Seriatim

Moving the mouse and using his keyboard to control the game on his computer screen in the bullpen, Tony quickly answered his phone with his off hand not bothering to look at the caller id. Quickly sticking the phone in between his shoulder and his ear so that he could continue playing while listening, he tersely spoke into the phone. “DiNozzo.”

“Tony, you’ve got to save me.” Abby wailed into his ear.

Pulling the phone away from his ear, Tony paused his game. “What’s the matter, Abs?”

“The assistant the director gave me is an idiot. He can’t even follow directions in seriatim.”

“Do you need me to come down there?”

“If you don’t I may shoot him. Come straight to my office. He’s in the lab somewhere.”

“Abby needs me boss. I’ll be down in her lab.” Tony remarked aloud heading for the elevator.

Tony didn’t see any sign of the assistant as he walked through Abby’s lab. Knocking on the closed door, he announced. “It’s me, Abs.”

“Tony!” Abby wrapped her arms around him in a hug pulling him into her office and closing the door again.

Tony patted her back unsure what to do with the hysterical Abby in his arms. “Abs, calm down. You have to calm down and talk to me, Abs.”

“I gave him instructions. I told him you put chemical 1 here. Put chemical 2 there. Mix chemical 3 into chemical 1 slowly and carefully. Press the button on the machine to finish the mixture.” Abby bemoaned.

Tony made soothing noises and continued patting her back.

“And then he, he, he put chemical 3 where chemical 1 went and tried to mix chemical 2 into chemical 3 and put chemical 1 where chemical 2 went and he almost destroyed my lab. He would have if I hadn’t been watching him.” Abby howled, bawling into Tony’s shirt.

“There, there, Abs. “ Tony spoke comfortingly trying to calm her down, inwardly wondering how long it would take her to calm and when this would end up backfiring on them. “I’m sure it was just a mistake and he’ll do better next time now that you’ve explained what he did wrong.”