CHAPTER 5

Kate walked back into the hospital, her step determined. She made her way (getting lost twice) back up to the neurology ward. The minute the elevator door pinged open, she wished it hadn't. It was bedlam. Steeling herself, she strode forward to try and see what was going on. Her jaw dropped and she froze. A large pool of blood decorated the hallway floor.

"Hey lady, MOVE!"

The shout came from her left, startling her. Turning to the voice to give the man who owned it a piece of her mind, Kate gasped. Lying on the gurney the rude man was trying to push was Tim. Covered in blood from his dislocated nose, both eyes almost swollen shut, a gash on his temple, his face still sporting a bluish tinge.

Cyanosis. Commonly found on asphyxiation victims. Lack of oxygen to the blood stream…

The information leapt unbidden to Kate's mind. She pushed it away with a shudder.

Evan Michael Todd. Born 6/9/1984. Died 5/7/1990. With the angels now…

Kate shuddered again, shoving the image of her baby brother's gravestone to the back of her mind. Tim… She had to focus on Tim. Moving aside so the gurney could pass her, Kate looked up the hallway to see Abby, almost in tears, making her way towards her.

"Abby… I… WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE?"

"Uh… well… Gibbs said something to McGee, me and the Duck don't know what yet, and McGee lost his temper, he started yelling about Gibbs and the Marines and fakers, and then he had a seizure. A bad one. A REALLY bad one. He turned all blue and…," the Goth lab rat choked back a sob and continued, "… and now they're putting him in the room next to Tony's, after they get him cleaned up and… Oh, I hope he's ok."

Kate's mind reeled. McGee? Seizure? Tim was epileptic too? She shook her head. Doesn't matter, she told herself, just means I'll have to protect him too. Then her eyes narrowed.

"So, McGee only has seizures when he loses his temper?"

"Yeah…"

"And he was talking to Gibbs…"

"Yeah…"

"GIBBS!" Kate roared at the shell-shocked former Marine, "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU SAY TO HIM?"

Ducky turned to the angry Special Agent and spoke in a soothing, yet rapid voice. Explaining what happened to someone in Kate's situation would take every diplomatic bone in the doctor's body. He explained what Gibbs had told McGee and when Kate's eyes turned murderous, he hastened to add that Gibbs had had no idea about epilepsy or McGee or anything, really.

Kate fought to control her anger. Goddamn it, Gibbs could be such a… a… BASTARD! She got herself under control, walked past the still shell-shocked Gibbs and followed Abby down the hall to Tony's room.

Sitting by Tony's bed, Kate was still haunted by memories of her baby brother. She had said her final goodbyes to him whilst he was in a bed just like this one. She shuddered.

"Mom, I don't wanna go in there," Caitlin Todd hung back, pulling on her mother's elbow.

"Be strong Katie, you need to say your goodbyes," her mother replied in a shaky voice, curling an arm around her waist and gently pushing Caitlin into the room.

Caitlin Todd walked slowly into the room, looking at her feet, at the walls, at the ceiling, everywhere but the hospital gurney where her baby brother lay (his corpse, a malicious voice whispered inside her head). The nurse at her brother's bedside gave her an encouraging smile and beckoned her forward. Caitlin walked up to stand by her brother, noting that he was now dressed in his favourite blue t-shirt that was at least 3 sizes too big and the horrible striped shorts that his mother had tried to throw away on many occasions.

Frowning slightly, Caitlin noticed a mark on her brother's shoulder. Reaching over, she tried to brush it away. Her fingers brushed across cold, dead skin and metal. Metal? Evan's t-shirt slipped off his shoulder. Caitlin gasped then gagged as she caught sight of the deep 'Y' shaped cut across her baby brother's chest. They cut him open. Couldn't they just leave him be? He's dead. Let him rest for God's sake!

"Kate?" a foggy, disoriented voice cut through her horrible thoughts.

Kate turned to the voice and gave Tony a watery smile. She leaned over and pressed the call button to let Nurse Alice know Tony was awake.

"You gave us one hell of a scare, Dinozzo," Kate told him, keeping her voice low, "Do you remember what happened at the club?"

The morphine drip Tony was on made him babble slightly.

"Club? Kate, why were we at a club? Did you finally agree to ride the Italian Stallion? Oh hell, did I just say that? Damn, I didn't do anything stupid, did I? Why am I in hospital? Why does my face hurt? And… pass me the basin I'm gonna hurl."