroy's statement. If his family was targeted as a result of someone's hatred of the war, then, in effect, Leroy was to blame for his family's misfortune. Something in Mr. O'Malley's mind clicked.
"Were? Are you saying they're dead?" Leroy looked at the older man. His eyes were devoid of all emotion as he nodded his head. The deathlike appearance of those blue eyes sent a chill down Ramona's spine.
"What about Kelly, Leroy? Where is she if her kidnappers are dead?" At the mention of his baby's name, Leroy squeezed his eyes shut. Every muscle in his body tensed as he pulled himself into a tight ball, he sat hugging his knees and rocking himself backward and forward. Realisation and pain dawned on Shannon's parents' faces simultaneously. Mrs. O'Malley dropped her head into her hands and began to sob. Mr. O'Malley just stared at his daughter's widower in shock.
"No. Leroy, tell me it isn't true. Tell me Kelly is ok. Tell me she's just a little shaken but that she's going to be ok." Leroy stopped rocking and faced the desperate man in front of him. He shook his head slowly.
"I'm sorry, sir. God I'm sorry." Rage began to boil inside Sheridon. He clenched his fists and his jaw.
"Get out! You were supposed to protect them, not get them killed! How could you do this to us! To them! Get out! Get out now, before I kill you" Leroy nodded and stood slowly. With his head down he left the room and made his way out of the house. He had only been here for half an hour so he expected to spend the next hour and a half sitting on the sidewalk. He considered walking to a local store and buying something to make himself go numb again but he figured that he owed his girl's more than that. He had to fell the pain; forever would he keep the pain of loosing them at the forefront of his mind. Memories - that was all he had left. He sat on the edge of the curb and didn't even notice that Dr. Mallard's car was sitting in the same spot it had dropped him off from. In fact Donald hadn't left.
"Leroy!" The doctor called through the open window. Leroy looked up and frowned as if the presence of the car confused him.
"Dr. Mallard? What are you doing here?" The doctor shook his head and leaned across to open the passenger side door. He gestured with his hand for Leroy to enter the car. Leroy got up slowly and got into the passenger seat. He slumped forwards and rested his forehead on the dashboard. Donald saw the defeat in the man's body language and knew the meeting hadn't gone to well.
"Ducky, Leroy. My friends call me Ducky. Only my boss and some of my patients call me Dr. Mallard and only my mother calls me Donald." Leroy sat up and looked at Ducky. Death coated his eyes until they were as dark as a navy uniform. He shook his head slowly.
"My name is Jethro." Ducky frowned. "Leroy's dead Ducky. He died when his girls were stolen from him. When they were ripped from this earth, his heart just gave up. Leroy's dead; only Jethro remains."
The end.
Author's Chapter Notes:
This is the last chapter. He goes to talk to Shannon's parents about what has happened.
This is the last chapter. I purposely didn’t include any chapters on Gibbs getting this info because, the way I see it, this is when he realised that it was really true.
This is the last chapter. I purposely didn’t include any chapters on Gibbs getting this info because, the way I see it, this is when he realised that it was really true.