Disclaimer NCIS and Nashville are not mine
The Forgotten City
It seemed like an eternity that they sat there waiting, in a room where the atmosphere could be cut with a knife. Twelve o'clock came around and Tandy, along with Lamar and Bucky all took Maddie and Daphne to get some lunch. They're lives were a mess, yet Tandy wanted the girls to have a relatively normal eating schedule. The last thing she wanted was either of them two getting ill. Jenny and Jethro didn't get an invite, but neither seconded why.
Scarlett and Gunner had left to go and see Deacon, and Coleman had gone, after saying that he had to go and do some work. So Jenny and Jethro were the only two in the waiting room. She leant her head softly against his shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her. She smiled softly, loving the feeling that someone still cared. "You alright Jenny?" He questioned, wanting to make sure that the situation was causing repercussions for her, and that she really was okay.
"Just scared I guess." She said, turning to look at him. "I've never had the family thing, well not in a long time. This, this is the closest I've been to them all. And to think that I could lose it, that I could lose Rayna. It scares me. I've lost too many people."
"You've got me Jen." He said, ever so softly, and then he kissed her lips, just as the door flew open. They pulled apart, and looked over.
"Oh, sorry, is this a bad time?" Questioned Scarlett from the door.
"No, what is it? Has something happened?" Jenny asked, and although Gibbs was not impressed with being interrupted he didn't say anything. For now she had her family as her main priority.
"Everything is fine, Deacon wants to talk to you, sorry to scare you." Said Scarlett and Jenny stood up, telling Jethro that she would be back soon. He decided to go and get coffee, whilst calling DiNozzo for a sitrep.
As Jenny walked down the corridors behind Scarlett she had to laugh. "Put some damn shoes on girl." Jenny said, making the younger woman laugh. When they got to her uncle's room, the blonde let the pair be. Jenny sat down on the chair and smiled.
"Hey." He said voice still groggy with morphine.
"Hey." She replied. "You feeling better?"
"Yeah." He said. "Is she awake?" But Deacon knew by just the look on her face that she wasn't.
"I'm sorry."
Deacon closed his eyes momentarily and sighed, leaning further into his pillows. "Do they know anything?" He asked, hope in his voice.
"No, nothing new. But I'll tell you when I know something." She said, leaving out the bit about her sister flat lining. That was something he didn't need to know. "Do you want me to get Coleman up here? If you need a counsellor I mean? He's good."
"I know he is, he's my sober companion." He said, confused at how Rayna's sister knew him.
"I guess he was mine too."
"The funny thing is, I don't even want a drink. I want to rid the world of the stuff. It lost me Rayna, it lost me 13 years of Maddie's life, and now . . . it might lose me them all for good."
Jenny shook her head. "I may not be very close to my sister Deacon, but if I know anything about her, I know that she is a fighter."
They sat in silence for a while, both lot in thoughts of what the drink had done to their lives. "You seam happier today." He stated.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
She just smiled, deciding not to rub his nose in the fact that she had someone she loved with her and holding her hand. They stayed like that for a while. Talking about things, explaining things. Deacon had asked to see Jenny because in some ways he could relate to her, she seemed out of everyone in the Wyatt family the one who was the most down to earth. He could tell that she had lost everything at one point or another. She'd dealt with the same problems as him, and still was. When Jethro ventured to find her an hour later, he saw the pair of them laughing. He felt a pang of jealousy, but as soon as Jenny saw him, he saw a light brighten. And he knew that she was simply trying to be the other mans friend.
The rest of the day passed by pretty monotonously. They stayed in the waiting room, venturing out only for coffee and food. Lamar sat in the corner, glaring at Jenny whenever she dared to speak to a member of what was essentially her family. Daphne seamed to become fascinated by Jethro, she sat there and asked him about his job, how many bad guys he'd caught. And just as he always did with children, he became her idol. He happily talked to her, making his job a little more exciting, and then not mentioning the scarier stuff.
Hours seamed to pass by, and still no news came. And then at half past five, the door opened and in walked Rayna's doctor. "Family of Rayna Jaymes?" Questioned the man, his hair was brown, but greying at the roots. He had a strong jaw bone, and was clean shaven. He was a pale blue shirt; open necked with a white lab coat and black trousers.
"We all are." Said Tandy, looking over at the man.
"Has something happened?" Questioned Lamar, gruff and to the point as usual.
"Ms Jaymes had woken up, she's a little disorientated but she is asking for her daughters." Said the doctor, smiling at the relieved faces that were looking back at her. "You're free to go and see her." With that the doctor left, and Lamar, Tandy, Maddie and Daphne quickly followed. Jenny told Maddie she would be there soon. But she didn't move.
In Rayna's room, she smiled broadly when she saw her girls, running towards her and hugging her softly. "I love you both so much!" She said softly, trying to fight back the tears.
"You're okay now though? I mean, you're gonna be fine?" Maddie questioned, smiling broadly, as she and Daphne sat on opposite sides on the bed. Lamar sat in the chair and Tandy stood by the door, smiling at her family.
"I'm gonna be just fine." She said hugging them once more. Rayna flicked her yes to Tandy, silently asking how deacon was, and she just nodded telling her that he was alright. Sighing again, the singer began to talk to her family.
XXX
Back in the waiting room Jenny just sat there." You gonna go and see her Jen?" Asked Gibbs, looking at the woman he loved having a massive internal debate. But she didn't answer.
