WOW! I can not believe how many reviews I got in such a short amount of time. Thank you, thank you, and thank you. Now, I hope you won't get too upset with the way I chose to take this…Enjoy^.^
Disclaimer: See chapter one for disclaimer.
Jenny woke with a start as she heard her doorbell ring.
"What the…?" she said before she remembered who she called, and what has happened.
She looked down at the infant fast asleep in her arms and couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.
The door bell rang again and she debated whether or not to set the sleeping infant down or to take her with her and answer the door. She decided on the latter, not wanting anything to happen to the baby girl when she went and answered the door.
Taking a deep breath to quell her nerves she opened the door.
"I got here as fast as I could my dear…why what do we have here?" Ducky asked as he walked into the house, Jenny shutting the door behind him to keep the cold air and rain out of her house, worried that the child had already been exposed long enough to that sort of whether for the night.
"Thank you Ducky. Well it's sort of a long story, please." She indicated with the hand that wasn't supporting the baby to the room in which she just came.
After sitting back in the position she was in before she fell asleep Jenny carefully adjusted the sleeping buddle in her arms so she was cradling the child.
"When did…?" Ducky started, but stopped when he noticed the box that was lying next to the couch. "Jennifer, my dear, did you…" he was interrupted by Jenny explaining.
"I was up doing paper work, can you believe it, everyone in the whole entire…never mind, that's not important. Anyways, I didn't realize it was storming out until I heard a loud crack of thunder. After that I heard something I wasn't quite sure what at the time, but I followed it.
"It lead me to my front door in which I found that box" she indicated with her neck to the box on the floor "I brought it inside as soon as I heard crying and took the baby out. I wrapped her in the fleece because the blanket, as you can see, was freezing and sopping wet.
"That's when I noticed the note…" she stopped short. She didn't want him to see the note otherwise he would no doubt find out about her miscarriage and she didn't want that…
"What about the note Jennifer?" Ducky pushed noticing the fear that presented itself on her face.
"Well there was a note that said she was mine." Jenny tried to cover, but taking one look at Ducky's face she knew she didn't succeed.
"The note my dear?" Ducky asked holding out his hand. Jenny hesitantly indicated the note on the table. Ducky picked it up while looking at her as she ducked her head and looked at the baby.
He looked at the note and was a bit shocked to see her name on the front of it, but getting over that he opened the note and was a startled and more than a little horrified.
"By gods, leave a child in the middle of a storm because they don't care for it, that's, that's just not humane in the slightest!" He said angered by the fact that someone would care so little for a child to leave her on a doorstep in the middle of a thunderstorm.
"That's what I said." Jenny replied still looking at the infant, knowing that in a few moments Ducky was going to ask about the note.
"Jennifer, it says here; 'Here's your chance to have what you lost all those years ago', does this mean what I think it does?" Ducky asked quietly dreading the answer. He heard a noise and believed it was Jenny trying to keep herself from crying, he had only heard it twice before, once when she called him right after she left Jethro to ask Ducky to look out for him. The second was about six months after that. That's when it hit him.
"Jennifer. That time you called me, six months after you left Jethro, was that, was that because…" He was unable to finish. He remembered her calling him all those years ago, remembered the sound as she tried to keep herself form crying, and knowing that she was failing as he heard the tell tale sign of one crying, but at the time he didn't push her.
"Was that when I lost my baby? Yea, I wasn't feeling good; it felt as if I was going into labor a month early, so I had my neighbor drive me to the hospital. The doctors said she should be okay, but she wasn't. They performed an emergency C-section, but found that she wasn't breathing. They tried to save her, but it was no use. My baby girl didn't even get a chance…" Jenny couldn't stop herself from crying as she relieved the nightmare of seeing the doctors faces when they tried to get her baby girl to breathe, remembered the looks when they couldn't. She remembered her scream when they told her, the pain, and heartache that followed for months afterwards.
To this day she can't really remember anything from the months that followed. Eventually she learned to get over it a tiny bit at a time, but she knew she'd never actually be over it completely.
Ducky listened with sadness as Jenny told him about her tragic history. He hated himself for what he did to her when she called.
Jethro had just gotten into a huge fight with Stephanie about Jenny, somehow Stephanie found out about the undercover mission, thankfully all she did was speculate about Jethro and Jenny's involvement on the mission, but Gibbs came to him and told him of the fight. He then ranted that it was Jenny's fault for leaving like she did, that she was going to cost him a another marriage. At the time he was, as much as he hated to admit it, angry with Jennifer for making Jethro go through what he was.
