"A Broken Man (Chapters 1, 2, 3, & 4)"
"A Broken Man"
Chapter One (Late Night At The Office) ---
Kate sat behind her desk in the squad room at NCIS. True, it was late, and normally she would be at home watching after-dinner TV with Gibbs, or soaking in the tub, or maybe even reading a good book by lamp light; but tonight was different. Hell lots of nights were different now. It was nights like these that Kate figured it was best to just spend the night at work so that Gibbs could have time to cool off at home.
Gibbs used to be the kindest, gentlest, probably the quietest, and most loving man she'd never known, but ever since the accident--he had changed. The usually quiet silver-haired fox that she had fallen in love with 2 years ago--was now prone to loud, violent outbursts that could take place at any given time. The doctors' had all said that there was no visible damage to his brain in anyway, shape, or form that they could detect, so there was no clear scientific explanation for his behavior--at all.
Kate shuffled through yet another stack of papers, double-checking for any errors, before filing them with the rest of the case report. Once her current task was completed she locked the manila file folder in her bottom-left desk drawer. She'd already finished three other reports just like that this particular night. She rubbed her eyes wearily underneath the dim light of her dask lamp.
She checked her watch, and found that it was twenty-five minutes passed the hour of ten. "It's been at least three hours," she thought to herself. "If he hasn't cooled off by now, he never we'll." She stood, gathered up her purse, sidearm, and badge, and then turned out her desk lamp. She headed for the elevator and the parking garage.
She slapped the button for the parking garage, and leaned back against the wall to enjoy the ride down. Kate could not remember, for the life of her, what it was that she and Gibbs had fought about this time. Of course she never could remember what they fought about--ever.
When the elevator finally pinged on the garage floor she stepped out, and headed quickly to her black mustang. She stood in front of the driver-side door searching her key ring for the car key. Her eyes fell upon the reflection of herself in the window. "Was it possible that Gibbs was just getting tired of her." No, impossible. She banished that thought from her mind almost immediately, and having successfully unlocked the car door slid inside and started the engine.
Chapter Two (Fast Asleep) ---
Kate slipped in through the front door as quietly as she could. She did not want Gibbs to know she was home--not yet anyway. So far there were no lights on anywhere that she could see from the front foyer--except for the one that she had just turned on. The house was relatively quiet, at least for the moment. She removed her shoe and left them sitting near the front door just as she always did, and then hung her coat up on the coat rack on the right-hand side of the door.
She tip-toed quietly down the short hallway that led into the living room. Much to her dismay Gibbs was long passed out on the living room sofa next to a bottle of Jack which sat on the coffee table beside him. "Damn it Gibbs," Kate swore under her breath, as she swiped up the nearly empty whiskey bottle. "Are you trying to kill yourself?"
Holding the bottle under one arm she made her way into the kitchen where she emptied the rest of the horrid liquid down the drain--as she always did--and then tossed it into the trash can on her way back out.
She pulled a blanket from the laundry room linen closet and carried it back with her into the living room. She gently covered up the slumbering man so that he wouldn't get cold during the night. Kate kissed her slumbering lover tenderly on the cheek before departing for her bedroom upstairs.
Chapter Three (Self-Inflicted Wounds) ---
Kate slept, for the most part, soundly through the night even with the occassional getting up to pee. She awoke with the morning sun streaming in through the room's big, double windows. She sat up and stretched as she always did in the morning, and then it was off to wash up, brush her teeth, and pee--again.
Downstairs, Gibbs had also begun to stir from his place on the living room sofa. Sunlight peeked in through the window just above the sofa, and invaded his alcohol-induced sleep. "Oh Jesus," Gibbs muttered as he rolled over to one side in a feeble attempt to escape the cruel sunlight. "Shut off the damned lights," he cursed the morning. He grabbed one of the sofa cushions and tried to hide behind it, but to no avail.
Kate rinsed her mouth out, and then tossed her toothbrush into the small cup on the back edge of the sink. :"Gibbs'll probably like some coffee this morning, especially after the night he had." Kate thought to herself as she exited the bathroom.
THUD! CRASH! Came the loud thunderous sounds from downstairs. "Gibbs," Kate breathed in horror, as the sound reached her ears. She quickly raced down the stairs and into the living room. There she found Gibbs lying on the floor slowly crawling towards his wheelchair which she had moved out of the way when she'd come in last night.
The coffee table had knocked over on its side and there were glass shards everywhere, probably from the glass candle holder she kept there.
"Here let me help you." she offered, reaching his side and bending down to help him up. "Don't touch me," he hissed at her. Kate backed up a little bit, and stared at him. He had blood trickling down his forehead, probably from smashing into the coffee table on the way down. "I can do this on my own," he said angrily, his face beginning to turn red from the physical strain of pulling himself along.
"Damn it Gibbs," Kate swore loudly. She grabbed the wheelchair and pulled it closer to him. "Just let me help you!" she growled angrily, as she helped him pull himself up into the wheelchair.
"There," she sighed at last. "Now let me get something to clean up that nasty cut." she said as she hurried to retreve the *First-Aid Kit* from underneath the kitchen sink.
She sat on the sofa in front of him and carefully doctored his newly, self-inflicted wound. "There, all better," she said sweetly, kissing the bandaged wound gently. The pair looked into each other's eyes for a moment as they sat there together. "I noticed that you were drinking again last night," Kate said softly, holding one of her lover's hands in hers. "So what if I was?" Gibbs answered coldly, rubbing his blood-shot eyes with his free hand.
