The Red Haired Woman
Chapter 8
Tony was weakening before her very eyes. He hardly spoke at all and had started coughing up blood. He looked at her sadly. Even though the doctor and nurse were there, it was like they were the only two people in the room. Their eyes never wavered from each other. Tony started speaking, almost choking with phlegm and emotion. "Chanel, I know you are not sick and you stayed here for me. I love you for that." Chanel started to cry, tears streaming down her face. "But my time grows short, and under other circumstances I would want you to stay with me while I die, I do not want you to die because of me. That would be a burden on my soul forever. And Gibbs would haunt me in hell forever for allowing you to get sick and die." She laughed slightly through her tears at the truth in that statement. "So please leave now before I get sick enough to infect you. I have only loved one woman before and our love was a web of lies, so I'm not sure it counts. But I love you now. Go, now, before this gets any harder." Then he started coughing and spewing blood and the doctor ordered her out of the room.
Chanel raced out of the room sobbing uncontrollably standing less than patiently under the kill-nasty-bug lights, stripping her outer clothes and gloves off. The doors finally opened and Ducky was standing there and she ran into his arms sobbing into his navy blue jacket. She cried and cried until he finally soothed her enough to think clearly.
"I brought you some clothes, shoes, phone, a replacement badge and an NCIS issue gun. There is a car outside for your use. I thought Jethro might need some help. The lab is close to here. He and Cassie should be arriving there shortly."
She gave him a big hug, carried her goodies off, and turned back to Ducky. "Thank you for my gear Ducky. And I'll take care of the jacket." She turned around ran into the nearby restroom, changed in record time, pulling her hair back in a loose ponytail and ran to the car.
She was at the lab in 15 minutes, was told where the other agents were and ran to the same place. Cassie stood there with a woman in cuffs and she saw Gibbs running down the hall. Chanel took off after him catching up with a guard following him, knocking his gun out of his hand and grabbing him by the tie never missing a beat. Gibbs was about to shoot the lock and Chanel shouted "STOP!" He turned towards her weapon drawn and immediately dropped it back down.
"Gibbs, it would take a shotgun blast to get through that. Our friendly guard is going to open it, or I will start with breaking the bones in his fingers and go from there. Open it now!"
He opened the door without hesitation. Gibbs pushed through the doors. "Take us to the lab working on the plague. At a run buddy."
When they reached the lab, Chanel held a gun to the guard's head, while Gibbs held one at the scientist through the glass lab.
"Antidote for the plague. I need it now. A Federal Agent has been infected with a genetically altered strain of the plague, your strain."
"There is no antidote. I have only developed a vaccination, not an antidote. But it only has a contagion life of 32 hours. After that it is harmless. But if someone contracts it they have the same odds of survival as the previous plague."
"Which is?"
The scientist and Chanel both answered at the same time, "15 percent." Gibbs looked shocked and then looked like he was considering shooting someone.
"Jethro." Chanel used her softest sultriest voice to regain his attention. "Tony needs us, let's go baby."
Cassie took the woman back to NCIS, while Chanel and Gibbs drove back to Bethesda. "We're past the 32 hour mark Chanel. He might already be past the point of no return."
"He will not die Jethro. But he needs to hear that from you." He turned his head and looked at her, all the love and pain and struggle he felt showing through his eyes even though his face remained stoic.
She remained silent, parked the car and they rushed to the biological containment center. Gibbs and Chanel walked through the double doors without stopping and into the contamination area.
"Chanel, Agent Gibbs, you can't be here! You'll be infected."
"Infectious period is over, doctor." Gibbs leaned over an almost comatose Tony and whispered in his ear, saying definitively "You will not die, D'Nozzo." He very gently whacked him on the head, a token movement for sure, but Tony opened his eyes. "You will not die, D'Nozzo," and placed Tony's beloved cell phone in his hands. Tony rewarded him with a slight smile. He would not die, he would live for Chanel and he would live for Gibbs.
Chanel kissed Tony on the forehead which was still steaming with a fever. "Call me when your fever breaks, baby. God Speed."
