"Kate!!!!"
Gibbs and Sasha pull apart and start running toward DiNozzo's panicked voice.
"DiNozzo!!!" Gibbs shouts as he continues to run along the plateau.
"Over here Boss. Kate, can you hear me? Kate!!!" Tony shouts as Gibbs and Sasha see him kneeling on the ground practically looking into the ground.
As they near him, they spot the hole in the ground.
"Oh my God, what happened, Tony?" Sasha asks as Gibbs kneels down and narrows his eyes while shining a touch down the hole. Kate is lying on her side with her left arm trapped below her. She is not moving. As Gibbs looks around Kate's body he is relieved that there isn't a pool of blood surrounding her. Then he realizes that she could have internal injuries that could be far more dangerous.
"We were talking and she was walking backwards and the next thing I heard her scream as she fell over backwards. Kate!!!" Tony shouts as he looks down the hole again, starting to panic.
"DiNozzo, get a grip. She's hurt and unconscious so she's not likely to respond. Go through the bags and see if we have a rope or get all our belts and clip them together so we can use them as a rope." Gibbs instructs, giving Tony something to focus on.
"On it Boss." Tony responds as he takes off at a run.
The hole is about 2.5 meters deep but 2 meters wide. There are no foot or hand holds as far as Gibbs can see. How the hell are we going to get you out of there? Gibbs frowns as he thinks of all the possibilities.
Damn it, this has to be the kidnapper's handy work. Sasha thinks as she prays that Kate is not too badly hurt. Sasha observes the strain on Gibbs' face as he tries to formulate an action plan. She places her hand on his shoulder to comfort him but feels like a hypocrite at the same time. Everything that is happening here is happening because I brought you here.
"Aaaaahhhh." They hear Kate groan.
"Kate! Are you okay?" Sasha shouts as she leans further into the hole and observes Kate.
Kate rolls onto her back and moans out as she holds onto her left shoulder. She takes a few moments to assess the situation, gingerly moving her limps. Her head in spinning and her shoulder's on fire but other than that nothing seems to be broken. She hears Sasha and Gibbs shouting to her and she looks up towards them, squinting at the light of the torch that is shining in her eyes.
"I'm okay … I think." She answers as she sits up slowly.
"Don't move!" Gibbs shouts as he watches Kate starting to stand up, fearing that she might injure herself further.
"Gibbs I'm … ouch!!" Kate gasps as she feels an intense burning sensation on her left thigh. As she clamps her hand over her thigh, she feels the telltale stickiness of blood.
"Todd," Gibbs warns as Tony gets back with the belts. Tony sighs in relief as he sees Kate on her feet.
"Next time Kate, look where you're going! You scared me half to death." Tony complains.
"Gee Tony, it's great to know you care. mmmmm Now get me out of here already." Kate shouts as she starts to feel like the walls are closing in on her.
Gibbs and Tony make sure that the belts are securely tied as Sasha speaks to Kate trying to keep her calm.
"Guys, I don't mean to rush you, but I get a bit crazy in small confined spaces." Kate shouts in a strained voice.
"Here Kate, can you grab onto the belts." Gibbs yells as they lower the belts into the hole.
Kate tries to grab on but it's too far up for her. Besides, she can't move her injured arm and shoulder, enough to even hold onto the belts.
"I can't reach it." Kate whimpers as she starts to feel panicked, "The walls are caving in on me. I'm trapped. I can't breath!"
"Kate, calm down." Sasha shouts as she observes Kate becoming hysterical.
"Boss, lower me down." Tony says as he prepares to go into the hole without waiting for Gibbs' response. Sasha and Gibbs hold onto the belts as Tony makes his way to Kate.
Kate grabs onto him the minute he is next to her. She has tears in her eyes and holds onto him tightly almost squeezing the breath out of him.
"Shhhh. Kate, you're going to be fine." Tony says as he hugs her close and kisses her forehead. She nods her head next against his lips as she continues to hold onto him. Tony enjoys the feeling of having Kate in his arms.
"Are you two done cuddling or should we just leave you in there for the night." Gibbs shouts down the hole.
Kate pulls away from Tony and starts to panic as Tony grins and shouts, "We're on our way Boss." Then he hurls Kate over his shoulder and grabs a hold of the belts. Sasha and Gibbs hold tightly onto the belts as Tony slowly climbs out of the hole. As he takes a breather against the side of the hole, he inadvertently disturbs a hobo spider's web and it responds by sinking its scissor like fangs into the soft tissue above his ankle. Tony feels a pricking sensation but dismisses it as a scratch from a rock or plant and then he makes his way further out of the hole. As they reach the top of the hole, Sasha grabs onto Kate and pulls her out as Gibbs gives DiNozzo a hand.
