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PD – Chapter 29
Fairmont Hotel, Georgetown, Washington D.C. – Janitor's office – a few minutes ago
"This changes everything," Levin tells no one in particular and watches as Frank stumbles back against the wall and slides down to the floor. "Guess we aren't leaving now. I'm sorry, but neither are you." He turns slightly and points his gun down at Steve who is barely conscious; the blood loss reaching an alarming amount by now. "I'm sorry," he tells Steve and pulls the trigger.
"Nooooo," Danny yells as he charges Levin.
Niles Levin stumbles back a step, surprised by the turn of events when suddenly Williams flies his way. Instead of shooting Steve he fires his gun towards the detective, the bullet stopping him cold.
It's a grotesque picture Steve sees from his place on the floor, his vision was already blurry and the fast movements are a bit too much for his brain to handle. He only sees some flying shadow that seems to stop in midair and lands with a thud right next to him. Steve is by now almost too dazed to realize that his best friend has just been shot in the head.
What he does realize is that Danny landed with his leg right next to his left hand, and Steve knows that Danny carries a gun in his ankle holster. A gun that is hopefully still there. The movement to reach the gun causes such fierce pain in his shoulder that the world around him almost grays out completely.
But rage fuels him and clears his vision upon seeing JoJo lifelessly slumped against the wall. That sight pulls him out of his daze of pain and blood loss. Steve pulls up his friend's pant leg and grabs the gun nestled in its ankle holster.
Levin stands just a few feet away from him, his gun again trained on him. But before he can fire his weapon Steve puts a bullet between his eyes. Adrenaline is coursing through his body, released after seeing his two friends get shot. But Steve knows that it won't help him for much longer, he is well aware that shooting Levin will pretty much be his last action.
Not being able to hold up the hand with the gun any longer, he lets his arm fall back to the floor. All fight leaves him, and he's only able to turn his head to look at his friend. Danny is lying completely still after jumping in the line of fire, taking a bullet for Steve.
"D…?" The name is more a dying breath than a call to his friend.
Steve is not aware that they are no longer alone, that Drs. Mallard and Bergman are standing in the doorway. That they are too shocked to even move. Steve takes in another shallow breath and can feel how his heart suddenly slows down after it had been beating out of his chest after it was subjected to the electroshocks. He knows it should worry him, but he can't find the energy to care. He closes his eyes and his last thought is of Cath, wondering where she is.
*~* *~* *~* Hawaii Five-0 *~* *~* *~*
Both Max and Dr. Mallard know that they were just witness to McGarrett's last living moment.
That knowledge makes them burst into action. Max still has his phone in his hand and calls 911, it only takes him a moment to request assistance and he's pretty sure they will not only send an ambulance but also alert an air evac team from Bethesda after he told them about the injured Naval officers.
"Max, I can't get a pulse, start compressions," Ducky has checked carefully for any sign of life from Steve, but from the amount of blood on the floor it was pretty clear from the start that he wouldn't find any.
"Oh my god!"
Both Max and Ducky look up when they hear Catherine calling out from the door. "Cath, come here. We need your help." Ducky stands up from crouching next to Danny. He can see that she is shocked at seeing all the blood. It's not just the sight, but also the smell. "Catherine! Help Max, Steve is not breathing. You need to do that for him." Dr. Mallard is glad to see that his words make her spring into action.
He has his hands full with Danny's bleeding head wound, but is sure that it is not life threatening. It is just a heavily bleeding graze. He is turning the detective into a secure position in which he can stay until he wakes up or EMTs can take care of him.
He throws a look at Max and Cath, who are working on Steve, and what he sees is not encouraging. Catherine is pushing air into his lungs while Max is busy doing heart compressions. But Ducky knows that it won't do much good if Steve has already lost more than three liters of blood. He desperately hopes that is not the case.
Three liters is the critical amount a body can lose; if that were the case there is not much of a chance to save him even with CPR. They need to refill the lost blood as soon as possible to get at least a minimal pressure up.
Being done with his task of securing Danny, he turns to JoJo, but sees right away, that she is not seriously injured. A bullet grazed her upper arm and took a chunk of meat out, but the wound is not bleeding much. He suspects she simply fainted. He puts her in the shock position and is happy to see her coming around thanks to his ministrations.
"Steve?"
"Captain, please stay down. Max is taking care of Steve." Ducky moves a little out of the way for her to see what is happening to her friend.
"Danny, what's with Danny?"
"He will be fine, it's just a graze," Ducky assures her.
A commotion can be heard from the hallway, and finally help is coming. "Gibbs! In here, we need help." Ducky was never so relieved to see the agents.
They go to work right away. Ziva takes the first aid kit from the mounting on the wall and uses a few gauze pads to try to stop the bleeding from Steve's abdomen. Tony tries the same with Danny's head wound, which is a lot easier. A simple patch and a bandage does the trick.
"The bleeding won't stop," Ziva says as she pushes down with almost her full weight on the still bleeding wound just above Steve's belt.
