Disclaimer on chapter one.
A/N: Well well, another chapter churned out. Hope you enjoy. dark rolling sea.

Chapter Sixteen

Kate and Gibbs went back to the hotel that afternoon. Kate looked around the room nervously. She was fidgeting with the bedspread while standing next to the bed. Her eyes were downcast. Gibbs sat down on the other side of the bed and looked up at her.

"What?" he asked cautiously.

"My week is up. I…"

"I'll talk to the Director. I'll get you more time."

"No, I can talk to him. I'm just afraid they're going to call me back now. He said to be ready, that he couldn't guarantee…"

"Kate, I'll work it out."

Kate forced a smile then looked down. She didn't know if she could leave now. If the director told her no she didn't know what she would do or how she would react. All she knew is that she was needed here, by Gibbs' side. They had come so far in the week that she couldn't just abandon the family at the critical time of need. She decided to put off the call for a now.

"No, I'll call him later today. I'm supposed to be back tomorrow."

Gibbs smiled up. He felt exhausted. The night in the chair with Hunter had done a number on his back. He stretched a little to ease the pain but it didn't help all that much. He felt his eyes get heavy. He felt the bed dip next to him and he rolled over to see Kate lying done next to him. He sighed and rolled onto his back again, putting his hands behind his head. Slowly he felt himself sinking into sleep. Then he felt Kate slide gently in next to him and lay her head on his shoulder. He closed his eyes and let sleep overtake him. Kate soon followed.

Gibbs woke to a quiet noise in the room. He glanced at Kate and saw she was still asleep. He checked the clock and saw they had been out for a couple hours. The noise continued and he realized it was a cell phone ringing. He reached in his pocket and slid his out. Nope not him. He looked over Kate to see where her phone was then he saw it sitting in the chair. He carefully slid from underneath her, not wanting to wake her and made his way quietly to the phone and then out of the room. He flipped it open and cringed when NCIS came up on the screen.

"Gibbs," he said calmly.

"Oh, Jethro, I was expecting Agent Todd."

"You got the right phone, Director. She's asleep."

"I was calling to tell her I can't extend her vacation time. We're swamped here and I need her back on the team. Your team has been sitting in office catching up on paperwork while I send out every other team waiting for you two to get back. I know I can't ask you to come back but she even agreed that it would be necessary at some point."

"Director, you can't order her back," Gibbs said. The desperation in his voice cut into his head like a knife. He knew now how much he needed her next to him. He closed his eyes and felt that this could be the unraveling point. This could be his undoing. They were taking his rock away. His anchor was being pulled back. The buoying was being taken away.

"Jethro, I realize you are going through a terrible ordeal. But I need Agent Todd here. I need a team that can go into the field and two agents are just not enough. Three I can send out but two I can't understand?"

"No," Gibbs' said flatly.

"Agent Gibbs, this is not a debate. I will recall Agent Todd to active duty. She is to return to Washington DC on a flight booked for her for this afternoon and she will report for work tomorrow or she will not have a job to come back to."

"And if I don't tell her?"

"Agent Gibbs, do you really think this is the only way I can communicate with Agent Todd?"

"No, sir."

Gibbs felt defeated. He felt lost. He felt sick. He felt like crying. He doesn't cry. The director went on to tell him more but he wasn't listening anymore. He was thinking about how much he needed Kate. He was thinking that he couldn't lay the guilt of choosing between her job and him. How could he make her do that when he wasn't sure what he would choose? That thought scared him even more.

Finally he hung up with the director and went back into the room. Kate sat up slowly as the door clicked shut and blinked at him. He tossed her phone back into the chair and went to the balcony doors. Kate was confused by his changed manor. He looked like hell. She sat up slowly.

"What's wrong?" she asked hesitantly. She wasn't sure what was going on but it seemed that something had happened since they fell asleep. Her guess was that a phone call had deflated Gibbs. She then had a thought. She glanced at the chair and then felt her pockets. She looked at his back and waited for a response, but she didn't get one. She got up from the bed and walked to the phone he had tossed down. Upon flipping it open she realized it was her phone not his. She quickly checked the last incoming call and noticed NCIS. Her breath caught and she felt tears come to her eyes. "The Director called," she said softly.

