A/N well here comes another chapter. Thank you all for your reviews I'm glad your liking this. :)

Disclaimer, I don't own NCIS...but I'm saving very very hard. ;P


Chapter 9

Jimmy, for the second time in a month sat in a hospital waiting room. His mother was finally being treated and he was waiting for the doctor to come out and update him on her condition.

He pulled his textbooks out of his bag, curled up on the couch in the corner of the waiting room, and started reading.

Tony and Gibbs pulled up at the same time outside the hospital.

"You ok?" Gibbs asked worried seeing his SFA outside the building.

"Yeah I'm here for Jimmy, You?" Tony asked

"Same reason." Gibbs replied with a wry smile.

They walked in and found Jimmy had fallen asleep with his head in the textbook. Gibbs sent Tony off for coffee and swapped Jimmy's textbook for a cushion and put his coat over his little brother as a blanket.

Tony walked back in with coffee and sandwiches, "Any news Boss?" He asked.

Gibbs shook his head, "I'll wake him when the doctor comes in until then, let him sleep."


Tony nodded and sat in one of the others chairs in the room. "Have you called your dad; he may want the chance to be there for Jimmy." Tony said hoping that Jackson would follow through on the offer. He hated seeing his friends hurting and in the last few weeks, Jimmy had been through more than his fair share.

"No but I should, he'll be wondering where we are." Gibbs walked out to make his phone call.

He came back in just as a doctor walked into the waiting room, "James Palmer?" He said to the three men in the room,

Gibbs reached down and shook Jimmy handing him his glasses, "Jimmy the doctor's here."

Jimmy shot upright "Doctor how is she?"

The doctor looked at the youngest of the three men with sympathy, "Ms Palmer is going to be ok. She had some deep tissue bruising on her body and the narcotic in her system was quick flushed to enable us to get the poison cleared. We had some trouble with collapsing veins which were due to her past experiences of drug abuse, we have a rehab center that will take her in about a week if you're willing to sign her up." He said looking at Jimmy.

"No Doc, its fine I can help her with this," Jimmy quickly replied.

Gibbs and Tony looked at jimmy, "Can we have a sec doc?" Gibbs asked.

The doctor nodded and walked over to the nurses' station.

"Why won't you put your mom in rehab?" Tony asked

"She doesn't need it." Jimmy said a little too quickly.

"Ya know Jimmy, when we interrogate people and they answer like that we usually think they're guilty." Gibbs said putting a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Look she's my mother I know how to handle this, she's my responsibility." Jimmy said backing away.

Jimmy walked up to the Doctor, "When do you think my mother will be awake?" He asked ignoring the other two men.

"We will be keeping her sedated for another 24 hours." The doctor said.

"Thanks." Jimmy replied and walked out of the building.


Gibbs went to pick up Jimmy's books.

"What do you think that was all about boss?" Tony asked.

"I don't know Tony but I'm going to find out." Gibbs said.

Gibbs left the hospital but Tony told him he would stay in case there was any change.

Jimmy made it back to Gibbs' house and ran in the front door.

"Hey where's the fire son?" Jackson asked as his youngest came in.

"I…." Jimmy said lost for words.

"James? What's happened is Leroy ok?" he asked afraid.

Jimmy stepped back, "Bloody Leroy is fine." He snapped and ran to the corner and grabbed his stuff, "I have to go. Mom needs me."

Jackson looked worried, "What's happened? Please James talk to me."

Jimmy grabbed his few remaining bits and threw them in the bag, "Mom's sick."

Jackson looked at his son and remembered the last time he had come running in the shop in this state and said his mom was sick.

"She using again, son?" He asked gently.

"It's not her fault!" Jimmy said.

"It's not yours either, she needs to deal with this." Jackson said.

"If she hadn't been coming here because I was talking to you she would have still been clean." Jimmy argued,

"NO. You know that's not true, the best thing you can do for her is to leave here where she is." Jackson said.

"She'll die if I leave her there." Jimmy said.

Jackson looked at Jimmy angry that Eunice was using his son again. "And?" He snapped. He stopped and looked at the hurt in Jimmy's eyes.

Jimmy grabbed his bag and turned to the door,

"Son, please don't leave like this." Jackson begged.

Jimmy looked at his dad with tear-filled eyes, "I have to go Dad, she's my mother." He said and with that, he walked out of the door.

"James!" Jackson yelled and grabbed Jimmy by the arm. "Don't walk away from me now after all we've accomplished to get here."


Gibbs pulled up to find Jackson manhandling Jimmy back into the house.

"I can't leave her, I need to help her." Jimmy said

"We will help her," Gibbs said. "Jimmy why did you turn down rehab for her?" He asked.

"'can't afford it." He mumbled.

"Ok so what were you going to do?" Gibbs asked.

"Take her home." Jimmy replied.

"And lose your job with NCIS? And what about medical school?" Gibbs asked.

"Well, I guess dad was right I'm not cut out for medical school after all am I?" Jimmy snapped.

"No I wasn't right; I've listened to you and talked to Doctor Mallard, he says you are a fine young man and a promising medical student. You can't throw it all way." Jackson said

"But I don't even have a home how can I afford the rehab center, this is the only way she'll get better." Jimmy said

"If the doctor releases her you can bring her here until the place is vacant in the center, I'll pay for it." Jackson said.

Jimmy looked at Gibbs hopefully and was surprised when he found him nodding "Yeah, I can put her in the guest room, you can have my room and Dad can have the other room I still rack on the sofa anyway." Gibbs said.

Jimmy nodded, "Thanks, I…I'll need to get it ready for her." He said.

"What do you need son," Jackson asked.

"I just need to make sure that she can't hurt herself on anything in there." Jimmy said softly.

"Well lets get at it son, then we can head to the hospital." Jackson said and Jimmy looked up at him surprised.

"You'd come to the hospital?" He asked almost scared of the answer.

"I meant it when I said I would try, you are important to me, even though we don't get on she was important to me. So I'm doing this for you son, you're not alone Jimmy." Jackson said.

He was surprised when Jimmy shoulders seemed to lose some of their tension as they all walked upstairs to get on with the task at hand.

An hour later they looked at the room, Gibbs put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Time to get your mom Jimmy." He said.