Original subtitles

BOY: Thought you were making him a Christmas cake.

Well, who says Christmas can't be patriotic?

Besides, they were all out of green... hey!

Is that a clean shirt?

Clean enough.

The man's flying over 6,000 miles to be home

for the holidays, Tommy.

I think we can do better than "clean enough."

Ho, ho, ho!

Hello? Oh, my God. [chuckles]

Dad?

[chuckles] There's my big man.

You're early.

You complaining?No.

Mom made all your favorites, Dad.

She made you a meatloaf and some mashed potatoes

and a weird Christmas cake and...And your kid sister.

Where's Emma?Oh, that sweet baby wanted to wait up for her daddy so bad,

but she had to come home from school with a low fever.Oh, poor peanut.

Let me see that kid.Aw. [chuckles]

Okay, help me get supper on the table.Okay.

Hi, honey.

It's Daddy.

Damn.

How low was that fever, babe?

It was... less than 100 about an hour ago.

Oh, my God.

She's burning up.

Emma, kid, hey, wake up.

Daddy's home.

She's barely breathing.

Emma? Emma?

Call 911. Emma.

Please, baby, breathe.

Emma!

Christmas in Jamaica. Nice.

Nice? [imitates accent]: No, mon.

After the year I've had, a little sun, sand

and sipping cold comfort from a coconut

is gonna be spectacular.

Though not terribly Christmassy.

I'll pack some mistletoe.

How you gonna spend yours?

With my family in Oklahoma.

My mom cooking,

my husband and brothers arguing football,

snowshoe hikes with my dad.

It's gonna be so...

Terribly Christmassy.Yes.

[both chuckle]

BISHOP: Wow.

Look at you, Abby.

So festive.Well, it is, after all, the most

wonderful time of the year.

Thank you. Time.

Wonderful time. So what do

we have here? An engraved Rolex?No.

They're my wonderful lab-baked holiday cookies.

Ginger spice chip.

Did you say "lab-baked"?

Yes. I wield a very merry Bunsen burner.

Mmm...

Why the long face on McGee?

Dial-A-Fruitcake mess up his order again?

ABBY: I don't know. Something's wrong.

He gave me the finger when I came in.

The-the "one-minute" finger, not the bad one.

It might be Delilah. Mmm.

[McGee hangs up phone]

Trouble in paradise, Tiny Tim?

Well, not for us.

A friend of ours, the Dalys.

Kevin gets home from Afghanistan last night and the first thing

he and Audrey have to do is rush their five-year-old daughter

to the ER.

Why? What happened?

They don't know. Out of the blue, it's just...

fever spiked, windpipe swelled shut.

She's in the ICU now.

That is so weird.Weird

and horrible.Yeah. No, but, I mean,

I-I have a Marine friend going through the exact same thing.

Her perfectly healthy son,

suddenly struck down and on a respirator.

Just yesterday.

That is weird. Yeah.

What's worse than two sick kids during the holidays?

Eight sick kids.

Carol. [chuckles]

Wow, what are you doing here?

I wish it was a social call, Abby.

Oh... It's never good when you say that.

Mm-mm.

Um, Bishop,

this is Carol. Um, she works at

the Naval Medical Research Center now

and she's my oldest friend.

I prefer "long-time" friend.

McGEE: Boss, did you say

eight sick kids?

All with the same mystery illness,

all within 30 miles of DC.

Start of an epidemic?

Or worse-- all are from military families,

living in military housing.

No. No.

Nobody say it.Bioterror.

Except Abby.

Abby can say it but nobody else.

Uh, I-I just read a study last month

that weighed this possibility. I mean, what better way

to terrorize military personnel than through their kids?

TONY: There's nothing "better" about it.

I know enough about bioterror as it is, thank you.

CAROL: All we need to know in this case is what it is,

where it started and how to stop it.

You said "we."

GIBBS: It's not our usual case, but it is Navy and

Marine Corps families.

They want us in on the investigation.

CAROL: While I work the scientific end with Abby.

