Nothing To Fear ....

Battle Plans

      After moving Vance Logan out to the road , so he could be loaded into the waiting ambulance , Crane and the others elected to travel back to the house on the road , since the risk of bypassing signs of Logan's whereabouts were now moot . This reduced their travel time considerably , and they arrived back at the house in slightly less than twenty minutes , cold and damp , but in much better spirits .

      They walked inside , and were greeted with hugs , high - fives , and steaming mugs of hot chocolate . All nine discarded their saturated socks and shoes , and seated themselves near the fireplace , which Jesse and Blasko had prepared while they were gone .

      "Is my dad okay ?" , Katie inquired . "Did that thing hurt him ? Where is he ?"

      "He most likely has a concussion , so we sent him on to the hospital , but he should be just fine in a few days ." Gibbs answered . "As soon as I warm up a little , Chief Potter and I will take you and Mr . Devashar there , and you can see your dad , and get that knee looked at ."

      Katie sipped at her cocoa , and observed the group talking amongst themselves , until Faith sat down next to her . "How does your knee feel , Katie ? Do you want some more Tylenol , or an ice pack ?"

      "No , thanks . I think I'll be okay until we go to the doctor . I was just thinking . Now that I know Dad's okay , it seems kind of weird that I'm thinking more about how I'm in the same room as BVB , than what that thing was ."

      Faith smiled and put a hand on her shoulder . "Maybe that's a good thing , hon . Could be that your brain is trying to deal with the situation by focusing on happy things , instead of dwelling on what happened ."

      Katie cocked her head , considering the idea . "Maybe it is . At least there's something fun to think about ." She gazed at Faith again , who was taken off - guard by the girl's next words . "I know Andy's married , but is one of the other guys your boyfriend ?"

      Glancing around quickly , to assure herself that no one was listening to their conversation , Faith replied , "No , sweetie , I work for them , I'm not dating any of them ."

      "What about the British dude , or the big blond guy ? They're both pretty cute , too ."

      With a chuckle , Faith said , "No again . The blond guy is almost like my big brother , and I just met Mr . Crane a few days ago . He seems to be a nice man , but apparently his wife died recently , so I don't think he's looking for a girlfriend right now . But you're right , they are pretty cute ."

      Katie's eyes clouded over , and her voice caught as she said , "Yeah , I get that . My Mom died when I was twelve , and I know Dad still misses her a lot . I do , too , but I think he's lonely sometimes ."

      "I'm sorry to hear that , Katie . But at least he has you and your brothers to remember her by . And didn't you say that your brother and his wife are expecting a baby ? That should help cheer him up , too ."

      A faint grin crossed the teenager's face , and she whispered conspiratorially , "Josh and Gwen have a surprise for him , Gwen told me a couple of weeks ago , and we've been keeping it secret . They told him that the baby is gonna be a boy , but it's really a girl . And her name is gonna be Elizabeth , after my mom ."

      "That's really sweet , I'm sure your dad will love that ."

      They were interrupted by Chief Potter , who walked over to Katie and said , "Are you about ready to get going ? We'll get you checked out , by the time you're done , Vance should be ready for visitors ." 

      Katie flushed , and hesitantly said , "Yeah , but before we leave , uh .... Do you think I might be able to get a picture with the band ? My brothers won't believe me if I don't ."