Chapter 2: Bethesda Naval Hospital
The NCIS vehicles passed through the gates of Bethesda Naval Hospital and headed for the Emergency Rooms. The hospital actually took in the wounded and sick from all three branches of the military and their dependants. Orderlies took the gurney from Ducky's wagon wheeling it into the hospital, Matt tried to rise but they pressed him firmly back onto the gurney. "Matt, just let it happen, it's alright," Matt looked at Ducky and Gibbs, he lay still, he groaned the painkiller was wearing off.
"Gibbs, good to see you. What have you got for me?"
"Gunshot victim, name Matt Dillon, US Marshal for Dodge City. What I am about to tell you doesn't leave this room."
"Wait up there ... Matt Dillon as in Gunsmoke."
"Yes. Matt this is Doctor Brad Pitt," Matt nodded he noted that Doctor Pitt was completely different than Doc Adams. Doc Adams rarely smiled and Doc Pitt seemed to smile all the time. An orderly moved to undo Matt's gunbelt, he stopped him. "Matt they need to get you comfortable, want me to look after your gun?" Matt nodded and let the orderly continue, Gibbs took the gunbelt. Doctor Pitt probed the wound with his fingers.
"Ah! Don't do that!"
"Have you eaten anything within the last twelve hours," Matt looked like he thought that a stupid question.
"Yeah, Son of a Gun Stew," Doctor Pitt looked puzzled.
"What is that?"
"It's a beef stew," Gibbs said.
"Nurse, let's start a full blood works and X-rays, ASAP," Matt was even more puzzled. He certainly didn't like the idea of the nurse using a syringe on him.
"Matt, S.O.P., they need a little blood to make sure you get the correct blood type, in case they need to give you a transfusion." Matt grumbled a lot but allowed the nurse to take the vials of blood she needed. Now they wheeled him to and from X-ray and he waited watching as Doctor Pitt stuck the X-ray films up on the light box. Ducky joined Doctor Pitt.
"Bullet is lodged between the shoulder blade and the ball and socket joint. We'll get you down to surgical and fix that," Matt just stared up at the ceiling getting more and more confused.
"Gibbs, a word," Matt turned his head, looking at Leon Vance.
"Leon," Gibbs laid a great deal of emphasis on Vance's first name. "I'll be back shortly, Matt," he left the room.
"Who is he?"
"Do you remember my telling you about when we went back in time to Dodge City of Eighteen Seventy-Eight."
"Yes, I must admit I found it a little far-fetched."
"Well, it's true and that man in there is US Marshal Matthew Dillon. It looks like he was shot in Eighteen Seventy-Eight but ended up at my door in Twenty Fourteen."
"How are you going to get him back to Eighteen Seventy-Eight?"
"That's the Sixty-Four Thousand Dollar question. With us we helped solve a murder, it could be we are supposed to simply get him the treatment and find out who shot him and why."
"Treatment is covered, you stay here, I'll get Tony, Ziva and McGee to find out any information there is on the shooting," Abby came up to them.
"Is Matt alright?"
"He's fine they're going to operate soon to get the bullet out," Abby went in to Matt's room, she hugged him.
"Hey, Abby," Matt said, "mind my shoulder. You still like hugging people then."
"Miss, we've got to take him to surgery now," the orderlies wheeled him out and into the operating room. Matt just let it happen as they gave him a couple of injections and the mask came down. Four hours later they wheeled him back to his room, Gibbs and Abby watched over him. He stirred four hours later, pulling at the tube in his nose and the tubes from the blood and saline bags that connected him to the bed.
"Matt, it's alright, you need the blood," Gibbs pressed him back down to the bed.
"I don't think I want to stay here," Doctor Pitt came in.
"Gibbs. Mr Dillon you can go home tomorrow," Doctor Pitt removed the oxygen tube. "Try not to move about too much you need all that fluid and blood," Matt snorted but he was relieved that Doctor Pitt had removed that tube from his nose.