Agent Leslie Burnett takes a deep breathe just before the elevator doors open. As she steps out of the elevator she quickly surveys the room. She sees a few people lounging around a desk having coffee. She walks quietly up to them.
"DiNozzo, You've got to be kidding!" a guy exclaims.
"Probie, that's the problem with you. You have no imagination. What do you think Abby?" DiNozzo says as he turns around.
"Hi, I'm Special Agent Leslie Burnett. Can you please tell me where I can find Agent Gibbs."
Tony closes his mouth and swallows twice while Abby answers,
"Gibbs will be in shortly. Are you the new agent joining our team?"
"Yes, I've been transferred from Seattle."
"Great, I'm Abby and this is McGee and Tony. Ducky is in autopsy and I'll take you down to meet him now."
"Thanks, that will be great. It's nice to meet all of you."
"Ah, Same here." Tony says as he recovers himself and Leslie and Abby leave to go and see Ducky.
"She's a redhead and she's gorgeous." Tony exclaims to no one in particular.
"Doesn't Gibbs have a thing for redheads?" McGee asks.
"Oh, this is going to be interesting. I'm not moving from here until I see Gibbs' reaction to Special Agent Burnett." Tony chirps.
"Hi Ducky, this is Special Agent Leslie Burnett. She joins us from today. This is Dr Mallard, Ducky to his friends"
"Hello Dr Mallard." Leslie says.
"Oh call me Ducky dear. It's nice to meet you. I'm sure that we will get on famously."
"Thanks Ducky, Abby shouldn't we go and see if Agent Gibbs has arrived." Leslie asks.
"Sure, Let's go. See you later Ducky." Abby says as she and Leslie head for the elevator.
"DiNozzo have you got that report for me yet." Gibbs shouts as he walks out of the elevator.
"Yes Boss." Tony says he swings his legs off his desk and sits up straight.
"Well, are you waiting for me to guess!" Gibbs asks as he sits down at his desk.
"Petty Office Jackson was based in Paraguay for 4 months and underwent training with a company called Extreme Ops. They train guys to become spooks. Since then he has been back in the US and been assigned to ." Tony finishes as the elevator opens.
Tony looks from Gibbs to Leslie and waits for Gibbs to see her. Gibbs is busy reading his e-mails and does not look up as Abby says, "Hi Gibbs, This is …."
"Abby, do you have the test results back on Petty Officer Jackson." Gibbs asks as he continues reading his e-mails.
"Yes Gibbs. It was which is a venom found in a snake native to"
"Paraguay." Gibbs finishes.
"McGee, did you tell him?"
"No." McGee replies.
"I'll kill you if you did." Abby says with narrowed eyes.
Gibbs grins and continues to read his e-mails. Just then his phone rings.
"Gibbs," he answers.
Leslie has been observing Gibbs and although she thinks that he is a bit rude and abrupt she likes what she sees. She also thinks that Abby is great and likes Ducky too. McGee seems to be the geek of the office and Tony thinks that he is something special.
"Okay, we're on our way." Gibbs says as he hangs up. "DiNozzo, you and McGee are together. Have any of you seen …"
"Special Agent Leslie Burnett?" Leslie asks as she comes to stand in front of Gibbs desk. Gibbs looks up as he stands up and says, "Ye..". Tony grins and wiggles his eye brows as he looks at McGee and then Abby who is also grinning.
"Hello Agent Gibbs." Leslie smiles.
"Lets roll." Gibbs says as he recovers. She's a redhead, Damn it, he thinks. "We have a dead Office at 47 Oak Wood Drive. Agent Burnett you ride with me so that I can fill you in."
"Okay." Leslie says as she follows Gibbs wondering what the hell is wrong with him. He just stared at her and did not even bother to greet her.
As they get into the elevator, Gibbs says, "DiNozzo are you waiting for an invitation to join up!"
"I'll be right there Boss." DiNozzo yells as he runs to the elevator with his coffee in hand.
As they are driving to the scene, Gibbs says, "So you have been with NCIS Seattle for just over 3 years. Why did you decide to move?"
"I was ready for a new city with new challenges." Leslie replied.
"That a very cryptic answer. I just want you to know that I run a tight ship here and we work long hours and only leave once the job gets done."
"That's fine by me."
"So your personal live may be affected and there is not a damn thing that you will be able to do about it." Gibbs says realizing that he is being unusually harsh.