Half an hour later Gibbs and Chanel pulled into the circular driveway at her house. It was late but lights were still on. They had both been up almost constantly for 40 hours and were dead on their feet. Gibbs went to let her out and leave to go to his home, but she refused.
"You are at least as tired as I am. You are staying here. We will feed you, get you showered and into some fresh clothes, and you will sleep. You can do all that in my room or you can have your own. But you are NOT driving. You will kill yourself or someone else." She took his arm and dragged him into the house. Her father was walking expectantly to the door and was delighted to see her and Gibbs walk through the door, although he had never seen either of them look so drawn and exhausted.
"You're ok? How is Tony?" He looked at Gibbs. "You must have gotten the bastard or you wouldn't be here, either of you."
"I am fine, we both are. Tony may still not make it, but when we just left him he seemed much better than when I was finally forced to leave. He is no longer contagious and we will be paying for a penthouse suite at Bethesda for him until he is well enough to come here and be cared for by very pretty private nurses. Just so you know daddy. And Gibbs did get the bitch that did this, although I have not heard the story and perhaps we can hear it together another day. Right now, could you ask Justine to fix us some soup and sandwiches and water I think. Neither of us has eaten or slept in about 40 hours. We'll go upstairs and shower, eat, and go to sleep. I'll get some pajamas from your room for him to wear, unless you can do that for me."
"Baby, Tony can have carte blanche. I will get Gibbs both some pajamas and some jeans and a shirt for tomorrow. No telling when you two will wake up after being up for so long. Sleep in. I'll be sure and let the director know you won't be in tomorrow. Go upstairs. I assume you will be sharing Chanel's room, but you will just be sleeping. Understood? You have already hurt her, and I am not prepared for her to be hurt more."
"Understood, sir."
Chanel took his arm and lightly pulled him up the stairs to her room. She pushed him to shower first because she would take so much longer. While Gibbs was showering her father dropped off the promised items, mentioned something about a certain Lt. Col. that was worried out of his mind and she needed to call him before she fell asleep. She nodded her understanding, hugged her father good night or good morning, she no longer knew which.
She placed the pajamas on the stool in the bathroom before Gibbs got out. She went to gather her own night clothes, and called Tommy knowing that Gibbs would probably hear at least part of the conversation.
"Chanel! Where are you? Are you ok? All anyone would tell us was that you were in isolation and could not have visitors. I've been so worried."
"Tommy, take a breath. I'm exhausted and have been up forever and a day. I am fine, perfectly healthy if hungry and a little dehydrated. I'm at home... about to take a shower and wash off isolation crap. I'm sweaty and tired and ready to go to bed. I think I will sleep for days."
"Can I come over?"
"And do what Tommy? I'm not really up for games or cards. I'm going to sleep. You cannot sleep with me, not even sleep sleep." She heard him laughing lightly on the other end.
He teased her back, but his tease had a little bite to it. "If not then, when baby?"
"I don't know when, or even if Tommy. I appreciate your patience with me. I'm sorry that I worried you, but I am glad you cared enough to be worried. I will call you tomorrow after I wake up, ok?"
"Ok, I'll be with the Joint Chiefs and strategic planning most of the day, so leave a message on my cell phone if I don't answer. And Chanel, is Gibbs with you?"
Chanel was silent. "Why do you want to know?"
"Because I love you and he does too. And he was with you this afternoon and is probably just as tired as you and is staying there at the house, possibly in your room with you. You would do the same for me. But it is just sleep, no sex. Am I right?"
"You know me very well. Good night Tommy. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Chanel reluctantly released the call. She smiled slightly at Gibbs. "How was your shower? Feel better?"
"Much. How is your Lt. Col.?"
"Being patiently kind, knows you are here and believes I would do the same for him in a similar situation."
"And would you?"
Chanel sighed and gathered her nightclothes and went into the bathing and dressing area. She took a very long shower, scrubbing and shaving her body until she felt clean again. She applied her beautiful lotion and matching perfume, combed out her hair, and dressed in her marine tank top and plaid flannel pajama pants. She left the room and reentered the main bedroom area where she saw two trays of food and several iced bottled waters. She also saw a dressed Gibbs under the covers with his arm over his eyes. He lifted it slightly and took in her simple beauty, no makeup, wet hair, very simple pajamas. She was perfect and he was an idiot.
