Chapter 17 - Trust Me
Gibbs collected himself and knocked on Trisha's door. "Trish?" he asked. When there was no reply, he tried the door knob and found that it was unlocked. He slowly opened the door and peeked inside the room. What Gibbs saw made his heart ache. Trisha was sitting on her bed hugging her pillow, gently rocking back and forth. In one hand she was holding a piece of paper. Tears were streaming down her face as she stared out the window, watching the flakes fall deftly to the already snow covered ground. Gibbs silently made his way a little closer to her. He stopped behind her, and, looking over her shoulder, realized that the paper she was holding was actually a photograph. It was old and worn, like it had been handled a thousand times. Gibbs studied the picture for a moment; it contained a woman and a man, who was holding a small girl, all seated on a porch swing. They looked incredibly happy, like they hadn't a care in the world.
Trisha sniffed, "So how long have you been standing there?" she asked Gibbs. She continued to stare out the window.
Gibbs walked around to the other side of the bed and sat down next to Trisha. "Not that long," he answered. There was a certain softness to his tone when he spoke. He nudged Trisha with his elbow. "You wanna tell my why you're mad at me? I didn't mean to make you upset."
Trisha sighed and wiped her eyes. "I'm not mad at you, Gibbs. I just… I don't even know. Sometimes certain things trigger memories," she sniffled a little, then continued on. "I know Rochelle told you about my family; I heard you ask. And then, in the bathroom, you… you looked at me the same way my real father used to. When he smiled at me, his eyes held all the love in the world. He used to tell me that I was his shining star. We would lay in our backyard and look at the stars for hours. When I fell asleep, it was in his arms. I always felt so safe with him." Trisha stopped as she tried to hold back her tears.
Gibbs put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him. He wrapped his other arm around her as Trisha cried into his shirt. "Shhhh, it's ok. It's all gonna be ok," he whispered as he rubbed her back.
Trisha pulled away and looked at Gibbs' face. "How can you possibly say that? I have no one. Nobody cares if I live or die, what difference does it make? Those monsters who murdered my family should have just gotten me too; it would have saved the world a whole lotta trouble…"
Gibbs took Trisha by the shoulders. "Don't say that. I know there's a certain little girl out there who would be very upset. Rochelle cares about you very much; anyone can see that."
Trisha shook her head, "That's not what I mean, Gibbs. I need someone to love me," she stated as her voice trailed off again. She hung her head as she tried to blink back more tears.
Gibbs pulled her to him again. He kissed the top of her head as she sobbed against his chest. He rested his chin on the top of her head and rubbed Trisha's back until she calmed down. Gently cupping Trisha's chin in his hand, Gibbs lifted her face. "Look at me, Trisha." Blue eyes met blue eyes. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here right now. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't found me in the woods. I owe you my life. And I'll be damned if I just stand by and watch you go through this foster care crap. You don't deserve this," he said more softly. He tucked some of her hair behind her ear. "Do you trust me, Trish?"
Trisha thought for a moment. "Yea. Yea Gibbs, I do trust you."
Gibbs smiled, "Look, if you want, and only if you want to, you can ---"
He was cut off by Rochelle as she came sprinting into Trisha's room. "Gibbs! There's five people outside on the porch who say they work with you. One is dressed like it's Halloween, and another one says his name is Tony and that you're his boss. There's another one who looks like a complete computer nerd, and an old guy who's named after a bird. And then there's a lady who showed me your picture," she said as she ran out of breath.
Gibbs smiled; his team had found him. There was no need for an awkward phone call after all. He looked down at Trisha, "We'll continue this later, ok? Right now I want you guys to meet my team."