Chapter Sixteen – A New Hope
Brenna was staring at Jenna as her eyes opened. Her smile lit up the recovery room and she whispered, "Jenna! Hey there, sleepy head!"
Still groggy from the drugs, Jenna focused on her sister's face. "Brenna? Hey." She smiled softly.
"How ya doin', kiddo?" Brenna asked.
"I've been better," she answered, and then smiled. "I'm fine; honestly."
"I love you."
Jenna teared up at the admission from her sister. They didn't speak their feelings aloud often enough. "Love you too, sis."
"Don't you dare get shot again, do you hear me?"
Jenna chuckled and then winced at the pain.
The nurse peeked around the curtain and saw that Jenna was coming out of the anesthesia. "Ms. Davis, we have a room ready for your sister. Since she's waking, we'll need to move her now."
Brenna nodded and squeezed Jenna's hand once more before stepping out to tell the others.
---
The team stood when Brenna approached them. "How is she?" Tim asked.
She grinned and told them, "She woke up for a few moments and so they are going to move her into a room. The nurse said they'd try to locate a cot or something for me to sleep on and put it in her room."
Gibbs spoke up. "You're not staying here. You're going home to get some rest. McGee, keep her safe," he continued, shifting his focus to McGee. McGee acknowledged the order with a nod of his head, and reached to gently take Brenna's arm.
"I need to stay with Jenna, Agent Gibbs. I'm not going anywhere," she pulled her arm away from McGee almost violently, and faced Gibbs with determination in her eyes.
"Yes, you are. McGee, take her to your place and sit on her if you have to. She is not to come back here until she rests. Tony, take Abby home. I'll be here with Jenna."
"Daniel, you stay downstairs and keep watch," Damien ordered and didn't flinch at Gibbs' angry look. "You messed up once, Agent Gibbs, don't let it happen again." He strode down the hall, taking Daniel with him.
"I'm not leaving her," Brenna insisted.
"McGee!" Gibbs barked.
"On it, Boss." He looked at his boss and then shrugged his shoulders. Brenna squealed in protest as McGee picked her up, tossed her over his shoulder, and began walking toward the hospital entrance. She stared back at Gibbs, her eyes bearing into his like daggers. He smirked.
---
The atmosphere at Tony's apartment was quite relaxed, considering the chaos of the two days prior. Abby lounged on his sofa, flipping through television channels so quickly that Tony wondered if she even knew what she was looking for.
"Hey, Abs. Can I ask you something?" Tony inquired quietly, reaching for the remote control. She passed it to him, and the clicked the power button.
She smiled, "Anything for you, Tony." He smiled in return. If only that were true.
"Would you really be THAT upset if McGee hooked up with Brenna Davis?"
"Yes," she answered immediately. "No," she continued, as her face contorted into one of confusion. She crinkled her brow. "I don't know."
"Are you in love with him?"
"No," she giggled. "Not at all."
"Then what exactly is the problem?" Tony asked, forcing her to confront her true feelings on the matter.
"I don't love him, but he adores me. I kinda like being the center of his world. He's MY geek – MY friend, you know?"
"I guess," Tony hedged uncomfortably. "I just don't get it."
Abby turned to face him. "I am an evil person, Tony," she sighed. "When I first met Tim, I went out with him a few times, had some awesome sex and quite a few laughs – it was fun. But I knew I wasn't serious. He didn't." She paused. "I hurt him. I know that. And after all this time – through building a strong friendship and flirting and being jealous of one another, he's never gotten over me completely. It's kind of nice to know that, no matter what, he'll always be there waiting; to catch me if I fall, or love me if I'm lonely."
"First of all, you're not evil – just human. Second of all, there are other people out there that wouldn't mind catching you every once in a while," he admitted quietly.
"Tony," Abby said on a half giggle, her voice suddenly husky. "What are you saying?"
"Nothing; I just think it's time to let Tim go," he said nonchalantly as he stood and stretched. "I gotta pee," he said, as he hurried out of the room.
---
Sterling stood in the hotel alley, angered about being ordered to meet here. He watched as his best man slowly walked into the alley. "What is this? Who do you think you are, giving me orders?"
The man smiled and Sterling finally saw in him what made others afraid. "You've outdone yourself this time, Sterling. Someone thinks you're a liability."
"What are you telling me this for?"
"Because I was ordered to kill you. But, I'm willing to forget that order."
"For what?" Sterling asked, knowing what the man was after.
"Money, of course. What else do you have that I'd want?"
Wanting to be done with this situation, Sterling told him, "Name your price."
He opened his mouth but nothing came out. Blood appeared through his shirt and he slowly crumpled to the pavement, just as another bullet zipped through the air, piercing Sterling Lancaster's cold heart and killing him with one shot.
---
Gibbs ignored the cot brought in by the staff, choosing instead to sit by Jenna as she slept off the effects of the drugs. He'd spoken with the doctor and knew she would most likely sleep until the morning, but he still kept watch. They wouldn't reach her a second time.
Jenna moved her hand and he looked up to see her eyes open. "Gibbs? Where's Brenna?"
"With McGee."
"Protection detail?" she asked, and he nodded. "What have the doctors said?"
Remembering that she was injured and also not completely accustomed to his bluntness, he explained a little. "The surgeon said the bullet pierced your spleen so they removed it. It also broke a rib, so you'll be sore from both things."
Trying to joke, Jenna said, "Oh, well if that's all…" She looked at him and told him, "I'm sorry I went outside. I knew I was supposed to stay in the house, but I didn't think… I just didn't think."