We're coordinating with the CDC.

My office is sending all our data here.

Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go.

GIBBS: All right,

split up. Hit the hospitals,

interview the parents, talk to the kids,

retrace their steps. Let's go.

Absolutely, Gibbs, whatever manpower we can spare.

Yeah, well, let's find out what's making these kids...

Let's do what we can.

These kids what?

You said, "What's making these kids..."

and then stopped.

Daddy doesn't bring work home anymore, Jared.

You know that.

JARED: So?

He can tell me in the car.

How have you guys been feeling lately?

What? Like, health-wise?

Mm-hmm.

We're fine.

No coughs? No headaches?

No. All good here. Why?

Let's go to school.

Is that Jared

and Kayla?

Kids, go wait in the car.

[alarm beeps]

MAN: And you would be...

Leon Vance?

Lamar Addison.

I know who you are.

What I don't know is how you found my home.

You're not the only one with resources, Director.

You have no business coming here.

Oh, but I do.

And there's no need for that confrontational tone.

I'm certainly not looking for trouble.

Then I suggest you go back to New York, before it finds you.

I only want to say hello.

Well, then, hello.

And good-bye.

Who was that guy, Dad?

Nobody, Jared.

He's nobody.

KEVIN: Worst part's not being able to do anything to help her.

All anyone can tell us is that Emma's now one of 14 kids

going through the same thing. 14?

And not one of them is responding to treatment.

Doctors still have no idea what they're dealing with here.

BISHOP: McGee.Well, don't worry, Kev. They will.

Uh, just hang tight.

Give me one second. I'll be right back.

[quietly]: Did you know the number's up to 14 kids?

[quietly]: Did you know that rate of reproduction puts it on par

with the SARS virus?You think it's SARS?

I don't think anything-- I mean, SARS has never been contracted

inside the U.S. There's...

a better chance of a targeted chemical attack than that.

A chemical attack?

Uh, I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to...

Pure speculation, Audrey.

Yeah, and not all that likely.

I was just speaking statistically,

comparing it to the SARS virus. Oh, my God,

i-it's SARS?BISHOP: No, no... [sighs]

No, no, no, no. I was only...Could you maybe do your comparing

somewhere else, please?

Yeah. Sorry, guys.

[whispers]: Come on.

[phone ringing]

Guess you're gonna have to work on that stage whisper.

Like I don't feel bad enough?

Tony, hey.

Uh, pretty awful. How 'bout you?

No, Bishop, let it go.

Wait, what?

TONY: ...19 sick kids.19? We just heard 14.

TONY: ...five more cases over here in the last hour.

There's five more cases at Washington General

in the last hour.

Does Tony have their locations? I'm putting

together a map.Tony, send Bishop

their locations.

TONY: We gotta stop this.Yeah, I know.

What the hell is this thing?

DUCKY: The last infectious disease I recall

that primarily affected children was...

poliomyelitis, which, of course,

was eradicated in this country decades ago.

You know, while it was mostly children, Dr. Mallard,

polio afflicts more adults than people think.

Most recently during a pretty nasty outbreak in Namibia,

2006.

Really? Namibia. Interesting.

I took a few epidemiology classes

after Agent DiNozzo's Y. pestis scare years ago.

Ah.

Yeah, we studied quite a few maps

looked just like this one.

There anything familiar?

Well, the pattern is reminiscent of the...

cholera outbreak of 1961

which devastated Indonesia.

That, or the early stages of Montreal's smallpox epidemic

of 1885.

That one left over 3,000 dead.

Abby to Gibbs. Come in, Gibbs.

Abby to Gi... Oh, hey, guys.

Did I hit my Ducky button by accident?

Hey, Abbs. What do you got?ABBY: Oh, there you are.

You would not believe the mountains of medical data

that the NMRC sent over.

Carol and I could be days combing through it.

Give me an early guess.Too early, Gibbs.

ABBY: I mean, it's obviously respiratory, bronchial.

