Chapter 9 Malicious assault
As Gibbs, with Robert in his arms and Kate by his side, is about to step into the elevator, DiNozzo and his FBI partner enter the bullpen in a hurry, blocking their path to the elevator.
"Caught you on time, Boss! I need the file for his director," Tony crudely points at the man beside him, and the older FBI agent just glares at him.
"It's in my office," Gibbs retorts
"Jethro, let me have him," as Kate takes Robert from Gibbs before he can protest. "We'll wait for you in the car." Kate holds Robert in one arm, her other hand asking for the car key.
Gibbs strides to his office followed by DiNozzo.
"You are NOT allowed in the Director's office!" DiNozzo says to his partner, before he runs after Gibbs.
"How the hell did he get the job?" The annoyed FBI expresses his feeling.
"My dashing smile!!!" DiNozzo shouts from the second floor but shuts his mouth as the secretary glares at him – almost hawk like.
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Robert is so tired from his activities that he is not roused when his dad and mom pick him up; he is tired from running around with Palmer, a weird ME in training with Ducky. Robert bullied Palmer to play with him, the man was flushed and puffing when Kate finally found her boy and asked him to stop playing and take his nap.
So, he is all comfortable in his mother's arms, his both hands circling her neck.
Then he hears an unfamiliar man's voice, but could not be bothered to open his eyes, snuggling deeper into his mother, but when his mother sways backward, he raises his head and he hears shouts - definitely angry shouts.
He feels another jerk and he falls down onto the asphalt. The shock of being let go and pain from falling on the asphalt make him cry.
He feels a burn and sting over his limbs and a knock to his temple; then he sees his mother being pushed away from him by a stranger as he sits and bawls in pain and fear.
The stranger is facing his mother, screaming at her. He watches the man raising his arm at her and smacking her really hard and he screams louder calling for his mom and dad.
Suddenly the crazy stranger turns, facing him. Robert feels him pulls his arm and he is shook roughly, the scary man shouts at him and he cries even louder.
His mother lunges at the man and pushes him away and kicks him hard; but the man is crazy, he returns to them and tries to pulls him away from his mother. But his fierce mother is not having any of that and she covers him with her body.
Then he hears his mother groan in pain before he hears another angry shout, a shout that he is familiar with – it belongs to his dad.
Then Robert loses his focus, a few seconds later he hears a very loud bang – just once and then it is all over - only the pain stays.
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A few minutes before:
"KATIE!"
Kate freezes for a second before she speeds up her pace.
But he grabs her arms, stopping her. It's him - it's her ex, Lt. Cobalt.
No wonder McGee couldn't find him, he's been waiting for her all this time. Kate is afraid for their safety, she can fight, she can defend herself, but not with her child in her arms.
Her husband and McGee had expressed their concern about the man and she had decided to avoid him at all cost, but now he is stalking her.
"Luke!" she tries to act as normal as possible, hoping that Gibbs would arrive as soon as possible.
"You lying bitch!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" she thought, oh no, not with her son in her arms.
"You ruined my life! You intervened with my case!"
"Luke! Calm down! What's wrong?"
Kate feels a hard blow to her left cheek and she staggers backward; Robert stirs from his sleep and rubs his eyes sleepily and Kate holds him tighter.
"You are married to the Director of NCIS? You slut! Sleeping with your boss, Kate?"
"So what Luke?!"
"You manipulated him, you made him transfer my case to another agent, I thought you wanted to help me."
"What does my husband have to do with any of this?" Kate sees no escape, her explanation is not going to matter and she starts walking back to the entrance, which is on the other side of the building.
"You lying bitch! You ruined my life! I've closed the case myself!" Lt Cobalt hisses at her.
Luke pulls her arms, breaking her hold of the boy, and the kid falls to the asphalt gutter and he shoves Kate away from the toddler. Kate sees that her ex is infuriated with Robert's tearful piercing cries; and he grabs his small arm, shaking him roughly as she tries to stop him.
