NCIS: McBaby

Chapter 28

Jed pulled the car into the garage at his home and got out. He grabbed the bag full of groceries he had picked up and proceeded inside. Upon entering he threw his car keys on the kitchen counter, began unpacking the groceries and cracked open a beer. He took a nice long guzzle as he preheated the oven. The endorphins that had coursed through his veins earlier in the day were long gone, only to be replaced by uneasiness, paranoia and panic. Jed took another sip of beer, hoping the alcohol would slowly take the edge off. All he had to do was wait another twenty-four hours until his flight left. His plan was to fix dinner, get drunk and eventually pass out. He started chopping vegetables, while he reflected on the day's events. A smile formed on his face when he thought about how terrified Gibbs must be, not knowing where his little guy was. Soon his mind was flooded with memories from the past and the reason why he chose to help the Greys in the first place. The cucumber on the cutting board did not stand a chance as he lifted the knife behind his ear and swung down. He manically repeated the action several times causing chunks of cucumber to fly all over the kitchen.

"Gibbs" *Whack*

"Ruined" *Whack*

"My" *Whack*

"Life" *Whack*

"I'm glad I was able to return the favor," he added between breaths, throwing the knife on the counter before chugging what was left of the remaining beer.

After he cracked open another beer, he prepared the rest of his dinner, placed it in the oven and set the timer. While waiting for the food to be finished, he walked into the family room and turned on the television. Ironically the first station he turned to was ZNN; beer sprayed out of his mouth when he saw a report regarding the Greys. However, it was the uncanny artist rendering that made Jed uneasy. "I knew I should have worn a mask!" he mumbled under his breath as he continued to watch. When the report ended, he picked up the phone and called Ella. It wasn't until the third ring that she finally picked up.

"Jed, what's going on?" She asked with a hint of apprehension in her voice.

"Have you been watching the news? They know we took the boy, what if we get caught?"

"Yes, we saw the report. Don't you have a flight out of the country tomorrow?"

Jed paced nervously back and forth in his family room. "Well yes, but that's still twenty four hours from now. Agent Gibbs won't stop until he finds the kid."

Ella laughed cynically, "He's never going to find Tim, alive at least. Especially if he doesn't start behaving."

Her admission caught Jed off guard; he stuttered, "Now...wait...a...minute. You never said anything about killing anyone."

There was more laughter, "Jed, Jed, Jed what did you think might happen? If Lucy can't have Tim, then nobody can."

A thin layer of sweat formed on Jed's forehead and his mouth suddenly became dry, "Well keep me out of this, I never want to hear from your psychopathic ass ever again. Do I make myself clear?"

"My my how the tables suddenly turn; you needed money, I made sure you got it and now you're calling me names.

Jed threw his beer bottle against the family room wall, "I should never have agreed to this." The last sound he heard before hanging up was Ella laughing hysterically in the background. He picked up the broken pieces from the beer bottle and threw them in the trash. The timer on the oven dinged signaling his food was ready; however, Jed had lost his appetite following his conversation with Ella. He pulled the food out, set it on the counter and headed for the bedroom. "Only twenty-four more hours and I'll be as far away from this mess as possible." He said aloud as he lay down on the bed and pulled up the covers.