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In the kitchen as Ducky finished his story forgetting to mention Tony's amnesia. Just then McGee's phone started ringing.
"McGee." He answered.
"How is Gibbs and don't you dare let Ziva hang up on me again." Abby growled.
"Gibbs is fine, he had a hairline fracture in his left arm and a few bruised ribs. And AbbyÖ" McGee tried to say.
"Good!" Abby sighed. "McGee the cell phone you sent me belongs to .." Abby continued.
" Dr Bianca Shore." McGee finished.
"But.. But how did you know?" Abby asked, hating having her thunder stolen like that.
"Because she's the Doctor who found Tony and saved his life. She's also the doctor who took care of Gibbs' arm." McGee finished.
"Tony, you've found Tony. When and why didn't you call me immediately? How is he? Oh Gibbs must be so thrilled." Abby gushed with relief.
McGee filled Abby in on everything that he knew. Abby promised to process the car and to get back to him with a report ASAP. But she also made him promise to call her as soon as Gibbs and Tony were awake. McGee smiled at the joy in her voice as he hung up.
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"Gibbs, LET ME GO!" Bianca shouted out as she was sure that he was about to snap her arm.
At the same time Ducky and the rest of the team were making their way back to the reception area of the clinic. Upon hearing Bianca's cry of pain, everyone rushed into the ER.
"Jethro let Dr B go. What's the matter with you? You usually come out of anesthesia in a disorientated but humorous mood. But I've never known you to be become violent!" Ducky admonished as he rushed towards the bed.
McGee and Ziva approached Gibbs from the other side of the bed. Ziva reached over and placed her hand on top of Gibbs'. Then she applied a measured amount pressure, causing Gibbs' fingers to unfurl involuntarily. Unfortunately, Bianca was trying so hard to pull away from Gibbs that as soon as his hold loosened, she went flying across the room. Her momentum caused her to ram into the counter behind her, opening up the cut on her leg. As Bianca sank to the floor she didn't know whether to cradle her badly bruised arm or hold onto her now bleeding leg.
Gibbs on the other hand, sank back onto the bed, exhausted and confused.
"Boss, you okay?" McGee asked, worry marring his features. Ziva also frowned at the expression on Gibbs' face.
Gibbs tried to focus on McGee and then on Ziva. He wanted to ask them what was going on, but for some reason he couldn't seem to form the words.
Where's Tony and why's Palmer here? He wondered as he looked around the room feeling dazed.
He was surprised to see Bianca on the floor.
Why is she frowning like she's in pain? He wondered.
He couldn't understand what had just happened. One minute he was flirting with Dr B and in the next she was on the floor, in pain.
Why? He pondered as darkness closed around him.
"Arghh!!!" Bianca moaned as she took stock of her injuries. Her arm was numb with pain and her leg was pulsating in time with her erratic heart beat. In addition to that her she was sure that her backside was bruised.
"Are you okay, dear?" Ducky asked as he approached Bianca.
Ziva neatened Gibbs' blankets before following McGee and Palmer to Bianca's side.
"What happened? Why did Gibbs attack you like that?" Ziva asked as Ducky kneeled next to Bianca.
"I don't..." Bianca tried to say as she worked on getting her emotions under control.
"Ducky, her leg's bleeding." McGee swallowed as a wave of nausea rushed through his system at the sight of the blood on the floor. Bianca looked at her leg and then at everyone standing around her and staring at her. That shook her out of her shock and she pushed herself up to her feet as quickly as she could. Ziva supported her on one side as she limped towards a chair.
As she sat down, Ducky instructed Palmer to get a few surgical dressings and a suturing kit from the cupboard on the far side of the room. McGee paled as he saw the suturing kit with its various needles and blades.
"Ziva, apply pressure to that cut while I get these gloves on." Ducky ordered.
"Dr Mallard, I can handle this Ö." Bianca tried to say. But Ziva's hand clamping on her injury sent shoot pain up and down her leg, which made any further protest impossible.
"I have no doubt that you can handle this. But seeing as I am here, let me take care of it for you." Ducky said as he approached Bianca.
Bianca was tense and shaken up, though she would never admit it out loud. Gibbs' hold on her had terrified her, bringing up a few memories from her past which she was sure had been dealt with and were long buried.
As Ducky took a hold of her leg, she flinched startling him, Ziva and herself.
"Are you okay, Bianca?" Ducky asked with concern. Ziva could feel the tension in the Dr B's body and she was sure that the expression Bianca was trying to cover up was one of fear.
Bianca looked from Ducky to Ziva wondering how much of her emotions they had picked up on. Then she smiled and said in as normal a voice as possible, "It's just a bit tender, and I'm Ö I'm used to treating myself."
She noted the questioning looks on Ducky and Ziva's faces before she closed her eyes and forced herself to relax by taking a deep breath.
Ducky and Ziva could sense that there was more to this than Bianca was letting on, but neither of them wanted to push her for answers.
"Ziva, Timothy, move Jethro and Tony to one of the rooms further down the hall and Mr. Palmer, would you mind cleaning the ER, while I attend to Dr B's injuries." Ducky said instead.
Everyone moved to do as ordered. McGee and Ziva made their way to Tony's bed both anxious to see that he was indeed okay. The sight of the cast on his arm was a shock to Ziva even though she suspected that he must have been hurt. McGee was relieved to see that Tony had some colour in his cheeks. That was until he realized that the redness on his cheeks was as a result of the fever raging in his body. Ziva realized the same thing at the same time. They looked at each other sharply and silently communicated that Tony would be okay. He had to be. Then they wheeled him out of the room.
When they returned for Gibbs, Ducky was busy cleaning the wound on Bianca's leg. McGee swallowed at the sight of the bloody swabs on the trolley next to her and Ziva elbowed him with a warning in her eyes.
Don't you even think about fainting!
McGee looked away as he tried to compose himself. Bianca in the mean time tried her best not to cringe and moan out, because it hurt like hell. McGee looked at her apologetically as he wheeled Gibbs out of the room.
Then the reception door opened and a woman called out.
"Hey Bianca, I'm going to leave your order in the kitchen. It looks like we're in for another blizzard and I want to get home before that." Daniella called out.
"Thanks Daniella." Bianca called back and then she gasped as Ducky proceeded to suture the open wound on her leg. Once he was done with her leg, he moved to her side and lifted the sleeve of her top out of the way.
"Good grieve!" Ducky exclaimed causing Mr. Palmer to look up and stare at Bianca's arm.
"Oh, it's not that bad Dr Mallard." Bianca lied as she looked at her arm. The bruise reminded her of other bruises from another time in her life and she shivered as she tries to push those memories away.
"Mr. Palmer, get me some ice. Hurry, her arm's already starting to swell." Ducky ordered.
"Dr Mallard, you're making a big deeeeÖ. Ow!" Bianca growled in pain as Ducky prodded and poked her arm.
"Sorry about that. The ice should sooth it though I'm sure you know that it's going to hurt quiet a bit before you feel any relief." Ducky said.
Bianca was ordered to relax for the next hour as Ducky monitored the swelling and bruising on her arm. It was already an ugly purplish blue with red streaks and every time Bianca looked at it she was transported back in time to a place filled with hate and pain.
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Later that day as the team ate lunch in the kitchen, Gibbs started to come awake. At first he was baffled about where he was and what had happened. Then everything came back to him with crystal clarity.
"Tony!" Gibbs gasped in anguish as he failed to hold back the tears running down his cheeks. Then he became aware of a second presence in the room. He turned his head slowly to his right and gasped again.
But this time it was in disbelief because lying in the bed next to him was none other then his ... his Ö
Tony chose that moment to turn his head in his sleep. Gibbs smiled as the tears of relief continued to roll down his cheeks. Then he pushed himself up from the bed and sat on the edge of it as he stared at Tony.
"Thank God, you're okay, DiNozzo. God, you don't have any idea what I've been through thinking that I had lost you! And if you ever do this to me again I'll kill you!" Gibbs said with a grin on his face as he slowly got to his feet.
The pain in his body could not deter Gibbs from reaching out to Tony. Luckily their beds were really close to each other and Gibbs didn't have too far to go. As he reached Tony's side he smiled and laid a hand on his forehead, moving his hair off his brow. Gibbs stared at this young man, who in 5 short years had become such an integral part of his life. Emotions long denied and well hidden flowed freely through Gibbs body and there was not way he could hold back any longer.
"Tony Ö youÖ you mean so much to me. Damn it Tony, I couldn't bear it if I had to lose you. Don't you know how important you are to me?" Gibbs questioned. Tony heard a voice speaking to him and drawing him out of his sleep.
"You're the Ö. kid Ö the Ö.son Ö. I've always dreamed of having. You give me purpose Ö a reason to keep going. I know that I push you too hard, Ö. but damn it, Ö. It's because I want you to be the best and I need to know Ö that you are strong enough Ö and fast enough to survive Ö whatever this world throws at you." Gibbs growled as he held onto Tony's hand.
He willed Tony to hear him and to understand him and yet he was terrified of how Tony would react. Would Tony accept him or reject him. Tony came more awake and felt the pressure on his hand and then his forehead. He heard the emotion in the voice whispering to him. But he couldn't make out the word being said as they were being said so quickly and so softly.
"Tony," Gibbs whispered as his eyes filled with tears again.
"Tony, I careÖ no, I Ö I love you, son!" Gibbs sobbed as he pulled Tony's hand towards his lips. Tony came fully awake at this. He looked at the man standing over him, puzzled and intrigued.
"I love you, my boy!" Gibbs whispered again, before placing a light fatherly kiss on Tony's knuckles.
"Dad?!" Tony hesitantly whispered, as he squeezed Gibbs' hand.
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Fred drove as fast as he dared. The weather had deteriorated and the blizzard that was threatening all morning had finally arrived. As soon as Fred got to Sarina's cabin he pulled the SUV to an abrupt halt and jumped out of the car. He turned his collar up in an effort to ward off the snow and chill as he raced to the front door of the cabin.
"Angie!" Fred shouted as he banged on the front door. When he received no answer he slammed his shoulder into the door and forced it open.
"Angie, where are you?" Fred called out with a trace of fear in his voice.
"Fred, argh!" Angie's weak voice filtered through the cabin. Fred raced towards the bedroom at the back of the cabin and stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes settled on his little sister.
"Angie, how far along are you?" He asked in a shaky voice. Angie was lying on her side, her skin covered in perspiration and her face contorted in pain.
