Disclaimer on first chapter.
AN: ok this chapter was written rather quickly in a campground a couple nights ago. It was a pain to get it edited with my computer throwing temertantrums and IMers and people calling me on the phone :-) but I foraged through all the distractions and problems and I bring you chapter five. Enjoy.
Chapter Five
California
Jeb got up early like every other morning. He went out on the front porch and stretched so not to wake anyone else. He was just finishing up and about to start his run when Kylie came out wrapped in a robe. She was still half asleep Jeb noticed. He smiled at her as he leaned sideways against the railing along the steps.
"Jeb, don't go this morning," Kylie said with a yawn. Jeb was a little irritated. He looked down.
"Everything is fine, Ky, go on back in and get some more sleep," Jeb said softly.
"I just got a bad feeling is all, Jeb, please."
"Look, I'm gonna run this morning. I'll be back later," he said quietly then stepped off the porch. Kylie watched him walk down the sidewalk and out into the street. He started of at a walk towards the neighborhood they grew up in that was right around the corner. Her gut started churning but she went back inside and crawled under the covers.
Jeb tried to clear his mind. He was irritated that everyone was trying to baby him. He was fine he told himself. Nothing was wrong with him. He was strong he would be fine. He started his slow jog for the first mile and then gradually worked his way into a fast paced run. He was in mile four when he felt the first stirrings of an "attack", but he pushed on. He was not going to let it beat him. He felt himself get dizzy and then his eyesight started to dance. The black lines started to move through his line of vision and his heart rate increased. His breathing became ragged and forced yet he pushed on anyway. He was going to finish this run.
He felt his legs going numb and he had to keep looking down to make sure they were actually moving. He felt like they weighed a ton each but yet he pushed himself. He noticed he had lost speed and was not moving fast at all, yet he pushed on. He was coming up on mile five when his left knee gave out and he stumbled. He went down and felt the world spin wildly around him. His eyes were dancing and jittery. He couldn't see anything in his surroundings that wasn't flipping in circles.
He felt his stomach clench and fought back the urge to vomit. He was on his knees urgently trying to draw air into his lungs with little success. He sat back on his heels as his chest heaved with the lack of oxygen. He felt the panic start in his chest and slowly spread. He tried to maintain his mental control but he felt himself slipping into incoherency. He wasn't even sure where he was along the path anymore. He fell back and had enough mind to put a hand back to keep his head from cracking off the concrete of the sidewalk.
His legs slipped out from under him and lay at an awkward angle bent at the knee to the side. He was losing control and the panic started to surge through him. But the panic didn't have a chance to overtake him because shortly he wasn't even sure where he was or what was happening. He made one effort to get up but his body flopped like a fish out of water and he had no control over his muscles. He lay on the ground breathing raggedly hoping that someone would come along soon.
Kylie couldn't go back to sleep. The feeling of worry kept nagging at her. She got up and went into the living room and switched on the television. She was careful to keep the volume low so not to wake Hunter. The morning dragged on and she got up to fix breakfast. Hunter came out of his room sleepy eyed and yawning. He rubbed his eyes then slid into the table and laid his head down on his arms.
"Want some breakfast, Buddy?" Kylie asked softly. Hunter picked his head up and nodded. Kylie fixed him a bowl of cereal and he ate it quietly. Kylie couldn't help it, she glanced at the clock every minute, carefully tracking the time that Jeb was gone.
She was worried. He was late. Not later than his usual as of late, but late nonetheless. She watched the clock while Hunter went into the living room with the television. Soon she told him to go get dressed. He reluctantly went into his room and changed out of his pajamas. The bus would be coming soon. She finished getting him ready and then started to feel the unease of panic as Jeb was still not back. This was too long. She got Hunter on the bus and if the boy was worried that he hadn't seen his uncle that morning he didn't show it. As soon as Hunter was off to school, Kylie picked up the phone and called Ann.
"Ann, it's Kylie," she said even before Ann said hello.
