A/N: Apparently, in the last chapter, it wasn't clear what the paper that the team signed was. It was a leave authorization, basically, the form that give approval for a vacation. Vance held them in the desk and they were told to take a week off, if they came into the office for any reason, aside from the paperwork the next day, they would use up leave days. If not, they got a week off without using any leave days.

Hope that clears it up.

I'm not happy with the start of this chapter, but I promised a chapter per day, and I take my promises seriously. There is another A/N at the end.

Chapter 15. Pain

Gibbs swam up from unconsciousness slowly. He fought to hear the sounds outside of his head. They were being drowned out by the rushing sounds inside his head. As he approached consciousness, a stab of pain dragged him back down.

Abby, who was watching him closely, turned to the man waiting with her. "Tim, go get Tony, I think he's waking up." Tim got up and rushed outside to locate the rest of his team.

"C'mon, Gibbs. Come back to us. Please," she pleaded with the unconscious man.

Gibbs was ready to make another try to surface, when a chuckle stopped him.

His eyes snapped open and he looked to his left at the window. Jenny, he thought. He looked down at himself. What are you doing here. Am I dead?

The vision of Jenny shrugged, smiling. How can I know. I'm inside your head. I know only as much as you do.

What happened to me? The last thing I remember is talking to your father, of all people, then a flash of light, and then...nothing.

Jethro, like I said, I've been here as long as you have. My memories are yours. Jenny's eyes misted. Maybe you should have told me how you felt, Jethro.

A voice came from his left. He never was good at that. But, somehow, I always knew.

Gibbs stared at the woman leaning on the door frame, smirking. Shannon? Is that really you?

Shannon chuckled. Kinda. I'm like Jenny, stuck in your head. You have good taste. Both women chuckled. You always did love red heads.

Gibbs chuckled with them. Not always. It wasn't until you that I even dated a red head. Up until then, it was always brunettes.

Jenny laughed as Shannon made her way to the bed. That would explain your closeness to Abby, Kate and Ziva.

Gibbs was starting to see what was happening. These two women had always been in his head. Jenny was there when he was working. Shannon was there when he was dealing with personal issues.

Now, Jethro, Shannon started. We'll always be here for you. But, there's a few people living that need you as well.

Gibbs nodded as he became more aware, the pain increasing. As he swam upward, the pain increased, and two hands held his, comforting his.

Beep

Beep

Beep

"I think he's finally coming around," he heard from his right.

"About time," he barely heard from in front of him. It sounded like the speaker was muttering. "Ow. That hurt, Ziva."

A chuckle came from his left as a hand rested on his fingertips. The slight shift in weight and way they balanced he realized that it was covered in plaster. "Then do not make me do it again, Tony."

He tried to open his eyes, but they wouldn't obey. He tried again, and nothing. Frustrated, he tensed his muscles, provoking a light squeal.

"He just squeezed my hand," he heard wrapped in a squeal from his right. The pain in his head suddenly exploded and he groaned. "Sorry, Gibbs," he heard whispered.

Gibbs, that's my name. Okay, I knew that already, but I'm going to consider it a victory until I have more of them.

Time for the next victory. Eyes open. Nothing again. I said, eyes open. Bright light shone through his eyelids. He wanted nothing more than to open his eyes.

He heard a light click and panicked as the light outside his eyes went away. "Okay, Boss, try it now," he heard a baritone voice say. "The light shouldn't hurt."

Through the bottom of his eyelids, he finally could make out...something. It was blurry and it was dark. The image was of a man. As his vision cleared, he saw it was a man who's stance, bearing, jaw set, and steel eyed gaze promised protection, loyalty, and safety.

The man smiled. "Welcome back, Boss." he said.

Gibbs tried to smile in return, but his face barely responded. His voice didn't even sound like his own, it was gravely and hoarse. "Good to be back, Tony."

He sunk back into the darkness.