"I don't know. The contractions are about 8 minutes apart and Ö and I think my water just broke." She said as she looked at down at the crotch of her pants which was wet.
Fred closed his eyes as he felt anger and hatred for one Anthony DiNozzo rising within him. As Angie whimpered, Fred opened his eyes and admitted that he needed to focus on helping his sister now.
I'll take care of DiNozzo once I know that Angie and the baby are okay, he decided.
He approached his sister and said as calmly as he could, "Its okay, honey. Everything is going to be okay. Let me get you some dry clothes. Once you've changed I'm going to drive you to Washington Gen. I'll try to call ahead so that Doc Bennett will know that we're on our way."
"Thanks Fred. I don't know how I'd be able to get through this is you weren't here." Angie sobbed as she slowly sat up on the bed and hugged her brother. Fred hugged her back tightly, trying to reassure her. Then he pushed her back and tapped her lightly on her chin, just the way he used to when they were kids. Angie smiled at him and kissed him on his cheek.
"Okay we need to get moving before that storm out there gets worse." Fred said as he made his way to Angie's suitcase which was lying on the floor next to the bed. He rummaged through it until he found another pants, a sweater as well as clean underwear. He handed these to Angie and then helped her to the bathroom.
Angie changed her clothes as quickly as she could. Then she washed her face and combed her hair. Before leaving the bathroom, she looked at herself in the mirror. She ran her hand over her stomach as she thought I will make your father acknowledge you and give you what's due to you. I promise! And then I will tell Fred and the rest of the family who he is.
Tears started clouding her vision again as the next contraction started ripping through her body.
Anthony, how could you do this to me when I need you so badly? God, it hurts so much!
"Angie honey, are you okay? Do you need help?" Fred asked as he heard her gasp of pain.
"FredÖaaammmm." Angie moaned as she opened the door squeezed her eyes shut while panting in pain.
"Shhh, just breathe, that's it. It will pass in a second. That's a good girl." Fred guided and praised her as he placed his arms around her and supported her through the worst of the contraction.
As soon as the contraction had passed and Angie was able to stand up straight again, Fred grabbed her jacket and helped her into it. Then he grabbed her bag and wrapped an arm around her as he led her out to the SUV.
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Back at the clinic, Gibbs' eyes flew to Tony's face as he heard the softly whispered word, "Dad!"
Tony stared up at Gibbs waiting for a response, their hands still clasped together. Tony looked as vulnerable as Gibbs felt. When a frown started marring Tony's brow, Gibbs suddenly felt self conscious and he started withdrawing, reigning in what he considered were his wayward emotions.
Damn it, those meds must have messed with my brain! DiNozzo's never going to let me forget that I stood over him, holding his hand while sobbing like a baby.
Gibbs released Tony's hand abruptly and moved back to his bed just as Ducky walked into the room. Ducky could clearly see that something significant had just happened between these two men. Tony looked confused and apprehensive. Gibbs' eyes were bloodshot as a bit of moisture clung to his eyelashes. Gibbs got into his bed and cradled his aching arm, totally ignoring Ducky and Tony.
"Jethro, Anthony, are you two okay?" Ducky asked as he looked from one to the other. Gibbs cleared his throat as he looked away and replied in a thick voice, "Fine!"
"Is my name Jethro or Anthony? And is he my Father?" Tony asked as he sat up slowly on the bed. Gibbs turned around and looked at him sharply.
"What are you trying to pull, DiNozzo? You know exactly who I am and who you are!" Gibbs growled, wondering what the hell Tony was up to.
"You are Anthony and he is Jethro. He isÖ" Ducky stated to say just as Ziva and McGee walked into the room.
Upon seeing them, Tony's face paled and his breathing became harsh.
"I'm going to enjoy demonstrating my skills of how to kill a man without leaving a mark on his body"
"When can I start, Boss?"
"I want to watch him suffer!"
Tony looked from Ziva and McGee to Gibbs and back. Gibbs and Ducky noticed his distress and Gibbs was starting to loose patience with him.
"DiNozzo, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Gibbs growled as he glared at Tony, who was in the process of getting off his bed. Tony ignored him as he continued to stare at Ziva and McGee.
"Tony, you really shouldn't be out of bed. You need to rest and you know it's not good to upset an already upset Gibbs." Ziva chirped, earning a glare from Gibbs and a smirk from Ducky. McGee also grinned until Gibbs glared at him.
Tony looked terrified as he backed away to the window, ignoring the pain and the pull on his IV line. The old English Doctor was talking to him, but the words were muffled. All Tony could think about was I need to run! In need to get away. They're going to kill me! But how am I going to get out of here?
Ziva and McGee were puzzled by the fear on Tony's face. As Ziva started to approach Tony, he looked frantically around himself and started opening drawers behind him.
"Tony, what's wrong?" McGee asked as he also started approaching Tony.
Tony grabbed a scalpel from the drawer behind him and pointed it at Ziva.
"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Tony warned as he waved the knife between McGee and Ziva. Gibbs sat up on his bed and stared in disbelief at Tony.
"DiNozzo put the knife down!" Gibbs ordered as he stood up what the hell's wrong with you Tony?
"Anthony calm down." Ducky said as he walked around McGee and Ziva and started approaching Tony. Tony was starting to tire as he was standing on his uninjured leg. He had also stretched his IV line to the limit and as he jerked to face Ducky, the IV needle was ripped out of the back of his hand.
Bianca walked into the room and upon seeing a terrified, bleeding and armed Tony, she immediately took action.
"You three, out of here NOW!" she ordered as she pointed at Ziva, McGee and Ducky.
They just stared at her as if she had lost her mind.
"Are you deaf? I said MOVE!" She shouted as she pushed McGee and then Ziva away. Ducky followed the two younger agents towards the door but all of them waited in the doorway.
Gibbs just stared at Bianca noting that she was favouring her right leg. She also seemed to be supporting her left arm. She approached Tony slowly as she ignored the rest of the people in the room.
"Mister, put the knife down. You now you can trust me. Come on." Bianca said in a calm but commanding voice.
"They're going to kill me!" Tony said as he waved the knife dangerously close to Bianca's chest. Gibbs was stunned by what Tony had just said. Ziva swore in Hebrew and McGee's jaw just dropped open.
"DiNozzo what the hell Ö." Gibbs growled.
"Oh, I should have toldÖ" Ducky started to say.
"Everyone, SHUT UP!" Bianca shouted as she glared at Gibbs and the other three NCIS members standing at the door.
Then she drew a sharp breath as she said again, "No one's going to hurt you. I won't let them. You know you can trust me. I found you and I brought you here. I saved your life! Now please Ö please just give me the knife."
Tony looked from Bianca to the rest of the people in the room. He noted the concern and confusion in their eyes and then he looked at Gibbs. Gibbs looked back, holding his gaze steady.
"Listen to her Tony. No one's going to hurt you." Gibbs said in a calm yet commanding voice.
Tony was starting to feel weak and he knew that he would not be able to stand for much longer. Also his hand was now coated in his blood and it wasn't so easy to hold onto the scalpel. He looked at Bianca and she nodded her head as she extended her hand to receive the scalpel.
As Tony handed it to her, he collapsed to the ground.
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"Tony! God Damn it." Gibbs shouted as Tony's eyes rolled shut and he started to fall.
Bianca reached out for Tony and despite the pain in her arm she was able to grab a hold of him and eased him down to the ground.
At least you didn't knock your head or jar any of your other injuries. What the hell could you have been thinking, getting out of bed like that? Bianca thought as pain pulsated up her arm.
Ziva, McGee and Ducky rushed forward, around Gibbs' bed as Gibbs leaned over Tony's bed to get a better look at his senior field agent.
"Help me get him back onto the bed and apply pressure to his hand, before he loses more blood." Bianca ordered as she stood up.
McGee and Ziva did as instructed while Bianca placed the bloody scalpel on the counter behind her. Once Tony was on the bed, Bianca took his pulse and checked his vital signs. At the same time Ducky cleaned and dressed the wound on Tony's hand. Bianca then got another IV line, this time hooking it up to the back of Tony's injured hand. She reasoned that since this hand was in a cast, it was unlikely that he would move it around too much.
"Is he going to be okay?" McGee asked the question that was on everyone's lips.
"Yes. He collapsed as a result of weakness and possibly a drop in blood pressure." Ducky said as he looked at the blood pressure monitor.
"Yep, his BP's 85 over 55. If it doesn't increase in the next 10 minutes, I'm going to have to give him 10cc of Effortil to push it up. And then I'm going to strap him down to this bed to stop him from getting up and injuring himself again." Bianca stated as she squeezed her eyes shut and held onto her aching arm.
"What the hell's wrong with your arm and what's going on with DiNozzo? Why doesn't he know who he is and why does he think that we're trying to kill him?" Gibbs growled noting the expression of pain flashing across Bianca's face.
"Don't tell us that all those smacks to the back of his head, has finally led to some kind of brain problem." Ziva grumbled as she pulled Tony's blankets up to his chin.
"I hurt my arm when I was standing too close to you and you decided to become violent. And what smacks to the head is she talking about? Has someone been abusing him?" Bianca asked as she pulled herself together and tried to ignore the pain in her arm and leg. She decided to occupy herself by grabbing a hand towel from a cupboard and cleaning Tony's blood from the floor. Ziva helped her do this as McGee looked away swallowing down the bile that was lodged in his throat.
"Me? Becoming violent? WhatÖ" Gibbs growled, totally confused.
"Gibbs usually smacks Tony Ö." McGee started to say at the same time.
"Gibbs, you hit him!" Bianca gasped as she stood up and stared at Gibbs. Gibbs stared back not at all comfortable with her looking at him like that.
Just who the hell do you think you are looking at me like that and judging my methods? And how dare you accuse me of becoming violent. Gibbs wanted to shout but he said nothing and just glared at Bianca while the rest of the NCIS team remained quiet.
Bianca just shook her head as she placed the blood soaked towel in the basin. She frowned for a second and then her eyes widened in realization.
"No wonder he thinks you're trying to kill. I mean you almost snapped my arm so you definitely have violent tendencies. In his current confused state, Tony's mind is pulling together jumbled bit of information. You probably shouted or hit him just before the accident and as a result of the amnesia, he now sees you as the enemy." Bianca stated. Gibbs looked at Ducky who met his gaze with a stern expression on his face.
