Rule Number 12
Chapter 5
Kate stepped through the door to her apartment and quickly locked it behind her, letting out a sigh of relief that she was finally home. It had been a long day and she sincerely hoped she wouldn't have to fill out another form for her new job for quite some time, but at least it was one less thing to do when she started on Monday.
She dropped her purse on the hall stand, kicked off her shoes, and padded barefoot to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. She had just closed the lid on the coffee maker when the phone rang, startling her. She walked over and checked the caller ID, which came up as 'unknown'. She seriously considered ignoring it—probably a telemarketer, since no one else would be calling her in the middle of the day—but finally on the 4th ring decided to answer.
"Hello?"
There was a pause and then a deep, accented male voice spoke.
"You're home. Finally. I was becoming concerned."
Kate felt a twist of unease in her stomach but managed to keep her voice neutral.
"I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong number."
A sigh. "You don't recognize my voice, Caitlin? I'm disappointed."
Kate froze, her anxiety increasing. There were only two men that she currently knew who called her by her full name, and this sure as hell wasn't Ducky.
"Ari."
"You do remember."
"What do you want?"
"I must say, I was surprised that you are no longer a member of Gibbs' team. I thought you were much more loyal than that."
Kate remained silent, ignoring the taunt, and soon she heard a soft chuckle.
"I had, shall we say, an encounter with your team earlier today. In Norfolk. I confess that I missed you. Other members of your old team were not so lucky."
For a moment Kate thought her heart had stopped. She struggled to remain calm, but her knees started to shake.
"Who?"
"Agent Gibbs will survive, although I imagine he will be in considerable pain. A bullet from a sniper rifle leaves a much larger hole than one from a SIG Sauer. Regardless, I only gave him a reminder of our first encounter. Agent McGee, I'm afraid, was not as fortunate."
All the strength left Kate's legs and she slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor, the phone clutched in her hand.
"No…"
"I regret that the situation required such drastic measures, but I am sure Agent McGee's family will take comfort in knowing that he died protecting his country from the likes of me."
"You bastard," Kate whispered as a tear slipped down her cheek.
"So I have been informed."
She choked back a sob, her anger rushing to the surface. "Why? Why would you do this?"
"Because I can. Now I have a question for you, Caitlin. How will you live with the knowledge that you could have taken his place?"
"You—"
"Farewell, Caitlin." She heard a click, then silence.
"Ari? Ari!" She stared at the receiver for a moment before slamming it on the floor, not noticing the crack that formed in the plastic. She scrambled to her feet, grabbed her purse and shoes, and ran from the apartment, Ari's words echoing in her head.
…you could have taken his place…
XXX
Once on the road, Kate realized that she had no idea where she was going. She pulled over and called Abby, trying to casually ask if she knew where the team had gone. Abby was suspicious, Kate could tell, but she gave Kate the information with the promise that she was going to hear why later. Kate absently agreed as she merged back into traffic and headed for Virginia. The rest of the drive to Norfolk passed in a blur.
The faint hope that Ari's call had just been a sick prank vanished as she approached the docks, now packed with police cars, unmarked sedans, and dozens of officers and what she assumed were plain clothed detectives and agents. She worked her way towards the barriers, searching for a familiar face, and finally she caught sight of someone who could answer her questions better than anyone.
"Tony!"
He turned towards her and she gasped as she caught sight of the small spatters of blood on his face and clothes.
"Kate?" He started walking towards her, confusion and some other emotion she couldn't immediately identify in his expression. "What are you doing here?" He spoke to one of the uniformed officers, who let her past the barrier, and guided her out of sight of the crowd of curious onlookers.
"Ari," she answered as soon as they had more privacy. Confusion gave way immediately to anger.
"How did you know that he's-?"
"He called me."
"What? Why?"
"To gloat," she replied, bitterly. "To tell me that he shot Gibbs." She took a deep breath, forcing herself to voice the fact that she hadn't wanted to acknowledge. "To tell me that he k-killed Tim."
Tony glanced around and guided her to an even more sheltered area between two vans before answering.
"He didn't."
"Who didn't what?"
"Ari. He didn't kill McGee." A shadow passed over Tony's face. "Not yet, at least."
Kate froze, unsure she had heard correctly, and unable to immediately process what Tony had said.
"W-what?"
"McGee was shot, Kate, but…he must have moved at the very last second. The bullet…sideswiped his head. It didn't kill him."
Kate gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "He's…?"
"He was still alive when the medics took him…but it was bad, Kate." Tony paused, suddenly looking very young. "I don't want to lose my Probie… but I just don't know."
