Disclaimer on chapter one.
AN: Another chapter. Thanks for hte comments on the last one! Here you go Kibbs fans...a little moment in this one :-D. Enjoy and remember to leave your comments at the door on the way out...thanks. dark rolling sea.
Chapter Seventeen
It had been quiet for a few minutes, and Gibbs was still sitting behind his rock shield. The panic was still building in his chest, and crowding in his mind. He needed to do something or they were all going to die. It was obvious that their opponent held the high ground; he needed to change the odds.
He peeked out carefully but received no fire for his troubles. Instead of relief he felt his body tighten with anticipation. Something wasn't right. He glanced at Levi and knew he needed to at least check on him to see if he was still alive. Gibbs shifted his weight so he came to his haunches and took a deep breath.
He frantically scanned the area he could see, trying to spot Kate, with no luck. Feeling his stomach tighten and clench he resisted the urge to vomit. She would be ok, he told himself. He shifted again and switched his flashlight on and shined the light up onto the upper rock, before quickly ducking behind the rock again. The air was still silent. He took another deep breath and crept to the far side of his cover.
One. Two. Three, he told himself and ran from behind the rock towards Levi's body. He covered the ground quickly, his weapon drawn and pointed to the caves. As soon as he was beside the wounded man Gibbs dropped to one knee, skidding to a stop and ripping the knee in his pants. It didn't matter; he reached out quickly and laid two fingers against Levi's neck.
"Weak pulse," he mumbled to himself and started to search for injuries. Levi's left leg was coated in blood as was the top half of his shirt. Gibbs rolled him slightly and inspected for damage, finding two entry wounds. One was just above Levi's left knee, through the muscle. The other was in his left shoulder. Gibbs couldn't tell how serious the second wound was, but he did remove Levi's belt and wrap it tightly around the man's leg. Levi let out a loan moan of pain.
Once he had the belt tight, Gibbs started to pull his jacket off. He wrapped it snuggly around Levi's shoulder, pressing against the wound. He continuously scanned the area for threats, as he undid his own belt and secured it around his jacket. He then lifted his body to his feet and walked along the ridgeline looking for any sign of Kate.
He heard something behind him, but his reaction was too late. He felt something slam against his right shoulder throwing his body off balance. There was a twinge of pain in his arm as he stumbled and staggered. The loose gravel on the edge of the cliff face was starting to give way and Gibbs felt the final straw of panic snap his mental focus.
His arms flailed wildly in the air as he fought viciously to regain his balance, but it was fruitless. As his body swung out over the edge once more he felt a distinct push on his back. His right arm swung around grasping the air madly trying to gain purchase on whoever was behind him, but he missed and his body twisted violently over the edge.
He came down hard on his left shoulder feeling the rest of his body weight slam onto the joint. He let out a painful yelp as his body then tumbled heals over his head towards the bottom of the steep slope. He struggled to find purchase in the ground to stop his falling body, but there was nothing to stop him.
He grunted and cussed as his body flipped and turned; the rock and dirt tearing at his clothes and skin. On the third tumble head over heals his right leg came down crooked and caught on a root in the ground. His vision wavered as the pain exploded starting from his knee and moving in all directions throughout his body. His foot ripped from of the root and he spun around sliding further down the hillside.
It had seemed like several minutes to Gibbs but in reality it had only taken several seconds. His body was sliding then it stopped, painfully. He was looking up the slope trying to turn his body and didn't see the rock outcropping coming. As his left rib cage slammed into the offending object Gibb felt the air whisk from his lungs. His head slid around and bounced off the top of the rock and his body came to rest.
He fought the panic that took over his mind as he struggled to regain air in his lungs; once he was able to draw in a breath he felt the sharp explosion in his side. Gibbs' vision darkened and threatened to go out as he slammed his eyes shut and willed himself to stay focused.
The dizziness passed and Gibbs immediately realized he had lost his firearm somewhere on the way down. He looked around to see if it had traveled with him. He couldn't see anything. He looked up the mountain to see if he was a sitting duck, but he could see there was an outcropping the covered him.
He then set about checking his injuries. He moved his right hand up and across feeling the gash above his left eye. His fingers came away covered in blood and he could feel it running down towards his eye. He flexed his left shoulder and winced as pain rocketed through the joint. His left hand seemed to be alternating between pain and numbness.
He kicked his legs out straight to get into a better position and had to bite down on his lip to hold in the scream that built in his chest. His entire right leg thrummed with pain, as his knee locked in a twisted position.
"Shit," he mumbled as he leaned back against the rock that had stopped his fall. He was in no shape to climb out of here. His back ached and his skin burned where the rock and dirt had imbedded itself, and he felt the chill in the air, realizing he had used his jacket to try and stop Levi's bleeding.
His mind shattered in panic as he looked up at the ledge above him. Kate, his mind said as he struggled to climb out of the hole. He had to find Kate. Gibbs swallowed the pain and fought, pulling with his good arm and pushing with his good leg, but it was fruitless. He continually slid back down to the rock that had caught him.
