That's Life

That's Life Part 15

Gibbs POV-

I sit in my basement, just working on my boat, thinking about how things should be different. Abby's lab accident was just that, an accident, but DiNozzo payed the price. Abby turned in her resignation thiss morning, even after I tried to talk her out of it, but she wouldn't listen.

She blames herself.

She didn't go to the hospital to visit McGee like she usually does every morning, and she didn't go back to her aparatment last night. She just...dissapeared. Zivaa has been in the hospital all night, just waiting to hear about DiNozzo's condition. I just wonder if anyone's gonna have the heart to tell her.

RING RING! RING RING!

I pick up my phone. "Gibbs." "Gibbs, you have to come to the hospital! McGee is awake!" Ziva starts to say something else but I slam my ohone shut and race off towards the hospital. I get there 5 minutes later and run up the stairs.

I sprint down the hall and make a sharp turn into his room and I see him and Ziva hugging. His face lights up when he sees me.

"Hey boss! How have you guys been? Did DiNozzo touch my computer? Where is Dinozzo?" McGee asks, looking upset that his bestfriend wasn't there to see him. Ziva's face falls. "There was a lab accident. Tony and Abby inhaled some pottasium cyanide. Abby's fine, but because Tony had the plauge his lungs couldn't handle it, so he's currently in surgery."

Ziva glances at McGee, wondering if he'll ask about Abby, but he never does. He just continues talking with a happy little smile one his face, saying he's so glad to be back and he can't wait to see Ducky and Palmer.

Eventually I get a little curious and ask, "Are you excited to see Abby too?" McGee gets a confused sad look on his face.

He looks up at me like a puppy dog and asks "Have you found her yet?" "Ya, but-"

Suddenly, the elevator dings and Abby rushes in, holding a Caf-Pow and smiling brightly. "Hey Gibbs! I heard what happened to McGee! I'm so excited to see him! Sorry I haven't been in the past couple of days, I wasn't feeling to well so I called in for an asistant."

"Wait, Abby, what do you mean you haven't been here the past couple of days?" She looks confused. "I had some stress from getting kidnapped, I kept seeing people everywhere, and so I called in sick and they said they'd send a replacement to the lab...Gibbs, I haven't been to work for the past 3 days. What happened?"

I filled her in and she started sobbing when she heard about DiNozzo. I held her tightly and then she ran into McGee's room and hugged him and they caught up.

But if Abby wasn't at work....who was?

I run over to Ziva and explain. She looks confused but listens. "But if Abby was at home, who was at NCIS?" "That's what we're gonna find out." I say, determined. This person almost got DiNozzo killed. Or maybe...maybe this person tried to kill DiNozzo.

We run over to the chemical section of the hospital and Ziva kicks through the door to Tony's recovery room. The doctors said that he had just come out of surgery to repair his lungs 30 minutes ago.

We see 2 dead bodies immediately, but no sign of DiNozzo.

Nothing but an empty bed.

But then I see note. I pick it up and read, "I run over fields and woods all day. Under the bed at night I sit not alone. My tounge hangs out, up and to the rear, awaiting to be filled in the morning. What am I?" I'm incredibly confused. Then Ziva laughs. "A shoe!"

I look around and see that one of the dead guys is missing a shoe. I poke around for a while before I  find it on the ground underneath the bed. I pick it up and look underneath it, but nothing. Ziva sighs and pulls note out from inside the shoe.

It says "More coming. Not safe. Made it through window. I know I should've called for backup or something, but that made too much sense. Got my glock 9, good 4 a while, but only couple bullets, might have to kill a helicopter with a car or something: What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps?" I roll my eyes. "A river. He wants to meet us by a damn river." Ziva laughs, but then frowns. "Which river?"

We walk back to McGee's room and run in, asking them to examine the note and that we'll explain later. McGee studies it for a while, then thinks while giving it to Abby. She immediately says, "Well, if I were Tony I would look for a movie reference or something."

McGee's head snaps up. "That's it! Tony wouldn't shut up about this one movie with Matt Farrell and John McClane! He imitated them and Matt Farrell said... 'shouldn't we call backup or something?' to which John McClane said 'Makes too much sense.' And then also, Matt Farrell said 'You just killed a helicopter with a car!' And John McClane said 'I was out of bullets.' He wouldn't stop quoting that stupid movie, it was ummmm......ummmmm....." "LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD!" Ziva yells, and Abby jumps, startled. Ziva frowns and says "Damn, why couldn't Tony have heard that? He would've been proud I finaly knew a movie- I mean film." She says in a mocking tone. I laugh and we run out the door, not bothering to explain to a speechless Abby or McGee what's going on.