48 Hours later
Lainy opened her eyes and took in the room. The soft beep of the IV pump and the hiss of oxygen in her nose were the only sound. She turned to look toward the door where the sound of the nurses and visitors flowed into the room.
She took slow deep breaths through the oxygen and began to sweat. A wave of nausea followed. The pain through her left shoulder and upper arm was awful. As she moved she heard a familiar voice.
"How are you baby?" Nardo and his wife Sarah were sitting there beside the bed. Memory came flooding back.
"Where is he? Where is Jethro? Tell me!" Lainy found herself panicking, she struggled to sit up. Her mouth was so dry that her speech was not clear. Where was he? She froze even as Nardo bent to speak to her. She knew. He was dead. Oh God. He was dead. "No! No No NO NO!" Lainy screamed. People came running. Sarah stood and waved the staff off.
" No sweetie, NO Lainy! You need to listen! You're making jumps that aren't there! He's NOT dead. He's just not here in this room. He's in ICU. He's alive baby. He's just not here." Nardo left his hand on hers. Lainy looked up at him through wide emerald eyes.
"Let me speak to him. Put him on the phone. Put him ON Nardo. Let me hear his voice."
Lainy grabbed Nardo's arm with her good one.
"Baby I can't. He's in ICU. He's still on the respirator. He's not awake yet. He's doing OK though baby. Really!" Nardo squeezed her hand. Sarah stood close by nodding and smiling at her.
" I need to see him. I need to! Oh God I'm going to die without him. I can't live… I don't want to live… Oh God my A'ast. My love. My only love." Weeping she leaned back into her pillow. Sarah came around and murmuring tried to comfort her. A nurse came in carrying a syringe of sedative.
"No! Let her be nurse. She needs to get this out. If you want to help then find a wheelchair. I'll bring her to ICU to see him." The nurse hesitated then nodded. She was aware of what had happened. Everyone in Bethesda knew what had happened. As she moved away to find the wheelchair she thought everybody in the country and half the world knew what had happened at Quantico.
Lainy made the move to the wheelchair. Her left arm was tight to her side, a heavy bandage covered her shoulder and a brace to her upper arm . A drain was pinned to the
bandage. The shoulder immobilizer was clumsy and made it hard to sit straight in the chair. Lainy was chalk pale but kept her eyes forward. When they arrived in ICU a nurse at the desk stood and frowned. " Can I help you?"
"Gunnery Sgt LeRoy Jethro Gibbs. This is his fiancée Sgt Elaine Douglass-Preston." Nardo said smiling. The nurse looked in askance at Nardo.
"She looks like she should be in bed herself. " The nurse said. Nardo nodded.
"You're probably right Senora, but love know no bounds or limits yes?" He smiled.
" He's not going to know you're here miss. The doctors only just now took him off the respirator. He's still sedated." Lainy turned her gaze up on the nurse. Her emerald eyes were huge and glazed with pain.
"I'll know. He'll know." She looked toward the curtained units. Nardo moved to follow the nurse. They went 2 areas down, located just off center from the desk. The view from the desk was unobstructed. Lainy ignored all the noises of the monitors except to see that her gunny's heart rate was beeping at a slow 52 beats per minute. His blood pressure was low too she saw as she studied the screen more carefully. Looking up to Jethro she saw he had some kind of tubes in his neck. She saw blood and another colored fluid going through the tubing by different pumps. Slowly Lainy absorbed it all then gave a small nod. Nardo pushed her closer. Lainy tipped her head a little and saw a catheter. She had had one for a good long time in her past. They were annoying although not painful. The second set of tubing came from under Jethro's sheet. Stiffening slightly she recognized this too. It was a chest tube and there was dark blood in it as it bubbled away.
The RN moved forward then.
"He's actually doing fairly well Staff Sgt. The bullet is out, it entered at a downward angle but the Dr was able to get it without opening Gunnery Sgt's Gibbs sternum. The Evac chopper ride saved him from too much time with his lung collapsed." She tried to smile reassuringly.
