Timing Is Everything
Chapter 26
Monday, June 22, 1998
1030 Local Time
George Washington Medical Center
Washington, DC NW
John's first thought was 'This dream world sure was busy.' To him it revolved more slowly than the world had before he went to sleep. There was a lot of random noise, a lot of sudden and unexplained light coming and going. There was movement, jostling, wailing and blaring and long stretches of dark silence. There was an occasional blurred human sound and the smell of chemicals and the feel of his breath and some pain, the thud of his pulse that sometimes enveloped all other sounds. The slow revolutions got slower. The thunder of his pulse quieted. His throat was sore. The light was too bright and it was hot. He knew then he wasn't dead. He sat straight up in his bed. He heard alarms and then he saw a group of people rush into his room pushing a cart with lots of small equipment. He started feeling dizzy and that made him lay back down and close his eyes. He listened as the alarms were silenced and they helped him settle back down in his bed. It was then he realized why his throat was sore. There were tubes in his throat, a feeding tube that went through his nose and a breathing tube that was held between his teeth. There was an IV in the back of his left hand. When he opened his eyes again he looked up and saw a woman in white looking down at him.
"Welcome back", the nurse said.
She was a black woman. Her voice had a Caribbean lilt to it.
He smiled pleasantly or thought he did and said, "Glad to be back", or thought he did.
"You're not coherent yet." she said. "It will take a little while"
It took a couple hours. During which time a resident appeared and took the breathing and feeding tubes out of his throat and nose and put an oxygen canula in his nose. The nurse cranked up his bed so that he could see his yeoman, Carolyn Turner sitting reading a book by Robert B. Parker.
"Where's Sarah?" he managed to rasp out.
"She's at work. We've already called JAG to let her know you woke up," Carolyn said.
"I want to see her."
"She'll be here", Carolyn said.
"Where is here?"
"You're at George Washington Hospital."
"How long have I been out?"
"You've been out over three weeks."
"Three weeks?"
"Yeah you're here under Secret Service & NCIS guard. The President ordered maximum protection. It seemed the prudent thing to do since Ann Marie is on the White House Staff. Admiral Magnum and the Secret Service Director set up a detail including Kate, Gibbs, Tony and other Secret Service agents from the Presidential Detail. Also, Sarah, Ann Marie, Diane, Kate and I have been sitting here in shifts for the whole time. It was the only way we could be sure that Sarah and Ann Marie got the rest they needed. "
That was too much information to process and John had to beg off any further discussion. He closed his eyes for what he thought was a moment.
1345 Local Time
JAG Headquarters
Sarah was notified of John's awakening while she was in court in front of Admiral Morris. She and Harm were defending CPO Anthony Sevalis, an electronics expert, for allegedly assaulting a prostitute. The prosecutor was Lt. Commander Mattoni. Tiner came in and handed a note to Morris. Morris read the note and said, "Both counsels please approach."
When Mattoni, Sarah and Harm approached, Morris said, "Major Mackenzie I have some good news from George Washington Hospital." Harm reached for and held her hand. "John has come out of his coma."
Sarah almost collapsed with relief but Harm and Mattoni were there to support her. Morris smiled as he continued, "I'm going to declare a recess until tomorrow morning at 0900."
"Thank you sir," Sarah said choking back a sob. The three attorneys walked back to their tables and waited only long enough for Morris to bang his gavel declaring the recess. Sarah almost raced out of the room. Harm drove her to the hospital.
When she arrived she saw Ann Marie and Carolyn waiting outside John's room. Ann Marie told her, "He fell back to sleep again. Don't worry the doctors said that he will do that on and off for the next couple of days. He has lost a lot of his strength due to the coma. Now that he's come out of that he can build that back up."
Sarah drew Ann Marie then Carolyn each into a fierce hug. She spoke to John's doctor to get a better understanding of his prognosis. Then she went in, took off her uniform tunic, sat and waited for John to wake up.
When John opened his eyes he saw Sarah sitting in the dark. He put his right arm out to her and without a word she bent over and kissed him. He held her against him as hard as he could, which wasn't very hard. He smelled her perfume, the scent of her soap and shampoo and the scent of her.
He felt that the air going into his lungs was fresh and plentiful. He felt himself starting to shake as he was wracked with quiet sobs. Sarah kicked off her pumps, adjusted herself till she was fully on the bed and snuggled up against him, held him tighter and let him cry it out.
