Chapter 8

Tony sat beside the bed; he had arrived twenty minutes ago, arguing with himself the whole time he had driven over to the hospital. This was so stupid he thought, to be drawn to a stranger in a coma. It wasn't as if he didn't deal with things like this everyday. His reaction to the woman was extreme and stupid, he told himself again and again, but not once during his argument with himself had he ever though about turning the car around and going home.

"…So we found the little girl." He continued with his one sided conversation, the one he had started not long after arriving. He had heard once that coma patients sometimes heard people talking, so he had told her about himself, and then gone on to talk about the case they had just finished.

"It's really strange how little kids are really taken with Gibbs" Tony said softly, his eyes puzzled "Cos he is this really scary guy with everyone else, but kids…they just love him" he continued absently. "Oh yeah Gibbs is my boss, he's was a marine gunnery sergeant…" Tony trailed off as the monitor started to beep insistently, an alarming sound to it. He turned his attention to the woman in the bed but she lay perfectly still. Tony reached over for the call button, but before he could press it the beeping settled back into a rhythmic beat once more. Tony took a deep breath, not having been aware that he had been holding it.

"Ya gotta stop doing that" Tony said, chiding Jane, as he had started to think of her, gently. Tony sat back in his chair and sat watching her for a moment, his eyes drawn to her closed ones, there was something familiar about her eyes he thought, as if he had seen them somewhere before. He shook his head, it was properly just that he had visited her so often she was becoming familiar to him he thought to himself silently, crossing his ankles and closing his eyes briefly, it had been a rough couple of days and he was tired he thought as he drifted off to sleep.

"My Daddy's a marine" she told her class at show and tell. Holding up the medals she had taken from her Daddy's drawer in his bedroom. Daddy hated it when she made a big deal over who he was, but she knew it WAS a big deal, and she wanted to show off her Daddy to all her friends. She knew though that he wouldn't come to school so she had brought the next best thing, she had brought his medals.

Tony woke with a start, his neck aching from having slept in the hard hospital chair. He slowly stretched his muscles out, before turning his attention to Jane. Tony bolted upright, the chair nearly skidding out from under him with his sudden action. Jane lay there with her eyes open and staring at him.

"He was a marine" she croaked before closing her eyes again. With that the monitor beside the bed emitted a shrill alarm, as it flat lined.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Gibbs planed the wood, running his hand over it, making sure that it was smooth. As he felt a small rough patch under his palm he planed it once more

Push upwards in long smooth strokes he heard echo in his mind, a ghost from long ago resurrected by the case they had just closed, a case that had had a happy ending, unlike his own.

Abby had wanted to come home with him tonight, but he had refused, needing the time alone. Needing to put his memories and ghost's away.

He put down the plane and crossed to the phone in the corner of the room. He stood staring at the old fashioned phone, his mind and heart in turmoil before with a slow unsure movement he picked up the receiver. He dialled the number from memory, his heart beating in time with each ring of the phone.

"Hello Shannon" he greeted quietly, listening to his ex-wife's voice on the other end of the phone after the TTY operator had relayed his message to her. They chatted quietly for a moment, the reason for the call hanging in the air between them.

"She would be 22 now" Gibbs whispered softly. He heard Shannon gasp slightly on the other end, as she read his message. "I know Jethro" she finally replied "I miss her too, but I can't do this." she continued softly before carefully hanging up the phone on him. Gibbs stood there holding the receiver for a moment, the pain in his heart so great he was sure it would kill him. Slowly a pair of arms encircled his waist, the scent of Abby reaching him as her arms did. He turned slowly in her embrace and for the first time in so long, he leant on someone else.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Tony rushed to the call button, but no sooner had he pressed it than a hive of nurses burst into the room; a doctor sprinted in seconds later.

"Did the DNR come through yet?" she asked, her eyes scanning the monitor before flicking to the clock on the wall. Tony stood not comprehending what the Doctor was on about at first, but suddenly in dawned on him, he spun round to face the doctor, his face contorted into anger.

"DO something NOW" he demanded, not hearing the authority in his voice, knowing only that he wanted this woman to live.

"I have …" the doctor started to say before Tony cut in angrily

"I don't give a damn, it isn't here and you will act NOW!" he told her stepping closer, his eyes glittering in anger. The doctor stared at him for a fraction of a second before nodding her head. She then moved quickly to the re-suss unit and began the task of once more bringing this patient back from the brink of death. She still wasn't sure though if it was the kindest thing to do, but at least now this young nameless woman had someone who cared whether she lived or died, and sometimes the doctor knew, that was what made the biggest difference in a patient's recovery.

"Your daddy's dead" the woman who said she was her new Momma told her.

"He isn't! My Daddy is a marine and he works for the marine police now and he will come and get you, he will shoot you with a big gun." She told the horrid fat lady.

"Your Daddy wont come and get you, because he's dead, just like your Mommy." The woman sneered at her "You're my little girl now, mine to do what I want with, cos no one cares about you anymore" she sneered, back handing the little girl around the mouth.

She fell backwards, tasting the blood in her mouth, and feeling the tears trickling down her face, she knew that her Mommy was dead. She had seen her lying in the car, blood everywhere. But her Daddy couldn't be dead too, he had to come and rescue her. But she knew that her Daddy would never have left her here for so long unless something had happened to him, and it had been so long now since the bad man had taken her and her mommy away. she shook her head, unable to say anything more through the pain in her mouth and heart. Her Daddy couldn't be dead, he just couldn't!

