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Date Posted: 14:27:00 03/04/06 Sat
Author: Sylvia Mohr Bartlett
Subject: FWWATT Chapter 7 Section Eight
In reply to: Sylvia Mohr Bartlett 's message, "FOR WHICH WE ARE TRULY THANKFUL Ch 7" on 13:01:08 03/04/06 Sat

FOR WHICH WE ARE TRULY THANKFUL

Chapter 7 Workin' My Way Back To You

By Sylvia Bartlett Mohr


Section Eight: Further Complications



Colonel MacKenzie appeared in the door of the room. She had felt Harm come back to her; it was almost as if he had physically reached out and touched her, the calming assurance that filled her was like his voice in her mind. 'Stand down, Marine. Sturg covered me. I'm ok.' Only because of that assurance she had taken time to get properly attired in uniform before coming straight here.

A man moved as if to block her entry. She snapped at him. "Back off, Gunny."

The man stepped back to allow the woman entrance, arching an eyebrow. "Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, NCIS, actually."

Mac looked at him with a withering expression. "Former Gunny, right?"

Gibbs allowed himself a grin. "Yes, ma'am. You must be Colonel MacKenzie."

"I am."

Gibbs considered the moment. He currently had access to all the principles he had questions for, but in view of the circumstances…

Doctor Reyes came back in with the necessary supplies to draw an arterial blood gas. "Thank you for your assistance, Gibbs, but we need room for the x-ray machine."

Gibbs opened his mouth, but remembered the comments from Abby and Ducky and closed it again. He needed cooperation, not resentment from these people. "I'm ordering a Marine guard and further limiting the access to the Commander."

Sturgis looked up in alarm. "You think there are still others involved."

"It's a precaution, Commander Sturgis." Reyes assured him. "We need to err on the side of an abundance of caution, from now on."

"You should have done that all along if you suspected others might be involved." Mac was angry and worried.

"Easy, ninja girl. All they had were suspicions before this happened." Harm murmured.

Gibbs left the room wondering about the exact nature of the relationship between Rabb and MacKenzie. Ninja-girl? Wasn't she a comic book character? The phrase smacked of an endearment to him. He had some questions for Abby. He headed back down to where he left her after seeing the Marine guard was in place. He was surprised when the Marine Colonel suddenly joined him.

"I imagine you need to get a statement from me, Gibbs?"

"I figured you would want to stay with the Commander."

"He asked me to give you a statement, so I can stay with him later. Do you want the statement or not?" MacKenzie did not sound happy about her exile from Rabb's bedside. "He's in a lot of pain from what the IT tech did to him."

"When he was supposedly doing the inhalation therapy, he probably over-inflated Rabb's lungs, causing air to leak into the pleural cavity. Every breath the Commander takes is collapsing his lungs a little more."

The Colonel looked distressed. "They are going to have to put chest tubes in. That's why he wanted me out of the room." She looked like she wanted to reverse course and return to Harm's room.

"Colonel MacKenzie, I do need your statement." Gibbs put a staying hand on her arm. He was thinking to himself that if the Commander didn't want this woman to have to watch that process, his desires should be respected. "I have to check on my forensic specialist. After that, we can go to the office I've been assigned and I will get your statement, okay? We'll get you back to the Commander as soon as possible."


Admiral Chegwidden woke from several hours of rest, feeling disoriented. It took a moment to remember where he was and why. Harm. For some reason, he was uneasy about the Commander's condition. Why? Reyes and Stu had both promised to contact him or Boone if there was any change in Rabb's condition. There had been no call, so everything must be okay, right?

Tom came out of the head, dressed in his uniform and looking grim. "AJ, you might want to grab a shower before we get moving. I grabbed the phone on the first ring."

"Is there a rush?"

"There was another attempt on Harm."

"What in the hell is going on aboard this ship?" AJ was on his feet. "Is Harm okay?"

"He's alive, but saying he's okay would be stretching it. They are getting X-rays and blood tests. Seems the inhalation therapist aboard was a part of the organ ring. He must have known Harm was going to be an important witness in any case against him. So, he tried to take him out by using an oxygen tank filled with carbon monoxide for Harm's inhalation therapy. Do you want me to wait for you?"

AJ rubbed his head. "To hell with taking a shower. Just give me a couple of minutes to shave and freshen up and we'll get down there. I imagine all parties involved would appreciate only having to explain this CF once."

Boone nodded. "Hustle, will you? I want to get down there."

Chegwidden joined him, dressed and looking sharp in less than three minutes. "I didn't know SEAL training included ballistic speed dressing." Boone remarked, looking at his watch.

"It's not the SEAL training." AJ responded. "It is all these years of commanding Rabb and MacKenzie. I've been rousted from bed to have to hurry some place because of them so many times; I have it down to a fine art. Let's get going."


In a few moments, they were being admitted to Harm's room by an armed Marine guard. That young man had quickly filled them in on what had happened. The attempt on Harm by the med tech/inhalation therapist, the fact that Sturgis had realized something was wrong and intervened. Gibbs realizing the probability the IT was going to make an attempt and getting to the room just after Turner had intervened; followed by Marines he had had Abby summon. Both Admirals were disconcerted by the Marine guard remaining on station which clearly indicated a continued threat. They entered the room.