"It's alright. I'm here. You don't have to be afraid now. It's all over. I love you." She kissed his cheek and whispered the last three words in his ear a few times until he calmed down.
After a while his sobs subsided and he lay quiet. They stayed that way for a long time with her face against his, his arm weakly around her as Sarah stroked his cheek and hair. He loved the feel of her breath on his face.
Hearing the heart monitor alarms go haywire the nurse went to the door and peaked in. She saw Sarah lying on the bed as she comforted John through his emotional episode. She quietly let the door close.
She saw Harm, Ann Marie and Carolyn get up in distress. She told them, "It's alright John just needed to vent some. Sarah is getting him through it. Let's give them some time alone." The three friends agreed as they sat back down in the waiting area.
After a while Sarah sat up slowly, carefully took his arm and putting it back down on the top of the sheet and kept one hand on top of it, took a tissue and gently wiped the tears from his face with the other.
John grinned up at her. "It's good to see you"
She patted his hand quietly as she wiped at her own tears.
"How am I really?" John asked.
"You're going to live"
"I don't have much feeling in my right leg or left arm."
"The doctor said to expect that", Sarah said.
"For how long?"
"I don't think he knows", Sarah said.
John nodded, which brought on a wave of dizziness and he closed his eyes for a moment.
Sarah sat back down and watched him sleep. She reached into her pocketbook and brought out the Rosary Beads that she carried. She thought of the first few days after the shooting.
(Flashback)
That Friday night after John had survived 6 hours of surgery, Sarah went back to Florida Avenue and slept all day Saturday into Sunday morning. Ann Marie had stayed home to be there for Sarah. The protection detail was set up and she needed her rest to.
Sarah had gotten up Sunday morning and gone to church with Ann Marie and then they had spent the rest of the day at the hospital. They left and went home after Kate had relieved them that evening.
On Monday Sarah went to work at JAG but when Admiral Chegwidden saw her at Staff Call and the precarious emotional state she was in he called her into his office.
He started off gently, "Mac, please sit down." He leaned back onto his desk and waited till she was settled before he began. "You know you don't need to be here." Sarah opened her mouth to protest but AJ cut her off gently saying, "I know you feel that you want to accomplish something but there are no cases pending for you today and you need to process what's happened to John. Take the rest of today and tomorrow off. Come in on Wednesday and we'll go from there."
Sarah saw the wisdom of his plan. She stood up and acknowledged him with an, "Aye, aye sir and thank you for understanding."
"You're welcome Sarah." AJ said. As soon as she heard him using her given name she just lost it as she started to cry. AJ opened his arms for her. She cried for a short time in his embrace then she pulled away. He gave her a tissue to wipe her tears.
"Thank you sir, I'm sorry for that display." Sarah said as she wiped her eyes.
"It's okay major. Go now before we both embarrass ourselves." AJ said gently.
Sarah smiled as she stood at attention saying a very military "Aye, Aye sir" before she turned and walked out the door. She got her things and went right to the hospital. After spending all day at the hospital she went to be alone to think some things out.
1745 Local Time
John's room
George Washington Hospital
Harm went to the hospital after he left JAG. When he arrived, he didn't see his sister-in-law and asked, "Where's Sarah?"
Carolyn replied, "Mac was here all day until I came at 1500. She was in uniform. She left after we spoke a bit but she didn't tell me where she was going. I just assumed she was going home."
After he visited for a while longer Harm left and went to John's house to see if Sarah was all right. He didn't find her there. He called Diane at home asking, "Did I just missed Sarah at the hospital. She's not at home. I'm starting to get worried about her. Did she go there?"
"No sweetie, she's not here. Let me know if you find her though, I'm worried to," Diane replied.
Diane was so worried that Sarah being in her precarious emotional state, would fall off the wagon and go on an alcoholic binge.
After she hung up she raised her eyes to heaven and said a short prayer, "O Lord please help my sister and future brother-in-law. He needs to get well so he can have a life with her and she's worked so hard to stay sober. Please don't let her fall."
Harm then went to McMurphy's and still he didn't find her. He didn't know where else to go so he went back to Navy Yard and the office to see if Sarah left word where she might be. The duty officer a young ensign named Yvonne Morris told him, "Commander Rabb, Major Mackenzie was here for a time. She got a Firearms Qualification Form. She said that she was going to the Quantico Range. She said that she felt the need to shoot something."
Harm left the building and went to the Marine Base.
