NCIS Ellick Stories

The Heart of the Operation - Part Three

It's been two months since her team at NCIS had rescued Ellie from that sick bastard who had kidnapped her. She couldn't quite remember the first days after that, probably because she actually didn't wake up for two days and, of course, spent the following two weeks trapped in a hospital bed. The doctor had told her that the injuries she'd received were bad but after a few weeks of physical therapy she promised Ellie that she'd be able to use her arm and her jaw completely again. The breathing, which hurt her pretty bad due to the broken ribs, would get better too.

But Ellie had noticed that every doctor and physical therapist she spoke to wasn't as concerned about her physical health as her mental health. After all, the physical injuries would heal pretty quickly but her wounds on the inside were much more concerning. If she'd refuse getting the help she so badly needed, they feared that she'd never get out of that dark place. Ellie had known that if she ever wanted to get back to work at NCIS, Jack Sloane, their internal therapist, wouldn't let her get back while knowing that Ellie refused to seek help. She couldn't keep important things that were dangerous for her mind to herself. So she'd done as they wanted her to. Ellie had met with a psychologist at the hospital first and then, after being discharged, she'd gone to her mandatory meetings with Jack for the next few weeks.

"Ellie, I think we've talked about almost everything from the past two months but I know that there's still something you're not telling me. And for the last few weeks I've tried the best I could to use my Jedi mind tricks on you but you obviously didn't fall for that. So here's the thing," Jack Sloane took off her glasses placing them on the table in front of her, "I know how badly you want to get back to work with your team, Ellie, but you're my responsibility now and I fear that the things you've been hiding from me will get back at you at some point. And if that happens while you're in the field, which is most likely, I would be putting you and the team at risk."

Ellie'd known what would happen afterwards. Sloane would refuse to clear her for work and she would have to deal with more therapy sessions before she could even think about going back to work. She really didn't want this but Ellie simply didn't know how to put the thoughts and fears, she had tried so hard to push away, into words. Jack was right though, they'd talked a lot lately. And although Ellie had realized that talking was good for her mental health, there were still things she refused to talk about with anyone. But getting back to work meant she'd have to at least share a little bit with the forensic psychologist in front of her. "Jack...I'm sorry. I just don't know how to talk about this." She glanced at Jack who smiled reassuringly back at her.

"Just try, Ellie. I know how hard it is when your past keeps haunting you, trust me. But if you bottle everything up inside of you it will bite you in the ass at some point as it did me. Give me something so I can at least put you at desk duty."

"O-ok. Since I got out of the hospital I keep having these dreams." Ellie's voice was shaking. "I dream of the kidnapper and how he'd call me 'blondie' and then he'd hit me over and over again..." It was the hardest thing she'd ever had to do although she still hadn't been entirely honest with Sloane.

Although it had been difficult for her to admit this, she was reassured that nightmares and flashbacks were a 'normal' symptom after a traumatic experience like hers. But she still felt stupid and weak. The old Ellie had dealt with watching her boyfriend being killed... and now these awful dreams kept her from sleeping. It made her sick to her stomach that this insane bastard had still power over her mind. Even though he would rot in his hell hole of a prison cell and she and the team would make sure he'd never get out of there. At least she got cleared to work after that. She was on desk duty for the first couple of weeks because Sloane was still not entirely convinced that Ellie could handle being in the field. And weekly meetings were still mandatory, the psychologist wouldn't give up that easily after all. And Eleanor Bishop knew for a fact that Sloane had McGee and Torres keep an eye on her even though she hardly left the office. She could feel their worried and concerned stares on her.