~*~NCIS~*~
"What?" Lexi demanded. "Cut the bullshit, Gibbs doesn't have another daughter."
"Whoa, chill. Man, you are a spitfire. Anyway, yeah he did. Back in 1991, when I was 7, some stuff happened with my mom witnessing a murder, and then we were put in Witness Protection. But the agent driving us at one point was killed by a sniper, causing the car to spin out of control, and boom! Here I am. He never talks about it to anyone. My mom and I watch over my dad and well, you too," Kelly replied simply.
"Why me?"
"Because you're my baby sis. I have to keep you safe."
"Wait, how old are you?" Lexi inquired in confusion.
"Technically, I'm dead. So I haven't aged past 7, silly goose. But, I come to you as a 14 year old, just so you won't be alarmed," Kelly pointed out.
"Oh yeah, because a girl claiming to be my dead older sister in the afterlife isn't alarming," Lexi replied sarcastically.
"Well, it's the reality of things. It's a bit alarming at first, I know. But just chill, you'll meet my mom and she'll explain everything," Kelly assured.
"Oh. Well, sorry, but I've never heard about you before. What's your mom like?" Lexi whispered.
"She's very sweet and has a great sense of humor. But she doesn't tolerate bad language and she's kind of hot tempered at times," Kelly explained.
"Sounds like my mom. Can we see her?" Lexi replied.
"Sure," Kelly said. Suddenly, they were in another room, filled with televisions with the team, Gibbs and her on the screens. A redheaded woman sat by one of the screens, watching intently.
"Mom?" Kelly called.
The woman turned around and her face broke into a large grin at Lexi. "Well if it isn't Lexi Gibbs herself! Come give your Guardian Mother a hug!" Shannon remarked.
Lexi looked hesitant. "I would but...am I gonna go through you?"
Shannon laughed a cheerful, almost musical laugh. "No, sweetie, you won't."
Lexi smiled and gave Shannon a hug. "Now, why don't you explain to me why you're here?" Shannon suggested.
Lexi sighed. "Well...I've been feeling under the weather lately-"
"Under the weather? Your appendix was in agony for a week," Kelly scoffed.
"Kelly!" Shannon scolded, sending a sharp glare her way. "Continue, Lexi."
"Um. I figured that I could just deal with it on my own, since it felt like a normal stomachache," Lexi continued.
"What stopped you from telling your mother? She would have understood, I'm sure," Shannon inquired, crossing her arms.
"I dunno," Lexi shrugged. "I just assumed that I could have handled it."
"Rule 8: Never assume," Kelly piped.
"Kelly Anne, would you like to wait outside?" Shannon growled, her green eyes sparking with frustration.
"No, Mom, I'm done. Promise," Kelly promised, her hands up in surrender.
Shannon rolled her eyes. "You know that your mother is nothing like your birth mom, right?"
"I know. I just really screwed this one up. I was so stupid..." Lexi groaned.
"Hey, I don't want you to ever call yourself stupid again. You made a mistake. But all you have to do is fight," Shannon told her softly, stroking her cheek gently.
~*~NCIS~*~
Jen stood by Lexi's bedside, gazing down at her still form. She knew that if Lexi had been awake when they put the IV in her arm, she would have raised hell. Needles, and hospitals of course, made her extremely nervous. It was unusual to see her so pale. Her naturally tanned skin almost matched the shade of the white bed sheets, and her face was ashen.
Jen sighed and took her limp hand in hers. "Hey, baby girl. The doctor said your operation went well. All you have to do is fight off the infection. You can do it, Lexi. We all love you," Jen whispered.
Lexi showed no signs of responding, of course. Jen squeezed Lexi's hand, then placed a soft kiss to her very warm forehead. She gently smoothed her curls away from her face.
As she turned, she saw Tony standing by the doorway. "Oh, uh...sorry, Director. I didn't mean to...um,"
"It's fine, Tony. Come in. I was just leaving for some coffee for a moment. Can you stay with her?" Jen replied.