Jethro, just rest, we'll be here for you. We all will. He smiled as he heard Shannon's voice break through into his dreams. He felt his hands still being held, infusing strength into him.

His eyes were open for a few minutes before he realized it. It was so dark in the room that he didn't realize it. It was finally the light wetness on his hand that made him realize that he was no longer asleep. He turned his head to the right, seeing a dark haired woman holding his hand and silently weeping.

He squeezed his own hand lightly to draw her attention to him. Ziva looked up and looked into his eyes. She smiled a teary smile and took one hand to get a cup of water from the table next to him. He took a small sip through the straw, the liquid invigorating him. His eyes never left hers, a question in his eyes.

"Gibbs, when you first came out of surgery, everyone came in here. Even Palmer. Abby slept next to you that first night. Tony put me on guard outside the room." She choked up slightly. "Everyone came in, except me.

"I thought they were coming in to say good bye to you. You were badly injured, you still are. But, I couldn't say good bye. Not to you."

She breathed heavily. "As I was sitting here, I went over what I saw, everyone's face as they came in. It's taken me four days to realize that they weren't saying good bye, but hoping and praying for your recovery. I was...happy that I'd misjudged."

She choked back a tear and looked at their joined hands.. "Then I realized that even when I stood outside the door, I didn't even do that. I didn't even try. I just stared at you, I didn't even think about what it would mean if you weren't here."

She looked up. "What's wrong with me, Gibbs? I do have emotions. I just don't show them like everyone else. Even you show more than I do, and you don't show much." Tears started to flow freely. "What is it? Am I just some violent automaton who only shows emotion when it suits her?"

Gibbs tugged his hand lightly, and Ziva released it. He curled his finger, wagging it at her, and she stood, leaning over him. He brought his hand up and lightly slapped the back of her head. She didn't move, but a smile crossed her face, a much smaller version mirrored in his face.

She sat down again and took his hand. Her eyes were clear and her face was open.

He slept.

This time, there was light. Bright light. It hurt his eyes and head, but it never looked better. He smiled as he felt his hand being held. He looked to his side as a gasp sounded. "Gibbs," she said. "You're awake." She looked slightly apprehensive as she gazed at him.

He tried to reassure her with a light grin. She grinned back, but the apprehension was still there. He realized why she looked that way. "Yes, I am, Abs."

Abby's face lit up, her smile threatening to cut her face in half. She held his hand as she turned to the door. "Timmy, go get Ducky and the rest." Gibbs turned his head to see Tony sitting on the window ledge, where he saw Jenny sit in his dream.

Tim moved swiftly to the door out of his eyesight. "Guys, he's awake," Tim yelled down the hall.

Tony snickered. "Boss, you see what I've had to deal with?"

Gibbs smiled as the room filled. Abby kept a hold on his hand His hand was being jiggled slightly as Abby couldn't sit still. He glanced over to their hands, then up to her. "Caff-Pow," he rasped.

"Nope. I'm high on life. Your life, Gibbs."

They smiled at each other as everyone settled.

"I'd ask how you were doing, Boss, but you'd just lie and say you were fine, and that voice sounds like ten miles of bad road, so let's just consider it said," Tony said.

Gibbs nodded slightly, wincing at the pain in his head as he did so. "Update," he croaked.

DiNozzo looked around, smirking at McGee and Palmer. Both reached in their pockets and pulled out their wallets. DiNozzo and David both accepted the money and shook each other's hands, a grin splitting their faces.

Gibbs smirked. "You done?" His voice sounded like he spent weeks in the desert. Abby offered him his water. He took a drink and nodded his thanks.

DiNozzo started to run through the case since Gibbs' accident that wasn't an accident. As he did so, everyone but Gibbs noticed how he told it.

Everyone else's contributions were magnified, while his were down played. McGee's computer searches, Abby's lab work, Ducky and Palmer's reconstruction of Carmichael's head, Ziva's crime scene forays. At the same time, aside from the facts gleaned from the interrogations, DiNozzo quickly glossed over his part.