She lunges at Luke, shoves him away from her precious son, and covers Robert with her body as she catches a glimpse of him attacking her again. Kate groans from the sharp pain she feels on her ribs, the cowards kicks her, hoping she'll move away from Robert – but it is not going to happen; she hears Robert's cry, calling for her and his dad.
The crazed man yanks her hair, lifting her up involuntarily, but out of nowhere she hears ‘his shout' – Gibbs's angry shout and she finally able to breathe, everything is going to be all right, he will never let anybody hurt them.
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Gibbs is handing the USB flash to DiNozzo when he vaguely hears a shout, his curious nature makes him look outside his side window. He is not prepared to see the scene: It is his wife staggering backwards from a blow to her face.
Someone is attacking his wife and son.
Leroy Jethro Gibbs sprints for his life, he runs to them. He pushes the emergency door, right beside his office, causing the alarm to set off – then he climbs down the stairs, much faster than the elevator.
DiNozzo is taken aback with the Big Boss's behaviour. Then he looks out of the window. Something must have caught his interest. "Dear God!" DiNozzo murmurs in horror.
DiNozzo follows his Director's lead, he sees Robert in the gutter and Kate is attacked violently by the man who NCIS had agreed to help.
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Gibbs's lungs are burning as he holds his breath in fear – running madly towards his reasons to live, everything he does is for them and nothing else…
As he opens the building's emergency door, he witnesses Robert being jerked away from the gutter and Kate attacking Lt. Cobalt, pushing him away from their son who is sprawled in the gutter, calling for Kate and him.
Gibbs sees Kate crouching over his small body to protect him from the assault, but he is too late, he sees Lt. Cobalt kick his wife on her side. Kate is pregnant, he feels like a fool, how could he let this happen.
Her groans of pain and Robert's cries fuel his anger
Gibbs attacks the man and punches him in the face and gut, pushing him as far away from his wife and kid. He blindly kicks the man until his sight is blurry from his sweat. When he stops, Lt Cobalt is on the ground – groaning and twisting in pain.
Gibbs runs to Kate who is still covering Robert with her body. As he pulls them up from the gutter, holding her, he hears a single gunshot being fired – very near to him.
And when he looks up, he sees his trusted senior agent, aiming behind him, he is aiming at Lt Cobalt who apparently was armed and dangerous. DiNozzo sees the man about to fire at his boss who is still covering Kate and Robert. Gibbs is thankful that Dinozzo is there.
Within seconds, the security personnel arrive at the scene, along with other agents. Gibbs hears DiNozzo shout his orders to them to seal off the scene and start processing.
Gibbs is not paying attention to any of that, Kate is in excruciating pain. After lifting them up from the gutter, he assesses Robert's condition and he sees blood on him – his son is bleeding on his forehead and limbs.
"Bethesda," is all he manages to spit out to DiNozzo who is picking up Robert from him.
He carries Kate in his arms, her ankle has started to swell and she can hardly stand up from the pain. Striding to the nearest car in sight, DiNozzo howls for the key and one of the agents throws the key into DiNozzo's hand.
The fifteen minute long trip to the hospital seems like eternity in purgatory.
Kate is pressing her face against his chest, stopping herself from crying in pain, and Robert is in the arms of DiNozzo, who is driving the car, screaming for his mom and dad. DiNozzo drives with one hand, while the other is holding the crying kid, with the utmost concentration he drives to the Naval hospital.
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At Bethesda, the medical team takes Kate and Robert to separate cubicles. One of the senior nurses halts them from going with the patients, asking them to wait outside. Gibbs is torn between his wife and kid, confused and afraid. He goes blank, lost in his own nightmare.
He can vaguely hear DiNozzo making several calls to their HQ. He is rooted to the waiting bench – waiting for immediate news from the medical team. DiNozzo looks at his director, who is staring into empty space, the man looks like he is in a trance.
"Boss…boss" finally Gibbs hears his call – and he just nods.
"They'll be all right, Boss! Dr. Stebel is on his way, Ducky personally requested him"
"Kate is pregnant," Gibbs murmurs to himself, ignoring DiNozzo.
DiNozzo looks at his Director, unable to answer his statement.
