The next morning everyone is up early as breakfast is served at 6am. Gibbs and Sasha exchange heated glances when they think no one in watching. Sasha also keeps an eye out for the kidnapper and notices that he's not there. He must have left early to get a head start on things. I have to do something. I can't let him kill Stacey and Jason, and there is no way I'm going to let him get to Jethro and these agents. Sasha reinforces the decision she made the previous night.
As soon as breakfast is concluded, they grab their backpacks and start on the hiking trail. Kate and Tony take the lead followed by McGee with Gibbs and Sasha taking the rear. As Tony, Kate and McGee round a corner a few yards ahead of Gibbs and Sasha, Gibbs takes Sasha's hand and pulls her close. She is surprised but welcomes the contact.
"Good morning." Gibbs grins as he lowers his lips to hers and kisses her sincerely. Sasha responds with a soft sigh and wraps her arms around his neck. They kiss deeply, caressing and sucking on each other's tongues. As they break apart, both of them are a bit out of breath but grinning.
"I have been waiting to do that all morning." Gibbs whispers as he hugs Sasha close.
Sasha smiles as she pecks him on the cheek and says, "Feel free to do that again as I could really get use to it. But we better get moving before your agents come back looking for us." Sasha grins as she pecks him again on the lips and then hand in hand they make there way forward on the trail.
They walk in amiable silence for the next few hours, stopping to observe the flowers and birds along the way and making sure not to be holding hands and kissing when the other agents look back at them. Neither of them is ready for the others to learn about their feeling. Hell, they themselves are not sure about these feeling.
Gibbs also notices Sasha looking around them constantly as if she is looking for someone. When he asks her about it, all she says is that she is admiring the scenery and being out in the fresh air. Internally Sasha is wondering when the kidnapper will make his move. The more Sasha looks around the more vigilant Gibbs becomes. He can sense that she is waiting for something to happen but he decides not to ask her about it as he doesn't want to rock the delicate truce between them. He is just glad that he has strapped his backup pistol to his ankle just in case something does happen.
Kate and Tony keep to a steady pace and exchange pleasant banter. Then Tony looks back at McGee who is lagging behind and notices Gibbs and Sasha. He stops stunned for a second.
"Now what, Tony?" Kate asks as she too looks back past McGee.
"Wow, did I just see what I think I saw?" Kate asks as she looks at Tony.
"Well that depends on what you think you saw." Tony says as he quickly looks away and starts walking again.
"I saw Gibbs holding Sasha's hand and smiling at her." Kate replies as she rushes to Tony's side.
"Yep, that's about the same thing that I saw, after I saw Gibbs kiss Sasha." Tony grins as Kate's jaw drops open. "Gibbs is a sly one, pretending to be angry and put out by the Lt and then holding hands and …."
"Tony, it's none of our business." Kate interrupts as she recovers herself.
"Of course it's our business. He's our Boss and we need to protect him." Tony says.
"Protect him from what?" Kate questions as she wonders what Tony is getting at. "Oh, I get it. You just can't believe that she prefers Gibbs to you." Kate laughs.
McGee frowns as he catches up to them and says, "Well I know that I'm not as fast as you two, but that doesn't mean that you have to laugh at me."
Tony and Kate look at each other and than at McGee before bursting out laughing all over again. McGee becomes infuriated and decides I'll show you. I can keep up with you. In fact I can go faster than you. That decided he takes of ahead of them. As they see Gibbs and Sasha gaining on them, and Gibbs glaring at them, Tony and Kate also take off.
As the trail starts to become steep and strenuous, McGee continues to push himself and soon he feels like he just can't recover his breath. He feels an acute tightness in his chest and starts wheezing. I will not have an attack now. Not now. I will not be the butt of their jokes again. McGee thinks as he pushes himself harder to reach the next plateau. It's just up ahead. I can do this. McGee urges himself as he starts to cough and his breath becomes more laboured. As he reaches the plateau, he is barely able to pull himself securely across the top, before extreme fatigue overtakes him causing him to lie face down on the ground. He can't recover his breath and realizes I'm going to pass out.
"Probie, move it. We still have a few more hours to go." DiNozzo chirps as he and Kate come up to McGee.
