Disclaimer on chapter one.
AN: Alas chapter eight. Bit of a delay but with work and hockey and puppies...been busy taking care of life. So anyway, here you go, the next installment of Cat and Mouse.
Chapter Eight
Grayson could hear the sirens growing closer. He relaxed in the hold of Levi and Gibbs as he felt the pull of fatigue on him. He heard Levi's voice but the words didn't register, the pounding in his head making it difficult to concentrate. Grayson looked up at Levi who was staring back down at him with concern.
"Grady?" he asked again.
"My head is killing me," Grayson said with a sigh as he blinked his eyes to clear them. He couldn't seem to get his right eye to work; a thick coating of red was in the way. He felt a hand wipe at the side of his face and he cringed with the pain and sting.
There were suddenly two strangers crowding over him as Levi and Gibbs were pushed back. Grayson put up a brief struggle before his strength gave out and he let the paramedics tend to him. He closed his eyes to block the pain as they moved his leg and bandaged his head. He opened his eyes when he heard the paramedic talking to someone.
"We need to get him to a hospital. His injuries need to be assessed by a doctor as soon as possible."
"Walter Reed," Grayson said with as much force as he could muster. He didn't see either man acknowledge his request so he reached out and grabbed Levi's leg, tugging with as much as he could. It took a few pulls before Levi looked down at him. The other paramedic was trying to get Grayson to lay still as he maneuvered the backboard into place. Levi squatted down.
"What?"
"Walter Reed, Lee, take me there."
"Reed's not a public hospital and it's further away. We should really take you to…"
"My damn doctor is at Reed, take me," Grayson started with anger before he ran out of strength and the insistent pounding in his head caused him to close his eyes and cringe.
"He's Army. Take him to Walter Reed," Levi said with a nod as he stood up. The paramedic eyed him wearily before he gave a nod to his partner to get the patient on the backboard. Once they had Grayson in the back he let himself relax.
He heard the paramedic call ahead to Reed to see if they would accept him. Levi supplied the information they needed and Captain Conner McKown had been informed of Grayson's condition. The ride was uncomfortable for Grayson.
Grayson was agitated as they wheeled him into Walter Reed. Captain McKown met them at the door and tried to calm him. Levi also did his best effort to calm Grayson down, but nothing seemed to work. Captain McKown asked for a syringe and as he came closer to Grayson he finally started to settle.
"No, Doc, no drugs. I can't be incapacitated," Grayson said quickly as he forced himself to become still. McKown looked at him skeptically.
"You promise to behave yourself?"
"Yeah, Doc, just patch me up. I got things to do today," Grayson said with a wince.
"Grady, I don't think you're going to be going anywhere for quite a while. It looks like you've done some major damage to the repairs I've done to your body."
"It's not as bad as it looks, Doc, trust me."
McKown smiled and nodded at Grayson, before he instructed the orderlies to take him to a private room. Levi and Gibbs followed behind. Once they were in the room Grayson sat up from the gurney, fighting the wave of dizziness that slams through him.
"What are you doing?" Levi snapped at him putting a hand on the younger man's shoulder. Grayson looked up at him pointedly and tried to wiggle from Levi's grasp, only succeeding in wincing at the pain shooting through his body. "You're hurt, Grady, worse than you think. Let the doctor check you out. You got hit by a car."
"Technically I hit the car," Grayson said breaking into a small smile.
Levi held his glare for a moment before he shook his head with a smile. Gibbs raised an eyebrow as he watched the two. Grayson sunk back into the bed and let out a sigh as he stared at the ceiling. They waited another ten minutes before McKown returned. Grayson closed his eyes to try and control the throbbing pain echoing in his head.
"Grayson, tell me where it hurts," McKown said as he came to a stop next to Grayson's bed. Grayson opened one eye and looked up at him.
"My head, my shoulder, and my damn leg."
"Same leg?"
"It's on fire, Doc. I think I hurt it running."
"Or bouncing off a car," Gibbs spoke with a shrug. Everyone glanced at him before returning their attention to the Grayson who was smiling.
"And why were you running and bouncing off of cars?" McKown continued.
"Just one car, Doc, just one. I was chasing Storm."
"How hard did you hit your head, Grady?" McKown asked suddenly worried.
"Not like that dammit. He was there. He's alive."
"Ok let's focus on you," McKown replied as he went to examining Grayson. Once the examination was over, McKown sighed and took a seat in the chair next to the bed. Grayson saw the worry on the doctor's face.
"What's the damage?" Levi asked as he looked Grayson over.
"He need stitches over his eye to close that gap, his shoulder needs x-rays and we're going to have to do an MRI of his knee," McKown replied with a nod.
"That's going to take forever," Grayson said closing his eyes.
"I'll stitch him up while we order the x-rays and MRI," McKown replied as he rose and left the room.
"Come on, Conner, is this all really necessary?" Grayson said from the bed, the frustration in his voice making McKown stop in the doorway.
"Look, Grady, your body is already in a compromised state. It took a lot of work to get that damn knee back into working order, but it's not perfect. Running on it like that most likely tore it up again. You may be on crutches. As for the shoulder? Hitting the car like that may have fractured it. Or dislocated the joint, possibly a separation. There are a lot of things. Let me do my job."