"He's been asleep all this time? " Lainy asked softly. Her eyes on Gibb's face. A moisturized oxygen mask with an open top hissed. Lainy absorbed this too.
"Well he's been heavily sedated. Dr Nataeo didn't want him moving much after the surgery and his lung needed time to re inflate. I'd like to assure you he's making progress Sgt." She stood next to Jethro on the left side of the bed. "The Dr will be up to see you as soon as he gets out of surgery. Can I get you anything?" Her eyes were full of concern.
"No… I need to touch him. Nardo, I need to touch him. OK?"
Nardo met eyes with the RN who nodded and drew back the sheet covering Gibb's left hand. His right was wrapped in ace and elevated on a stack of pillows.
Nardo moved the chair forward. As he bent to lock the chair brakes Lainy noticed for the first time that Nardo had bandages on his hands. She looked quickly up and saw scratches crisscrossing his face. He smiled at her.
"Just scratches honey. No worries."
Lainy nodded and then reached out to touch her lover. His hand was not as warm as she thought it should be. But a quick touch allowed her to feel his pulse. It was a little weaker than she liked. But her level of anxiety was so high she discounted her judgment.
Her voice was weak but clear as she struggled to lean into him from the chair.
"Jethro, I'm here. I am here with you. You need to get stronger. I need you in my life. Remember, you promised me always." Her eyes overflowed then. She squeezed his hand hard. Her head bowed.
A slight variation in Gibbs breathing was the only warning. Lainy looked up. Jethro didn't open his eyes or show he was conscious in any way. But his fingers closed over hers and stayed there. Lainy leaned slowly forward over his hand and closed her eyes, her lips turned up in a soft smile. She was instantly asleep.
72 Hours later
"Sergeant Gibbs. Gunny?" Gibbs slowly opened his eyes. He looked up at the ceiling first. Then slowly he turned his head toward the voice. He felt foggy and when he tried to turn to his back, he felt the lurch of his muscles spasm on his right side. His breath caught in his throat and his fists clenched. There was a pillow tucked behind him and he couldn't turn over. To make it worse he felt something pulling, hard, from his lower ribs. He gasped.
"Wait! Gunny! I woke you to turn you. There's a pillow there and your chest tube!
Oh my, wait! Maria! Maria! He's awake and fighting it!" The young nurse had put her hand on his right arm and Gibbs pulled sharply away. That hurt worse. He lay with his eyes wide, panting. He reached out and grabbed the bedrail on the left side.
"Lainy!" he gasped. "Where is she?" His voice was a hoarse whisper.
"Sgt Gibbs, relax. Let go of the bedrail. Everything is going to be alright." Maria was there. Her calm voice made him focus. He remembered her from his hospitalization from his coma.. He lay back against the pillows.
"Jessica, give me a moment. Get Sgt. Gibbs his pain medicine." Maria made a shooing motion with her hands.
"No. I don't want to go to sleep. I need to see Lainy. Take me to her." Jethro grasped Maria's wrist. His voice was barely audible.
"Sgt Gibbs you aren't going anywhere. You're in Bethesda Naval hospital. You were shot." Maria was being conciliatory. She covered his hand with her own.
"I know that. I was there! Where is Lainy?" Jethro was beginning to look around wildly, his voice only a hoarse whisper. It was all he was capable of, his throat sore after the vent.
"She will be back soon. She is having a revision of her shoulder and is in recovery."
Maria saw Gibbs freeze. His eyes fixed on her with a laser like intensity. He began breathing hard, panting through his mouth. He blinked, now dizzy. Anxiety washed over him. An alarm went off.
"Sgt Gibbs! I want you to slow your breathing and breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. I'm turning the oxygen up a bit. You need to listen to me and believe! She's doing well. She's already in recovery. She'll be back soon. You have some people waiting in the waiting room. Practically a whole contingent of the marine corps and NCIS." She watched the oxygen saturation meter on the monitor. As it crept up to a good amount, she smiled down at Gibbs. He continued to look at her, but doing as she asked. "Would you like to see someone.?"