Kate struggled to regain her mental footing, still reeling from everything she'd just heard.
"Where is he? Which hospital?"
"They medflighted McGee to Riverside. They took Gibbs by ambulance to the same hospital."
A flash of guilt for not asking about the older man passed through her mind. "How bad was Gibbs?"
"Through and through, but it made a big mess on the way out. Barely managed to keep him from bleeding out, too."
"Damn it." She glanced around, noting that what little activity she could see had not slowed and the crowds had not thinned. "I should…"
"Yeah, go. Ducky's on his way there. He'll be able to tell you more."
"OK. Thanks, Tony."
To her great surprise, he pulled her into a brief but tight hug. "Take care of them for me, Kate."
"I will. And when you're ready to go after Ari, let me know." Her expression hardened. "He's mine."
"I think you'd have to get in line for that," Tony replied, his grin feral. She studied him for a moment and then nodded.
"We'll see."
XXX
Kate found the hospital without too much trouble and soon arrived at the information desk. She realized, a bit late, that she currently lacked any official ID, and that getting the information she needed would be much more difficult.
"Excuse me?" The receptionist looked up. "Two of my…friends were brought here a couple of hours ago: Timothy McGee and Leroy Jethro Gibbs. I need to know their status."
"Friend? Not family?"
"No. I…no."
"And I'm going to guess you're not their medical proxy."
"No, I'm not." Kate barely managed to keep her frustration at bay. "Look, they're both NCIS agents. They were injured during an investigation. I need—"
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I can't release patient information without written consent."
"But I—"
"Caitlin?"
She turned to find a familiar figure approaching. The wall that she had mentally constructed to keep her emotions at bay started to crack and she rushed over to him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace.
"Ducky, I'm so glad you're here."
"But what are you doing here? Who-?"
"Later," she whispered in his ear before stepping back. "Tony sent me over. He said you were on your way, and…"
"Of course, my dear." He stepped up to the desk. "I am Dr. Mallard, Medical Examiner for NCIS and medical proxy for both Agent Gibbs and Agent McGee. I need to know everything about their care, immediately."
"ID?" He handed the woman his wallet and she examined it carefully. "OK. Gibbs and McGee, is that correct?" He nodded and she started typing rapidly. "Agent Gibbs is in recovery. They'll be moving him to a room shortly: Room 545." She hit a few more keys. "Agent McGee is still in surgery…and they've added another shift of OR attendants, so it looks like he'll be in there for quite some time."
"Thank you. Come, Caitlin, let's go check on Jethro."
Kate followed Ducky to the elevator and once the doors had closed he turned to her.
"I'm sure they'd frown upon stopping the elevator here. You'd better hurry."
Kate quickly told Ducky about the phone call, and he let out a rather colorful phrase when she finished.
"I am so sorry, my dear, that you had to experience that. The man's cruelty astounds me."
"He shot two people, Ducky. Nothing he does could surprise me now."
The elevator slowed to a halt and the doors slid open. Kate followed Ducky to the desk and the center of a hub of branching hallways and waited while Ducky gave his information again. A few moments later she was following him down one of the hallways to a room at the far end. The single bed was occupied, and for a moment Kate didn't recognize the man lying there.
Gibbs was pale, almost grey, and the dark circles under his eyes gave him a withered appearance. The shoulder of his gown was open and they could see the bulky bandages encasing it. His eyes were closed but Kate got the distinct impression that he wasn't sleeping.
"Jethro?" Ducky's voice was soft, but Gibbs' lids immediately opened, soon lowering again to half-mast.
"Duck?"
"Indeed. How are you feeling?"
"Need…to get out of here."
"All in good time, my friend. Right now you need to rest."
Gibbs started to sit up but didn't make it very far as Ducky moved forward and gently pressed his torso back down onto the bed. The glare Gibbs gave his friend lacked its usual strength but his struggle to remain upright ceased. His gaze tracked past Ducky and landed on Kate, resting there a few moments before he spoke again.
"Kate? What are you…" Suddenly a flash of rare emotion crossed his face. "McGee…"
"What happened, Gibbs?" Kate had managed to shore up the crack in her wall, but the patch she had used was anger. "How did Tim get shot on your watch?"
"Caitlin!" Ducky admonished, but Gibbs waved off his protest.
"She has…a right…to be mad, Duck." He focused his gaze on Kate. "Sniper. Didn't know…he was there. Didn't shoot until…we stopped the drone."
"Drone?"
"Armed. Aimed at the pier. Full of families…waiting for the fleet."
