A Multi-ship Story **in Editing*

Rescuing

I survive another whole day of all this beating and cutting and yelling. However, I think I have several broken ribs and am hurting in unspeakable places. They hated me after trying to escape and calling Jenny. They hated me before but they went full out angry after everything. More burns and gashes have been added to my uncountable wounds. They also drugged me with strange things that made me almost crazy and super out of it.

They are all three in the room with me and I am almost completely naked now. Only my underwear on. They really went crazy with me. I stand in the room, almost naked and actually not embarrassed. I just want to get home.

While one man, the boss, is right next to me, talking creepily. Then we hear a voice over a megaphone. "Attention! This is NCIS! We have you surrounded! Come out with your hands up or we are coming in!"

The man glares at me. Then he picks up a gun, puts it on my back and pushes me forward, with a hand on my shoulder. He takes me outside and to them. I suddenly feel very embarrassed about my nudity when I look around and see Gibbs and his team there, and Jenny in the background along with a group of men. Of course, with all the bruises on my stomach and arms and legs, I don't think they care that I'm nearly naked. Jenny is in the car. She sees me and covers her mouth. Seeing her start crying makes me start crying. Only, she's crying because she feels bad for me. I'm crying because I am relieved.

"No sudden moves and she doesn't get hurt!" He pulls the gun to my head. "If you want her back, give me 2 million dollars and a plane. I will return her when you surrender the money and plane"

Gibbs steps forward a little. "How about this, hand her over or I shoot you. Either way you aren't coming out of here free."

He glares at Gibbs. Then he quickly aims at Gibbs, but Gibbs fires. I feel the bullet graze my ear and it hits the man right between his eyes. The man falls to the ground and some men go into the warehouse and arrest the other two men.

I stay where I am, shaking from the drugs and breathing unevenly. Jenny rushes to me and puts a blanket around me for coverage. My strength drains and I fall into her arms. Bishop comes and helps me to the car. She gets me into the backseat of Gibbs and Jenny's car. Every time they move or touch my skin, it hurts more, thus making me cry. Gibbs gets in the driver's seat and Jenny asks bishop to stay with me and to keep me awake and alive. She gets in the front seat and Bishop in the back with me. Gibbs starts driving.

With Gibbs driving, we are at the hospital very quickly. They rush me inside. They stop in a waiting room that is very noisy and busy. Just then, I can't hold on any longer and just fall into Jenny and bishop's arms. My eyes close as I can no longer stay awake.

"Hey!" Gibbs shouts over all the noise. "We have an 18-year-old girl here at the point of death! Get someone over here! Now!!!"

Doctors surround us and bring a stretcher. They place my motionless body on the stretcher.

About an hour later, I am in a room, and Jenny walks in with others following her. I stare at them while they walk in. I don't see Rachel. So I ask with a raspy voice, "Where's Rachel?"

Jenny sits next to me. "She's okay.. Don't worry... She's alive, but She was shot right in the middle of her back and it, uh," Jenny pauses, takes a deep breath and continues,"it left her... paralyzed. From the waist down."

She continues talking but it all turns to blur kind of like the teacher from Charlie Brown. She stops talking when she notices me crying silently. She sighs. I sniff a few times, then I talk quietly. "This is all my fault..."

"It's not your fault at all. Don't you DARE blame yourself for this. It is not your fault that those men did what they did. Rachel doesn't blame you for what happened, so neither should you. She wants to see you. Is that okay?"

I shake my head, "No.. I don't want to see her right now." I close my eyes.

Jenny keeps pushing. "Oh, come on. She's your sister. and she wants to see you and talk to you." Gibbs cuts her off and shakes his head. She stops talking.

I keep my eyes closed until everyone leaves. I imagine what it would look like with Rachel in a wheelchair. The thought makes me nauseous. I find myself throwing up all over the floor. Jenny comes back in when she sees me and goes to find someone to come clean it up.

I watch as they clean the mess, and the others talk about me outside the room. I bring my knees close to my chest and rest my chin on them with my eyes closed. I hear the door open. I look up slowly and see Rachel in the doorway. She is in a wheelchair. Rachel wheels herself up to my bed. "Lexi, I'm so glad you're okay."

I start to shake, just looking at her in the wheelchair. "How can you even stand being near me???"

"What do you mean? You're my sister, of course I want to be near you. Especially after what you've just been through."

"But it's my fault you're in that thing... You wouldn't have been shot if I wasn't with you."

She puts her finger on my lips. "That's enough of that talk. It isn't your fault, case closed. Conversation ended. Besides, I think this is actually pretty cool. Think of all the stories there are of a girl in a wheelchair who makes new friends or does something heroic. So this is actually going to be fun. I am NOT going to blame you for this, ever."

I sigh and look up at her. "I'm glad you're alive..."

She puts the hair that is falling to my face behind my ear. "Oh, I'm much happier that YOU'RE alive. I don't know what I'd do if you had died." She pauses for a moment. then rests her hand on my hand and says, "you're a strong girl, Alexis... So, so strong. And beautiful. You mean so much to me. And Jenny. And even Gibbs. And I know that you mean a lot to Lily. Things will get better. I promise. You're already alive. Everything's okay."

I look down at my hands. She thinks everything is okay... When really, it isn't...

"What's wrong? Everything IS okay, right?"

I just glance up at her...