Don't Push but Don't Hesitate
Chapter 8
Burning up
One week later
After Samantha received the call she disappeared for a few days. Gibbs had tried to get in touch with her but she had made herself unreachable. When she returned she refused to enlighten him on what was going on. For a while this created tension between the pair that everyone noticed.
At the latest scene Gibbs ended up becoming too consumed with the case to be concerned with what Samantha was doing. From Samantha's perspective however, the team leader was simply distracted by the attractive Lieutenant Colonel of the army CID who insisted on a joint investigation.
The team divided up the tasks of processing the scene. Samantha assisted the CID investigators in collecting debris from the explosion in addition to flagging the victim's body parts for Ducky and Palmer to collect. Tony took the witness statement from the son of the victim. McGee photographed and took measurements of the scene before anything was moved or disturbed.
The entire feat was exhausting but they were far from finished. Once the evidence was collected and the statements were taken the team made their way to headquarters. Over the next few days Samantha observed that Gibbs seemed to be getting comfortable with Lieutenant Colonel Mann. As the search went on for the terrorist they were looking for, the tension increased between Samantha and Gibbs. She didn't trust the Lieutenant Colonel but he did. The constant flirtation did nothing to help ease Samantha's concerns.
In the meantime Tony was spending time with Jeanne and doing favors for the director which nobody but the two of them had knowledge of. Samantha had barely spoken to Jeanne let alone seen her because their schedules were completely chaotic. Basically Samantha had no idea what was happening behind her back and Jeanne was none the wiser.
It was determined that the terrorist they were looking for went by the name Sharif. Over the course of the investigation Samantha diffused multiple bombs which were intended to go off in their faces. Fortunately, Gibbs utilized her expertise in explosives and trusted her to complete the task.
Unfortunately they were not successful in capturing Sharif this time. It would be several weeks before they caught whiff of another lead. This time when they did it turned out that Sharif was planning an attack with chemical weaponry. Once again Samantha felt uneasy about Hollis Mann but did her best not to express her feelings.
The chase for Sharif ended with Gibbs on the bathroom floor of a local train station, the chemical weapon coursing through his bloodstream. Fortunately he was reached in time by Mann who shot and killed Sharif to prevent further harm to Gibbs and others. The team and the antidote were not far behind but Samantha noticed there was something between her boss and the investigator when she joined them in the bathroom.
Later that same night Samantha was on the couch in the living room of the apartment she shared with Jeanne. In the corner of the room George was snoozing in his dog bed. The doctor was in the kitchen preparing dinner. The pair of roommates intended on spending the night in the apartment watching romantic comedies after the long day they each had. While Jeanne was busy the open laptop on the table near the windows chimed.
Jeanne had heard and called from the kitchen to her roommate.
"Can you check that for me, I'm expecting a message from my Dad?"
"Sure."
Samantha rose from the couch and moved to sit at the table with Jeanne's laptop in front of her. The agent opened the most recent email. The relationship she had with Renee Benoit was similar to the relationship she had with her own father, warm and comforting. Jeanne was hoping for a visit from her father soon even though she was recently in Paris with him.
What Samantha found instead when she read the message was Jeanne's former fiancé begging her to take him back. She absorbed every word with her hazel eyes and sighed heavily.
"What's wrong?" Jeanne asked from where she stood at the stove.
"This email is from John, it looks like he's been reaching out to you a lot." Samantha replied.
Jeanne sighed herself this time and turned away from the task she was performing to acknowledge Samantha completely.
"I'm not interested in reconciling with him. I've already expressed that to him, besides I think the relationship I am in now is getting serious." Jeanne explained.
"I understand that part but can't you at least forgive John for sleeping with me. If you could forgive me, why not forgive us both?" Samantha wondered.
"It's just not that simple, you were going through a difficult time after everything you went through with Steven. Even though you and John were both drunk he knew that you were vulnerable and I can't forgive him for taking advantage of my best friend." Jeanne told her.
Samantha nodded to express that she understood what Jeanne was explaining to her.
"If the roles were reversed I suppose I would feel the same." Samantha said as she returned to the couch.