Hopefully it's bacterial, not viral. Ms. Sciuto,

would an extra pair of hands be useful

with all this data?

ABBY: Well, always, Ducky.

You offering?

Not me. But Mr. Palmer has become an expert in the field.

[chuckles] I-I don't know about expert, but, uh...

Come on down, Jimmy. Let's kick some epidemic butt.

You sure, Dr. Mallard? You wouldn't mind?

Why would I mind my own idea?

You.Don't look at me, Palmer. Go.

You can count on us, Gibbs.

Cabby out.

DUCKY: Hmm...

Namibia.

VANCE: More kids, more military bases.

It's hard to look at this and not think bioterror, Gibbs.

Pursuing every angle, yeah.

Well, keep the updates coming. SECNAV wants in the loop.

Yeah. Yeah. Figured.

You all right?

Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine.

You sure?

Kids?

Mmm. Yeah.[knocks on desk]

I had a visitor.

So did Jackie's brother Michael, in prison the other day.

Who?

Lamar Addison.

Owns a chain of car dealerships up in New York.

Michael said he had a lot of questions about Jackie,

about the kids.

Well, who is he to Jackie?

Her father.

Jackie and Michael's both.

He walked out when they were kids and never came back.

Talking to Jackie, I always got the impression he was dead.

Only to us.Anything I can do?

It's a personal matter, Gibbs.

Okay. Anything I can do?

Thanks... Gibbs,

but I got this.

Wow.

These kids are really sick.

Well, not for long, Jimmy,

'cause we're gonna lick this thing.

I mean, not... not literally lick it.

That's just gross.

[knocking]Excuse me, Abby?

Hey. Breena!

Breena, so good to see you!

Um, this is Carol.Pleasure.

Hi. I'm sorry to bother you at work, Jimmy,

but Ducky said you'd be here.Oh, it's fine. Is everything okay?

Yeah. Great, actually.

The agency may have found us a birth mother.

What?! Really?!They want to meet with us soon.

Like day after tomorrow. [laughing]A baby!

That's-that's great!

It's-it's-it's... it's amazing.

Um, let's not celebrate, okay?

Not yet. Not yet. We still have so much work

to do here. Um, Breena, just

find out what time they want to meet,

and, um, we will be there... with bells on.

Christmas bells?

You bet, you bet.

I'll call you later... Daddy.

Okay. Okay.

Wow. Um... okay.

I'm so happy for both of you! Yeah.

Guys?

I'm really happy, too,

but I'll be a lot happier when one of us can figure out

what that is.

Never seen anything like it.

ABBY: We have a lot

of work ahead of us.

Wait, back up.

You really had the plague?

Like, the actual plague, plague?

Pneumonic plague.

We were on a first-name basis.

And here I thought that you were just being paranoid.

One too many cheesy outbreak movies.

Oh, no. It's the real deal.

Wow. Of course, I could site,

you know, Contagion

or 28 Days Later as major influences.

Isn't that last one a zombie flick?

Oh, come on. Like there's a difference?

GIBBS: The difference, DiNozzo,

is that nobody's been eaten... yet.

Let's go.

Number is up to 23 afflicted kids, boss.

Bishop, are you joining us?

Oh, actually, I'm chasing a lead here.

Abby's a genius with ginger, by the way.

My mom made me a batch like these

for my first-grade graduation.

These are right up there.

Your lead good enough to share?

What? Uh, no. Uh, not yet. Um...

very soon. Do-do you want... Are you sure

you don't want any?I don't like ginger.

Okay. TONY: Not in your cookies, anyway.

You're a cinnamon man.

Like the cinnamon girl.

Neil Young, and it's just an analogy.

Sort of a redheaded metaphor. What...?

McGee was saying something important. What was it?

23 kids, and other than being from military families,

there's just not much common ground.

TONY: Only nine kids crossed paths at these four schools.

We're still tracking extracurricular activities--

play dates, sports teams.

[Bishop gasps loudly]

What?

What? Uh... oh, nothing.

Just getting closer.

