Coming home
1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Psalm 23, King James Version
Joy runs towards the house. Her small feet barely touch the ground, and her little hands move the barley out of her way, so it will not hit her face.
And still she runs.
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
The morning wasted away without change, the family came over to check if there was any news, and they received only a negative shake of the head of the chief doctor.
Ducky looked at her vitals, checked with the resident doctor if they had anything else to do, and received the same negative answer, "it is up to her now, we are weaning her from the medication, to see if she wakes up. Only after she regains consciousness we will be able to ascertain if there was any brain damage from her near-drowning and her cardiac arrests or not."
Gibbs went out and stayed with his agents for a moment, talking with Ziva and Tony and a freshly showered McGee. They updated him on the status of the closing investigation, and informed him that all evidence had been collected and sent to NCIS for processing.
Reid, Morgan and Hotch talk quietly in the corner, trying to decide if they should stay or not. They wish they can stay, but Prentiss and JJ had already contacted them about a new case that needs their attention.
The Buchanan sisters crowded around Sarah and Matthew, in a low buzz of conversation.
The glass door hisses and Maggie enters the room, approaching Joseph, and looks at the broken shell of the vibrant woman that is her daughter and sighs. She stands by his chair and squeezes his shoulder, and gives him a small book.
He looks up at her, questioningly, and she shrugs, "I've found it in the drawer of our room, and I know you've forgotten yours in DC." He looks down at the old Holy Bible, and opens it and glides his eyes over some scriptures.
After some time, he gets his chair closer to Joy's head, and starts reading in a low voice, as he used to do when she was a child and during the time she had been in coma:
1 "My eyes have seen all this,
my ears have heard and understood it.
2 What you know, I also know;
I am not inferior to you.
3 But I desire to speak to the Almighty
and to argue my case with God.
He looks up and there is no change. Her breathing is still helped by the machines, and the pulse is still the same. He continues:
6 Hear now my argument;
listen to the plea of my lips.
7 Will you speak wickedly on God's behalf?
Will you speak deceitfully for him?
8 Will you show him partiality?
Will you argue the case for God?
He looks up again, and no change. Maggie squeezes his shoulder, walks away, gets another chair and sits by his side, and leans her head on his shoulder, and closes her eyes and silently hears him reading, as he had done so many times for all their children. He puts a hand over her shoulder, kisses her white haired head and keeps on:
10 He would surely rebuke you
if you secretly showed partiality.
11 Would not his splendor terrify you?
Would not the dread of him fall on you?
12 Your maxims are proverbs of ashes;
your defenses are defenses of clay.
13 "Keep silent and let me speak;
then let come to me what may.
14 Why do I put myself in jeopardy
and take my life in my hands?
15 Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him;
I will surely defend my ways to his face.
His voice chokes a little in the last verse, as it is hard to accept the possibility of his daughter dying, but if that's God's wish, so be it, but Maggie squeezes his hand and he keeps on reading on a firmer voice.
16 Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance,
for no godless man would dare come before him!
17 Listen carefully to my words;
let your ears take in what I say.
18 Now that I have prepared my case,
I know I will be vindicated.
19 Can anyone bring charges against me?
If so, I will be silent and die.
20 "Only grant me these two things, O God,
and then I will not hide from you:
21 Withdraw your hand far from me,
and stop frightening me with your terrors.
22 Then summon me and I will answer,
or let me speak, and you reply.
23 How many wrongs and sins have I committed?
Show me my offense and my sin.
And for the next hours, he kept on reading on and on.
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
Joy is still running, she can hear her father's voice now, the children's laughter. She stops a little to catch her breath, and looks up at the Commander, "why is it so far away?" He shrugs, "does it matter? All you have to do is run."
She laughs and starts running again.
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
The day slowly went by, and the constant buzz of people stopped. Temperance had to return to Quantico, so Hope offered to take her back in her car. Wilson, Faith and her kids decided to leave as well, and offered a ride back to Washington DC to Sarah, who gladly accepted.
Matthew had no commitments back in DC, as he had come only to visit his family, but decided to return as well to check on some friends. He secretly also had planned a date, a real date, with the youngest McGee, but nobody really had to know that. So he decided to get a ride back to DC with Hope, after she drops Temperance in Quantico.
Lisa and the kids greeted Maggie and Joseph and left back to Norfolk, wishing all the best for their auntie, but the kids had school and Lisa had to go back to work.
So this way, the clan slowly left leaving behind only the NCIS agents and the remaining BAU with Joy's parents. Joseph had not left Joy's bedside the whole afternoon, and Maggie convinced him to get some rest, leaving the agents looking after Joy.
Tony stands at the feet of the bed and stares at the cast on her right hand, and the multitude of wires that she's connected to. Ziva stands silently by his side, "it is strange to see her like that," she says softly, "she always has this strong presence whenever she enters a room," she shakes her head, "it is hard to imagine that he reduced her to that," Tony shakes his head, "she's not dead, Ziva" "no, but she's silent," she plays with the bed sheet over the feet of her teammate," I'm not used to her being silent."
McGee is standing outside of the room, looking through the glass walls at Ziva and Tony in Joy's room, and he feels small hands and feminine arms hugging him from behind, "she will be ok, Tim," says Sarah, "if all she needs to wake up and get well is the support of her family," she stands by his side, her arms still surrounding his middle, "I think she has all the support in the world to get better," McGee hugs his sister, "I know, I just wish…" she smiles, "you can't erase all pain and suffering from her life, you just have to make it easier for her to live with it, each day at a time," he looks down at his sister, "when did you get so wise?" She smiles and hugs him tightly, "I have to go," she releases him and walks up to Hope and Temperance, all the time being watched by Matthew. McGee frowns a little, as he sees the wave his sister sends back to Joy's brother, and how Matthew waves back with a lovestruck expression on his face.
His musings are interrupted by Reid, "it has been an honor to work with NCIS, but we probably have to go," McGee looks at the profiler, "more monsters to catch?" Reid smiles, "that's how Joy defined our work, we were the true dragon slayers, hunting down the worst type of evil that might exist, the one that lies dormant in one man's soul." McGee nods, "that sounds like something she would say," he studies the man before him for a second, "how do you do it? Better yet, why?" McGee, looking at the profiler, wants to know.
Reid smiles a thin smile and looks back at Joy's still form in the bed, "because someone must do it, because most crimes are committed thanks to man's jealousy, pride, honor, lust, but sometimes," he looks at McGee, "sometimes it is cruelty for cruelty's sake, there is no reason, no excuse, they are just answering to a deep need of creating pain in another human being, and someone has to stop them, someone has to make a stand, and that's us, that's the work that we do."
McGee nods, "thanks," he says softly, and Reid looks at him surprised, "why?" "I don't think someone ever thanked you for the work you do, but I've talked at great length with Joy, and I've seen her working, and I know the price you guys pay for doing that, so," he looks in Reid's eyes, "thanks for keeping the monsters at bay."
Reid stays some moments speechless, and smiles "you're welcome," and both men look towards the room again.
Tony and Ziva leave the room, and Joseph goes back to his chair, by Joy's bedside. Gibbs follows him inside, "don't you think you should rest more?" Joseph shakes his head, resolute, "nahh, and besides," he smiles, "it is not always that I have such a captive audience," he points to Joy who, besides the wheezing of the machines, does not make a sound.
He opens the Bible, and starts reading again.
Reviews are good for my soul.