1830 Local
Quantico Officers' Club
Sarah sat rigidly at a table, a drink in front of her. She was there for two hours already and the drink had not yet been touched. Her eyes fixated off in space, hands folded around the warming drink. The other occupants of the bar left her alone after the Marine Major had rebuffed all advances of the single officers to engage her in flirting and conversation. She turned her cell phone to vibrate and left it in her purse, which was draped over the back of the chair. She went to the base still in her uniform that she wore at work intending to change into the BDUs that she kept in her ready bag when she got there. But when she got there she found that the range was closed for maintenance. So she went to the O-Club to get some dinner. When she got there she thought that what she really needed was a drink. So she ordered one and sat at a back table just looking at it.
After not finding Sarah at the range Harm called Diane and told her, "She's not here either. She's been missing for almost 2&½ hours. I don't know where to go next."
She said, "Listen it's late. You're at Quantico right?"
Harm said, "Yeah so."
Diane continued, "It's a half hour ride home from there. Why don't you grab a bite to at the O-Club. We're only having leftovers tonight. If Sarah calls here I'll let you know. Remember Harm she is a grown woman and you know as well as I do that she is quite capable of taking care of herself. She probably felt the need for some alone time. Despite that I'm still worried about her. If you do find her before you eat, bring her here for dinner."
Hearing her go into command mode Harm acknowledged Diane's request/order as he went to the O-Club intending to get a sandwich. Heck even a beer appealed to him, he was technically off-duty. He was a little ticked with his sister in law too, as he just spent the last ninety minutes in and out of traffic from DC to Quantico looking for her. When he pulled into the O-Club's parking lot he saw Sarah's Corvette. He went in with a sigh of relief.
Walking up to the bar, he was about to ask the bartender if he saw his sister-in-law.
Before he could ask though he heard a Marine Captain a few seats over from him comment, "Damn, she's beautiful."
"Yes, but if that diamond on her finger isn't a 'Do Not Disturb' sign, and then I don't know what is", his companion another Captain commented.
"Besides," the first one commented, "She's out of my class. She has oak leaves, but I didn't catch silver or gold."
Harm turned his head to the subject the two of them were discussing.
"Shit, damn, hell!" He said out loud, drawing the attention of the two Marines.
"Yes, Sir, that's what we thought when we saw the oak leaves." The Marines were somewhat friendly to the Navy Lt. Commander.
Harm mostly ignored them. He told the barkeep, "I want to send a drink to the lady major."
"She's not accepting drinks tonight, Sir." The barkeep replied.
"What is that drink in front of her?" Harm asked, with his heart pounding.
"It's a vodka tonic." The Bartender replied. "She's been the recipient of at least 10 other drinks in the last 2 hours, but she's turned all of them away."
"Two hours?" Harm inquired.
"Yes, Sir, she's been here quite some time, getting a lot of attention too."
"Set me up with an ice water. Send her tonic water with a twist of lime, light on the ice. Please make sure she knows what is in the drink." He ordered. "When you serve it, tell her that is from 'Flyboy'."
"And if she refuses?" the Barkeeper insisted.
"She won't." Harm said as he paid for Sarah's drink.
The marines to his side immediately placed a friendly bet that she would refuse the drink.
A few moments later, the bartender set Harm's water next to him. Harm turned to watch the waitress serve the tonic and lime to Sarah.
Sarah did not look up as the waitress approached yet again. "Ma'am, Flyboy bought this for you. It's tonic water with a twist of lime."
Sarah nodded an acknowledgement. "Leave it please." She ordered.
The waitress set the fresh drink down and asked, "May I take this other one?"
"Not yet. Um, could you do me a favor?" Sarah requested.
The waitress made her way over to Harm. "The Major said that you could join her, if you knew her nickname."
Harm picked up his glass of ice water. Leaning forward, he whispered the nickname in her ear. "It's 'Ninja Girl'."
The waitress smiled broadly. "That would be correct, Sir. Enjoy your evening."
Harm made his way over to Sarah and sat in the chair beside her.
"This isn't good, Marine," he observed.
"That's an astute observation, Navy." She shot back, still looking at the drink.
He placed his hand on her back, right over the shoulder blade, caressing gently.
"What can I do to help?" he asked.
"I think I need to get out of here, but I really, really want to drink this vodka tonic." Sarah answered.
"You walking out of here on your own power, or do I have to carry you?" Harm demanded urging her to go.