To this day he remembers his response when she asked if he had a minute.
Flashback
"Hello?" Ducky questioned not recognizing the number.
"Ducky?" came Jenny's rough and pain filled voice.
"Jennifer?!" He asked with anger and hock, he hadn't heard form her in six months.
"Yes, it's me Ducky." She stopped as a quite sob escape, Ducky was shocked to hear the noise but he was upset with her so he didn't ask what was wrong instead he asked why she had called.
*Sob* "I was wondering if you had a minute *sob* I need someone to talk to."
He knew it was out of character for Jenny not only to be crying, but asking for help, or at least asking for someone to talk, but he was extremely upset with her at the moment.
"Maybe another day Jennifer, right now I have work to do. You know how important work is, it comes before anything else. So you won't mind I hope." Ducky knew it was a low blow, he knew how upset she was with herself for leaving Jethro, but at the moment he didn't care. He also knew that Jenny had never heard him act so mean, few have, but once again he didn't care.
He heard her sobs increase in volume somewhat as well as appear more rapidly, his anger softened a bit, but not enough for him to take back what he had said.
"Of course, *sob* sorry to take your time" And with that she hung up, never to call him again until she saw him sic years later.
End flashback
"Oh my, Jennifer you do know I never meant to hurt you, well at the time I was angry, but I never even fathomed what you were going through. I am terribly sorry my dear, I wish my pig headedness was as it was today, much less…" He started to apologize, but Jenny interrupted him.
"Don't Ducky, I understand. You blamed me for how Jethro was when I left, and I can't say I blame you. I should have spoken to him before I left, but I took the easy way out and left you to deal with him. You couldn't have known what had happened, so don't worry I am not mad at you in the least." Jenny said looking into his eyes showing him she was speaking the truth.
It was then that Ducky noticed something. "Jennifer, excuse my bluntness, but you said a month premature, that means you were eight months correct?"
Jenny cringed; she knew exactly where he was going with this. She cursed herself for letting that slip, but answered him anyways.
"Yes, I was eight months and a few days pregnant."
"That means…was the baby Jethro's?" His answer was confirmed with a slight nod of her head and a tear rolling down her face.
"Does he...does he know?" She looked at him with pure horror on her face.
"No, and you can't tell him Ducky, promise me. He's already lost one daughter; don't make him go through that again. Besides that I think he would never get over me keeping her a secret from him, he would hate me and he'd have the right for the way I kept her a secret from him." Jenny said sitting up more so she was right in front of him.
"I promise, but if I were you I would tell him, and he would never hate you my dear." Jenny was about to respond when the baby started squirming and crying. Ducky and Jenny looked at the infant then at each other.
"Jennifer, she needs food, dry clothes, as well as other necessities if you actually plan to keep her." Ducky said believing Jenny would make an excellent mother, but at the same time worried that she may not be able to care for a child on her own, of course at the moment he was not stupid or cruel enough to voice such opinions.
Jenny smiled a bit at this. "Well, I have some of those things." At his look of surprise Jenny elaborated.
"I was eight months pregnant Ducky, you don't think I would have waited until she was born to get things she would need did you? I have clothes, a crib, a car seat, diapers and wipes, as well as a bunch of toys. The thing I don't have is formula." Jenny explained and Ducky smiled.
"How about this, I'll go and get you some formula from the grocery store, while you go get her into some dry clothes."
"I can't." Jenny said and Ducky looked at her confused.
"I don't mean I can't, what I mean is it's all packed away in my attic at the moment. I need help getting it out." She elaborated.
"Ah, I see, I can help. Either holding her or getting the things out, you decide." He offered and jenny smiled as she stood up with Ducky.
"Here, you can hold her, I know where everything is, and it will go much faster if I get everything out. I think though I should only get out her diapers, clothes, and car seat right now. I'll go with you to look at formulas."
"Very well, after you." Ducky said holding the once again sleeping baby.
Fifteen minutes later and Jenny had pulled out a top of the line car seat, three packs of dippers and a whole bunch of bags of baby clothes.
"You weren't kidding when you said you had a couple things." Ducky said and the little girl woke up again crying. Jenny turned around at the noise, but saw that Ducky was rocking her. The little girl quieted down, but stayed awake.
