Gibbs and Tony walked into Jess' room. A nurse was writing notes in a chart as she finished setting the room.
"We just got her settled; she's sleeping comfortably," the nurse said with a smile. "She's going to be fine."
"Thank you," said Gibbs. As the nurse left, Gibbs pulled up a chair for Tony and then one for himself. They both looked at Jess, asleep with IVs coming out of her left arm and her leg and feet wrapped in bandages. The light of the hospital room made her bruises stand out even more against her slightly pale complexion, but her face was peaceful and serene. Tony reached over and adjusted her blanket, then brushed away a lock of hair from her forehead. He spent a few seconds just making sure she was actually breathing, and then he looked up at Gibbs with an expression of relief.
"Thanks, Boss," Tony said quietly. "For … all of this. I know it kind of came to us the wrong way, but … well … thanks."
"She's military, Tony," Gibbs said, matter-of-factly. "It was our jurisdiction." Tony gave him an odd look. "But even if she hadn't been," Gibbs continued, more gently, and with a smile, "Jess is your family. No way were you going to handle this alone. This case was ours the second Trey showed up on her porch in Alaska."
Tony smiled and nodded.
Having heard the soft voices, Jess stirred and started to wake. Tony got up and stood at the side of the bed.
"Hey," he said, quietly.
"Hi," she said, a bit groggy still. She moved a little to get more comfortable. "Ow," she said, as she moved her leg. "Bad idea."
She sat up a bit and looked around, trying to wake up. It took her a second to focus on the other person in the room. "Gibbs," she said. He smiled.
She looked back at Tony, seeing the bruises on his face. "Are you okay?" she asked, with concern.
"I'm good," he said. "Headache, bruises, wrenched my knee. Nothing to worry about." She raised her eyebrows and looked him full in the eye. "I promise," he said with a smile. She breathed a sigh of relief.
"Trey?" she asked.
"He's dead," Gibbs said, as he stood and moved to the end of the bed. Her face took on an expression of relief and regret. No one quite knew what to say.
Tony's stomach rumbled loudly, breaking the moment. He smiled down at Jess with a shrug. "Sorry … haven't eaten in a while."
Gibbs mentally scolded himself for not thinking of this sooner. "No," he said. "You haven't. Not since last night. With all those meds you're on, you should go downstairs and get something in your stomach. I'll keep an eye on Jess."
Tony looked at Jess, who nodded. He glanced back at Gibbs. "Can I bring you anything?"
Gibbs raised an eyebrow. Tony smirked.
"Right," he said, with a touch of sarcasm. "Like I had to ask." He kissed Jess on the forehead, carefully. "I'll be right back."
Gibbs walked around to the other side of the bed. "You need anything?" he asked.
"Water?" she said, looking over at the bedside table. Gibbs picked up a glass and straw and helped her take a few sips.
"Thanks," Jess said, as she put her head back onto the pillow and closed her eyes.
"Tony told me about Peoria," Gibbs said, not even sure if she was still awake. "Last night. While we were … waiting."
"Hmmm…" Jess said, her eyes still closed. "That's a good one. I come off looking really good in that one."
"Something tells me that you come off looking really good in all of them," Gibbs said, with a small laugh.
Jess opened her eyes and looked up at him with an expression that he couldn't quite read. "No…" she said. "Not all of them."
There was a beat of silence.
"So …" Gibbs changed the subject. "You'll be going back to Alaska?"
"I guess," Jess said with a sigh. "The project is almost over, and they were pretty happy to get rid of me. I don't know that they'll be thrilled to have me back. Although I'm thinking I'll get some good sympathy points."
"Well, if you think you might want a change of scenery," Gibbs said, "I have some friends at the Pentagon ..."
She looked up at him with a flash of humor that he was surprisingly happy to see. "You have … FRIENDS?" she said, with a barely concealed laugh.
His hand was more than halfway to a headsmack before he realized what he was doing and stopped the motion by shoving his hand into his pocket. He looked down at her, straight-faced. "Yes," he said dryly. "Yes I do."
She chuckled. "You're going to get me a job at the Pentagon."
"No," he said. "I'm going to get you an interview at the Pentagon. You're on your own for the job."
She looked at him for a second. "Why?" she asked, with a touch of suspicion.
He shrugged. "I still owe you dinner," he said, simply.
The door to the room opened, and Tony walked in. He was finishing a banana, carrying a cup of coffee, and holding the ugliest stuffed animal any of them had ever seen.
"What is that?" Gibbs exclaimed, as he took his coffee and regarded what seemed to be a stuffed … cat.
"Oh my gosh!" Jess said with a laugh. "It looks just like Dino Kitty!"
"That's what I thought!" said Tony with a bright grin. They both cracked up laughing.
Gibbs put out his hand in a "stop" gesture, and smiled. "I don't even want to know," he said. Then he turned to leave.
"You two seem to be entertaining each other just fine – I'm gonna head back." He turned to Tony. "DiNozzo, you call when you need a ride home; one of us will pick you up." Tony nodded. Gibbs looked at Jess. "I'll talk to you later," he said.
"Okay," she answered, with a smile and a yawn. "I'll … try to be awake." He chuckled.
As Gibbs walked out the hospital room door, Tony tossed the banana peel in the trash and pulled the tag off the stuffed cat. He handed it to Jess. She looked at it and shook her head. "Who'd have thought there'd be another one?" she said.
Tony looked down at her. "Is everything okay?" Tony asked. She nodded. "You're okay … you're sure?" he asked again, tilting her face a bit towards him and looking straight into her eyes.
"I'm fine, Tony," Jess said, trying to reassure him. "He didn't …"
"I know," Tony cut her off.
"So …," she said, echoing his response from earlier. "I'm good. I promise."
Tony took her hand and kissed her palm, as he had a couple of days earlier at Gino's. "Go back to sleep," he said, softly.
"Yeah," she sighed. She held his gaze for a second and then looked over at the other pillow and back up at him, a tacit request in her eyes.
He looked around the room and stifled a yawn. Then he sighed, kicked off his shoes, and took off his sweatshirt, leaving him in scrubs.
"Okay," he said, with a tolerant smile. "But if I get in trouble with the nursing staff, this is all on you."
"Copy that," she said.
It took a few minutes to sort out pillows, covers, IV lines and bandaged body parts, but before long, Tony was stretched out on his back in Jess' hospital bed, his arm around her, and her head resting on his shoulder.
She yawned and closed her eyes. "Gibbs is going to get me an interview at the Pentagon," she said, sleepily.
"Really?" Tony said, with a widening grin.
The last thing that Gibbs heard as he stood and eavesdropped outside the slightly ajar door was Tony's sing-song voice, softly teasing. "Jessie's got a boyfriend, Jessie's got a boyfriend."
"Give it up Tony," Jess said, as she drifted off to sleep.
Gibbs smiled, took a sip of his coffee, and headed down the hall.