"Oh my God…"
"McGee…trying to jam the signal. They were shooting at us. Shot the controller." Gibbs winced. "Sniper shot me. McGee was yelling…asking if we were…all right…and then I heard another shot…and he didn't say anything else."
Fighting back tears Kate closed her eyes, almost able to picture those final moments.
"McGee? Is he…?"
"Still in surgery. I shall go check to see if there is an update in his status."
Ducky left and Kate moved closer to Gibbs' bed.
"The sniper was Ari. He called me and told me what he had done." She took a deep breath. "And if I get the chance…"
"No, Kate. If anyone is going to…take him out, it will be me."
"No. This is my fault, Gibbs. I should have killed that bastard when I had the chance."
"He was on our side…wouldn't have ended well for you."
"And letting him live hasn't worked out well for any of us."
Gibbs again tried to sit up and groaned. "What the hell did they give me?"
"Painkillers," Ducky replied as he stepped through the door. "And a sedative to help you sleep, which you need to be doing."
"No. Need to find…Ari."
"There are people working on it, Jethro. We will find him, but it's not worth you risking permanent injury."
"I'll live. McGee?"
"Still alive, and still in surgery."
"Any idea…?"
"I'm afraid not. Right now we'll have to place our trust in his doctors. He's in good hands, my friend. Come, Caitlin, Jethro needs his rest."
Gibbs raised his hand, reaching towards her, and Kate took his hand in her own.
"He'll make it, Kate. He doesn't have permission not to."
"From you?"
Gibbs smiled. "No. From you."
She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Get some rest, Gibbs." She released his hand and followed Ducky out of the room. Once they were out in the hall he put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"There's a lounge downstairs where you can wait on Timothy. I'm going to go keep an eye on him for you."
Kate barely managed a smile. "Thanks, Ducky."
They took the elevator down to the second floor and Ducky guided her to a small room lined with semi-comfortable chairs. She lowered herself into one, closed her eyes and started to pray.
XXX
"Caitlin?"
Her eyes snapped open and she immediately sat up, stifling a groan as her muscles protested. She looked up to find Ducky standing over her.
"How is he?"
"Timothy survived the surgery but he's still in critical condition in the ICU. Visits are limited, but I can take you to see him now."
She got to her feet as quickly as she could as he held out a hand to steady her. Once she had regained her equilibrium, she nodded and followed Ducky to the ICU. She paused just outside the door, steeling herself for what she would see before she followed the M.E. into the unit. She bit back a sob when she finally caught sight of Tim in the bed farthest from the door.
Despite her efforts, she wasn't truly prepared for what she was seeing. Tim was surrounded by machines, with tubes and wires snaking their way in and around his body, which lay pale and still on the bed in front of her. The left side of his face was badly bruised and swollen beneath the heavy bandages that encircled his head, but the undamaged side was even paler than Gibbs had been. The only signs that he remained among the living were the slow, steady beep of the heart monitor and the shallow rise and fall of his chest as the ventilator forced air in and out of his lungs. He looked so young, so fragile, that Kate was afraid to even try and touch him.
"Oh, God, Tim. I am so sorry…"
Finally she took a step forward, her hand hovering over his arm before she allowed it to fall and rest on his hand, cool beneath her touch. After several moments, she wrapped her hand around his fingers and gave a gentle squeeze, hoping to get some sort of response.
Nothing.
Several minutes passed before she leaned down and spoke softly near his ear.
"You listen to me, Tim. You are not allowed to give up. Do you understand me?" No response. "You keep fighting. I know you have it in you. Do NOT give up. I'm not losing you. I can't…"
She brushed a strand of hair from his forehead. "I'm going to have to leave soon. I'm going to find the bastard that did this to you, and I'm going to make him pay…for everything he's done." She let the fingers of her left hand rest against his cheek. "And while I'm gone, I'm trusting you, Tim. I'm trusting you to keep fighting. I'm trusting you to wake up." Her voice cracked as she continued. "And I'm trusting you to be here when I get back. Do you understand me, Tim?" She thought she felt just the faintest amount of pressure on the hand wrapped around his and struggled to fight back the tears threatening to flow. "That's it, Tim. You've got it." The pressure did not return. She leaned forward and kissed his forehead, lingering for a moment as she braced herself for what she had to do. "I've got to go now. I…I need you in my life, Timothy McGee. Don't you ever forget that."
Finally she forced herself to release his hand and placed it gently back on the bed before she turned and left the unit. She was not completely surprised to find Gibbs waiting for her in the hallway, dressed in scrubs and his arm in a sling. He was still pale, but clearly determined.
"You ready?" he asked and she nodded, grimly.
"Let's go."
TBC…