They both hear Gibbs's mobile ring. DiNozzo witnesses his Boss for the first time in his life taking the phone out of his pocket and giving it to him without even checking the caller ID.
The Special Agent swiftly answers the call; it is one of the FBI's Directors, looking for his Boss who is too shaken to answer the call. Professionally, DiNozzo takes care of his request and tells the man that his Director is occupied, but he will forward any messages to him.
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Gibbs hears a cry and he is snapped back into the present.
He finds his son being wheeled out from his cubicle – all patched up, he feels like crying himself and he wishes he can trade places with him.
"Are you his father?" the Doc asks him.
"Yes," feeling ashamed and incompetent.
"You need to sign the form, for your son and wife," the Doc continues, "Your son is going to have an x-ray right now, and you can come with him." Without waiting for his answer the Doctor leaves him, standing there with the forms in his hand, unable to make a decision.
"Boss! Go with Robert, Boss, I'll wait for Kate!" DiNozzo looks him in the eyes.
He nods and he follows his son to the x-ray room. Robert is crying and screaming for his mom at the top of his lungs, bystanders are looking at the poor kid pitifully.
Little Robert is in pain, he cries until he coughs and gags and they have to sedate him for the X ray.
Within ten minutes after his x ray, the toddler is awake. He groggily opens his eyes, calls for his mother and starts pulling at the bandages on his head and limbs. He catches a glimpse of his dad and he raises his hands to him, this time bawling for him instead of his mother.
Gibbs couldn't watch him vomit again, "Can I pick him up?" he asks the nurse and she nods at him reassuringly.
Soon after he takes his son in his arms, patting his back, stopping his hand from ripping off the bandage, the Doctor gives the verdict to him: "He has four stitches on his temple, bruises and cuts on his limbs, no concussion and he'll be all right"
Gibbs is so pleased with the outcome that he starts kissing his son's streaky cheeks and walks to the nearest vending machine and buys him bags of candy.
Unfortunately the poor kid just looks at the colorful bags which he usually loves and disregards them. When a nurse wishes to take the little patient from his dad he says "no" softly and rest his face on his dad's shoulder, Gibbs feels him grip his lapel tighter, afraid that they'll take him away from his safe haven.
Gibbs receives a call from DiNozzo, Kate is out of the room and Strebel is with her. After making sure everything is all right with Robert and signing him off, he walks to the emergency wing for his wife. The place is packed with his friends.
Abby, DiNozzo, McGee, O'Brien and James are surrounding the bed. Kate is resting, he can see her bruises on her cheek, some cuts on her lips and limbs; apart from that she seems to be fine.
The first words from Kate mouth was: "I'm fine, just bruises, cuts and a sprained ankle. You might have to carry me around, Jethro," she manages to joke.
"How's Robert…oh poor Bobby! Come here" she asks for him.
"He is fine, no concussion," Gibbs manages to spit the words from his dry mouth.
"Bobby hurt" the boy says and leans his body into his mom, wanting to be with her.
McGee is ashamed and uncomfortable, "I am so sorry, Boss, Kate, Bobby," he feels such immense guilt that he is not looking into their eyes – it is his fault that they are hurt that way.
"Oh no, McGee! It is not your fault! Luke is crazy! He was angry because he thought I asked Jethro to disregard his case and didn't help him like I promised him!" Kate touches McGee's hand, "It is NOT your fault that he is crazy, McGee!"
This time, she feels her husband's hand on her arm and she looks up at him, "I hope his wife is all right" she expresses her concern to him.
"Don't worry about it, Kate."
Everybody else is quiet, not daring to look into Kate's eyes, afraid she might suspect something that DiNozzo has warned them NOT to tell her.
"He is now lying on Ducky's slab," DiNozzo quickly changes the subject.
"I'll have the pleasure of weighing his black heart, Caitlin" Ducky adds as he is patting Robert's back who is lying on Kate's chest.
"Has his wife been informed?" She wants to make sure.
DiNozzo clears his throat, "Don't worry, Kate, I'll take care of everything, all right?" he wants her to have peace of mind and forget about the case.