Close enough. Spit it out.

Uh, not until I verify a connection.

Spit, Bishop.

[sighs] Okay.

Well, I was checking the government watch list,

and came across a recent addition named Max Comey.

On it. Recently fired from Labsynthe,

a chemical research facility in Burke.

He was accused of taking a variety of toxic mold spores

he was supposed to dispose of.

Taking it to do what?It doesn't say.

I mean, while not exactly a crime,

it was grounds enough for a dismissal

and his placement on the government watch list.

All right, I got him.

Current address is on Harwood Place in Pax River.

TONY: Wait a second. Harwood Place.

It's the same street as one of these schools.

Coincidence?

McGEE: I don't think so.

Comey was also red-flagged last week

for fighting with a Marine Corps recruiter

after he was refused an application.

Yeah, because he was on the watch list.

It's motive. McGee, keep working it from here.

DiNozzo, Bishop, come on, let's go. You're with me.

Oh.

Leaves his front door open.

Remind you of anyone?

NCIS!

Closet's empty. Drawers, too.

Moved out in a hurry.

Where would I keep toxic mold spores

at my house?

Hmm?

Ew. Some pretty toxic leftovers.

I got something here.

TONY: So, whatever Comey stole from the lab, he either

used or took with him?

[phone ringing]

Yeah, Duck.

I'm afraid our mystery illness has claimed its first fatality.

It's not one of the kids.DUCKY: No.

But it may just be a matter of time.

When it comes to infectious diseases,

the old are just as vulnerable as the young.

I'm afraid things may be getting worse

before they get better.

McGEE: Victim is Lloyd Grunfeld, 71,

recently widowed, Vietnam vet.

The last 31 years,

he's managed an on-base dry cleaning shop at Quantico.

District Hospital says he checked in last night

with the same symptoms as our 23 afflicted children.

Twenty-eight.

[sighs]

Uh, sky-high fever, respiratory distress, but

before they could get him to a bed,

he collapsed and died on the ER floor.

[Tony hangs up phone]

All right, we've got his home quarantined

until we know what killed him.

What about the BOLO on Comey?No hits yet.

The landlord said he was close to eviction, but

moved out on his own.

We spoke to some

of his former co-workers at the research lab.

Sounds like Dr. Max was a pretty odd guy.

Doctor? TONY: Doctor, Doctor.

That's what he called himself.

Took his job as a lab assistant a little too seriously.

Boastful, self-important.

Especially around the ladies,

who considered him more annoying than dangerous.

That is, until the mold spores went bye-bye.

How toxic are these things?

Well, not exactly anthrax,

but they could certainly make a person sick

if ingested or inhaled over time.

It's got to be connected.McGEE: Well, we've requisitioned surveillance

on Grunfeld and some of the kids.

See if they crossed paths.

[phone ringing]Yeah, Duck.

DUCKY: Jethro, can you come down?Yeah. Be right down.

That's it?

No "Nice job,"

or "Good idea, guys"?

No?

It's a nice jacket.

Okay.

Hate to admit it, Dr. Mallard,

but I was pretty relieved when you called me in to assist.

All those infection cases in Abby's lab.

Those poor kids.

It's pretty overwhelming.

Elderly and deceased is a far easier concept to confront

than young and suffering.

And now, with this adoption becoming a real possibility,

it's got me wondering if I'm even ready.

Ready?

JIMMY: To be a father.

Consigned to a lifetime of worry.

There are so many things that can go wrong.

Well, that may be true,

but with the rewards far outweighing the risks,

I'm sure you're up to the task.

I'm glad one of us is sure.

[knocking on glass]Agent Gibbs.

Hey, Duck!

What's the word?

Retired First Lieutenant Grunfeld's misfortune

may well be the savior to many children.

What's the cause of death?

An extremely aggressive strain of pneumonia.

Yeah, his trachea and lungs were besieged by it.

Treatable?

Not to a man of his advanced years and diabetic condition.

But, uh, previously healthy children,

yes, it should be quite treatable.