Tony nodded. "Yes, ma'am," he responded. Jen smiled, squeezed his arm gently then walked out. Tony took a deep breath before walking up to his little sister's bed and sitting down in the armchair next to it.
"Hey, Squirt. You're gonna be just fine. It's kinda weird to see you so quiet and pale, just lying there. And your hair's a complete mess, but that's cool. You'd probably kill me if you found out I said that. It was pretty scary to hear that you passed out due to your appendix and all, then wound up here in the hospital. I knew from the beginning that something was wrong, brotherly instincts, I guess," Tony laughed to himself, before his grin faded. "Even when you yelled at me, I guess I deserved it. I have always been sort of an idiot."
"Understatement."
Tony jumped slightly. "Whoa there, McSpooky," he yelped.
"Can I talk to her one moment?" McGee replied.
"Yeah, sure. Don't expect a response, though," Tony joked half-heatedly.
Tim smiled slightly, and then patted Tony's shoulder. Tony kissed Lexi's forehead before leaving the room.
"Hey there, Lex. I'm glad that you pulled through your operation. The fever is back full force, though. Don't worry, you'll be back to normal in no time. Trust me, I've tackled a ruptured appendix at your age, and it wasn't pleasant. But you're a fighter, and you're surrounded by people who love you. You'll pull though this. I know that Tony and I can be idiots, but we love you with all of our hearts," Tim whispered, stroking Lexi's hair.
It hurt Tim to see his little sister in this much pain. Her face was etched in a pained expression, unwavering. She reminded him of Sarah in every way. He was also angry at the fact that she couldn't have even come to him.
"God, Lex...I love you, but you are so stubborn," Tim chuckled after a while, shaking his head.
"McGee?"
Tim turned to see Abby standing by the doorway, worry visible on her face.
"Come in, Abs," Tim replied. Abby slowly walked in and stood over Lexi's bed. She reached out and touched Lexi's hand, then quickly pulled her hand back.
"Oh my god! Tim, she's so hot!" Abby gasped.
Tim nodded gravely. "Yeah, she's running a high temp. The infection spread all around her body. They gave her antibiotics, but her immune system is a bit weak. She's really going to have to fight."
"It hurts so much to see her like this. She's so peaceful and quiet and in pain and I just want the loud, eccentric Lexi back! Why didn't she just come to someone? She could have come to me, or you, or Ziva or Tony!" Abby ranted.
Tim held Abby for a while in his arms. "I know, Abs. But you know Lexi, she wants to be tough and handle things on her own. She's a fighter."
"How is she?" Ziva asked, standing by the doorway.
"She's still under. Her fever is high, but it'll go down once the antibiotics kick in," Tim replied.
Ziva clicked her tongue and sat at the edge of Lexi's bed. She stroked her warm cheek and held her hand.
"It makes me so angry that she did not feel as though she should come to us. When she told me that she did not want to tell her mother because she would be weak, I was very upset. I felt like I was looking at myself at that age. She does not understand that she is our little baby sister, and she is only a child," Ziva remarked quietly.
"She'll fight through this one," Abby stated surely.
"Excuse me, folks. I'm sorry, but Lexi needs to get a bit of rest as of right now," the doctor stated gently.
Abby, McGee, and Ziva nodded, placed a kiss on Lexi's forehead and walked out.
~*~NCIS~*~
Lexi watched as the team came by her bed and said comforting words to her. She began shaking her head in disbelief, tears falling from her eyes. It made her feel guilty that she had really worried and upset her family by her stupid actions.
"N-no..." she breathed.
"The team and your parents all are hurt by the fact that you didn't come to them, Lexi. They hate seeing you this way," Shannon commented.
Lexi was shaking her head frantically now. "No no no! I-I didn't mean for any of this to happen!" Lexi sobbed. "I am so stupid!"
