The Resting of Souls
Chapter 1
"I'm bored. I want to go back to work"
"No Eve, we have been through this, how many times?"
"I'm not talking about what I used to do. That's long gone. But I can't keep making cookies for the Girl Scouts and going to the gym."
"NO AND THAT'S FINAL." he shouted at her.
"Please, listen for a moment. I got a call from Craig." as she put her hands up to protect her face. " Don't Jethro please not again. What's happened to you, to us. Its those headaches isn't it? Jethro please."
"Eve, I'm frightened. I wake in the night sometimes unable to move. The body frozen stiff and the mind active."
"I've seen you cry. Do you not think I want to help, hold you. But you're locking me out."
"I'm sorry."
"So am I. I want my husband back."
"We're not married remember."
"No Jethro." Looking at the wedding band on her finger and the picture by the window. "Not anymore." Tears swelling in her eyes, as she looks at the stranger standing before her.
Chapter 2
"Ducky, help me, what can I do? He won't see a Doctor. He's frightened what they may find."
"When did this all start?" he gently enquired
"5 or 6 weeks ago, after he rolled the car. The car might have been a write off, and he may have walked away without a scratch on his body, but the mind went. Do you know Ducky I just wish he would collapse and then I could do something. That sounds awful doesn't it?"
"Eve come here. No, its not . Its love, and You have a lot to give Him. You both have a lot to give each other." as he offered her his embrace.
Eve went to Ducky. He put his arms round her while Eve cried her heart out on his shoulder.
"I gave you away, as a Father would a Daughter, to Jethro, remember.?2
"I do, but He doesn't, Dad." Smiling her eyes red raw. "How's Gran?"
"That's better." Handing her his handkerchief. At that point the elevator door fly open and DiNozzo came in to Autopsy.
"Eve, how do I says this……… it's the Boss. he's collapsed. We called 911 and he's on his way to hospital."
"Tony, please take me to him." Eve pleaded.
"You got what your wish Eve. Just help him now." Ducky prayed.
Chapter 3
As Eve entered the hospital room, She saw Jethro wired to all sorts of instruments, a life support machine. The gently blip, blip above his head.
"Mrs Gibbs," the doctor spoke "Your husband has had mayor brain surgery. We found a blood clot. It has been removed but with that, and other head injuries he has received over the years……. Well….."
"Doctor, what are You saying?" looking the doctor in the eye, " What are his chances? What are the odds of Me getting my husband back?"
"That depends on him, it, depends on his state of mind….. If He wants to live."
"You mean return.. He will, as he has yet to see the future." says Eve under her breath. "What would His chances be if the life support was switched off?"
"Slim, very slim. In fact I would say in a professional capacity it would kill him."
"Do You know what you are saying Eve?"
"Yes Tony, I do."
"If He does live you may not like the consequences." Dr Henderson retorted looking at Eve.
"That's something only I can live with isn't it. I can't let him stay like this forever. He was, God I'm talking in the past tense, is, is a fighter, He's a Marine. Please switch off the machine."
The panel above Jethro's bed goes from a moving series of blips to a single line and a whine. Eves takes Jethros hand and says, "Breathe Darling, together," as she takes deep breathes, "one, two, breathe Sergeant, that's a direct order, three, four, five. Please now…….."
Slowly the machine starts to go again. She looked at her husbands gently breathing, regular, now, normal.
"You have up to 36 hours Jethro, that's how long it can take. I know families shouldn't have secrets, but this is one I have kept hidden since We first met. You see there is a place called the "Rainbow Bridge"……….
Chapter 4
Eve pulled a chair up against the bed, she took Jethros hand, kissed it.
"Darling, I want to tell you something, which I hoped you'd never know. They say the Rainbow Bridge is for pets. It's not it's for humans too……….. Remember the first time I met you, I knew about your pain. The secret you kept hidden. I knew about Shannon and Kelly. How?" She gave a big sigh…………"I was with Ray, what 4 months We've been together a year, so what, 18 months ago, I was working out of Baghdad, a road side bomb took out 23 civilians, my unit and the one behind. They say that when you are about to die your life flashes before you, that its like falling into a void. Aye right, when you're dead,you ever tried to get out of a void? No, its like the start of Star-Trek, the flashing stars, zooming past, and then suddenly a beautiful landscape appears." She moved behind the unconscious Gibbs and looked out the window.
"I was met by 3 people and a baby. my husband John, a little girl and a woman who was holding my dead son. Only Jon was not dead, he was cooing and gurgling in this woman's arms. Why? I stretched my arms out asking for her to give me my son, she shook her head. Why? Who was this woman who could keep my child, my flesh and blood? I want'd to run but you can't in their world. You can listen but you can't move. The little girl came up to me and said "Love daddy". she then went over to my husband took his hand and said, " Love my Daddy". No I tried to shout he's not your daddy he's Jon's. John my husband looked at the woman and she handed Jon to his father, they were as I had buried them, arm in arm, and then he handed Jon back to her. I wanted to scream, I wanted to say he's not yours he's mine. Then my husband came over and he placed his hands on my shoulders, as you used to do before the accident. Lovingly he looked into my eyes and said "Alice, your time is not now, you have to go back. There is much you have to do. You still have work to finish"
The woman then moved over to John he put his arm round her shoulder, the little girl smiled, as did the woman, I looked into her eyes, there was so much love, compassion, everything I didn't have. She smiled and nodded her head, John put his arm round her waist, took the little girls hand. The child waved and said " Love Daddy, Love my Daddy.