Really, Doctor?

That's-that's wonderful!

GIBBS: Hey, Palmer?

Things do go right sometimes.

Oh, you-you heard that earlier?

Yeah.

That is, provided that Abby and Carol

can identify the specific strain of pneumonia

from those cultures.

I will get these up to them right away.

Yeah. Good.

[knocking on door]

Come in.

I appreciate the invitation,

but you didn't have to send your henchmen.

Those henchmen are federal agents.

Sent after a phone call from my children's nanny

concerned about a man stalking my home.

A knock on a door is hardly stalking, Leon.

My compliments, by the way.

That nanny-- she's a very charming woman.

And that's important.

It's good to move on.

Move on? Did you just say "move on"?

You mean, like you moved on from your wife and kids, Addison?

Is that what you mean?Millie and I were never married.

So it's all good then?

You making judgments about things you know nothing about?

Do you realize the mess that you left behind, Addison?

The mess that Jackie and I were left to clean up

where your son is concerned?

Considering I found Michael in prison,

you did a real fine job.

And here all this time, I thought

Jackie was exaggerating when it came to you.

No. That was me.

Regretfully.

Somehow digging all this up has me reverting back

to some old, bad habits.

And you had quite a few of 'em.

Had. Had,Leon.

I had a few.

But people change.

And my only hope now is

to make up for lost time and show my grandkids

I'm not the villain they may have heard about.

There's no need.

Jackie was too good to speak ill of you.

Never spoke of you at all, in fact.

As far as my children are concerned,

their mother's father is long dead.

Out of respect to Jackie, I intend to keep it that way.

I suppose all I can ask is, any way I can change your mind?

I could pay for their college tuition

if you would reconsider.

My children are not for sale.

Agent Kurtwell, would you kindly escort Mr. Addison

to his car, please?

Leon... that's not what I meant.

You darken my door again, old man,

my agents will not be bringing you here,

I can promise you that.

[sighs]

[door shuts]

[sighs]

ABBY: Gibbs!Got news for me, Abbs?

Yup. Looks like old man Grunfeld died of

Streptococcus pneumoniae.

CAROL: Didn't look like strep before,

but the cultures came back positive.And it's the same bacterium

that's been infecting the kids?So, what now?

Just called the hospitals,

and they're administering the correct antibiotics as we speak.

Should just be a matter of time,

and the kids will be right as rain.

Here's to healthy kids, and Jimmy being a daddy!

Whoa, whoa, but,

uh, that's still just potentially, Abby.

Don't want to get ahead of ourselves.

For once, I'm with Palmer.

Wait. You are?

BISHOP: Looks like Grunfeld hardly ever left his store.

He did handle an awful lot of dirty clothes.

Nothing compared to this kid.

Patient number 18, Josh Baker.

Kid's a walking Petri dish.

Same with little Emma Daly here.

It's nothing short of a miracle

these kids don't get sick more often.

Okay, what are we looking at?Surveillance and home videos

of Grunfeld and some of the kids.

Looking to see where they may have crossed paths,

or picked up whatever they picked up.

They seem to pick up everything.

It's strep pneumonia.

Wait. What?What they picked up.

Abby thinks it's strep pneumonia.

The hospitals are already treating the kids.

TONY: Strep pneumonia?

That's it?

It, as in cured?

Oh, my God, that's great!

GIBBS: No, it's good.

Great'll be when we find Patient Zero

and shut down the source.

TONY: Right.

Okay, Mr. Scrooge.

[Tony chuckles]

Not that you're stingy or cheap in any way.

I was just... because of the... Christmas.

This is

a relief. Good job, everybody.

Are you okay, McGee?

Yeah, yeah.

I was just thinking about little Emma here,

and the Dalys-- they must be so happy.

Yeah. Them and me both.

I felt terrible about scaring them the way I did.

You still haven't gotten over that?

Well, like they didn't have enough

on their plates without me suggesting

a targeted chemical attack.

I've done worse, and McGee...