"Okay, let's see." Jenny said as she laid out a white piece of cloth and gestured for Ducky to set the baby down. He did so and watched as Jenny took a dipper from one of the bags and quickly, but gently removed the child's wet clothes and dipper and re dressed her.
"You're a natural Jennifer." Ducky said when Jenny had finished and picked the little girl up and cradled her to her chest.
"Thanks Ducky, you mind grabbing the car seat? We can take my car, that way I don't need to re-install it when I have to go to work." Jenny said and Ducky nodded grabbing the car seat and walking in front of Jenny down the stairs to the front door and to her car.
He stopped at the car and looked to Jenny with a look of confusion on his face. Jenny understood exactly where it was coming from and gestured for him to put the car seat down and take the little girl as well as the umbrella. She grabbed the car seat crawled into her back seat and set it up just like she practiced six years ago.
She then got out of the car and gently took the baby from Ducky and strapped her into the car seat securely. Ducky couldn't keep the smile off his face as he watched Jenny's actions. His worry about her not being able to take care of the little girl fading almost completely, almost that is.
"Okay, we should go; I have no idea how long it's been since she was fed." Jenny said walking to the drivers side and getting in.
Together they drove to the nearest twenty four hour store and walked in. Jenny purchased the formula with the highest reviews, a couple binkys, and many other baby things.
Ducky, the gentlemen that he is carried all the bags for her and loaded them into her car as she fastened the girl into her car seat.
They drove back to Jenny's house and mixed the formula. Jenny fed her and was pleased to see how much the infant like it, after she was done she gently burped the baby and her and Ducky went back up to the attic to get out the rest of the things.
"Ducky, where do you think I should put her crib?" Jenny asked unsure.
"Well, her cries are very quite so I suggest in your room for now."
"Got it." She said before pulling the crib into her room, which, thankfully was only down the hallway.
"Okay am I missing anything?" Jenny said looking at everything.
"You have all of her clothes, her crib, dippers, binkys, toys…ah sleeping things." Ducky said not seeing anything.
Jenny hit her forehead. "Duh, hold on I'll be right back." Ducky heard a few doors open and close and a couple minutes later Jenny ad brought out baby pillows, blankets, and sheets that would fit the crib.
Finally at 0500 everything was finished and the little girl was in her crib next to Jenny's bed sleeping. Jenny and Ducky of course were not. They were currently sitting on Jenny's bed watching the little girl sleep, well Jenny was, Ducky was watching Jenny.
"You know that if you're going to keep her…"
"I am." Jenny interrupted.
"Of course, so you will have to come up with a name for her, and I must check her out immediately when we get to work tomorrow, my, my I mean today." Ducky said and he and Jenny laughed.
"Sorry for waking you Ducky, I needed the help."
"Think nothing of it, I'm always glad to help out, you now that. Plus I got away from mother's crazy corgis; they were chasing me around when you called. It was quite a relief to have an excuse to leave the house." Jenny laughed at that.
"You are a strange man Ducky, but thanks anyways. Look, I know we don't have much time before we have to get up for work, well I already have to be up, but if you want you can sleep in the quest room for a bit." Jenny offered feeling bad that he hadn't gotten any sleep.
"No, no that's alright. I have to get ready anyways. I'll be fine, see you in a few hours Jennifer." He said as he stood up. Jenny stood with him and gave him a hug.
"Thanks again Ducky."
"Your welcome." He hugged her back. Once he was almost out of her room he stopped and turned back around.
"Remember, that that little one needs a name." He said pointing at the sleeping bundle.
"I'll try to think of one. See you in a few Ducky. Bye, drive safe." She said as he walked out of the room. A moment later she heard her front door close.
"A name, the only thing I didn't come up with." She said to herself as she started to get ready for work.
It was going to be a long, long day today. Some how she had to keep the infant hidden from Gibbs and everyone else, but she needed to bring her down to Ducky's to get checked up on, and with Jethro just appearing everywhere when you didn't want him to be, well yes, it was going to be one hell of a long day.
Curse SecNav for making them work Saturdays.
A/N: So? Terrible? Salvageable? Good? Great? Should I continue? Let me know what you think and I should be able to get the next chapter out to you…that is if you want it…Thanks for the reviews on the last one, hopefully I'll get just as many on this chapter. I know Ducky would never really act like that, but it's all that would come to me so hope your not too mad. It actually didn't go the way I was thinking when I wrote the first A/N at the beginning of this chapter, but I'm still thinking of going that way, not that you know what way, ya know what I'm gonna shut up now, Thanks again^.^