Chapter 9
Mac was bundled out of the ambulance on a gurney, Tony jumping out behind the paramedics. Kate's sedan pulled up as well and she hoped out, rushing through the automatic doors and joining Tony standing watching the doctors wheel her into an operating room. Tony's trousers were soaked with Mac's blood. His hands and shirt also contained stains of red. "I'm gonna get cleaned up" he told Kate, heading left to the bathroom.
Tony splashed water on his face and looked up into the mirror. His eyes were distant and grey, some would say dead. He reluctantly admitted to himself that he was scared. Mac could had possible given her life to save his wife and unborn child. Then it hit him. She might die! No. he contradicted himself. It was Mac; it would take more than a single bullet to stop her. He knew he would have trouble sleeping tonight. Anytime his best friend was seriously hurt, or ‘dead' for that matter, a recurring nightmare plagued him. This was going to add to the long list of scenes that flashed through his head for months.
Chris ran down the hall and into the preparation room for OR1. He had gotten a page that he was needed for an emergency surgery ASAP, no other details apart from that. He looked into the operating room and saw his patient. She was mostly covered apart from her midsection. About 5 people crowded her, passing around surgical instruments and looking at monitors. When he was all scrubbed up he pushed the door open with his back and slipped on a pair of latex gloves. He didn't like the mask covering the lower extremities of his face, never had, but he knew it was a necessity. Her cloths had been ripped off for easy access. Chris saw them on the floor and they seemed somewhat familiar to him. "Female, brought him 5 minutes ago, single GSW to the abdomen" the scrub nurse told him as he approached the patient. He could only see her toned torso, but her injury was nasty.
"Right, lets get started" he told them, picking up a scalpel. In the other room his phone started to vibrate in the back pocket of his trousers.
Kate snapped her phone shut once more and gave out a sigh. "That the 5th message I've left him. I'm going to look for him." she said, sitting up straight. She got no reply. "Tony, are you ok?" she asked, placing hand on his tense shoulders.
"Yeah" he said quietly. "I'm just worried about her" he said, concern oozing from his words.
"Did you get hold of Ducky?" Kate asked, moving her hand to his knee.
"Yes. I told him she'd be a while in surgery, so he's gone to deal with the body first."
"I have a feeling he won't be gentle" she joked.
"He's gonna get Matt out of school and meet us here later" he said solemnly.
"This isn't going to go down well"
"I know. I called McGee, he's gonna pick up the twins" Tony said, still in his own little world.
"I am going to look for Chris" Kate said, giving him a kiss on the forehead and heading in the direction of the elevator.
"Will you get me a jar please" Chris called, holding up what appeared to be a 9mm slug between a pair of tweezers.
"Sir, shouldn't we focus on the medical side?" an intern asked.
"Yes, but my wife would kill me if I didn't respect forensics" he laughed through his mask. When he leaned over to drop it in the newly acquired jar, his hand brushed the edge of the cloth covering the patient, making a portion of it fall back. Chris' features widened in shock when he saw the newly exposed portion in flesh. On the slightly tanned skin was a perfectly sculpted black rose. Chris stumbled back and dropped the tweezers.
"Dr. Sciuto?" the intern asked. "I know she is stable, but we have to work fast. You never know how long it will last" he said, hoping not to get yelled at by the chief of medicine. Chris brushed him out of the way when he rushed to her head. he slowly folded to blue cloth forwards and fell back once again when he saw the woman he loved and cherished. Her sparkling blue eyes were closed and her dark hair fell by her side.
"I'll fix this" he said quietly to her, kissing her lips gently and returning to work on her wound.
Kate found herself at the nurse's station on the third floor. Behind the desk stood a young male nurse. His coloured skin standing out compared to the sterile white that surrounded him. His long hair was braided back into a ponytail and Kate saw it fall down onto the back of his green scrubs. The nurse looked up when she approached and leaned on the desk. "Excuse me" she began politely. "Could you possibly tell me where Dr. Chris Sciuto is please?"
"Surgery." He grunted. Turning back to the chart.
"Could you page him please?"
"No, he's busy"
"Well, it's important" she said, raising her voice, starting to get pissed off.
"You'll have to wait" he said, not even looking up this time.
"Arghh, men!" she said to herself, storming back to the elevator.
Chris began to suture Mac up after a long surgery. A high pitched squeal rang out which turned his blood to ice. "She's flat lining!" came the nurse's voice, but it seemed so far off.
"Paddles!" he screamed suddenly, and the intern wheeled the cart over.
"Charging to 200!" the nurse yelled over the commotion.
"Clear!" Chris called and Mac practically jumped off the bed. But nothing happened. "Charge to 300!" he called and she did so. "Clear!" he shrieked and again nothing happened. The intern resumed compressions in between shocks and Chris once again yelled and sent a shock through his wife's body. "Damn it Mac!" he yelled at her. "I'm not losing you again. You will wake up or…I will get Gibbs on here! Shock her again!" he yelled, turning back to the group. They reluctantly obeyed and once more the beautiful woman nearly leapt from the table. "For Fucks sake Sarah! Wake up damn it!" he cried. "AGAIN!" he screamed at them. Everyone there except Chris exchanged a look and then the anesthesiologist spoke up.
"Chris, she's gone." He said softly.
"I said again!" he screamed impatiently. None of them responded. "Fine!" he yelled, shoving them all out of the way and kicking it up a notch.
"Sir, that will kill her!" the intern cried, outraged.
"Brace yourself honey" he whispered before one again sending a shockwave through her whole body. The high pitched scream as replaced with a comforting, familiar beep. They were all shocked, with the exception of Chris who had a smile on his face. "Ah, you always were a tough woman to please" he said to himself, before turning back, picking up the needle and resuming to sow her up.
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