Well, he's... Remember the time with the...?

I'm not gonna talk about it,

but it's... it's been done.

You just have to move on. You made a mistake.

A big mistake.

Learn from it, move on.

I will, Gibbs, eventually.

Soon... Bishop.

For your own good.

TONY: Leroy Ebenezer Gibbs,

did we just agree on something?

Hey, Bob Cratchit, find Patient Zero, huh?

And a playful movie reference.

It really is starting to feel like Christmas.

McGEE: More like Christmas morning.

Just got a hit on the BOLO. Max Comey's been located.

Let's go. Hang on.

You said this guy likes the ladies, right?

What?

[sighs]

Hey.

Hey.

Could you tell me about this tree over here?

Um, pretty sure it's green like the rest of 'em.

Yeah. [laughs] Yeah.

It's, uh... it's this one right over here.

[Bishop shivers]

Hmm.

Didn't you used to work at Labsynthe?

I-I temped there last month.

You're Dr. Max, right?

Yeah. Yeah.

That's right. [laughs]

Yeah, you were...

you were one of the smart ones.

What are you... what are you doing working here?

Long story.

They, uh, let me go. What?

Seriously? They've got me living out of my van.

A guy like me, reduced to selling trees.

Can you believe that?

No, I can't. That is...

That's so unfair.

I know, right?

But, uh, they'll know they've made a mistake soon enough.

I'll show them.

Them?

GIBBS: So, who's "them,"

Max?

Show them what exactly?

Let's start with the van, huh?

MAX: I got nothing to hide.

What do we have here?

Nothing to hide, huh?

That's not mine.

I-I-I've never seen that before in my life.

Really.

That-that...

[grunts]

I didn't steal anything.

The lab was throwing that stuff away.

Perfectly good toxic mold spores.

Why take them?

Maybe I like to do my own experiments.

A guy doesn't have to be, like, an actual doctor

in order to save the world.

Is that your plan?

To save the world?

But in order to do that, you'd have

to make the whole world sick, right?

Not the whole world, no.

GIBBS: Then who, Max?

The Marines after they rejected you?

Maybe the kids.

Not kids. Never.

[sighs]

Do you promise not to tell her?

We promise.

Bernadette.

My girlfriend.

How do we find her?

Well, she's the cashier over at the Megamart.

You want to make her sick?

It's stupid, I know, but

I figured if I helped her feel better again,

she might appreciate me more.

That's not stupid at all.

Thing is, I'm still working on the whole cure part.

I didn't want to get her sick without that.

I'm not a monster, after all.

DUCKY: I beg to differ.

This man is delusional

and potentially dangerous.

Better go find this Bernadette.

If she exists, I doubt

that she's aware that he does.

Their relationship, I'm sure,

is entirely in his mind.

And the mold spores he possesses,

while they might make someone quite sick,

I'm not convinced they'd turn into strep pneumonia.

It's not strep pneumonia.

What is it?

Well, all the doctors agreed

with our initial findings,

but the kids aren't responding to the antibiotics for strep.

And it seems like the bacterium is mutating

into something else-- something

way, way, worse, and I'm really, really bummed.

That makes two of us.

So we're back to not knowing?

Right. You'll keep this Comey fellow in custody till we do?

[doorbell chiming]

I'll get it.

All right, Gibbs. Keep me posted.

Did you think I was kidding?

Are you really calling my bluff?

Please, Leon.

I have just one thing I want to get off my chest before I go.

Please.

Two minutes.

[sighs]

Looking back, I had my reasons for leaving Jackie's mother--

reasons that made sense to me at the time.

You thought she was beneath you.

Is that what Jackie thought?

No, it wasn't Millie's shortcomings, it was mine.

Being too young and foolish to face up to them, I took off.

New family, new woman.

A do-over.

Most folks don't get one.

I made the best of mine.

I built a good business,

and raised three great kids.

Forgetting about the two that you left behind.

They reminded me too much of my failures, Leon.

