A/N: First off- this will be short-exactly five chapters, each already planned out. Good, glad that's off my chest.
Second- this connects to the universe I created in 'Choices, Chances, and Fairytale Endings', which I recommend you read prior to this, because 1) it will make me very happy, 2) I love getting more reviews on old stories, and 3) it will help make this story make much more sense. :)
Third- for those reading my other stories, my muse is being elusive, just like when it fled to Mexico this time last year. They'll be updated soon, I promise.
And fourth- as always, I love getting your feedback! :)
Disclaimer: I own Allison, Liam, Sydney, and the other kids, that's it. I stole Biscuit the dog from a kids' novel series.
Jenny Gibbs had never been more thankful for the Disney Princesses.
They had successfully distracted her six year old daughter for the past hour, and had allowed her to fold the three baskets of clean laundry she'd needed to in peace. Her three year old son was asleep and the house was quiet, aside from Allison's movie. The only thing that could have made it better would have been if her husband was home.
Unfortunately, her husband was working a case. He was on some boat, looking for an undercover agent that had information on terrorists. He hadn't gotten into details; all he'd said was that he didn't think he'd be home in time to tuck Allie into bed, which had of course upset the six year old. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything either could do to change it.
The phone rang, and she groaned slightly, knowing it'd take her an hour to stand. She finally reached her feet, walking as fast as she could possibly manage into the kitchen. Just catching the phone before the answering machine picked up, she leaned against the counter, her back aching as she answered.
"Gibbs residence," she said, touching her baby bump gently. Being thirty eight weeks pregnant, she hated having to travel from the couch to anywhere.
"Jenny, its Tony."
Jenny froze at the sound of her husband's Senior Field Agent's voice, her heart stopping momentarily. Why the hell was Tony calling her?
"Tony…what's wrong?" she asked, swallowing heavily.
"There was…an explosion, on the ship Gibbs was on. He…he's being rushed to Portsmouth now," Tony said, and Jenny could just tell her was scratching his neck nervously. Her hand shook slightly, and she gripped the counter for support. "Kate, Abby and Sydney are on their way now, said they'd be able to watch Allie and Liam for you. Paula, McGee, and I will finish the crime scene and then head over, and Ducky said he'd be there as soon as he can."
"I…I'll have to call Jackson too," Jenny said, closing her eyes briefly against the dizziness suddenly invading her brain. "Tony…Tony how bad did he look?"
"I didn't see him Jenny. They had him in an ambulance as soon as possible, wouldn't let us near him. The EMTs said something about him looking pretty good for a blast victim, but then they rushed him out. I'm sorry Jenny," Tony said, and Jenny could hear his frown.
"No, don't apologize, Tony. Tell Kate I'll be there soon," Jenny said, sighing quietly before clicking the phone off, setting it back in the holder.
This could not be happening. Jethro was not allowed to leave her, not now. They had a son, a daughter, a baby due in less than two weeks. He was not allowed to get hurt, or die, or anything else. She couldn't do this alone.
She shook her head, pushing the thoughts away. She needed to not dwell on what could happen and think positively.
First thing first. She needed to get to the hospital. Taking another deep breath, she walked back into the living room, where Allie was still happily absorbed in her princess movie, her hand stroking over the head of the puppy happily curled up in her lap. She turned when she heard footsteps, smiling up at her mom.
"Hi Mommy. Who was on the phone?" she asked, sitting up slightly, tugging her furry purple blanket tighter around her shoulders and the puppy, named Biscuit by Allie. He'd been her present for her fifth birthday, and she absolutely loved her. Her crimson-colored curls were messily falling down her shoulders, her big blue eyes wide with curiosity as she gazed up at Jenny.
"That was Uncle Tony. We have to go to the hospital; Daddy was in a little accident," Jenny said, walking over to her daughter and tousling her curls gently. Allie's eyes filled with fear, and she bit her lip, face crinkling.