"Hey! I told you that I don't ever want you saying that about yourself. You couldn't have known. I still don't understand why you didn't just go to someone," Shannon replied gently, taking Lexi in for a hug.
"I just didn't want to be biabied, I guess. Since I'm the youngest of the family, whenever something is wrong with me, I get treated like a little kid," Lexi admitted.
"Ah, I see. And you just wanted to tough it out like an adult?" Shannon answered.
"Yeah...I'm tired of getting treated like a baby," Lexi mumbled.
"Well, believe me, after this your mother will be taking care of you. She's very determined to keep you safe," Shannon stated.
"Ugh, great. She's gonna restrict me to bed rest for the rest of my life," Lexi groaned.
"And you'd better not give her a hard time, young lady," Shannon warned.
"I'll try, no promises though," Lexi chuckled.
"You know, all this time we've been watching over you, I've noticed a big change in your character from when you first came and now. Kelly had always wanted a baby sister. You have a living family who care about you very much. Cherish that," Shannon told her sincerely.
Lexi smiled up at her and nodded. "I will. Thank you," she replied. "When can I go back?"
"Whenever you're ready," Shannon chuckled.
"Good, I'm not dead," Lexi sighed in relief.
"Not at all. But you were pretty close due to that nasty infection. Kelly, take her home," Shannon said.
"Aww, but Mom! Can't we keep her a little longer?" Kelly begged.
"Kelly, she is not that stray cat you found when you were 7. She actually has a home," Shannon replied firmly.
"Fine. Bye Lexi. It was nice to finally meet you," Kelly said, hugging Lexi tightly.
"Bye Kelly. It was nice to meet you too. I won't ever forget you or your mom," Lexi answered.
At the blink of an eye, Lexi felt a pounding in her head, a faint pain in her right side, and she felt as if she were in the desert. She heard voices around her.
"Is she waking up?"
"Get the doctor!"
"She's stirring!"
Lexi opened her eyes to see Jen, the team, Gibbs and Ducky in her room. The doctor walked in.
"Ah, you're awake I see," the doctor remarked. "How are you feeling?"
"F-" Lexi was about to give her vague answer when she got 7 identical glares, stopping her.
"Like crap," Lexi replied hoarsely after a moment.
"Well, you just got your appendix out, and you're still running a high fever. I can imagine you don't feel very well. I'll just leave you all in here to talk while I get the reports," the doctor chuckled.
"Thank you Doctor," Lexi said sincerely.
"You're welcome," the doctor responded before walking out.
Lexi looked around to see everyone fixing her with firm expressions.
"You gave us quite the fright, young lass," Ducky remarked.
"Don't ever do that again, Lexi! You had us worried sick!" Abby scolded. The rest of the family nodded in agreement.
Lexi smiled slightly, then winced at her headache. Jen and Gibbs saw the wince. "Can I talk to her alone?" Jen asked.
The team nodded and walked out, setting down flowers, teddy bears, and a mini Bert the Hippo toy. Gibbs placed a kiss to her cheek before leaving also.
Jen sat down in the armchair and leaned forward. "You really scared us, Lexi. I can't tell you what I felt when your appendix burst and you kept screaming in pain. The real scare was after you passed out and the doctor wasn't sure that you'd make it, the infection was spreading quick. Don't ever do that again."
"I won't, Mom," Lexi replied.
"You need to promise me! We were this close to losing you, Alexia. I never ever want to go through this again. Next time something is wrong, you go to someone, you understand me?" Jen hissed, tears pooling in her eyes.
Lexi nodded, tears in her eyes as well. "I understand. I promise," she whispered.
"Good. Now, you've been asleep for almost 2 days now. No school for 1 week, no sports for 2, just to be sure," Jen told her.
Lexi sighed and nodded. "I'm sorry, Mom. I really thought I'd tough this one out," Lexi rasped.
"You're forgiven," Jen responded. "You aren't invincible like Gibbs may be, Lexi. And if I ever hear you call yourself weak again, it won't be pleasant."