Only realized after Jackie wrote me, that

here I was, this big success, who

never truly felt successful.

What do you mean, she wrote to you?

Last Christmas.

I didn't write back.

Couldn't.

And then, a month later, I saw on TV that she was killed.

Why would that little girl write this old man

after so much time?

Heart.

Jackie was all heart.

You know, um, some years ago when I heard

that she was marrying a man of your position,

I felt so relieved to think that,

well, if nothing else, she would be safe.

Don't get me wrong.

I don't blame you.

But at the same time, you can't blame me

for wondering about her kids

and about their safety.

You hear what I'm saying?

Loud and clear.

But you don't have to worry about anything, Addison.

Don't have to worry about a thing.

Not now, not ever.

You just take care of you, like always.

And Jackie didn't write to you,

by the way-- let's get that straight.

Jackie would write notes on those cards

to old friends,

to people that she cared about, but not to you.

Hell, even our trash collector

got a more personal card than you got.

It still came.

She reached out.

Maybe because she wanted you to see

what she accomplished without you, in spite of you.

You got regrets, that's on you.

But it's not up to me and my kids to make 'em go away.

Ain't that the truth.

I apologize, Leon.

You have yourself a happy holiday.

[sighs] I don't get it.

Now the bacterium is causing lesions on the kids' skin.

[Jimmy grunts]

Obviously, Grunfeld died before they could form on him.

'Cause Ducky only found the early stages.

Haven't pulled an all-nighter since college, Abby.

You up for it?

It's not like we have a choice.

But you do. Go home.

You have a meeting with your birth mother tomorrow.

No, not anymore. I'm canceling.

What?! No!

We've been rushing things anyway.

No, you haven't.

Forget about my kid, Abby.

All right, what about these kids?

I'm not leaving.

Not till we figure this out.

McGEE: Okay...

All right...

Okay...

[sighs] 34.[sighs]

Thanks.

Boss, number's up to 34 sick kids

at eight different hospitals from Portsmouth to Baltimore.

And they're all getting worse.

These families had to have come in contact

with each other at some point.

We followed up with everyone here.

Uh, some acquaintances but no close friends.

Most of the kids attend different schools.

There's barely any crossover.

Any word from DiNozzo?

He's still at Washington General.

Let me check in with him.

I'll be right back.

Excuse me, uh, Lieutenant?

Mrs. Daly?

I wanted to apologize for yesterday.

I... I didn't mean to make matters worse.

You didn't.

Tim told us how badly you felt, and... please, we...

we know everyone is just doing the best that they can.

[sighs]

Well, in that case,

uh, do you mind if I tell you something?

It's about smallpox.

Are you sure we want to hear this? And, uh,

measles and polio,

diphtheria, rinderpest, hookworm,

rubella and probably a few others I'm forgetting.

What about them?

These are all diseases

that no one knew how to cure at one time.

But now they're gone...

eradicated, just like this thing's gonna be.

Statistics are on Emma's side.

[laughs gently]

[sniffles]

[laughs gently]

Thank you.

Feel better?

Yeah.

Where's everybody going?

I believe they're sending nonmedical personnel home.

Friends of Abby's?

I think the technical term is Santa's Helpers.

BISHOP: Candy stripers.

Volunteers. We saw them here yesterday.

Oh, I know that look.

[yawns]

Have you been working all night?

[clears throat]

Yes, Director. Morning.

BISHOP: Morning, sir.

I've got Navy Ensign Dorothy Williams.

Volunteered at the Annapolis party four days ago.

Williams at Annapolis. Check.

Hey. You're in early.

Yeah. Couldn't sleep. What's all this?

Looking for patient zero.

We're cross-checking volunteers

at all military base holiday parties.

BISHOP: Turns out 27 of our afflicted kids

attended at least one of them in the last week.

I got Petty Officer Mike Russo.

Volunteered at the Navy Yard party three days ago.

McGEE: Russo at the Navy Yard. Check.

Are they all military personnel?Don't have to be. Could be anyone.