"I thought we talked about that," she continued, caressing Gibbs' hand tenderly. "We did." he replied plainly, breaking eye contact with Kate. "No, look at me." she said softly, reaching out to his head back towards her. Gibbs just swatted her hand away from his face like it was a fly. Kate thought for a moment, tilting her head slightly to one side, until a playful smile crossed her lips. "Oh, I know what'll cheer you up," she said with a giggle, tapping one side of her lover's nose, gently, with a lone finger. "Fresh coffee," she said, licking her lips with a grin. Gibbs rolled his eyes at Kate as she stood to leave.
She stowed the first aid kit back under the kitchen sink, and then set to work on brewing some fresh coffee.
From the living room Gibbs watched Kate in action. "God she's beautiful," he thought to himself. He remembered, vividly, what it was like the first two years that they had been together. It had simply wonderful--magical even. Back then they knew each other's bodies inside and out like the backs' of their own hands. Being with Kate had made him the happiest man alive, he'd always said, and he had not felt that way since his first love Shannon.
"Now look at me," he whispered under his breath, as he looked the lifeless half of his body over once, and then twice for good measure. "I've been reduced to only half a man." The accident 8 months ago had left him paralyzed from the waist down. he still had spontaneous flashes--images and clips really--from the night of the accident. His navy blue camry had been T-Boned while crossing a 4-way intersection by a drunk driver in a pick-up truck.
He had left work that night, and was on his way to meet Kate at the restaurant where they were supposed to have dinner. That night was supposed to have been special. It was the night he had planned to ask Kate to marry him; but all of that was just a dream now. No way she'd ever marry a man who qualified as *Damaged Goods*. He had kept the ring he gotten her though, he kept it with him at all times, as a constant reminder of *What Could Have Been*.
And sitting there just then, watching the woman he loved more than life itself prance around the kitchen like a fairy princess, his re-hardened heart of stone melted once more. Gibbs shook his head in disgust. "I have been such an ass," he thought to himself, angrily. "She doesn't deserve to be treated the way I treat her." "I should do something nice for her." he thought to himself, scratching his chin as he sat in deep thought.
Chapter Four (Something Nice For A Change) ---
Later, at work...
Kate sat at her desk in the squad room talking on the phone, attempting to get the Director of the FBI to give her and her team just a little bit more time on the case that they were currently working before the FBI completely took it over. "I know but if you'll just give me-" he said quickly into the phone. "Hello? Hello?" "Self-Righteous Bastard," Kate swore as she slammed her desk phone back down onto its base. They had hung up on her. She looked across the bullpen to Gibbs' empty desk. Being temporary team leader was okay, but she really missed working under Gibbs, and she knew that the rest of the team missed him as well.
She rubbed her forehead, closing her eyes, and taking a deep, calming breath, as she leaned back in her chair. The phone rang suddenly, and it startled her a little bit, but she finally answered it.
"Hello!?" she answered it rather harshly. "Oh, hi Gibbs. Sorry about that I--no, I know, never say you're sorry--I got it." she said, her cheeks flushing red with embarrasment.
At that moment Tony came strolling around the corner, manila folder held under one arm. "Oh hi there Kate, watcha up-" the young man started to say, but was given the *Hand* by her acting boss. "Well fine then," he said, rolling his eyes, with a playful grin. "Be mean and nasty then--albeit it's not a very good look on you Kate." he said with a childish chuckle. Kate frowned up at Tony. Tony just laughed as he headed for his own desk.
Gibbs sat in his wheelchair, phone to his ear, pulling on a pair of socks as he talked with Kate. "Listen Kate, I was wondering if you might have lunch with me today?" he asked, nervously. "I mean if you're not too busy, that is."
Kate smiled, even though she knew Gibbs couldn't see her through the phone. "I'd love to Gibbs," she said sweetly, rocking back in her chair a little bit. "How do you plan to get here?" she asked, chewing on a piece of her hair.
Gibbs had just finished pulling on his second sock and was working on putting his shoes on next. "I've already talked to Ducky," Gibbs said into the phone. "He's agreed to pick me up and bring me up there." he explained.
"Oh, good." Kate replied, with a giggle. Tony leaned forward on his desk, hoping to pick up some juicy tidbits from Kate's phone conversation. "Is that Gibbs?" he asked, from across the bullpen. Kate gave him the hand once more not wishing to listen to the immature special agent right then. "Okay, see you then. I love you." Kate said, sweetly, nearly kissing the phone.
Gibbs swallowed a hard lump in his throat. "Yeah, bye." he said quickly, and then hung up. He drew in a deep breath, and then let it back out again as he sat there.
Kate looked at the phone in her hands, with a weird look. "Gibbs?" she said into the phone, but that's when she heard the dialtone kick up so she hung up as well. "Weird." she muttered to herself.
"Gibbs hunh?" Tony said from across the bullpen, a childish grin plastered across his face.
"Huh,oh yeah," Kate replied.
"Something wrong?" he asked, seeing the look on Kate's face. Kate thought about it for a short moment and then answered. "Its-its nothing." she said shaking her head. And she hoped with all that she was that she was right.
......To Be Continued......
Author's Chapter Notes:
This is a 'Kibbs' story. I moved the already existing story to here, in order to avoid some confusion over where it was placed before hand.