Growing Up McGee

The Tragedy - Chapter 28

On the way down to the lab, he tried to think of a way to tell Morgan, but he couldn't think of one by the time the door opened, so he decided to tell Abby first and ask for her advice.

He walked into the lab and saw Abby playing solitaire on her computer. "Hey, Abbs, where's Morgan?"

"Uh, she went to the bathroom." She told him, turning around.

"Okay, I need to tell you something."

Abby studied him for a moment. "What is it?"

"In the interrogation, Carlos Cabrera said he was at the house to get Morgan, because an old couple was supposed to bring her to Mexico, but it fell through at the last minute."

Abby's eyes widened. "The Fieldings."

"Exactly. Cabrera also gave us the exact location of the gang. Vance is sending a team to go there tomorrow afternoon and take down the operation." He explained.

"Who's he sending?"

McGee hesitated for a moment. "That's the thing..."

Abby looked at him confused, but then realized what he was trying to say. "You're going?! McGee!"

"I have to." He told his friend. "I can't stand around and do nothing. This is my problem, and I need to fix it. I just need to tell Morgan, but I don't know how she's going to react."

"Not well." Abby told him honestly. "At this point, you need to tell it like it is, because trying to cover up the severity of the situation would only freak her out more."

"I know." He said, looking at the floor.

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Morgan walked out of the restroom and made her way back to the lab. She was about to enter, but she heard her Dad's voice. He sounded worried, so she decided to stand in the hallway and listen.

"In the interrogation, Carlos Cabrera said he was at the house to get Morgan, because an old couple was supposed to bring her to Mexico, but it fell through at the last minute." She heard her father say.

Everything seemed to come together in her mind. That's why the Fielding's were taking her to Mexico to hand her over to the RAC.

"Vance is sending a team to go there tomorrow and take down the operation." Her father continued.

"Who's he sending?" She heard Abby ask.

McGee said something that Morgan couldn't hear, but after a moment she heard Abby shout, "You're going?! McGee!"

Morgan gasped, quiet enough that no one could hear. He's going to Paraguay?!

At first she was afraid. He barely made it out of Paraguay the last couple of times he went, so what if he didn't make it back home this time? She would be alone, having no one. She already lost her mother, how would she cope if she lost her father too?

This fear started to morph into betrayal. He was going to leave her here at NCIS, worrying about him. If he really cared about her, he would stay and not risk his life for some stupid revenge fantasy. She considered storming into the lab and telling him these thoughts, but she didn't even want to look at him. So, she creeped past the doorway, hopped in the elevator, went to the top floor, and climbed up the final stairway until she reached the flat roof of the building. She used to go there with her Dad when she visited the office. Even though it was loud and cold, it was still nice to look out over all of D.C.

She put in her airpods, which she happened to have in her jacket pocket, and played Another Love by Tom Odell. Abby had often told her not to ignore sadness when it came, but to instead embrace it. She did that with many songs, including this one. It practically absorbed her as she gazed out into the horizon, so much so that she started crying. It started as a few tears, but it formed into silent sobs. He hadn't even left yet, but she still felt so alone. It was already too much that Luke had abandoned her, but her own father, the only person she was sure would never leave her, was going to South America, without the guarantee of returning. It made her heart hurt, almost as much as it did in that hospital room. She didn't know if she could go through that pain again. She wasn't one to pray very much, but the only person she felt she could turn to was God, so she cried out to Him, begging that she would never feel that pain and loneliness again. She prayed that all of this would end, and that she could go back home and try to live a normal life. She cried for Him to give her the strength and faith to endure the next couple of days, knowing they were going to be hell.

Once she was finished, she took out her airpods and continued to stare out into the city. After a moment, she heard the door open, but didn't turn around, knowing who it was.

"Morgan, what are you doing up here?" Her father called out from behind. "You know you're supposed to ask if you want to leave the lab, I would have been glad to take you up here."

"So, I can't step outside for fresh air, but you can go to Paraguay?" Morgan asked, still not turning around.

He was silent for a moment. "Who told you?"

"I overheard you and Abby talking." She admitted. "Vance couldn't get anyone else to go?"

"I volunteered." He told her. When she didn't say anything, he continued, "I need to go."

Upon hearing this, Morgan finally turned around. McGee was a little surprised, not because her eyes were swollen red, but at how emotionally exhausted she looked. He felt guilty, so he walked over to her, but she just crossed her arms and looked down at her feet. "I'm doing this to protect you."

"Are you, though?" She asked, looking up. "Because it sounds like you are leaving me here to worry, while you carry out some revenge fantasy that could get you killed. It doesn't sound very selfless to me."

The harshness in her voice surprised him, but he knew she was right, sort of. He bent down to her level, but she looked away again. "You're right, I am doing this for Mom and Johnny. I would be lying if I said I wasn't. But you know that I would do anything if it kept you safe, and that is why I asked Vance to approve this mission. I'm going to make sure that we finally get rid of the gang, and I'm not coming home until I am sure you are not in any danger."

Morgan, still looking away, felt her eyes start watering, so she bit her lower lip in an attempt to hold back the tears.

"Morgan, look at me."

She took a deep breath before facing her father.

"I will come home."

Those words caused the tears to escape, despite her best efforts to contain them. "Promise?"

She could see his eyes start watering. "I promise."

She nodded and let out a quiet sob, and McGee wrapped her in a hug, mainly to hide the tears that were streaming down his cheeks.

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Merry Christmas!!! I really appreciate all of my readers, and I wanted to gift y'all with another chapter (and an announcement later!). I didn't read this chapter before I started planning releases, so I'm sorry for posting the saddest chapter on Christmas lol. I hope y'all enjoyed it, and if you did, please leave a comment and/or vote! Hope y'all have a great Christmas! :)