A/N â€" Hey guys, sorry for the long wait, especially seeing as we left this chapter on a cliff hanger â€" yeah I know we’re evil. I turned 30 yesterday so have been celebrating with family and really haven’t had a change to write. I just have a couple of things I would like to mention:
Public apology to my friend and co-writer Alisa, last chapter I got so wrapped up in typing the story I mis-spelled her name (doh!!) - Alisa, I’m sorry and it won’t happen again.
Alisa has worked really hard alongside me and without her this story wouldn’t be where it is. We have decided to give you the option of sending her an email to let her know how much you are enjoying the story. Her email address is neely alisa at yahoo .com (remove spaces and change 'at' to the to the symbol for it) I know for a fact that she would love to hear from you guys, we are forwarding any replies to each other because there has been so much hard work from both parties that has gone into writing this.
Ok, that’s all folks, as always we have no medical know how, just a love of writing. All our knowledge has come from good old Google so if ya do happen to be in the medical profession then sorry but Google only provides so much info.
Anyway, Enjoy and don’t forget to push that little button at the end to let us know what you think.
****************NCIS****************
Tim stood in MTAC watching the drama unfold, his eyes transfixed on the paramedics that were currently tending to Jethro. Exactly fifteen minutes had passed since Jethro had been shot and fifteen minutes since Tim’s world got completely turned upside down, if you asked Tim what he actually remembered of that fifteen minutes then the only reply he would give was that he remembered feeling numb.
The world seemed to grey around him and he felt the guilt engulf him as the shame of not spotting the unsub sooner laid heavily on his heart. He was rooted to the spot completely engrossed inthe drama in front of him and didn’t hear the door opening, only to be startled out his thoughts by an angry voice echoing through the room.
‘Special Agent Mcgee you better have a damn good reason for being in here, may I remind you of the terms you agreed to’
Tim turned slowly, the words barely registering in his confused mind and came face to face with Director Vance. The Director moved down towards Tim and followed his subordinates gaze as it slowly flitted back to the screen, what he saw sparked a wave of concern that no one thought possible from the normally steely man. He turned back to Tim, his voice softening as he recognised the early symptoms of emotional shock.
‘McGee......Tim...... What the hell happened, you care to tell me exactly why one of my Agents is being tended to by paramedics?’
Tim was watching intently as the first ambulance pulled away taking the Victim to Bethesda to be checked out, the paramedics were currently loading Jethro into the second ready to take him away for the medical help he so desperately needed. He turned his head towards the Director and watched as the man he had started to hate so many months ago moved towards the screen, his frown betraying his stoicism.
‘Jethro, he’s er........he’s....Oh god, he’s been shot. I need to get to Bethesda’
Tim pulled the headset off and threw it unceremoniously to the ground before rushing up the steps, his actions making the director tear after him.
‘McGee’
Tim couldn’t stop and he soon found himself darting down the stairs to the bullpen to grab his bag. He stumbled slightly on the last step when a firm hand wrapped around his bicep and whipped him round.
‘Director, I’ve got to go....Shit.......Jethro.........’
Somehow Tim managed to pull his arm free and started pacing as panic took hold, his heart beating so fast it felt as though it was trying to push its way through his chest.
‘No, this isn’t happening. The vest would have stopped the bullet or the bullet missed completely and he......he.........oh my god, what the hell am I going to do?’
Vance reached out and grabbed Tim’s shoulders to try to ground his agent knowing damn well the effects of emotional trauma on a person, what he wasn’t sure about was how it would effect a person who was currently six and a half months pregnant.
‘Tim listen to me, you need to calm down if not for yourself then for the baby. We don’t know the situation so how about I drive you to the hospital, we can kill two birds with one stone and I can get a sitrep from DiNozzo’
Tim eyed Vance suspiciously, when he had heard the director’s voice booming across MTAC he had expected the man to ream him a new asshole over the whole situation, especially seeing as his Supervisory Special Agent was currently injured in the line of duty. This compassion threw him and did nothing but increase helplessness that he was feeling.
