NCIS: The New Recruit

Chapter 3

I struggled helplessly as the shark began to drag me downwards. Suddenly, I remembered something I had learnt a while ago. I needed to poke the shark in the eye. It would at least give me a few seconds to get away.

I reached down and poked it in the eye. It released me and I sped up to the surface.

"MCGEE!" I screamed and and Gibbs appeared. He reached down for me immediately.

He dragged me upwards and the shark shot out of the water, jaws open wide. It missed my already savaged leg by inches and I managed to get onto dry land. I began to cough up water and Gibbs hit my back to help me.

"Call an ambulance. Quickly!" McGee told Ziva and she pulled out her phone.

"Are you alright?" asked Tony and I nodded. I tried to stand up but collapsed again.

"Well, that is a definite no,' said McGee looking rather worried, "Stay still."

"Thank you for saving us," said Tony and I smiled slightly.

"It was nothing," I said and Gibbs raised one eyebrow and looked at my leg. It was completely shredded up.

His shoulder where he had been shot seemed OK. He hadn't lost too much blood, but he had lost enough to attract a shark. Just my luck.

I, on the other hand, had lost way too much. Everything was slowly turning dark. The ambulance had better hurry. My breathing was beginning to slow down. My heart was using up a lot of energy to keep beating. It was slowing down too.

Everything then went completely black. I could hear people shouting my name in the distance and a siren coming closer. It must have been over.

I woke up in the hospital. Gibbs, Tony, McGee, Abby and Ziva were standing in a corner, talking quietly.

"Don't you have a case to solve?" I asked, my voice cracking with every word.

Everyone jumped apart from Gibbs.

"We thought you were dead!" said Abby, running over and hugging me tightly.

"I... can't... breathe..." I gasped.

"Abbs!" said Gibbs and she released me, "How are you feeling?"

"Horrible," I said, smiling slightly.

My leg had been wrapped up tightly but blood seemed to still be coming out of it. I was hooked up to one of those packs of blood so that I couldn't lose too much.

"When the shark dragged you under, I thought I would never see you again. It was my fault, I let your hand slip. If I hadn't, the shark would never have got to you," said McGee quietly.

"It wasn't your fault, McGee! I was the one who jumped in the water, it wasn't like you forced me to go in or anything. You tried to help me!" I said to him.

"We've been trying to tell him it wasn't his fault since it happened, but he is insistent that it was!" said Ziva.

I sighed and McGee left the room, his head down.

"McGee!" I called after him but he ignored me.

"He'll come round." said Gibbs.

"Case?" I asked, groaning as I shifted on the bed.

"It was pretty easy. We caught the person who shot our car and it turned out he was the kidnapper... He was pretty easy to break," said Tony.

"Do you know when I'll be allowed to walk again?" I asked Gibbs.

Everyone looked at each other when I said that.

"What?" I asked.

"Well... There is a good chance that you won't be able to walk again... Your leg is in real bad shape," said Tony and I collapsed back in the bed.

My first day as an NCIS Agent and now I couldn't walk. Perfect.

"Maybe we should leave you to rest..." said Ziva and they all left.

I threw my head backwards, resisting the urge to scream. Could things get any worse? Maybe I should have just let the shark drag me down. I closed my eyes, cursing myself. I was doomed to be a fool.

Luckily, the doctors had been wrong. Or maybe I was just too determined to prove them wrong. A few weeks later, I was able to walk again. Well, with crutches. I walked into NCIS and even Gibbs seemed surprised to see me.

"Well, you recovered quickly!" said Tony, smiling when I came out of the elevator.

"Yeah! Seems the doctors were wrong!" I said, grinning.

"Hey, Molly!" said McGee, clapping me on the shoulder. I almost collapsed with the force and Gibbs expression turned from happiness to worry.

"I'm fine," I reassured him.

"Oh god. Sorry!" said McGee, realising what had happened.

"Hey, gear up!" Gibbs then said, "We've got a dead Marine!"

I limped over to my desk, ready to get my gear, but Gibbs stopped me.

"No," he said, his expression hard, "You wait here."

With that, they all left. I sat down at my desk, rather annoyed. I could manage to go to a crime scene.

I switched on my computer and checked my email. Everyone was sending me things, asking if I was OK. Smiling, I sat back in my chair. Maybe things would turn out alright this time. These people, they cared for me already, we were some sort of dysfunctional family. Sure, it wouldn't replace my parents but maybe it was a fresh start for me, I could just start thinking positively again.

All I knew, there was no harm in trying.