After surgery, Sasha and Gibbs are moved into the same ICU ward. Once the nurses have settled them and ensured that all the monitors are in working order, Dr Shore, leads Stacey into the ward.
"We are going to hook Sasha up to a morphine pump. When she wakes up the nurse will ask her a few questions to see how responsive she is and then she will activate the pump. It delivers a measured dose of Morphine every 15 minutes, when pressed." Dr Shore says.
"When do you expect her to wake up?" Stacey asks as she looks down at Sasha's pale face.
"Within the next few hours. If she doesn't respond by morning, it will mean that she's slipped into a coma." Dr Shore says and then she leaves the room. Stacey prays that Sasha will wake up soon as she can't bear the thought of her best friend being in a coma.
In the bed next to Sasha, the nurse monitors Gibbs' vital signs and pulls his covers securely up to his chin. Stacey hears her say, "Just look at how his eyes are moving under his eye lids. He must be having a very vivid dream. But least his vitals are looking stable now." Then the nurse comes over and has a look at Sasha as she connects the morphine pump to Sasha's existing IV line.
I hope that Agent Gibbs is having a dream and not a nightmare, Stacey thinks as she looks down at him. And will you be able to forgive Sasha for what she put all of your through? You'll have to once you hear the whole story. You'll just have to. Stacey thinks.
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Gibbs floats in a realm between consciousness and unconsciousness. In this space his mind flashes a jumble of images and words to him. He sees Shannon and Kelly and his NCIS team. And he also sees Sasha. Words and phrases call out to him from all directions.
Daddy… Don't take too long to wake up. Kelly giggles as she kisses his cheek.
Jethro, my love. Shannon sighs as she hugs him.
On your six Boss, DiNozzo confirms as he moves into position.
Fast boats give an exhilarating ride, Sasha says in a husky voice as she kisses him.
Yes, quite right, Jethro. This reminds me of…, Ducky goes off on a tangent as he taps his chin.
Sasha can't be behind this Gibbs, Kate asserts as she paces restlessly.
No, we can't leave now! Sasha insists as she holds him back.
Sorry Boss, it's exercise induced asthma, McGee admits as he wheezes.
Jethro, yes! Sasha moans in the throes of passion as he makes love to her.
Biodegradable trackers. Abby laughs as she hands the syringe to Ducky.
Gibbs you're going to be okay. Don't you dare pass out, Gibbs! Sasha shouts at him as she frantically caresses his brow.
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As Ducky walks into the room he also notes Gibbs' restless eye movement. The nurse assures Ducky that Gibbs' vital signs are stable and improving. Ducky places a comforting hand on Gibbs shoulder and says, "Dear boy! It breaks my heart to see you like this. Now, we both know that you're a fighter, so you have to fight through this and come back to us."
Ducky's voice penetrates the haze of images and phrases swirling in Gibbs mind.
"Jethro do you remember the time I went to visit my colleague in London. It was during the ME's conference about 5 years ago." Ducky says as he takes a seat next to Gibbs' bed. "That was when I met that lovely professor. What was her name? Ahh yes, Ms Elizabeth Brentham. Yes. She was a really lovely girl. What I never told you was that she and I …well we…" Ducky continues unaware that he is drawing Gibbs out to a semi-conscious state.
At this point Gibbs focuses on Ducky's voice. It is calm and soothing. As Gibbs becomes more aware, he suddenly realizes that he has an obstruction in his throat. He starts to panic as he comes fully awake and violently jerks up from the bed.
"Jethro, Calm down!" Ducky reacts immediately as the nurse pushes Gibbs back down onto the bed. Gibbs looks up at Ducky and it is plain to see the terror and confusion in his eyes.
"He wants the ventilation tube out." The nurse says as she sees Gibbs reaching for the tube with the clear intention of pulling it out. The nurse asks Ducky to hold Gibbs' hands down as she places a surgical cloth on his chest.
"Okay Agent Gibbs, Calm down. I'm going to remove the tube now, but it's going to be uncomfortable. I want you to breathe out slowly as I remove it. Here we go." The nurse says as she pulls the tube out. Gibbs gags as he feels the abrasive tube scratch his throat on it's way out. As soon as the tube is out, the nurse places an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth and instructs him, "Breathe, that's it. No, don't remove it. Just relax and breathe."