Harm was sitting almost straight up in bed, clearly in severe respiratory distress. Sturgis stood alongside the bed, one hand pressing Harm's good shoulder back against the bed. The black man was speaking gently to his friend. "Easy, Harm."

"Hurts...worse...every...time...I...inhale." The man was in pain and fighting to get every word out.

"They'll have the results of the X-rays soon." Sturgis said.

"No...chest...tubes." Harm pleaded. He saw the two admirals had entered the room and lowered his eyes, as if ashamed of the request he'd just made.

Boone crossed the room and caught Harm's chin, forcing his godson to meet his eyes. "We both know that's exactly what you need right now, Harm."

Harm's eyes filled with tears, but he said nothing. His eyes closed in silent defeat and his shoulders drooped slightly. Chest tubes hurt. They hurt going in and it was like having a knife in you the whole time they were in. He was tired. He didn't know how much more of this he could take.

There was no escape. He hated being helpless, afraid and in pain. When was this nightmare going to end? He wanted it to all go away - the voice selling his body organ by organ; the inhalation therapist lingering in the room, asking how much his cut would be; the references to another party who would be getting a cut.

"There is...at least...one...more..." He had to force each word out.

Admiral Chegwidden touched his cheek. "There's one more person in on this?"

Harm nodded. His eyes stayed closed. He couldn't open them. It would take energy he couldn't spare.

"Rabb, do you know who the other one is?"

"No. He was...never...in...here."

"Anything that may help us figure out who it is?"

"I don't think...I don't...know." Harm was having an even harder time getting air. His whole body strained for each breath.

Doctor Studevant came in the door. "Harm, we have to put chest tubes in."

Harm didn't respond to him.

Stu frowned at how much worse he was. "You need two in the right side, one in the left. I'm sorry, Harm."

Harm still said nothing.

"We'll numb the area first."

That finally got Harm to react. "No. It's okay. Just give me a mouth piece and do it." It had been a major effort for him to say that without a break.

"Rabb, I don't think."

"Please. It hurts more...the shots...please."

Boone spoke up. "Do what he said, Doc."

"Damn it, I have to put three tubes in. I'm worried about secondary shock."

"Please, Stu." Harm said. "Do it." He added. "So...hard...breathing."

Bateman had come in with the thoracentesis set ups on a tray.

The doctor quietly explained what had happened as he set up for the procedures. The inhalation therapist had overfilled the lungs when he was forcing the carbon monoxide in so that each lung had blown holes out of the lower lobe, resulting in air and fluid filling the cavity between the sac and the actual inner lobes of the lung. This had caused both lungs to gradually collapse. Every time the Commander inhaled, more air and fluid seeped out of the damaged part of each lung and exerted more pressure on the collapsing lobes. Clearly the lungs had collapsed further since the X-rays were taken. Harm's color was cyanotic. He needed his lungs re-expanded so he could breathe easier and oxygenate his blood better.

"Which side first?" Bateman asked.

Studevant frowned. "The left side only needs the one. We'll do that first. Harm, I need you to turn towards, Sturgis. Turner, pull the side rail up. That's it. Harm, grab on to that side rail with your free hand and hold on. Admiral Chegwidden, you stay where you are and keep him steady. Don't let him pull away when I make the incision to insert the trocanter. Instinct will make him pull away. He'll fight it, but his natural response will be to move away from the pain. I don't want to have to stab him twice because he pulled out the first penetration of the tubing. Admiral Boone, keep his legs still. Don't let him try and arch away. He's a runner. He has strong legs, so hang on. Bateman, be ready to connect to the evac unit once I get the tube in place and have the needle and thread ready so I can stitch the tube down."

Bateman helped Stu get the sterile gloves on and put his own on. "Harm, this is going to be cold. It's just the antiseptic wash." Harm shied away from the cold dampness roughly scrubbing his side. "Harm, you have to stay still. Practice now." He nodded when Harm stilled. "Better." He told Commander Turner. "Lift his mask and get the mouth piece in. Watch closely. When the chest tube is secured, you ease up on your grasp long enough to get the mouthpiece out, so he can breathe without it until we switch sides, okay?" Sturgis nodded, a grim expression on his face.

The doctor found the correct space between ribs. "Hold on, Harm. This is going to hurt like hell, but I'll be as quick as I can." He made a small incision with a scalpel, cutting through the skin layers, muscle and tissue in one short swift motion. Harm shuddered slightly at the pain of the slice. The doctor forced the sharp end of the trocanter tube through the pleural sac as Harm made a soft cry as his teeth ground tighter on the mouth piece. Once the tube was into the pleural sac, the doctor secured the tubing in place with a stitch sealing the opening into the pleural sac and another closing the small wound behind it.