"Do what you have to do, Dr. McKown," Gibbs said as he leaned against the back wall with his arms over his chest. "Mr. Wilson isn't going anywhere anytime soon as it is."
Grayson shot a glare at Gibbs before he sunk into the pillow and closed his eyes. Levi nodded as Dr. McKown left the room as Gibbs studied the young man in the bed. He had to admit to himself he admired the toughness of the kid. Most people wouldn't even want to get up after hitting a car the way he did, and this kid wanted to get up and walk out.
He ran the kid's story over in his head looking at it from every angle. He was still skeptical but there was enough doubt there to make him want to find out more. There was just something about Grayson that made him believe what he was saying. He just hoped he wasn't being taken for a ride.
Gibbs looked at his watch and sighed. The team was going to start wondering where he was. He also realized that once Grayson was released they had no way of getting back to headquarters. There was no way in hell Gibbs would take a cab, or heaven forbid, the bus. He grabbed his phone from his pocket and started for the door.
"I'll be back, need to contact my team and arrange a ride for us. We have a lot more to discuss," Gibbs said. Grayson open his eyes and pushed up on the elbow of his good arm. Levi nodded slightly before his gaze drifted back to Grayson.
Kate checked the clock for the hundredth time since Gibbs left with Levi Brown. She was worried that he hadn't checked in. He had given her that look when she suggested he take backup, it had silenced her mouth, but not her nervous stomach. She felt something was off.
She held her cell phone in hand, not wanting to miss a call, using her other hand to type a report. She could tell Tony was playing a video game, and when she glanced at McGee's desk he wasn't there. She figured he was down in Abby's lab. Her phone rang in her hand and it made her jump, catching Tony's attention from his game. He glanced at her, giving her a knowing smile, before going back to his screen.
Kate looked at the screen and saw it was from Gibbs. She quickly connected the call and tossed the phone up to her ear. She took a second to compose herself before she spoke.
"Gibbs?" Kate said by greeting.
"Yeah, I'm at Walter Reed," Gibbs replied, but before he could continue Kate cut him off.
"The Army hospital? Why? What happened? Are you all right?" Kate asked in a low voice so not to alarm Tony. She glanced at him and noticed he was still engrossed in his game.
"Kate," Gibbs voice commanded. She stopped and listened. "I'm fine. Grayson Wilson on the other hand is a little banged up."
"What happened?" Kate asked more calmly.
"He hit a car."
"He hit a car? A car didn't hit him?"
"No, technically he hit the car. Anyway, listen, I don't know what to believe yet so I'm sticking around until they are finished with him here. Then I'll bring him back to NCIS, but it might be awhile."
"What's he said so far?"
Gibbs went on to tell Kate everything Grayson had relayed to him. He then told her about the young man racing after someone on the street and eventually hitting the car. Once he was done they were both silent.
"Do you believe him?" Kate asked softly.
"I don't know what to believe. His eyes say he isn't lying, but if he is who he claims to be he could be hiding it. I don't know," Gibbs continued. Kate was stunned. She had never heard Gibbs so unsure of his own opinion of a suspect.
"What next?" she asked after a brief pause by both of them.
"I need to get back upstairs before he decides to disappear on me. Get Tony to keep digging into Grayson Wilson's past. Also have him do a thorough check on Levi Brown. They have Lt. Quinn stashed somewhere and I want to know where."
"Ok, what about me?" Kate asked slightly confused.
"Grab a car and come pick me up," Gibbs said before ending the call. Kate stared at her phone a moment before closing it and slipping it into her pocket. Tony had gotten up from his desk and was heading towards her.
"What was that about?" he asked once he was standing at her desk.
"Gibbs said our suspect is at Walter Reed."
"The Army hospital? Why?"
"He apparently hit a car."
"Wait he hit the car or did the car hit him?"
"Gibbs said he hit the car, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that Gibbs said to have you look into Grayson Wilson's past. Get everything you can find. Start with the court case from the step father shooting, then work your way through the system. Make sure you also check under Grayson Wilson and he told Gibbs he also uses the last name Anders. Also do a thorough check on Levi Brown. Here's his information," Kate continued. She handed Tony a sheet of paper.
"Ok," Tony replied taking the sheet. "What about you?"
"I'm going to pick up Gibbs. If you need help, get McGee," Kate said as she gathered what she needed and headed towards the elevator.
He had followed them to the hospital. He couldn't stop the smile that was growing on his lips. Grayson hadn't looked all that good when they loaded him into the ambulance. He knew his injuries probably were not fatal, but it would certainly slow the other man down some.
He checked his laptop and was comforted by the fact the pen was still transmitting. He would still be able to track Grayson from afar. His mind started to ponder his next move. He knew he would need to draw Grayson from the NCIS Agent, it was just a matter of how.
Zack would have been a good option but he had let that card go. He cursed himself for that now, but then his mind came to another idea, the woman at the house. He made a decision, after he knew Grayson's plans, he would head back to Colorado and set the next leg of his trap.
TBC…