"Is Daddy okay?" she asked, standing and letting the blanket fall back on the couch as she moved Biscuit off her lap, letting the puppy curl up in the furry blanket. She straightened her Barbie pajama pants, her feet bare, the bubblegum-pink lacquer on her toenails gleaming in the light.
"I don't know yet sweetheart. How fast can you get dressed?" Jenny asked, guiding Allison up the stairs and down the hall towards her bedroom.
"I can be fast Mommy, I promise," Allison said, nodding solemnly before darting into her room. Jenny smiled faintly before walking into her son's room, finding him sprawled out across his racecar bed, the covers half off of his little body. She flicked on the light, and Liam began to stir, lifting his head groggily.
"Liam baby you've got to wake up," Jenny said, sitting on the edge of his bed and stroking his auburn curls. He buried his face in his pillow, but Jenny tickled his sides, a sure way to wake him up. He turned away, a sleepy giggle erupting from him.
"No Momma wanna sleep," he mumbled, rolling over onto his back, blinking tiredly at her.
"Baby you've got to get dressed for Mommy. We have to go see Daddy, he's at the hospital," Jenny said. She must not have covered her worry well enough, because Liam rolled over to her, resting his head on her non-existent lap.
"Daddy okay?" he asked, cocking his head up to look at her, his aquamarine eyes still shaded with sleep.
"I don't know yet sweetheart," she said, stroking his hair. Liam yawned, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "Are you ready to get dressed?"
Liam nodded, pushing back his covers and climbing off his bed, heading over to his dresser. He rifled through the drawers, finding the shirt and pants he wanted. Jenny helped him pull them on, kissing his hair as she stood. He slipped his small hand into hers, leading her out of the room, meeting Allison in the hallway. She'd changed from her pajamas to a purple t-shirt and terrycloth pants, her red ringlets up in a ponytail.
"I'm ready Mommy," she said, following Jenny down the stairs.
"I see that, thank you Allie. Can you grab Liam's coat when you grab yours please?" Jenny asked, glancing at Allison. Her daughter nodded and Jenny sighed quietly, grateful. She made a detour into the kitchen to grab her cell before walking to the living room, where Allison was helping Liam button his coat. Jenny grabbed hers as well, leaving it unbuttoned, and slipped her purse over her arm. "You two ready?"
Collective nods were their affirmation, and Jenny grabbed the car keys before taking their hands, leading them out to the van. She opened the doors for them and strapped Liam in before getting into the driver's side, starting the car immediately. She was insanely uncomfortable; there was a reason her doctor had told her not to drive past thirty one weeks, particularly after what had happened with Liam's birth.
Not that she was going to listen. At least not tonight.
She arrived in the hospital parking lot twenty minutes later, parking the car swiftly. Abby's black hearse, Kate's green Escape, and Sydney's blue Prius were all in the lot, and even just knowing that her friends were there made the nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach settle a little, even if it couldn't make it disappear.
She unstrapped Liam and set him on the ground, taking his hand and reaching for Allison's when she rounded the van. She brought them into the ER waiting room, sighing in relief when she found Abby, Kate, and Sydney.
Sydney stood, settling the toddler that had been on her lap on the chair, Abby watching her, and hugged Jenny. Jenny buried her face into her best friend's neck, tears suddenly springing to the surface. She struggled to regain control, finally pulling away and taking a deep breath. Sydney looked at her, her apple-green eyes soft with concern and worry. She tucked a strand of Jenny's crimson hair behind her ear, tilting her head.
"You okay Jen?" Sydney asked, and Jenny sighed, shaking her head.
"Not really the right question to ask, Syd," Jenny said, pulling Allison closer, stroking her curls.
"It's gonna be fine Jenny. I mean, it's Gibbs," Abby said, her green eyes wide as she looked at Jenny. Spencer squirmed in the chair next to her, and Sydney scooped her daughter up, slipping the blonde toddler onto her hip. "Gibbs doesn't get hurt."
"Well, I wouldn't say that, Abby," Jenny said, shaking her head with a slight smile.