"By the way, if things with your mystery man are in fact getting serious, don't you think it's about time he gets my stamp of approval?" She added.
Jeanne made her way into the living room with two plates of food. Samantha opened the chilled bottle of wine that was on the coffee table and poured it into two glasses. They agreed on a list of movies to watch earlier on and Samantha started the first DVD after settling down.
"It's funny that you mention it, I was just thinking the same. It's just been difficult to make plans lately because of everything we've had going on. Between chasing a terrorist and performing surgeries, I'm surprised we've found the time to do this, let alone introduce you to my 'mystery man'." Jeanne replied, using air quotes when she used Samantha's phrase for her boyfriend.
Samantha nodded in agreement.
"Well, now that the case is closed and I won't have assigned weekend duty for awhile we can arrange an evening." Samantha suggested.
"My mother will be visiting on Saturday, we can all have dinner together then." Jeanne considered.
Samantha raised an eyebrow and gave Jeanne a quizzical expression.
"You want to subject your boy toy to your mother and your best friend all at once. Do you think he can stand up to the pressure?"
"I'm sure he can handle it." Jeanne laughed, despite getting irritated that Sam refused to refer to this man as a boyfriend just because they hadn't been introduced yet.
"I'll be the judge of that." Samantha decided.
Jeanne rolled her eyes but took Samantha's reply as confirmation that she was interested in being part of the evening.
The next day brought a few unpleasant surprises to Samantha's already rough week. For starters Gibbs was in a chipper mood with a certain spring in his step that she recognized instantly. After almost marrying the man herself it was no mystery as to why he was In good spirits. The fact that he placed a coffee on her desk in the exact flavor and type that she preferred only added salt to the wound.
A case came up that involved a long history of domestic violence between a decorated Marine and his young wife. At first the case wasn't exactly open and shut. It was a struggle to get him to admit what really caused the untimely death of his wife. From the start Gibbs was against allowing Samantha to get involved beyond a certain point but she pushed until he told her she could interrogate. After Samantha presented the photographic evidence of his actions against the wife the Marine began to crack. Then he wanted to play the blame game and claimed that his severe PTSD was the cause of his actions.
In the interrogation room Samantha lunged across the table at the Marine, she had heard enough. It took both Tony and McGee to rip her away from him after they rushed into the room. Gibbs was the muscle who kept the Marine from reciprocating the blows that Samantha delivered. McGee continued to hold Samantha back by the waist while Tony assisted Gibbs in wrestling the Marine into cuffs. The entire time the guilty man shouted profanities at Samantha and insisted that she should be the one getting arrested.
Once Tony and Gibbs had escorted the Marine to the holding cell McGee released his hold on his colleague. Samantha realized the severity of her actions after the fact and sighed heavily as she ran a hand through her hair.
"I'd ask for an explanation but I don't want you to rip my head off." McGee said.
The statement was intended to make light of the situation but Samantha didn't laugh or even give him a halfhearted smile.
"It's a long story and I don't want to talk about it." She replied.
"Can you give me the short version?"
Samantha adjusted her clothing which had been disheveled in the scuffle with the Marine.
"I just don't believe in excuses for spousal abuse." Samantha answered.
"I agree." McGee said, not letting on that he knew her personal history.
"We should go find out if Abby has anything to share with us." Samantha suggested.
McGee nodded in agreement and followed her lead down to Abby's lab.
The news of Samantha's behavior in interrogation traveled much faster than she did. By the time she entered the lab with McGee in tow the pigtail clad forensic specialist was at the ready with a witty welcome in which she referred to Samantha as the Wonder Woman to their Justice League.
"What do you have for us Abby?" Samantha asked with a note of impatience to her tone though she smiled at Abby's teasing.
"Well, Gibbs asked me not to tell you my findings. Ducky was told the same in case you tried to pay him a visit too." Abby replied.
"Wonderful, this week just keeps getting better!" Samantha replied with heavy sarcasm as she threw her hands up in the air, an indication that she had given up. "If anyone needs me I'll be at my desk writing my report."
When Samantha was out of earshot, Abby turned her attention to McGee and quoted William Shakespeare. "Though she be but little, she is fierce."