"Tony, get my bag and wake McGee and bring him here. Kate, sit down and let me take a look at you." Sasha says as she leads a dazed and limping Kate towards a tree.
Once Kate is seated, Gibbs says, "We should cut this trip short and make our way back to the Manor house."
"No!" Sasha exclaims. Gibbs narrows his eyes on her, waiting for her to elaborate while Kate leans back against the tree and closes her eyes.
"I mean, it's almost dark and McGee and Kate need to rest. I think that there's a Ranger's cabin, near the river, which is about 2 miles from here. We could spend the night there and give them a chance to recover. Tomorrow we can discuss whether to turn back or not." Sasha says as she avoids looking at Gibbs, focusing instead on examining Kate.
Why do you want to keep us out here, Sasha? What the hell's going on and what part are you playing in it? Gibbs questions as all his previous doubts about Sasha resurface.
As Tony and McGee get back, McGee exclaims "Kate, are you okay?" as he sees the blood on her thigh and the way she is favouring her left shoulder.
"I'm fine. How are you feeling?" Kate asks as Sasha takes her bag from Tony.
McGee blushes and says, "I'm okay. Sorry about the whole asthma thing. I should have told you."
"Damn right, you should have Probie." Tony chirps as he moves away from Gibbs raised hand.
Sasha in the meantime takes out a t-shirt from her bag and cuts it into strips. Then she ties a strip around Kate's leg causing Kate to wince.
"We have to get to the cabin quickly. I think Kate's going to need stitches but I don't want to do that out here." Sasha tells them as she closes her bag and swings it onto her back.
"McGee, take one more puff now." Gibbs orders as he grabs his bag. McGee does as ordered and grabs his bag. Tony takes his and Kate's bags as they start following Sasha, who walks next to Kate offering her support. Gibbs follows behind them hoping for no more excitement.
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It is already dark when they reach the cabin about an hour later. Kate is exhausted and her shoulder and thigh are killing her. Tony too feels drained and extremely hot. His ankle started itching about half hour ago, at about the same time as his headache and muscle aches started. He doesn't reveal his discomfort to any one, thinking that Kate and McGee need more care than him.
Gibbs opens the cabin and finds a few lanterns on the table. He lights them and then looks around the cabin. There are only 4 bunks in the room with a table and 4 chairs. There's also a gas stove and a few dishes in the cupboards. He also notes a tank in the corner and when he turns on the tap, he is relieved to see clean water flow out of it. At last I can get a fresh cup of coffee now. Gibbs sighs as he rinses a pot and fills it with water. Then he switches the stove on to heat the water.
In the interim, Sasha gets Kate onto the bunk and starts to unbuckle her pants. Kate stops her when she sees a very heated Tony staring at her. Girl on girl action! Wow I can just picture Kate and Sasha all hot and … Gibbs' head smacks him cutting his fantasy short.
"What did I do?" Tony asks innocently.
"It's for what you were thinking." Gibbs replies.
"Okay, you three out of here now." Sasha orders as Gibbs starts to push Tony and McGee out the door.
"Let us stay. I'm sure that you will need our help. Hey Boss, How did you know what I was thinking… unless you were thinking the same……thing." Tony chirps moving quickly away from Gibbs' raised hand as the three of them leave the cabin.
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Once they are outside, and seated on the ground Gibbs says, "Make sure you have your knives and pistols on you are all times. Something's going on here and I don't want us to be caught with our pants down."
"What's going on, Boss?" McGee asks puzzled by Gibbs' instructions.
"Tim, are you sure that you packed your inhaler into your bag?" Gibbs asks.
"Yes Boss. I brought 2 units. I don't know what happened to them. Do you think that someone took them out of my bag?" McGee replies.
"That's a good possibility. DiNozzo, what do you think about the hole that Kate fell into." Gibbs asks as he looks at Tony. Tony's headache is getting worse and spot on his ankle is red and swollen. He also knows that his running a fever. Damn it, what the hell's wrong with me? he wonders.
Gibbs notices that Tony looks flushed and distracted. He raises his voice and says, "DiNozzo, you with us?"
"Yeah...Yeah Boss. Just spaced out for a second. The hole in the ground is man made, probably to trap animals." Tony replies.
"Why would it be so deep and right in the middle of the path clearly marked for hikers. And didn't it look freshly dug to you?" Gibbs asks.
"You're right Boss. What's going on here?" Tony asks as he starts to understand Gibbs line of thinking.
"I don't know… yet. Just be vigilant and watch each others six. I don't want any more surprises." Gibbs says as he lies back on the ground, cradling his head on his hands and stares up at the stars.
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