The car came to a squealing halt in front of the house of Jerry Holmes. Gibbs was the first person out of the car and he ran up the steps and left Ziva and McGee struggling to keep up.
"Gibbs!" Ziva shouted, "How do you even know that this is the place Tony was talking about? The nurse could have heard wrong".
Gibbs stopped at the door and turned to face Ziva, "Because I know!"
Ziva caught up with him. She stared him in the eyes; and she trusted him; or she didn't want to argue with him. "Okay".
They all three entered the house. Their eyes were focused on the chandelier in the middle of the room.
"McGee, get me something to stand on" Gibbs ordered. McGee went out into the kitchen looking for a stepladder or a box. Gibbs walked up the stairs to the exact same spot as before and turned. From the floor Ziva was staring up at the chandelier. She walked around, turning her head this way and that, spinning until she felt dizzy. Gibbs was looking from the stairs.
"Ziva, turn on the light" Gibbs said and squinted his eyes to get a better look. When the light came on, he had to close his eyes for a second to adjust. When he opened them again, his eyes caught a glimpse of something attached to the inside of the large metal ring. He took a step down, and he saw it even clearer.
"McGee! Get in here!" he shouted.
McGee came running, "Boss I couldn't find anything…"
Gibbs looked around the hall and then back at his two agents.
"You'll have to do then".
McGee looked a little puzzled, "Uh...Boss...what...eh"
"Up!"
McGee looked up. There was no way he could reach it. "Uh… Boss I can't…"
"You can't" Gibbs turned his eyes at Ziva, "But she can".
Suddenly McGee understood what Gibbs meant. He looked at Ziva, sighed and then bent down so she could climb up on his shoulders.
"Don't fall and break anything. I've already got one agent in the hospital" Gibbs said with a hint of a smile.
Ziva smiled as thanks for the concern. Then she climbed up on McGee's shoulders and he stood up. A little shaky at first, then more steady. He almost lost his balance when Ziva kicked him in the side. He'd stood up so fast that she hit her head on the bottom of the chandelier. Gibbs explained where he'd see the object and Ziva quickly found it. She jumped down and gave it to Gibbs.
"It's a key" she said.
"Yeah, I can see that Ziva. But what's it for?" Gibbs said as he turned the key around looking for markings of some sort. There was nothing.
"Maybe Abby can find something on it, Boss" McGee said.
Ziva pulled out an evidence bag, and Gibbs put the key in it.
"Yeah" Gibbs turned and took a good look around the hall one more time. The shooter must have been standing behind an old closed which was stand in the dining room. That's were they found the cartridge cases. Abby would create a virtual sketch of the crime scene for the trial. If there ever would be a trial. That would require a defendant. One who was alive.
"What now, Boss?" McGee asked. "Do we go after Daniele Tacconelli?"
Gibbs stood for still for a second, and a plan came together.
"No. First we need something to bargain with" Gibbs answered.
__________________________________________________
Giovanni was sitting by Tony's bed side and held his hand. Abby was sitting on the other side in the windowsill. The nurse had allowed two persons to stay with Tony after a little convincing from Ducky. Abby had one foot up and leaned her head on her knee.
"You look exactly how I pictured you" Giovanni said without looking at Abby.
"Sorry?" Abby asked a little puzzled.
Giovanni looked up. "Anthony told me about you. He said to imagine his cousin Samantha and then her complete opposite. He was right. You don't get much more anti-Samantha than you".
"Oh" was all Abby could answer. She tried to picture this Samantha. What was her complete opposite?
Giovanni answered the question for her, "Samantha is a 265 pounds woman who dresses in sweatpants and who's idea of party cloths is a dress that should not have made it out of the 80's. She sits at home all day and watches ‘Days of Our Lives'" Giovanni laughed and looked at Abby. "And he also said you were a very special person to him. I can see why".
Abby looked down and mumbled a thanks. She wasn't use to hearing so much praise. She and Tony never said these things to each other because on some level they both knew what they meant to each other. Abby looked at the fragile figure in the hospital bed. Tony was one of her closest friends. After Kate's death the two had gotten even closer, and found comfort in each other. When Abby had a bad day, Tony and Gibbs were the only two who could make her smile genuinely. And on days like these Tony would show up at her apartment with a pizza and a movie. Sometimes they didn't really say anything to each other. Tony would be patient and wait until Abby was ready to talk about what ever was bothering her. He always put his arm around her and she would rest her head on his shoulder. They could sit like this for hour. Abby really needed Tony's arm around her right now to comfort her and for him to tell her that everything would be alright.
"I wish I could say that Tony had told me all these great things about you, but he never mentioned anything. He never really talks about his family" Abby said.
Giovanni looked at her, "I can imagine that. Anthony and his father, my son, don't really get along. Actually they never did" Giovanni looked down. "I should have done something years ago, but I just stood by and let it happen".
"What do you mean?"
"Anthony was a wonderful boy when he was young. Energetic, funny, lively" Giovanni looked at Abby again, "And cheeky as hell"
Abby smiled. Just like she imagined him.
Giovanni continued, "Anthony's father never paid much attention to him. Having a child was always Anthony's mother's lifelong wish. She loved that boy more that life itself".
"What happened?" Abby asked.
"Isabella, that's Anthony's mother, died in a car accident when he was 12 years old. It tore the little family apart. Both Anthony and his father were devastated but they couldn't find comfort in each other. Instead they drifted further apart. My son became more and more angry with everything and everybody. Somehow he blamed Anthony for taking his wife away from him" Giovanni stopped and looked at Tony. He squeezed his hand a little harder. "And he took his rage out on the boy. Emotionally and physically".
Abby felt tears come up in her eyes. She never knew.
"It stopped when Anthony moved to collage. His father didn't approve of Anthony's choice to concentrate on his football, of course, but he paid his tuition. But when Anthony chose to join the force, my son disowned him. Anthony never did anything right in his father's eyes". Giovanni stopped and for a few minutes no one spoke. Then he continued, "I should have done something. I knew what was going on, but I never did anything. I let my own son break that little boy. I…" Giovanni was about to continue, but Abby stopped him,
"He didn't break him. In spite of what his father did, Tony grew up to be one of the most loving and caring people I have ever known".
"He gets that from his mother" Giovanni said.
"It made him a fighter" Abby looked at Tony, "And that's why he's going to make it through this too".
"I still should have…"
"Tony doesn't blame you for anything. If he did he wouldn't still come to see you". Abby said.
"Maybe" Giovanni leaned in over Tony and said, "She's one tough lady" Then he smiled at Abby.
Abby smiled back and just then there was a knock on the door. It was Ducky.
"Sorry to interrupt. Abby, Gibbs needs you back at the lab.
"Okay" Abby jumped down from her place in the window. Before she left, she walked up to Giovanni and gave him a hug.
"Thank you" he whispered.
Abby gave him a smile in return and walked out.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Tony' grandfather shares something personal with Abby...
Chapter End Notes:
Sorry it took a little longer to post this chapter.
Thanks for all the feedback. It's been so great:-)
Thanks for all the feedback. It's been so great:-)