"That's it Jethro. You're doing good." Ducky praises from the opposite side of the bed as he releases Gibbs' hands and places a supporting hand on his uninjured shoulder.
As he gets his breathing under control, Gibbs becomes aware of a sharp, stabbing pain in his shoulder. He also realizes that his thigh feels like it's on fire and he groans out involuntarily as he pulls the mask off his face despite the nurses protests.
"What…. Aaaaaahhhhhhh!!!" He groans again.
"He needs something for the pain!" Ducky urges as he sees the nurse rushing around the bed with a syringe in hand. She lifts the bed sheet at Gibbs' left thigh and jabs the needle into the soft flesh of his butt. He groans out at this additional discomfort.
"Agent Gibbs, you should feel the medication take effect shortly. Now let's get that oxygen mask secured." The nurse says as she starts to hook the mask around his face. Through the pain Gibbs indicates to Ducky that he would prefer a nasal canula. Ducky communicates this to the nurse, so she replaces the oxygen mask with the nasal canula. Then she offers Gibbs a sip of water which he drinks thankfully as he tries to sooth his dry, raw throat.
As Gibbs settles back onto the bed, Ducky admonishes him, "Don't do that to us again."
Gibbs looks at Ducky blankly, trying to understand what he is going on about. Just then Abby and McGee walk into the room.
"Gibbs!" Abby shrieks in a hushed voice. "You're awake! Don't do that to us again!" Abby scolds as she kisses his cheek gently.
"Boss, you don't know how good it is to see you awake." McGee sighs in relief.
"What…. What … happened?" Gibbs whispers.
"Jethro that's an exceedingly long story and I think that it can wait until later." Ducky says as he signals Abby and McGee with his eyes.
"Di….Nozzo?" Gibbs asks as he tries to take a deep breath realizing that the pain is now bearable.
"Anthony and Caitlin are both doing well. And you should be very proud of young Timothy here, whose doing an excellent job running this investigation." Ducky replies.
Gibbs looks at McGee and McGee becomes self conscious and turns a bright shade of red as he says, "Just doing my job, Boss."
"Good… you're in… charge." Gibbs murmurs, surprising McGee.
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At the same time Sasha, in her unconscious state, feels like she is trapped in a grey and sinister world. She wants to run but she can't. She's routed to the floor and surrounded by bad men who want to hurt her baby, Jason. These men are faceless and nameless. All Sasha can see of them is the guns and knives in their hands. They want to hurt her and her friends.
Sasha screams, "No!!!" but no sound comes out. Just then Stacey's voice comes to her from a far off place in the darkness.
"Sash, HELP US!!!" But Sasha can't even reply to her. She doesn't know what to do, how to save her friend's
Then Jason asks, "Don't you love me any more? Why are YOU hurting me Aunt Sash?"
"Jason!!!!" Sasha shouts but no sound comes out and then Jason and Stacey's voices fade away. As Sasha sobs in frustration she hears Gibbs' voice shout, "How could you do this to me and my team? How could you KILL us???"
As Sasha reacts to Gibbs words, her world suddenly becomes bathed in a bright, orange light. It's so bright that it hurts her eyes and as she blinks she realizes that she is trapped in this ring of fire surrounded by bad men and hated by Gibbs. The fire snakes and curls all around her, licking at her flesh. She screams as the burning sensation spreads through her whole body and then homes in on her head and thigh.
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In her semi-conscious state Sasha clutches the bed sheets as she balls her fists and involuntarily rolls her head from side to side on the pillow as she moans out in pain.
"Nurse!" Stacey calls out urgently as she sees Sasha's reaction. She grabs onto her hand and feels the strain in Sasha as she squeezes her hand tightly.
Then a blood curdling cry escapes from Sasha's lips as she becomes more aware. She feels like her leg has been hacked off at the thigh. And her head feels like a bulldozer's rammed into it.
"What… who…?" Gibbs asks as he looks over at Sasha just before the nurse closes the curtains around her bed.
"Sasha!!!" Gibbs exclaims as his tenses up, inadvertently intensifying the pain pulsating through his body. The scene from outside the cabin flashes through his mind. Gibbs remembers that Sasha shot the guy who was trying to kill him.
"Jethro, calm down." Ducky says as he sees how tense and agitated Gibbs is becoming as Sasha continues to cry out in unbearable pain.
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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.