Chapter 6- The conclusion

The other car slammed into the passenger side of Kate's car. With a sickening crunch the two cars were interlocked, as the wreckage traveled sideways. The crumple zones of were both completely crushed. The width of the two cars was that of only one.

Gibbs screeched his car to a halt in the intersection. Jumping out of his car and rushing to the only access point of the two cars, Kate's driver window. He rushed up to her window and with all of his strength ripped open the drivers door. Kate fell out into his arms, there was a large gash on her head where her head had come into contact with window, there was shattered glass all around him.

"Kate, Kate can you here me?"

No response, he hurriedly felt for a pulse there was a dull thud evident under his index and middle finger, Kate was alive. He lay her down outstretched on the bitumen. He reached for his cell phone and dialed 911. "I need a bus, there has been an accident at the intersection of Church Rd and Mott St, three casualties…Jethro Gibbs…look just come, I know that one is alive but I don't know about the others…" with that he ended the call.

He climbed onto the drivers seat, rushing to find out about Sophie. Her side of the car was completely destroyed. The driver of the other car, had been propelled by force through his mirror and was laying over Sophie's lap. His head bleeding profusely from a wound matted with broken glass. Sophie's upper torso and head had been slammed down to the left and was resting on the handbrake in between the passenger and drivers seat. He hurriedly moved his fingers to under her chin.

Nothing he felt nothing.

No sign of a pulse.

Nothing.

She wasn't breathing.

He tried to free her from the wreckage but she was too intertwined with mangled metal and glass. The right side and her thick brown hair was matted with blood. He pulled at her shoulders again in another futile attempt to free her, with his tugging movement he heard a easily audible crack of bone coming from her hip. She was trapped. Not only that she wasn't breathing.

Gibbs proceeded to hold her nose and breath into her mouth, he attempted CPR, but the position she was in made it impossible. He felt useless. His own child was trapped and their was nothing he could do.

He continued breathing for her for a good twenty minutes. It wasn't until then did he hear the blaring sirens of the ambulances. He was pulled from the vehicle, by an ambo, asking him if he was hurt.

"No my daughter, she's hurt, she's not breathing…" it all felt surreal, his world was running in slow motion. " SOPHIE! SOPHIE! You gotta help her, I can't lose her again!" Two ambulance officers hurried to work on Sophie and the driver of the other car as another pair of officers lifted Kate onto a gurney and led her to an ambulance.

He was led to the back of an unoccupied ambulance. He waited there for the details on Sophie. An officer was approaching him.

"Mr?"

"Gibbs, Jethro Gibbs."

"Mr Gibbs I am sorry to have to be the one to inform you, your daughter, I'm sorry but we couldn't help her, she sustained critical head injuries, we believe she died on impact, which means that she wouldn't have suffered."

"Sophie? No, not Sophie, you have to help her, what didn't you do? There must be something you can do." He screamed at the ambo.

"I'm sorry there was nothing we could do, there was nothing anyone could have done. The injury to her brain and cerebellum shut down her central nervous system and effectively her whole body, I'm sorry, her heart stopped, we did all we could"

"Sometimes your best, just isn't good enough is it!" he sneered at the ambo, he knew it wasn't his fault, but he needed to blame someone

"The other driver the one that hit them, what about him?" Gibbs continued.

"We also lost him, he practically suffered from the same injuries as your daughter, but the other driver, the driver of the car your daughter was in should recover, she has suffered a concussion and some minor lacerations. She's on her way to hospital, she should make a full recovery."

'He's dead, well there seems to be some justice in the world, not much but just enough."

"Is there anyone I can call for you?"

"No, I'll be fine I just want to go home." This couldn't be further from the truth, but he did want to be alone, to try to grasp the events of the evening.

"We will have someone drive you."

"That's not necessary I can look after myself."

"You shouldn't be driving after this…"

Gibbs didn't stick around to listen he pulled the car keys from his pocket and made his way to his car. Shoved the keys in the ignition. Pulled away heading toward the one place that would make him feel better, home and a deep bottle of bourbon.