"My personal life is not your concern Boss. I'll handle whatever you've got." Leslie replies really annoyed with Gibbs.
"Good." Gibbs says and the rest of the drive is silent.
As Gibbs stops the car outside the scene, Leslie jumps out immediately. She is wearing a navy blue pants and a white blouse under a navy blue jacket. Her waist length, straight red hair is held back from her face with a simple hair grip. Gibbs notices that she is about his height and nicely proportioned. She has striking green eyes and a tanned complexion. Damn it, why am I getting so hung up on her, Gibbs wonders as he gets out of the car.
Tony and McGee pull up and Tony has a cocky grin on his face as Leslie approaches them.
"So…" Tony says.
"Yes, so what do we do first. I don't want to step on any toes here." Leslie says as Gibbs approaches them.
"DiNozzo, you and McGee take a look inside. We'll check the perimeter." Gibbs says.
"On it boss." Tony says as he gets his bag from the boot.
Leslie and Gibbs inspect the perimeter and Leslie finds a cigarette butt and sees a shoe imprint in the mud outside of the windows
"Gibbs, I need to photograph and bag this evidence." Leslie calls out.
"Get the gear out of Tony's truck and do what needs to be done then meet me back here." Gibbs replies.
Leslie takes the photographs and returns to the front of the house just as Gibbs is coming around from the other side. Gibbs turns his back on her as he starts to climb up the steps to the front door of the house. Leslie runs to catch up to him and ends up right behind him.
Just then Leslie feels like a bulldozer has rammed into her. She falls forward knocking Gibbs to the floor. Gibbs, caught off guard, falls face down and hits his head on the step. Gibbs is knocked unconscious and Leslie lies on top of him. She can not move and is trying to comprehend what has just happened.
"Gibbs and Leslie are sure taking their time getting in here. I wonder what he thinks about her and what they could be doing." Tony remarks as he takes photos of the murdered Officer.
"They're obviously doing their job Tony or do you want me to go and check on them?" McGee asks baffled by Tony's logic.
"No! No McGee. Let's give them some time to get to know each other, if you know what I mean." Tony grins. McGee just frowns and wonders what Tony thinks is likely to happen between Gibbs and the new agent.
Ducky and Jimmy pull up to the house a few minutes later and as they approach the house they see Leslie lying on top of Gibbs on the steps.
"Leslie, Jethro what is going on here?" Ducky asks as he hurries to get to them.
Leslie is barely conscious when she hears Ducky. Through blurred eyes she sees him kneel down next to her. Her back and chest are on fire now. Ducky looks at her and when he touches her back she moans out in pain. Ducky withdraws his hand and it's covered in blood.
"Good lord, Jimmy, call the paramedics. I think that they've been shot." Ducky shouts as he tries to take Gibbs's pulse.
"Ducky what's all the noise about," Tony says as he and McGee walk out of the house.
Tony sees Leslie lying practically on top of Gibbs. Leslie is moaning and Gibbs is not moving.
"What the hell happened?" Tony shouts as he runs down the few steps and kneels beside Leslie.
"Anthony, help me to get Leslie off Gibbs and then hold your jacket against her back. She's been shot." Ducky says. Tony does as he is told and he can not understand how this could have happened without him and McGee being aware.
As they move Leslie she moans and gasps in pain.
"It's okay Leslie. Just hang in there. We're getting help." Tony says as he holds Leslie.
"Duc…ky is Gibbs ok…ay." Leslie whispers. Leslie feels disorientated and is having a hard time staying conscious.
"Oh Dear!" Ducky explains. "It looks like the bullet exited your shoulder and it is now lodged in Jethro's left shoulder. Timothy, give Anthony your jacket. Anthony you need to hold Leslie in a sitting position and put pressure on the wounds on both sides. She's already lost a lot of blood. Timothy, help me to turn Jethro around." Once they have turned Gibbs around Ducky instructs McGee to hold Gibbs in a sitting position and to apply pressure to Gibbs' left shoulder. Gibbs' left temple is bleeding and he is still unconscious. "Jimmy, have you called 911. Tell them to hurry." Ducky shouts as he examines Gibbs and then Leslie for other injuries.
The paramedics arrive and they immediately get Gibbs and Leslie onto the gurneys. Ducky informs them of what he thinks has happened. Leslie is semi-conscious but Gibbs has not gained consciousness.