"I need a flashlight, and get the damn EMS here," Ducky takes his jacket off and kneels next to Ziva. "Let me see, Ziva." Ducky takes the flashlight from Gibbs and shines the light directly on the wound. "Ziva, hold it like this." He gives the light to the female agent and takes the gauze pads off his friend's wound.
He doesn't bother to acknowledge their collective gasps when he pushes right into the wound with two fingers. It takes him a moment to feel around and find out where the blood is coming from. "Got it," he exclaimed as he presses down on the leaking artery. "Max, Cath, keep going," he encourages them to not give up.
Ducky looks up and sees in Gibbs' eyes that he knows how hopeless all their efforts are. Steve has been without a pulse for over four minutes now, and the amount of blood on the floor speaks volumes. But he won't give up. If the EMTs arrive soon and provide him with fluids, they might be able to restart his heart.
*~* *~* *~* Hawaii Five-0 *~* *~* *~*
Dr. Mallard has been clamping the artery for two minutes now, keeping Steve from further bleeding out. But he's not sure if all they are doing will make a difference.
Max is still giving his all to do the heart compressions, and Cath is still breathing for her friend every thirty compressions. They are trying their best to keep their friend alive. A moment ago the EMTs arrived and they will take over any second now. Ducky watches as one of them gently pushes Cath out of the way and how he presses a mask with an Ambu bag on Steve's face.
A second medic attaches the electrodes to Steve's chest and a moment later they hear the wailing sound of a Flatline.
"Keep the CPR up… what's your name?"
"Max."
"Good, Max. Tom, start an IV, we need to get his pressure up. Who are you?" The EMT turns to Dr. Mallard.
"Dr. Mallard, I'm currently clamping his nicked artery."
"You need to get your fingers out of there, we can't shock him with you touching him," the EMT tells Ducky the obvious, simultaneously getting big patches out of his pack and pushing them under Steve's back to try to slow the bleeding from the entry wound. Thankfully that hole is not leaking much.
He gives another stack of patches to Ducky to put on the bigger exit wound as soon as he takes his fingers out of the wound.
"Tom, push the fluids."
The defibrillator is by now charged and ready to use, "Max, stop now. All clear, please." After making sure that nobody is touching the body he gives the first shock to Steve's heart.
But after that, they still hear nothing but the wailing sound. "Trying again… three hundred… all clear."
Again with no better result. "Max, start CPR again."
The EMT pulls two syringes out of his big bag, one of which he injects into the IV port and the other directly into Steve's chest.
"Try again with three hundred, all clear."
Ducky takes his hands off the already bloody patches and watches as Max also takes his hands off. Out of the corner of his eyes he can see that everyone in the room seems to hold his or her breath as the still nameless EMT presses the paddles onto Steve's exposed chest. A very small jerk goes through Steve, and everyone is looking at the EKG monitor.
The wailing sound stops and for a couple of seconds there is absolutely no sound being heard from any equipment or person. And then there is what they were all waiting for, a high beeping sound. Very fast, but definitely a beeping and not a wailing sound like before.
"Got him!" Everyone can hear the excitement in the voice. "Tom, intubate him. Dr. Mallard, press on the wound. People, we need to get him out of here, right now. You," he turns to Tony and gives him two IV bags. "Hold this."
"Okay."
In the meantime more paramedics have arrived and are currently tending to the still unconscious Danny. He is loaded onto a gurney and wheeled out of the room in a matter of minutes.
"Where are you taking him?" JoJo has the presence of mind to ask.
"Walter Reed, and you can come along with us. You need stitches for that wound." The young woman who came with the second EMS crew is gently nudging JoJo up off the floor.
"Captain, go with them. I'm sure Steve will also be taken to Bethesda," Gibbs tells the older officer.
"We're flying him over there in a minute," Tom announces while he tapes down the breathing tube he just inserted. He keeps bagging Steve, but now he has a tube down his throat that is delivering the air right where it's needed.
They have Steve placed on a gurney and are pulling it up to wheel him out to the waiting helicopter on the roof.
Gibbs looks around the room, two dead men are still lying on the ground. And a huge pool of blood in the middle of the room is witness to the drama that happened here just a few minutes ago. His gaze falls on Catherine who stands lost in the room and staring down at the blood. The blood that was being pumped out of her friend, her lover with every beat of his heart.
He looks at Ducky who looks like he is watching his own horror show right now. And finally he turns to Max who doesn't seem to know what to do; he is watching Catherine but seems reluctant to talk to her.
Suddenly Cath looks up and locks eyes with Gibbs, "every time he's working with you he gets hurt, Agent Gibbs." It doesn't sound like an accusation, more like a resigned recounting of facts.
"Let me drive you to the hospital. Max, Ducky, come on," he tells his three friends. "Tony, you and Ziva coordinate the crime scene. I want a report later about what went down here. I want to know every little detail about why we have two dead people and three injured." He doesn't wait for them to say anything but moves on to guide Catherine out of this hellhole of an office.
Five minutes later they are en route to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Where they will hopefully hear good news about their friends.
*~* *~* *~* Hawaii Five-0 *~* *~* *~*
Thank you all so much for reading. The next chapter will be up on Thursday. Stay tuned to find out what is going to happen with the three wounded.