Jethro nodded slowly. Jessica came back in with a syringe. Gibbs eyes followed her as she moved toward the bed. He shook his head. Looking up at Maria he said "No".
"It's also necessary that you stay relaxed so you can heal. You've got some serious injuries. A damaged lung, a few broken ribs, a lacerated artery, a deep flesh wound in your thigh. I want to give you this medicine now. Are you going to let me do this?" Maria was prepared to inject the drug.
"Where is Lainy going to be when she comes back?" He whispered. Maria smiled again.
"Jessica go and get one of the visitors for Sgt Gibbs." She injected the medicine into the port of the IV. "Her bed goes right over there Jethro. Right next to yours."
Gibbs relaxed back into the pillows. Maria had removed the pillow behind him. She straightened the pillows under his right arm and leg. Readjusted his catheter and covers.
Jethro felt lightheaded from the injection. He breathed deeply a few more times.
Footsteps sounded. Jethro opened his eyes again to see two of Tony standing next to the bed.
"Boss… I'm glad you're awake! You've given us a scare Boss." Tony was smiling.
"Tony." Gibbs blinked but continued to speak, his voice a hoarse whisper. "How many?"
"You, Lainy, TJ, and Smitty were shot. You all had to have surgery and are here in Bethesda. 5 dead police. We got 16 dead of the intruders Boss. Including the leader. His name was Elia Benjawdi from Pakistan originally. He apparently got his chief source of income from illegal weapons sales. We figure he was smuggling into and out of Fort Belvoir. Exactly what we aren't sure yet. Fornell isn't done with DeSarro yet."
Gibbs shut his eyes, dizzy and with a touch of nausea. Tony looked at him and frowned.
"Boss…" Tony reached out and touched Gibbs forehead. "You got a little fever Boss. I'm going to get the nurse."
Tony left for the nurses station. Gibbs stopped fighting the need to fall into the velvet blackness and sunk in.
When Gibbs awoke again he saw a man bending over him. The man smiled and said
"Hello Gunny. I'm Dr Nataeo. I've been the trauma surgeon taking care of you and Sgt. Preston. I'm going to listen to your chest OK?" Gibbs looked into his eyes. He saw a direct gaze and an open honest assessment in his face. Gibbs nodded once.
"Good. Try to breathe more deeply for me OK?" He placed the stethoscope against Jethro's right upper chest. Gibbs drew in a breath painfully. The pressure moved lower.
"Again please." The doctor said. He repeated this 4 more times. Gibbs felt a little dizzy when done.
"Let me tell you what has been going on Sgt. Gibbs. You took a bullet, 2 actually. One went into and through your upper chest in back of your collar bone and down into your lung. The second tore through your upper under arm and nicked your artery. I repaired the lung wound by going through your chest laproscopically where the bullet cracked your ribs. Avoided having to open your chest that way. A vascular surgeon repaired your artery. You have a flesh wound in your upper right thigh, your femur is cracked but not displaced. Dr Tanaka used bone glue, but you're going to be weight free for awhile.
The pressure and discomfort you feel in your lower ribs is the chest drain. I should be able to pull that in another day or so. It depends on when the drainage slows." He stood looking into Gibbs eyes with a small smile on his face.
"Any questions for me?" He draped the stethoscope across his neck.
"Lainy." Jethro whispered.
"Yes. Sgt Nardo explained to me that she is your fiancée." His direct gaze met Gibbs forthrightly.
" She had a bullet tear through her shoulder. It broke her scapula and humerus. Did some vascular damage also. We had ortho take her back to surgery to pin her upper humerus as it didn't stay put in the immobilizer. She should be back anytime from recovery. I fully expect you both to recover. Yours will be longer than hers because of the lung issues. You need to be aware and not push." Gibbs looked away, refusing to lie to placate him.
"I know Marines Sgt. When the pulmonary doctor says you're OK I'll sign your release for work papers. Same for your fiancée. Look at it this way. You'll be resting and recovering together. You'll have some time off to appreciate how lucky the two of you are. Understood?"