AMNESIA! Could what I said, have affected Tony so much! Bloody hell did he get into the accident because of what I said. Gibbs cursed as he looked away from Ducky.
"Amnesia?!" McGee and Ziva exclaimed together.
"Only Tony would be so stubborn to go out in a blizzard to retrieve a forgotten sketch pad and in the process loose his mind." Jimmy chuckled.
Everyone turned and stared at him and that was when he realized what he had just said.
"I'm Ö I mean Ö I Ö Sorry." He stuttered as he rushed out of the room.
Bianca checked on Tony's vital signs one more time before cradling her arm and moving to stand in front of Gibbs. Then she ordered, "I want all of you out of here. You can take Agent Gibbs into the next room. And don't you, any of you, dare try to see Tony or Anthony or whatever his name is, without my permission."
"He is my senior field agent! I don't need your permission to see him. Hell, I don't even need his permission to see him! I'll stay with him if I want to and you'll see what happens to you if you try to stop me." Gibbs warned as he leaned into her personal space.
Bianca physically backed away as her mind regressed to a different time and a different place.
Bitch, you will do as I say and if you don't you just wait and see what I'll do to you! And this time I won't be gentle and I promise it will hurt I hell. Now remove your clothes and get onto the bed!
"Bianca?" Ducky asked as he noted that all colour had draining from her face.
"No!" Bianca whispered as she squeezed her eyes shut. Then she took a deep, shaky breathe as she snapped out of it. She opened her eyes and stared at Gibbs like as if she had never seen him before.
What the hell's wrong with you lady? Gibbs wondered.
Bianca continued to stare at Gibbs, her eyes sparkling as she said in no more than a whisper, "He is my patient and I will protect him from you and anyone else if I have to. Don't push me! You have no idea who you're dealing with."
Then she walked out of the room without a second glance.
McGee and Ziva stared at the door in shock because no one ever talked to Gibbs like that and got away with it. Then they stole a glance at Gibbs.
He glared at them and shouted, "McGee, Ziva check in with Abby."
"On it Boss." McGee replied as he and Ziva left the room.
"Ducky, we need to talk." Gibbs said as he grabbed a hold of his IV stand and started to walk out of the room. Ducky followed him out without saying a word.
Bianca rushed to her bedroom on wobbly legs as her breathing became more erratic.
I stood up to him. He can't hurt me or Tony, Anthony. I'm stronger now. No one will ever be able to hurt me. I won't let them. I won't.
She repeated these words to herself as tears rolled down her cheeks. She went into her bathroom and lifted her sweat shirt. Below her right breast was an ugly jagged scar. It was a remainder of what she had been through and as she looked at it she vowed No one will ever hurt me again. No one!
Then she took out a few painkillers from the bathroom cabinet and downed them with a glass of water before going and lying down on her bed.
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Gibbs and Ducky entered the room next to Tony's and Gibbs demanded, "What the hell did I do to her?"
"You attacked her when you came out of anaesthesia. You held onto her arm so tightly that you could have literally broken it. Ziva applied pressure to your hand to get you to release her. When you did her momentum drove her into the cupboard behind her and she opened up a wound on her leg that required stitches." Ducky said in a calm, controlled voice.
Gibbs stared at him and said, "Come again, Ducky. Did you just say that I attacked Ö"
Gibbs' question was brought to an abrupt halt as McGee rushed into the room and said, "Boss, Abby needs to speak to you."
Gibbs glared at him for the interruption even as he grabbed the phone from his hand.
"Yeh Abs." He growled as he tried to ignore the pain in his arm that was steadily getting worse.
"Are you okay? Does it hurt much? Oh Gibbs I was so worried! First Tony and then you, my silver haired fox andÖ" Abby rambled.
"Abby! What you got?" Gibbs growled loosing all patience.
"Okay. You don't have to be so grumpy with me. Oh but then again you could be. I mean the surgery and meds must be taking a toll on you and I know how much you hate beingÖ" Abby continued.
"Abby!" Gibbs shouted.
"Oh yes, Sorry. What I have to tell you, you're not going to like. But I have to tell you, else you'llÖ" Abby was saying.
"Abby, get to the point!" Gibbs demanded as he sat down on the bed. In addition to the pain in his arm, his ribs were also starting to protest and he could feel a head ache building behind his eyes.
"Tony didn't go off the road, on his own. He was helped." Abby said.
"Helped?" Gibbs questioned as he put the phone on loudspeaker so that Ducky, McGee and Ziva, who had just entered his room, could listen to what Abby had to say.
"Yes, helped. I found a 220 Howell, 0.224 calibre bullet lodged in the left rear wheel rim. This is a popular bullet used in a Safari 550 hunting rifle." Abby said as she put the call on loudspeaker and moved a way from it.
"Oh dear." Ducky exclaimed as he looked at Gibbs.
"Son of a bitch! Some one IS trying to kill Tony." Gibbs shouted in fury as he stood up again.
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Out on Freeway 74, Angie was in agony again. The contractions were at least 6 minutes apart, but the intensity of the pain was increasing.
"Fred, I don't Ö. think I can Ö. handle this Ö." Angie groaned out in pain as she held onto her extended belly.
"Angie, we'll be in the city within the next 90 minutes. Just hang in there, Sis." Fred said as he kept his eyes on the road. The storm was getting worse and with snow and wind batting the SUV, Fred was forced to reduce his speed.
"Fred!!! Argh." Angie cried out as her stomach twisted at the height of the contraction. Fred pulled over immediately and turned to look as his little sister lying prone on the back seat. He grabbed her hand as he noted that her face was covered in perspiration and her body was trembling in pain.
This was not supposed to happen. You were supposed to be happy, excited and supported by a loving man as you gave birth to your first child. DiNozzo you're going to pay for this. You're going to pay for every bit of pain and humiliation you have put Angie through. Fred vowed.
"Mmmm" Angie moaned as the contraction started to ease.
"Angie, it's going to be okay. There's a doctor about a half an hour up the road. Dr Shore. I'll take you to her. She'll take care of you. You just have to be strong for a few more minutes. Come on Sis, I know you can do it." Fred said.
Angie took a deep breath and looked at her brother.
"I'll be okay. Fred. Just hurry." She said in a weak voice as she lay back down on the seat. Fred nodded as Angie closed her eyes. Then he put the car into gear and drove towards Dr Bianca Shore's clinic.
DiNozzo, its show time! Fred thought with a sinister expression on his face.
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Back at the clinic, a moment of stunned silence passed as everyone processed the fact that Tony had been forced off the road.
Then Ziva asked, as she held her anger in check "What else do you have for us Abby?"
"The tyre was too damaged for me to find the point of entry. But I used a program to simulate the drive on that windy stretch of the freeway. I've identified one point from which the bullet could have been fired. It's approximately 50 yards in front and to the left of where Tony's car was." Abby continued.
"Is there any video surveillance? Whoever fired the shot must have followed Tony out of the city." McGee stated out loud.
"There's no video surveillance covering 6 miles of that Freeway and where Tony went off happens to be right smack in the middle of it. But I'm still looking at the videos from the time Tony got on to the freeway as well as further along the freeway. There wasn't a lot of traffic on that road last night so I should have something soon." Abby replied.
"Did you get anything off the bullet?" Gibbs asked as his mind processed everything Abby was saying.
"I'm scanning the base of the bullet to see if I can pick up any viable prints or residue or anything. But it's going to take about 90 minutes."
"You have 60." Gibbs stated.
"Oh Gibbs, you can't rush science. Anyway why don't you just ask Tony if he knows or remembers seeing anything?" Abby asked.
"Tony is asleep at the moment." McGee said.
"And even if he was awake, he wouldn't be of much help." Ziva stated.
"Why not?" Abby asked totally puzzled by Ziva's words.
"Abigail, young Anthony is suffering from amnesia." Ducky replied.
"And he thinks we are trying to kill him." Gibbs completed.
"What? What?! WHAT!!" Abby shouted out as she realized that they had kept this from her.
"Abby calm down." McGee said.
"Don't tell me to calm down McGee!" Abby shouted, leaving none of them in any doubt about how angry she was that they had not told her about Tony's condition sooner.
"Oh poor Tony! He must be so scared and confused. You Ö" Abby continued as her mother hen insticts kicked in and she wished that she could be there to help and comfort Tony.
"Abby, Tony will be fine. Just get back to me as soon as you have something more." Gibbs said and hung up.
"Ducky when Tony's up find out if he remembers anything about the accident." Gibbs said.
"Jethro, he is suffering from amnesia as we just informed Abigail. I doubtÖ" Ducky started to say.
"Just ask him." Gibbs insisted. Ducky nodded his head and then Gibbs looked at McGee.
"Speak to the local Leo's about any suspicious looking vehicles in the area and then start scanning the videos on your laptop." Gibbs ordered.
"I'll also run a search to see if anyone from Tony's past has been released from prison or returned to the city during the last few weeks." McGee confirmed as Gibbs nodded and then looked at Ziva.
"Ziva, we need to get back out to the scene and pin point the spot from where the bullet was fired from. Get Abby to upload the simulation to McGee's computer so we'll know what we're looking for when we get out there." Gibbs continued as he lifted the sleeve on his gown and prepared to remove his IV line.
"Jethro, you're not going anywhere. You've just had minor surgery and you're on medication. You'll be courting an infection or worse if you go out there now." Ducky warned.
"Ziva, I'll be out as soon as I've questioned Bianca. Apart from Tony, she's our only other lead." Gibbs stated as he ignored Ducky. Ziva nodded her head as she left the room.
"I have a spare set of clothes in the van." McGee said as he followed Ziva out of the room. Gibbs returned his hand to the sticky tape holding his IV line in place.
"Let me remove it before you do yourself more harm." Ducky grumbled as he stepped forward.
Within 5 minutes Gibbs was dressed in his own pants, McGee's t-shirt, shirt and NCIS jacket and his own boots. Ducky had forced him to keep his arm in the sling.
Gibbs' arm was throbbing and his head ache was worse but he didn't say anything about it. He was totally focused on the case and he wanted answers.
Ducky continued to voice his disapproval as he placed a hand full of pills into Gibbs' hand and said, "Take one of each colour now and then every 3 hours. They are pain killers, antibiotics and an anti inflammatory and no they will not impair your judgement or make you drowsy."
Gibbs looked at the pills. He downed the three as ordered by Ducky and placed the rest into his pants pocket before heading out of the room.