"This isn't your fault, Jenna. I should have listened to my gut and checked us into a motel."
"How can you say this isn't my fault? If I hadn't stayed silent all theses years, this wouldn't be happening."
"No, you'd be dead instead of wounded and your sister might be too. You survived by listening to your instincts, which is what I should have done tonight."
Jenna blinked, studying the expression on his face and the seriousness in his eyes. "You didn't shoot me, Gibbs. You didn't hurt me."
"I didn't protect you."
"Oh my goodness, Gibbs! If I wasn't starting to feel some pain, I'd sit up and kiss you quiet. It worked with McGee."
Gibbs was a bit shocked at her statement, but before he could say anything, his phone rang. "Gibbs…. Yeah…. When?... I'll let the team know."
Disconnecting and then dialing Ziva's number, he looked at Jenna. When Ziva answered, he told them both, "Sterling Lancaster was just found dead in an alley behind a hotel here in DC. There was a second victim, male, with a shoulder wound."
He hung up the phone. Ziva would let the team know and then go ride Larson's team until they gave her answers.
---
"I'm not going to apologize for doing my job," McGee said, attempting again to get Brenna to talk to him. She hadn't spoken to him since they left the hospital, which was definitely out of character considering she normally couldn't keep her mouth shut.
He moved to sit next to her on the edge of the bed. Brenna sighed and finally turned to face him, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. "She's my sister, McGee. I should be there, not here."
"You're safer here. Wouldn't Jenna want that?"
She shrugged and looked back down toward the bed.
"No; don't even act like you're not sure." He reached over and took her chin gently in his hand, pulling her head up so he could look into her eyes. "You know this is better. You need to rest so you can be there for her tomorrow."
"You're right," she said, and tried to smile at him. "But I still don't see what gives him the right to order me to leave my sister."
"You came to him for help," McGee answered.
"True, but…"
"No buts. Now why don't you take a bath or a long shower and think about trying to sleep," he suggested.
This time her smile was genuine. "I know I just showered before we left for the hospital, but it feels like it's been years. That sounds so amazing," she admitted.
McGee watched her as she gathered her things and made her way to the bathroom. He could hardly believe he had only known her for a few short days. When she turned to smile at him before shutting the bathroom door, he couldn't help but return it. She had the most captivating smile he had ever seen.
The ringing phone pulled him away from his thoughts. "McGee… Hey, Ziva… Are you sure? Got it," he said, disconnecting. He walked over to the bathroom door and knocked.
"Um… Brenna?"
"Yeah?"
"There's been a development in the case. Can you come out?"
She giggled. "Of course. Just give me a second."
She soon emerged from the bathroom in her green, satin nightgown. "I decided to forego the shower, and just try to sleep. What's up?"
Distracted by the sight of Brenna in her gown, he almost forgot to answer. His inspection of her started at her smooth legs, revealed by the short gown, and eventually ended at her eyes. Eventually.
"Agent McGee?" Brenna asked. "You said there was a development in the case…?"
"You can call me Tim," he said, blushing; "if you want."
"Okay, Tim," Brenna smiled, recognizing the signals he was giving off and wanting to jump up and down that he was finally really noticing her. "What was the report?"
"Oh! Well, it seems that both the guy who shot your sister and Sterling Lancaster were killed tonight. It appears all threats against you and your sister are resolved, but we still want to play it safe for a bit."
"Oh my gosh! Are you serious? How? I mean, what happened to Lancaster?" Brenna fired off questions, not pausing to breathe.
McGee smiled at her enthusiasm. "I honestly don't know. I'm sure we'll find out more tomorrow."
Brenna couldn't contain her excitement, and began dancing around his bedroom. She had the funniest expression on her face; he couldn't help but grin at her.
"What are you doing?"
"The Happy Dance!" Brenna said. "Come on, I'll show you."
"I don't think so."
"Tim! Please? It's not hard," Brenna begged. She pulled her lip into a pout, and he couldn't say no.
"Okay…" he said and very reluctantly stepped toward her. He could hardly believe he was about to act this silly with a woman he wanted to impress. But, even as he told himself it wasn't a smart move, he found himself being led through the steps. Eventually, he realized he was smiling.
"Now you have to make the face," Brenna told him. "Like this," she pulled her features into one of the silliest faces he had ever seen on anyone over the age of ten.
"No way," he laughed.
"But that's part of it," she said seriously.
Tim just shook his head, adamant about not mimicking her silly face. She smiled and walked toward him.
"Please?" she asked.
"Not gonna happen," he said, taking a step backward. Her smile became more flirtatious as his back reached the wall. She continued to advance.
"Pretty please?" she asked again.
He swallowed hard. "Nuh-uh," he shook his head.
When she finally reached him, Brenna had forgotten what she was originally trying to convince Tim to do. Their eyes met and sparks flew. She ceased breathing in the moment that she noticed he was staring at her mouth rather than her eyes, and she knew she was about to be kissed.
Tim couldn't stop himself, not that he wanted to. Since the impromptu kiss in the squad room, he had been thinking about Brenna's lips and how much he wanted to taste her again. Capturing her head gently, he leaned down to her, barely touching her lips, waiting for a response from her. At the little hitch in her breath, he pressed in and deepened the kiss, seeking an opening. Brenna willingly gave it. When they pulled back from one another, Tim saw the goose bumps on her arms and knew it was he that had caused that reaction and not the cool temperature in his apartment. Brenna was staring at his soft, full lips as she pulled him back down to her. Not breaking the kiss, he gathered her into his arms and carried her to the bed.