Hello! Me again! This has been sitting on my laptop for a couple of months and I finally decided 'what the hell' so….. Yeah, it's 'T' because of ..content… and it was really hard to write, and I got kinda teary, but I did it for all the women whose stories need to be told. It was really inspired by a friend, who four years ago this happened to. So please keep her in your prayers, I know she's still dealing with it.
"Got a visual?" Gibbs asked breathily into the earwig that fed into Sara's.
"Not yet, wait, they're bringing her out. Do I shoot?" Sara felt stress creep through her shoulders. She sighed, "God I hate this feeling. Protect her." This was her boss's life on the line, actually two bosses and two partners.
"No, wait until you go in." Gibbs' irritation was as obvious as a hairless Chihuahua in a room, yappy and ugly.
"I'm going," Sara pinched the bridge of her nose like the drill team captain taught her years ago. Where did those years go?
"DiNozzo, watch Hayes and is anything starts to go down, take 'em out," Gibbs hissed to Tony, "Sara, your job is to get Jen out, First."
"Right, boss," Tony and Sara said simultaneously.
The redhead stood from her crouched position outside the warehouse.
Sara passed Tony, "If you have to take a shot through me, take it. Just get Jenny out, take the Dirt bag down, no matter the price," she laid her hand on Tony's and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Love you," he said as she went through the doors.
"You open for business?" Sara's hair blew into her face and a sick feeling hit the pit of her stomach.
"Who the hell are you?" A scruffy man with a thick British accent asked.
"Sara Shepard," she offered her hand, "you?"
"Mark Davies," he took her hand, "what can I do for you?"
Internally she debated between pulling the 'I'm a federal agent, give me my boss or you won't be having kids anytime in this life,' or the, 'I'm interested in making a buy…'
"I heard that you're the best in your business," Sara smiled.
"And which business is this?"
"Ah, you're a jack of all trades."
"Isn't everyone in this time?"
"Hah, most, maybe not my mother," she prayed a way to find Jenny.
"Mine neither. She prefers sipping tea on the beaches of Wales."
"Malls of Atlanta."
"Interesting, why don't you come this way," He roughly took her arm and shoved her ahead of him and threw Sara into a dark room and locked the door, she spoke into her earwig, "Gibbs, first room on the left, it's off of the hall on the left."
"Sara?"
"Jenny? Are you okay?"
Sara heard whimpers, "No."
"Jenny, where are you?"
"Walk towards the sound of my voice, crawl, I'm on the floor," Sara took step by step on her hands and knees until her eyes adjusted and she saw Jenny's outline.
Jenny was cowered against the wall, "Why are you here?" Jenny shivered and reached for Sara.
"Gibbs, I got Jenny. It's safe to infiltrate the place."
Sara took Jenny in her arms, "It's okay, Jen, it's okay."
"It's not, get out while you can. Leave me, save yourself," Jenny tried to push her agent to her feet.
"Director I'm not going to leave you here."
"I'm broken; this is a direct order from your superior leave me and go."
"Jenny, that's an order I'm not going to take. I'm not sorry, either." Sara stood.
"Go, just go," Jenny said, but Sara shook her head.
She squatted, "Remember that year when I was a freshman, and you were captain of Ebony Dolls?" Jenny nodded, "You never left my side that whole year. You were too good for the seniors, but you were my best friend. You're the reason I'm here now. Now I'm not going to leave you here."
Sara helped Jenny to her feet, when Jenny cried out.
"Did he beat you, Jen?"
"Yeah. I hurt," she whispered.
The two found the door, "Crap, it's locked," Sara reached to the small of her back and took her SIG.
"Take this, Jen." She handed the SIG to Jenny. In one swift motion she took the spare from her ankle and shoved herself in front of Jenny then shot off the lock.
"Go," Gibbs said, "we got him in custody."
"Okay," Sara replied, "Let's roll, Jen."
The women came out, guns drawn.
"Jenny," Gibbs went to her. She jumped into an embrace, then wrapped her legs around his torso.
Tears began seeping through her tightly shut eyes, "Jethro." All she had to say and he knew what the man had done to her.
1 day later
Gibbs turned to Sara, "how long you known Jen?"
"Since I was fifteen," Sara tried to look in the window, desperate to see her friend. She moved out of the way for a doctor to exit Jenny's room.
"Are you the family of Jennifer Shepard?" he asked.
"I am," Sara replied instantly.
"As you probably know Miss Shepard was raped," he paused, " we performed the rape kit, and she's negative for pregnancy, HIV and STDs."
Sara stepped forward, " can I see her? Jen's my best friend, I've known her for twenty five years." Sara was adamant about getting into Jenny's room, whether the doctor wanted her there or not.
"Alright, try not to get her upset," Sara nodded and passed him.
Sara opened the door and slipped in, but caught the attention of Jenny.
She held her head up and forced herself to sit straighter, "Sara," the pain Jenny felt was heard in her voice. The younger woman walked to Jenny's bedside.
"Hay, girl," Sara tried an easy approach. She wasn't sure how her friend would react to this, hell Sara didn't know how she would react to this.
"How are you?" Jenny asked, obviously unsure of how Sara felt about this.
