A/N: This is another sequel to Always FaithfulIt is set during the Hiatus episodes and the end of season 3. I hope you will read it and please review!
Summary: When Gibbs wakes up from the coma, he has a hard time remembering Jenny. Will his memory of her come back? How will he react to learn he is married when he thinks he has just lost Shannon?
DiNozzo had called her, even before the hospital had. She still couldn't understand what he had told her, it just seemed too unreal. "I'm so sorry to have to break this to you, Director – You need to get to Portsmouth naval trauma center" DiNozzo had told her in a tone of voice she had never heard him speak before. She'd asked him why, and he'd given her the most horrible answer she could have imagined. "Gibbs – Gibbs was in an explosion – "
And in that moment, Jenny Gibbs felt her entire world fall apart. Her husband, in an explosion? It couldn't be possible; it was not supposed to be possible. She immediately left the dinner she was attending at the White House, with one thought circulating in her mind, 'He can't die. Oh, please God let him survive!'
Entering the hospital in her long, red evening gown, she did indeed draw attention to herself, but that was the least of her concerns. Her biggest issue at the moment was the head nurse at the nurse's station.
"I'm his wife! I have to see my husband!" Jenny practically yelled, her tear streamed face looking right into the nurse's. She took a few breaths to calm herself, and then leaned across the counter toward the nurse. "You better press that pretty little button and let me in, because I've got very powerful friends, and I won't hesitate to call them" she threatened in a hissing voice, and the head nurse for a moment looked like she was going to stubbornly keep deny Jenny entrance. Jenny shrugged and began digging through her purse for her cell phone.
"Fine" the nurse said rather bitterly, not in the mood to be reprimanded by one of friends to the Director of NCIS. She reluctantly pressed the button to open the door. Jenny gave her a glance, then without another word turned and hurried through the door to Trauma 1.
Jenny was soon joined by Abby, who appeared to be just as shocked and scared as she was. She brushed away the tears that had begun to roll down her cheeks, hoping she'd be quick enough so that the Goth girl wouldn't notice. Believing she had succeeded in keeping her tears to herself, she then felt Abby's hand slip into hers. Jenny glanced to her left and met Abby's gaze.
"He will be fine, Abs" Jenny said and had to put in a great effort to keep the crying from her voice. Abby took her eyes off her Director and looked in through the window to where Gibbs lay. She thought he looked so… broken. This was not the Gibbs she was used to.
"How can you be sure?" she asked. Jenny closed her eyes for only a second, and then when she looked up again, her gaze followed Abby's and landed on her husband's broken shape.
"Because I just know" she replied and put her hand over her heart, feeling its hard pounding underneath her ribcage. In there she knew he'd be ok, she knew he would not abandon her. He would fight his hardest to find his way back to her.
Abby glanced at Jenny, noticing her hand resting above her heart, and she realized where Jenny's positive feelings came from, her love for her husband, and that she couldn't accept a life without him.
For about ten minutes the women stood there, looking at Gibbs, each trapped in their own train of thoughts. Finally, Jenny turned toward the younger woman.
"Abby, I need you to go back to your lab. Tony will soon be bringing in evidence from the…scene. We have to find out what happened" she tried her best to sound like a Director, but her great concern took over completely in her tone of voice. She did not know for how much longer she'd be able to hold it all in.
"Right, then I'm gone" Abby said, though it was certainly not in her usual cheerful tone, she gave Jenny a short hug before hurrying off to find her way out of the hospital as fast as her high heels allowed.
Jenny put her hand to her forehead. She needed an aspirin for her pounding headache, lucky for her this was a hospital. She caught the next nurse passing by and asked for something against headache. With an understanding smile the nurse walked off to get Jenny the aspirin.
Jenny was still standing outside Gibbs' room when the nurse returned. She shivered and pulled her thin scarf tighter around her shoulders, not that it did anything against the cold, but it was all she had for the moment.
"Here you go ma'am"
"Thank you" Jenny accepted the aspirin and the glass of water that was being handed to her. She took the pill as she kept her eyes on her husband.
"I can arrange a bed in his room for you" the young nurse said when she noticed Jenny's blank expression.
"Thank you" she repeated without taking her eyes off him. She noticed the woman left her alone, and only glass and a few meters were separating her from her husband. She found all the strength she needed to go in to him, and slowly, with one shaking step at the time, she entered his room. Making her way around his bed, she thought about how vulnerable and broken he looked. She just couldn't imagine her husband like this, this couldn't possibly be him. God, she wanted this to be a nightmare! She wanted nothing else than to wake up, in her own bed, with her husband snoring lightly beside her, realizing it was just a bad dream. But the pain in her heart told her this must be real, no dream could ever give her this feeling, the feeling of her heart ripping apart, this feeling of reality.