Samantha took the elevator to the squad room floor and after taking a seat at her desk she slipped off her heels. The second the sigh left her lips George abandoned his bed and toys. Sensing that she was troubled, the golden retriever placed his head in her lap and looked up at her with sympathetic eyes.
For a few moments Samantha scratched behind his ears and fought to keep her emotions from getting the best of her again. This case was one she took personally when she should have separated her own experiences. While she continued scratching George behind the ears Samantha opened the bottom right drawer of her desk with her free hand and removed a file folder she had stashed there after her return. It was in doing so that she noticed something else in the drawer that she missed the last time she utilized it.
What she found hidden at the back of the drawer was a sketch pad. There was no doubt in Samantha's mind that it once belonged to Kate. As she flipped through the pages Samantha came across a caricature of Tony which made Samantha laugh. As she continued she found Kate's remarkable sketch of Gibbs.
In looking through Kate's sketches Samantha realized she knew little about the woman who had taken over this desk during her absence. What Samantha knew of Kate was that she had once been a valuable asset to the Secret Service, she obviously had a talent for drawing, and she was Steven's other woman.
As Samantha pondered about Kate the elevator chimed. Glancing up to see who had arrived Samantha saw that it was Tony. Quickly she placed the sketchbook along with her file folder back into the drawer and closed it just as Tony rounded the corner.
"Where's Gibbs?" Sam asked casually.
Tony indicated to the staircase as he reached his desk and traded his gun and badge for his wallet and keys.
"Damage control, Jenny caught wind of what you did and wants to suspend you." Tony replied.
Samantha mentally cursed her luck and figured it was just a matter of time before she was called into the principal's office.
"Thanks for the heads up, where are you off to?" Samantha wondered.
Tony who had finished exchanging his items began to head back to the elevator.
"I've got a dentist appointment." He declared in a rush.
"That's the third time this month!" Samantha called in return just as Tony stepped onto the elevator, the doors quickly sliding shut behind him.
Just as Samantha expected, the phone on her desk rang. When she picked it up Cynthia was on the other end and informed Samantha that the Director wanted to see her immediately. Samantha didn't respond and simply hung up.
The agent rose from her desk and took the stairs up to Jenny's office. When she walked through Cynthia's reception space she regarded the assistant with a nod and walked straight into Jenny's office without a single knock. Instinctively she closed the door behind her.
Gibbs was present, also as she expected, and Jenny was at her desk looking less than thrilled at the pair. As usual Gibbs was standing and had his gaze fixed on Samantha.
"Agent Fielding, your actions today were inexcusable. I am tempted to place you on immediate suspension, without pay, Agent Gibbs feels that would be an unwise decision. What do you think?" Jenny said from her comfortable seat behind the large desk.
"I have no interest in making excuses Director, you know me well enough to know that I don't believe in that. As for your decision, I think that it would be fair, but I also believe I am a valuable asset to this team and I refuse to be on suspension for an extended period of time." Samantha replied thoughtfully.
Jenny took a moment to consider Samantha's carefully chosen words. A couple of times she glanced from Samantha to Gibbs and back again.
"I am willing to compromise and send you home instead, you're dismissed from this case. I suggest you do not return until this case concludes. If there is another incident like this Special Agent Fielding, I will suspend you without hesitation and you will be expected to consult a therapist for anger management." Jenny decided.
"Yes Director Shepard." Samantha replied with as much respect as she could manage to force.
When she was dismissed from the room Samantha returned to her desk. Wasting no time at all she slipped a few folders into her gear bag then headed toward the elevator with George.
Gibbs whistled from the stairs in an effort to gain Samantha's attention long enough to delay her and catch up with her. From over her shoulder Samantha looked his way but not for any longer than a split second, then she disappeared from view with George behind the steel doors of the elevator. It was an act of avoidance. She was in no mood to spend another moment in his presence today.
Back at the apartment Samantha immediately went back to bed. George had no objections to returning to his own in the corner of the room. It had been a short day at work but Samantha felt like she needed to fall into a brief coma. What she didn't know was that things were about spiral out of control far worse than they already had.