‘What............um...........I don’t kno....... no, I’ll go down to Ducky and he can.......’
‘What exactly don’t you know Special Agent McGee? I passed Dr Mallard and Miss Sciuto on my way into the yard so if you want to get to Bethesda then this is your only option because I will not let you drive’
Tim felt a sharp tug on his arm as the director practically frogmarched Tim towards the elevator, only stopping to reach down and grab Tim’s bag. He felt Tim’s arm start to quake beneath his hand and slowed down slightly, his worry now turning towards his young vulnerable agent, his prejudice pushed to the side as the two me made their way slowly to the car.
****************NCIS****************
Tony was sat with his arm around Abby; his hand absently stroking her arm as her head rested lightly on his chest. Tony barely noticed the wet patch on his Armani shirt as Abby’s tears fell onto it, the dark patch on the plush charcoal grey cotton darkening with every teardrop.
He had spent the last half hour trying to figure out how it all went bad so quickly, one minute he was trying to calm the victim and the next thing he remembered was kneeling down to his boss trying to stem the steady flow of blood that was streaming out of the wound in his shoulder.
He let his eyes roam he room and watched as Hotch talked to one of the Doctors at the nurse’s station, presumably trying to get the green light to see the young woman who had come so close to becoming the next victim of the horrific serial killer.
Tony hadn’t realised he was staring and blinked before letting his eyes continue with their roaming, his gaze falling on the person standing in the doorway talking on his cell phone quietly before letting them drop slowly to the floor. HE didn’t know how long he had been sat there before Tim arrived, the arrival being heralded by Ducky’s solemn voice.
‘Ahh Timothy my dear boy, how are you holding up?’
Ducky’s eagle eyes started to visually examine Tim and took in the young man’s pale, clammy face. His thought pattern was disrupted by Tim’s small voice as it broke the silence that had fallen on his arrival.
‘Ducky, how’s Jethro?I need to know that J is ok’
Tim’s breath caught in his throat as he tried to push down the tears that were threatening and he swayed slightly as dizziness suddenly assaulted him making him sway slightly. Ducky reached out steadying arms and guided him towards one of the hard chairs in the waiting room.
‘We don’t know anything yet Timothy, please sit down and let me have a look at you’
Tim sat in one of the chairs and let the ME take his pulse, he was too lost in his own grief to notice Ducky frowning at the small pulsating throb beating too quickly beneath his fingers, and missed the dark look he gave to Ziva, nodding his head slightly towards the nurse’s station to signal the need for medical assistance.
Ziva left the room and Ducky turned his attention back to Tim.
‘Timothy, I want you to get checked by a doctor, I want to make sure there are no lasting effects from your episode last night and the shock you received today’
Tim stood up suddenly and resumed the pacing he had started in the bullpen.
‘I’m fine Ducky, please; I just need to know Jethro is ok. Ducky he’s ok right, he’s going to be fi.........’
Timothy felt a sharp stabbing pain in his abdomen and doubled over, his hand automatically resting over the source of the pain. He panted harshly and looked up at Ducky.
‘Something’s wrong Duck, get a doc...........’
Tim’s knees buckled as the world greyed around him and he barely felt Tony catch him as he fell completely into oblivion.
****************NCIS****************
‘.....worry Dr Mallard, the baby is fine. He’s in shock which caused his blood pressure to drop rapidly; this is what caused the fainting attack. We have done a complete exam and the good news is he isn’t in pre-term labour but we’re going to admit Mr McGee overnight to keep an eye on him in case of any complications’
The first thing Tim noticed was the familiar ‘whoosh, whoosh, whoosh’ of a foetal heartbeat and melted slightly as the sound of his son’s heartbeat pushed its way into his semi-unconscious mind. He woke up slowly and squinted at the harsh lights of the Emergency room, watching through blurry eyes as the doctor talked to Ducky. Tim managed to catch snapshots of the conversation and started to frown when he heard the words ‘admit’ and ‘observation’, surely he wasn’t the reason Ducky was here, there had to be another reason...............