He made his way to the back of the clinic and looked into each room until he heard the sound of someone mumbling. He pushed the door to the last room open and found Bianca curled onto her side, a deep frown marring her feature.
"NoooÖ Stop!" Bianca murmured as she rolled onto her back and tossed her head to one side. Her hair was loose and fanned out on the pillow. She looked pale and yet ethereal, beautiful. Her sweat shirt was hiked up to just below her breasts and Gibbs found the sight of her flat stomach and trim waist extremely erotic.
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Bianca was caught up in a nightmare that had plagued her on a regular basis in the past. It was always the same. Jason would grab her from behind and hold a knife to her throat. Then he would remove her clothes, and force her to get onto the bed, naked and face down. Then he would be on top of her, about to penetrate her. The knife would be pressed into her side and his teeth would bite down into her shoulder forcing her to cringe away.
But on that night he seemed wilder. He pressed the knife more sharply into her side, just below her left breast, as he said, "Tonight's going to be different. Tonight I have someone very special who's going to use you first and then it'll be my turn and then his again and then maybe we'll take you at the same time. Oh, it makes me so hot just to thinking about it. Maybe I'll take you first while we wait for his arrival. Hey, Hey!! Don't resist or I'll stick this knife into you and we'll take you as you bleed to death!"
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"JasÖ, get off me!!!" Bianca cried out, real tears streaking down her face. Gibbs approached her, as she tossed and turned, her hands hitting out at an imaginary enemy.
"Bianca, it's just a dream. Get up!" Gibbs said in a commanding voice as he sat down on the bed next to her and reached for her uninjured arm. As she tossed again, the scar at the base of her left breast, just below her black bra, was revealed.
What happened to you? Gibbs wondered as he reached out to pull her sweatshirt down.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bianca was too caught up in her nightmare and all she could feel was the knife slicing into her side as Jason violated her body.
"NO!!!!!" she cried out as she used all of her strength and forced Jason off her body.
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"Bianca, snap out of it, before you hurt yourself!" Gibbs said in a firmer voice as he used his good hand to catch her flailing arm, before it knocked into his injured arm.
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The knife was forced deeper into her side as Jason wasn't prepared for the fall. Bianca cried out in pain as she tried to get away from her attacker. As he reached out to break his fall, the knife twisted in her side. Then as he went over the bed, he pulled the knife out and dragged the candles and wine off the pedestal at the side of the bed.
Then he was screaming. The wine had caught alight and everything started to burn. Bianca gasped for breathe as she fought the pain under her left breast. The smell of burning flesh nauseated her. Through her pain and tears she stumbled out of the bed and grabbed her clothes. She looked at Jason who was screaming in agony as the flames surrounded his naked body and licked his flesh. As she turned to leave he grabbed her. And then the flames were everywhere searing her skin as Jason laughed, "I've got you! You'll never escape! Hahahaha."
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"NO!!!!!" Bianca shouted as she came abruptly awake. She was shaking and disorientated. Gibbs was talking to her, trying to calm her down, but she couldn't see him or hear his words. He placed a hand on the nape of her neck and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"Bianca, you okay?" He asked in a calm and soothing voice. Bianca's vision finally cleared. Jason was left back in the flame engulfed dream and the smell of burning flesh dissipated. Bianca's eyes focused on Gibbs' face and she registered his fingers on her neck. She suddenly felt self conscious and scooted away from him causing his hand to slide down her shoulder and arm and settle on the bed next to her thigh.
"Want to talk about it?" Gibbs offered, sensing that she was still terrified.
"I'm Ö I'm okay. I just need Ö. a moment to Ö to freshen up." Bianca replied as she wiped the tears away and took a deep breath.
What I really need is a hug but I'm unlikely to get that. Bianca thought as she shook the last bits of the dream away. Gibbs watched her, noting how she struggled to pull herself together. He was tempted to pull her close and comfort her. Before he could react the moment had passed.
As Bianca prepared to stand up she noticed that Gibbs was dressed and his IV line had been removed.
"Why are you dressed instead of in bed resting?" Bianca asked as she reached out and lifted his right eyelid to examine his eye.
"I'm on my way outÖ" Gibbs started to say, wondering why he was even bothering telling her and why he was sitting so still and letting her touch him. Because you like the way she touches you! He admitted.
"No way, Gibbs! You need to take it easy for the next 48 hours. Besides it's almost 5 pm and it gets really dark out here. And if that sound out there is the storm that's been brewing all day, there's no way I'm letting you out of here." Bianca stated as she placed her hand on his forehead and then took his wrist into her hand to take his pulse.
You're adorable. I hurt you and invaded your privacy and yet you're concerned about my health and feisty enough to order me to rest. Yeh, you're adorableÖ and beautiful. Gibbs thought as he enjoyed the feel of her hands on his brow and wrist.
"I have to goÖ" Gibbs said as he reluctantly pulled away from her.
"Jethro, you can'tÖ." Bianca started to say, as she grabbed Gibbs' uninjured hand and pulled him towards her. As she did this, Gibbs landed partial on top of her, face to face, chest to chest. Gibbs stared at her for a moment, noting how her eyes widened.
Then he leaned in closer, unable to stop himself. Bianca lifted her head and met his decent admitting that this was what she wanted, what she needed. As their lips touched, Bianca pushed forward until she was kneeling in front of him. Gibbs wrapped his uninjured arm around her and Bianca wrapped both her arms around his head sinking her fingers into his hair.
"MmmmÖ." Bianca moaned as she parted her lips and allowed Gibbs' probing tongue to enter. It felt so good to be held, kissed and comforted after the terror of her dream. Gibbs was taken by surprise as the kiss became more intense. He allowed Bianca to caress and stroke his tongue, sensing that she needed to be in control and acknowledging that she was a really good kisser. His hand slipped under her sweat shirt of its own accord and he started caressing her back causing her to arch into him and deepen the kiss. As his fingers spread to the small of her back her breathing became more erratic and she moved her lips to his jaw and neck, biting and sucking as she went along.
"Dr B?" someone called out further down the collidor, forcing Gibbs and Bianca to bring their passionate embrace to an abrupt halt. Both took deep breathes and Gibbs pulled away from Bianca, opting to stand at the far end of the room as Ducky entered the room.
"Dr Mallard, what is it?" Bianca asked in a slightly husky voice as she got off the bed.
Ducky looked from Gibbs to Bianca, noting their flushed cheeks and puckered lips. He stared at Gibbs with disapproval in his eyes before turning to Bianca.
"A young lady in labour has just been bought in. Would you like me to see to her if you're too tired to?" Ducky asked.
"No! I'll be there in a moment. Could you get her settled into the room 2 doors away from Tony's. Thank you Dr Mallard." Bianca said as she passed Gibbs on her way to her bathroom. Gibbs watched her intently, communicating that they were no where near finished. Bianca blushed as she closed the bathroom door, her lips still tingling from Gibbs' kiss.
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Fred was relieved to have made it to the clinic. The storm outside was worsening and so were Angie's contractions. The NCIS ME asked him and Angie to wait in the reception area as he went to find Dr B.
Fred took note of everything as he helped Angie into a seat. The dark haired NCIS Agent was sitting next to the young male agent and they were looking at a laptop that was open on the coffee table in front of them. At the same time they were talking to a woman by the name of Abby about a particular stretch of freeway. As he tried to listen more closely, Angie gasped.
"Another one?" Fred asked as he kneeled in front of Angie. Ziva and McGee looked up as Angie doubled over and moaned out in pain.
"Where the hell's the Doctor?" Fred asked, as he became angry.
"She's on her way. Let's help your sister into a room where we can make her more comfortable." Ducky said as he approached Angie.
At the same time Gibbs entered the reception area. He moved out of the way as Ducky and a well built blonde man, helped a young, heavily pregnant woman through the door.
"Ziva, let's go." Gibbs said as he made his way to the front door.
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"How far apart are your contractions, dear?" Ducky asked as Fred helped Angie onto the bed. Bianca walked into the room in time to hear Fred's reply.
"5 or 6 minutes, but they're getting worse." Angie moaned out.
"I bet. Okay, I need to take a look at her so I need you to step out for a few minutes." Bianca said to Fred and Ducky.
Fred was reluctant to leave but he was also anxious to find out where DiNozzo was.
So he leaned close to his sister and said, "Angie, I'll be outside if you need me. You're going to be okay. Dr B's going to help you through this."
Then her kissed her forehead and followed Ducky out of the room.
Bianca got Angie to lie on her side, with her knees bend. Then she massaged her lower back and the top of her belly as the contraction continued. The pain in Bianca's arm was bearable for the time being but she made a mental note to take another doze within the next two hours. As she massaged Angie's back, her thoughts returned to the passionate moment she had shared with Gibbs.
Would we have done more if Ducky had not interrupted us? Bianca wondered as she felt a deep longing building within her.
Angie chose that moment to gasp as the contraction peaked, bringing Bianca back to the present
"It will pass in a moment, honey." Bianca chirped as she rubbed Angie's belly rhythmically, while taking Angie's hand into hers.
"Hurts Ö so Ö. Much!" Angie moaned out as she squeezed Bianca's hand.
"I know but you're doing so good Angie. Just hang in there. I want you to pant through the contractions. Yes just like that." Bianca encouraged.
"Hoo.. hoo Öhoo, I feel Ö hoo Ö. like pushing." Angie panted while still holding onto Bianca's hand.
"No Angie! Don't push no matter how much you feel like. Just keep panting. It will be over soon." Bianca warned.
As the contraction started to ease off a few minutes later, Angie felt save for the first time in a long time. Bianca's support and massaging hands soothed and comforted her and made her believe that she would get through this.
"Okay?" Bianca asked as she saw Angie relax.
"Yes, Ö. for now." Angie tiredly replied.
"How far along are you?" Bianca asked as she started taking Angie's vital signs.
"Just over 8 months." Angie replied.
"Have you had any complications that I should be aware of?" Bianca asked as she helped Angie out of her sweat shirt and pants and into a gown.
"No not really." Angie replied. She was really tired and all she wanted to do was sleep.
"Honey, I need you to lie on your back with your knees bent so I can take a look." Bianca said as she pulled a pair of latex gloves on. Then she proceeded to examine Angie and noted that it was going to be a long night.
"Is everything okay?" Angie anxiously asked as Bianca helped her onto her side again.