Her hand had flown up to cover her mouth as she approached him. He looked terrible! He had abrasions and wounds all over his face, and he was intubated. She ignored the upcoming nausea and instead reached out a shaking hand to lightly touch his cheek. He didn't react to her touch, but his eyes were moving underneath his eyelids. She wondered what he was dreaming about.
"Excuse us ma'am" Jenny turned around at the sound of the new voice. In the doorway stood the nurse from before, along with a male nurse, carrying a bed for her. As Jenny nodded toward them, they entered the room and began putting up the bed. She turned away from her husband and put down her purse and her scarf on an empty chair. Realizing she had nothing to wear other than her dress, she asked the nurse if she could possibly borrow a set of greens. She got for an answer that they would arrange for that as soon as possible. Jenny thanked them as they left her alone with Gibbs.
"Oh Jethro" she sighed and sank into a free chair. "Please come back to me." She hoped it would help if she talked to him, surround him with a familiar voice, she hoped it would make him wanna wake up.
Exhausted, Jenny changed out of her red evening gown into the clothes the nurse had given her. Before she went to bed, she sat by her husband's side, watching him, anxiously waiting for him to wake up. When she felt sleep starting to creep up on her, she rose from her chair, bend over him to leave a kiss on his cheek before surrendering to her bed.
Jenny slept poorly that night; the events of the day haunted her even in her dreams, only it twisted the reality and changed everything that had happened. She woke up around three, bathing in sweat after dreaming she had stood crying by her husband's dead body. After that, she could not go back to sleep. Instead she went back to the chair she'd been sitting in earlier and sat there for the rest of the night, watching over him. Around five, sleep had finally taken over her exhausted mind, and she was awoken a few hours later by the nurse who had come in to check up on Gibbs.
"Good morning Director" she greeted her in a sweet voice. Jenny stirred and blinked a few times to adjust her eyes to the bright light. Her neck was in pain after having been in an uncomfortable position the past hours; with a grimace she reached up her hand to gently rub her muscles. She curled up in the chair with her legs drawn up against her chest. In silence she watched when the nurse checked up on her husband, she realized she hadn't even bothered to return the nurse's morning greeting. But still, she kept her mouth shut.
"Can I get you something, ma'am? " she wondered and turned toward Jenny, who still didn't feel completely awake yet.
"Huh? Oh, some coffee would be wonderful, thank you" she blurted out. The nurse gave her a smile and nodded before she left her alone again.
Jenny returned her attention to her husband, who was lying just as still as he had since he'd gotten here. Every time she'd blink, when her eyes would open merely a heart beat later, she half-expected to find him awake, his bright blue eyes looking up at her. But every time was a disappointment. The nurse came with her coffee, and then she was alone again. She played with her wedding ring, and her mind travelled back in time to the moment when she had promised to become his.
Paris, spring of '99
A couple exited a restaurant, stepping out into the mild air of the French May evening. The woman had her long, red hair loose; it hung over her shoulder and cascaded down her back. She wore a lilac jumper and black pants. Her companion was a slightly older man, dressed in a grey suit jacket, a dark shirt and grey pants. They were laughing and he reached out for her hand. She gave him a sweet smile and rested her head on his shoulder as they walked along the busy street in the French capital. They sky was black, littered with shining white dots as the stars watched over the city of love. Though the moonlight was to no use in the beautifully lit city, it was striking to see it shine almost directly above the Eiffel Tower. Gibbs pointed it out to Jenny, who smiled appreciatively at the view.
"Let's go up there" she suggested, she had stopped and turned to face him. He raised an eyebrow.
"To the moon?" he asked jokingly. Jenny tilted her head to the side, looking slightly amused.
"No silly, let's go up the Eiffel Tower!" she let laughter slip into her voice as he took her face into his hands.
"I would prefer the moon" he mumbled before kissing her. She smiled against his lips, but decided to cut the kiss short. She pulled away rather quickly, much to his disappointment. She smiled as she stepped away from him, going back to her previous position by his side.
Side by side they walked in silence; Jenny linked her arm with his and placed her head casually on his shoulder. She was too familiar in this position to even be aware of that she was doing it. Normally, Gibbs didn't think about it either when she'd rest her head against him, but tonight he was very aware of her, the light pressure on his shoulder, the soft hair caressing his neck, the smell of her shampoo. He carefully slipped his arm from between them and instead wrapped it around her shoulders, bringing her closer to him.