"I'm walking, under my own power, thank you." Sarah rudely replied.
Harm dropped his hand from her shoulder and stood up. "Well, then Marine get your ass in gear."
She let go of the drink and started to scoot back.
"Harm, I can't." she paused. "I need that drink."
Harm leaned down to her ear, whispering, "John wouldn't want you to do this."
That got her. She looked up at him in despair.
Harm hesitated, just a second, and then plunged ahead. "Is that what's bothering you?"
"I'm so afraid of losing him." Sarah said almost crying.
"Want to talk about it?" Harm asked.
"Not here." She said.
"Then where?" He pushed.
"At our house, the one I want to share with my husband," Sarah said as her eyes welled up as her tears threatened to fall.
He held out his hand, for her to take. "C'mon then." he offered.
Sarah grasped his hand and rose from her chair. "Get me out of here."
Harm pivoted them towards the front door, and wrapped a protective arm across her back.
"March." He ordered.
She sighed as they made their way out to the parking lot. "That undercover gunnery sergeant gig made you think you are some kind of marine."
Once out to their cars, he asked, "Are you hungry?"
"Not especially." She replied.
"Well you have to eat something. I know you want to go home but come back to my house and be with Diane and me. You shouldn't be alone tonight."
Sarah replied, "Harm it's alright, Ann Marie will be there and..."
Harm interrupted her telling her, "When I left her at the hospital, she said that she needed to stop at the White House to catch up on some work. You need to eat something and you need to be with your sister. She's very worried about you. If I don't show up at home with you, she'll put me in intensive care next to your fiancé."
That made Sarah smile as she said, "Okay I'll follow you home but I want to sleep in my bed tonight. I have this overwhelming desire to put on one of his tee shirts, crawl into bed and smell his cologne on the sheets."
Harm agreed as they left for Fairfax. When Harm got into his car, he phoned home and told Diane that Sarah was following him home.
30 minutes later Diane met them at the door and she drew her sister into a tight embrace. Sarah sat and played with her goddaughter while Diane made dinner. While Diane was in the kitchen she called Ann Marie to let her know that Sarah was having dinner there. After dinner Sarah left for home. When she got home Ann Marie met her and she embraced her to.
Ann Marie admonished her, "You know you don't have to go through this alone. You have a lot of people who love you and as well as John. Don't be afraid or too proud to let us help you."
Sarah thanked her with another hug and her watery smile. They sat in the living room and talked until they were both nodding their heads with exhaustion, then they went to bed.
(Flashback)
Tuesday, June 2, 1997
Sarah got up the next day and went straight to the hospital. John's parents met her there.
Sarah said to John's father, "I'm so scared for him. He's the first man I ever truly loved. God I wish I had a drink." Sarah said this as she remembered the night before.
That's when he pulled out the set of Rosary Beads and gave it to her. "John told me about when you were growing up. Take these. They were John's Grandmother Winnie's, my mother-in-law's. Whenever you feel like having a drink, just hold on to them. I know they'll help. Winnie was a good woman and John was her favorite grandson. I'm sure she would have loved for you to have them, they helped me when my father was sick."
Sarah reached for him and he enveloped her in a tight hug as she had a good cry. 'Now I know where he got his compassion from,' she thought to herself.
"I know, we all love him", said James.
After that Sarah and Ann Marie knew John wouldn't want them to sit and waste their days watching him sleep so they went to work. They made it a routine to meet up at the White House after the business day to go and see him every weekday until it was late. When they left, Carolyn or Kate relieved them to stay into the night. Diane would come during the afternoons. So during the time John was in the coma, Sarah changed her daily routine. Before the shooting she regularly went to mass with John every week. During the whole time John was in the hospital she got up early every day to go to 7:00 AM mass at St. Thomas, Apostle before she went to work.
One evening she was sitting at John's bedside when Kate came in. She saw Sarah just holding the beads. Kate, who also was Catholic, asked Sarah if she's like to pray a cycle. Sarah didn't quite understand. She forgot so much of her Catholic upbringing that she didn't know how to pray the rosary. Kate gave her an extra instruction card she had with her set. Then she pulled up a chair next to Sarah and they began to pray. After that Sarah took her lunch hour every day at the Navy Yard's Chapel, just up the street from the JAG office, to pray a whole cycle. Some days, when she wasn't working a case, Kate would come over from NCIS Headquarters to join her.
