Let It Be
There was chaos and confusion everywhere. The blow threw him away like a ragdoll, shaking him to the core. But then, a sensation of peace took over. The bullpen was bright and clean. He didn't want to stand up, he was too comfortable where he was right then. Suddenly, he heard a voice calling him.
"McGee…"
It was a female voice, a familiar one. He turned his head, and saw the last person he would have ever expected to see.
"…Kate?"
When I find myself in times of trouble
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
And in my hour of darkness
She is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be
McGee sat down, trying to soak it all up. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "I mean, I'm so glad to see you, it's just that…"
"…I'm dead." She finished for him.
"Yes. That." McGee reluctantly conceded. "It's been a while. You look just like the last time I saw you."
"You, on the other hand, have changed a lot, Tim." Kate reminisced. "You used to be chubbier, naïve… you're not the wide-eyed probie anymore, are you? You're an adult. You could be the leader of your own team at this point…"
"And yet, here I am. Dying to save a bunch of computer files that may even be broken now for all I know."
"Well, it comes with the territory."
"Is this why you're here? Is this is my time?" he wondered.
Kate looked at him sympathetically. "I'm here to see you. There's no such thing as one's time. You just live for as long as possible, until someone or something gets in the way, and then you fight it if you can".
"I've… I've always taken comfort in thinking that somehow you were meant to… go when you did. That you didn't die in vain."
"That there was a purpose? A greater good?" she continued, still smiling. "There's not. I could have survived and had a nice life for all we know. But what's done it's done. I can't fight for my life anymore, I didn't really have the chance anyway. But you do."
"I miss you, Kate. We all do."
"I know, Tim. I know."
And with that, she disappeared.
And when the broken hearted people
Living in the world agree
There will be an answer, let it be
For though they may be parted
There is still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Yeah there will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be
Outside of the building, there was a myriad of reporters, firefighters, policemen, ambulances, as well as relatives of the people trapped inside, the people who were successfully evacuated, and many curious bystanders. Yellow tape was the only thing standing between the rescuers and the rest.
Leon Vance felt powerless. His status as director was as good as nothing in this moment. The bomb was in his car. It was meant for him, or at least it seemed, and he would have felt guilty to be alive, if it weren't for his fear of leaving his family alone and vulnerable. He received a phone call. It was Palmer.
"Director? I'm sorry I'm calling right now. I just saw the news. Do you know anything about the guys? Are they alright?"
"They're still there," Vance replied. "Until it's declared safe, the rescuers can't go in. Does Dr. Mallard know? Is he on his way?"
Jimmy didn't know what to say. In what was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives, he and Breena were in the waiting room of a hospital, begging for Dr. Mallard's life while on ZNN, politicians of all positions argued about the implications of the latest terrorist attack, bouncing the blame back and forth like a hot potato among conspiracy theories and speculations, trivializing the ordeal his very work family was going through. Somehow, the cries of "muslim terrorists!" and "evil government!" didn't make him feel any better.
"We're in the hospital. Dr. Mallard had a heart attack. The doctors say he's critical, but stable. He's in the ICU right now. Should I go to D.C.? I couldn't leave the doctor here alone…"
"No no, don't worry. I'll call backup this time. You're needed there." Vance didn't see this coming. Now there were two tragedies instead of one. He couldn´t even get near the crime scene. He was with Jackie, the kids, and various bodyguards. He had no control of anything. He could only hope his employees would live to be with their families the way he was with his.
Let it be, let it be
Ah let it be, yeah let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be
And when the night is cloudy
There is still a light that shines on me
Shine on until tomorrow, let it be
I wake up to the sound of music,
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
The firefighters found two people in the elevator. They were pounding the door frantically to catch their attention. They took them out shocked, but conscious. They broke the rules and yet, they got out of it almost uninjured. Others weren't so lucky.
Tony and Ziva were taken to an ambulance, where their vital signs were checked. They both had concussions and needed to be taken to the hospital, but since they weren't in grave danger, they would have to wait.
The rescuers kept getting people out, some of them in body bags. Among the ones that weren't, there was a blond guy with several fractures, and Ziva immediately recognized him. She tugged Tony's shirt. "Tim! That's Tim!" she exclaimed.
"He was inside. I can't believe it…"
The last ones to be rescued were a man and a woman found together in the basement, covered with a jacket and a robe. They were evidently trying to fight the poisonous air, but it just wasn't enough. Tony could tell they were Abby and the boss, despite the masks and how quick they were brought to the ambulance.
Finally, there was one available for them to get on, and they were driven to Bethesda, amid the cries and murmurs of people down the street, none of which were asking for them.
"I thought they had evacuated," Ziva said. "They didn't look good. They didn't look good at all."
Tony turned to the driver, asking him if he could find out about the state of his teammates. The man obliged. If that was him in that situation, he would feel the same.
"Yeah, they gave me some information," he was finally able to say.
"Are they o.k.?" Ziva asked, concerned.
"No," re responded dejectedly.
"Are they going to be?" Tony interjected.
"We don't know. They're alive for now, that's good enough."
Tony took Ziva's arm. This was as good as it could get for now.
Yeah let it be, let it be
Let it be, yeah let it be
Oh there will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Let it be, yeah let it be
Oh there will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Ah let it be, yeah let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be