Part 01 of But Now I See
Disclaimers: See introduction
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kate felt like she was floating. Someone was holding her hand gently, talking to her. The voice sounded far away though; so far away that she had a hard time picking out what was being said.
"Come on, you're always so stubborn," finally, she could hear him. It was Tony, and if she were not hallucinating, he just called her stubborn. "You wouldn't let a little thing like an explosion keep you from running around, would you?"
"Jerk," she managed to murmur weakly without opening her eyes.
"Kate?" She could hear a hitch in his voice. "Come on, try harder and open your eyes, Katie."
"Don't call me that," she muttered again, her throat so dry that it hurt. She cracked open her eyes a little and saw the concerned face of Tony hovering above her.
"Here," he gave her some ice chips and she let one melt in her mouth gratefully, feeling the water soothing the too dry throat. "You remember what happened?"
"Explosion." She was too tired to speak, but she was dying to know. "Gibbs?"
"Schumade and I called 9-1-1 when we heard the explosion in the backyard. We were about to get into the house to meet with you guys when the thing went off," Tony explained, wincing slightly at the memory. "You guys were buried under a collapsed ceiling. Gibbs was on top of you."
"Where's he?" She had to know, although she once more felt herself slipping slowly into oblivion.
"The doctor gave him some sedative, so he's sleeping right now," Tony said, brushing her bangs off her forehead, "Now go back to sleep. You need your rest."
~*~*~*~*~*~*
The next time Kate woke up, she was disoriented. Tony had gone home; so had everybody else. She was extremely thirsty, so she fumbled for the call button.
"Yes, Agent Todd," the nurse crept into the room and whispered quietly. "Something I can do for you?"
"Water," she murmured just as softly. The nurse poured her a cup and helped her with it. Kate groaned inwardly when such simple action exhausted her already.
"You need to let your body recover, Agent Todd," the nurse seemed to be able to read her mind.
"Thanks," she smiled gently at the nurse. "I'll try to keep that in mind."
The nurse nodded. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"No, thank you."
Kate watched the nurse leave the ward and stared at the ceiling. She wished she had remembered to ask the nurse what time it was before the nurse left the room. Looking around the room, she remembered Tony telling her that Gibbs was in the bed beside hers. She wanted, needed, to see how he was doing. Slowly turning her head, she had to stop back a gasp when she saw the sleeping form on the bed beside hers. There were bruises on the skin that were not covered by bandages, black mixed with blue and purple. What shocked her most was how there was a bandage tightly wrapped around his eyes, those blue, sapphire eyes that so often pierce into her soul. What...
All of a sudden, she had trouble breathing. Fumbling, she pressed the call button again. The nurse again came into the room, took one note at Kate's condition, and ran out quickly for help. Nurses and doctors came rushing into the room, closing the curtain and blocking Gibbs from her sight.
"Agent Todd, you need to calm down now," a nurse tried to soothe the agitated agent while another injected some sedatives into her IV. Within minutes, she could breathe again, and her eyelids were getting heavier by the minute. Before she fell back into darkness, only one thought in her mind: what happened to Gibbs?
~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I heard you gave the staff quite a scare last night by going into hyperventilation, Caitlin," Ducky said as he approached the bed.
Kate only nodded weakly at the medical examiner. "I'm okay now. Just... how is Gibbs doing?"
The usually chatty man fell silent at the question, which made Kate all the more nervous.
"You really need to breathe," Ducky cautioned when Kate's breathing again became labored. "Calm down and take a deep breath, dear."
Kate complied and saw Ducky relaxed a little. She focused and asked again, "Ducky..."
"I'm fine, Agent Todd," Gibbs' voice interrupted her question. Her eyes went wide as she turned over to look at the man. With his eyes bandaged closed, she couldn't tell if he was awake or not, but apparently, he was. "Duck?"
"Yes, Jethro?" the medical doctor moved so that he was sitting beside the two injured.
"How is she doing? I listened to the doctors and nurses work last night, and it sounded really bad," he asked. Kate, though irritated that he was asking Ducky instead of herself, melted when she heard the concern in his voice.
"She just had trouble breathing last night," Ducky calmly told him. "It's not uncommon among trauma patients. She was given some sedatives and all. The doctor believes it was just her body's reaction to all that's happened. Other than that, Jethro, she looks a whole lot better than you."
"That's good to know," he responded dryly.
"How are you doing, Gibbs?" Kate decided to ask when both men fell silent. "What happened to your eyes?"
"It's nothing," the older man answered gruffly.
Kate turned to Ducky helplessly. She really wanted to know. Ducky could only shrug – that was the only thing he could do when Gibbs apparently didn't want Caitlin to know.
"Now you two behave yourselves," Ducky said while moving to put on his jacket. "I need to go back. I have an autopsy lined up. Abby and Tony are working to find the one who did this. They said they will drop by later."
"Thanks, Ducky, for coming," Kate nodded at the doctor while Gibbs grunted his farewell. She watched the medical examiner go and sighed softly. Turning her head again, she looked at Gibbs. The stubborn man refused to tell her how he was doing, so she would continue what she started the night before.
Even though she knew his eyes were bandaged, she still had to bit back a gasp when she saw his face. It looked so different now without those ocean blue pools staring back at her intently. Moving down, she saw Gibbs' broken arm in a sling. Other than that, he seemed to be fine, physically at least. She had no idea otherwise.
When she moved her gaze back to his face, she realized his features had relaxed and he was snoring softly. Kate smiled at the sight. She just wished she could see this side of her boss more often.
Shifting in her bed so she was sitting up comfortably, she started to look through the bag Ducky had brought in earlier, and started on one of the trashy romance novels from the hospital gift shop.