As the rest exchanged shocked looks with each other, only Ducky and Gibbs looked at each other, their eyes communicating their understanding of the narrative.

"While we were finishing up the paperwork, McGee, who was done first, started looking into Kort's background during his first years with Rene." He looked straight at Gibbs as he continued. "Rene let him get his feet wet with the sale of a couple hundred weapons in Baja Mexico. A sniper rifle from that shipment ended up in the hands of a Pedro Hernandez."

Gibbs and Ziva both sucked in a breath. Everyone else was confused. Gibbs looked at DiNozzo, his eyes showing emotional pain. DiNozzo simply gazed at him. Gibbs finally nodded for him to continue.

"Pedro Hernandez was selling drugs to Marines on Camp Pendleton in California. He killed a few people, one of which was witnessed by a Marine wife. She was put under NIS protection, but that protection was killed and the witnesses killed when the car they were all in crashed."

Abby put it together, shooting her eyes to Gibbs. "Shannon and Kelly?" Gibbs only nodded. Abby dropped her eyes and squeezed Gibbs' hand in silent support. A single tear escaped Gibbs' eye, matched by one in Abby's.

Gibbs spent a few moments in the past. A memory of a lullaby, a tea party in the backyard, sanding the boat in the basement.

When his mind cleared, he nodded for DiNozzo to continue. "Problem is, the CIA took back Kort. He'll never see the inside of a courtroom, and for once, I agree with the CIA."

Palmer spoke up. "Why?"

DiNozzo regarded him before answering. "Are you serious, Jimmy? The CIA sold weapons to every tin pot dictator in the Third World. They didn't do it personally, but they let it happen in some way encouraged it. I don't even think the FISA Court would have the clearance for this. And, the moment this hits the press, it'll make Iran-Contra look like kids trading baseball cards on the playground."

He looked back to Gibbs. "That includes Davis, the guy who ran you over. Sorry, Boss, but it isn't going to happen." Gibbs nodded, understanding.

At that moment, the floor nurse came in, breaking the tension. Everyone took a moment to relax while she checked Gibbs' vitals. She adjusted some of the monitors and moved away.

Everyone's attention was distracted by light conversation until she left. They weren't paying much attention until they heard something that made their blood run cold.

"And so," began the nurse, "since Dr. Patel has a death in the family, his case will be taken over by Dr. Baxter Murray."

A collective gasp was heard. Gibbs' head fell to his chest, and only Abby was able to hear him whisper, "Dear God, no." He didn't feel Abby's grasping his hand, but he would later when he saw the massive bruise on his hand. Tony and Ziva both looked at each other, silently communicating, then looking to the window at the same time. Both hoped the fall from this high would kill them. McGee winced and grasped his groin. Palmer simply fell off his chair, curling in a ball, a mantra repeating in his mind: Find a happy place, find a happy place. Ducky was the only one to keep some of his wits, and so was able to speak.

"I'm sorry, dear, what was the doctor's name?"

"Dr. Maxwell Barry," the now nervous nurse said. "Is there a problem with him?"

Everyone's face relaxed as Ducky answered. "My dear, apparently, the stress of the last few days has gotten us all so on edge that we must have misheard you."

The nurse jotted some notes on her clipboard as she moved, very nervously, toward the door. As the door closed, Gibbs looked at the ceiling. "Tony," he began, "as my medical proxy, if Baxter Murray ever becomes my doctor, you have my permission to pull the plug, even if it's for a stubbed toe."

"No way, Boss. I'm not facing him alone," DiNozzo said.

In other circles, there would have been laughter at this remark. Not with this group. This wasn't anywhere close to funny.

A/N: To see why the simple name "Baxter Murray" is enough to place the entire MCR Team into such straits to consider suicide a viable option, be sure to read PaperHat's Baxter Murray Series of stories. The name was used with her permission. PaperHat's profile: /u/1412551/