Tony watched as Jane rose from the bed, this was the second time she had been shocked but still the monitor showed a flat line. His eyes flicked to the clock on the wall, knowing that time was running out for Jane, if her heart didn't start soon then nothing the doctor did would save her.

She sat in the house, knowing that Momma would be home soon, she just hoped that she wouldn't be drunk again, but she knew in her heart that she would. She pulled the too small cardigan around her shoulders and huddled for warmth, she wasn't allowed to turn the heating on when Momma was out, Momma didn't think she was worth the money it would cost to heat the ramshackle place they lived in.

She got up when she heard a car approaching on the mud track, quickly running to the stove and lighting it knowing that Momma would want some food as soon as she walked into the house. She froze hearing Momma laugh, followed by a man's deep drunken laughter. Oh God Momma had brought another man home she thought in terror, her eyes darting to the cellar door.

She heard Momma and the man walk into the living room, then the heavy tread of Momma's footsteps down the hall coming into the kitchen. The girl turned wide scared eyes on Momma and tried to make herself as small as possible.

"I was just making some food for you Momma" she whispered, hoping that it would stop the inevitable, knowing that it wouldn't.

Momma didn't say a word as she crossed to the stove and turned it off, the smell of alcohol, cheap perfume and something else, something musky, wafted past her. Momma turned to her and stared at her, he eyes racking the thin frame, her young body beginning to change into that of a woman's, more noticeable by the clothes too small and threadbare. She sneered as she reached a hand out, to grab the brown curls tightly, pulling the girls head up painfully, with her free hand she pulled open the cellar door and pushed the girl into it.

"You ain't getting no man of mine" she whispered angrily as she slammed and locked the door, thrusting the girl into darkness.

"Charging" the nurse called out, watching the monitor, and waiting for the doctor's signal, at her nod the doctor pulled the paddles closer to the woman on the bed, and that this was it, this was the last time. They had tried everything they could, if this didn't work, federal agent or not they were stopping.

She stood in the darkness, knowing that it was different somehow, it wasn't cold and damp, there was warmth to this darkness, something almost welcoming. She turned around noticing a feint glow in the distance. She carefully felt for the steps, but they weren't there, it was a smooth straight path. Slowly and carefully she made her way to the light in the distance. Her feet became more sure, her steps steadier as she rushed to the warmth of the light, the protection it offered. Soon she was close to it, it was so bright and yet it didn't hurt her eyes, if felt like home. She took another step towards it but then paused, looking back into the darkness. She knew that if she stepped into the light then everything would be ok, she would be home and loved again. But she also knew that to step into it would mean that she had never found him. She paused unsure what to do. Suddenly a figure stood beside her, a pretty lady she had never seen before. She had pretty dark hair that fell straight to her shoulders and dark eyes that smiled at her. The woman was wearing a dark trouser suit and white blouse and looked very smart, the kind of way she herself had always wanted to look.

"It's your choice" the woman told her, placing a hand on her arm. "You can come with me, or you can go back and find him" she said with a soft smile, her hand coming up and rubbing a faint mark in her forehead.

"Is he dead?" she asked the woman softly, not knowing if she really wanted the answer. If he was then she would never find him, her hope would be gone, but if he wasn't then why had he never come to find her?

"No he isn't, and he has never forgotten you" the woman told her. She turned to look at the light once more, then back down into the darkness.

"I have to know" she said softly stepping back into the dark, the woman smiled and nodded and then both she and the light disappeared.

"She's back" a nurse said quietly as the monitor began to beep slowly, the rhythm becoming steadier as the seconds ticked on. Everyone stood there in silence, each one silently willing the young woman to stay with them, each one praying that the monitor would keep beating. A collective sigh seemed to be released when it appeared she was definitely back. The doctor and nurses all turned to their tasks, equipment being stowed away, reading being taken. Tony just stood there and watched it all silently, wondering if he had done the woman a favour by fighting for her.

The Doctor finished her task and then turned to Tony, watching him sadly for a moment before she crossed over to him.

"Can I have a moment outside?" she asked him quietly, motioning with her hands to the door. Tony tore his gaze away from Jane and nodded, following the doctor into the hall.

The two of them stood silently for a moment, staring at each other, sizing each other up silently.

"Her heart is being weakened by each episode she has, the longer she stays out with each episode the greater the risk of further brain damage" she told Tony gently. Tony just nodded waiting to see where this conversation was going, knowing in his heart what the doctor was trying to tell him. "She has extensive head injuries, with swelling on the brain; she has been in a GCS 7 coma for sometime, with no apparent improvement. I don't think that the patient can survive another episode with any hope of recovery." She told him, her eyes showing compassion and sadness. "The order will be through very soon, and I will exercise it" she told him finally, her eyes scanning his face for understanding. "The kindest thing you can do for her is find out who she is."

Tony stood there for a moment, his mind playing back what he had just witnessed in there. He slowly ran a hand through his hair before nodding his head. With that he turned and walked away, his steps heavy.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Tony sat at his desk and searched every database he could find, but each one in turn had come up blank. There was no trace of Jane anywhere. He leant back in his chair with a sigh of defeat. It seemed that there was no way to find out who she was before she died. He picked up a piece of paper, and absently folded it into an airplane. As he did so though he caught his finger on the edge and cursed at the pain from the paper cut, a small drop of blood welling on the tip of his finger. As he raised it to his mouth to suck the blood away, he paused staring at the dark red drop. He raised his head with a huge grin on his face, before he jumped up from his desk, grabbed his coat and flew out of the building.