Well I have been stuck on this chapter because, frankly, it's getting hard to write and figure out where this story is going. So after most of the week sounding vaguely like Tony ala SWAK with the cough, I'm functional again… not sure where this story is going at all, beyond the inevitable part where eventually, yes, Kate has a baby. Could I vague that up a little? Feedback would be helpful because the plot bunnies are hiding.
It was cold and dark, and every breath brought in more water. It surrounded her, claiming her. Her hand pressed against something solid, and she jerked in the other direction, body pressing against something equally solid, and full panic set in.
Thrashing, she reached and kicked in every direction, trying to get away from the weight pressing on her. Her lungs burned, brain screaming for air. The pressure on her arm had her jerking away in further panic, body shoving another direction before something tugged hard.
Her eyes strained to see through the murky haze, but it was useless. Without oxygen, she was helpless to fight the hold that was dragging her. Mercifully, the chill hit her skin, and it finally registered that she was surrounded by air again, only she couldn't get it in her fast enough.
Knees hit concrete, and her hand clawed at the solidness, eyes wide as she gulped uselessly. A hand was falling between her shoulders, a rough strike that made her body jerk reflexively, making her gag.
"Agent Todd!"
Kate jerked awake, losing her balance and nearly tumbling out of her chair. She pulled away from the hand on her shoulder, heart racing as she gasped loudly. Her stomach turned, and she barely held it in long enough for a trash can to be pressed into her hands.
She gagged and coughed, bringing up only a little bit of bile. The next two gags were merely dry heaves, and Kate curled her body forward, forearms resting on her knees.
A slender hand rubbed tentatively between her shoulder blades as she finally took in her surroundings. MTAC was dark, the screen showing a steady route of a convoy in one panel, a satellite map of the Middle East in another panel. Luckily the only people were two techs monitoring the screens and the Director.
The director who was rubbing her back and motioning for one of the techs to return her attention to the screen. "Agent Todd's fine," she reassured.
Agent Todd. It was common for her to still be referred to by her maiden name. In all honesty, it was less confusing, at least at work. One Gibbs was plenty at the Navy Yard. She rubbed a hand over her face and relaxed back into the chair, accepting the bottle of water offered to her. "Thanks."
"You okay, Kate?"
Kate swallowed a sip of water, wincing at the burn and little acidic tasted still left. Was she okay? She shivered, suddenly realizing how cool the room was, glad for the dark which allowed her a little more cover to try to get herself together. "Has he called?"
"No," Jenny answered quietly, almost apologetically. "You can go home for the night. There's nothing else pressing."
Her head shook slightly. The team had left on errands and interviews a few hours ago. After an hour and a half of helping Abby, Jenny had summoned her upstairs. She sat in on interviews and several conferences, taking notes and working up profiles. It was happening more and more these days, and she hoped it was a way to keep at a job she loved.
"We're finished for the night. I'm staying to monitor this for another hour or so, and then going home myself," Jenny urged again.
"Rode together," she explained, taking another sip of water and wishing it would wash away the vague burning still in her throat.
"He can call a cab. Or use the car they're in."
She shook her head. It was more than that. After that nightmare, she wanted to feel him nearby, get a hug. And she wasn't keen on the idea of going home to an empty house, much less an empty bed after that. "I can wait."
"Let me call Ducky," the director pressed. "Or Abby. Or the car service."
Kate gave a little sigh and took another swig of water. "I'll leave you to this," she finally said. "Thanks for keeping me on the MCRT."
Jenny's eyebrows lifted slightly. "You're a good agent, Kate."
"Doesn't mean you had to keep me," she countered.
"You'll be back in the field eventually," the director reminded her. "It's not even my rules so much as Gibbs."
Kate nodded absently, toying with her ring. Back in the field. It was something weighing on her more heavily these days. Now that most of their friends knew about the baby, reality was setting in. That she was going to be a mommy. Have a family. Be responsible in a whole new way for someone solely dependent on her. At least for nine months dependent on her. Then dependent on her and L.J.
Two parents as field agents. Were those risks fair to a kid? At this point, they had any number of enemies just from work. Even as much as others like Fornell tried to keep their children safe, there were risks. Threats. Maybe her field agent days were over. Before she'd even realized it.
L.J. She wouldn't want him to give up a job that so perfectly suited him. That was everything to him. He was so good at it, too. Before they were together, she couldn't imagine NCIS without him, or him without NCIS. The two were so seamlessly knit together.
She had missed the hushed phone call, so Kate was a little surprised when the door to MTAC admitted one Dr. Mallard.
"Have a good night," Jenny called quietly as the pair made their way out and to the bull pen below.
"Ducky, I'm fine, really," she insisted, smiling tiredly when he held her coat and helped her into it.
"I intend to keep you that way," he countered, handing over her hand bag. "Allow me to escort you home. I would invite you over, but I'm afraid mother in her predictably unpredictable ways might draw the wrong conclusion." He patted her hand. "Let an old man enjoy his last opportunities to be the gentleman, Caitlin."
She relented, threading her arm through the crook of his elbow and letting him escort her to his Morgan. Supper was a light round of soup, crackers, and warm tea, all of which went down comfortably. Kate adamantly resisted his urging to retire upstairs, finally drifting off to sleep in the midst of his insistence that he stay.
Kate hardly remembered being urged upstairs by a strong arm or the moments when she was tucked under warm covers. All she knew was the heartbeat thudding steadily under her ear when she woke briefly, quickly surrendering to real rest again, giving a fleeting moment of thanks that the nightmare stayed at bay.