"I don't know." She replied honestly.
"What is there not to know Jenny? She nearly died and now she is awake."
"It's not so simple Jethro." She said, running a tired hand through her hair. "I . . . I haven't had a civil conversation with her in 18 years, she hates my guts because of the man I thought of as my father. . . Jethro why the hell would she want me anywhere near her?"
She turned to look at him and he took her hand. "Because of her daughters."
"She doesn't even know I've met them. Before she was in the crash I never had."
"It doesn't matter Jenny, I doubt that Daphne is gonna keep quiet for very long. They worship you, especially Maddie."
Jenny just shook her head. "It's not my place Jethro, she wants the family she knows and loves. Not her sister who abandoned her 18 years ago and who she can't stand the sight of."
Tandy stood at the door watching her long abandoned sister talk. As she had stood seeing Rayna, Maddie, Daphne and Lamar, she realised that there was someone missing. In every family photo since she was 16, in every memory. There was someone missing. Throughout the day she had sat there trying to remember more accurately what had happened all those years ago, and she realised that although she had sided with her father, she hadn't known the full story.
Now seeing Jenny, all these years on. Seeing her big sister, hearing what she had been through, seeing the scars that he past had left . . . seeing her with the silver haired man. It made her realise that whilst Tandy may well had had one person missing in her life, Jenny may as well have had her whole life missing. She'd had to leave, and all of a sudden she's had no sisters, no friends . . . nothing but a suitcase and a man who some sheet of paper said was her father. So she'd gone to find her.
"I think you should see her." Tandy said, watching as the two federal agents turned and looked at her. "I've been thinking, and maybe . . . maybe you're not so much of a bad guy as we've been thinking you were."
"No, no, I should go." Jenny said, standing up.
"Don't walk out on us again!" Tandy said, iciness lacing her tone. "Look I don't know what Rayna is gonna say, and when it comes to it they are her daughters but . . . but you're still their aunt. And if I had never gotten to see them, then I know how hurt I would be."
"Thank you."
"I know daddy won't admit it, but you are still family, and families stick together. And right now Ray is gonna need as many people as she can get. So come on." Jenny turned to look at Jethro, and he reached out and took her hand, letting her know he would be there for her the whole way. And she smiled.
"Okay." And with that she followed Tandy out.
Rayna smiled as she hugged her daughters for the millionth time. Daphne was rambling on about something, but just the sound of her voice made Rayna smile. Then she looked over to the door to see Tandy reappear, but with her was another red head: Jenny, who was holding another man's hand. Rayna was shocked; she'd told Tandy that she wanted to try again with their sister but . . .
"Jenny?" Rayna questioned, cutting off Daphne.
"Oh, and this is Auntie Jenny; she completely rocks! And that is Gibbs, he's super awesome, and he's a cop, but he is like a super hero cop! And he had a team of super hero friends too!" Said Daphne excitedly.
All of them laughed at the little girl before Jenny smiled. "Hey Rayna." She said, overwhelmed with emotions at seeing her sister in a hospital bed, alive.
"Will someone get her the hell out? How many times?! She's not family." Said Lamar, gruffly from his chair as he glared at the eldest red head.
"Actually she is." Rayna corrected her father as she looked at her older sister. "Can y'all give us a moment?" Everyone left the two sisters apart from Maddie. "Darlin', I promise I will be fine."
"I know." The little girl answered. "I just wanted to say, I know that you two fell out a long time ago, but I really like Auntie Jenny – and so does Daph. She knows what I'm going through mum, something none of you do. I'd really like her to stick around, or at least see her." And with that Maddie left, closing the door behind her.
Rayna was taken aback by her eldest. But she realised that the little girl was right. No matter what she had done, no matter what they had all been through, Rayna had been selfish in keeping Jenny and the girls apart. "How long have you been here?" She asked, softly, leaning back into her pillows.
"Got the first flight over when I heard." Jenny said, giving her sister a weak smile.
"You seem to have made quite an impression."
"They're great girls, both of them. Maddie's going through a lot, and she is dealing with it a hell of a lot better than I did."
Rayna looked down at her nails, hating the sight of chipped nail polish left over from the CMA's. "I can't forgive you over night Jenny, no matter how hard I try - I just can't. Even though I know you didn't purposefully hurt me . . . I was hurt." She looked up after that. "But I do want to try and sort things out – for the girls if for nothing else."
"Thank you." She said softly, smiling at her sister. "And I just want to say. I know I'm not exactly someone who they should look up to, god knows I've made too many screw ups. But I've just about got my life on track Rayna." Jenny smiled, deciding to be honest. "Actually I'm in the best place I've been in for a long time."
"I'm happy for you." Rayna said, feeling a pang of jealously.
"You'll get there. Deacon's a good man, and in time he will forgive you."
Rayna never got the chance to ask about how Jenny knew about deacon that day. Because soon Daphne came in, claiming she needed to talk her mum. And talk she did, continuously and nonstop for a good hour. That night the girls fell asleep at the hospital with their mum. Tandy carried Daphne whilst Jethro carried Maddie, and then they went home.
And as Jenny lay in the spare room that night, her view on life had brightened even more. She was beginning to have a chance at getting the life that she really wanted, the life she had lost all those years ago. Maybe there really was a silver lining?
Can anyone who is reading this review? No offense cause natbenson is amazing, but some more reviews would really be great! Only I'm losing steam at the moment and updates will be slower because of college.
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