"McGee, are you okay?" Kate asks as she notices how his back is rising and falling and that his breathing is unusually fast and shallow. Just then Gibbs and Sasha make it to the top.
"McGee, back on your feet. We have another 3 miles to go today." Gibbs says as he walks past McGee. Sasha hears the wheezing and also notices the shallow breaths. She kneels down next to McGee and turns him to his side. She notices the bright flush on his face and the way he is gasping for breath.
"Agent McGee," Sasha asks concerned.
"Can't …. Breath…." McGee rasps between wheezing.
"Help me get his backpack off." Sasha urgently tells Gibbs as she removes her own backpack.
"Where's your inhaler?" she asks McGee urgently as she takes his pulse and then starts to look through his pockets for the medication. At the same time Gibbs helps McGee into a reclining position using his own bag as a pillow.
"Bag…." McGee rasps as he squeezes a hand over his chest and coughs.
"What's wrong with him?" DiNozzo asks with the first hint of concern in his voice.
"He's having an asthma attack. Look through his bag for his inhaler. Hurry please." Sasha urges as Kate and Tony both grab McGee's bag and start to unpack it.
"Tim, why didn't you tell us?" Gibbs reprimands while at the same time running a comforting hand across McGee's forehead.
"Sor…..Sor …..ry …..Bo…..ss." McGee rasps and wheezes as the pain in his chest becomes worse.
"Don't speak McGee." Sasha says as she starts looking through her backpack.
"DiNozzo, the inhaler?" Gibbs asks harshly as he notes McGee becoming worse.
"It's not here." DiNozzo says causing McGee to try and sit up.
"Mu……st be…. I ... packed...it..." McGee gasps as he starts to panic.
"McGee, calm down" Gibbs warns as he glares at Tony indicating that he should check again. Tony and Kate redouble their efforts. Sasha in the meantime goes through her backpack and removes her first aid kit. She quickly finds the inhaler and activates it.
"McGee here you go. Breath." She instructs as she holds the inhaler to his mouth and pumps it once.
McGee immediately feels a bit of relief. Sasha waits for one minute before administering the second puff. This one does the trick as it disperses the pain in his chest and he feels like he is able to recover his breath. Then the exhaustion that usually follows an attack overwhelms McGee and he slumps back against the backpack. Sasha administers one more pump got good measure.
"Is he going to be okay?" Kate asks as she sees him drifting off to sleep.
"He'll be fine. He's just exhausted from the attack. We'll have to spend the next hour or so here so that he can recover and then we will have to set a slower pace to prevent another attack." Sasha advises all of them.
A few minutes later, Tony and Kate decide to take a walk in order to give Gibbs and Sasha some privacy. As they walk they discuss McGee's asthma attack.
"Why didn't he tell us?" Tony ponders aloud.
"Because he probably thought that we would make fun of him." Kate replies.
Tony frowns and admits, "You're right. But this is serious and when he wakes up I'll tell him so after Gibbs has a chat with him of course."
Kate rolls her eyes and says, "That's exactly why McGee didn't tell us."
Gibbs keeps an eye on McGee while observing Sasha pace. She seems agitated so he walks up to her and hugs her from behind.
"What's bothering you?" he asks in a concerned voice as he places his chin on his shoulder.
"What if I had not had an inhaler? McGee could have died. The attack he suffered was quiet severe, Gibbs. You and DiNozzo need to go easy on him. Don't upset him, okay." Sasha warns.
"Don't worry Sasha. Tim will be fine thanks to you." Gibbs says as her kisses her cheek. Yeah, for how long and who'll be next. McGee insisted that he had packed his inhaler so why wasn't it in his bag. Oh hell, maybe we should just go back to the Manor house and I should tell all of you everything. I hate misleading you Gibbs. Sasha laments as she turns around and hugs Gibbs close. He returns the hug and kisses her sensing her fear and concern. Sasha tell me what's going on. What does it have to do with me and my team and what about this thing between us. Is it all part of the plan. Tell me, God damn it. Gibbs mentally pleads as he knows that she is hiding something.
Just then they break apart as they hear Kate cry out, followed by Tony's piercing shout, "Kate!!!"
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