He sat perfectly still and listened to the air around him. Gibbs tensed; something was over to his left. He shifted his body, faltering slightly with the pain before he lifted his head up and looked over. Gibbs felt his mind flood with relief. Kate was laying not twenty feet away from him.
The relief quickly vanished and he had to swallow down another wave of nausea. She wasn't moving. He scrambled to get around the rock, trying and failing three times to get to his feet. Finally he resigned to crawling as best he could to her.
"Kate," he said as loudly as he dared. He didn't want to garner any more attention from whoever was at the top of the mountain. When she didn't respond he tried to move faster, only resulting in having to stop and rest. He never imagined twenty feet would take so much energy.
He finally came up to her and stuck his fingers out to feel for a pulse. His heart skipped a couple beats when he felt one and he then immediately started checking her body over for injuries. When he heard her moan slightly he let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding.
"Kate," he said softly drawing her into him. Her eyes fluttered open slightly and then rolled shut again. He noticed the blood coming from her hairline and brushed her hair back to check the damage. A deep cut ran about an inch.
Her arms were badly scraped, he assumed from the fall down, and then he noticed the blood on the ground. Another wave of nausea swept over him and he fought it down with all his strength before he frantically ran his hands over her body looking for the source of the leak.
He knew he found it when he heard her cry in pain and his hands stilled instantly. He brought his hand out and closed his eyes. He needed to stop the bleeding. He worked her jacket off her shoulders and carefully wrapped it around her bleeding thigh.
Once it was in place he knotted it tightly around her leg. She let out another moan of pain and he pulled her closer to him. He wrapped his arms around her and looked around. They needed shelter. He though about the area he had finally landed and knew he would never make it having to drag Kate behind him.
He looked around and saw a small indention in the rock wall and thought he could make it. He started to slowly work his way in that direction keeping Kate's body on top of his. It took him a while, and most of his remaining strength but he finally got them into the shelter of the rock.
Once he had himself situated in a somewhat comfortable position he pulled Kate into his chest and checked the makeshift bandage on her leg. It was still in place, letting him breath a little easier. He then wrapped his arms around her and held her close, trying to trap as much of their body heat as he could.
He felt Kate stir and he moved his lips just by her ear. "Kate," he whispered softly trying to draw her back to consciousness. Her eyes fluttered and she moved to roll into him. He released his grip slightly and let her curl into his chest, her head coming to rest against his neck.
He closed his eyes and pursed his lips as her breath tickled his neck. Gibbs struggled to regain control of himself as unguarded emotion rushed his body. He stilled his mind, but his stomach was still fluttering with something he had tried so hard to ignore. Kate seemed to subtly lean closer into him, mumbling against his neck.
Gibbs finally admitted to himself why he was so jealous recently when Kate had shown interest in Levi. In this moment he knew what was eating at him, and he knew what he wanted. He also knew he shouldn't indulge, it was a bad idea. He shifted his right leg, sending searing pain rocketing through the knee and everything came back to reality.
He took a deep breath glad he was back in control but it was all shattered again when he felt Kate move her lips against his neck. He let out a frustrated cry and then pulled himself away from her slightly. Kate seemed content to rest her head against his chest now and he left it at that, letting his heart slow, and his stomach stop tingling.
Jonas stood on the edge of the rock ledge and looked down. The older agent had taken quite the spill over the edge, and Jonas was sure he wouldn't be climbing back up on his own anytime soon. His smile didn't last long, the frown returning as he went back to look for the first agent that went over the ledge.
He hadn't been able to see where she landed either and it was bothering him. He had watched the man go, and knew he had extensive injuries, but he was unsure if the woman had met a similar fate. He glanced back at Levi lying on the top of the cliff and shook his head.
He walked to the man and nudged him in the side with his foot. Levi let out a half hearted moan and Jonas squatted down. He yanked the belt around Levi's shoulder free and watched as Levi's eyes spirited open in pain for a moment before they rolled up into his head again. Jonas tore the jacket from the wounded man's shoulder and tossed it aside.
He then reached down and undid the belt around the wound in Levi's leg. Jonas stood and was about to walk away when he heard a noise coming from inside Levi's coat. Jonas stopped and stared at Levi for a moment, and the noise happened again. Jonas reached down and rifled through Levi's pockets and found the two-way radio.
He smiled and then threw a blazing fastball at the rock. The two-way splintered and landed in a multitude of pieces. He then headed back to the cave to check on his prisoner. She was still secure and Jonas thought about his next move. He could either wait, or he could draw Grayson out now. He decided what ever he wanted to do, he had to move. They would be coming here now, and he wasn't safe. Jonas decided for safety reasons he would leave Grayson's aunt behind. He left the cave, grabbed his bag of weapons and headed for a new spot to entrench himself.
TBC…