We've Still Got Time

Chapter Seven: Ceci aussi passera.

[Author's Note: Sorry for the lame chapter last time. I hope I did good at this one. Haha.]

"A little heads up, the friend who we're visiting is in a coma."

We were a few blocks away from Bellevue when I told Gibbs this. He looked a bit surprised, raising his eyebrow; but he didn't take off his eyes on the road.

"Really? What happened to him, exactly?"

I leaned my head at the passenger seat, sighing. How could I explain this to him without sounding like a weirdo and perhaps a creep? "He was at the same accident with Dad. I saw him for the first time at the same day. And I don't know... there's something about him that even I can't explain. He doesn't have any identity at the moment because he doesn't have any ID with him when the accident happened; so people at the hospital call him John Doe. And... and I want to know who he really is. I want to help identifying him and giving him a name; the real one."

Gibbs smiled, this time looking at me for a second before turning back on the road. He didn't say anything.

Oh my god. Is he judging me or something?

I elbowed him, "What was that for?"

"Nothing," he shook his head, smiling. "You just reminded me of someone."

I felt my eyebrows creased; this is the first time I am reminded of someone, "Who?"

"Some... girl," he said, hitting on the breaks.

Before I could ask him what girl, he's already stepping outside the truck and running towards my side of the car. He opened the door for me.

I looked at him cautiously, finally asking, "You know I really want to ask who the girl is but I don't think you're comfortable talking about it."

He sighed, putting his hands inside his pockets; he half-smiled and shrugged.

Gosh. Is he playing the "mysterious cute boy" on me? Well, it's not working. But if he doesn't want to talk about it with me, I don't really care. I rolled my eyes, changing the topic, "Let's go inside."

He followed behind me as I entered the building. Laura is sitting at her usual spot at the Nurses' Station. Her eyes widened when she saw Gibbs beside me.

"I brought company if you won't mind," I told her, nudging my head a Gibbs next to me. "I just thought that John could use another voice to listen to apart from me and you."

Laura nodded, smiling. "That is so nice of you. Good thing John's been moved to a more regular room just this morning so you can visit him at the same time."

My heart and stomach fluttered at the same time, they were suddenly filled with peculiar happiness.

"He still has the life support on but he's in a better condition now compared from the past days," she went on.

"This is amazing," I finally managed to say as I clasped my hands together with gladness. I'm so happy right now, really. What more if ever he wakes up?

They moved John to Room 243.

It's a little room that maybe the organization that is supporting can only afford. But this is better than the depressing gray walls of the ICU. His walls are now painted with light blue, and there's a really big window in front of his bed. His green ICU blanket was replaced with white cottony ones, and his pillow case and bed sheet are the same color as his walls.

And his face... it looks brighter.

"Hey," I greeted him. "I brought someone with me. You're probably starting to get annoyed with my voice so I thought I better introduce you with someone new." I can feel Gibbs looking at me with amusement at the corner of my eye.