Gibbs just nodded. Kate felt crushed. She knew she had to go back, especially from Gibbs reaction. They needed her at NCIS. The team would be going back into action and they couldn't with two agents out. Kate stared at the phone for a long time, neither one said anything.

She couldn't make up her mind. She didn't know what to do. She didn't want to leave but she didn't want to lose her job either. She walked up to Gibbs with tears in her eyes. She wet her lips and went to speak but nothing came out. She closed her mouth, then her eyes, and tried to refocus her brain. It was still a little scattered from sleep and the news.

"Jethro, what all did he say?"

"You are to leave this afternoon. He already booked a flight for you. You…"

"I can stay. I can refuse…"

"No, Kate, you…can't. Don't risk your career for me," Gibbs said softly as he turned to face her. The words hit Kate like a smack. How could he send her away at a time like this? She thought they were past this. She went to argue with him but the look that flashed across his eyes said not to argue with him. "You should go say goodbye to Jeb and Hunter."

"Jethro, how can you say this?"

"Please, Kate, don't risk your career for me, please." He hated the way he sounded. He knew she could hear the desperation in his voice, the pain that was giving away his true feelings. He looked into her eyes and saw the anger flash across and it hurt him. He looked away.

"Fine, you don't want me here? Fine. I'll catch that flight this afternoon and you can…" Kate didn't finish the tears tripped up her words and her throat had closed. She turned and left the hotel without him. Gibbs stayed in his room and let the tears flow. He didn't know what to do but he knew she couldn't risk her career for him.

Kate made her way to Ann's house and found Jeb and Hunter. Jeb knew right away something was wrong. He gave her a questioning look and Kate cleared her head. She would say her goodbyes and then make the flight to Washington that the director had booked for her.

"Jeb, I have to go back to Washington. I…the director won't give me any additional leave time. I'll keep in touch I promise," Kate said with a quiver to her voice. Jeb nodded and swallowed.

"Ok. I…thanks for coming out here, Kate," he replied.

She leaned in and hugged him tightly. She let him go and turned to Hunter. He was sitting on his knees on the couch backwards leaning heavily into the back couch cushion. He looked up at Kate with sad eyes.

"You're leaving, Kate," he asked softly. She could tell he was trying not to cry. Kate just nodded to him. He looked down at the floor for a moment then looked back at Kate. "Will you be coming back soon?"

"I don't know, Buddy," she replied.

He just nodded and swung himself around on the couch. Kate felt her heart grow heavy. She knew this was going to be the hardest thing she had ever done in her life. She didn't know what else to do. Gibbs had expressed that she not risk her career for him. From his reaction she thought he had made it clear that he wanted her back in Washington. She didn't understand but she would go.

She made her flight and was in Washington by ten o'clock local time. She went to the house and immediately felt depressed. The emptiness of the house was like a black hole. She felt small and overwhelmed with the silent drowning of the house. She thought about going down to the basement to see the boat, but decided against it.

She would go to bed and try to sleep before going to work in the morning. She lay awake most of the night. Her brain was too wound up to sleep. She felt like she was betraying Jeb and Hunter and she was angry at Gibbs for not wanting her to stay.

California

Gibbs was awake that night. He couldn't sleep. His mind was racing with all sorts of terrible scenarios, the worst case being Jeb dying and Kate leaving him. Here he was again driving her away. He couldn't bring himself to ask her to risk her career. He couldn't bring himself to tell her how much he needed her.

He stared at the ceiling with fixed eyes. There wasn't anything else he could do. He didn't know what would come tomorrow with the news. He didn't know how long they were going to be in this predicament. How long would treatment last? Would he be able to be there for the entire duration?

He didn't know what to think anymore. He was lost and it was a new feeling for him. How could he lose control like this? How could he feel so useless? He rolled onto his side and stared out the balcony doors. Sleep would not come for him this night and he didn't even have his boat to work on.

Jeb was watching Kylie sleep. She was having a dream he could tell. Her eyes were rolling around and her muscles would spasm once in a while. He rubbed her back and held her close trying to comfort her in her sleep. He couldn't sleep. He couldn't stop thinking about the appointment tomorrow. His fate was set for ten o'clock in the morning.

TBC……

A/N: ok so its ok with me to be mad at me :-) but I did warn everyone in the summury that it would be a rough ride. later...dark rolling sea.