Author's Note:
Thank you for all the great reviews.
Here's the next chapter, Enjoy and Review ASAP….. Thanks!
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When Ducky returned to the room he immediately sensed the tension in the air. McGee and Tony were not even looking at each other. Tony seemed engrossed with whatever was happening outside the hotel window in the rain while McGee's attention was focused on his laptop. He was typing away furiously as if he was just a moment away from a major breakthrough.
"Dinner is served, gentlemen. I suggest we eat and then retire for a few hours so that we will be fresh and ready once we get a location from the Brazilian military." Ducky said as he handed each man a takeout box.
Tony opened his first and grimaced, "What is this?"
"Picanha com batata doce frita." Ducky said in his best Brazilian accent.
"What?" McGee asked as he too had opened his meal.
"Steak and fried sweet potatoes." Ducky said in English. "I've been told that it is a staple meal in Brazil and very tasty." He continued as he opened his box and began to eat. Tony and McGee also ate and both silently acknowledged that the meal wasn't all that bad. Once they were done, Ducky handed them a cola bottle labelled, Guarana Juice.
"I'd rather have coffee." Tony chirped even as he accepted the drink.
"It will be delivered within the next few moments." Ducky said as he and McGee had their drinks.
A few moments later the coffee was delivered but to Tony's disappointment it was served in a small cup. What was worse was that it was dark, thick and sickly sweet.
Gibbs would have loved this. It's no wonder he carries his own stash of caffeine where ever he goes. Tony thought as he realized just how welcome a slap to the back of his head would be right now.
As McGee returned to his laptop, he noticed that he had just received a new file and it was in the process of being uploading. A moment later his phone rang.
"McGee." He answered immediately as Tony and Ducky looked expectantly at him.
"Tim, I've just forwarded a file to you. Did you get it?" Abby asked as she tapped her fingers on her lab table.
"It's coming through now." McGee replied.
"Good. I've triangulated the search area and marked off a 125 square mile radius. Gibbs and Ziva are somewhere in that space and you and Tony need to hurry up and find them." Abby said the fear and strain clearly evident in her voice.
"125 square miles! That's a huge search area. Have you uploaded this to Esmeralda's office?" McGee quickly asked. Just then Tony's phone started ringing.
"DiNozzo!" he answered
"Yes, McGee. I've sent it to the NCIS office in Manaus." Abby replied.
"Agent DiNozzo, It is Esmeralda."
"What have you got for us?" Tony asked ready to move.
"Do you have anything else for us?" McGee asked Abby as he opened the file which had finished uploading.
"I spoke to the FBI and CIA and they confirmed that their offices in Brazil were going to be sending 2 search and rescue choppers to Manaus and that you and Tony would be allowed to use these choppers as you saw fit." Abby replied,
"Agent DiNozzo, the Military escorts will be ready within the next hour." Esmeralda said.
"Where do we leave from and have they got a location for us?" Tony asked.
Ducky listened to both agents' conversations as he cleared up their empty takeout boxes.
"Okay, Abby thanks." McGee said as he prepared to hang up.
"McGee you'd better keep in touch with me and … and you'd better find them!" Abby said as she failed to control the tremor in her voice.
"I will and we will." McGee said with a sense of conviction he didn't feel. Then he hung up and scanned the open file on his laptop.
"We will depart from the Manaus International Airport. There will be 5 search and rescue helicopters. Each helicopter will have a pilot, a military escort, a paramedic and one of us. That will leave room for at least 4 injured passengers. The flights will last anywhere from 90 minutes to 180 minutes depending on the location that we are searching. Your office has forwarded us a search area of 125 square mile. Therefore each helicopter will have a dedicated area 25 square miles to check." Esmeralda advised.
"Okay, we'll be waiting for you to pick us up." Tony replied as he hung up.
"That was…" Tony started to say, as McGee said, "Abby just…"
"You first." Tony indicated that McGee should continue. He knew that he had been out of line earlier and he didn't want to throw rank into McGee's face now that they were on the verge of starting the search.
"Abby's just sent through a file with the search area." McGee said finally meeting Tony's eyes.
"And?" Tony prompted.
"The FBI and CIA have allocated a chopper each to help with the search." McGee stated.
"Okay so that gives us 7 choppers, because the military is organising 5. We will each be on one copper and Esmeralda and the other Brazilian based NCIS agents will be on the other four. Once the site is located all the remaining choppers will be directed to it. We leave in the next 45 minutes, so grab whatever you think you'll need and be ready to move." Tony ordered as he looked at his watch and realized that it was just after 1pm.
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Back at the crash site, Eduardo and Milena rushed into the wreckage where Agent Gibbs and Officer David were.
"What is wrong Ziva?" Eduardo asked as he kneeled next to her and looked down at Gibbs.
"He's leg's bleeding, and the fever's getting worse." Ziva said as she reached out and mopped Gibbs' brow again. He turned his face and rested his heated cheek in her hand for a moment before shivering and turning away.
"Milena, I need more light in here. Get Sergio and Felipe to help with that. I will also need boiling water and salt to clean the wound as I have run out of disinfectant." Eduardo said as he moved to Gibbs' leg and peeled the blanket away.
The bandages at the wound site were soaked with blood. But there also seemed to be a yellowish tinge to the bandage. As soon as Sergio and Felipe arrived and switched on a few torches around Gibbs, Eduardo cut his bandages away.
"Argh that is asqueroso!" Felipe gagged at the sight of the wound. It was oozing blood and thick yellowish pus.
"How will you treat this?" Ziva asked, separating her emotions from the task at hand.
We will have to do whatever is necessary to save Gibbs' life, even if it means he will have to lose a leg! Oh God, please don't let it come to that!
"The wound had become séptico. We will have to cleanse and quemadura - cauterise it immediately. Then if the fever does not subside and if the wounds become séptico again, we will have to think about prescindir – separating his leg from his body." Eduardo informed Ziva, his voice confirming that Gibbs would then most likely die anyway, unless they were rescued before other infections set in.
"NO ONE'S TAKING MY LEG!" Gibbs growled shocking everyone with how coherent he suddenly was.
"Did you hear me?" he asked as he stared Eduardo dead in the eye. Eduardo nodded, hoping that he would not be forced to take that action.
"Good!" Gibbs shivered as he closed his eyes against the intense pain ripping through his leg and head and the cold shivers race up and down his spine. Ziva looked at Eduardo and nodded her head indicating that he should cauterise the wound without delay.
Then she turned her attention to Gibbs as she wrapped another blanket around him and snuggled close to him. He opened his eyes and looked at her. She leaned closer to him, caressing his cheek before brushing her lips against his forehead, in a gesture meant to comfort, and reassure him. He stared at her to a second longer, before his eyes fluttered close and his cheek ended up resting in her warm palm.
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Author's Note:
That's it for this chapter
Stay tuned for the next chapter, where the search begins and Gibbs' wound will be cauterised.
And as always, please review soon….