"Yes, you're doing real well but it's going to be some time before your baby's going to be ready to be born. I'm going to hook up a foetal monitor so that we can monitor the baby." Bianca replied as she clipped a belt around Angie's belly. Instantly the room was alive with the sound of a rapidly beating heart.
Angie's eyes filled with tears at the sound and she caressed her belly trying to communicate to her unborn child just how much she loved her. Bianca's eye's misted over too as she lowered the volume on monitor and covered Angie with a blanket.
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Once Fred was out of the room, he asked Ducky to show him to the bathroom. After entering the bathroom, Fred unzipped his jacket and pulled out a hunting knife from his belt.
Anthony DiNozzo, it won't be long now! Fred vowed.
He placed the knife back into his belt and zipped up his jacket. He checked the strap on his ankle to make sure that his .38 calibre revolver was loaded and ready for use, if the need arose.
Then he relieved himself and left the bathroom. He could hear voices coming from the reception area of the clinic as he started looking into the rooms lining the collidor. There were 6 rooms, a few closets and a bathroom and toilet. He couldn't believe his luck, when he found a sleeping Anthony DiNozzo lying in the first room he looked into.
An expression of pure hate washed across his features as he continued to stare at Tony.
You're sleeping so contently and peacefully, while my sister's in agony!!!
He was so tempted to sink his blade between Tony's ribs, into his heart and to watch the anguish and shock materialize on Tony's face as he took his last breathe.
Easy Fred. There'll be plenty of time to do that later. Angie and the baby need to be okay first because we will have to leave as soon as I take care of Anthony.
"Mm Fred, are you okay?" Bianca's voice startled him out of his reverie.
"Yes. How's Angie doing?" Fred asked as he schooled his features to look neutral and natural. But Bianca sensed that Fred was hiding something.
What can it be? Why did he look so angry? Bianca wondered.
She moved in front of Fred and pulled the door to Tony's room closed as she replied, "Angie's about 5cm dilated so it's still going to be a few hours. The baby's doing okay, but if she starts to go into distress, we might have to intervene."
Fred closed his eyes as he prayed that there would be no complications.
"Can I stay with her?" Fred asked.
"Of course. It would also help me, as I have other patients that I need to keep an eye on." Bianca replied as she walked Fred back to Angie's room.
Fred took a seat on the bed as Bianca advised him to massage Angie's lower back. She also told him how to help Angie through the contractions with various breathing techniques. Fred nodded at Bianca and then smiled down at his sister.
"Thank you Fred." Bianca heard Angie sigh, as she left the sibling alone. Then she remembered that Gibbs was planning to go out in the cold and she felt a despite need to go and find him.
She rushed into the reception area and upon not finding Gibbs, Ziva or Ducky in the room she confronted McGee.
"Where is Gibbs? He'd better not have gone out there!" She growled as pulled the curtain aside to look for his car.
"Dr B, I'm afraid that he and Ziva have gone back to the crime scene. They're following up on a lead." McGee said as if it should make perfect sense.
"Of all the stupid things to go and do and this after I warned him not to go! What if he hurts himself again and what if he comes back with an infection?" Bianca complained as Ducky walked into the room.
Ducky and McGee looked at each other as Bianca continued to ramble, "He better be okay when he gets back! And if he comes back hurt or worse, I'm going to stick him with so many needles that he'll be pinned to the bed and he won't be able to move a muscle without my permission. Damn it, men. They are the stupidest creatures alive!"
Bianca knew that she was being irrational and she had no right to demand or expect Gibbs to follow her instructions. But she was worried about him and if she was really honest with herself, she didn't want to loose him. No, not now when she'd just found him.
Ducky thought, Oh she's fallen for you Jethro! Fallen hard and fast. I wouldn't want to be you, when you get back.
And McGee thought, why's she so angry with Gibbs? It's not like he needs to clear his plans with her or anyone else for that matter. But she's reacting like she's Öin love with him?!?!
"Calm down, Bianca. Jethro will never sit around idly when one of his team has been threatened and to hold him back would just make him more angry and frustrated. Now why don't you join me in the kitchen, so we can prepare something for supper?" Ducky said as he looped his arm through Bianca's and started to lead her down the collidor.
"One of his team has been threatened?" Bianca asked.
"I'll fill you in on all that we've learnt while you were taking a breather earlier." Ducky promised.
Oh Gibbs, just be safe, and get back to me soon, Bianca prayed as Ducky told her about how Tony has been run off the road.
----------------------------------------------------------
Out on the Freeway, it was already dark and the heavy snow fall and slippery road meant that Ziva had to drive much slower then she was used to. Wind was also another factor to consider as it battered the sides of the car, making driving even more difficult.
Gibbs sat next to Ziva and seemed to be pre-occupied. He thought about all the information Abby had given them and about Tony's amnesia.
How could everything have gotten so messed up? He wondered as he worried about Tony's fear of him and the team.
"Gibbs, we need to find a way to speak to Tony without him panicking." Ziva suddenly said. It was almost like as if she had been reading his mind.
"Don't you think I know that, Ziva?" Gibbs asked.
"Yes. So what should we do?" Ziva prompted.
"First we need to get out to the scene and collect whatever we can. When we will get back, Ducky and Bianca need to speak to Tony before we approach him." Gibbs said.
"Does Bianca have any leads for us? Did she notice anything suspicious when she found Tony out in the snow last night?" Ziva asked.
"I don't know because I didn't get a chance to ask her." Gibbs replied, as he remembered how he had found Bianca in the grip of a nightmare and then how they had kissed. Just thinking about it sent a jolt of desire through his body.
Ziva was puzzled by Gibbs' reply because he had spent a good 15 minutes with Bianca before meeting her in the reception area.
If you didn't question her, then what did you do? She wondered. What Ö Oh! Could you and Bianca have beenÖ..?
At that moment Ziva's phone rang, cutting her musings short.
"Yes." She answered.
"Ziva, Abby thinks she may have something." McGee said as Ziva put the call on the loud speaker.
"What you got Abs?" Gibbs asked.
"I had a look at the traffic surveillance tapes from when Tony got onto the freeway. I'm uploading these to McGee as we speak. It appears that a bl..Ö" Abby's voice stopped abruptly.
"Abby!" Gibbs shouted but Abby was gone.
"McGee, get her back." Gibbs demanded. But there was no response from McGee either.
"Damn it, the line's dead." Gibbs growled in frustration as he handed Ziva's phone back to her.
"The storm must have knocked the lines out." Ziva said as she brought the car to a stop.
"We're here." Ziva said as she got out of the car.
"Scan the area and be back in 5." Gibbs ordered as she also got out and slammed his door shut. Luckily the pain meds Ducky had given him were working and the pain in his arm and side was bearable.
Unfortunately the temperature had dropped dramatically from the time they had left the clinic. Gibbs pulled his jacket more securely around himself as he walked around the car and started looking around. Ziva did the same as she felt the icy cold seep into her feet through her boots.
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Back at the clinic, Bianca prepared a lasagne while Ducky spoke about the case. Bianca calmed herself as Ducky reassured her that Gibbs was a really good NCIS Agent and he knew how to take care of himself. As Bianca put the lasagne into the oven, Ducky offered to make coffee and a salad.
"Thank you Dr Mallard. I'll go and check on Tony and Angie." Bianca said as she left the kitchen.
Tony was still asleep. Bianca checked his vital signs noting that he was stable but still running a fever. She replaced his IV bag and hooked up another dose of antibiotics. Then she administered a shot of Ibuprofen into his IV line to combat the fever.
As she walked into Angie's room, Angie was hunched over at the side of the bed as another contraction rippled through her body.
"How is she doing?' Bianca asked Fred as she supported his sister.
"She's exhausted and the contractions seem to be slowing down. They're about 8 minutes apart now." Fred said, fear marring his features.
Slowing down! That's not good!
As the contraction passed, Fred and Bianca helped Angie back onto the bed. Fred moved to the far side of the room as Bianca examined Angie.
She's still only 5 cm dilated and it's been 45 minutes. Bianca thought as she helped Angie to lie on her side again. She listened to the baby's heartbeat monitor and it confirmed that the baby was doing okay.
Then she covered Angie and made her way to the cupboard where she got a syringe and a needle out and started preparing a shot.
"What are you going to give her?" Fred asked as he was once again back at the bed, holding his sister's hand.
"It's a combination of 10cc of Meperidine and 5 cc Promethazine. Meperidine will help to relax Angie and relieve the pain. The Promethazine will counter the side-effects of the Meperidine, namely nausea and dizziness. Angie this is going to burn a bit. Sorry honey." Bianca said as she administered the shot into Angie's hip. Angie cringed as the medication entered her system.
"There we go, all done." Bianca said as she withdrew the needle.
"How long before I feel its effects." Angie asked.
"Within the next 5 minutes. Angie, you should be able to get a bit of rest over the next hour." Bianca said as she disposed of the syringe and turned back to Angie and Fred. Angie could see that she wanted to say more.
"What's wrong?" Angie asked as she tried to sit up.
"Honey, if your contractions don't speed up again, I'm going to have to give you something to help your labour along." Bianca said as she forced Angie to lie down again.
As she looked up, Bianca caught an expression of fury and hatred on Fred's face and it reminded her of when she had seen him in Tony's room earlier.
"Mmm Fred, are you okay?" Bianca asked.
Fred quickly softened his features as he said, "Yeah."
Bianca could see that he wasn't but she decided not to push him for answers.
"I have supper in the oven. As soon as it's ready I'll bring each of you a plate. Would you like to get some coffee in the mean time? The kitchen's straight down the collidor." Bianca offered.
"I can't leave Angie alone." Fred said.
"I'll stay with her until you get back." Bianca said as she sat down next to Angie and started rubbing Angie's back.
"Go. I'll be fine." Angie said as she squeezed Fred's hand.
As he left the room, Angie sighed. The pain meds were starting to take effect and Bianca's hands, moving in a circular motion on her back helped to lull Angie off to sleep.
------------------------------------------------------------------
McGee was frustrated as he tried one more time to get Abby or Gibbs back on the line. And just like the previous 20 times it didn't work. He was also irritated because the files Abby was uploading to him didn't make it through before the lines went dead.
"Timothy, is everything okay?" Ducky asked as he walked back into the reception area of the clinic.
"The lines are down." McGee replied as he stood up and stretched his neck.
"So you're unable to check in with Jethro and Ziva or Abigail." Ducky confirmed the obvious.
"No and Abby was just about to send me a lead." McGee complained.