Harm had kept amazingly still while the tube was inserted, the trocanter removed and the doctor took a couple of stitches to tie the tube in place. He shuddered from the pain and the effort, but he had not pulled away. This was only the first of three tubes that had to be placed though. Each time, the pain would be more anticipated and it would be harder for the young man to accept the action and the pain involved.

As soon as the doctor put a small dressing over the incision and stitches, Bateman hooked the tubing up to the vacuum evacuation unit, making certain the seals were tight. The small bottle was essentially a vacuum which meant that the air and fluid in the pleural cavity would be gently, steadily pulled out from Harm's body to fill the void in the bottle.

Turner tried to get the mouth piece out of Harm's mouth. The young man couldn't force himself to let go. He shook his head. He wanted them to get this over with.


Stu sighed, understanding the unspoken message. "Okay. The right side is going to be trickier tricky. He has to turn towards you, AJ, and that means he'll be turning onto his injured left arm." The doctor regarded the situation for a moment. "No, wait. Harm, just roll as much up onto your left side as you can without causing pain in your injured arm. Easy. Okay, that's good enough. Everyone hold on tight. Harm, this is going to take more time. I have to put two tubes in. I'm going to clean both insertion areas at once. Cold again." He scrubbed Harm's other side. He located the first spot. Harm flinched away from the doctor's touch. Stu shook his head. "Harm, let me numb your side for you."

The aviator shook his head, no. He forced himself to still. The doctor made the incision and got the tube in place as quickly as possible. By the time he was finished, Harm was shuddering from violent chills. He was going into shock from the pain.

Studevant hesitated a moment, but noting the determination on Harm's pale face, he found the second tubes placement location and moved quickly. The incision didn't get much reaction; Harm seemed in control, but, when the doctor tried to insert the trocanter, Harm bucked away from the sharp point at first. With a supreme act of willpower, the young man stilled his own withdrawal and permitted the invasion of his body by another stab. The last tube was stitched down and the doctor wiped away the blood that had run from the first attempt to place it.

Rabb was crying silently and couldn't release the mouth piece; his jaw had gone into a spasm, clamping down on the molded plastic so tightly Admiral Chegwidden had to gently pry his teeth out of the molded material.

After the oxygen mask was put back in place, Harm still made no sound. He kept his eyes tightly closed and worked hard to breathe as deeply as he could tolerate. He wouldn't open his eyes or respond to anyone.

AJ and Sturgis gently rolled him back on his back and lowered the head of the bed some. The tubes were doing their job as it was a little easier for Harm to breathe, but it was evident the constant discomfort from them was wearing him out. His jaw jutted in an effort to suppress his urge to cry out.

Stu checked Rabb's blood pressure. It was low; too low. He increased the rate on the two IV's and ordered Bateman to go get another blanket. He didn't like the amount of energy Harm was wasting on stoic acceptance of the pain. The man's reserves were too low to waste like this.


Chegwidden had the same thought. He bent over and spoke to Harm quietly in one ear. "Quit pulling this shit, Commander. There is nothing wrong with crying or swearing or whatever the hell you feel like doing. Complain, whine, cuss. Don't just lay here and shake. You are wasting strength you don't have, Harm."

Rabb turned his face away from his commanding officer. He wouldn't give in to his despair. They didn't understand. If he let go of the control he was clinging to, he'd go insane. That was his fear. He had to fight the urge to let go. There were demons in the dark. Dark faces taunting him that he would never stop screaming once he started. He had to hold on. This was the only thing he had any real control over, his reaction to this moment.

Doctor Studevant looked up as Doctor Reyes entered the room. He said. "How's he doing?"

"We have the chest tubes in. Get X-ray so we can check the placement."

"They are right behind me." He came closer to the bed, watching Harm closely. "Rabb, are you with us?"

Harm nodded, not even attempting to open his eyes, clearly concentrating on his control.

Reyes pulled Stu back from the bed. "This has to stop. Give him something for the pain."

Lou nodded reluctantly. "I'll be right back. Try and get X-ray finished while I'm gone. We'll hold off on inhalation therapy for a couple of hours so he can rest. This is wearing him down fast."

The X-rays were taken and the technicians removed the machine from the room. Harm hadn't opened his eyes the whole time. He had had to struggle to maintain his composure as they moved him flat to take the films, but he would not surrender to the urge to cry out.

Boone was stroking Harm's uninjured arm, frightened by the degree of control his godson was struggling with. Harms' skin was cold and clammy. "Come on, Harm. You are among friends. It's okay. We know you are hurting. No one is going to think less of you, if you let down your guard; please, let go."

Stu came back with a hypodermic and stabbed Harm's good arm with it. Harm tried to shy away, but AJ and Sturgis both held him as the injection was administered. The legal eagle tossed his head side to side, fighting the sedation, but it was a losing proposition. The drug took effect and he drifted into the depths. Only as the drug began to work did his control break enough that he moaned softly as he drifted away. "Please no more. Please. I'm so tired."

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  • FWWATT Chapter 7 Section Nine -- Sylvia Mohr Bartlett, 14:44:06 03/04/06 Sat
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