"Anthony, you, Timothy and Jimmy need to process the scene. I'm going to the hospital." Ducky says as he gets into the ambulance Gibbs is in.
"Let us know how they are doing Ducky." Tony calls back as he and McGee start surveying the area.
They realize that the shot must have been fired from the overgrown area across from the house. They approach the area cautiously. Jimmy continues to collect data on the dead Officer in the house. They find foot prints and a knee print in the mud opposite the house. They also find a cigarette butt and an empty Coke can. They photograph the area and collect the evidence.
"Do you think that they are going to be okay." McGee asks.
"I don't know. How the hell could this have happened? We did not even hear anything. If Ducky had not arrived when he did, they could have bled to dead. Damn it."
"Calm down Tony. Let's get this stuff to Abby and then get to the hospital."
"Yeh, let's do that." Tony says as he walks towards the car.
Gibbs starts to come around in the ambulance.
"Jethro, Jethro can you hear me." Ducky asks as Gibbs opens his eyes.
Gibbs' head is throbbing and his back feels like it has a hot poker stuck in it. Everything is spinning and rocking. He hears someone speaking to him but he can not understand what is being said.
"Jethro, my boy," Ducky says as he puts his hand on Gibbs' forehead and gently strokes his head.
"Du..cky, What……Wh.." Gibbs' mouth is so dry that he can not speak.
"You've been shot and you have a severe concussion. We're on our way to the hospital." Ducky explains.
"Sh..ot!" Gibbs whispers, as he looses consciousness.
In the other ambulance, Leslie is still semi conscious. Her left shoulder is on fire and every time the paramedics touch her, sharp, striking pain pulsates through her whole torso. She feels so cold and tense and she hears the paramedics say that she is going into shock. They have hooked her up to an IV line and they tell her, "It's going to be okay Miss. We're almost at the hospital."
As they arrive at the hospital, two trauma teams are standing by. Ducky is told to wait in the waiting room while the doctors start working on Leslie and Gibbs.
"Abigail." Ducky says into his cellphone.
"Hi Ducky, have you processed the scene and what would you say is the course of death of…"
"Abigail I'm at the hospital. Leslie and Jethro have been shot, both by the same bullet. They are in the Trauma units now but I am sure that both of them are going to need surgery."
"Oh Ducky, How did this happen and where are Tony and McGee?"
"They are at the scene trying to understand what happened. I'm sure that they will bring anything they find to you. You need to process it urgently. I will call you back once I know how Jethro and Leslie are doing. Bye Abigail."
"Bye Ducky and don't worry. Gibbs is a fighter."
I know that he is but this could be too much for him I fear, Ducky thinks as he hangs up the phone and sits down to wait for the doctors.
"Abby, have you heard." McGee asks as he and Tony enter the lab.
"Yes, McGee. It's just horrible." Abby says.
"Abby, I need these processed asap." Tony says as he hands the evidence bag to Abby. "I'm going to the hospital. McGee, you coming?"
"I'll stay with Abby and help her to process the evidence so that we will have some answers for you in a few hours." McGee says.
"Thanks guys, I'll call and let you know what is happening." Tony says as he leaves.
"Oh McGee I hope that they are going to be okay. What a terrible first day for Leslie. Do you know if she has any family that we could call?" Abby asks as Timothy takes her into his arms.
"Dr Mallard, I'm Dr Johnson. Agent Gibbs is on his way to surgery. The X-rays reveal that the bullet is lodged about 3 inches above and to the left of his heart. We have to operate now and remove the bullet in order to prevent it from moving closer to the heart."
"Dear lord, what about his head injury. How serious is it? He gained consciousness only once during the ride to the hospital." Ducky says as he sits down.
"He has a hair line fracture to his skull and there is slight oedema in the area. As I'm sure you know putting someone with a head injury under anesthetic is very risky so we will be using a local anesthetic for the surgery. It should take about 2 to 3 hours depending on the internal bleeding. One of the nurses will keep you updated."
"Thank you Doctor. Please take good care of him. His like a son to me." Ducky says.
As Dr Johnson leaves the waiting room another Doctor enters.
"Dr Mallard. I'm Dr Grey. I've been working on Agent Burnett."
"How is she doing?" Ducky asks as he remains seated. Just then Tony walks in.