Ducky’s focus was broken when Tim’s hand moved towards the foetal monitor that had been fitted to monitor the baby’s heartbeat.
‘Ahh Timothy, welcome back. No leave that alone for now’
‘What happened, is he ok?’
The ER doctor’s voice was gentle and silky, her warm bedside manner making Tim relax slightly.
‘May I call you Tim’
She waited for the slight nod of ascent and picked up Tim’s chart to note the readings on the monitors.
‘Ok, Tim the baby is doing well and there doesn’t seem to be any lingering effects from the shock you presented with. I believe you experienced a particularly bad Braxton hicks contraction and your blood pressure bottomed out. We now have that under control and are going to be keeping you overnight for observation but there is no reason why you can’t carry on as normal after a week or so of rest. An orderly will be in shortly to take you up to your room’
She waited for the slight nod of understanding and pulled the curtain back slightly.
‘Oh Tim, I’ve asked Dr Mallard here to update you on Mr Gibbs’ condition. It there is anything you don’t understand then please don’t hesitate to ask’
Tim looked at the Doctor, he was completely confused as his still muddy mind tried to process her last statement, his mind cleared and the memories of his traumatic afternoon flooded in.
‘Jethro. Oh god Ducky, Jethro’s hurt’
Ducky rushed over to his friend and started to brush the soft sandy hair away from his forehead, the soothing motion’s calming Tim slowly before panic set in again.
‘Timothy I need you to listen to me. Now, Jethro is going to be ok, they will be taking him down for surgery in the morning to remove the bullet and repair the muscle damage. Luckily it missed anything vital so he will recover completely in time’
Tim half sobbed with relief and let his head drop back to the pillows as exhaustion started to set in.
‘Why was he unconscious?’
Tim’s tired green eyes gazed intently at Ducky as he tried to get the answers he so desperately needed.
‘Ah well, that was an unfortunate occurrence, you see, the yard was littered with debris and Jethro hit his head on a broken brick when he fell. He has a grade two concussion which is why they can’t remove the bullet tonight’
Tim nodded and closed his eyes briefly, there were so many unanswered questions running through his mind making it difficult for him to relax.
‘How did the bullet get through the vest Ducky, that’s not right, it shouldn’t have pierced it’
Ducky frowned at the thought, he had no idea how the bullet managed to penetrate the body armour and shuddered slightly at the thought of such a powerful weapon being used against the people he now called family.
‘I don’t know Timothy, I just don’t know. As soon as we have the bullet then Abigail can run the ballistics. For now dear boy you have to rest’
He placed his hand gently on Tim’s bump above the monitor and smiled gently as the baby tried to kick it away.
‘This young man didn’t take too kindly to his father being in shock I’m afraid and you are going to be no good to Jethro if you are both in trouble’
Tim nodded and rubbed his hand over his abdomen.
‘It’s going to be ok though isn’t it, I mean the pain I felt...I know what the doctor said but...she’s certain I’m not in labour’
Ducky smiled warmly and moved his hand to rest over Tim’s.
‘No Tim, it’s not time for this little boy to make an appearance. As the good Doctor said, it was a rather strong Braxton hicks contraction bought on by the stress. As you can hear his heart beat is strong so there’s no sign of distress. Now, they’ll be here soon to move you to a room soon so please try to get as much rest as you can’
Tim fought to keep his eyes open but lost the battle completely when Ducky resumed his ministrations and gently carded his hand through Tim’s hair.
****************NCIS****************
Morgan stood leaning against the door jamb rubbing his eyes. Jesus it had been a long day and the fact that the team was currently being grilled by their Director wasn’t helping the tension levels that seemed to be raising with every passing second.
‘Agent DiNozzo that doesn’t explain how one of my agents is currently waiting for a bullet to be removed from his shoulder. Why wasn’t the fire escape covered?’
Morgan moved his hand down and placed it in his pocket letting his tired eyes drift over to Tony as the exchange took place.
‘It was covered Director, or at least we thought it was. Special Agents Prentiss and Rossi were covering the outside of the building’
Morgan moved into the centre of the room feeling the need to jump in.