"What is it?" Ann said quickly the concern evident in her tone.
"Jeb never came back from his run. I'm worried sick. I'm gonna go out looking for him but I'll need help I think," Kylie said biting back the tears and panic that threatened to take her sound thinking mind from her.
"I'll call Jethro. We'll be over shortly," Ann said.
"I'll start out," Kylie said then hung up. She walked over a block and took a quick glance at the two houses, side-by-side, that they had grown up in. She pushed on following the route Jeb would have taken.
Ann made a quick call to Jethro and barely explained to him what happened when she heard the line go dead. Guess he is on his way she thought. Gibbs was at her house within five minutes or so and they headed the short distance over to Jeb's. Ann explained the route Jeb would have taken to Gibbs as she parked her car in the driveway. Gibbs just nodded got out and headed out. He went the opposite direction than Kylie had. Ann didn't know which way to go so she went the way Kylie had started.
Gibbs walked about a mile and a half at a brisk pace, searching both sides of the street. When he spotted Jeb on the sidewalk up ahead he broke into a trot, which quickly turned into a run.
"Jeb!" he called out but the boy didn't answer. He came up beside him and sunk to his knees on the pavement. He put two fingers on Jeb's neck and pushed gently. He watched his watch. Jeb's pulse was strong but his heart was moving too fast. Gibbs quickly did the math in his head: one hundred twenty beats a minute. He swore under his breath and watched Jeb's ragged breathing. He looked the boy in the eye and could see his eyes moving and twitching, he didn't look like he was unconscious yet, buthe wasn't responsive. Gibbs pulled Jeb's legs out from under him and straightened them out. The boy let out a slight moan as his body shifted.
"Jeb, look at me," Gibbs said softly. He saw movement and noticed Kylie running towards him, with Ann about twenty yards behind her. Gibbs took a deep breath and then looked around. Jeb still didn't respond but his eyes were roving the sky. Gibbs noticed Jeb's left arm was trembling.
The sun was coming up over the horizon and there was a blinding golden light spattering over them. Gibbs squinted as Kylie came up beside him.
"Ohmygod, JEB!" she said shrilly, sinking down next to Gibbs. Ann came up quickly a hand over her mouth. Gibbs saw her fighting back tears. He looked up at her and willed his brain to work.
"Ann, go back. Get the car, bring it over here," Gibbs said quickly. "Ann, go now!" Ann finally snapped back to reality and nodded slightly. She then headed back towards Jeb's house, cutting through yards to make the trip quicker. Gibbs saw someone come out onto the front porch to see what the commotion was all about. He ignored them. He turned his attention back to Jeb.
"What's wrong with him?" Kylie said with a sob. Gibbs reached out and pulled her close to him and she buried herself in his shirt. She sobbed into him.
"He'll be ok, Kylie, I promise you. He's tough, he'll fight it whatever it is," Gibbs whispered quietly. He was also trying to convince himself. It wasn't working. He felt the sickness in the pit of his stomach, he felt he pressure in his temples, he felt the panic in his chest. Not again. That was all he could think about, not another funeral, not another son.
His mind flashed quickly to Hunter. He felt the sickness deepen. What would Hunter do if Jeb were gone? Who would he stay with? Gibbs forced the questions from his mind and let go of Kylie. She seemed to have regained a measure of composure. He looked Jeb over again as time seemed to stand still.
Finally he heard a vehicle, and looked up to see Ann speeding down the road. Kylie slowly got back on her feet as the car skidded to a stop next to them. Gibbs scooped one arm behind Jeb's knees and the other arm around his shoulders and lifted. He grunted with the weight but then carried the boy swiftly to the car. Gibbs noticed more people had come out on their porches. He stuck Jeb in the back seat and quickly slid in next to him. Kylie dropped heavily into the front passenger seat and Ann drove off.
"Where you taking him?" Gibbs asked.
"I don't know. The ER seems like a good place," Ann said quickly. She was driving fast but Gibbs thought it was still too slow. Jeb was moving around now and his eyes were searching, but not focusing just yet.
