NCIS: The New Recruit

Chapter 30

"NO!" I screamed as Dougie fell to the ground.

I broke free of Marston's grip and fell to the ground beside Dougie.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THA-" Marston didn't finish his sentence before everyone opened fire.

I was surrounded by bullets, they deafened me, threatened to rip me apart, but I didn't care. I pressed against Dougie's stomach, my hands wet with blood, trying to staunch the flow of it. It moved through the gaps in my fingers as I tried to stop it, flowing freely.

Even over all the bullets, I could hear Dougie gasping for breath, gurgling, choking. I could hear his pain, feel it as tears streaked down his face.

"Don't you dare," I cried, tears dripping down my face, "Don't you dare die on me. Come on, keep breathing. Please... Stay with me..."

He stared deeply into my eyes and squeezed my hand weakly. He was convulsing and his body was shaking, the blood flowing from the hole quicker than I could have ever imagined, seeping through my fingers and onto the gravel. The light in his eyes was fading as the life disappeared, his breathing was growing shallower.

"Dougie... Please..." I was sobbing, "Don't die on me. Please, dude. Don't do this."

"Molly..." his voice was weak, shaking, I could tell he was terrified, "I'm sorry..."

"You don't have to be sorry, you need to pull through," I cried, applying even more pressure on his wound even though I knew it was hopeless.

He gave me a weak smile and looked up at the sky. The last flicker of light left his eyes but the smile stayed on his lips. Blood was still flowing from the wound but his heart had faltered, it had stopped.

I released the pressure on his stomach and let my hand fall to my sides. I felt empty, like a piece of me was gone. Dougie had been the first person to speak to me at this school and he was gone.

The tears were still flowing from my eyes and I didn't notice the stillness that had settled. There was no gunfire and no words, just me gripping my friend's hand and sobbing quietly. Nothing could express what anyone was feeling, silence was the only way.

Everyone had vacated the hall and they all surrounded Dougie and I. They were shaken, still terrified, shocked at the scene they had stumbled upon. The gunmen were dead. Gunned down immediately when the first shot was heard. Snipers had been posted around and they immediately took down the careless ex-teachers who stood too close to the windows.

But I didn't care. All I cared about was the fact that my friend was gone. He was gone and he would never return.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I stood up, hugging the person tightly.

It was Matt. I cried into his shoulder as he held me tightly, not saying a word, knowing nothing could make me feel better.

Everybody started to disappear, to go home and make themselves a hot drink. Kirsty was forced home by her parents when they arrived and bodies were taken from the scene, but I still gripped tightly onto Matt though no tears were left.

"We should get you home," Matt eventually broke the silence.

I pulled away from him and nodded silently. He led me to Gibbs' car where he sat in the back with me, hugging me tightly. Tony and Gibbs said nothing, just sat in silence. McGee and Ziva had left to inform Dougie's parents.

We got home and Gibbs made me a cup of tea while I sat silently on the sofa, my head on Matt's shoulder. Atticus was on my lap, licking my hands and face, worried about me.

"Go have a shower," Gibbs said quietly when he saw I wasn't going to touch my tea.

I obliged and went to wash the blood and tears off of my body. The cold water stung, felt like a million little needles sticking into my body but I didn't care. What was that compared to the pain I already felt?

I came out and stood, looking at myself in the mirror. Though I had looked well this morning, I looked a mess. My eyes were red and I was pale, I looked empty.

I dried myself and walked through at the same time Matt came through the front door with Atticus who yelped excitedly when he saw me.

He jumped onto me again when I sat down on the sofa, licking my face worriedly. Tony, Gibbs and Matt all sat down too, staring at me in silence.

"I'm so sorry, Molly," Tony said quietly.

Matt and I sat quietly for a while before he broke the silence.

"I should head," he sighed, "My mum will be worrying."

"Ok..." I said, my voice cracking.

"We have no school for the rest of the week, so I'll come back tomorrow," he said, "Stay strong. Dougie wouldn't want this."

Dougie wouldn't want this. No, he wouldn't. He hated seeing me like this beforehand, and he would hate seeing me like this now. Sure, he would want me to mourn him, but he wouldn't want me to let it consume me.

I nodded slowly.

"Yeah... I know..." I sighed as I showed him to the door.

"I'll be back tomorrow, don't worry," he gave me a small smile before heading out the door.

Tony hugged me tightly when I walked back in the room.

"This isn't fair," he said, "This stuff shouldn't be happening to you. You're only sixteen."

Gibbs was sitting quietly, staring out the window. He looked resigned, defeated. Of course, he knew what it's like to lose a child. He would know how Dougie's parents were feeling, he would know what their pain was like.

"Stay home for the rest of the week," he said quietly, "I don't expect to see you near NCIS unless it is an emergency."

He went back to work but told Tony to stay with me. Later on, McGee took his place then Ziva did too. He didn't want me to be alone in the house until he was sure I was OK.

I was slowly beginning to come to terms with it. I had suffered loss before, I had felt this pain before, and I knew I had to overcome it or it would consume me, eat me alive. I had to be strong no matter how difficult it seemed.

Matt came over the next day and we had a Harry Potter marathon. It took my mind off it, I laughed during it and completely forgot about the events from the previous day. Dougie was still there, but he wasn't controlling my every action.

We walked Atticus together and played with him before Matt went home.

"We should do this more often!" he laughed and headed down the driveway.

Dougie had his funeral two weeks later. Most of the school turned up and they announced a memorial at the school. I laid down my flower and said a few words before falling back into the crowd where Matt gripped my hand tightly.

Everyone was still slightly shaken but most people had recovered. We got about our daily life like normal, occasionally thinking about what had happened that day but trying to forget. Though we remembered Dougie, we tried to forget the horrible scene we had witnessed that day. We would rather remember him as the happy boy who always tried to cheer people up and would never hurt a fly.

Dougie, my friend.