Bethesda Naval Hospital
Connie Beecham was waiting at the ER entrance, her patient in critical condition in the ambulance, which Connie could see approaching, its lights flashing, its siren blaring. Control had already reported that she had been shocked once, and was suffering from extremely low blood pressure. Connie knew she had precious moments to stabilize her patient before taking her straight into the operating room. She stood back as the ambulance pulled up, moving to open the doors and get to her patient as quickly as possible.
"How is she?" Connie asked, worried she would lose this woman within the next few minutes.
"Deteriorating. Pulse is at 120, tachycardic, rate of 120, BP is 90 over 50, SATS of 91%, she's had 3 litres of saline, she's had no pain relief due to the low blood pressure and concussion. She has been in and out of consciousness, she has been immobilized since we got to her, her security had a doctor on the phone. They kept pressure on the wound, kept her warm, and raised her legs to maintain circulation."
"Well, at least there is a Doctor who knows what he is doing." Connie was in the States on a temporary exchange transfer, with a US Navy Doctor working in Britain. "We've got blood on the way, how are the legs now? That rupture not burst open?"
"No, but the Doctor, Jimmy Palmer, said there is probable damage to the kidney and spleen. Hence, the low BP and body temp."
"Straight into the Resus room, please," Connie ordered, "Onto the bed as soon as, people. Keep that line in, and pump more saline in. We don't have time for X-Rays, get me the fast scanner. We need to see where the knife is. Judging from the angle, the blade has damaged the kidney, the explosion and impacts damaged the spleen." Connie watched the team get the patient on the bed. "Once the blood gets here, we need-"
"She's crashed!" Shouted Martin Fletcher, a Medical Corpsman.
"Standby to shock, everyone stand clear. Fletch?"
"Charging, clear?"
WHOOMPF!
"No output." Fletch said, watching the monitors.
"Adrenaline in, begin CPR. Fletch, charge again, standby."
"Adrenalines in," Shouted Tess Bateman, Senior Charge Nurse.
"Fletch?" That one question told the man what to do.
"Stand clear! Shocking!"
WHOOMPF!
"No change," said Fletch
"Shock her again."
"No output."
"360."
"Charging, clear?"
WHOOMPF!
"We have an output."
"Rapid infuser, get that blood into her. Tell the OR we are coming down. If we don't go now, she won't come back next time."
"We have more wounded coming in."
Connie looked behind her, seeing one of the other doctors.
"What's happened?" Connie said, needing to know what was going on.
"The city hospitals are overcrowded, we are taking in the less serious casualties."
"Fine," Connie snapped, knowing she could focus on her patient.
"Status." Waiting for the team to report.
"BP is still low, but pulse and heart rate are steady, but still tachycardic. SATS improving to 93%," Tess reported.
"Let's move to the OR, we need to get the knife out," Connie was holding the mini portable X RAY machine over her patient. "Its tip has punctured the kidney, and there is fluid around it. Let's go, now!" Connie was not hopeful for this patient. She had crashed twice now, and Connie didn't know how much more this poor woman could take.
Twenty minutes lates, Tim, Gibbs and DiNozzo were stood in the Bullpen, almost like it had been in the past. This was different, Tim was the one giving the orders, along with Stan Burley., the two of them coordinating a search of the most likely points any more bombs could have been placed.
"The coffee shop on 23rd Street, along with the bookstore," Tim said, naming the final places he could remember being in the last three months.
"OK. Get agents to those locations, they need evacuating and the buildings searched, from top to bottom. We don't know how long those bombs were placed, or what they look like. Be on your guard, people," Stan was addressing NCIS agents, along with DEA, ATF, and FBI. There were also people listening in on conference calls. "Get to it."
Stan turned to look at Tim, Gibbs and DiNozzo, seeing three faces showing a lot of concern.
"Tim, check on Intelligence, make sure it's all going ok. Then get back to me." Stan watched him walk away, Tim running to do his job. "Well, Gibbs, glad to know your head isn't so far up DiNozzos backside that you can still think for yourself." Gibbs took the comment without a word, but Tony DiNozzo still hadn't learned when to stay quiet.
"Look here, Burley…" He started, not expecting Stan to turn on him.
"No! You look here, DiNozzo! I was there when Tim first got back from Pendleton. I saw and heard everything Gibbs said to him, including your version of events!" Tony now knew why Stan had said what he did. "Saving Tims family is one thing, but don't even think it washes away everything you have said and done to him. You need to explain yourself to him, both of you. If he tells you to stay away from him after today, then you do so. Hurt him again, and I will make sure hell pays you a visit soon."
"What's up, Stan? Too chicken to do it yourself?" Tony smirked at him.
"Not at all. I just think Ziva David can do a better job at killing you and disposing of the bodies than I can." Tonys smirk disappeared, knowing that Ziva could carry out Stans threat without a second thought. "Now, you two know where the conference room is. Get in there and stay there."
"Stan…" Gibbs began, wanting to be of use.
"No, Gibbs. I know you. You want to help, but these people need only one voice giving commands, and today, it's me. You would cause confusion. I'm sorry, but it's the way it has to be." Stan knew Gibbs was still an amazing agent, but he needed his people focused.
