A/N: I know, I know... it's been a very long time! And I'm soo sorry! Thank you to everyone who's stuck with me! I've still got so much I want to do, but lately RL has been quite... well crazy!
Without further delay, here's the next chapter..
Gibbs just held onto his girl as he kept his other hand resting on his son's hair, he was gently stroking to keep him calm, he was in a fitful sort of sleep. He was really hurting from how badly his son was hurt, he knew it would take a lot of hard work & time to get him well again, and he'd be there every step of the way! "He's going to be ok Kell bear, I promise you, we'll get him well again."
Kelly just nodded into her dad's side, she couldn't really speak, so was too concerned about her brother.
Gibbs kissed her head, and then rested his own head on hers, his wife had been gone a while & he was getting concerned, he hoped she would be ok!
"Daddd" Nix groaned
"Right here son" Gibbs soothed, as he leaned forward, "I'm right here son, dad's here."
"It hurts" Nix cried, he was seriously hurting.
Gibbs did his best to hold his emotions in, but he couldn't, he let a few tears fall "I know son, we'll press this button & get you some more morphine." He knew he could press the morphine button & let his son have some more, it'd cut off when it reached the roof of what was allowed to be given. He pressed the button "there we go bud, you'll feel the effects soon, just hang in there son, we're right here, right here."
Nix just cried in pain, he really needed that morphine to kick in again.
"shhh son, it'll be ok" Gibbs soothed, he then saw his wife enter, but there was no time to see if she was ok, their son was in pain & had to come first.
"shh darling, you're ok, we're here" Shannon soothed as she rushed to his side.
"hurts" Nix cried.
"I've given him some more morphine, should kick in soon" Gibbs remarked to his wife, he then raised an eye in query, he just wanted to make sure she was ok after whatever happened between her & her father.
"Good" Shannon remarked, she saw the raised eyebrow & just nodded, she was ok, but didn't want to get into it. She wanted to focus now on her son, he was what was important! "you're going to be ok darling."
Nix just cried, he really needed that morphine to kick in again!
"You're ok son, we're right here, the meds will kick in soon" Gibbs soothed, as he stroked his son's head.
"You're ok darling, we're here" Shannon soothed too, as she too stroked his head.
"Everything ok in here?" Mabel asked as she entered the cubical, she'd heard the cries.
"He's in a lot of pain, I pressed the morphine, not sure if I should press it again" Gibbs answered.
Mabel checked the monitors, and some of Nix's bandages "Phoenix, does it hurt anywhere in particular?" she asked quietly.
"My knee…. really hurts, and…. my ribs, but I….. just hurt… all over" Nix tried to say.
Mabel nodded "ok, the morphine should help the general feeling, and the ribs, you should feel the impact of it in the next few minutes."
"What about his knee?" Shannon asked concerned.
"I've got an idea, but let me make a call quickly" Mabel remarked.
Mabel stepped out of the cubical & moved to the doctor station, she picked up the phone & dialled Naples "This is Dr Paddington from Phoenix Gibbs's trauma team, I need to speak with Dr James Doyle now" she asserted.
"This is Dr Doyle" James remarked, he was concerned, why was he getting a call again so soon after speaking to them?
"Dr Doyle, Mabel Paddington" Mabel introduced, she get right to the point "I'll cut to the chase, Phoenix's knee is still causing him substantial pain, we've already administered general pain relief & he's at his current limit for morphine. I was thinking that giving him maybe a quarter of a dosage of Corticosteroids might help both the pain & inflammation, especially as we're about to prepare for travel, but I wanted to get your opinion first."
James took a breath "I like the way you're thinking, but I've just taken a further look at the scans & results, and that knee is severely inflamed, and given the damage, I'd say he's in immense pain, so give him a half dosage, that should really help him get through the flight & back here so that I can then get to work on help relieve some of the issues." He was really tearing up about how bad the scans were for him. "oh, and take the other half a dosage with you, just in case you need it, but call me if you do."
"Ok, thank you, I'll give him half a dosage, and keep the other half in reserve" Mabel responded.
"Just get him here, please" Doyle requested.
"We will, I assure you, we'll get him back to you" Mabel assured him "we're leaving within the hour, we'll be en-route within 2, I'll contact you if there's any further issues."
"Ok, thank you" James spoke, that meant that Nix would be there in about 6 hours, that gave him plenty of time to prepare!
Mabel headed back into the cubical "ok, how are we doing? Has the morphine kicked in yet?"
"it's a little better, but my knee is still really hurting." Nix got out.
"I'm glad it's helped, and as for the knee, I'd like to give you half a dosage of Corticosteroids, it's a powerful relief agent in the form of an injection that helps with major inflammation & pain for the knee."
"Never heard of it, but why only half a dosage?" Gibbs asked.
"It's an extremely strong medication, I would compare it to cortisone injection, but this one is specifically for knee joints." Mabel explained, she sensed something though "if it makes you feel any better, I consulted with a Dr James Doyle, I believe you know him. He's in Naples awaiting your arrival, and he's already reviewing all of Phoenix's results & scans so he can get to work as soon as you land."