"Kate, don't you trust DiNozzo?" her husband asks her and she nods at him.
"Of course" she replies weakly, she is too sleepy to notice the discomfort amongst them.
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Two hours later after Strebel and the hospital clear their condition, the whole gang takes them home before anything else. Soon after they reach home, Kate and the boy fall asleep in each other's arms – finally tucked in their safe home, away from danger.
Little do they know, that night Fornell comes over and by morning almost half of NCIS's agents have come and gone from their house. Boxes of files, laptops and boards are transferred from the HQ to the residents, making as little noise as possible; only stray cats and a raven witness the organized movement.
Gibbs is with his wife and kid in his room, while trusting the project to DiNozzo and O'Brien.
Unfortunately with the death of Lt. Cobalt, his wife and baby girl who is just six months old were shot dead before he attacked Kate.
McGee finds their bodies still undisturbed on their bed, the man shot them while they were asleep. His wife was filing for a divorce and the man couldn't dealt with it.
Gibbs takes his time, after making sure that Kate and his son are settled, asleep in their house to visit autopsy to witness the result. He finds Ducky talking to the three bodies with hatred at Lt. Cobalt. Ducky is pretty disturbed when he opens the baby girl.
"His wife and daughter," Gibbs reconfirms, he can't believe the irony.
"Yes Jethro, unfortunately…I will place the mother and daughter in one drawer when I am done," Ducky exhales with sadness, "so that she is not lonely," Ducky whispers to himself.
"I am glad Caitlin didn't marry this bastard," Ducky says with hatred and continues his autopsy.
Gibbs stays for quite some time, looking at the mother and daughter whose life ended by the hands of the person who should be protecting them with his life.
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Home HQ
Kate wakes up alone on her bed at about nine in the morning.
The sun's rays escape the blinds and shine into her room; groggily she looks around her room, familiar with the surroundings: framed pictures of her family, some candles and clothes on the chairs. She takes a deep breath and smells her and her husband's familiar fragrances.
It must be late, Kate speculates from the sunrays in her room – then she remembers, she panics, her son! Where is her son? Who was sleeping in her arms? He is nowhere to be seen.
She doubts that her husband took him to work, he is in no condition to be in their HQ, but it is late, maybe Jethro sees no other way but to bring their boy to work.
Kate winces as she rises from the bed, her entire body hurts like hell, her ankle is blue and swollen, it is very painful as she puts pressure on her feet to stand up and walk. Very slowly she keeps going, holding onto the rails, climbing down the stairs.
She is not prepared to see what she witnesses.
Kate sees three men in uniform, marine uniform to be precise, whom she doesn't recognize, some agents, white boards, printer and laptop units.
The three men greet her "ma'am" politely, she is too stunned to reply – she just gawks at them, roaming around in her house, actually the three men just exits her basement, walking towards her kitchen…looking for coffee! What on earth is going on in her house?
She gasps when her husband calls her, "What are you doing up?" rather loudly.
"Jethro," she murmurs – confused, not looking at him, still mesmerized by the makeshift office in her house.
"Kate! What are you doing here? You are supposed to be in bed," he sounds mad.
Then Kate snaps out of her confusion, "Jethro?!? What are you doing here? You are supposed to be at work! Where is Robert? And what's going on? Oh…hi Paula"
"Kate let's go to the bedroom," he ignores her question, guiding her towards their room – with no success.
She refuses to budge, he is afraid he might hurt her sprained ankle even more if he pulls her, it looks terribly swollen and painful.
"Where is Robert?" Kate is as stubborn as him now.
"Kate, let's talk in the room," he blocks her view, hoping that she'll submit to his wishes.
"I said, where is Robert?" she is losing her patience, being treated like an invalid – still not budging even by an inch.
Gibbs sighs and admits defeat; the woman is not going to calm down until she sees the boy with the bump, various scrapes and stitches, "C'mon…"
Since that morning he has let the boy have anything he asks for, which includes: chocolate milk, "cold" as he requested early in the morning, Gummy bears and Ice cream – his mom is still asleep and his daddy pretty much gives him everything.