"Well, there's nothing more to do until Jethro and Ziva return or until the lines are back up. Bianca's got supper in the oven and I've just made a fresh pot of coffee. Come and have a cup and then you can try to reach them again." Ducky suggested as he headed back to the kitchen.
McGee decided that a cup of coffee was exactly what he needed. But as he walked down the collidor he was drawn to Tony's room. He opened the door and made his way to the side of the bed. It was disconcerting to see Tony like this. He still seemed to have a fever because his cheeks were a bright red and he seemed restless and was mumbling incoherently.
"Tony?" McGee whispered as he placed a comforting hand on Tony's uninjured shoulder. Tony was delirious as a result of the fever but he heard the softly spoken word and he moaned out.
"Ah come on Tony. You're going to be fine, buddy. We'll keep you safe." McGee promised as he squeezed Tony's shoulder.
Tony felt the pressure on his shoulder and he turned towards it. Then he coughed and opened his eyes. He saw McGee standing over him, looking worriedly down at him.
"Hey Tony. How're you feeling?" McGee asked as Tony's gazed at him.
"WaterÖ." Tony murmured as his eyes closed and opened a second later.
McGee reacted immediately to the request, holding a cup with a straw in it to Tony's lips. Tony took a few sips as he blinked his eyes a few times. He watched McGee's expression and some how it seem funny to him.
As McGee removed the straw, Tony's lips curled into a weak imitation of his usual grin. Then he murmured, "Why so glum, ProbÖ..?"
Before he could finish his eyes fluttered closed and he was asleep again.
McGee stared at Tony in shocked silence. Tony, you remembered me! Is your memory back or was this just a latent, semi-conscious response?
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At the scene on Freeway 74, a half frozen Ziva made her way back to the car. She was disappointed that she had not found anything that could help resolve the case. As she shone her spotlight around the car she realised that Gibbs wasn't back yet. Ziva started looking around frantically, wondering what was keeping him.
"Gibbs!" Ziva shouted but her words were lost in the wind and snow that whipped around her.
"Gibbs, where are you?" Ziva shouted again as she shone her spotlight in the direction he had gone in.
When he didn't answer, Ziva started retracing his steps as quickly as she could, fearing that he may be hurt and that's why he was unable to respond to her or get back to the car.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Fred observed the young NCIS agent as he looked down at Anthony DiNozzo. As the agent prepared to leave the room, Fred moved further down the collidor and hid in the bathroom. As soon as the collidor was clear, Fred made his way to Anthony's room. He walked in quietly and closed the door behind him.
Tony was fast asleep as Fred leaned over the bed to look at him. He took note of the IV line hooked up to the back of Tony's wrist and the cast on Tony's shoulder. He also noticed the head wound and the surgical dressing on Tony's wrist.
Maybe I can start preparing you for what's to come later, Fred thought. Then he grinned as he made his way over to a cupboard and started looking through the medication. He removed a syringe and a vial of medication. He assembled the injection and drew a large dose of medication into it before walking back to Tony's side.
Yeah, you will die as your child is being born he grinned as he inserted the needle into Tony's IV line and pressed the plunger down. But first you will suffer and writhe in pain.
Fred disposed of the syringe and made his way to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee before heading back to his sister's room.
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"Gibbs?!" Ziva called out again as she started searching around the car in a widening radius. The weather was deteriorating and Ziva knew that she had to find Gibbs fast.
"Gibbs!" She shouts again as she ran around a bend in the road that sloped downwards. That was when she bumped into Gibbs who was coming around the same bend in an effort to get back to the car. Ziva's spotlight unfortunately connected sharply with Gibbs' side and her momentum and his weakened state caused them to fell over and roll along the sloped road.
Gibbs' side was on fire and he couldn't seem to catch his breathe. His arm was also in agony as he had come to a stop by jarring it again a tree. He kept his eyes squeezed tightly shut as he tried to get the pain slicing through his body under control. Next to him he heard Ziva mumbling in Hebrew as she crawled up to his side. She was a bit bruised from the fall and could feel that her clothes were wet from the snow.
"Gibbs I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" She asked as she crouched next to Gibbs and shone her spotlight in his face and down his body looking for blood or anything that might have been sticking out at an odd angle. Gibbs could not reply and just turned his face away from the light as Ziva continued to examine him. He could feel the cold seeping into his back and he knew that they needed to get back to the car as quickly as possible. But the pain was just so intense that he couldn't seem to get his body to co-operate and move.
Ziva knew that she would have to work quickly. She placed her hand on Gibbs uninjured arm as she moved the spotlight away from his face.
"Gibbs I'm going to help you up and get you back to the car." She said as she took his arm and started pulling it up and around her shoulder.
"Argh!!!" Gibbs growled through clenched teeth. He knew he had to help Ziva because she would not be able to support his weight. But any kind of movement just increased his agony.
After 3 attempts, Ziva was finally able to get Gibbs to his feet. He took a few deep breathes as he leaned against the tree and tried not to collapse.
"I'm Ö.okay!" Gibbs lied a minute later, as Ziva pulled his arm more securely around her shoulder. She could feel him trembling from pain and cold as she wrapped an arm around his waist and started guiding him up the slope and back to the car.
Yes, of course you are okay Ziva thought as she supported 70 of Gibbs' weight while forcing him to put one foot in front of another. Gibbs almost collapsed twice but Ziva shifted her weight and helped him to regain his balance.
It took over 5 minutes to get to the car as they had to trudge through the snow and fight against the wind. During all this time Gibbs had to fight against the pain and vertigo that threatened to overwhelm him.
As Gibbs finally slid into his seat he couldn't hold back the grunt of pain as his side felt ready to explode. Ziva knew that Gibbs was in agony so she got into the car and pulled off heading back to the clinic as quickly as she could.
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As soon as Fred returned to the room, Bianca said, "Angie's resting now and the contractions should be manageable. I will check in on her in the next 30 minutes, but call me is anything changes."
"Will do, and thanks Dr B." Fred said as she sat down next to his sister's bed and sipped his coffee.
He seems ...happier! Why? His sister still has a long way to go, so why is he looking so happy Bianca pondered as she made her way back to the kitchen.
The lasagne was ready, so she asked McGee to take a plate for Fred and Angie. Then she filled 3 more plates, one for each of them. As they ate, Bianca's mind wondered back to Gibbs and she prayed that he was okay. She caught a look passing between McGee and Ducky and she was sure that they we just as worried about Gibbs and Ziva as she was.
Just then they heard the reception door slam open and Ziva shouting, "McGee, Ducky I need you. Gibbs has been hurt!"
Bianca's fork slipped from her fingers as she rushed to the reception area followed by McGee and Ducky.
At the same time they heard a bloodcurdling cry coming out from Tony's room.
Bianca and Ducky looked at each other and Ducky quickly said, "You see to Gibbs while I check on Tony."
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"Fred, what's happening?" Angie asked as she heard the shouting and screaming outside her room.
"It's nothing Angie. Are you feeling okay?" He asked as she had not had a contraction since he got back to the room.
"I'm fine. But the contractions are weakening and slowing down." Angie replied worriedly as she ran her hand over her extended stomach.
"Don't worry honey. Dr B said that you should rest for a while. She'll be back to check on you soon and she'll give you something to speed up the contractions if necessary." Fred replied as he leaned down and kissed her forehead.
"I'm just going to see what's going on out there. I'll be back in a few moments, okay." Fred asked as he was anxious to see how badly Anthony DiNozzo was reacting to the injection he had given him earlier.
"I'll be fine." Angie replied with a sigh as she closed her eyes and relaxed.
Fred smiled as he walked out of the room.
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At the same time, McGee and Ziva were rushing out to the car as Bianca rushed into the ER to get a wheelchair.
Damn it Gibbs. I just knew you were going to get hurt. I should have stopped you. But you distracted me so much with that damn delicious kiss. Now you're hurt again! Bianca scowled as she rushed out into the cold with the wheelchair.
"What happened?" McGee asked as he saw Gibbs sitting rather stiffly in the passenger seat for the car.
"I ran into Gibbs at the scene and then we both took a tumble in the snow." Ziva said as she got into the driver's seat and unbuckled Gibbs' belt.
"Where does it hurt, Gibbs?" Bianca asked as she leaned into the car and started running her hands over his body.
"I'm sshhh fine." Gibbs growled. But he was not fine. He was in excruciating pain and he was freezing.
"Yeah, you're just peachy. Then why the hell do you look like crap!" Bianca snapped, her own fears getting the better of her. Then she shook herself out of it and instructed, "Ziva, help him to roll out towards us. McGee, we need to get him into that wheelchair. Hurry, the cold out here could be aggravating his condition."
Ziva and McGee did as instructed. Gibbs controlled his expression well and didn't reveal how much their pushing and pulling was hurting him. But he couldn't hold back a gasped moan as he got into the wheelchair. To make matters worse the cold was slicing through his damp clothes and now he was shivering uncontrollably.
"McGee, get him into the ER. We need to remove all his clothes and get him warmed up." Bianca was saying. Then she noticed how cold Ziva was and that she had a slight trickle of blood running down the side of her head into her hair line.
"Ziva, get out of these clothes now and get into the shower. You can use a set of my clothes to change into. I'll take a look at your head as soon as I'm done with Gibbs." Bianca said as she moved Ziva's hair out of the way to get a closer look at the cut. It was long but not deep and it was already congealing.
"I'm fine. Just see to Gibbs. I think the fall may have caused serious damage to his ribs." Ziva said as she moved away from Bianca's hands.
"Do all NCIS agents insist that they're fine even when they're about to collapse." Bianca asked as she rushed back into the clinic.
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Inside the clinic, in Tony's room, Ducky couldn't understand what was happening to Tony.
He was crying out in agony as he twisted and turned in the bed. He was moving around so much that Ducky was afraid he would fall out of the bed.
"Anthony, Anthony! Tell me what's wrong!" Ducky said as he placed his hands firmly onto Tony's shoulders and tried to calm him down.
At that moment Fred popped his head into the room. The sight that greeted him sent a ripple of pleasure through his system.
Yes, this is exactly what I was hoping for. I guess it was just luck that I choice the right drug to inject you with. Suffer DiNozzo. Just like Angie's suffering in the other room!
"Anthony, you have to tell me what's wrong so that I can help you." Ducky insisted as Tony continued to convulse and cry out in pain.