Gibbs shared a surprised look with his wife "Dr James Doyle from DC is in Naples waiting for us?"
"Yes, he was at the medical conference with my cousin Dr Susan McLowry, and heard about it, so travelled with her to help. He's also going to be seeing what assistance he can give to Captain Michael Bond." Mabel answered.
Gibbs couldn't imagine the relief he'd felt now, he knew James was one of the best, so to have him waiting for them, yea, relief! He saw the relief on his wife's face too. "That does make us feel better, go ahead & give the dosage as you discussed with James."
"I'll get the dosage, and as soon as it's taken affect we'll get him sorted for transport." Mabel remarked before heading out to get the medicine.
Gibbs leaned down to his son "did you hear that son, Doc Doyle is waiting for us in Naples, he'll help get you better."
"I'm sure James will definitely help get you better darling" Shannon added.
Nix just nodded, he knew Doc Doyle was good, he just didn't think he'd ever need him! "just wanna sleep."
"Then try darling" Shannon soothed "close your eyes & just rest darling, we're right here, won't leave your side."
"Just rest son, rest" Gibbs added.
"Marcus" Tim greeted, he was glad to see the beds arriving, the sooner they got home the better.
"McGee" Marcus greeted "we've got the beds for Nix & Jacob here."
"Thank you" Mabel interrupted "George, take the bed upstairs to where we're keeping Jacob, we can get this one for Phoenix ready"
"Lewis, go with George, to make sure we've got it set up correctly" Marcus ordered.
"Of course sir" Lewis responded, before pushing the bed in the direction George was motioning.
Marcus turned his attention back to doctor "I'm Major Marcus Bond, Phoenix & his family will be returning on my plane, I've also known them for many years. So I will be helping to ensure he is properly moved onto the bed & set for transport." He wouldn't allow Nix to be set up at all without him, he knew the bed configuration & requirements better than anyone!
"Pleased to meet you Major Bond, I'm Doctor Mabel Paddington, Phoenix & his family are my cousins, so I understand the need to ensure he is transported safely. We've already got ambulances ready to take them to the airport." Mabel responded.
Marcus was surprised at the family connection but glad they were on the same page. "it will take me 10 minutes to get it ready for us to move Nix onto the bed. I've got a few blankets, but don't have any sheets."
"You get the bed set up & I'll arrange sheets & blankets to ensure he's comfortable" Mabel remarked, as they got to work.
"Bro" Myles called as he entered the ER.
"Hey" Marcus greeted as he finished ensuring all sheets/blankets were appropriately secured to the bed "how's things upstairs?"
"Bed's all ready, they're just getting ready to transfer Jacob, thought I'd come down & help with squirt's transfer." Myles answered.
"Well, bed's all ready" Marcus responded.
"Gentlemen, if the bed's ready, we can get Phoenix moved" Mabel remarked.
Marcus nodded "let's get it done" he was trying to prepare himself for seeing the kid though, he knew it'd be hard.
Mabel drew back the curtain a short way "excuse me, but if it's ok, we'd like to get Phoenix moved to the bed he'll be on for the trip back to Naples." she directed the question to both Shannon & Gibbs.
"Do we need to wake him? He's finally sleeping" Shannon remarked.
"We'll be as gentle as we can, but we do need to move him onto the other bed" Mabel answered, whilst she didn't want to disturb the sleeping boy, they had to move him.
"I'm helping" Gibbs asserted, he'd not let them do this without him.
"Of course" Mabel conceded, she'd known this was going to happen, she turned & pulled the curtain back further "gentlemen, let's put the bed alongside the left hand-side of the bed."
Shannon saw the bed get pulled in by two nurses, but then she saw the Bond boys pushing it from the back "boys" she greeted with a breath, she was glad they were ok.
"Hey Mrs G" Marcus smiled as much as he could "we'll be gentle with squirt, this bed is just as comfortable as the one he's on now, he'll be back asleep soon."
Shannon nodded as she moved out of the way, she was standing on the other side of the bed with her daughter.
Mabel had 6 people on hand for the transfer, herself, 2 nurses, Gibbs & the Bond boys, this was a good number, and herself & the nurses were placed between each of the other people "ok, we grip the sheet under Phoenix tightly and shift him slowly but firmer across, be careful of the drips & cables, we can't let them get caught under him." She'd spoken quietly, they wanted to do it gently as to try not to wake the boy.
Gibbs had taken the head of the bed, he wanted to be right there just in case his son woke up, he took a firm hold of the sheet on either side of his son's neck before bending down and giving him a gentle kiss to the forehead "we'll be home soon son" he promised quietly.
"On my count we start, we don't stop, a constant but steady movement" Mabel ordered, she got nods all around "ok, 1, 2, 3!" she ordered.
Gibbs pulled tighter and started moving towards the left, he timed his movements with the nurse's movements, who was at the bottom of the bed "slowly" he cautioned.