Jenny felt him switching position, but she didn't mind, he only brought her closer to him. She breathed in the French air, listened to the French language the people around them spoke in; she understood some of it, but the sound was so beautiful. She glanced at her companion, his attention was on the surroundings, his gaze traveling from the buildings on the opposite side of the street, to the Eiffel Tower straight ahead, until it connected with hers. His eyes were warm when he looked at her. Then he bent down and left a soft kiss on top of her head.
They walked in silence; there were moments when they did not need words to connect with each other. This was one of those moments.
Jenny grabbed his hand again when they finally reached the targeted tower.
"You're not afraid of heights, are you, Jethro?" she said jokingly. Gibbs pulled her into his arms and stared her in the eyes with such intensity she had to look away.
"Oh yes, I'm terrified" he joked back, the corner of his lip rising in a slight smile as she managed to meet his gaze again. Before she could answer, he kissed her; the kiss was neither light nor cut short.
"Shall we go up?" she suggested once she had found the strength to pull away from him.
"Alright then" he agreed and grabbed her shoulders tried to kiss her again. She laughed as she teasingly managed to avoid meeting his lips.
"Jethro come on!" she burst out and twisted out of his grip. Gibbs let her take his hand and obediently followed her up the tower. His gaze was practically glued to her red hair that rippled down her back, when he tried to focus his gaze on something else; he found that he simply let it wander down her back until it found her butt. He tripped, too focused on her backside to be aware of where he put his feet. He stumbled against her; she was startled by the sudden push from behind, but before she fell, with a swift move Gibbs managed to hold them both on their feet.
"Jethro, what the hell are you doing?" she shrieked, and then she felt his hands firmly gripping around her upper arms.
"Sorry Jen, I tripped…" he excused himself and bent his neck to try and get a good look at her face "You ok?"
Jenny nodded "I'm fine, just got a bit startled" she assured him and smiled. She reached out her hand and took his. "Just try not to do it again" she added lightly as she turned to walk in front of him again, unaware of that was what had caused him to trip the first time. Still clutching onto her hand, he followed close behind her as they climbed the great tower.
Jenny placed her hands on the cool rail as she looked out over the city with amazement. They had finally reached the top of the high tower and the view was stunning. Below her there were thousands of lights all over the city, car were moving around despite it was so late. The city was so alive.
"Jethro, isn't the view beautiful?" she asked her companion. Gibbs was staring at her as she shook her head, making her hair ripple down her back, her body swaying slightly with the light movement.
"Yes, it is beautiful" he said, not having paid a seconds attention to the view of the city, he had no doubt that his view was much better.
Jenny noticed his voice sounded quite distant, she turned her head slightly and saw he was not even standing close enough to see what was below them.
"Jethro, you haven't even seen it!" she laughed. Her laughter rang like the sweetest tone in his ears. He reclaimed his focus as he fixed his eyes on hers. Jenny was smart enough to realize from where his gaze had travelled. With a sweet smile she turned around fully, her back leaning casually against the rail, her arms stretched out along the cool metal rail.
"Or, where you referring to something else?" she asked in a low, hoarse voice.
"What makes you think that?" he asked innocently as he walked up to her by the rail. He let his gaze travel across the horizon, taking in the view of the beautiful city. She had been right.
Jenny was still standing with her back to the view, but her gaze was on him. His face was expressionless, only a slight spark in his eyes told her he was enjoying himself.
"Maybe I was" she watched as his mouth opened and the few words fell over his lips.
"Was what?" she frowned as she asked and turned around so she faced the same direction as him.
"Maybe I was referring to something else. Something beautiful" he explained. Her eyes were still focused on his face, his gaze were still staring out over the city. Then she felt something slip over her hand, she took her eyes from him and they found his hand on top of hers. She looked back up, and this time she met his gaze. She felt the corner of her lips curl up in a smile as she realized what he was saying.
In silence she turned her attention back to the view of Paris. But Gibbs gaze stayed on her, his hand was still covering hers, but his free hand was stuffed in his pocket, playing with a hard, tiny object he was keeping there. After taking one last look at her face, he had made up his mind. Her expression told him she found the view to be astonishing, she looked so happy and peaceful as the lights shone up her face. She was so calm and familiar in his company he had no doubt that she loved him. And that made him happy.
"Jen..." he began, pulling her attention to him.
"Yes, Jethro?" she asked so lightly, so simply it made his heart beats increase.
"I'm really happy at what we got. You and me. Us" he continued and she smiled and squeezed his hand with affection.
