A/N: First, I'd like to apologize for the wait on this one, I am really, REALLY starting to hate writer's block and being sick all the time! I'm just going to write and see where it goes…it's seemed to work well in the past…anyways, hope you all like it, review and let me know what you think! Enjoy!

Last Chapter:

Jenny couldn't believe it…she had given away her two most kept secrets…

"How did Gibbs react?" She asked desperately needing to know, this would decide what decision she was going to make about her future.

You have to talk with Gibbs to find that out Jenny…"

Therefore strengthening her resolve to continue with her plans to not tell him anything and marry Mark in two months…however much that road was looking less appealing as the days went by.

Current Chapter:

"Did you talk to Dr. Kohler yet?" Jenny asked trying to change the subject as well as get an answer to her previous question.

"He was with another patient; he should be here soon…"

"I'm here now agent Gibbs." Dr. Kohler announced making his way into the room with a smile on his face. Gibbs merely nodded and stepped out of the Doctors way.

"Hello Director Shepard…"

"Jenny please."

"Jenny, how are you feeling, any pain?"

"It's not bad." Jenny lied feeling the twinges of pain that shot through her when she moved even the slightest amount.

"Hmm!" Gibbs grunted with a knowing look on his face, but the glare Jenny was sending in his direction was enough to keep him from voicing his thoughts on her lie.

"And have you decided on what route you are going to choose to go through?" He asked planning to talk her into the ice bath procedure.

"I have a question about that…"

"Jen!" Gibbs jumped in thinking she was considering the alternative route, but Jenny just continued on as if Gibbs hadn't spoken.

"I was wondering why you chose not to give me stitches." Jenny was seriously confused as to why that hadn't been the first thing they had done.

"That's a great question and exactly what I was going to offer next."

"…okay…?" Jenny said not really seeing where Dr. Kohler was headed.

"Generally, every single wound you have would be stitched up already, however, your situation is different and we wanted to consult you first before acting.

"You see, a lot of your wounds are near joints on your back and areas that move easily, therefore, stitching would make sense and we recommend it to help prevent tearing or bunching while the wounds heal.

"However, there will be a lot of pulling on your skin, and it is already very irritated due to the knife cuts.

"Our main concern was the burns on your torso and side, as well as the few on your back. Burns are very easily infected, and are extremely temperamental, even when they're small; yours cover a large amount of your torso where we would need to stitch if we were to do stitches.

"You also cannot get the sutures wet for twenty four hours after they are put in. With the treatment we highly recommend for the pain that is the opposite of what is needed.

"I am unsure as to what Agent Gibbs has told you, but your brain has already showed a slight spike when we gave you morphine when you came in. That could indicate what we fear, which is your body relapsing into a coma. One, which based on your previous one, we fear you may not wake up from.

"We would not, unless you strongly insist, use any morphine after the sutures are put in, so the pain the following 24 hours would be almost unbearable. The only way we could numb it is by using bags of ice wrapped up to ensure no water can come into contact with the sutures, which would increase the likelihood of infection.

"It would help some, but the pain would be hell, excuse my French. Now, keeping all this in mind, we still highly recommend you get stitches for the wounds on your back and after 24 hours from the surgery you continue with the ice baths and cleanings, though…" as Kohler turned to Gibbs to address him "the procedure would be slightly different."

Jenny didn't know what to do, she was already in pain, and she hadn't been out of the ice bath for more than an hour in a half!

She didn't notice Gibbs telling Dr. Kohler to give them a moment and they'll call him when they decide. Didn't notice him walking towards her and start speaking to her.

She jumped, and regretted it with the shot of pain, when his hands found one of hers and the side of her face.

"Jen?" Gibbs asked concerned with everything he just heard and her reaction, which was reasonable considering!

"Jen, hey look at me, we need to decide what to do, and the sooner we do it, the sooner you can get out of here." Gibbs said gently moving his thumb back and forth across her cheek trying to get a reaction out of her. He knew she hated hospitals as much as he did.

"How bad is it?" She asked still looking straight ahead.

"What…?" Gibbs asked not sure what she was asking exactly.

"My back, my front, how bad is it!" She bit out not looking down at herself. She hadn't had the thoughts cross her mind yet surprisingly. She knew she had looked pretty good for her age before she was shot, but afterwards she was somewhat self conscious.

She hadn't allowed Mark to see her without making sure her wounds were covered, mainly because she didn't want him to see her without clothing at all, which she was trying to get over, but also for fear that he would leave after seeing the ugly scars. Now this happens? She knew she was going to be disfigured for the rest of her life with these scars, and people always said; guys don't like woman with scars.

She knew her face and figure were still attractive, but if she were to sleep with anyone, they would be completely turned off by the damage of her body and leave without a second thought. Not that she was thinking about going out and sleeping around on her fiancée, but she knew his reaction would probably be the same. And she was trying to actually care that that would be his reaction…and she was failing at it, all that was running through her head mainly was that Gibbs probably didn't even want to be here having seen the damage done, and if for some chance a miracle happened that allowed a chance for her and Gibbs to have a relationship again, he wouldn't take it, hell, he'd run in the opposite direction.