Sarah confided in AJ and Harriet about her lunchtime routine. AJ had Harriet arrange Sarah's schedule so that she had that hour every day to give her the privacy she needed. Harriet also made sure that Sarah had something to eat after she returned from the chapel.
Harm was also a rock for her. Whenever he wasn't busy in court or out of the office on a case he joined her and sat quietly with her as she prayed then took her to lunch. AJ sent other junior attorneys with Harm for the out of town assignments keeping Sarah in town to handle the local cases.
Sarah clung tenaciously to her faith for without that and the support of her friends and family, she knew she would have fallen back into the bottle.
Now she prayed in thanks as she waited for John to open his eyes again.
For the rest of the afternoon and evening, John slept on and off. Harm, Ann Marie & Carolyn all set up camp in the room and talked amongst them or with him when he was awake.
As the sun set outside Sarah saw that John was really getting tired. She got up and said to him, "It's getting late. Diane and Sarah Cate are meeting us at our house for dinner."
As she went to give John a kiss good night, he reached for her and held her to him for a deeper kiss.
When Sarah stood up she cupped his cheek and looked tenderly down at John as he said, "I've wanted to do that since I woke up. I glad you didn't slap me or report me for conduct unbecoming."
Sarah smiled as she remembered the time they first met Diane at the Rabbs. She said, "I've wanted you to do that myself."
As she bent again to kiss his forehead, John said, "Good night ninja girl. I love you."
"I love you to hot stuff. Good night, I'll see you tomorrow afternoon after work."
John nodded wearily as he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.
Harm, Ann Marie & Carolyn smiled at the tenderly funny scene. Sarah and the rest slipped quietly out of the room. They all knew then that John would be all right as he was back to cracking jokes.
Tuesday, June 23, 1998
George Washington Medical Center
Washington, DC NW
The next morning when John opened his eyes he wished that he hadn't. The sun was too bright against the far wall. Gibbs was there. There was also a man that was very familiar to John standing reading his chart. He had a stethescope hanging around his neck. He wore a white lab coat with a crisp white shirt and yellow tie with a blue pattern. It was Petty Officer 1st Class Matt Franklyn the SEAL Team 3 Medic.
"What are you doing here Matt? Last time I saw you we were in Saudi Arabia when our Blackhawk crashed", John said.
"That was 7 years ago. I'm the surgeon who put you back together."
That brought John's eyebrows right up.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Like I've been shot on the street"
"Makes sense", he said. "Feel like talking?"
"I feel more like listening", John said.
"Okay", Franklyn said. "If the man who shot you had used bigger bullets you'd be dead."
What did he use?"
"Twenty-two longs, the same kind Hinckley used on Reagan. And you were lucky. The bullet that hit you in the chest just missed your heart. It seems that it was deflected by this."
He put John's ID Case down on the over-the-bed table. It had a hole in the outer flap at the badge holder. The hole there was through the edge of the badge. The bullet path line continued through to the back flap.
"It seems that the case combined with the badge deflected the bullet enough away from your heart to penetrate the outer edge of your left lung. Also a lot of the bullet's energy was absorbed by the shield and case. It did minimal damage to your lung, again similar to Reagan's wound.
Also Sarah was right there with you. She managed to staunch a lot of the bleeding. You were very close to here. When the paramedics arrived you had no pulse, and they got you started on the way to the hospital. With all that, the small caliber gun, Sarah's actions, the proximity to here, the professional EMTs, with all that, if you weren't as strong as you are you'd be dead."
"Right now I don't feel very strong"
"Right now you're not", said Franklyn. "You're going to need a lot of rehab. Can you move your left arm?"
John could only manage a twitch
"Right leg?"
There was only another twitch.
"How technical do you want this?"
"Eventually I want it all", John said. "But right now all I want is prognosis."
"I don't really know", Franklyn said. "I'm a good surgeon and the repair job I did on you was first rate. You were damn near shot to pieces. The bullet in your back fractionally missed your spine. That caused swelling around your spine. Thus constricting blood flow to the nerves located there. The bullet in your shoulder nicked the brachial artery, thus inhibiting the blood flow to that nerve. Because there was blood loss, some nerve endings deteriorated. It's exactly like when you have a stroke. Blood loss or constriction damages nerve cells.
I can make some informed guesses, which is mostly what prognosis is anyway. Your body has to learn how to send the signals to those nerves that were damaged. Because you still have feeling in your leg and arm, shows there is no paralysis, just general weakness. I think if you're willing to work hard enough you can come back from this. I don't know how far. It is probably a matter of how hard you work.