"You are beautiful Chanel, a gift."
She smiled gently at him, "Come on Marine. Let's eat so we can sleep." She gently pulled him out of bed and held his hand as she led him to the soup. Justine had made her special tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches with a brownie for each of them. They ate in silence with so much that needed to be said but hadn't. She was waiting on him, and he was waiting on the nerve. They finished their meals and placed the trays outside her room. She gave him an unused toothbrush and they both brushed their teeth and headed for bed.
Gibbs laid down first and Chanel asked if she could snuggle against him. He welcomed her into his arms and they lay there in dark silence.
"Tony was right Chanel. Before that big party, I was happy, really happy for the first time in 15 years. I screwed things up between us, and I want to make it right. I love you. Did you mean what you said about a simple life? A big white house with a wraparound porch, with kids and dogs out in the country? No big parties, no big social engagements? Did you mean that? You would give up dances with the President and being known by everyone?"
Chanel lifted her head off his chest to look into his eyes. "You were there. I couldn't believe you wouldn't come visit us, but figured you either weren't allowed to leave or you were chasing bad guys. Yes, Jethro. That is what I want. I clean up nice, really nice. And I have millions of dollars in jewelry and clothing to prove it. But that is not what I want. If I never went to another ball it would be too soon. After that actually quite small party with the Special Ops guys, you never asked if that was what I wanted or if I wanted that with you. You made an assumption that wasn't true. If I marry Tommy, which he is bound to start pushing for, as well as sex, my life would be much as it is today. Balls and parties, social engagements, 15 hour days for him, and I would do something, maybe stay at NCIS if you would have me, until I became pregnant."
"And if you were to stay with me? What do you see your life like?
"We would have to discuss it. I'd like that big white country house away from everything, with a wraparound porch, maybe a pool, kids and a couple dogs, not too big, not yippy. Once we started having kids, I'd want a nanny so I could write. We would need a cook, because I can't. We'd both be retired and take up our hobbies instead. You'd have a barn a little bit away from the house to build your boats. Which by the way, I am really pissed that you took some murdering, chain smoking floozy to your house to show her your boats, got physical with her and then ended up arresting her. You have never asked me to your house, or shown me your boats, and apparently you use the boats and hand tools as some big seduction thing, and now if I ever do get down there, it will just feel cheap to me."
"Wow. Where do you get all this information from? I'm sorry I haven't shown you my house or my boats. It is a very private thing for me. I don't make a big deal about it, but if someone comes over they find me in my basement. The front door is always open. As for the murdering, chain smoking floozy, yes, I made a bad choice. I made a choice based on everything you were not, except the great body part, you both had that." She hit him hard on the arm for that comment and then snuggled back down again. "Ow that hurt."
"Yeah well two things to that, you taking her out, intending to bed her and blowing me off, that HURT, and if that little punch hurt, Old Man you should work out more."
He rolled her over onto her back tickling her mercilessly, "Old Man? Old Man? I cannot believe you just called me that." They were both laughing but very tired. "I heard you tell Tony that Tommy was like a younger version of me. If that is true, why not go for the younger version?"
"Oh Jethro, you don't get it. I will settle for Tommy if you can't get off your duff, and I won't wait much longer. Tommy won't wait much longer. He has waited almost three years to make love to me. But he wants me to love him like he loves me. Being married to him won't be the simple life I crave, but he loves me and we have shared some very powerful experiences I can share with very few others. He would make me happy and I will marry him when he asks. But did you hear the part about being with a man that makes my toes curl and my panties wet? THAT is what you do to me. You may be older, but you are the one I dream of at night, the one my heart breaks for, the one I want to be with. But if you don't choose soon, I will slide right out of your arms into someone else's."
Jethro sighed and pulled Chanel as close to him as he could. He very gently, almost as if to a child, said "I love you. Sweet dreams." And they drifted off together, exhaustion overtaking them. Nothing was resolved, but so much finally said.