"Pain!?!?! Make Ö it Ö STOP!!!" Tony shouted in anguish as his muscles felt like they were being torn out of his body, knotted and then placed back.
"Where do you have pain? Anthony, where?" Ducky asked urgently as tears started rolling down the sides of Tony's face.
"Everywhere!!!" Tony shouted as he glared at Ducky for a moment before his eyes misted over with acute pain and more tears.
Fred chose that moment to make his presence known.
"Dr Mallard, what's wrong with him?" Fred asked, pasting a look of concern on his face as he moved to stand next to the bed.
"Fred, I need your help." Ducky said. "Hold him down while I prepare some medication to ease his cramps." Ducky continued.
"Of course." Fred replied as his hands replaced Ducky's on Tony's uninjured shoulder.
Fred's pulse quickened as he felt Tony's body rebel against itself. The ripple of muscles twitching and tensing involuntarily and the accompanying agony it brought to Tony was so gratifying that it was a major effort for Fred to maintain a look of concern on his face.
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Back in the ER, Bianca and McGee removed all of Gibbs's clothes and Bianca cut the bandaged binding his ribs. Upon seeing his naked body, a sub-conscious thought flew through Bianca's mind.
Smooth and soft and yet firm somehow.
Then she got busy wrapping him into a clean gown and piling blankets on and around him. At that stage Bianca ordered McGee to go and check on Ziva. McGee left the room reluctantly, torn between making sure that his Boss was okay and that his colleague was also okay.
The whole process of undressing and redressing was absolutely torturous for Gibbs and he wondered why he had not passed out yet.
When Bianca finally allowed him lie down, he thought that she was done with him and that she would leave him in peace. But no, her hands were on his side and the slight pressure she applied to his side almost had him sitting bolt upright in bed.
"I think you've cracked your previously bruised ribs. Way to go Special Agent Gibbs. Now you have more infections and of course wonderful pain to look forward to!" Bianca commented sarcastically.
"JustÖ leave Ö me Ö ALONE!" Gibbs growled as Bianca continued to trace his ribs, one at a time.
"Not on your life Sweetie. I'm going to take X-rays and then I'm going to wrap your ribs nice and tight so that your bones can heal. Then I'm going to stick you with a needle or two and pump you full of drugs. And then I'm taking you straight to bed." Bianca promised as she continued to work on Gibbs' side.
"Can't we skip everything and just go to bed." Gibbs murmured before crying out as Bianca touched a particularly sensitive spot. His side exploded in pain strong enough and bad enough to make him see black spots as it pushed him over the edge into blessed unconsciousness.
Bianca was just as relieved as Gibbs was that he had passed out. She caressed his cheek for a second, before setting up the x-ray machine.
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In the collidor outside the ER, McGee found Ziva sitting on the floor in her wet clothes, shivering.
"Ziva, get off the floor and get out of those wet clothes." McGee insisted, surprising himself as well as her with the force behind his words.
"How is Gibbs?" Ziva asked a second later, ignoring McGee's order.
"Ziva, you will be of no use to Gibbs or Tony if you catch pneumonia. Now let me help you out of these clothes and get you into the shower." McGee said and then he blushed.
"Okay, McGee. I will get out of these clothes and into the shower, but on my own." Ziva replied, enjoying making McGee feel more uncomfortable.
McGee continued to blush as Ziva entered the bathroom. She grinned at him as she closed the door.
Ziva would never admit it but the fall had shaken her and she had a few rather painful bruises on her body. Luckily the warm shower worked wonders on her and she came out of it feeling warm and less achy.
When she peeked out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around her body, she could only grin. Lying on the floor, just outside the bathroom door was a sweat shirt, track pants, pair of socks and a pair of her spare boots.
McGee, you are such a sweet friend. Ziva thought as she scooped up the clothes and closed the bathroom door again.
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In Tony's room, Tony continued to grunt and moan in pain as he fought against Fred's restraining hands. Fred was so tempted to squeeze his shoulders tighter and inflict some more pain. But he didn't want the ME noticing so he refrained from doing anything.
Ducky in the meantime scanned through all the medication in the cupboard until he found what he needed. He quickly prepared a shot of 20cc of Orphenadrine which worked as a skeletal muscle relaxant with a sedative side effect. Then he rushed back to Tony's side, lifted the blanket and jabbed the needle into his hip. Tony's body moved from spasms into twitches and then into slight jerks within the space of 8 minutes. And then he was out, sedated without any further spasms.
"I wonder what brought that on?!" Ducky asked out loud as he disposed of the needle and neatened Tony's bed.
"Mmm, I'd better get back to my sister." Fred said as he removed his hands from Tony's person and moved to the door.
He watched Ducky as he caressed Tony's forehead and moved his hair off his brow and he thought that was fun but it ended way too soon! DiNozzo enjoy the short respite because round two starts soon!
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"Angie honey, how you doing?" asked Fred as he entered the room and found Angie fast asleep.
"Mmmmm, Fred." Angie groggily replied. Then her eyes widened in horror as she continued, "I haven't had a contraction in over 10 or 12 minutes!"
"It's okay honey. Dr B said that she wanted you to rest for a while. You still have another 30minutes before she'll be back to check on you." Fred replied as he sat on the bed and took Angie into his arms. The foetal heart monitor continued to emit sounds confirming a steady and rapid heart beat. So Fred wasn't concerned about the baby's health.
"What was happening out there?" Angie asked as she remembered the commotion from earlier. Fred grinned as he settled his chin on her head and told her what had happened. He never revealed who the patient was or that he had induced the severe convulsions.
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Back in the ER the x-rays revealed that Gibbs had indeed fractured two ribs, the eight and ninth. Luckily with his arm in the caste he didn't manage to cause it any further damage. He was still unconscious as Bianca called Ducky in to help her bind his ribs.
"Jethro's going to have to take it easy for the next few days if he wants to avoid further injury." Ducky observed.
"Oh yes, he will be if I have anything to say about it." Bianca confirmed.
"What happened to Tony?" Bianca asked as she held Gibbs on his side while Ducky wrapped adhesive tape around Gibbs' side.
"He was convulsing and crying out in pain when I got to him. I don't know what brought it on. I gave him a shot of Orphenadrine and he calmed down within a few minutes." Ducky said as he tied Gibbs' gown in place.
Bianca moved to a cupboard and removed an IV bag filled with a dextrose/sodium chloride solution as well as the IV line and IV needle attachments. Then she hooked this up to the back of Gibbs' injured hand. At that point Gibbs began to stir.
"Jethro can you hear me?" Ducky asked while Bianca prepared a shot of 20cc of Nalbuphine, which was an inti-inflammatory and painkiller that would keep Gibbs sedated for the next 8 hours, until the next shot was administered.
"Mmm" Gibbs murmured as he tried to clear the fuzz from his mind. He was tired, so tired and his body felt like it had been through a tumble dryer. Every inch of him ached. As Gibbs tried to pull himself together, Bianca came back to the bed. She caressed his cheek as she leaned over him and whispered, "This is going to hurt a bit, Jethro."
While he tried to understand what she meant, she lifted the blanket at his back and gently pinched one inch of his fleshy butt between her fingers. Mmmm definitely smooth and firm, she confirmed. Then she sterilized the spot with a soaked cotton swab.
"Here we go." She said as she eased the needle deeply into his butt. Gibbs growled at the stinging in his backside and as he involuntarily jerked away, the pain in his side also started speaking to him.
"Are Ö you done Öyet, damn it?" he mumbled trying not to pull away from the offending needle.
"Almost, just relax or it will pain even more." Bianca murmured.
"Relax!" Gibbs growled incredulously.
Is she mad? How can I relax with everything that's going on around here? Instead of keeping an eye on Tony, I seem to be doing a pretty good job of making myself an invalid. Damn it this is ridiculous! I'm bloody Leroy Jethro Gibbs, a hard assed bastard and this kind of crap doesn't happen to me! Gibbs mentally growled as he felt the needle finally being eased out of his flesh.
"You enjoyed that!" He accussed Bianca in a somewhat hurt tone that was totally foreign to him.
What the hell's wrong with me? he questioned confused about his reaction to her.
"Aammm, yes I did." Bianca replied for his ears only, as her fingertips rubbed the tender spot on his butt in an expanding circular and almost hypnotic motion. Gibbs sighed in relief and if he was honest with himself, he felt a kind of drugged, demented pleasure in having her caress him like this.
What would it feel like if we were both naked and I was doing the same thing to you?He wondered as he started to feel lethargic
"You will be sleeping like a baby in no time, Jethro darling." Bianca whispered as she leaned close to him, her breathe whispering across his cheek.
"In your arms, sleeping like a baby would be the furthest thing on my mind. I would want to mmmm..." Gibbs murmured as sleep made his eyelids heavy.
Ducky grinned at Gibbs' words as he saw Bianca blush before moving away from Gibbs. He was sure that she would have kissed Gibbs on the cheek if they had been alone.
Oh Jethro dear boy, she has fallen for you and I believe that you are just as taken by her. Ducky observed as he helped Bianca wheel Gibbs to the last room on the right of the hallway, opposite Tony's room. As Bianca neatened Gibbs' blankets and hooked up a course of antibiotics to his IV line, Ducky went in search of McGee and Ziva.
He found them in the reception area. Ziva was curled up on her side, her head resting on McGee's lap and her breathing indicating that she was fast asleep. It appeared that McGee was also fast asleep. His head rested in the head rest of the couch while his one hand was buried in Ziva's hair and his other was draped across her waist.
Ducky just shook his head as he made his way back to Gibbs' room. There he found Bianca caressing Jethro's head before she leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.
"See you in a few hours." Bianca sighed as she stood up and made her way to the door. As she passed Ducky, blood rushed up to her cheeks.
"I'll stay with him for a bit while you check on your other patient. Don't hesitate to call me if you need me, Bianca." Ducky said as he pretended that he had not seen anything.
"Thank you Ducky." Bianca whispered as she walked towards Angie's room.
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"Hey Angie, how are you feeling?" Bianca asked as she approached the bed.
"She's had no contractions for the last 45 minutes." Fred said.
"Okay, let's that a look and than we can decide on an action plan." Bianca smiled although smiling was the last thing she felt like doing. She asked Angie to scoot to the edge of the bed and bend her knees. Then she had a look and was distressed to see no further dilation. And internal examination revealed that the baby was not yet descended enough in the birth canal. That was actually a good thing. It meant that the little one was not trapped.