"I can work pretty hard." John said.
"I know that. I've seen you do it. Once you're able to get up, we'll start you on simple exercises with a trainer. It will be a long slow process."
"How soon?" John asked.
"Don't know. We'll watch you. We'll get you started as early as possible."
"I'm in kind of a rush. I need to find some people and I'm getting married in October", John declared.
"Let me tell you, you're pretty battered and the amount of anesthesia you've had is very debilitating. Mr. Gibbs, do you wish to say something?"
"Yeah", Gibbs said.
Gibbs stood and stepped to John's bedside.
"Do you know who shot you?"
"No but I can identify him. He seemed familiar to me."
Gibbs held up a set of photos on a single sheet of paper. "Is his photo here?"
John scanned and stopped at one photo. "That's him!" John declared putting his finger on the photo in question.
"That's what we thought too. You see Sarah put two in the perp as he tried to run away. He was at Georgetown Hospital ER. He took bullets in his right arm and shoulder. The ballistics matched your weapon. He was a D.C. Metro Police Lieutenant named Coster.
John interrupted, "Wait a minute I know that name. I can't think from where, but go on."
"Harm knew him from when Roscoe Martin stabbed that Vietnamese prison guard. Coster was the one who came to JAG and caught the complaint. It seems that he's been stalking Sarah since then. Did she ever tell you of the phone calls she was getting at her apartment before she moved in with you?"
John shook his head no. "She never mentioned them. How did you figure that he was stalking her?"
"When we went to search his house they found in his basement that the walls were covered with hundreds of photos of Sarah and you, time stamped from right after he was at JAG with that complaint. They also found a log detailing your movements for the past 6 months. He wrote love letters and plans detailing what they were going to do once they were 'finally' together. His plans mentioned a cabin in the Appalachians. Tony, Kate and I found it in West Virginia. He had bondage material and a subterranean room set up. He was one sick individual. Sarah has made it her mission to ensure he ends up doing hard time. So far he's pleading insanity, but Admiral Chegwidden doesn't think he'll win that plea. It's too bad that he's a civilian and we can't nail him in a JAG Court."
John had another question. "Could that have been a smoke screen? How do we know that this wasn't a set up to keep us from going to Russia?" John had another question, but his mind still hadn't focused on everything just yet. It was one fact that was right there, seemingly just out of his reach. He knew he would think of it later
"We weren't sure if your shooting had anything to do with the POW List. Admiral Magnum had McGee going over Coster's home phone and cell phone records. So far there's nothing from anyone with a Russian connection."
John remembered what he wanted to ask. "Just before I blacked out I saw through under my car someone stop and pick up the shooter. At least I thought it was the shooter. He seemed too stagger to the car. Did we get a plate number partial or otherwise?"
"We thought of that to. Sarah did see Coster get into a car after she shot him. But she stayed on the opposite side of your car to attend to you so she wasn't in a position to get the number. We interviewed the other witnesses, such as the valet parker, doorman, patrons etc. None of them got a look at the plate either. They did say it was dark colored big sedan either a Caprice or Crown Victoria."
"So we don't have anything else to go on", said John.
"No you don't have anything to go on. We are still looking. All you need to think about now is getting better", Gibbs said.
"That's all you're going to tell me?" John said.
"Yeah that's all", Gibbs said with his usual sideways grin.
"Thanks Jethro," John said tiredly.
Two days after he woke up, John was moved from intensive care to a private room. Sydney saw him every day. She was on the G.W. Hospital staff and she took over as his internist. Matt Franklyn gladly handed John off to her seeing that his work was done. She supervised his drug intake to manage his pain and inflammation.
The doctors had scanned him every two days. They told him that the swelling around his wounds was decreasing. As it got less and less, more and more feeling returned to his leg and arm. Sydney's therapy of anti-inflammatory medicine helped there.
It was only a matter of rebuilding the strength in those limbs. He also started going to therapy a week after he woke up. During that first week they manipulated his limbs so that he could start recognizing the new feelings in them. They used electro stimulation and hot and cold therapies. Once he became familiar with those stimulations he progressed faster than they anticipated. He began to move his leg and arm more easily. But he was still very weak, so he had to come and go to therapy by wheelchair.