"You have Nash's number?" Gibbs asked pulling out his cell phone. "I want him to look at Jeb."
"Its in Jeb's phone. He may have it on him," Kylie said quickly. Gibbs nodded and started patting down Jeb's pockets. He located the phone in the second pocket he tried and pulled it free. He flipped it open and stared at it a moment trying to figure it out.
"Give it to me," Kylie said gently reaching around the seat. Gibbs shoved the phone towards her and she pushed a few buttons before placing it next to her ear. It seemed like ages to Gibbs before she started speaking.
"Dr. Nash please…this is an emergency…Tell him it is about Jeb McPherson…Dr. Nash, Jeb collapsed while running today…no he seems to be incoherent…the ER…no we're driving now…yes I'll let her know…thank you, Dr. Nash." Kylie hung up the phone and looked at Ann. "Dr. Nash said take Jeb to his clinic."
"Do as Dr. Nash says, Ann, take him there. You know where?" Gibbs said looking down at Jeb.
"Yes," Ann said and quickly changed course towards the clinic. Kylie was fighting back tears again and Ann was trying to push past the panic.
Gibbs was feeling sick again. He couldn't lose another son, he hadn't had enough time with either one. He beat the panic down again and looked Jeb over. Jeb blinked a couple times and started to sit up. He saw the boy's eyes roll and jitter with the dizziness and Jeb moaned a little. Kylie's head shot around the seat and she stared.
"Jeb, look at me," Gibbs said softly. The boy's head turned and his eyes came up to Gibbs'. Gibbs smiled slightly and Jeb's eyes rolled with the dizziness he was experiencing. His breathing was more normal now and Gibbs took his pulse again. Down to ninety-seven beats a minute. Good.
"What the…where am I?" Jeb said slowly as he started to come back to coherency. He didn't remember getting into a vehicle, let alone with Gibbs, Ann, and Kylie. He tried to sit up but the headache viciously attacked from his temples to the back of his head. His eyes hurt and the spinning wouldn't stop. It was slowing but it was still spinning. His stomach rocked again and he slid back down on the seat.
"On your way to see Dr. Nash," Gibbs said quietly. "You collapsed while running and Kylie called your mother who called me. We found you and got you in the car and then called Dr. Nash who said to bring you to him."
Jeb just nodded but it made his head hurt and he closed his eyes. He was worried now. No attack had taken this much out of him, nor last this long. He tried to keep the fear at bay but it was slowly seeping into his being. He looked up slowly at his father and saw the fear riding in his eyes as well.
Washington DC
Kate woke with a start. She had a bad feeling that morning and couldn't shake it. Something just wasn't right. She thought back to her phone conversation with Gibbs yesterday eveing.
He had waited to call her from California. His reason was he didn't want to call her during work. She knew he didn't want anyone around so she could talk freely with him. She playfully scolded him for not calling when he said he would but they quickly moved on.
He had said everything was fine there, but she could hear the undertone of worry in his voice. When she asked if he was sure, and he replied why would I lie she didn't push it any further. He would tell her when he was ready. She had learned that about him this past year. When he was ready he would let you know, but never push him, otherwise he'll never tell you.
They had chatted for a while and she could hear the entire time the worry and concern in his voice, but she let it go. She wished she had gone out with him to California, how much she missed Hunter and Jeb, but he needed this time alone. She knew that. He had thanked her for making the suggestion. She told him it was nothing.
She got ready for work with an ear listening for the phone. When he didn't call she brushed it off to him spending time with the family. She knew Hunter was to start school today, but Gibbs would be spending time with Jeb and Ann. She went through work with a ear out for her cell phone. But he never called. She began to worry. When she took lunch she figured in her head what time it was in California. It was one o'clock eastern time that made it ten o'clock on the west coast, he was supposed to call by now. She pushed the thoughts from her mind, but that nagging feeling she woke up with stayed with her. He would call she said. He was just busy.
TBC...