"Hmm? Oh," Sara glanced at her shoulder, "I swear I don't even remember getting shot," Jenny placed her hand on Sara's wound.
"That's good, I guess," she laughed.
"Jenny, how are you, I know what you went through wasn't easy, I know it's not," Sara took Jenny's hand, "let me hug you, Jen," gently Sara pulled Jenny into her arms.
Jenny was silent, "uh, Jenny they're gonna release you in a few minutes," Sara told her. Sara was somewhat comforted by the beat of Jenny's heart. Just knowing Jenny was alive made everything a little easier to handle. Just a little.
In and out, inhale exhale, each breath Sara felt the weight of Jenny leaning on her getting heavier. She didn't blame Jenny for being tired. Sara knew she would be the same way, had this happened to her. Jenny's breathing fell into a steady pattern and Sara knew she was asleep.
"Good," Sara whispered to Jenny. Jethro walked into the room, Sara laid Jenny on the bed.
"I'm gonna go sign her out." Sara told Gibbs And exited the room, "if you wake her up, boss, I'm going to castrate you. And that's just what I'm going to do to you." Gibbs smirked and walked to Jenny.
Sara signed all forms and knew Jenny would be glad to go home, even if Sara was staying with her for a few days. To Jenny, everything was better than staying in a hospital. Sara turned go back to Jenny when she heard a scream, not just any scream, though it wouldn't be uncommon, they were in a trauma unit, but a scream that Sara recognized and it sent her back nearly thirty years.
Freshman year, it was the first football game of the year. Anacostia High was winning. Half time came around the drill team was on a first-game-we're-winning high. They'd prepared for this since August started. Everybody knew those moves like the back of their hand. Jenny was captain, therefore in front of the Ebony Dolls drill team. The routine started, everything was seemingly going perfect. Until the fifth eighth count, the count where Jenny was supposed to be thrown in the air and do a back flip. The two bases and one spotter missed. The redhead fell from ten feet onto the field. It was that scream, not the once-you've-hit-the-ground tears, but that scream of anticipation, you could hear the worry in it. At least Sara could. Jenny ended up with a fractured hip, and a severely dislocated shoulder.
Sara snapped back into reality, and rushed into Jenny's room.
"What did I tell you, Gibbs?" Sara said angrily, trying to get to Jenny as her main goal.
Jenny was tense, her forehead creased with worry-wrinkles and sweat on her brow, "hay, hay, shhhh," Sara cooed to her while gathering Jenny into her arms, "Jenny, it's okay."
Jenny seemed semi conscious, she had this look in her eye, one that Sara didn't recognize, and that was rare.
"Jenny," Sara rocked Jenny from side to side, "Jenny, it's okay, it's just a nightmare," Jethro sat behind Jenny, gently moving her tangled red tresses out of her face.
"Make it go away," Jenny pressed herself against Sara. "Sara it hurts."
"Make what go away, Jenny? Tell me what it is and I'll shoot it."
"The man," Jenny was so un-Jenny, "the man that did this to me," Jenny broke into heart wrenching sobs that shook her whole body.
With her hand holding the back of Jenny's head and her bad arm wrapped around Jenny, Sara squeezed Jenny to her, "Jenny, I promise that man will never hurt you or anybody else again, kay?"
Vigorously Jenny shook her head and asked in a very childish voice, "can I go home?"
"Yes, sweetheart."
Gibbs sat watching the two interact, he had never seen Agent Hayes act with such gentleness and love. He had never seen her so unsure of herself around Jenny. He had never seen Jenny so helpless, either. Sara had a bullet through her shoulder, yet she was ignoring the doctors warning advice not to move it around. She had her arm fully wrapped around Jenny, Jethro knew she was fighting severe pain, he once had a round through his shoulder. He went from Sara to Jenny. She was a sight to see. Her curly red locks were greasy and matted. Her shoulders were severely bruised, with green purple lashes. Jenny's thin neck had multiple hand prints that left a smorgasbord of black bruises on the circumference of her neck.
Sara saw Jenny's delicate features bruised and cut. Purposefully Sara was holding Jenny as gently as a newborn holds someones pinkie. She cooed in Jenny's ear, trying to ease Jenny back to the world.
"Jenny," Sara positioned herself to get up, "let's go now."
"Okay," Jenny used Sara as a balance in order to raise herself.
"C'mon, your okay," Sara gently said. Jenny refused to let go of Sara.
Jenny leaned into Sara whispering, "I feel like I look like... A whore," she sniffled, "like you're too innocent to be near me."
Sara wouldn't let Jenny pull away when she tried, "never think that Jenny, never." Sara stepped further, wanting to get home as she was at a loss for words.
Jethro trailed behind the two, and watched as Tony and Ziva stood. Tony gently embraced Jenny, afraid of how she would react to being touched by the male sex. Ziva wrapped her arms around Sara, being especially careful of the shoulder.
Tony switched and went to Sara, while Ziva squeezed Jenny, cradling her body, holding her head gently, then sisterly kissed her cheek. Tony kissed Sara's hair, then lifted her chin and kissed her nose.
Ziva walked with Jenny, Tony with Sara, Jethro then joined with Jenny.