Chapter Fifteen – Red

Hey Tutz, wake up. Come on, come on, I haven't got all day." Her companion shook her and then poked a brightly painted fingernail into her arm. "Come on already. Up and at'em!"

She opened her eyes. A severe looking redhead was leaning over her shaking her shoulder. She had a round face, red hair cut in a bob and bangs. She wore bright red lipstick to match her nail polish

"Oh there you are." The redhead said. "I was beginning to think I was wasting my time."

"Where am I?" She looked around. The room was very bright. She was aware of people somewhere on the periphery but they seemed very distant and out of focus.

"It's probably best not to ask, Honey." She was told. Changing the subject, Red asked, "So you're the latest one huh, Tutz?" She shrugged, and folded her arms. "Good luck with that." She pouted.

"What? The latest what?"

"Wife," Red elaborated as if talking to a child. "Never thought he'd try that again. Guess that shrink must have something to do with it." She put her hand to her forehead. "Maybe if he'd seen her sooner, a whole lot of things could have been different."

"So are you an ex-wife?" She asked. "Which one?"

"Yeah, well there are a lot of us. Funny, you don't seem his type. Were you a red head before you went grey?"

"No, a brunette and I prefer to think of it as silver."

"Yeah, whatever." Replied Red waving her hand dismissively.

--

She decided to change the subject as she was getting nowhere with the current one. "Why am I here?" She asked.

"Why are you here? Why am I here?" Red repeated. "Why are any of us here, right? A lot of us seem to be here to deal with him." She nodded at someone across from her.

In the distance she thought she could see Jethro. He looked concerned, afraid even. There were people with him, holding on to him, Ellie and McGee, she thought. She couldn't quite see what was going on.

Her attention was brought back to Red who was still talking. "You seem to have a pretty good shot at it though - as good as Little Mrs. Perfect over there. Different of course."

Red waved at someone in the distance putting on a fake smile. She wiggled her fingers "Yoo-hoo!. I was the first one after her. I stood no chance." She stopped for a moment as a thought crossed her mind. "Hey, does he still do that thing with his tongue where ..." She looked up as if listening to an ear piece. "Okay, okay. I'm getting on with it." she sighed impatiently, " ... I'm supposed to ask you to make a choice ... "

The red head pointed behind her. She turned to see. She saw a hospital room. Jethro was indeed being held at bay. Ellie was clinging to him. McGee was almost in a football tackle trying to keep him away from the bed.

There were people surrounding it all working very efficiently. Each knew their role. It played out like a TV medical drama. Someone shouted "Clear," They all stepped away from the bed in unison. There was a thudding noise. She felt like she'd been kicked in the chest by a horse.

The medics moved back to the bed fussed a bit longer and then repeated the process. This time the kick must have been from the horse's bigger, older brother.

"You've not got much time left to decide." Said Red. "They'll do that once, maybe twice more. If you go that way, you'll have a lot of pain and struggle ahead of you. But if you go this way you'll have rest, no more pain, a perfectly unscathed body and Little Mrs. Perfect - who likes you apparently." She folded her arms again and shrugged defensively. "And me, I suppose. You got me too. Your choice Tutz, but it has to be quick, now."

The penultimate kick in the chest came from some mythical beast with six hooves. It took the air from her lungs. It choked her. She gasped and spluttered desperately trying to breath. Everything went dark, sounds echoed. She could hear Jethro somewhere shouting.

"No, Babe. You can't leave. There's so much we have to do. Babe, stay with me. Listen to my voice. Come back to my voice. Doc, you can't stop now. Try it again. Do it again!"

She felt like she was swimming through molasses - Desperately pulling her body upwards but quickly running out of air. She struggled for the surface. She could see it above her. She kicked and clawed her way up. She knew she had to break the surface soon or be lost. But, she was so very tired. It would be such a relief not to hurt anymore. Maybe it would be easier to just stay where she was and let the current take her.

"Babe, come back!" He sounded so afraid. She had never heard him afraid before.

--

The hospital room was in chaos. People running. Others shouting. Jethro fighting with McGee to get closer. "No Boss. You have to stay out of the way. They'll kick you out otherwise."

She lay flat on the bed. Someone was compressing her chest. They stepped back to allow the defibrillator to be used. There was a fourth and final thud, her body lifted from the bed slightly. They all stopped and watched the monitors. The various coloured lines remained flat. The young doctor holding the paddles looked across at Jethro.

"That's four," he said. "I'm sorry, Agent Gibbs, I'm going to have to call it."

"No, no you can't. Doc, try it again. Babe don't leave me."

--

She went spinning through the molasses head over heels. She couldn't tell which way was up any more and more importantly, she no longer cared. That last kick was enough. She was exhausted. "I'm sorry, Jethro. I'm done. I lost." She closed her eyes and let the current pick her up and take her.

Suddenly she felt someone push her from behind. Their hands were small yet determined against the small of her back. She stopped spinning. She could see a faint light. A final effortful push upwards against her back and she broke the surface.

--

She gasped for air. She choked. There was noise and light, an overpowering antiseptic smell and people every where. She kicked and flayed her arms in panic. There were shouts and hands holding her down. A young face leaned over her shouting. She couldn't work out what he was saying. He kept shouting over and over.

"Do you want the tube out?"

She continued to struggle. She succeeded in getting her arm free and let her fist fly. ("At-a girl" she heard Red shout in triumph.) Her fist made solid contact with Shouter's eye. He cried out in surprise as his glasses went skittering across the floor. Someone else laughed. It was a good laugh. She knew that laugh.

"I think that's a 'yes', Doc."

She felt two hands on her head. There were soothing sounds then something being pulled from her throat. The people around her seemed happy - even Shouter but she couldn't understand them.

A man leaned over her. He was crying and smiling. He was saying something but she couldn't tell what. Everything was a cacophony of noise and light and colour. She couldn't make sense of it. It was all too much for now. She stared glaze eyed as they fussed around her like excited worker bees. The man collapsed into a chair behind them, his head in his hands he wept with relief.

@

She awoke in the early hours of the morning. The room was dark and quiet. So much better. She was propped up slightly in the bed. There were wires and tubes around her. Monitors were flashing lights and making noises at anyone who cared to pay attention.

Gibbs sat in a chair next to her. The top half of his body lay across the bed, his head near her lap, one arm across her legs. She tried hard to move her arm. It didn't want to co-operate. Eventually, she managed to move a couple of fingers and run them fleetingly through his hair. It was barely a movement at all. It took all her effort. It was enough to wake him. He looked up sharply. He saw her watching him.

"Hey, Mrs. Gibbs. You decided to join us? We weren't sure if you wanted to for a while. I'm glad you're back."

He leaned over and kissed her very lightly on the mouth. "I have to go tell the nurse you're awake. I love you." He whispered, got up and went to find a medic.