Being Part of the NCIS Family

Twenty

DiNozzo POV
Mason got down and started whining. Derek reached out and pulled Mason to him. Derek tried to comfort Mason, but Mason kept whining. After five minutes, he finally stopped whining, but he gazed at Liv worriedly. Suddenly, Liv started spasming and choking. Her heart monitor was going crazy. A team of doctors and nurses flooded in. A nurse pulled Liv's tube out, and that seemed to make her feel better. It probably felt like having a garden hose down her throat. A doctor called into the hallway, and a nurse came in with some tubing that she hooked up to an oxygen machine, then looped around Liv's ears and into her nose.

Liv finally calmed down, pulling in and out of consciousness for another half an hour before she woke up fully.

"What-" she asked when she woke up.

"What do you remember?" Gibbs asked. I could hear a hint of relief in his voice.

"We were laughing at the video of me and Clifford--I couldn't breathe--how long-" she trailed off, looking up at Gibbs.

"A little over four months." Gibbs said. Liv fell back on her pillow. She scowled.

"Where's my leg?" she asked. "Did someone take it off?"

"It's right here." her brother Josh said, gesturing towards her prosthetic leaning against the bedside table. Liv visibly relaxed for a moment, then looked worried again.

"Where's Mason? And what happened with the rottweilers?' Right on cue, all five dogs put their front paws up onto Liv's bed so their heads came up. Mason was closest to Liv's head and seemed to take great pleasure in it. "What about Mark?" Liv asked.

"He refused to take the dogs. Luna and Clifford will go home with Abby, and we get Poseidon and Athena." Aaron said. Liv smiled and reached out to scratch Mason's head. He gave Liv his trademark doggy grin, and she smiled back at him.

"When can I go home?" Liv asked.

"Probably not for a while." Gibbs said. "You need to rest."

"But I'm fine." Liv protested. She reached up to wipe her nose, then looked confused when she hit the oxygen tubes. "Why do I have oxygen tubes?" she asked, frustrated. "I just want to go home."

"Hey, hey, hey." Derek said softly. "Look at me." Liv tried to sit up, but settled for turning her head, evidently weak. "You'll be able to go home." Derek said. "It might take a while, but you'll get there. We won't leave you here alone until then."

"Promise?" Liv asked.

"Promise." Derek told her. Liv smiled at him and gestured for him to get closer to her. He scooted his chair over, and Liv motioned for him to bring his head to her. She craned her neck as much as she could, and she kissed him on the tip of his nose. He grinned and kissed her forehead.

We all sat around Liv's bed for a while until a doctor came in.

"You'll be here for probably another week before you can go home, and you'll probably be on oxygen for a couple weeks after that." Liv groaned. "I know, I know, but your body needs help now. It's not the way it used to be when you were in the military."

"Tell me about it." Liv muttered. The doctor smiled.

"You'll be well taken care of, and maybe these guys'll be willing to bring some food in. We are all well aware of the quality of our food." That made Liv smile. "Someone will be in regularly to check on you." With that, the doctor left us alone. Gibbs made a phone call, and when he hung up after a word, he told us that Vance was on his way.

"How in the world did you get that from, 'yup.'?" Liv asked.

"Vance took a guess, I confirmed it." Gibbs said, smirking. Liv shook her head, smiling.