Gibbs feels guilty that he was hurt.
"He is fine," Gibbs mutters to the worried mother, thinking about how he had let him have whatever he asked for earlier in the day and received several sweet smiles and a happy grin from his boy.
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Little Gibbs and the snipers
They can see him among the uniformed men Kate saw earlier. Sitting on one of their laps, comfortably chattering away, Kate doubts that they fully understand his words.
The little guy is touching an open black case in awe while explaining to his new friends just how much he loves guns! The men ask about his stitches and he retells the story how his mommy and him were attacked by a crazy man.
One of the men said that he will shoot the villain that hurt him, Robert nods excitedly and said "yes" and touches the velvety soft black case again, saying repeatedly like a broken record that he loves guns.
Gibbs and Kate can see that Robert is obviously enjoying the attention from his new friends in uniform.
"He is fine, Kate, Ducky was here earlier and he'll be back to check on him again," he guides his wife back inside the house, this time she goes along, walking back slowly with her sprained ankle.
"And the marines?" she asks him as they walk.
"They are Marine snipers, Kate, one of them was my best friend while I was in the service, the other two are his men." Kate nods, and "C'mon, I'll tell you about our plan in the room" he urges her as he guides inside.
Meanwhile:
Robert is having the time of his life, assessing the fellows' rifles, they are huge, not like his dad's, Tony's or the other agents' at the office, he thinks and they each have a big black case which can snap open.
The toddler politely asks, "Bobby touch???"
"I don't know, kid, I don't think your mom and dad will approve," one of the older men answers the cute kid who is in his pajamas with bandages on his head, he can see fresh abrasions on his arms too.
"What's that you are wearing?" the other younger Marine tries to change the topic.
"Bobby's…hmmm…badge! Like daddy's," he shows it off to them all.
"Yeah? What does it say?"
"N-C-I-S! Like daddy's," he answers proudly.
Robert Gibbs is very fond of the gold shiny badge that his dad has on his belt all the time, and a few days ago, his dad gave him a smaller version of the badge and pinned it to his jacket and he's been wearing it all the time.
Then Robert remembers:
"Please, Bobby touch, please," he begs.
The three of them laugh, amazed at his focus - just like the old bastard - and they let him touch the unassembled rifle still in the case.
Sam, the older sniper who is a Master Gunnery Sergeant, decides to rock the boat – at Gibbs's expense, of course, "You know, son, your dad has the same one as this"
Robert who was concentrating on the rifle, stops looking at the item and looks up at the men, all quiet – digesting the new information, before Sam continues:
"Your dad has never showed you his big gun???"
"No!" Robert exclaims, shaking his battered head, kind of disappointed with the news, is it possible that his dad has the same big gun?
"Daddy's gun – SMALL!" Robert compares angrily.
"OH NO!!! Your dad has a very big gun! Just like this!" Sam replies to his best friend's son who is suddenly excited about the possibilities.
The other two marines just gawk at their senior.
Robert slips down from his lap. "Bobby asks daddy!!!" he pitter pats to inside his house, not wanting to waste precious time.
They can hear his cute but loud calls, "Daddiiiii…daddiiiii" all the way from the backyard.
"Why the hell did you do that, Sam?" one of the younger snipers asks his superior who is now laughing his head off.
"Yeah, Sam, why?" the other one is curious too, he knows that Sam and Gibbs are good friends and they've been in combat together.
Sam laughs and answers, "For revenge! For getting married to a hot younger chick! That old bastard, bloody hell!" his body shakes as he laughs.
"Oh that! I saw the missus! She is hot! And she is pregnant again!"
"I know, lucky bastard," Sam replies, but he doesn't elaborate how Gibbs and his wife met, hell! Air force One! The chick was in the Secret Service before the old bastard recruited her and a few years later married her, life is unfair, he thinks.
Not that his old friend has not paid his dues: Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs married several crazy women who managed to bash his head. Sam quickly snaps out of his day dream, instead he gives important information to the two snipers.