‘Sir, Prentiss and Rossi were distracted by a disturbance across the street, something we are now looking into because we think it may have been a diversionary tactic’
Vance nodded and stood abruptly making Abby jump slightly in her seat.
‘Ok. Agent DiNozzo seeing as you are now the Senior agent I would like to make it clear that you are now in charge of your team, I’ll inform Agent Hotchner and will make it clear he now reports to you until Gibbs is deemed fit for duty. Ms David, I expect you and Agent McGee to follow Agent DiNozzo’s instructions to the letter do I make myself clear’
Ziva scowled briefly before schooling her expression into a neutral one that even the profilers struggled to read.
‘Crystal Director’
‘Good, DiNozzo, I expect a full report on today’s events on my desk by the end of the day tomorrow’
With that he stormed out of the waiting room leaving everyone feeling even more deflated and upset by the day’s events. Tony sighed and looked up; his eye’s meeting Morgan’s as the handsome profiler scrutinized his reaction.
‘Hey DiNozzo, how about we go and grab some coffee for everyone?’
Tony nodded and leaned over to kiss Abby gently on the forehead.
‘Hey sweetheart, can I get you anything’
Abby glanced over at him and nodded the movement so slight her pigtails barely moved.
‘Can I have some Tea please Tony?’
‘Sure you can Abb’s; you can have anything you want’
He pulled her in for a quick hug and stood to get the drinks, he was stopped by a small hand wrapping round his wrist.
‘They’re going to be ok aren’t they Tony. I mean Jethro will recover from his injuries but Timmy.........Tony what if something happens to the baby? None of them will ever get over that’
Tony knelt down in front of his Goth and pulled her towards him, he could feel he sobs starting again and started to rub her back as she wept.
‘Hey, McGoo’s going to be fine Abb’s, hell if that baby is as damn stubborn as his Daddy’s then it’s gonna take a lot more than what’s happened to affect him, hell that little guy is a Gibbs/McGee creation, that in itself has gotta make you feel better’
Abby’s sobs were replaced by a soft chuckle as she pulled away giving Tony the chance to stand.
‘Go get everyone something to drink Tony, I think they could do with the pick me up’
He gave her hand a quick squeeze and followed Morgan out into the corridor, walking in complete silence for a while as Tony tried to figure out how he was going to move the case forward and do his boss proud. Morgan nudged Tony slightly with his shoulder to pull his temporary colleague out of his thoughts.
‘You ok, that’s a lot of responsibility. Trust me I know because I’ve been there’.
Tony was silent for a moment, the answer getting lost somewhere in limbo, he knew what had to be done but the memories of leading the team when Gibbs was in Mexico were painful to say the least.
‘Yeah, I mean it’s not like I haven’t been there before. I’m just worried about this case and the way this is going to affect the team’
‘Don’t let it affect them. McGee’s the one you’ll have to watch out for though’.
Tony frowned and glanced over at Morgan, their eyes locking briefly as they walked.
‘In what way, McGee’s always been ok with things, especially since shacking up with the boss’
‘And that’s the reason why Tony, look at it this way, McGee is practically married to your boss and is currently carrying their child, hell they even wear wedding bands’
Morgan watched as Tony’s frown deepened, his eyes following the hand that had started to brush though the perfectly styled hair.
‘Shit, I hadn’t thought about it that way. I guess I was kinda hoping for some kind of reprieve this time round’
‘Don’t start worrying about it, just play it by ear. You know there are people out there who have got your back’
Tony nodded and opened the door to the hospital canteen. He let Morgan go through and placed his hand firmly on his shoulder.
‘Hey, thanks for listening to me’
He smiled softly when Morgan patted his hand gently.
‘Anytime Tony, now what does Abby drink?’
TBC
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Hey guys, Well, here’s another chapter written. I’ve decided to split the hospital scenes over two chapters because it’s getting late and I’ve got an early start in the morning because I’m going to Alton Towers. Sorry for the long wait on the update and hope you all enjoyed.
As always guys, Don’t forget to let me and Alisa know what you all think
Shelbylou x
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.