Just as Gibbs drifts back into oblivion the ICU ward doors open and Leslie is wheeled in. Abby follows the nurses into the ward and she goes and stands next to McGee and holds onto his arm. Leslie is moaning and appears to be semi-conscious. She has numerous IV lines attached to her body. The most noticeable one is in her neck which seems to be supplying blood. McGee shudders as he sees this.
"Could you please move to the other side of the room while we settle this patient?" A nurse asks McGee and Abby as she closes the curtain around Leslie's bed. McGee and Abby go and stand at the far end of the room.
"Tim, …?" Abby whispers as she sees the tear stains on McGee's cheeks.
"Gibbs moved his hand and opened his eyes for a second." McGee whispers as he runs a hand over his face.
Abby smiles softly as she looks at Gibbs and then hugs McGee and whispers, "That's great. He is going to be okay. I just know it."
Tony and Ducky walk into the ward and see Abby in McGee's arms and Tony asks in an annoyed voice, "What's going on?"
"Tony, Duckyman, Gibbs moved his hand and he opened his eyes. Isn't that great news?" Abby asks as she hugs Tony and he gives into the impulse to squeeze her close and kisses her hair line. She looks up at him with a mischievious grin on her face, before sobering and saying, "And Leslie was just brought in."
McGee looks at them but is too distraught to catch what is going on.
"That is wonderful news. If Jethro is already coming around, that means that the swelling must be subsiding." Ducky says with a small smile on his face as he approaches Gibbs' side and runs his hand lightly over Gibbs head. At this touch Gibbs seems to softly sigh. Ducky's smile widens at this reaction.
As the team wait for Leslie to be settled they hear the nurses count down as they move her from the gurney to the bed.
"mmm God Damn it.." Leslie gasps as she widens her eyes as a result for the impact of being moved.
"Pain….. Cold ….. Don't touch me!" Leslie hisses through chattering teeth as she glares at the nurses.
Oh God my back and side are on fire? My head, What the hell happened to me? What are these crazy people doing to me? Leslie mulls over as she tries to focus on everything around her as well as on moving away from the nurses prying hands.
"Leslie calm down. We are just trying to make you comfortable. Don't fight us." One of the nurse's instructs.
Do you think that I am stupid? You are hurting me not making me comfortable and who the hell do you think you are to speak to me like I'm a 10 year old, Leslie fumes as she tries to use her good hand to ward of the person that is tucking a ton of blankets too tightly around her. Her hand connects with a face and the sound of a slap is heard followed by a nurse cursing about uncooperative patients.
"Emily, give her the shots now. She's too agitated and she might just open up her stitches if she continues to get more restless."
Why are you idiots talking about me like I'm not even here? I'm not restless! I'm splitting mad and I'm going to kill you if you don't stop touching me. Leslie groans angrily as she tries to move away from the nurse that has it is for her. Each movement leads to more pain but for some reason Leslie can not stop herself. She can feel that her left arm is strapped down as she can not move it and this makes her panic and she reacts more aggressively against the prying hands.
"Oh dear, she must have had a bad reaction to the anesthesia." Ducky observes as he makes his way around the curtain.
Tony, Abby and McGee look at each other and are concerned by Leslie's reaction but relieved as well because if she is giving the nurses a hard time she's probably going to be okay.
"And we thought that Gibbs was a difficult patient." Tony quips as he continues to hold Abby close. McGee just stares at the curtain and hopes that Leslie is going to be fine.
"May I be of assistance?" Ducky asks as he rounds the bed and goes and stands next to Leslie's head.
"Oh, Dr Mallard. Please speak to her. Maybe your voice will calm her down." One of the nurses says.
I don't want to calm down. I want you to leave me alone. Leslie tries to communicate as she suddenly glares at one of the nurses before moaning again and closing her eyes.
"Leslie, It's Ducky. You need to lie still and…"
"Ducky….." Leslie whispers as she looks up at him and recognition dawns. "Tell …. them ……to ….. leave me…."
"Shhhh. Leslie they are only trying to help." Ducky softly and calmly says as he runs his hand over her head. He can see the pain, anger and confusion etched in her eyes.
"Pain! …." Leslie moans as her eyes fill with tears.