"Crystal sir." Jethro whispered. A noise distracted him and he looked toward the doorway.
"Ah, here she is Gunny. I'm going to get out of the way so the nurses can settle her. I'll see you in the morning unless you need me." He smiled and left.
Jethro nodded his eyes already fixed on the blanketed form in the bed. The nurses pushed the bed into the room and locked the brakes. IV's were hooked up to the pump. Monitors were hooked up and Gibbs saw a slender arm lifted to put the blood pressure cuff on. He leaned forward as far as he could trying to see her. Maria noticed and pulled one of the blankets surrounding her to keep her body temperature up away from Lainy's face. Jethro settled back, his azure eyes alert, and assessing what he saw.
He looked up at Maria who nodded to him. He sighed and settled back into his pillows exhausted.
"She's going to sleep awhile Gunny. You should too." Maria gently fussed with the covers over Jethro's chest.
He nodded and closed his eyes. She was safe. He could allow himself to sleep again. The darkness came quickly.
Lainy opened her eyes slowly. She took a deep breath, felt the oxygen tubing in her nose and took another through her nose. Memory came back and she turned her head, much to quickly, to look toward Jethro. The room immediately began to tilt and spin. He was asleep on his left side positioned on pillows facing toward her . In spite of herself she smiled a little. She knew he must have seen her come back into the room. She was sorry she had been out, it would have made him feel better to know she was alright. On second thought as she felt her arm and shoulder begin to throb, she had felt better. The pain was less than her previous injuries had been but she was hurting. Her hand felt to her stomach where the weight of the nurse call button lay. She pushed it. In what seemed an eternity later Maria came into the room.
" Oh good you're awake!" She smiled as she came to the bed. "Want something to drink?"
"Yes" Lainy said softly. "How long has it been since I got back?" Maria poured and offered her some ice water.
"You mean how long has it been since Gunny was awake don't you?" Maria was still smiling.
" Yes, I guess I do." Lainy said her eyes moving toward Jethro still motionless in his bed.
"Could you tell me how he is?"
" He is still listed as guarded, but his vital signs are stable. We're going to be giving him some more blood in a little while, and he is on fluids and antibiotics just like you. You should know he's weak. But again you're not on top of your game either are you?" Her voice was gentle.
"No I guess not even by half." Lainy gave her a weak smile, her voice husky. She looked back over at her love. " I just love him you know?"
" It's pretty clear he feels that way about you too. Finish the water and if you want I'll get you some gingerale. Just clear liquids for now."
Lainy did as told, but felt a little nauseous so declined the gingerale. "Can you answer my question Maria?"
"He fell asleep about an hour ago after he was sure you were back in here. He'll probably be out awhile longer he had some morphine just before you got back." Maria fussed a moment longer with Lainy's covers then went and checked Gibbs monitors. She smiled again and nodded reassurance and left. Lainy lay quietly and watched her lover sleep until she drifted off again too.
Lainy opened her eyes to see Nardo sitting next to her bed with eyes closed. She turned toward Jethro and saw that he had been turned onto his back now and that Tony DiNozzo was at his bedside. She heard alarms in the hall and people were rushing. The ICU was hopping. She looked again and saw Tony was looking. He waved at her silently and turned his attention back to the Iphone he had been looking at. He frowned and texted something onto the unit. Lainy lay with eyes half closed not wanting to move lest the pain go from barely tolerable to roaring again.
A soft moan made her eyes fly open. Gibbs arched his head back into the pillows and his hands fisted. Tony leapt to his feet and reached to touch him gently on the arm.
"Boss, try not to move too much. The nurses said to just have you take some deep breaths through your nose."
Tony's face was full of concern. He had not been able to make it into the house as the attack intensified. He and Ziva had circled to the other side of the house and been pinned down briefly until they killed their attackers. They had run as fast as they could toward the bedroom deck but the gunfire from outback happened to fast. When they came around the back of the house they had found Nardo dressing Gibbs wounds. Tony felt guilty.