"But he is considered invincible." Kate pointed out, one daughter in her arms, the other sitting in a chair, a baby doll in her lap.
"Even that isn't true though Kate," Jenny said, turning towards the brunette. "Jethro is far from invincible. He just likes to make Tony and Tim think he is."
"Well, it works," Kate said, smiling at her before adjusting Lily, who was shifting sleepily in her arms.
"Can you three watch Allie and Liam for me? I'm going to see if they have anything listed for Jethro's condition," Jenny said, stroking her children's heads softly before looking at the three women in front of her. They all nodded, and Abby reached for Allison while Sydney took Liam's hand, leading him over to a chair and seating him next to her.
Jenny turned, heading towards the front desk and catching the attention of the first nurse, an older black woman who looked up at her.
"Yes, can I help you?"
"I'm looking for information on my husband, Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs?" Jenny asked, watching as the woman typed on the keyboard, bringing up something on the screen.
"He's still in Trauma One," the nurse said, typing again. Jenny glanced around, finding the Trauma One doors and starting towards them, stopping when the nurse called out to her. "You can't go in there ma'am, it's restricted."
Jenny turned back around, walking back towards the desk and quelling her anger.
"I don't know why you won't let me in, but I think you should reconsider. All I want is to see my husband. The last time I was in this hospital, I was in a coma, following a car crash which resulted in the premature birth of my son. My husband didn't leave my side. I don't intend on not being by his side. So please, just let me through. I want to see my husband," Jenny said, wiping furiously at the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, despite her attempts to remain calm.
"I don't normally do this," the nurse said, pressing the button after a few long moments of pause. "But I am."
"Thank you," Jenny said, slipping her hand over the woman's on the button, inexplicably grateful. "You're a good person."
Turning, Jenny pushed open the doors, entering the trauma area and finding the nurses' station. After a small amount of begging, she was directed to her husband's room, where he was still surrounded by nurses and doctors.
She could barely keep the tears at bay once she saw his face; his head was bandaged and his face was cut and bruised, and Jenny couldn't imagine that the rest of his body was much better. Jenny was glad that Allie and Liam weren't there; they didn't need to see this, not yet.
A young black doctor walked out the door, and she stopped him, desperate for information.
"Do you know anything?" she asked, grabbing the young man's arm. He raised an eyebrow at her, obviously confused as to who she was and why she was there, asking questions. "I'm his wife."
"Right now, he's in a coma," the doctor explained, looking back at the prone figure in the bed. "There doesn't appear to be too much damage, other than the cuts and bruises. Until he wakes up, we won't know the extent of the damage or how much pain he's in."
"So you can't do anything? You can't alleviate any pain he may be feeling now, just as a precaution?" she asked, biting her lip as she shifted her stance slightly, hoping to take the pressure off her lower back. The combination of stress and nerves was causing the baby to move more than usual, and the ache in her lower back was becoming more and more pronounced; she needed to sit down, and soon. The doctor sighed, shaking his head as he looked at her, sympathy in his eyes.
"Opium will only deepen his coma," he explained, scratching the back of his neck. "We need him to wake up."
"Do you have any idea when that will be?" Jenny asked, her gaze moving to her husband, fear filling her as she regarded his motionless body.
"At this point, it could be an hour, a day, even a week. Comas aren't an exact science," the doctor replied, shaking his head. "He'll wake up when he's ready."
"Thank you," she said softly, nodding to him. He squeezed her hand before continuing on his way, and Jenny slipped into the room, hating the slight buzz of machinery and the antiseptic smell that filled the tiny room.
She moved one of the chairs closer to his bed, sinking down into it and taking his hand, kissing each of the fingertips gently. She held the tears at bay; she would not cry, because crying meant no hope.
And she needed as much damn hope as she could get.
"You can't leave me, Jethro," she whispered, shaking her head as emotion overwhelmed her. "Not now, not ever. You promised."
And he didn't break promises.