Caterers, Santa's Helpers, guy blowing up the balloons.

Any progress on the diagnosis?

About to check with Abby.No, that's okay.

I'll go. You keep at it.

Can't say you're not thorough, Gibbs.

Hey, Leon.

You ever heard of a Hail Mary?

VANCE: Morning.

How's everybody holding up?

My office just sent these.

The lesions have started turning purple, which narrows down

the search a bit but not enough.

ABBY: Not yet anyways 'cause we're not done.

I am so not having kids.

Okay, Jimmy, that does it.

Excuse us, Director,

but something has gotten into Mr. Palmer,

and I would like to get it out now.

Well, don't let me interfere.

Abby, listen...No, you listen.

You know what's infectious

during the holidays? Optimism.

Optimism is infectious.

Optimism and...

joy... uh, joy and-and...Kindness.

kindness.

CAROL: Courtesy.And charity.

Generosity.

And gratitude.

Selflessness.

Compassion.

CAROL: Forgiveness.

ABBY: Oh, forgiveness is huge.

CAROL: Kindness.

You already said kindness.

I like kindness.

And faith,

Jimmy. Faith.

Faith is infectious.

Life isn't always perfect,

you know? But sometimes things

work out for the best if you just have faith.

[clears throat] Okay, Abby.

Okay.

Okay. Where were we?

We were... Well, you were...

As you were.

I'll have some fresh coffee sent down.

And some no-bean caffeine, please?

GIBBS [over speaker]: Abby.

Gibbs, don't sneak up on me like that.

Is there any chance that this bacteria

came from Africa?

Africa?

If it's specific to Africa,

that would help explain why we're having

so much trouble finding it.

Why, Gibbs? Who's from Africa?

Possible patient zero.

Otherwise known as Santa Claus.

Santa Claus? Santa Claus?Santa Claus?

Also otherwise known

as Marine Captain Louis Boggs.

Guy's played Santa Claus at military base parties for years.

Recently returned from a special operation in the Congo.

The Congo?And he's the only person

who's been to every military holiday party

in the last few weeks.Which means he's come in contact

with nearly every kid at every party.

What we don't know is how he came in contact with Grunfeld.

Yes, we do.

I knew I'd seen a red suit

go over Grunfeld's counter.

This is from a week ago.

Isn't that Boggs?Yeah.

All right, find him. Get him quarantined

till somebody figures out what he's got.

That somebody is about to be us, Gibbs.

Abbs, the Congo gets us closer?

Congo gets us there, Gibbs.

I got it.

Meningococcal A.

"A" as in Africa. See? You'd never find that here.

Which is why we couldn't find it before.

Can it be treated?

Yeah, with the right antibiotic, sure.

Call the hospitals.

ABBY: Call everybody!

Great job, everybody.

♪

Hi, Daddy.

Hi, honey.

♪

...so excited about it.

I am. I am. I am. I am.

♪

Jared, Kayla,

this is the man that I told you about.

Mr. Addison.

Your mother's father.

Your grandfather.

♪

♪

Thank you.

McGEE: Time for a long winter's nap.

I'll grab mine on the red-eye.

Oh, that's right.

Oklahoma time.

Family time.

Amen to that.[chuckles]

My husband's meeting me at the airport.

You need a ride?Oh, no, I'll just...

I was gonna grab a cab.Nonsense.

Me and Mr. McGee are just heading out

for a little cocktail.

We'll drop you off on the way.

I never agreed to a cocktail.

I never asked.

Eggnog, Ebenezer?

No. Go on. See you tomorrow.

Bah, humbug.

Night, boss.

McGEE: What part of "long winter's nap" do you not understand?

TONY: One little McToddy won't hurt you.

I, uh... I almost forgot.

Since Tony said you like cinnamon,

I thought...

you might want to try my mom's coffee cake.

It always makes me so happy and, well,

we all deserve to be happy, Gibbs.

Especially this time of year.

Anyway...

merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas to you, Bishop.

♪

♪

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