"It's the breathing that hurts DiNozzo." Gibbs said in a hoarse whisper with another movement of his head to the side. His eyes were closed.
As Tony opened his mouth to speak a husky whisper interrupted him.
" Love, can you hear me?" Lainy watched him closely. Jethro's eyes flew open and he turned toward her.
"Lainy…" It was enough. She could hear him. She felt the tears begin to fall. She slid her left hand over the top of the railing reaching toward him, turning as much onto her injured right side as she could stand.
"Are you hurting real bad?" Jethro whispered, his azure eyes blazed in his pale face.
" I'm feeling better knowing you're alive and hearing your voice is a good drug love."
She smiled at him. Gibbs had slid his left hand across the bed toward her. He cursed feeling so weak and dizzy now that he could talk to her. He closed his eyes for a second and took some breaths through his nose as the nurse had instructed. She needed him for God's sake. She needed to hear him talk to her! Opening his eyes he waited for the room to stop fading in and out.
"Boss, do you want something to drink, you're sounding kind of raspy." Tony said.
Gibbs shook his head. "No, thanks Tony." he whispered. "Just dizzy."
"Lainy… they said you had to have your arm…?" He shook his head not able to make the connection.
"They needed to pin it babe. Bracing didn't work. I'm sore but I'll be fine. You're worse off than I am. I love you marine. Go to sleep and get strong for me." She could see he was becoming exhausted again. He shook his head trying to deny the inevitable.
" I don't want to…sleep. I …know you need to talk to me. I've been hurt before it'll…pass."
He tried not to gasp as a muscle spasm hit when he coughed. Tony held the water to his lips. Gibbs took a small sip. The effort of the cough had cost him. He sagged back onto the pillows gasping.
"Tony! Please, is he alright?" Lainy was crying openly now.
"I'm OK babe. Please… don't cry. I need to sleep…OK?" Gibbs voice faded out as he stopped fighting the need to go into the darkness that offered solace.
"He's OK Lainy. He's fallen asleep. Looks like Nardo's down for the count too." Tony nodded toward the sleeping Sergeant.
"Do you know how the others are?" She shifted over to her back again. Taking quick short breaths until the pain eased.
"TJ is good. He needed to have the wound cleaned out and sown shut. Smitty needed more serious surgery on his abdomen. But he's doing OK too. They're still here for a few days I guess. You want me to get the RN for some more pain medicine for you?" He had come over to stand with his hand over hers.
"Yeah, I guess so. Has the doctor been in?" She was feeling entirely too sore now. It made her tremble. Tony smiled and nodded. "Be right back."
The evening shift RN came in with a syringe for her. She gave it and would have walked away but Lainy spoke to her.
"Miss? Has the doctor been in to see us? I was hoping to hear how Sgt Gibbs was doing."
The woman looked at her without expression. "He was in earlier. You were asleep."
She turned to go. Nardo suddenly spoke up.
"What is the matter with you? You can't see she's hurting in her heart as well as her body? What kind of Medico are you?" His expression was angry.
She stiffened and turned back to Lainy. "He's been shot in his lung and it collapsed. He's got broken ribs. He had another shot into his underarm and through an artery. It's been repaired. The flesh wound in his thigh will be painful but it'll heal. He's lost a lot of blood. His body is still very weak. His blood pressure is low. The lung doctor is watching him closely and the vascular doctor is watching his arm circulation. We're gonna be giving him about 2 to 3 more units of blood depending on his lab work. She turned toward Nardo. "That good enough?" She walked out the door.
"That Puta needs an attitude adjustment. You OK niña?" He reached to kiss her gently on her forehead. Lainy's eyes were a huge pool of emerald green. Her shock was on her face.
" She didn't say he was going to be OK… " Her voice was rising again in her fear.
"No baby. I saw the doctor. He thinks he just needs time. They're helping him honey. Really they are. I wouldn't lie to you." Nardo's expression was very serious. Lainy smiled weakly at him and closed her eyes.
" You guys watch out for me OK?"
"You got it kiddo." Tony said. Nardo nodded firmly into Lainy's eyes.