All Hands on Deck (REVISED) by magensby
Summary:

Jethro and Margie disappear and NCIS and CIA staff must work together to find them.

 


Categories: Primetime Television Characters: Original Character(s)
Classification: Cannon
Genre: Action-Adventure , Drama
Story Status: Completed
Pairings: Original
Warnings: Adult Situations
Challenges: None
Series: Past, Present and Future - NCIS
Chapters: 10 Completed: Yes Word count: 10229 Read: 11072 Published: February 04 2019 Updated: July 31 2019
Chapter 9 It takes a village by magensby

Un-betaed

All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

 

 

All hands on deck

 

(A few chapters back I described the sadness that family and friends felt about Jethro and Margie’s disappearance as ‘rivers flowing’.  The grief now felt at the knowledge of the horror acted upon Margie is a flood, a tsunami and/or a volcano overflowing and many search for a way to deal with their own pain and that of Jethro and especially that of Margie.

 

 

Chapter 9            It takes a village to heal the wound and love to ease the hurt

 

Before Abby heads out to the hospital she calls to speak with Margie’s doctors. She explains, once again, her findings about the sexual assault.  After hearing her explanation they concur with her findings.  Abby tells them that she will visit within the hour.  They advise her not to say anything about the sexual assault to either Mr. or Mrs. Gibbs.  They will handle it but they would like for Abby to be present when they tell them.  They still share a room so they will both hear this information at the same time.

 

/

 

Margie is back in the room with Jethro.  She is still weak but quickly regaining her strength.  The doctors continue them both on intravenous feedings and it works well for them to recover from that near death experience.  The x-rays revealed no ruptures or bruising of any organs and for that she is grateful.  Jethro is now in radiology because he complained about pain in his side and they want to check him for internal damage.  He soon returns and the doctors tell him that he has a bruised rib.  Don’t they make a pair, Margie thinks to herself?

 

When the doctors leave she settles in bed and looks over at Jethro.  He winces a bit and then turns to her.

 

“Well look at us, don’t we look terrible.”

 

“Speak for yourself Jethro Gibbs.  I’m just glad to be alive and to see you alive.  I’ll take it however I look on the outside.”

 

“I will too Margie, I will too.  I’m so thankful that we made it through without too much damage.”

 

“So am I Jethro.  I really want to see our babies but I don’t want them to see us like this.  Maybe we can get washed up and then Skype them.  The hospital probably doesn’t allow children in ICU.  Anyway we’re doing better already so they will probably move us to regular rooms today.  No sense in taking up two ICU beds any longer.”

 

Just as Jethro is about to reply, Dr. Confalone walks in.  She tells them that the doctors will move them to regular rooms in a hour or so and when they do she wants to stop by to talk with them. They agree and she leaves.

 

“I wonder what that was about.  I know that we each have to have a psych evaluation before returning to work but why would she want to talk with us now? I don’t care.  I’m just glad that we’re out of that hellhole and will go home soon.  I need a nice hot shower, my hair shampooed and a good hot meal.  A bowl of soup would hit the spot right about now.”

 

“That sounds good to me to Margie.”

 

Little does Jethro know that the news that awaits him will take away his appetite.

 

/

 

Once they are moved their rooms, still a shared room, Margie tells Jethro everything that happened while they were separated. The anger that boils up inside of Jethro is like that of the thunder and lightning during a violent storm. A look over at Margie though confuses him more.  She told this tale as if disassociated from it.  The swell of emotions he expected was not there in her.  

 

“Alexis, what is it?  Why are you not more upset about this?”

 

“Rats.”**

 

“What do you mean ‘rats’?  Did they also have rats in the room with you when this happened?”

 

“NO!  Remember what I told you about the thing with rats.”

 

Now Jethro understands how she was able to make it through that ordeal.  It doesn’t negate the fact that it happened but it explains her attitude towards it.

 

/

 

Of course once everyone else learns what happened they are outraged.  They don’t know what to say or do to make things better for Jethro and Margie.  Tears flow and fists want to hit a wall.  The swell of emotions rise to the brink lapping over the dam that keeps them at bay.  Before the emotional volcano can erupt Margie tells everyone, 

 

“Don’t look at me or treat me as if I’m blemished, damaged, or tarnished.  I survived and will continue to survive.  Don’t treat me like a porcelain doll.  I won’t break.  I’m made of stronger stuff than that.  I need you all to be strong for me so that I can be strong for myself.  Let me know that your love for me has not changed.”

 

 

 

A/N: **(Rats!) refers to Margie’s training as a CIA agent in which candidates are subjected to their greatest fears, excluding death of course, and develop a way to handle that fear.  First mentioned in a previous story titled, ‘Well worth the Journey’.  This in no way minimizes what happened to Margie but is only an effort to show how different people deal differently in situations.

This story archived at https://www.valentchamber.com/viewstory.php?sid=3785