"Fred could you give me a moment alone with Angie?" Bianca asked as she moved to stand next to Angie.
"Why? What's wrong?" Fred asked as he stood up and looked at Bianca with worry and a trace of anger in his voice.
"I need to explain the medication and procedure I'm going to follow from here on out." Bianca replied as she took Angie's hands into hers.
"Whatever you need to say, you can say in front of Fred." Angie replied as she reached out for her brother's hand.
"Okay. Angie it's time to start your contractions again. I'm going to have to insert a drug called Cervidil into your vagina. It will help to soften and ripen your cervix so that it will start dilating. It could also help to get your contractions going again. Then in an hour or so I will hook you up to a Pitocin drip. It contains a hormone called Oxytocin which should help to get your contractions going in a rhythm so that we can time them. Angie these contractions will be stronger and last longer than the ones you've experiences so far." Bianca stated as she squeezed Angie's hand.
"Can't we just wait for nature to take its course? Why should we rush this?" Fred asked, his fear for his sister growing and his anger at one Anthony DiNozzo multiplying.
"Fred, we can't wait any longer. Angie's waters broke hours ago and her baby could go into distress at any moment. We have to do this and the sooner we start the better it will be for the baby and for Angie." Bianca replied.
"Do it." Angie said as she removed her hand from Bianca's and caressed her stomach.
"Angie, I will not be able to give you an epidural during your labour. The best I will be able to do is anaesthetize you from the waist down and that will only be possible when you're in the last stages of giving birth." Bianca apologized.
"I'll be okay. I can handle it!" Angie said with a sense of conviction she didn't feel.
Fred left the room as Bianca moved back to the edge of the bed and inserted the medication deep into Angie's vagina. Within a few moments the first of many cramps began to race through Angie's nether regions. Within 60 minutes, Bianca hooked up the IV line with the Pitocin. She told Fred to keep a close eye on Angie and to time her contractions. Bianca expected Angie to dilate at a rate of 1cm every hour. That meant that the baby would be ready to be born within the next 4 to 5 hours.
As the cramps started in earnest, Angie held back her cries of pain as she lamented, Anthony I need you! How could you turn your back on me like this? How could you have done this to the symbol of our love, our precious baby?
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At around 11:30pm, Bianca made her way to the kitchen to put on a fresh pot of coffee. There she found Dr Mallard and he already had a fresh pot of coffee on the go.
"Thank you Ducky." Bianca said as she sat down at the table and rubbed her leg and arm in turn.
"It's my pleasure. Do you want me to rub some salve into your arm? You've had a rough day and I guess Angie's due to give birth in the next few hours so you won't be getting any sleep anytime soon." Ducky commented as he poured a cup of coffee for Bianca and then moved to stand next to her. She removed her arm from the sleeve of her jersey and Ducky proceeded to rub a soothing, cooling gel over her bruised upper arm.
Outside the storm was raging in full force. Luckily all the windows and doors were securely closed and none of them rattled. Bianca had the heat in all the rooms turned up and she was glad that she had a generator installed a few weeks earlier. The telephone lines were still down and she prayed that Angie wouldn't have any major complications as there would be no way to call for help or to get her back to the city until the weather cleared up.
"So how did you manage to set up such a well stocked and well run clinic?" Ducky's words intruded on her thoughts.
Bianca smiled at Ducky's compliments before replying, "My grandmother past away a few years ago and she left me this huge inheritance. I was tired of the cityÖ" and I needed to escape an abusive relationship, Bianca admitted but didn't say out loud.
"But you still wanted to be a practicing Doctor." Ducky commented prompting her to continue.
"Yes, I wanted a more rural, calm setting where I could still help people. So I bought this place and I bought all the medical equipment I could afford. I opened this clinic about 2 years ago and it's running well enough." Bianca said.
"But how do you cope all alone?" Ducky asked.
Bianca laughed and said, "I usually don't. I have 3 people that work for me, an accountant Steven and two nurses Sally and Amber. It's just Murphy's Law that none of them are here this week. Sally's on a two week vacation and Amber had to attend a family funeral so she'll also only be back in about 2 week's time. Steven only comes in once a month to collect all the invoices and receipts so that he can do my books."
"Well you're an excellent Doctor and I'm glad that you found Anthony when you did." Ducky said as he helped her back into her jersey.
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Fred left Angie's room and scanned the collidor to make sure that no one was around. Angie's contractions were about 3 minutes apart and although she tried to reassure him that she was okay, he could see the strain this birthing process was taking on her.
He made his way to Tony's room and entered the dimly lit room quietly. Pure hatred flashed across Fred's face as he approached the bed.
"It's time for you to feel a bit of what Angie's feeling!" Fred growled in a low voice as he pulled Tony's warm blanket away and placed it in the cupboard, before covering him with a sheet again. Then he turned the heat way down so the room started to cool. He also opened the window a bare millimeter to allow the icy cold air to seep into the room.
And then his eyes narrowed as he looked at Tony's body and planned his next move.
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"Bianca I want you!" He moaned out as her hands caressed down his sides and then closed over his buttocks.
"I want you too, Jethro!" she replied as she lifted her head to meet his. Her teeth grazed his lower lip and then her tongue soothed the spot driving him crazy. He took the lead then, demanding entry into her wet, hot mouth. She opened to him like a blossoming flower and moaned out in pleasure as his tongue stroked hers. Her hands moved rhythmically up and down his naked back.
His hand traveled from her cheek down to her neck, then to her shoulder and finally came to rest on the swell of her breast. He lifted his head as he allowed his eyes to follow his hand. Her sheer white bra revealed her puckered rosy nipple. Their eyes locked as he slowly moved his hand to the top of her left breast. She arched her back to give him better access even as she moaned out in anticipation. He drew his fingers down over her nipple and pulled the sheer white bra away. Then her rosy, taut nipple was exposed and begging for his attention. He couldn't hold back any longer and leaned forward eager to run his tongue over her heated flesh.
"Mmmmm"
"Argh!" Gibbs gasped as he came violently awake. The dream had been so real and now the pain in his side was even more real. Gibbs took a few shallow breathes as he tried to calm his highly aroused and tight body. At the same time he prayed for the pain to let up.
At that moment Bianca walked into the room and all the sensations he had just been feeling washed through his body at lightening speed. To make matters worse her jersey was unbuttoned and her white t-shirt outlined her bra so perfectly. And it must have been the cold or something because Gibbs could have sworn that he could see her puckered nipples through that t-shirt.
"Argh!" Gibbs moaned again as he tried to shift into a more comfortable position that would also help to hide the evidence of his highly aroused state.
Bianca was at his side within a heart beat.
"Jethro, what's wrong?" She asked as she took his wrist into hers and checked his pulse.
"You're pulse is racing!" She said as she grabbed her stethoscope and listened to his heart. His heart beat was off the chart.
"Jethro, tell me what's happening?" Bianca shouted as she checked his pupils and placed a thermometer in his mouth. Then she proceeded to get the pressure cuff on his arm.
Does he have an infection? Is he allergic to the antibiotic? Why is he staring at me like this? So intense! These and many other thoughts raced through Bianca's mind. She removed the thermometer and was relieved to note that his temperature was only one degree higher then it should have been which indicated that there was no infection at the moment. His pressure was a bit high, but that was because of the rapid heart beat.
"Jethro?" Bianca asked as she saw him sitting up slowly and swinging his legs over the side of the bed.
"You shouldn'tÖ." Bianca started to say.
"Come hereÖ" Gibbs whispered ignoring there pain racing up and down his side. Bianca was puzzled, but did as he asked.
"What's wrong? What can I get for you?" Bianca asked, concerned about his weird behaviour.
"ThisÖ." Gibbs whispered, as he used his good arm and pulled her to stand in between his legs.
"JethroÖ" Bianca whispered as Gibbs' fingers slipped into her hair and he started pulling her head down to his.
"ThisÖ" He moaned as his lips closed over her.
Bianca was enthralled. Gibbs kissed her like a starving man. His uninjured hand, only after it had made sure that she would remain in position, started to explore her body, just as it had done in his dream. As that hand came to rest on top of her breast, Bianca gasped in pleasure and arched her body, filling his hand with generous, supple breast.
Gibbs pulled away from her mouth as he whispered, "I need to see you, to taste you!"
"YesÖ Taste me JethroÖ." Bianca moaned as she cupped his hand over her breast and led his fingers to the top of her t-shirt. Then together they moved her t-shirt and bra down, until her creamy breast with its rosy tip was revealed.
Gibbs growled as he leaned forward and touched the tip of his tongue to her beckoning bud. Bianca trembled as Jethro's tongue started worshipping her nipple. He licked and stroked and teased and then she took his jaw into her hand and lifted her swollen breast to his mouth like an offering. Gibbs needed no further invitation to take the offered morsel into the heat of his mouth. Both of them groaned out in pleasure as Gibbs started suckling on her breast.
Gibbs was amazed by Bianca eagerness, by her willingness to experience this with him. He couldn't get enough of her and soon her other breast of exposed and receiving the same attention. But then he wanted more. His hand started a fiery part down the front of her body, brushing the scar below her breast. Then his fingers closed around the waist band of her pants and he tugged at it.
Bianca was enjoying everything that Gibbs was doing until his hand reached her waistband. Then she froze as she was involuntarily transported to another place and another time.
Jason let me go. Please!
Bianca remembered how Jason had grabbed her waistband and pulled her towards him. Then his hand was inside her pants and fingers invaded her violently, painfully. Then he would throw her onto the bed, face down and mount her from behind. Her legs would be trapped by her pants that lay bunched up around her knees and her arms would be held together in his hands as he forced himself on her.
Gibbs felt the change in her a moment before she pushed away from him and whispered,
"Jason let me go, Please!"
Her eyes were glazed over and she seemed terrified.
"Bianca?" Gibbs called out to her but she was moving away from the bed, away from him. She pulled her clothes up and into place before she turned and fled the room.
"Bianca, Damn it! What just happened and who the hell is Jason?" Gibbs asked the four walled as he tried to kill the arousal coursing through his body for a second time that night.
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Back in Tony's room, Fred looked back at the bed one more time before making his way back to his sister's room.
He grinned in morbid satisfaction as he thought, "Anthony DiNozzo this might just be the end for you. Soon the Doctors will be too busy with Angie to even think about checking on you. Like I promised, you will die as your bastard is being born!"
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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.