Disclaimers: See introduction
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kate felt like she was floating. Someone was holding her hand gently, talking to her. The voice sounded far away though; so far away that she had a hard time picking out what was being said.
"Come on, you're always so stubborn," finally, she could hear him. It was Tony, and if she were not hallucinating, he just called her stubborn. "You wouldn't let a little thing like an explosion keep you from running around, would you?"
"Jerk," she managed to murmur weakly without opening her eyes.
"Kate?" She could hear a hitch in his voice. "Come on, try harder and open your eyes, Katie."
"Don't call me that," she muttered again, her throat so dry that it hurt. She cracked open her eyes a little and saw the concerned face of Tony hovering above her.
"Here," he gave her some ice chips and she let one melt in her mouth gratefully, feeling the water soothing the too dry throat. "You remember what happened?"
"Explosion." She was too tired to speak, but she was dying to know. "Gibbs?"
"Schumade and I called 9-1-1 when we heard the explosion in the backyard. We were about to get into the house to meet with you guys when the thing went off," Tony explained, wincing slightly at the memory. "You guys were buried under a collapsed ceiling. Gibbs was on top of you."
"Where's he?" She had to know, although she once more felt herself slipping slowly into oblivion.
"The doctor gave him some sedative, so he's sleeping right now," Tony said, brushing her bangs off her forehead, "Now go back to sleep. You need your rest."
~*~*~*~*~*~*
The next time Kate woke up, she was disoriented. Tony had gone home; so had everybody else. She was extremely thirsty, so she fumbled for the call button.
"Yes, Agent Todd," the nurse crept into the room and whispered quietly. "Something I can do for you?"
"Water," she murmured just as softly. The nurse poured her a cup and helped her with it. Kate groaned inwardly when such simple action exhausted her already.
"You need to let your body recover, Agent Todd," the nurse seemed to be able to read her mind.
"Thanks," she smiled gently at the nurse. "I'll try to keep that in mind."
The nurse nodded. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"No, thank you."
Kate watched the nurse leave the ward and stared at the ceiling. She wished she had remembered to ask the nurse what time it was before the nurse left the room. Looking around the room, she remembered Tony telling her that Gibbs was in the bed beside hers. She wanted, needed, to see how he was doing. Slowly turning her head, she had to stop back a gasp when she saw the sleeping form on the bed beside hers. There were bruises on the skin that were not covered by bandages, black mixed with blue and purple. What shocked her most was how there was a bandage tightly wrapped around his eyes, those blue, sapphire eyes that so often pierce into her soul. What...
All of a sudden, she had trouble breathing. Fumbling, she pressed the call button again. The nurse again came into the room, took one note at Kate's condition, and ran out quickly for help. Nurses and doctors came rushing into the room, closing the curtain and blocking Gibbs from her sight.
"Agent Todd, you need to calm down now," a nurse tried to soothe the agitated agent while another injected some sedatives into her IV. Within minutes, she could breathe again, and her eyelids were getting heavier by the minute. Before she fell back into darkness, only one thought in her mind: what happened to Gibbs?
~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I heard you gave the staff quite a scare last night by going into hyperventilation, Caitlin," Ducky said as he approached the bed.
Kate only nodded weakly at the medical examiner. "I'm okay now. Just... how is Gibbs doing?"
The usually chatty man fell silent at the question, which made Kate all the more nervous.
"You really need to breathe," Ducky cautioned when Kate's breathing again became labored. "Calm down and take a deep breath, dear."
Kate complied and saw Ducky relaxed a little. She focused and asked again, "Ducky..."
"I'm fine, Agent Todd," Gibbs' voice interrupted her question. Her eyes went wide as she turned over to look at the man. With his eyes bandaged closed, she couldn't tell if he was awake or not, but apparently, he was. "Duck?"
"Yes, Jethro?" the medical doctor moved so that he was sitting beside the two injured.
"How is she doing? I listened to the doctors and nurses work last night, and it sounded really bad," he asked. Kate, though irritated that he was asking Ducky instead of herself, melted when she heard the concern in his voice.
"She just had trouble breathing last night," Ducky calmly told him. "It's not uncommon among trauma patients. She was given some sedatives and all. The doctor believes it was just her body's reaction to all that's happened. Other than that, Jethro, she looks a whole lot better than you."
"That's good to know," he responded dryly.
"How are you doing, Gibbs?" Kate decided to ask when both men fell silent. "What happened to your eyes?"
"It's nothing," the older man answered gruffly.
Kate turned to Ducky helplessly. She really wanted to know. Ducky could only shrug – that was the only thing he could do when Gibbs apparently didn't want Caitlin to know.
"Now you two behave yourselves," Ducky said while moving to put on his jacket. "I need to go back. I have an autopsy lined up. Abby and Tony are working to find the one who did this. They said they will drop by later."
"Thanks, Ducky, for coming," Kate nodded at the doctor while Gibbs grunted his farewell. She watched the medical examiner go and sighed softly. Turning her head again, she looked at Gibbs. The stubborn man refused to tell her how he was doing, so she would continue what she started the night before.
Even though she knew his eyes were bandaged, she still had to bit back a gasp when she saw his face. It looked so different now without those ocean blue pools staring back at her intently. Moving down, she saw Gibbs' broken arm in a sling. Other than that, he seemed to be fine, physically at least. She had no idea otherwise.
When she moved her gaze back to his face, she realized his features had relaxed and he was snoring softly. Kate smiled at the sight. She just wished she could see this side of her boss more often.
Shifting in her bed so she was sitting up comfortably, she started to look through the bag Ducky had brought in earlier, and started on one of the trashy romance novels from the hospital gift shop.