Marcus was on the left & pulled Nix towards him carefully, he made sure he kept an eye on the drips & cables to make sure they didn't get caught. He needed to make sure they shifted him carefully "we're on the new bed, make sure he's firmly on it before we stop."
Kelly watched as she held onto her mum, she could tell they were trying to be careful, but her brother started to moan, and she hated it.
"Hang on son, nearly settled again" Gibbs soothed as they continued to shift him across, he gave him another kiss to the forehead, trying to help sooth him.
"I think that's it" Myles remarked "he's on the new bed."
"ok, lower & release gently" Mabel ordered.
As soon as they'd lowered & released their holds on the sheets, Marcus went around the other side to make sure he was on properly, he lifted the sheet to get a good view of the bed & was glad to see he'd be properly shifted "ok, he's on. let's get the bed moved a little away & sort his sheets & blankets, I'll then secure the railings for transport & we can get his drips & machines switched out too."
Mabel nodded in agreement "agreed"
Gibbs ran his hand through his son's hair, he was still moaning "shhh, son, shh… you're ok, go back to sleep son. We got you." He turned to Myles "I want you, your team, the Taylors, and DiNozzo's team to provide escort to the airport for us & Jacob, you'll come with us on the plane too."
"Of course sir" Myles nodded "the team are already securing the ambulances & ready to move out at a moment's notice."
Gibbs just nodded as he kept his attention on his son, he was doing his best to help him fall back asleep "can we let him try to get back to sleep before we move?"
Mabel let out a sad smile "unfortunately, he'll probably not be able to really get back to sleep until we're on the plane. As much as we can try, he will feel the movements as we get into the ambulance, then out & onto the plane."
"Can we get going then?" Gibbs asserted.
Marcus finished securing the railing "we just need to resecure the drip & get the new monitors up & running, and we're good to go sir."
"Thank you Marcus" Shannon remarked as she too stood by her son's bed.
Gibbs got out of the front seat of the ambulance as they arrived on the tarmac, and scanned the perimeter, he was glad to see ample security was present for their arrival. He saw that Ted had taken point on the protection ring of the plane, they shared a nod, he was glad for this! He had to get his family back home safely! Turning to his girl that had been next to him "let's go angel"
Kelly followed her dad out of the ambulance, they were finally on their way home! And she was soo glad about that! She watched as they got her brother out of the back of the ambulance transport vehicle. Her mum had ridden in the back with that Dr Paddington, and her brother.
He was still moaning every few minutes, and she knew that wouldn't stop until they were settled onto the plane, at least until they landed & had to move again to the hospital. It was just so hard for her to watch! She saw Tim was standing at the front of the ambulance keeping watch, but he turned back & gave her a reassuring smile, it really helped her, it really did!
Marcus had alighted and called out "Fletcher, assist Lewis with getting Jacob situated, Sanchez you're with me! Anderson, start pre-flight!" he ordered.
Myles joined his brother "Fisher, you and Osborne, on the perimeter; Byrnes, you & Evans assist with any pre-flight required. Montgomery assist Lewis with anything she needs."
Gibbs moved himself & his girl quickly to his wife's side & their son's bed, as he got there he put an instant hand on his son's head "I'm here son, we're one step closer to being home."
Both Ted & Tim saw that there were ample people on the perimeter, so they signalled to some of the others that they were leaving their spots. They made a beeline to the family.
Marcus met Nix's bed just before the got to the ramp "right, Sanchez on the rear with Dr Paddington, McGee on the right with Nurse Hendricks, Captain Taylor you can take the left with Nurse Mason, sir you can be on the front with myself" he finished looking at Gibbs, he waited for everyone to take their positions "we lift in one movement, and keep the bed up until we've got it completely on the ramp & set in the slots."
Kelly followed the group as they got her brother onto the plane & secured, she was standing with her mum as they watched them secure his bed into place. "It'll be ages before he's better" she murmured into her mum.
Shannon signed "I know angel, I know….." she took a breath as she pulled the pair closer together "but we'll get him there, we'll all get there."
Marcus finished getting the bed secured in, he checked every point of contact twice, he had to make sure it was 100% secure, once he was satisfied be turned his attention "he's secure, and ready to go, you can all sit in in these seats along-side his bed, the only thing I ask is that you stay secured during take-off & landing please." There were 4 seats running alongside where the bed was secured.
Shannon nodded "thank you Marcus" she responded quietly as she moved to her son's side.
Gibbs had already started soothing his son, trying to get him back to sleep "how long until we're ready to go?"
"Should be able to be wheels up within 20 minutes sir" Marcus responded.
Gibbs nodded "fast as you can" he just wanted his family back home.
Tim had taken a few steps back once they'd gotten Nix secured, he was just watching the family all huddle back around his bed. It was hard watching it all, the kid was really banged up, but seeing the family struggle watching was just as hard. They'd need a lot of support! And he'd lead the charge! First thing first though, they had to get home!
A/N: So they're finally on their way home! It'll help the family start to heal for sure, but how's Tony coping?
Please review & let me know you're still with me on this journey! I really hope to get another chapter up soon for you loyal readers!