I woke up in a Field Hospital 36 hrs later………….."
Chapter 5
"My commanding Officer wanted to send me home. You can imagine where I told him to stick his suggestion, never one for taking direct orders, eh Jethro, am I. I have been told I have an attitude problem. As I said I knew too much about Ray. I wanted to finish what I had started. After all I had tracked him for 15months, and word on the street was he was going back to Columbia and little did he know, I was going with him. I got fed up with the Burka, fancied being Lara Croft again, I could do with a tan and the shorts and T-shirt were calling. So much more exhilarating than being covered up. I was always a free spirit, plus the coke is so much better in Columbia. Only joking darling honest. Before I left I asked the MO about what I had experienced. He said that sometimes it was just a near death thing but sometimes its where the past/present/future mix. I mean we say, we see ghosts in out lives, and what's a déjà- vu. Its all the same thing, a meeting of parallel universes, a cross over in time, one of Einstein's things. Only when we meet in their world we're the strangers. What he did say was, that one day something would happen to bring those I saw together. I left that Field Hospital with a blinding headache, worse than that tequila slammer party that Tony organised, a packet of paracetamol and thoughts."
Chapter 6
"I didn't think anymore about it until that time Ray started to talk about Iraq. The vehicle, the British Soldier and the Marine. When I started to find out more about you, I realised just who the woman was… Shannon and the little girl… Kelly. Then I realised the little girl was not saying "Love Daddy, Love my Daddy" she was actually asking me to love you, willing me, to love her Daddy."
Eve got up and walked to the window looking out into the night. She turned to see Jethro breathing peacefully. The face no longer racked with pain.
"I sometimes think back and see Shannon with Jon and I think, I'm sorry for what I thought, maybe Jon is the son you would have had together if Shannon had lived. A baby needs a mother."
Eve heard a knock at the window. Abby peered through. Eve motioned her to come in.
"I brought coffee." she said handing Eve the paper cup.
"Thanks, actually could do with a pee and a ciggy. Just keep talking to him, keep him this side, don't let him slip over." as she left the room. Looking back she could feel the tears swell.
Ten minutes later Eve returned.
"You've lost weight haven't you? And you've started smoking again?"
"I'm a size Zero, you wish for that and when you get it, you wish for what you were. Back to what you were ? Black coffee and cigarettes. You know he used to hit me?"
"Yes, we realised that when you stated to wear long sleeves and high necks."
"He was never violent with any of you?" she questioned.
"No" Abby replied
"One way or the other this will be over soon." as Eve turned and looked down at Gibbs.
"Take care. We all love you and Gibbs." Abby said as she squeezed Eves hand.
Eve returned to the chair and held Jethros hand. As tiredness began to overtake her he kissed his head.
"Night Lover," as she sat down and placed her head on the bed.
Chapter 7
Eve awoke with a start, a hand is gently touching her hair.
"Hello Mrs Gibbs."
"Hi Lover. How you feeling? Better?"
"Could do with a coffee" smiling at her "and come to think of it who switched off my life support?"
"Is that all you can think about right now, coffee?"
"No, but I'm a bit tied up." he replied beginning to laugh.
"Suppose I'd better let your Doctor know, you are still alive, awake and as irritating as usual. You are going to be a rotten patient aren't you?."
"Yep, but wait Eve, I have something to say. I heard everything you were saying."
"On the way there or the way back?" she questioned.
"On the way back. I too saw them. They make a good picture."
As Eve goes to say something. "Eve, please this is hard. They make a good family, don't they?" as Eve nods. " Shannon says, to say Jon's a good baby, takes after his mother, strong willed. Kelly says thanxs, that new style text lingo thing, kids do now days." Eve smiles at he husbands face, " and she loves her baby brother. Your John looked a good soldier but he would have made a better Marine .He said, I was to take care of you. Shannon said "It wasn't our time". We were to have each other."
The tears beginning to run down her face. "Jethro, did they? Did they cross the bridge?"
"Yes Eve, as a family." as Eve kisses away the tears that began to roll down her husband face.
Chapter 8
A couple of weeks later in a park down town. Jethro with his arm round Eves shoulders, her arm round his waist.
"I'm sorry for what I did to you. The bruising, the silent treatment, for what I put you through."
"Don't, please. I love you and at least I have my husband back." looking up at him
"Remind me again why I married you?" he asked smiling
As Eve moved in front of Gibbs and poked him in the chest, "PIG. If think you can use that put on temporary amnesia thing , as a get out clause for birthdays , anniversaries and anything else you wish to conveniently forget, forget it right now."
"Is that not a double negative? Sometimes You say the funniest things, especially when you're angry. It must be that Scottish thing in you. So why did I marry You?"
"Well it certainly wasn't for my money. Maybe 'cos you love me? 'Cos my visa ran out and I don't have a Green Card and maybe you just wanted to make an honest woman of me."
As Jethro pulled Eve close to him and kissed her on the head, he said "Lets enjoy our time together."