"Me too" she replied softly. Gibbs wrapped his hand tighter around hers and brought it down between them. She glanced at their intertwined hands. Avoiding to be caught by her eyes he had slipped the little box out of his pocket and held it in his fist behind his back. He found her eyes with his and didn't lose eye contact for even a second as he gracefully went down on one knee in front of her. He heard her gasp.
"Jenny Shepard," he began as he pulled the box from behind his back and swiftly opened the lid "Will you marry me?"
Jenny took her eyes from his and looked down at the ring in the box, the pale metal shined in the lights. With an expression of mixed shock and awe, she wrapped her other hand around his wrist, pulling him up on his feet. He stood in front of her, the box containing the ring still in a firm grip. Almost the second he had straightened up, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips passionately against his. Gibbs was taken by surprise, but wasn't late to slip his own arms around her waist, lovingly kissing her back.
"Yes Jethro. I will marry you" she answered as she pulled away.
"I kind of figured that" he replied with a smile. He brought his hands up to his own neck, wrapping his fingers around her wrists as he removed her hands from around his neck. He let go of the right hand but held on to the left, and he felt how it was shaking with anticipation. It brought an even wider smile upon his face as he took the ring out of the jewellery box. Holding it between his thumb and index finger, he pushed it onto her ring finger on her left hand. It fit perfectly. His eyes stayed on her hand for a couple of more seconds, admiring the pale silver against her fair skin. His heart beats increased as he realized that from this moment, she would be his. He let his gaze wander up to her face, and meeting her eyes as she was already staring at him. Her smile tonight was enough to make him want her even more, more than he had ever wanted her before.
As Jenny was looking into his eyes, she could almost feel how she melted away in his loving gaze. The silver ring felt new on her finger, but a certain warmth spread from where it touched her skin, sending waves of warmth through her entire body.
She carefully slipped her hand from his and instead brought it up to his cheek. It felt warm against his skin. She took a small step forward, their bodies touching. Without a warning she passionately pressed her mouth onto his, swallowing the words he had just been about to say. Gibbs immediately wrapped his arms tightly around her back, pulling her even closer to him as they got involved in a passionate dance containing deep kisses and hands feeling each others bodies.
Jenny snapped out of the memory, but felt it had brought a smile upon her lips. Her hand tightened around the cup of coffee, her eyes still glued to the metal bands on her finger. Her gaze hesitantly moved from her hand to her husband's face. Her smile faded.
"God, Jethro please wake up. I miss you. I love you" she tried to blink away the tears, but they fell anyway. With a sigh she reached out to place the cup on him bedside table. Her legs had gone numb from the position she had been sitting in. She grimaced as she slowly straightened out her numb limbs, placing them on the floor as she stood up. Even though it was not necessary, she straightened out his blanket. Just to do something. Her gaze inconveniently fell upon the two halves of his wedding ring, where they lay on the bedside table, silently reminding her that their marriage was not perfect, and that just a couple of months ago it had been so close to breaking. But it had never completely broken. A glimpse from their wedding day haunted her mind. Could she ever have imagined the ring she had slipped onto his finger would one day lie in two pieces?
They had had to cut in two in order to get it off his swollen finger. Jenny's heart had skipped a beat when she had been told about it. Not that it mattered; she knew in her heart he loved her, but the ring, the evidence that they were married. The ring he had worn every day for seven years. She would buy him a new. She made a silent promise she would personally replace his ring.
She forced her gaze from the two halves, trailing it back to his face. Just as she was about to open her mouth to say something, her cell phone rang. Her eyelids closed for a second before she walked away a few paces to reach the "ringer thing", like her husband used to call it. She thought she felt a small smile cross her face at the memory. He had always had his special qualities. One of the many reasons why she loved him.
"Jenny Gibbs" she answered, sounding more tired than she had intended. She heard Tony's hesitant voice in the other end. With a sigh she realized she should probably leave for her office soon. For anything, to be close to Gibbs' team as they investigated the explosion so she quickly could be informed.
Couple of minutes later she hung up and turned back toward her husband. She walked back to his side and allowed herself to be weak for a couple of more minutes before she needed to become the Director of NCIS. She reached out her hand and placed it gently on his forehead.
"I love you" she whispered and bent down to leave a soft kiss on his head. Then she turned away and picked up her coat and the red evening gown she had arrived in last night. After glancing back at her husband once more, she left his room and began heading home to change clothes before she would get in to the office. Much as she would rather stay here and watch over him till he woke up, she had a job to do.
To be continued…