"Shhhhh. I know. But you are going to be okay." Ducky says in a soothing fatherly voice as he continues to stroke her head. Leslie closes her eyes and tries to calm down but the pain is just too intense so she moans out as she turns her head towards Ducky's soothing hand. I wish mom was here. She would make things better. Leslie sobs suddenly feeling homesick.
The nurse who has just prepared two syringes takes a hold of Leslie's right arm. As she feels Leslie resist, she advises her, "Leslie, you are going to feel a prick in your forearm. So please relax your arm so that it won't hurt more than it has to."
Yeh sure, it will hurt just like everything else has hurt so far Leslie tenses as she feels the prick followed by a burning sensation as a large dose of medication is forced into her arm. Ducky continues to stroke her forehead which seems to be of some help in calming her down.
"This is morphine to help with the pain. You should start feeling some relief in the next few minutes." The nurse says as she withdraws the needle. "And this is a muscle relaxant which will also help with the pain." the nurse advises as she gives Leslie a second shot. I hate nurses and doctors and hospitals and needles and……
As the curtains are opened around Leslie's bed Tony, Abby and McGee move to surround it. Leslie looks around the bed and glances fleetingly at the smiling, friendly faces that she sees. I know you she thinks. But.…. Where's Gibbs? she wonders as she starts to feel a sense of weightlessness and the pain and the cold start to dissipate.
"Gibbs?..." she sighs as she drifts off to sleep.
"She will sleep through the night now. We should all go home and get some rest." Ducky says as he strokes Leslie's head one last time before moving away from the bed.
"I'll stay for a few hours and then McGee, you can take over at about 2am." Tony says as they leave the ICU ward and make their way back to the ICU waiting room. There is no way that I am leaving them unattended even if this case is over. Tony decides.
"I'm too psyched up to sleep right now. McGee do you have Samuel's cellphone with you. I can start tracing the calls and have it ready for you by morning." Abby volunteers, as McGee hands her the damaged cellphone.
"Great so it's settled. Probie get some sleep and be back here at 2am." Tony says.
"Sure Tony." McGee answers sounding and behaving more like his usual self.
"Abby see you tomorrow morning at the lab and you better have the list of numbers for me." Tony says as he wiggles his eyebrows at her and she satutes him with a grin on her face. He then promptly proceeds to stretch out across 4 chairs in the waiting room and drapes an arm across his eyes.
"I'll be back at about 8:00am after I've seen to mother. However Anthony, if anything changes I expect to be notified immediately." Ducky says as he places his hat on his head and he, Abby and McGee leave the waiting room.
A few minutes later call comes in to the ICU nurse's station.
"ICU." A nurse answers.
"Hello, I would like to find out how Agent Gibbs and Agent Burnett are doing?" a woman on the other side asks.
"Sorry mam. That information can only be given to their next of kin."
"Yes, I know. I am an NCIS agent and I work with these agents. They are like family to me and I would really like to know that they are going to be okay."
"Well, I really shouldn't …" The nurse hesitantly says.
"Oh, please. I am out of town on another case and there is no way for me to come and see them right now. Please you have to help me!" The woman says in a distressed voice.
"Mm okay. They are both in the ICU, in critical condition. Agent Gibbs has a swelling on the left brain and Agent Burnett has suffered from all the complications that accompany blood loss."
"But they will be okay?" The woman on the other side of the line anxiously asks.
"If they pull through tonight without further complications they should recover. Obviously they will need time off to recuperate and maybe a bit of physio therapy. Don't worry mam. Your friends are really strong and they should be okay. Do you want to leave your name so that I can let them know that you called?" the nurse asks.
"Damn..." The woman says as she abruptly hangs up.
"What the ..." The nurse frowns as she stares at the telephone receiver.
Damn it, Allison thinks as she sits in her car and stares at the hospital exit. Just then she sees Agent McGee and two other people, one wearing an NCIS jacket exit the hospital. Couldn't you just have died in the explosion Gibbs? Now I have 5 days in which to get close to you and to take you out. And with your agents swarming around you like mother hens, it's going to be really difficult. But have no fear. I will get you Jethro Gibbs and your lovely Leslie when you least expect it. she vows with a sinister smile on her face.
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.