"I think I heard the team talking to me. I'm not sure," Lexi grunted. Every word hurt a bit, but it wasn't too bad.
"Yes, each of them came in and talked to you. McGee told me that Tony told you that your hair was a complete mess," Jen chuckled.
Lexi winced as her head continued to pound. "Ugh, Tony is such a...such a-" she grunted.
"Alright, sweetie. Let's not talk about Tony or else your stitches will pop," Jen joked, moving her bangs from her sweaty brow.
"What else happened while I was under?" Lexi inquired.
"Your volleyball team sent this," Jen said, passing Lexi a big card that said 'From the Team, to Lexi'.
"Oh my God...Anna, Rachel, Kelly B., Kelly J., Lizzie, Cat, Mimi, Kayla, Autumn...even Coach Brown! How did they know?" Lexi replied as excitedly as she could without hurting her head. It said, 'Hope you get well soon! We all love you!'.
"Maeve told them. She was devastated that you were in the hospital, but she decided to be strong for you and have everyone sign a card," Jen explained.
"Oh..." Lexi answered, happy that her best friend had supported her. She gazed at her left arm and her eyes widened.
"What the heck!?" She grunted, looking down at the IV in her arm. She tried pulling the tape off when Jen placed a hand over hers.
"No Lexi. Leave that there," Jen said softly. "I knew that it was a good thing that you weren't awake when they put that in."
Lexi pulled back the sheets and noticed her attire. She was in a thin hospital gown that only reached her thighs.
"No pants?" Lexi groaned.
"No sweetie, all patients wear that," Jen laughed.
"I'm hoping its not one of the gowns that has the entire back cut out," Lexi remarked when she realized that the gown was the only article of clothing that she had on at the moment
"It is, honey," Jen confirmed.
"Oh no! Everyone probably saw my butt!" Lexi whined.
"No one saw your butt except the doctors," Jen replied.
"That doesn't make it any less embarrassing," Lexi scoffed. She pulled the covers up and then pulled her hospital gown up a bit, revealing a long incision at her right side, stapled shut.
"Is that..."
"Where they cut you to take your appendix out."
Lexi started to touch it, when Jen held her hand away and pulled her hospital gown back down to cover it.
"No, baby. Don't touch it," Jen scolded lightly, holding her hand.
"You really scared me. When the doctors didn't think you'd make it, I-" Jen's voice cracked.
"I'm so sorry, Mom," Lexi whispered.
"It's alright. Just know that this next week will be spent in bed," Jen answered.
"But Mommm..." Lexi whined.
"No, no protests. I will take care of you the entire time. I will get your food, water, medicine, etc. You will not ever leave the bed," Jen interrupted sternly.
"But what if I have to pee?" Lexi asked in a small voice. "Or shower?"
"Then yes. You can get up. But other than that, no," Jen replied. "If you throw a tantrum or give an attitude I will swat you after you recover."
Lexi snorted. "Okay," she chuckled.
"I'm serious, Lexi," Jen stated firmly.
"I mean, with all of the time I have before I recover, what makes you think you'll remember?" Lexi teased.
"What are you implying, young lady?" Jen asked, crossing her arms.
Lexi pretended to look thoughtful. "I dunno...I've read that once you get a certain age, your memory kind of gets bad."
"Oh, so I'm old? I think I owe you more than a swat, but it's alright, like you said, I won't remember," Jen replied.
Lexi sighed contentedly, and suddenly her eyes felt heavier. "You're getting tired?" Jen asked.
"No, I'm fine," Lexi responded automatically.
"I don't want to hear those two words out of your mouth again," Jen remarked seriously. She began to stroke Lexi's hair and run her fingers through her long curls.
"Wha? What are you..." Lexi protested.
"Shhh, don't fight it," Jen whispered.
Lexi tried to fight it, until the tiredness took over and she was finally asleep.
~*~NCIS~*~