"Yeah, the bastard who we are hunting, kidnapped her when she was heavy with the boy," Sam sighs, he wonders how his friend must have reacted towards the incidents.
Sam throws Haswari's profile into their laps, "That is the son of a bitch we are hunting, but we are NOT to kill him"
"What???"
"Yes! That and rules of engagement! We are NOT to kill him, just to wound him and hand him over to the FBI, yeah I know, I know! It's killing Gibbs too," Sam says as he sees the men's unsatisfied faces, "Our hands are tied, boys."
Their discussion is disturbed by the arrival of the two Gibbs's.
"There daddy! BIG GUN! Bobby shows daddy!" they can hear the kid's voice, as he is tugging his dad towards them.
"What the hell did you say to my son?" Gibbs glares at the group.
"Nothing! I just told him that you have the same one, like ours," Sam plays the innocent card.
"Very funny, Sam."
"Where daddy? Where???" his son looks up at him, with his clear blue eyes, unchanged by the terrible experience he just went through.
His rifle is stowed away in his basement, Kate has the key to the drawer. He gave it to her when she moved into his house, before they were even married.
Gibbs sees that his old friend is grinning cheerfully, glad at his discomfort, his son is bugging him about the rifle – and the blasted man is enjoying his distress!
"I have the gun locked away, Robert, I'll show it to you when you are old enough, all right, son?" he tries his luck – but it is not that easy to deter his son.
"When old daddy? When?" he is not getting it.
"When Bobby is old enough, daddy will show you the gun, OK?"
"Bobby old now daddy!" he tugs his dad impatiently.
At the edge of his vision, Gibbs sees his friends grinning like idiots.
"Daddy, Bobby old, daddy" Robert moves his feet impatiently – excited.
"Not now, Robert, you are still too young," Gibbs is losing his edge.
"Bobby FIVE daddy!" he shows his age – lying about it, while showing all his five fingers, just like Ducky taught him.
One of the younger sniper howls with laughter but shuts up after Gibbs glares at him.
"Now daddy, pleaseeee" he hugs his dad's leg, looking up at him sadly
"Bobby hurt" he reminds his dad and Master Gunnery Sergeant Sam howls with laughter until his body shakes.
"Yeah Gibbs, when?" Sam adds, amidst his laughter.
Gibbs sees no other way, he bends down to the boy's level and whispers to him for quite some time, the Master Gunnery Sergeants notices; looking at the boy seriously in the eyes – and the two year old nods, agreeing.
The three marines stop laughing and start wondering. They are dumbstruck, they thought they'll see the Director of NCIS having to handle the boy's throwing a tantrum. But no! The kid nods and says "OK".
"Bobby plays with daddy's friends?"
"Yeah, sure! Ask Sam how many wives he had?" Gibbs urges the kid.
"OK" and Robert lets go of his dad's leg and dashes towards the men – asking questions that they can not answer.
By noon, the little boy manages to make Sam assembles his rifle. He looks at the man assembling the rifle in awe and claps his hands eagerly when Sam finishes assembling the gun.
That afternoon, Ducky visits his little patient again.
Robert just winces and says that it is painful when Ducky changes the dressing – he doesn't cry one bit. The old man said that he is the bravest boy he has ever seen in his entire life, he truly deserves the shiny gold badge.
Gibbs is with them when Ducky takes care of his son, looking at the scene – his battered boy. He has to find Haswari as soon as possible, his son deserves a safer life, a better life. Gibbs wonders how long it will take Haswari to take the bait. Not long, he hopes.
Gibbs sighs but manages to smile at his little guy, showing off his tiny NCIS badges that he gave him few days ago. The kid loves him and he wants to have all that he had, therefore he always used his NIS child T-shirt, still too big for him, but he doesn't care about the size; all he cares is wearing the same thing as his dad. He throws a fit when his mom hides the shirt, because she wants him to wear other clothes as well.
Snapping out of his day dream, looking at the three snipers selected by him and O'Brien when discussing the plan - Gibbs knows that things are going to be rough, soon.
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-Tbc-nova2007-BETA (MV)
Chapter End Notes:
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