During his weeks in the coma he lost 40 pounds. He was down to 185 pounds when he started therapy. His muscles atrophied to such an extent that he could not stand on his own. Every time he had to go to therapy, he had to be lifted by two nursing aides out of his bed and transferred to his wheelchair. While in therapy, they had him wear a harness that was buckled around his chest and back and under his arms. Cables were hooked into eyelets in tracks in the ceiling over a treadmill or parallel bars. When he was on the treadmill, it was turned on at a slow walking pace and he had to keep up with the speed of the belt. The parallel bars were easier. He could walk at his own pace.
For his arm he was given lifting and hand manipulating exercises. If he wasn't using his hand to eat or support himself in therapy, he was squeezing a foam rubber ball. He regained enough strength in his arm to hold himself up on the bars, but still not enough to go without the harness.
After he was transferred to the private room, the flowers and get well cards started to come. John really appreciated them and asked the nurses to take the flowers to other patients who would appreciate them more. He and Sarah marveled at the cards that were being stacked on the room's credenza or taped to the walls. There were usual cards from the relatives and the individual cards from the President and the SECNAV as well as each from Admirals Magnum and Chegwidden. Then there were the big ones that were each signed by the JAG Corps Staff and the NCIS Staff. But there were two that really surprised them. One card was signed by all the members of the White House Staff and another by all the members of the White House Press Corps.
His parents came to see him during the second week after he woke up as well as his two brothers. On the weekends Ann Marie took Andy with her. He lit up whenever he saw him. She and Sarah were there every day after work and Sarah was there all day every Saturday & Sunday.
Diane and Harm were in periodically with little Sarah as well as Bud & Harriet. Magnum with Maggie and AJ came to see him that week.
Finally President and Mrs. Bartlett came in to see him. Sarah and Maureen & James were there at the same time. The President shook James's hand, "Jed". "Jim. How's our boy here?" Bartlett asked.
"What are you asking me for? Ask him", Jim answered going into the playful verbal sparring and pointing at John.
Bartlett turned to John and Sarah, "Your father's lucky he isn't a sergeant in the Army anymore. Otherwise I'd have him up for insubordination", Bartlett said with a twinkle in his eye.
"Don't worry sir I'll straighten him out after you leave", John replied in the same good humor.
Bartlett sobered up, "Really how are you doing?"
"Well sir there is no paralysis and that's always best. The loss of feeling in my leg is because of the swelling near the spinal cord and the loss in my arm is because the brachial artery was nicked. It was repaired in time but the nerves were in shock. Now it's just a matter of regaining my strength but it's slow. The farther away I get from the anesthesia the better I'll feel."
"Well I'm sure you'll overcome this setback as you did the last one. By the way you better hurry and get well soon. Your sister is driving us all up the wall at the White House. Whenever anyone says how bad he or she is feeling, all she says is go talk to my brother and let him know. We're not allowed to feel sick around her."
Everyone shared a good chuckle at that.
"I want to see you up and about by Labor Day at least. So get well soon. Abby and I are praying for you."
"Thank you sir," John said.
Sarah asked, "Mr. President there is one more thing."
"Yes Major?" Bartlett said.
"Sir our wedding date is October 24. We would love it if you could be there," she asked.
"Abby and I would be glad to come. What church are you getting married from?" Bartlett asked.
"St. Thomas, Apostle here in DC and we're having the reception at the Willard," Sarah answered.
"Well that shouldn't be a problem. I'll have C.J. arrange my schedule so that I don't have to deal with any issues or crises then. Abby and I will do our best to be there," Bartlett said.
"Thank you sir," Sarah and John said together.
"We'll send the invitation. What's the address? 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, right sir?" Sarah said mischievously.
John, his parents and Abby couldn't hold back the snorts of laughter.
The President just looked at her with a straight face but one could see the twinkle in his eyes. "You've been hanging out too long with Jim here. I can't do anything about him but you I can take care of. Just wait till I see your name on the promotions list young lady." Bartlett said.
"Yes sir, sorry sir," Sarah said contritely but she couldn't keep a straight face and stop from sputtering into laughter. Then the President and everyone else started laughing.
The hilarity subsided only after John started to groan because the laughter was making his wounds ache.
"Well that was rather cathartic. We better leave though or we'll send your fiancé here into a relapse," Bartlett said still chuckling. He gave Sarah a good hug. "Semper Fi' Marine keep up the good work. He really needs you now," he whispered into her ear.
"Thank you sir, I will." She returned.
The President said his goodbyes to John and his parents and left.