"There's some pretty deep wounds all over your torso, your front has burn marks covering most of it, trailing down your sides, your right foot is burned pretty badly as well, and you've got some pretty deep restraint cuts on your wrists, shoulders, hips, and ankles…" he wasn't going to lie, she was in bad shape, but he didn't really know why her face had taken on a depressed almost helpless look before he told her all of this. If anything he would expect pain, anger, something other than defeat.

"Jen? I know this is a stupid question, but are you alright?" He asked gently turning her head till she was looking at him. He watched as her eyes twitched before closing gently and nodding her head.

"Yeah, just wondering what Mark's reaction will be…" she faltered in her lie and ended her sentence when she felt his thumb stop stroking her cheek and the hand holding hers twitched tighter before loosening to just barely touching hers.

Gibbs didn't know how to respond, he keeps forgetting about him and having these rude wake up calls just as he started to loose himself in her.

"Don't worry about it Jen…"

"Of course I'm going to worry about it! I look like I was mauled! No one wants to have to see someone so hideous let alone sleep with them!" She half shouted keeping mind of the doctors and nurses that could overhear.

"Jen! Knock it off! He loves you!" never mind his own anger at her insinuations, to him she was still gorgeous; he didn't think anything would change his mind about that, but he could tell she was breaking again and needed help.

"Love can only go so far Jethro…" She broke of whispering as she pulled her hand completely out of his grasp and rolling onto her side that wasn't so damaged.

He stayed silent knowing just how true that sentence was. He just watched her shoulders heave ever so slightly with her breathing until he thought she was asleep. He stood up and quietly walked over to the other side of the bed so he could see her face.

He leaned in gently and kissed her forehead, lingering as he closed his eyes from the force of emotion rolling within him.

"You are still beautiful Jen." He whispered pulling away and walking out to speak to Ducky, who was waiting to speak with him, leaving the barely conscious Jenny to dream/ponder on his words.

"Jethro, how is she?" Ducky asked coming over to stand with Gibbs where they had the privacy from onlookers. Word had gotten out that the Director of NCIS was once again in the hospital and people wanted to get all the information they could.

Gibbs indicated Ducky walk with him till he led him back to the room beside Jenny's to talk.

"Jethro?" Ducky asked concerned with the look on Gibbs' face as he starred at Jennifer sleeping in the joining room.

"I don't know what to do Duck." He admitted with defeat shaking his head.

"Yes you do Jethro, you have to be there for her…"

"She doesn't want that Duck, she's made it clear…"

"Of coarse she does, you're the only one other than Ziva she trusts so completely. She's pushing you away out of fear…"

"Fear of what?" He barked quietly clearly frustrated. "Fear that I might find out she had a miscarriage? Fear that I'll find out I was the father? Fear that I will hate her if I find out? She shouldn't fear any of that…!" he said the last part so low he knew Ducky wouldn't hear, but he was so caught up in his own anger and frustration over everything that he forgot Ducky hadn't know anything about Jenny previously being pregnant.

"Jennifer was pregnant?" He asked with disbelief turning his own gaze to Jenny's form trying to picture her pregnant which brought a small smile to his face before he remembered Jethro had said she'd had a miscarriage.

"Apparently…" at Ducky's look he sighed before going in to tell him what he'd overheard Jenny telling Marl over the phone, and what she's shouted at Mira right before Tony shot her, as well as the fact that she couldn't remember saying those things.

"You have to tell her Jethro!" Ducky knew of the feelings shared yet not shared between the two, he knew he had nothing to fear, but he saw the doubt in Gibbs' eyes.

"Duck, she was being broken, if you had heard her while she was shouting…no, it was like she was there, right after it happened, not years later, engaged to a man who loves her and makes her happy. No Duck, I'm not causing her anymore pain, I will not ruin her chance of a happy life…"

"Jethro! You wouldn't ruin anything! Yes, she loves Mark, but not the same way she loves you! You have to see that!" Ducky could feel the pain of both Jenny and Jethro, he saw them as his own kids, he loved them both so much, and with all they had suffered already, no he needed to make them see their happiness was with each other.

"No Duck, she loves what we used to be…"

"Jethro…!"

"She's got Mark and I'm not going to ruin that for something that may or may not have a chance, not when she can be happy with him!" Gibbs interrupted ending the conversation between them and walking out of the room.

"But she's not happy with him." Ducky said to himself defeated before walking quietly into Jenny's room and taking up residence in the chair.

A/N:….hmmm….not sure what to think…at least I have ideas coming quickly for the next chapter now. Kind of sad writing this, but I feel like Gibbs would really act like that if Jenny seemed happy with someone else…anyways, let me know what you thought. I'm hoping to get her out of the hospital with the next chapter or two…

~Quibilah