"She's lost a lot of blood and there is internal bleeding. The bullet entered through her left shoulder about 2 inches above her heart and exited through her shoulder scrapping her collar bone. We are taking her into surgery now to repair the damaged blood vessels and muscles. At this stage the main concerns are stemming the blood loss and stabilizing her vitals."
"Thanks Dr Grey. Please let us know her progress through the surgery." Ducky says as Dr Grey leaves the room and Tony starts pacing.
Two hours later Tony resumes pacing. His cellphone rings and he answers it immediately.
"DiNozzo."
"Tony, It's Abby."
"Yeh Abby, what do you have for me."
"I am running a DNA trace on the cigarette butt and have found two decent prints on the can. I am running the prints through our database now. How are Gibbs and Leslie?"
"They are still is surgery. I'll call you as soon as I hear anything. Let me know as soon as you have any results."
"Okay Tony. Bye."
Tony tells Ducky what Abby told him and he continues to pace.
"Anthony, sit down. At this rate you will wear out the carpet."
"Ducky what is taking them so long. We have not heard anything for the last hour and a half. Can't you go in there and find out what is happening?" Tony asks angrily.
Ducky knows that Tony is using his anger to mask his fear. Ducky stands up and goes to the door.
"I'll see what I can find out. Why don't you go down to the cafeteria and get us some coffee."
"Okay, Thanks Ducky." Tony says as he follows Ducky out of the waiting room.
When Tony gets back with the coffee, Ducky is not there. Tony goes to the nurse's station and asks them if they have seen Ducky. The nurse tells him that Ducky is in the ICU where Gibbs and Leslie have just been moved to. Tony leaves the coffees with the nurse and rushes to the ICU.
"The next few hours will be critical for both of them. We're giving Agent Burnett blood and keeping her sedated because of the pain. Agent Gibbs is also on pain medication with out sedation due to the head injury. Agent Gibbs should recover quicker then Leslie as the bullet was removed without any complications." Tony overhears as he enters the ICU.
"Thank you Dr Grey. Can we stay with them for a few minutes."
"Yes sure."
Ducky approaches Gibbs' bed. The duty nurse smiles at him as she checks on Gibbs' vitals. Tony goes to Leslie's bed. She looks peaceful. The duty nurse tells Tony,
"She is sedated and is not in any pain right now. We will keep her this way until tomorrow morning. It will help with the healing process if she remains still for the next few hours."
"Thank you Sister."
Ducky takes Gibbs' hand and sighs.
"mmm." Gibbs moans
"Jethro, how are you feeling my boy?"
"Li..ke I've been ru..n ov..er by a ton of bricks." Gibbs whispers.
"Yes well, you have just been through surgery and are in the ICU now. Rest Jethro everything is going to be okay." Ducky says as Gibbs' drifts off to sleep.
Chapter 7
The next morning Tony and McGee go to the house again. Abby goes with them.
"Okay, McGee, I what you to stand here. That's it. And Abby you must stand behind McGee like this." Tony says as he positions McGee and Abby on the steps where Gibbs and Leslie were shot.
"Now we need to determine if Leslie or Gibbs was the target. We now that the bullet penetrated 2 inches above from Leslie's heart and she and Gibbs were standing one step apart when they were shot."
"Right, Abby hold this stick two inches above your heart."
"Tony, that would have been a dead shot on Gibbs' heart. I think that Gibbs was the intended target and when Leslie came up behind him she saved his life."
"Abbs I think that you are right. McGee, get back to the office and go through all of Gibbs cases for the last few years and see if anyone has been release from prison or if there are any unsolved cases. Abbs get me the results on the DNA tests and the prints. I'm going to the hospital."
"Tony we're coming to the hospital too just for a few minutes. And then we'll get back to the lab."
"Okay, let's roll."
"DiNOzzo you almost sounded like Gibbs there." Abby grins and they get into their cars.
"We've moved them to a ward. As per your request we have them in the same ward. Detective Fornell has placed two officers on duty to keep track of who enters their room. Agent Gibbs is doing much better. The swelling on his brain is gone. He will still have a bad headache for the next few days and be dizzy and disorientated at times. His shoulder is healing nicely and I think that he should be able to go home in the next 2 to 3 days."
"That's excellent news Dr Grey, and how is Agent Burnett doing?" Ducky asks.
Author's Chapter Notes:
A new agent joins Gibbs' team and she is a redhead. So obviously sparks will fly between her and Gibbs.