"Of course, come on, Tony, let's get out of the way."
"Sure, Boss," the Italian man said, sending a death glare towards the acting head of NCIS. Stan watched them leave, sending another prayer for Jennifer Shepard.
"OK, Abby," Dr Charlie Hanna said, "Your nails on your toes will grow back, but it will take time. There is no sign of infection in any of you injuries, but we are starting you on a course of antibiotics, just to make sure. We are going to keep you in for a few days, just to treat your malnutrition and dehydration." Charlie was surprised the woman had survived the pain of the torture. "When you need to use the bathroom, call a nurse. You are going to be in a wheelchair for a few days." Seeing Abbys look of confusion, he spoke again. "I know you can walk, but we want to keep as much pressure off your feet as possible, so you are confined to bed while you stay here. If the healing keeps up, we will try you with walking short distances, OK?"
"Sure, Doctor Hanna. I need to let some people know where I am," Abby wondered if Gibbs would even take her call.
"I've been told to inform you that Gibbs and DiNozzo will be by later, and will bring you clothes and whatever else you may need," Dr Hanna wasn't told who they were, or their first names.
"Thanks," Abby said, smiling. "Can you tell me how Sarah and Mrs McGee are? Please?" Abby knew she wasn't family, heck, she wasn't even NCIS, let alone Navy, but she was being treated in Bethesda.
"They are both fine, no injuries, but a bit shaken. Would you like them to visit?"
"Please." Abby had to tell them about why she told him about them. She had to ask for forgiveness for nearly getting them killed.
"I will ask them to stop by, now, try and get some rest." Dr Hanna left her alone, moving to the nurses station. "She is going to be having visitors, but try to keep them short. If she won't sleep, give her 10mg of Phenobarbitone, keep the saline going for another two bags. Obs every ten minutes for the next four hours, then every half hour. I'll be back to check on her in a little while." Dr Hanna began moving to the ER, where every Navy medical corpsman and doctor was right now.
"Suction," Dr Beecham ordered. Fletch put the suction in, clearing the blood around the kidney. "Better, ok, two more sutures to go, the spleen seems to be healing on its own, which is good. Stats?"
"BP and Heart rate are normal, SATS at 97%," reported Tess, relieved to see the woman fighting.
"OK, lets keep it there. One more suture to go, Fletch, suction." Connie was almost finished, when the area around the kidney began filling with bloon again. "That blood is not from the kidney. Fast scanner, now!" Connie knew there was another bleed, somewhere. Tess had the scanner over the area, moving quickly to cover the area. "There," Connie spotted it, "A small tear to the upper part of the stomach. Damn. People, we need to finish on the kidney, then prepare to stretch the incision to get to the stomach." Connie knew the amount of blood she had lost was damaging to the body, so she had to work quickly now.
"Boss, is Stan right? Will McGee ever forgive us for how we treated him?"
"Depends, DiNozzo. Can you speak to him as he is now? Can you see the man he is instead of the man he was?" Gibbs did not shoot that man for Tim, he did it because it was the right thing to do, regardless of anything else. He wasn't sure he could say the same for DiNozzo.
"Gibbs, it's just, I mean, McGoo didn;t learn half as much as me from you, he must have pulled some strings to get those assignments?" Tony looked at Gibbs hopefully. "Right?"
"No, Tony. Tim got everything through hardwork. When I left NCIS, Fornell told me that he had asked for McGees transfer two years ago, and there was a queue of people wanting him. He is where he deserves to be, and we are where we deserve to be." Gibbs spoke with resolution.
"I wouldn't say that, Jethro, you did good work today, both of you," Leon Vance said from the door, having overheard most of the conversation. "You helped save the lives of Tims family, the Director, her security detail plus God knows how many others. And you did it all without an NCIS badge on your belt. You may not have been the best agents we ever had, but you are two of the bravest men in the country, regardless of my personal feelings. I just stopped by to say thank you." Looking at DiNozzo, he decided to tell the man a little about his former colleague.
"DiNozzo, do you know how many requests Agent McGee had before he joined NCIS? Three, DOD, FBI, NSA. Since he joined NCIS, that number has gone through the roof, with every agency and taskforce wanting him on board. At first, it was just his computer skills, but after a year with Gibbs, it was for his dedication and work ethic." Vance knew Shepard would never say half of this to them, but he would, not having the same personal connection that Jen had, "Colonel Hollis Mann wanted him, Fornell wanted him, NSA, CIA, DOD, every few months, they wanted him. When he was at SpecOps, he got better results than Powell. As head of NCIS Intelligence, he is still in high demand, his results are outstanding, his teams performance is getting better every week. He may not be you, Gibbs, he may not be you, DiNozzo, but like I said in Cali, that's no bad thing. I doubt he wants the job, but Timothy McGee is on the fast track for the Directors chair, whether you two think he is up to the job or not." Vance hoped his little speech got through to them, Tim McGee had grown up, he had changed, and they had to see that. "Again, thank you for your actions today. They are appreciated and will be remembered." With that, Vance left, glad to be back watching over his people.
He left behind two people, sitting in contemplation, wondering why they had never seen it before.