Eulogy - Season 1
Yankee White
All of the pieces clicked into place. The target of the attack weren't the two officers who had been killed. "Cover the president." Special Agent Gibbs ordered Secret Service Agent Katlin Todd. With that he turned his back on her expecting her to do her job as he strode purposefully toward the alcove where the weapons were kept.
All of his suspicions were confirmed when he saw the door of the weapons cabinet slightly ajar. Cursing under his breath he opened the door and grabbed a familiar 9mm hand gun and a clip. Shoving the clip home he broke into a jog as he came around the corner and out into the corridor. Aiming the weapon he demanded that the rogue reporter freeze.
"Get your hands in the air."
The reporter cum terrorist turned around slowly. "Sure someone yelled for a doctor." Then all hell broke loose. The terrorist's weapon was set to automatic as it tracked up from the floor to the ceiling leaving a trail of bullet holes in its wake.
Gibbs vision tunneled as he focused completely on his target. He was so focused that he didn't notice the searing pain in his side as he squeezed his finger twice on the trigger. He watched the man fall to the floor. As the suspect sank to the ground Gibbs put a bullet between his eyes for good measure.
Holding his firing position he glanced up from the body on the floor of the plane as Agent Todd returned. "The President is safe," she reported to him.
Relaxing his arms he went to take a step forward and found his vision suddenly swimming and himself going down onto his left knee as intense pain engulfed his entire left side. His grip on the weapon in his right hand was slipping and he heard the clatter of the Glock hitting the ground as if from a distance.
His right hand reached into his jacket and came away bloodied. His left refused to respond to his commands. His body started to list sideways and he found himself staring up into the brown eyes of Agent Todd. For a woman who had called him a bastard not five minutes ago the liquid chocolate pools seemed to be brimming over with concern.
Slowly his ability to inhale air became forced and it felt as if he were trying to breathe underwater. More faces appeared above him as a man in a Navy Captain's uniform and two enlisted corpsman appeared over him.
"Agent put pressure on that wound in his side. Michaels the one in his hip. Keene press down on his shoulder."
As the third set of hands pressed down on the agonizing wounds all Gibbs knew was blackness.
It took twenty minutes before the plane was safely on the ground and another fifteen more to get Gibbs loaded on the medevac for the nearest hospital. All the while blood seemed to be pouring from the wounds that carved a line up his body. The doctor and two corpsmen handed the treatment of their patient over to the EMTs assigned to the helicopter and returned back to Air Force One to see to the health of the President. Meanwhile Agent Todd was left in the chopper to be an extra set of hands to the harried rescue team.
When he started coughing up blood they intubated him mid-flight to keep his airway clear.
Three days later his condition was listed as serious but stable and he hadn't woken up yet. It was nearly one A.M. when he started to rouse fighting the tube in his throat the entire way. Gibbs' actions set of a series of alarms that sent nurses running and stirred Ducky from his fitful slumber in the chair beside his friend's bed.
"Jethro you need to calm down my boy." The soft voice garnered no response as the prone NCIS Agent continued to struggle.
Ducky leaned close to the bed and set his hand upon his friend's head and made direct eye contact. "Jethro. You need to listen to me. Stop struggling. You've been intubated and the pressure in your throat is the tube that's been placed there to keep your airway clear."
The on duty doctor arrived just as the former Marine finally got the message through his slowly firing synapses.
"I'm glad to see your awake. It's a great sign. I'm going to try and take that tube out. It looks like you're breathing fine on your own. I need you to exhale on my count. Nod if you understand."
The neurons were starting to warm up from his three day sleep and Gibbs nodded in response to the command.
The force of the tube being pulled from his throat sent Gibbs into a coughing fit which wracked his whole left side in pain. A cup of ice chips was held to his lips and he gratefully took them into his mouth savoring the moisture.
"Now look what you've done Jethro." Ducky was looking in dismay at the bandages that were now spotted with blood.
The doctor ordered the nurse to get materials together for re-bandaging. She returned a few minutes later with the appropriate kits. The doctor administered something to Gibbs' IV. "This will keep the pain levels down while your bandages are being changed. Let me know if your pain levels increase at all. I'll be back after the bandages are clean."
He strode out of the room before Gibbs could protest the use of Morphine. His head started to swim and he got the barest glance of his bare chest as his gown was removed and the sheet turned down. The wounds near his shoulder and mid-chest stood out as long lines of neat stitches. The one near his shoulder, through his pectoral muscle was weeping a trail of blood. He gave up fighting the drug and allowed it to drag him into oblivion.
The following day his senior field agent was sitting in the chair near his bed when he awoke.
"Good to have you back Boss." Tony beamed at him from the over the bed's rails. "How're you feeling?"
"Like I've been shot DiNozzo. What the hell happened?" His voice came out in a weak croak and Gibbs scowled at the coarse sound. Apparently having the tube that had taken up residence in his esophagus for three days yanked out didn't do much for his vocal cords.
DiNozzo placed a cup of ice chips into his right hand and lifted the head of the bed enough to make it easy for him to swallow. Gibbs tried to hide the grimace of pain that was a result of the trail of fire shooting up from his left hip to the wound in his side as he was forced to bend near the site of the injuries.
"You got the bad guy boss but not before he got you. All of the shots were through-and-through. Abby dug the slugs out of the wall in Air Force One if you want them." Gibbs merely glared and continued to eat the ice chips slowly letting the cool wetness quench the desert that his throat had become over the last few days.
"Anyway Boss, the case got handed over to the FBI. The director didn't put up much of a fight said something about manpower and told us to move on. The Agent chick turned in her resignation apparently couldn't stand breaking rule #12"
That last bit of information startled him. "Give her a call. Get her in here DiNozzo."
"Sure Boss."
"Now DiNozzo."
Tony jumped, "Right Boss." He scooted out of the room to place the call.
The following day she was sitting in the hard plastic chair.
"I heard you quit Agent Todd." His voice was getting stronger. It didn't hurt to speak any longer and sitting semi-upright only caused a dull throb in his side now.
"Happy news gets around fast. Yes I resigned. It was the right thing to do."
"Yep. You pull that crap at NCIS and you won't have the chance to resign. I'll fire you."
"Is that a job offer?"
"It's the only one you'll get in Washington."
A knock sounded at the door. And the nurse entered with supplies to rebandage Gibbs' wounds.
"Time for your wound check Mr. Gibbs. Ma'am if you could please step out of the room."
Katlin Todd stood up.
"I'll see you in a few weeks Agent Todd. I expect you to have been sworn in and have your firearms evaluations completed. You're with NCIS now."
With that the nurse shooed the stunned woman from the room. Maybe things were looking up she mused.