A/N: This is the last chapter. Sorry I didn't get this up earlier in the day. I'm in the process of getting ready to move from Oklaoma to Virginia and began packing my house today. I have a one shot coming very soon then I'll probably be through writing for a couple of months. Hopefully, lots of ideas will come to me while I'm packing and moving. Thanks very much to all of you who read and reviewed so faithfully. I'm glad you enjoyed the story.
Trust Me
Tony turned and walked away leaving Jenny alone with her thoughts, and Nellie. For a long time Jenny stood looking out over her business. A business that was thriving but didn't excite her anymore. She knew she had just been going through the motions since Jethro was shot. She had been terrified he would not survive and when he did she was equally terrified of how he must hate her for letting Brandon get so close. She had stayed away out of guilt and shame. David had mentioned seeing Jethro a couple of times so she had known when he woke up and when he went home. She imagined David assumed she was seeing Jethro but they never talked about it. Knowing that Jethro was blaming himself, Jenny understood she had to go to him and make sure he understood she did not blame him even the least bit for what happened to Sam. She put Nellie back in her stall and headed for the parking lot.
While Tony was reading Jenny the riot act Jethro sat on the back porch deciding what he wanted to do about his situation. First things first he decided and went to the basememt to clean up the remnants of the boat. He was sorry for having destroyed her but he knew he could and would start again. It was as much the process as the outcome that he enjoyed anyway. He figured by the time he had the mess cleaned up Jenny would be home and he was going to go see her. He wanted to get his personal life sorted out before he went back to work in the morning.
In the time he had spent sitting on the deck, Jethro had realized he was still in love with Jenny and wanted her back in his life. He had relived all he times they'd been together. All the dinners, the rides, the long talks and the love making. He thought about her and Sam spending time in his house and he knew he wanted that again. He missed Sam almost as much as he missed Jen. He didn't understand why she hadn't been to see him and he needed to know that but he wasn't sure it would matter in the long run. He was ready to forgive her almost anything if they could be back together. But first he would take his father's advice and make sure she understood what her staying away had meant to him.
He was almost finished sweeping up the last of the boat scraps when he heard the front door open and close. The footsteps weren't Ducky's or Tony's and certainly not Abby. Soon he recognized them. Jenny. He went back to sweeping. He heard her move down the hall and into the kitchen and then he knew, she was on the landing. She took two tentative steps down before she called his name.
"Jethro, may I come down?"
"Of course."
She descended slowly into the cool, semi-dark basement. It looked so much larger now that the boat was gone. She saw him leaning on his broom. He had lost weight and he looked tired. He needed a haircut. When she reached the bottom step she hesitated and looked for the first time in over a month, into the eyes of the man she loved. She wasn't at all sure what she saw there.
"How are you?"
"Alright."
"I'm sorry Jethro. So very sorry."
"It wasn't your fault, Jen. Sam was my responsibility and I let him get taken."
"No, I should have told you about Brandon. I should have told you from the beginning why Stephen was calling. I should have let you help me. Maybe if I had. . . "
She had moved closer to him now but still they were separated by more than the space between them. Jethro actually stepped back and leaned against the workbench, the broom handle held in front of him as if it were some sort of shield.
"Why didn't you?"
Jenny spread her hands in front of her and shook her head. "I honestly have no idea. At first I thought it was no big deal. My pride and my stubborn nature just took over. Maybe I was getting back at you for shutting me out during the rapist case. It makes no sense to me now. I'm just so very sorry Jethro."
He tried to interrupt but she stopped him. "No, let me finish please. I need to say this. I should have been there when you woke up. I should have been there to help you when you were hurting. I was so scared when they said you might die. I'm so sorry for staying away all this time. I love you, Jethro and I beg you to forgive me."
Jethro looked at her and knew she was being sincere. He could see in her eyes that she was truly sorry about what happened. But, he remembered what his dad had told him earlier. And so, knowing it was going to hurt her and maybe himself too he had to tell her what her staying away had meant to him.
"Do you have any idea how hard it was lying in that hospital bed wondering if Sam was okay?"
"Surely they told you he was found and he was unhurt."
"Would that have been enough for you, Jen? Just having someone tell you. You asked me to be Sam's dad and that's how I think of myself. I needed to see him, to hold him and know for sure he was alright."
"I never thought of that. I'm sorry."
"I laid there every day thinking, today will be the day Jen comes to see me. Today will be the day I get to feel her touch, see her beautiful face and hear her tell me it's all okay. But you never came."
Jenny was crying now but he couldn't stop. He wasn't trying to hurt her but he needed to finish what he'd started.
"Finally I just quit hoping. I realized you weren't coming and then I realized why. You blamed me for letting Sam get taken. I already knew it was my fault but I guess I'd been hoping you'd forgive me and then maybe I could forgive myself. I'm so sorry I let him be taken from me, Jen."
Now Jethro had tears in his eyes and he was physically and emotionally drained. Jenny closed the distance between them and took the broom from him dropping it on the floor. She reached for Jethro and he opened his arms to her. She fell into his embrace and they held each and cried for a long time.
All the emotional pain he'd been holding onto for the past month washed away with his tears. Feeling Jen holding him, rubbing his back and crying with him finally allowed Jethro to begin the long overdue healing process. Jenny finally understood what she had done by staying away and she was devastated by Jethro's admittance of his pain. She wanted desperately to repair the damage she'd caused. When they eased back from each other Jenny refused to let go of his hand. She felt as if she needed to hold onto him to prove to herself he was still there and willing to be with her.
"I don't know what to say Jethro. I never meant to hurt you but obviously I have. I never blamed you even for a minute. I blamed myself. I know how much you love Sam and I know what it meant to you that he was taken from you. I was too caught up in blaming myself and being ashamed of myself to think about you. I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for all the pain I caused you Jethro. I have missed you so much in the past month. I love you. I don't know where we go from here but whatever happens you have to know none of this is your fault."
"Where do you want to go Jen?"
"Back to how we were before Stephen started calling. Back to when I didn't keep things from you."
"And if we go there?"
"I won't ever keep secrets from you again. Except maybe, the good kind; surprises, not secrets. Can you forgive me for the past month?"
"I can and I do. I'm much more concerned about whether or not you trust me Jen. We can't make it together if we don't trust each other."
"I do trust you Jethro. But can you trust me? Can you give me another chance after all this? It's a lot to ask, I know but it means everything to me. I love you with all have, Jethro."
"I believe you when you say no more secrets. I want us to work, Jen. But I have two conditions."
"Anything."
"First you kiss me right now."
She did. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him until he could barely breathe. The feel of her lips on his, her body pressed against him and her fingers in his hair reminded him how very much he loved her. Finally they broke apart but Jethro held her tightly letting her only far enough away that he could run his hands into her hair and look into her eyes.
"What's the other condition because if it's anything like the first I'm all for it."
"Second, you and Sam move in with me."
The look on her face was priceless. For the second time since he'd known her he'd rendered her speechless. Jethro smiled at her and brushed his fingers gently down her face.
"I love you Jenny Sheppard and I want you and Sam in my house. What do you say?"
"Yes, a thousand times yes."
END
